A pasta dish?? From a nutritional therapist?? Well, this isn’t your regular pasta!! Sainsbury’s are now producing grain-free pasta alternatives, so I thought I’d give them a go. Of course, health shops have been selling these products for a while now, but they often come at a cost. This packet was £2.95 for a 500g bag – more costly than regular pasta, but if you think of it in context of giving your family a high-protein meal, it doesn’t seem so expensive anymore. So, one night I made pasta topped with vegetables in tomato sauce – of course, I didn’t tell my family EXACTLY what I was serving them until afterwards! They all devoured it, and when I told them that the pasta was made from red le

We all know that calcium is important for healthy bones (1, 2); however this is a simplistic statement. Having too much calcium is unlikely to increase bone mass; in fact, studies have shown that increasing calcium can be detrimental, leading to deposition in soft tissues where it has been linked to atherosclerosis (3). Calcium intake in young children builds up a healthy reserve of calcium; however, calcium is not the only factor in bone growth and strength. No one single substance, food, vitamin or mineral can produce strong, healthy bones. Nutrients are required in combination to develop the complex matrix of bone. Magnesium, vitamins K and D are also equally important in preventing calci

My daughter loves going through my recipe books and finding delicious things to bake. I like to feed my family healthy foods and sometimes there is a clash between us when she wants to bake sugary treats and I don't have the ingredients to hand because my cupboards are stocked with healthy alternatives. A few days ago, she came across a recipe in the "Chocolate Covered Katie" recipe book that satisfied her need to make a tasty treat and my need to use healthy ingredients. Chocolate covered Katie is a healthy dessert website, which we love looking through. My daughter adapted Katie's carrot cake bars using a tin of pumpkin purée which we had in the cupboard. These make a tasty snack to have o

More and more information is being discovered about the colonists in our midst. I am not talking about immigration, but about the microbes that exceed our human cells by more than half! Most of these organisms reside in our guts, but they can also be found on our skin and every orifice – even if you are a cleanliness freak. However, this situation shouldn’t give cause for concern. The organisms that live on and within us carry out many essential functions, regulating the immune system, producing vitamins and neurotransmitters, essential for many bodily functions. These micro-organisms provide us with many health benefits, and we wouldn’t be able to survive without them! So how do we nurture

My family loves a delicious dessert, and I love giving it to them, so it makes me even happier when the dessert I am presenting is healthy. On the menu tonight was a nectarine and pear crumble with a crunchy grain-free topping. By using nuts instead of my usual oaty crumble, this dessert became a piece of protein paradise! First, prepare the fruit. I used 2 large Conference pears and 2 nectarines. Peel and chop them. Arrange in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. I didn't add any sugar to the fruit as it was ripe and sweet enough. For the crumble topping, mix 100g desiccated coconut and 100g ground alomnds in a bowl with another teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 tbsp coconut s