BREAKFAST


Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There is no need to provide ham, bacon, eggs, and home fries, with warm toast dripping butter, on a daily basis.

Start the day with a good breakfast, supplying protein and energy foods. It is a good opportunity to get some of your calcium allowance in the form of milk, yogurt, or cheese. This is especially important for young children, whose bones and teeth are developing, teenagers, usually going through spurts in growth that require extra nutrients, and women, who are more at risk from osteoporosis. Dairy foods are the biggest single source of dietary calcium. They provide also protein and other important vitamins. Lower fat versions are preferable, and an equally useful source of these nutrients. Children as young as two can benefit from 2% fat milk.

For a week day breakfast, you might like to find some simple wholesome alternatives to cold cereal or a bagel –or a quick something grabbed on the go. Although most breakfast options can be prepared in less than thirty minutes, there are ways to speed up the process even more.

  • Muffins can be made in advance and frozen.
  • Have pre grilled bread slices frozen, ready to pop in the toaster.
  • Pancake mix can be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge; this way you can make pancakes in a hurry.
Muesli or a granola breakfast, fresh fruit with yogurt, fresh fruit smoothie, or a quick omelet provide an excellent start to the day. It takes less than five minutes to put it together. If you have to go for the cold cereal with milk, make it whole grain and add berries or raisins.

There is still room for a breakfast sandwich on busy day, where the next meal can be delayed, and for a traditional cooked breakfast on the weekend, even as a brunch option.

    LIST OF WINTER FOODS


    Make use of the wide range of root vegetables. It is time for baking and stewing.

    VEGETABLES

    BEST QUALITY: Jerusalem artichoke; white beans, lima beans; beetroot; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; kale; leeks; lettuce; onions; parsnip; potatoes; sea kale; shallot; turnip; watercress. AVAILABLE: avocado; French beans; chicory; endive; fennel; kohlrabi; mushroom; okra; pepper; salsify; squashes; sweet potato; zucchini.

    FRUIT

    BEST QUALITY: apples; cranberries; pears; citrus fruits, such as grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangerines, clementines, satsumas, oranges, ugli; chestnuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts. AVAILABLE: bananas; coconut; dates; lychees; mangoes; persimmon; pineapple.

    MEAT
    Beef and pork roasts, chops, calf’s liver, buffalo. Before refrigeration, pork used to be eaten fresh only in the winter months. This was also the time to make sausages

    POULTRY
    Chicken, chicken livers – turkey – goose - Guinea fowl, though available through much of the year, is at its best from the second half of the winter.

    GAME
    Hare, wild rabbit, farm rabbit is available all the year, partridge, pheasant, wild duck and venison.

    FISH

    BEST QUALITY: cod, dogfish, flounder, haddock, hake, halibut, mock halibut, plaice, skate, sea bream, sole, whiting, as white fish; carp, herring, mackerel, grey mullet, perch, pike, pilchard, sprat, as oily fish. AVAILABLE: turbot as white fish; conger eel, rainbow trout as oily fish.

    SEAFOOD

    Clams, crab, lobster, prawns, shrimp.

    Stay Healthy With These Immune Boosting Foods


    The best way to keep your immune system strong is to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, including several immune boosting foods every day. Eat at least 50% raw. Don’t overcook your cooked food, it destroys the immune enhancing properties. Buy organic or pesticide-free foods and season with immune boosting herbs and spices.

    Here are 11 immune-boosting foods to keep your immune system working for you:


    • Garlic is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal and increases immune function. It’s also a good source of selenium, an important trace element, and sulfur, which is important for healthy liver function.
    • Onions are also a good source of sulfur and contain the same properties as garlic
    • Cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, are good sources of betacarotene and help protect against free-radical damage. They also contain vitamin C and calcium.
    • Spinach and other leafy greens also contain beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium.
    • Orange vegetables, like sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and squash are a good source of vitamin A
    • Raisins, kiwi fruit, blueberries and oranges are good sources of vitamin C. To increase the amount of vitamin C from your oranges, thinly peel the skin off with a knife, leaving the white bioflavonoid rich inner peel.
    • Chinese cabbage is a good source of vitamin A
      California avocados are rich in vitamin A and potassium and also contain folic acid and magnesium.
    • Shiitake and maitake mushrooms increase the body’s production of white blood cells, which are part of the immune system
    • Ginger helps the body fight off infection and has traditionally been used in treating colds and flu
    • Turmeric enhances the immune system and has a detoxifying effect
    • Horseradish contains oils that have demonstrated antibiotic properties and has been effective against infections

    If you find it just too difficult to include an abundance of fresh whole immune boosting foods, or would just like to add a little extra antioxidant protection, I recommend Greens First which is an antioxidant rich whole food powder that contains the equivalent of 10 servings of fruits and vegetables in one scoop. It tastes so good that it’s guaranteed you’ll love the taste or your money back.

    To receive healthy eating tips in your e-mail box every month, sign up here.

    Christine H. Farlow is the Your Personal Online Healthy Eating Coach. For more healthy eating information, visit HealthyEatingAdvisor.com.

    SEASONAL FOOD - Fall


    VEGETABLES

    BEST QUALITY: fava beans, runner beans; beetroot; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; corn; cucumber; leeks; lettuce; marrow; mushroom; mustard and cress; onions; parsnip; peas; peppers; potatoes; pumpkin; radish; shallot; spinach; sweet potatoes; squashes; tomato; turnip; watercress. AVAILABLE: asparagus; avocado; chicory; eggplant; endive; fennel; kohlrabi; pepper; zucchini.

    FRUIT

    BEST QUALITY: apples, crab apples; cherimoya; cranberries; dates; figs; grapes; grapefruit; lemons; pears; pomegranate; quince; all nuts, almonds, Brazil, hazelnuts, pecan, walnuts, and, later, chestnuts. AVAILABLE: bananas; coconut; pawpaw or papaya.

    MEAT

    Ham, beef and pork tenderloins.

    POULTRY

    BEST QUALITY: duck; duckling; goose; turkey. AVAILABLE: chicken; Cornish hen; Guinea fowl.

    GAME

    BEST QUALITY: grouse; partridge; pigeon; wild duck; hare; venison. AVAILABLE: pheasant; quail; rabbit.

    FISH

    BEST QUALITY: cod, dogfish, flounder, hake, halibut, mock halibut, red snapper, skate, sea bream, sole, white sea bass, whiting, as whit fish; carp, herring, mackerel, grey mullet, red mullet, perch, pike, as oily fish. AVAILABLE: haddock, plaice, turbot, as white fish; pilchard, sprat, rainbow trout, yellowtail tuna, as oily fish.

    SEAFOOD

    BEST QUALITY: California lobster; clams; cockles; mussels; oysters; scallops; whelks; winkles. AVAILABLE: crab; lobster; prawn; shrimp.

    SEASONAL FOOD - summer


    VEGETABLES

    BEST QUALITY: artichoke; beets; broad beans; carrots; corn; cress; cucumber; French beans; green beans; runner beans; lettuce; peas; peppers; radish; salad greens; tomatoes.

    AVAILABLE: asparagus; avocado; broccoli; cabbage; cauliflower; celery; fennel; kohlrabi; mushroom; onions; turnip; zucchini.

    FRUIT

    BEST QUALITY: apricots and strawberries during the first half; all berries and soft fruits, bilberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, redcurrants, white currants; cherries; peaches; plums; melons; nectarines; watermelon; later, grapes, almonds and hazelnuts.

    AVAILABLE: bananas; figs; grapefruit; mangoes; pineapple; there are also walnuts and Brazil nuts.

    MEAT

    Better to choose lamb or filet steaks. There is also mutton; veal, beef; pork.

    POULTRY

    AVAILABLE: chicken, duck, goose, guinea fowl, and turkey. BEST QUALITY: duck, which is at its best from the second half of the summer.

    GAME

    AVAILABLE: pigeon, quail, and rabbit. BEST QUALITY: venison.

    FISH

    BEST QUALITY: Freshwater bass, hake, sole, and turbot, as white fish; carp, herring, grey mullet, red mullet, perch, pike, salmon, sardine, brown trout, sea trout or salmon, albacore or yellowtail tune, and whitebait, as oily fish; mackerel from the second half.

    AVAILABLE: cod, dogfish, flounder, haddock, mock halibut, plaice, whiting; mackerel, pilchard, rainbow trout.

    SEAFOOD

    BEST QUALITY: crab, lobster, scallops, whelks, winkles. AVAILABLE : clams, cockles, prawn, shrimp.