Health, Lifestyle, Wellbeing Tips & Advice

Category: Diets

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4 Essential Nutrients For Better Dental Health

Diets, HealthMojo Health

Whilst your dentist will readily fix any dental issues which you may have such as filling cavities in your teeth, we’re sure, if you were to ask them, they would much rather that their patients looked after their teeth and gums in the correct way. There is lots of advice that your dentist may give you about oral hygiene, with brushing and flossing being two examples, however, they will also tell you that what you eat, and drink, has a massive influence on your dental health.

With that thought in mind, here are 4 of the essential nutrients your dentist will advise you that you need to have sufficient levels of, in the foods and drinks that you include in your diet.

Calcium

Calcium is essential for our teeth and bones to grow, and more importantly for them to grow strong and healthy. It is no surprise that those who have a calcium deficiency in their diet often have rotting teeth and weak bones. A diet that has plenty of calcium is especially important for children, whose teeth are in their formative stages.

A great source of calcium is dairy products, although we must stress that, whether it is for children or adults, you should try to use as many low-fat dairy products as possible to avoid excessive weight gain. Examples include low-fat yogurt,  cheeses, and milk. Some vegetables, especially those classed as leafy greens, are also rich in calcium. Examples of these include broccoli, spinach, turnip greens and kale.

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How to Sneak in Your Kids’ 5+ a Day

DietsMojo Health

If you were to put a group of parents in a room and ask them to raise their hand if their kids were fussy with food like vegetables, they would do the Mexican wave. While some children are not picky eaters when it comes to their 5+ a day, many are.

So, how are you supposed to make sure they’re getting all the vitamins and minerals they need? Sometimes, it can require you to go into stealth mode with recipes. Here are a few helpful tips and tricks you may not yet have tried. You won’t need to reach for that bottle of wine to manage the stress after all.

Grate Them

Putting slices of zucchini on your child’s plate may be met with a disgusted look – and wasted zucchini. But there are ways around it. Rather than giving your children slices of vegetables they may not like, why not grate them into your main dishes?

Zucchini, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli can all be “hidden” in food like mince or stuffed potatoes. While they can add colour to a bland dish, they can also add plenty of nutrition that can offer much-needed peace of mind to parents.

Blend Them

Many children won’t voluntarily eat spinach, kale, or similar vegetables. But would they drink them? Start the day with a delicious berry, banana, and yoghurt smoothie – but with a few “special” ingredients.

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Your Easter Survival Guide

DietsMojo Health

It’s the countdown to Easter and to lots of yummy chocolate but have you ever wondered why a rabbit delivers eggs made of chocolate for us to eat??

The Easter Bunny, as we know him, originated from German settlers who migrated to America in the 1800’s. The “Oschter Haws” or Easter Hare was a European Spring time Santa, judging whether children had been good or bad. The Easter Hare would carry a basket of coloured eggs, sweets or toys to give as gifts the night before Easter. The gifts would sometimes be left in the house or garden for children to find, hence the origin of the Easter Egg Hunt.

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The Wholefoods Diet

Diets, HealthMojo Health

Wholefoods are plant foods which have not been processed or refined (or as little as possible) prior to eating – think fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. The term wholefoods tends to refer to a more plant-based diet with animal products, oils and salt being excluded.

Wholefoods are grown from seed without chemicals, sprays or insecticides and are as close to their natural form as possible, providing us with a natural alternative to the many ‘convenience’ food products now being offered in supermarkets.

Recent research shows that getting optimal nutrition from our food (and thereby optimal health) we should be eating wholefoods as our ancestors did about 100 years ago as these retain fibre, phytochemicals and nutrients that are often lost with highly processed and packaged foods.

Examples of phytochemicals include anthocyanins which give blueberries their deep colour or red coloured lycopene found in tomatoes. Wholefoods are as nature intended them to be – no added fats, sugars or salt and with all the fibre our body needs. Fibre aids our digestion and helps us to feel full faster. Eating wholefoods also help to fight heart disease and diabetes.

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Do You Need to do FODMAPs?

Diets, HealthMojo Health

What is the low FODMAPs diet and should you be on it? Firstly it’s important to know what FODMAPs is and what it means – Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. So you can see why it’s commonly referred to as FODMAPs!

The FODMAP concept was first hypothesised in the Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics Journal in 2005 with the low FODMAP diet being developed at Monash University in Melbourne.

Put simply the Low FODMAP diet targets natural carbohydrates (sugars) in foods that don’t break down easily, causing fermentation in the gastrointestinal system. Fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms. This fermentation in the gut creates unpleasant symptoms such as smelly gas, bloating, and abdominal pain. So where are the FODMAPs hiding in our food?

Oligosaccharides are found in certain plants such as artichokes, burdock, chicory, leeks, onions, and asparagus.

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