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.
CALCIUM is a mineral that is very important at all ages for strong bones and teeth. It is also needed for healthy muscle and nerve function. Adults from nineteen years (male and female) right through to older age population need around 700mg per day of calcium. It’s advised to have three good portions of dairy per day to achieve this.
YOU might never have heard of strained yoghurt. And so you might not know how to distinguish it from other types of yoghurt and what its nutritional value of is vs. regular yoghurt.
BREAD has been a staple of our diet since ancient times. Today, bread is sometimes demonised as a carbohydrate source that makes people put on weight and is often the first thing thrown out by dieters.
WHEN vegetables are cooked in certain conditions this can have an impact on nutritional quality of the final product. This is true of the B and C group vitamins which can be reduced or destroyed.
VITAMIN D plays a role in maintaining normal bones and teeth by helping absorb calcium.
THERE are so many health benefits of eating more fruit and veg daily. As well as tasting great, fruit and veg are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidant chemicals that are vital for good health.
VITAMIN C has many important functions in our bodies, from protecting and keeping cells healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, wound healing and the normal functioning of our immune systems.
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.