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As we all walk down the shopping aisle, there is one important bit of information that appears (or should appear) on every packaged food item. This information is the content and nutrition label. As many of us find it all too difficult or time consuming to prepare a meal from fresh ingredients, we resort to the commercially prepared items. This is acceptable in some instances, and perhaps even necessary in others, but as a standard practice should not be accepted. Fresh foods MUST be a major part of your diet plan. If you are missing out on this and resorting to the commercial products, BE WARNED. Have you read the content and nutrition label on the package that you have just put in your shopping trolley? Or more to the point have you EVER read it? What does all this fine print mean?

Once you have read the label, can you believe it? Is it correct? A report from the Food & Drug Authority (FDA) in 1996 says that on average 92% of the information is correct. This is perhaps less than you or I would have expected, but if you think about it when manufacturing a few million items while the big batch may contain 20% this and 15% that and 12% something else when it is broken down into a saleable portion if may well contain 18% this, 16% that and 14% something else. After all, the law of averages is at work here. This is something to keep in mind. The label is an average, not an exact science. It does give you a listing of the ingredients and a good idea as to the proportions of these ingredients in the total product. Is it mostly sugar, how many chemicals, does it contain nuts? Also ingredients must be listed in their order by volume. Ingredients to look out for especially if listed in the first few items on a label are: Sugar, High Fructose corn syrup, Oil, Shortening, Butter, Lard, Artificial ingredients (the ‘E’ numbers) and Sodium (salt)

Foods which do not make nutritional claims or foods that contain only very small amounts of nutrients which are considered important need not have labels. To be sure if it is a full label detailing all the information you need to make an informed decision, the information must be entitled ‘Nutrition Facts’. This label may be in the form of a nutrition table or on smaller items where space on the total label is an issue may be listed.

Nutritional labeling is base on a ‘serving size’. Consequently some less scrupulous manufactures put this at much less than you might reasonably expect. Take breakfast cereals. A common serving size here is 30g – however if you actually measure out 30g you may find that you have less than half of the portion that you would normally eat.

The number of servings per pack is also important. If you consume half of the pack and the label says the pack contains four portions, then you need to double the all the nutritional data for an accurate consumption level. You are only fooling yourself if you eat two or more of the manufactures servings and stick to the single serving nutrition information.

Once you have this mastered, then you can start to work out the ‘special labels’ that some foods contain. These have become more and more common as the marketing companies become more aggressive in their sales pitch to us. But, be warned – that no-fat label may still mean the food contains fat. To be labeled as ‘no fat’ or ‘fat free’ the food only needs to contain less than 0.5g per serving. Question – How big is the serving?

In the table below are further definitions of special labels.

Information on a label relating to the percentage of daily value is also important. While it is important to check the serving size, and keep items such as fats and sugars at a low level, you should look for products with high levels of total carbohydrates, dietary fiber and vitamins for optimal health benefits.

Many people have problems when they first read the nutrition labels, but persevere as you will quickly learn which are the right foods for you - nutritionally or financially. After all if the item is very high in fat, sugar or water, then if might be cheaper to buy a packet of butter, sugar or a bottle of water at a considerably cheaper price.

You have worked hard all year on your healthy eating plan, watching the foods you eat and only eating what you body needs, not giving into what you mind wants - and then comes the ‘end of year’ parties and celebrations.  What to do?

With a little foresight and consideration you can celebrate without guilt.

Drinks – a glass or two of water BEFORE your party will help and always keep a glass of water nearby.  Your body will thank you for the additional hydration this will give to balance out any of the alcoholic drinks you may consume as well as help to fill you up without any of the negative nutritional influence of sugars and/or alcohol that are present in the commonly available beverages served.  Consider adding ice (not for the temperature reducing qualities) to ‘thin’ the drink and follow it up with a glass of water if possible.

It is also a good idea to drink a glass or two of water when you get home as this will help flush out some of the body’s toxins resulting from any indulgences of the party.

Foods - Unless you have a strong sense of quantity, it is very easy to overeat when presented with a lavish spread of foods at a buffet.  Being the perfect host you will want all your guests to think that you have been lavish in your provision of foods, but to all of this there is a cost that has to be paid and I do not mean financially.  If your sense of quantity is not strong, then a few tips that may help are:

• Choose a chair as far from the buffet table as possible
• One plate at a time
• On your first trip to the buffet table, select a large plate and add lots of self control - then fill the remaining space with raw foods.  There after always choose the smallest available plate.
• On your second trip take a bowl of (non-cream) soup if available.
• Desserts – try to skip this section.  By the end of the meal you really do not need the sugar hit that you will get from this.

For a ‘sit down’ meal NEVER order a second helping regardless of how good it tastes or how much your host insists.  One serving is polite, two is gluttony.  For ‘family style’ meals where all the food is placed in the centre of the table the same rules apply as for buffets.

Remember always that your body has the same nutritional requirements yesterday as it did today.  If you consume or plan to consume a level of food or drinks that is in excess of your normal levels then make the adjustments accordingly.  Consume less on the day before or the day after.

Exercise - This does not have to be a five mile hike or a session at the gym.  It can be as simple as a walk around the block, cleaning the house or a round of golf.  Whatever it is, make sure it is regular and that you continue whatever exercise program you are on over this period - it is more important now than at any other time of the year.  It can assist in balancing out any of the excesses in which you may have indulged yourself.  If these indulgences are too great, simply increase the intensity or duration of the activity.  If you are normally a ‘couch potato’, consider taking a flight of stairs instead of the elevator or use the on/off button on the TV instead of the remote control.  Any exercise is better than none.

Often regarded by many as from the realm of witch craft or unorthodox medical practitioners the humble garden herb is the precursor of the modern pharmacy and while of limited nutritional value has definite health benefits. If you are used to eating today’s diet of over refined, over processed and excessive chemical laden foods, then the inclusion of fresh herbs in your meals is a healthy addition of ‘life and light’. Aside from the specific benefits that some herbs offered (as listed below) just the increase in fresh food items will assist in improving your overall diet.

An estimated 25% of today’s ‘modern medicines’ are derived directly from herbs including foxglove to make digitalis for heart patients, opium poppies to make morphine and Madagascar periwinkle to make vincristine for Leukemia patients. The scientists are now scanning the remaining forests of the world for even more ‘wonder herbs’ to help to cure the world’s ills. Herbs have been used centuries to treat illness - Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs are enjoying a renewed interest from ‘the west’, and it is only now that scientists are confirming what practitioners using these herbs have known for centuries. Thailand is fortunate to have a solid base in traditional herbal medicines which some government departments actively promoting the use of and even conducting further research to fully understand what the populations of yesteryear took for granted.

Despite all the knowledge we now have about herbs today, there continues some wide spread misconceptions about herbs and herbal remedies. Many assume that because herbs are ‘natural’ that they are safer than the doctor prescribed ‘synthetic drugs’. This may not be the case as herbs can have a negative side effect and even be extremely toxic, so they are best taken under advise from a health professional if being taken for specific medicinal purposes, or at the very least taken in moderation.

Aside from the specified medicinal benefits of herbs, there are other benefits from which we can all benefit. If used in cooking the quantity of herbs utilized is unlikely to be of any real medicinal value, but is still likely to offer some health benefits. Some of the more common herbs of the Thai kitchen that have health benefits are; Basil, used heavily in many Thai dishes is an excellent cold remedy in addition to being an insect repellant, chives contain sulfur oil so may assist to lower blood pressure (although this is extremely unlikely if you only sprinkle a few over the top of your grilled fish), coriander leaves the mainstay herb of the Thai kitchen will ease indigestion, mint will freshen your mouth and can also aid in digestion. Ginger is a great health tonic from aiding digestion to killing parasites in fresh fish, so always eat some ginger (fresh or pickled) with your sashimi just to make sure. Dill is effective in the alleviation of intestinal gas and parsley is an antioxidant, breath-freshener and diuretic, but should be consumed by pregnant women with caution as it can cause uterine stimulation. Garlic the mainstay herb of many cuisines is an excellent flavour enhancer in addition to being a general blood cleanser, anti-microbial, reducer of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and an anti-parasitic. Some of the more unusual herbs such as stevia also have health benefits. Aside from the obvious reduction in calories when being used as a sweetener (1 tsp of dried leaves is equivalent to 1 cup of sugar) stevia is also a digestive aid and diuretic.

When dining in Asia, especially in the more ‘traditional’ restaurants, we are fortunate to be at times offered plates of fresh vegetables and herbs as part of our meal. Aside from obvious textural benefits from eating this, remember that it is for a reason – your health.

Food is to enjoy – or is it?  In our endeavor to look to a leaner diet where we consume much less fat that our forefathers did, (and many of us continue to even though our bodies no longer need the same level of saturated fats to survive) many have opted for barbequed or grilled foods as a means of lowering the fat content in their diet.  This seems to be a reasonably simple and safe option and while this appears to be a wise move on the surface, as with all things in life - there is a balance and while we gain a positive on one hand, we gain negatives on the other.

The process of grilling has limited negative nutritional impact on foods, with any loss of nutrition easily out weighted by the increased desirability.  However when grilling - temperatures of over 1000ºC can be experienced compared to around 250ºC in an oven; this increase in heat may cause some foods to cook ‘quicker’, but it also causes the fat on surface of meat to quickly burn away, releasing acrid fumes.  With the smoke generated from fat dripping into the fire containing carcinogens, grilling must be done in a well ventilated area (or better still – outdoors).  Eating grilled (or fried) meats increases the body’s exposure to harmful DNA damaging chemicals by over 50 times in comparison to boiled or baked meats.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have demonstrated that a single well-done char-grilled steak contained as much benzopyrene or cancer causing soot as the smoke from 100 cigarettes.

Hydrocarbons and carcinogenic nitrosamines form when grilling meat, and again in the digestive tract when bacon and other foods that contain nitrite are cooked or eaten.  However Vitamin C and E block the chemical reaction that causes nitrosamines in the digestive tract.  Wheat bran binds with nitrites and makes it unavailable to form nitrosamine.  So if you have a glass of orange juice with your meal and a slice of bran fortified bread, then any health risk from nitrosamines is significantly reduced.  Bioflavonoids in vegetables and fruits bind directly to carcinogens thus preventing any reaction with the DNA.  Fibre will also assist in the speedy removal of carcinogens from the digestive tract by either binding with or diluting them.

Despite all this, there is still no direct correlation between the chemicals that damage DNA in bacteria and these same chemicals in the human body.

Grilled foods that have been favoured by generation after generation of a wide cross section of the world’s communities do not constitute a threat if they are consumed as part of a healthy diet.  To minimize any possible negative impact on your health by grilling your food, trim meats of all visible fat and boil or bake all items until they are half cooked and then finish the cooking on the grill so you get the crusty BBQ’d finish on the outside, while retaining the moisture on the inside.  If you are not prepared to have a vegetarian BBQ, then at least always have lots of leafy green vegetables, salads, whole-grain breads and fresh fruits available to ensure a maximum amount of vitamins and fibre is included to balance out any health risk as mentioned above.

Do not stop eating grilled foods because of what you have learnt here – there are health risks from the polluted airs we breathe, from the contaminated water we drink, you can get cancer from working in the sun, or killed driving your car, so any reduction to your health or enjoyment of life as a result of eating grilled foods will be minimal compared to any of these health risks - providing it is all taken in moderation.

Vitamins by their very definition are essential to health. Some are manufactured by the body, yet with others we need a little help from a ‘healthy’ diet. Required in minute quantities in comparison to our total food intake they are not a source of energy nor do they contribute directly to the tissues of the body. Instead they facilitate a vast array of biochemical processes that are essential to the bodies growth, development and overall health.

If you have ever read a magazine, then chances are that you have read about Vitamins. We are told my health professionals and manufactures alike that we need to take more of Vitamin ‘this’ or Mineral ‘that’ to help them with their budgets, but do we really need all that Vitamin A, B, C, D or E. Chances are that if you consume regular meals that are low in fat, and high in freshness, then you probably do not need any additional intake of these ‘common’ Vitamins. If in doubt, consultant with your healthcare professional, who will advise you accordingly. Below is a brief summary of the common and not so common Vitamins.

As time goes by and technicians and researchers continue the work in the further discover of the exacting moleculacr structure of the foods that we eat, this list of vitamins will grow. Vitamin K was only discovered in 1929, and little is yet known about P, T and U.

As with all things in life, balance is essential. Many of these vitamins occur in combination in a variety of foods, so a deficiency in one will probably mean a deficiency in others. Equally consumption of a specific vitamin can put the body into total imbalance, even resulting in toxicity, so if you feel your diet is lacking consult with a health care professional before purchasing any vitamin supplements

Are you feeling tired and run down?  Have you been working hard lately, or may be burning the midnight oil a little hotter than you should have?  Is your life filled with stress, a word that is bandied around in today with great abandon, it is just a case of too little sleep, or that something is missing in your diet?  There are a multitude of causes and there are a multitude of mediums to give a little ‘buzz’ back to your life.  Some options include charka rebalancing – cleansing of your bodies subtle energy centres, cleansing of your aura or simply selecting your foods more carefully.

Choosing carefully also means that you understand a little about what is in your selection.  Carbohydrates (cakes, muffins, coconut pudding, cookies) are one of the quickest ‘pick me up’ because they contain simple sugars.  However this quick lift can be a quick fall also, so perhaps not the wisest of moves.  Complex carbohydrates (wholegrain breads and pastas) contain chains of sugars that have to be broken down before they can be used, meaning that they provide a more sustainable level of energy that will take longer to dissipate.

Choose foods that provide a sustainable energy level.  Wholegrain foods are one of the best ways to go.  Brown rice, oats, wholegrain pastas and breads.  Vegetables or more specifically, root vegetables area also a good source of carbohydrates - carrots, turnips, potatoes and the English favorite white carrot or parsnip will give you a ‘lift’.  Broccoli, cabbage, lentils and soy beans will also do the trick.  Other gourmet delights that come into the ‘lift’ category are fresh fruits including bananas and pineapple, and also perhaps a few items that you may think are a little strange in this list, oily fish and even walnuts.

With all of these items as with most things in life, there is a good side and a bad.  For now we will be concentrating on the good side.  Fresh fruits in addition to carbohydrates also contain good levels of water, are low in fat and high in fibre.  If your diet is a little lax in the fibre content, you may not be as ‘regular’ as you should be.  Fresh fruits especially with their water and fibre contents can assist with this problem, but fruits also contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals, and are high in antioxidants.  To avoid any counter productivity on the health aspect of fruit, always choose organic, if it is available.

Avoid foods which are high in salts, sugars, fats or alcohol as these will only slow you down across the day.  If you think about this, you know it only too well.  After a ‘heavy’ meal laden with fats, you will often fall asleep, where as if you have a lighter meal filled with raw vegetables, you will come to life.  The theory here is simple – ‘dead’ foods leaves you ‘dead’, where as ‘live’ foods will give you life.

So choose fresh salads (without the heavy clawing dressings), lightly steamed (not sautéed or deep-fried) vegetables, wholegrain foods (preferably ones with low refined sugar levels) and avoid those obviously fatty foods.  You have been told many times that a baked potato is healthier for you (providing you do not top it with too much butter or sour cream) and it is definitely much lower in fat than the ubiquitous French fry and know you know why.  The fat element only serves to slow you down.

This is not to say that you have to eat only raw vegetables, steamed fish and vegetables and leave out the desserts, ice-creams and French fries, but you have to eat everything in moderation.  As mentioned earlier, if you eat foods full of life, then you will be too, but if you miss out a little and really need a spoonful of sugar to ‘lift your day’, then go for it, but remember the faster it goes up, the quicker it comes down.

Everything in life is moderation.

- all symptoms of the variety of ‘common colds’ and flu viruses that we share this planet with.  Unless you live as a total recluse chances are that you will regularly come into contact with cold or flu viruses.  How badly you are affected as a result of the contact depends a lot on the strength of your immune system.  Your immune system has the daunting role of identifying the body’s enemies and destroying them – your own ‘built-in’ army - but as with all armies they have to be kept healthy in order to function properly and that means regular food.

Studies have shown that a daily intact of 1,000mg of Vitamin C or more can reduce the occurrence, duration and degree of suffering associated with cold and flu symptoms.  This is not to say that every one should take a daily supplement, because if you are consuming healthy nutritious meals, your diet is probably already very high in Vitamin C.  The addition of fresh fruit and vegetable juices is an excellent way to increase your Vitamin C intake, but you must also remember that just because your diet includes high levels of the vitamin does not mean that you will not succumb to a viral attack, only that you will recover more quickly (often in as little as 24 hours) than a person with a lower immune level.  But there is more to prevention than ingestion of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A and Zinc are also anti-viral.  Vitamin A helps with the strengthening of the skin (the body’s first line of defense) and cell walls.  Caution must be noted however as Vitamin A is a fat soluble Vitamin that the body will store excessive reserves of, potentially resulting in toxicity problems.  Consume levels only in accordance with those recommended by your health care professional.  Zinc is the most important mineral that body needs to boost the immune system, so ensure that you include oysters, lamb, ginger root, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts or some egg yolks in your diet.  If you are really low in zinc, then oysters contain at least 15 times more Zinc than any of the other foods listed.  Again, caution must be noted as ingestion of more than 2000 mg can result in health problems greater than you are trying to solve.  Selenium can also assist.  It is an immune enhancing mineral found in fresh tuna, oysters and molasses and is also an anti-oxidant.  It is great in helping to reduce inflammation, fight against carcinogens and helps to protect against free radicals.

Other common kitchen items that can assist in the combat or prevention of colds and flu are garlic, ginger, mushrooms and increasingly popular Echinacea.  Garlic contains allicin and is high in sulphur containing amino acids.  Best when eaten raw, or try adding a clove to your next glass of carrot and orange juice, take up to six cloves a day if you feeling a little under-the-weather.  Ginger is an all round calmer for the upset stomach, but a cup of warm ginger tea will ease your soar throat surprisingly quick.  Mushrooms are also good to assist with your ailing immune system.  Used of centuries in Chinese herbal tisanes and concoctions, the reishi is probably the most widely used mushroom for its healing qualities, but the humble shiitake (fresh or dried) is also a great source of immune boosting polysaccharides.

And then there are the herbs such as St. Johns wort, recommended to cure many ills and ails.  Echinacea has seen a resurgence in interest in recent year, with the extracts from this humble garden flower now hailed as one of the best ‘medicines’ to consume when you are fighting off an infection.

While a warm environment will aid your body in its recovery, vigorous exercise or over training can be detrimental and even suppress your immune system.  Activities such as Tai chi and Meditation have been shown to improve the immune system with T-cells increasing by as much as 40%.

As with all things in life there is a balance and you can not consume only one food, supplement or partake in only one activity to achieve the required result.  Vitamins work best in combination, so a high dose of pure Vitamin C is less effective than a good multivitamin with a good level of it.

With the number of cold and flu like symptoms we can experience in our busy stressed lives, extra care does need to be taken in today’s world.  If any symptoms persist, consult with your health care professional immediately.

As has been seen in many Asian countries for some time now, fresh fruit juices have become an accepted street food.  Unfortunately other than vendors squeezing orange juice (virtually on request) on some street corners there is limited places that sell a variety of fresh fruits in Bangkok, although the hotels are starting to catch on to this latest ‘trend’.  By fresh, I mean FRESH – prepared and consumed in a matter of minutes, not those that are labeled ‘fresh’ and yet have a shelf life in the supermarket of a week or more.  Fresh juices provide a valuable dose of nutrition in a pleasant drink.

Being that it has been deemed that we only need fruits and vegetables for sustenance, there is an obvious better way of gaining maximum nutrition from them.  With most of the nutrition locked up in the cellulose fibre of plants, it can take considerable chewing and or digestion time to release the necessary nutrients.  Placing your fruits and vegetables in a juicer will make the nutrients available to your digestive system in as little as few minutes.

In comparison to whole fruits and vegetables, we can comfortably consume a quantity of juice far in excess of the whole fruit.  As a rough guide, 1 kilogram of fruit or vegetables will produce about 2 glasses of juice.  With the juice having a higher concentration of vitamins, minerals and trace elements if your diet is lacking, this is a great way to increase your nutrition intake with reasonable comfort.

Juices can be consumed from an early age, but check with your health care professional for specific advise.  As soon as children start on ‘solid foods’, fresh carrot juice mixed with their milk is a great way to start on a healthy life long dietary program.  Carrot juice for growing children can be a way of them consuming nutrient rich vegetables when they are a stage of life when they are notorious for rejecting them.  The sweetness of fresh carrot juice is where the most obstinate child can be convinced to ‘eat their veggies’.  On the upside here also is that as the child nears the age where acne can be a problem, carrot juice aids the normal development of glands and can help prevent or overcome the ravages of this ailment.

Taken on a regular basis, a dose of fresh juice will provide enzymes that are essential for the body to enable proper digestion.  While our body also will produce these essential enzymes as we age our body produces progressively less of them, so juices can provide an important boost so that we maintain efficient digestion.

You do not have to be ailing to benefit from the ingestion of raw juices.  In a way, they are the same as taking vitamin supplements, but, with the added benefit of being ‘alive’.

Incorporate freshly prepared juices in your life on a daily basis.  They are quick and easy to prepare and the variety of flavours is up to your taste and imagination.  Just wash thoroughly all items being used.  You only need to peel fruits with thick skins (such a pineapples and melons), but apples can go in your juicer skin and all (but leave out the seeds).  Carrots, beetroot, celery only need to be washed, but celery leaves can be particularly strong in flavour so leave these out to start with unless you really like the flavour.  If in doubt, experiment.  As with all experiments, some will not work, but others will give surprising results.  A few recipes follow, but there are lots of juice and juicing books available at book stores so if you are truly interested in improving your own health or that of your family, why not invest in a juice machine and a new book today.  The kids will love preparing them – the colour range is particularly exciting.  To start with, perhaps stick to a single juice but as you become more adventurous try mixing the juices.  Green apple and carrot is great start, but then why not try some of the following:

For the relief of heartburn caused by an acid stomach, juice 3 potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 apple and 1 stick of celery (no leaves).

For relief of arthritis, juice equal quantities of cherries, blueberries and blackberries.

For relief from acne, juice 4 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 whole lemon, 1 potato, 1 artichoke and 1 apple.

For relief from high blood pressure, juice 6 carrots, 2 sticks celery, 1 beetroot, 1 bunch parsley, 1 clove garlic, 1 bunch spinach.

For relief from ulcers, three times a day juice ¼ green cabbage and 6 carrots.

To boost your immune system, juice the seeds of 2 pomegranates (tubtim), 4 carrots and ½ lime.

Remember fresh juices are not a miracle cure.  They are part of a health eating program with the effects being long term.  When you start with juices, dilute them by 50% with water.  Drinking one glass of juice that will assist in lowering your blood pressure (or any other specific health dis-ease) is unlikely to have a major effect.  You will have to make juices a regular part of your diet to see the real and long term benefits.  If in doubt, consult your healthcare advisor, and remember that everything in life should be taken in moderation.

Zinc is a mineral that is essential to a healthy immune system.  It has been and continues to be researched around the world.  It is one of the most researched minerals in the world today, yet remains the one that is most commonly deficient.

The body needs zinc to enable repair to damaged skin whether from cuts and abrasions or from acne and boils and is widely recognized along with Vitamin C as one of the main anti-oxidant immune system boosters there is.  It is also a major player in the cell division of skin, hair and nails.  In fact if you are deficient one of the first places that it will show up is by white spots on your nails or hair loss.  Zinc is a component of over 200 enzymes in the body including DNA and is important for the control of hormones and for supporting the body in its ability to cope with stress.

With recommended intake of only 10 – 15mg, you do not need a large amount to meet you daily intake requirements.  The best source of Zinc is oysters, providing over 50mg per 100g of product.  From there the level of zinc drops significantly to sesame seeds, ginger root, liver, pumpkin seeds shrimps and crabs with from 8g to only 5g per 100g.  This just proves the small quantity that is required by the body to remain healthy.  Incidentally one of the reasons that oysters lay claim to being an aphrodisiac probably relates to their zinc content because it serves as a counter balance or replacement for the zinc lost by men during sexual relations.

As always a well balanced diet with a variety of foods including fresh fish, seafood’s and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables should result in sufficient intake although care must be taken as there are a number of factors that can deplete your best intended consumption levels of Zinc quickly.  It must also be remembered that Zinc is a major factor in DNA and animals have a higher level of DNA than plants, and as such animal products generally contain higher levels of Zinc.  Stress, excessive perspiration, consumption of birth control pills, diuretics and large amounts of calcium, sugar, alcohol, tea or coffee, a low protein diet, pregnancy or suffering from a bout of psoriasis can increase your need to zinc, due either to direct depletion or resulting from the bodies reduced ability to utilize it.   A good supply of Zinc for men is essential as it is needed by the prostate gland for control of the body’s level of testosterone production.

If you have poor sense of smell, have white marks on your nails, suffer from frequent infections, acne, pale skin and poor appetite, then you Zinc intake may be insufficient.  The taste of your food can be another significant indicator that you have a zinc deficiency - if you like your food salty, heavily sauced or spiced or even well matured (as in cheeses) your body may be trying to tell you something.  A consultation with your health care professional is recommended.

As with many vitamins and minerals dosage of a single one may not be of that much benefit.  Vitamins and minerals work in combination and Zinc is no exception.  For zinc to be most effective, it needs to be consumed with Vitamin A, B6, E, calcium (not too much or this will inhibit), copper, phosphorus and selenium.  A shortage of any of these and your body will be running on a less than optimum absorption rate.

As with all things taken in excess, you can cause more problems that you solve.  An intake in excess of 2g of Zinc can result in dizziness, drowsiness and hallucinations.

With a relatively low level of Zinc required for overall health it is surprising that there are so many people suffering from a lack of this mineral.  Review your diet today.

With the growing awareness of health in the broader community, more and more people are looking at specific options of these. Some are exploring the virtues offered by such dietary regimes as that provided through becoming a Vegetarian, a Vegan or even a Fruitarian. Others are not seeking such apparently diverse dietary requirements and opting for that of just consuming raw food.

For many, the idea of consuming raw foods may be a little extreme, especially if you are used to a highly processed diet, but it is also something that does not have to be entered into in totality, as the consumption of any raw foods on an empty stomach will greatly improve the digestive process.

What are raw foods? These are any foods which have not been subjected to heat above 48ºC. Reality is that you probably already include some raw foods in your diet through the consumption of salads and fresh juices, but with a little thought, these can be further developed to contain all types of foods, including breads and cookies.

Why eat raw foods? We need enzymes to help us to digest the food we eat. In raw food all the enzymes that we need are present in the food, but if we heat it to above 48ºC we will be killing off these naturally occurring enzymes. This genocide will can also occur in apparently raw foods that are not consumed in their premium state (as in ‘fresh fruit juices’ which are not consumed until hours after their production). This does not mean that we cannot then digest the foods, just that our bodies are then forced to work all that much harder to accommodate this process, potentially at the loss or reduction in efficiency of other processes that our bodies need to carry out on a daily basis.

Any dietary change can and probably will result in immediate changes in your bodies reactions to the food you consume. As when traveling to a foreign country the subsequent dietary change can result in stomach and bowel upsets until your body adjusts to the new foods, so equally can be the reaction when you start on a raw food diet. Start out slowly and you will minimize if not avoid totally any of these potential concerns.

Starting each and every meal with a ‘raw’ course is the first and easiest way to incorporate raw food into your diet or even if you have decided to start a complete raw food dietary programme for ‘medical’ reasons. When you are comfortable with this and ready to move on to the next step, increase one more course. Probably the easiest meal to go completely raw on is breakfast, although that does mean that coffee is not on the menu. Fresh fruit juices and Sprouted buckwheat mixed with soaked raisins is a great way to start the day. For lunch, salads with ‘live dressings’ made from soaked sunflower seeds can be more filling than any traditional office day lunch. Then there are the sun-dried breads that can be added to this, or even a warm soup. For dinner, more elaborate combinations of the lunch selection, or why not add ‘raw’ fish or meats, if you are not into a totally vegetarian diet. Traditional dishes such as Japanese Sashimi and Italian Carparccio are great raw food dishes.

What ever your choice in raw foods, the selection really is yours. To increase the amount of raw food in your diet is better than no raw food, and practicalities can be limiting depending on when and where you eat your meals. Regardless, you will find that the more raw foods that are included in your diet the better you will feel, and while you do not have to be as extreme as some of the ‘raw food retreats’ that are on offer around the world, with a little effort, you can at least have some of the benefits in your own home.

Always consult your health care advisor before entering into any significant dietary change.

For more details, read ‘Living with Green Power’ by Elysa Markowitz and ‘The Raw Gourmet’ by Nomi Shannon, both published by Alive Books (Canada). Raw food ‘cooking classes’ are also available at: New Beginnings, Sukhumvit 22