Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered public health nutritionist (ANutr) and sports and exercise nutritionist (SENr) from Belfast. He runs his own private nutrition practice in West Belfast where he works with the general public as well as athletes. Lee is our nutrition columnist and is a nutrition lecturer on HND programmes in Belfast Met College. Lee has robust academia behind him with a total of four University Degrees including two MSc’s in Food and Nutrition and Sports and Exercise Nutrition through Ulster University.
MOST people where we live eat too much saturated fat, salt and sugar and should reduce the amount they consume. Examples of these foods include chocolate, confectionery, cakes, biscuits, puddings, pastries, jams, honey, syrups, butter, lard, ghee, savoury snacks, cream and ice cream, fried foods, sugar sweetened beverages, rich sauces and gravies as well as condiments such as mayonnaise and soy sauce.
SALMON is a very versatile foodstuff when it comes to nutrition with plenty of valuable macro and micronutrients.
THE sweet potato is a starchy, sweet tasting root vegetable that is packed with nutrients. It also counts as one portion of fruit and vegetables at a 175g portion, which an average sized fist.
A LEGUME refers to any plant from the large fabaceae family that includes soya beans, broad beans, green peas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, butter beans, chickpeas, peanuts and black-eyed peas.
THE Eatwell guide shows how much of what we eat should come from each food group in order to achieve a healthy balanced diet.
COUSCOUS is an African dish of steamed and rolled semolina which has become a popular food in Ireland and the UK over the past five to 10 years. This is a good thing as its versatility with regards to nutrition cannot be underestimated.
BUTTER is a traditional dietary staple made by churning cream. It is used as a spread, as a component of sauces, cakes and pastries and occasionally as a frying fat.
IT’S been a while since eggs were considered a cause of high cholesterol. In the past it was thought that people should limit the number of eggs they eat to three or four a week because of the cholesterol content.
DESPITE its name, the Brazil nut is technically a seed rather than a nut. That’s nuts, isn’t it? And to complicate things even more, the seeds do come from the Brazil nut tree. We’ll keep calling them nuts, however, just to keep things uncomplicated.
OLIVE oil is a good source of Omega 9 mono-unsaturated fats when used as part of a healthy balanced diet. It is linked with good heart health in the Mediterranean diet as it contains antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids.
PROTEIN is needed for growth, repair and maintenance of our bodies, especially for bones and muscles.Supplements provide a concentrated source of protein to supplement a person’s usual food intake.
RECENT research has revealed that Belfast has the highest rates of hair loss in the North of Ireland – and the UK. Approximately 62% of males in Belfast are affected.
SOME of the best dietary sources of vitamin D3 include oily fish like salmon, sardines, pilchards, herring, and so on. But a portion of these would provide around fifty per cent (5ug) of the recommended intake of 10ug and it isn’t advised to take two portions of fish per day to achieve your recommended daily intake of vitamin D3 as this would be reckless due to mercury levels, among other things.
EASTER is an exciting time when we can relax and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. And of course at Easter we are often surrounded by large amounts of delicious food.
THE amount of people in the world’s population aged 60 and over is expected to total to two billion in the next twenty-five years. This is a great landmark for the over-60s but there will be an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline within this age range.