UK Top 10 fruit and Veg

BRITS SAY CHIPS BUT NO PEAS PLEASE, SURVEY REVEALS : A survey by the Health Food Manufacturers Association has revealed only 14% of UK adults eat the recommended 5 fruit and vegetables per day and most people (66%) mistakenly believe potatoes can count as one portion towards the daily count of five fruit and veg per day.

Nutritionist, London, Yvonne Bishop-Weston from London Nutritionists Foods for Life says " The 5 a day figure is already artificially low to appear more achievable. The actual consumption to attain optimal health should be more like 3 fruit and 5 vegetables per day. Healthy eaters should also aim for a variety of colours"

The survey also revealed that it's no longer an apple thought to keeps the Doctor away. It's bananas that now appear to be the nation's favourite fruit. Here's the top ten of UK fruit and vegetables.

"HFMA Healthy Nation 2008 – The Nation’s Favourite Fruit and Vegetables

The UK’s top 10 favourite fresh fruit:
1. Bananas
2. Tomatoes
3. Apples
4. Grapes
5. Oranges
6. Pineapple
7. Peach
8. Plums
9. Mango
10. Pears

The UK’s top 10 favourite vegetables:
1. Carrots
2. Potatoes
3. Onions
4. Broccoli
5. Lettuce
6. Cucumber
7. Cauliflower
8. Spring greens
9. Spinach
10. Celery

More about → UK Top 10 fruit and Veg

Vitamin D2 just as good as D3 - better than Vitamin C?

Vitamin D2 just as good as D3?

The race is on to prove that Vitamin D is even more important than Vitamin C and that the Recommended Daily Amount is increased by over 100%

Researchers from Boston University have reported that both vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 forms are equally effective at maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D status.

"Our observations suggest that 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 is required to sustain blood levels of 25(OH)D above a mean of 20 ng/ml, but was insufficient in raising the levels above a mean of 30 ng/ml."

Currently, the vitamin's RDA is 400 IU, but calls have been growing louder to increase this level considerably. The new study appears to support this view.

"One thousand IU of vitamin D2 daily was as effective as 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 in maintaining serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and did not negatively influence serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels," said Holick. "Therefore, vitamin D2 is equally as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D status."

More about → Vitamin D2 just as good as D3 - better than Vitamin C?

How To Treat Tennis Elbow

How To Treat Tennis ElbowIf you suffer from tennis elbow there are some things you can do to treat it at home. One of the easiest ways to relieve the pain of tennis elbow is by avoiding any activity that makes the pain worse. Since overuse of specific tendons is what is causing the pain try to limit your movement to give the tendons time to heal. Applying an ice pack for a few hours at a time

More about → How To Treat Tennis Elbow

Livestock’s long shadow - Environmental UN Report

Livestock’s long shadow - Environmental issues and options

Paul McCartney appeared on News at Ten highlighting the grave repercussions for us if we continue to eat as much meat as we currently do.

As if you needed anymore reasons to avoid saturated animal fats in your diet he added scarcity of water, land degradation, and polution to the list.

Sir Paul McCartney has a point. When meat eaters start admitting that Donald Watson was right, back in 1944 when he predicted catastrophe if we failed to change our diets, you know times are changing. The United Nations report is clear about apportioning blame. Cattle farming is worse than cars and planes. We must drastically change the way we eat or face responsibility for a horrifying legacy for our children.

More - Paul McCartney Interview, News at 10

More about → Livestock’s long shadow - Environmental UN Report

Ethical Guide

Ethical Guide for Conscious Consumers

If you are looking for ethical as well as healthy go to Ethical Junction. They are planning The Ethical Guide for Conscious Consumers.

If it's anything like their Ethical Junction website it should be life changing!

More about → Ethical Guide

How To Treat Canker Sores

How To Treat Canker SoresDefinitely not a cure, but one of the best ways to treat canker sores is to regularly rinse your mouth with a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. You may want to take a pain reliever until the canker sore heals. It is recommended to use ibuprofen to relieve the pain, but if that bothers your stomach you can use acetaminophen. Food products and additives are

More about → How To Treat Canker Sores

How To Grill in Winter - Grilling in Winter

How To Grill in Winter - Grilling in WinterSome simple tips for how to grill in winter. Just because Summer has passed and its cold outside doesn't mean you need to store away the grill for winter. In fact, grilled food tastes just as good in Winter as it does in the Summer. Whether you're using a gas grill or a charcoal grill the basics still apply. You'll find only a few differences in the way

More about → How To Grill in Winter - Grilling in Winter

Dr Ben Goldacre : Quackiest of Quacks

Cultural Dwarfs
Quackiest of Quacky Quackpot Bad Scientists Awards

I think I may be one of the few people around in the Natural Health Industry who thinks that the vitriolic, potentially libellous, cynical and vindictive ramblings of Dr Ben Goldacre have been partly a good thing. He has probably done more than anyone to unite the Complementary Medicine Industry and help a vast new audience examine health alternatives more closely. Even just by highlighting the fact that there ARE alternatives to the grossly ineffectual NHS system.

Thousands more desperate people failed by the NHS having suffered from 13 years of 'IBS' (irritable bowel syndrome) , or even more years from constipation have suddenly found there was no need to be suffering and suddenly find themselves with relief after a few weeks.

Of course with any insufficiently regulated industry there are a few 'Earnest experimenters' who could do more harm than good, so encouraging people to be choosy in their choice of therapist can only be a good thing.

However Dr Ben Goldacre whilst he has encouraged the industry to be tighter, sharper and more professional has wasted a tremendous amount of practitioners and researchers time dealing with claims that are just pure fantasy and hypocritical political spin on his part.

He defends a system that fails to help people even with the basics, such as learning how to pooh properly, spends a ridiculous amount of money on laxatives and encourages Burger King into Hospitals.

Even the very worst therapists have grasped that drinking more water and eating more fruit and vegetables can cure most cases of constipation.

So many people could have been getting on with what they do best , healing people and educating the public - instead of that they've been fighting fires lit by the political pyromaniac Dr Ben Goldacre.

Good to see that finally someone has taken on Dr Ben Goldacre at his own game

Dr Ben Goldacre - Exposed

Cultural Dwarfs and Junk Journalism is Martin Walker's fourth book charting the development of the corporate science lobby that has grown rapidly since New Labour came to power in 1997. One of the most recent exponents of the Lobby is Dr Ben Goldacre who has regurgitated a bad 'Science' column in the Guardian newspaper since 2003.

Like other quackbusters Goldacre claims to write factually based and scientifically accurate articles about health, medicine and science either supporting scientists and doctors or criticising individuals involved in alternative or nutritional health care. Goldacre's writing, however, actually reflects the ideology of powerful industrial, technological and political vested interests.

Goldacre who it is claimed is a Junior doctor working in a London NHS hospital is actually a clinical researcher working at the centre of New Labour's Orwellian spin operation that puts a sympathetic gloss on anything shown to create adverse reactions from MMR to Wi-Fi, while at the same time undermining cost-effective and long tried alternative therapies such as acupuncture and homoeopathy. Goldacre is involved with public health researchers well known for trying to prove that those who claim to be adversely affected by pollutants in our modern high-technology society, suffer from 'false illness beliefs'.

It's about time Dr Ben Goldacre had a good ample dose of his own 'Quackpot' medicine - Martin Walker may be just the person to administer it.

Quackiest of Quacks

More about → Dr Ben Goldacre : Quackiest of Quacks