Eating your way to a healthier you

With thanks to the 2011 writing skills class - Tutor: V Casey

One that would have the fruit must climb the tree.
Thomas Fuller

 

If you thought your ABCs were vital letters in your life, you were not wrong. However, research has shown that it is your ABOs that could literally save your life. Apples, Bananas and Oranges, three basic foods, readily available and fairly inexpensive, are the diamonds of the fruit family. Their benefits stretch from weight loss to cancer prevention, from immune boosters to viral warriors, from bone protection to bowel protection. These diamonds are not only a girl’s best friend; Men, women, and children could all benefit from getting to know their ABOs off by heart. Let the schooling begin.

Eve was a woman well ahead of her time, when she offered Adam the apple. Far from leading him astray, she was, in fact, guiding him to a new healthier lifestyle. In addition to being delicious, apples have now been proved to have a wide range of health benefits.  This is because apples are low in calories, high in fibre, with hardly any fat and almost no sodium. Coupled with this, they are also full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.  Recent studies have show that apples have a positive preventative impact upon lung, colon, breast and liver cancer.

It would seem that the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away is indeed a truism. Drinking pure apple juice for example, has been proven to prevent asthma in children. This little bundle of a fruit contains so many health benefits it really is understandable why Eve offered one to Adam.  So if Adam truly loves Eve, and wants to ensure that she lives a long and healthy life, he will no longer give Eve the usual box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. It will now be replaced with a box of apples!

In the era of fast food and sweets, the banana makes a tasty and accessible health food. It has many medical benefits, derived from its excellent nutritional profile. It is high in potassium, which is good for the heart and nerves. For example, potassium is essential for proper muscle contractions. Potassium is also important as a calcium retainer, which helps with kidney function and prevents kidney stones. Bananas are also high in tryptophan and vitamin B6, which the body uses to produce the mood stabiliser, serotonin. Bananas are an excellent source of dietary fibre, which facilitates smooth bowel movements. They are also full of slow-release energy and as such are used by many sports people. Being cheap and readily available, they are ideal for kids, because they are sweet, easy to eat (no knives needed) and an ideal replacement for high-fat snack bars. The humble banana is a snack, a meal, a doctor and a counsellor, all wrapped up in a handy yellow package. Bananas, they've got snax ap-peel!

Who needs health insurance when you have got oranges. An orange is quite an amazing fruit. Scientific research claims that virtually every part of the body, from the head to the toes, benefits from the nutrients provided by oranges. Research has shown that eating oranges can reduce blood pressure, promote healthy bone structure and fight infection. Can the old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away be changed to an orange a day keeps the doctor away? 

Let us spell it out for you. Fruit is the way to a healthier, calmer you. You don’t need to go far to find it, you don’t have to break the bank to buy it, but you do have to remember your ABOs. And the next time you open your mouth to savour the sweet delights life has to offer, consider popping a life saving letter in there. Can you really afford not to?

Great info and great writing.

Thanks guys!

We heart holidays...

According to a recent survey, up to a third of employees in Ireland aren’t taking their holiday entitlements. 

In a climate where employees are keen to use whatever tools are at their disposal to hold on to their jobs, it seems that sacrificing holidays to impress the boss is a popular tactic.

The surveys - one by gohop and the other by hotels.com indicated that between 15-18% of workers don’t intent to use their full allocation of holidays this year. A further 18% had several days left over from last year.

While dedication to your job and workplace is admirable and you may be rewarded financially for forgoing your holiday – it’s also really bad news for your health.

Researchers in New York last year surveyed a group of men between 35 – 57 as part of a heart disease prevention trial. The results speak for themselves. Participants who took annual leave reduced the risk of heart disease by 30% and overall death by 20%.

Participants who took no holidays over the 5 year period had the highest incidents of heart disease and death. Grim statistics I know, but realistically not a huge surprise either.

An individual who takes little or no annual leave is also likely to work through lunch, work late and have little or no concept of Work Life Balance. Meals are rushed, stress levels are high and after years and years of pushing through the exhaustion stage of the stress response the body simply cannot cope.

Irish employees are a long way off from their American counterparts where up to a third do not take any annual leave at all despite having the shortest holiday entitlements in the western world.  There are also a number of other lifestyle and cultural differences there that need to be factored in when looking at the New York study however the overall findings from the survey cannot be ignored.

Essentially we need to recognise that booking annual leave and taking a couple of weeks out of the office is going to benefit your physical and mental health.  If you can’t afford to go away, book your days off and do blissful nothing at home for a while.  There are plenty of short breaks on http://www.discoverireland.com/int/ and great ideas on line for things to do if you’re strapped for cash.

There will always be reasons not to and excuses for putting off holiday entitlements (many of which cannot be carried over in to the following year – worth checking out) but the New York study has given us the best possible reason to take your hols this year yet – it’s officially good for your health!