Happy Christmas!

With the 25th only a matter of days away now, all that's left to say is to wish my readers a happy Christmas…and enjoy plenty of the green stuff amongst the festive treats.

H is for honeydew melon, which many people will be enjoying for a starter on Christmas Day.

A is for apples; bake stuffed with mincemeat, as a good way to use up leftovers.

P is for parsnips, without which a roast turkey isn't complete.

P is for pears; lovely poached in mulled wine then served with a scoop of vanilla pod ice cream or a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Y is for yam, a good alternative to roast potatoes.


C is for cranberries; make your own sauce using orange juice.

H is for haricot beans; forget baked beans, use haricot beans and leftover turkey to make a stew with other veg.

R is for raspberries; add frozen raspberries to a red jelly when making a trifle.

I is for iceberg lettuce; don't forgo the salad during the festive period, add to turkey sandwiches or serve with prawns.

S is for Satsumas, which make a good alternative to chocolate or nuts as a snack over Christmas.

T is for tomatoes; roast with red onions, peppers and courgettes as a side dish.

A is for avocado; serve with mozzarella or prawns and mixed leaves as a light meal.

S is for swede; lovely mashed with carrot and potato if you wish to leave the roasting tin in the cupboard.

 Photo by Accuruss via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Dates

We looked at sprouts and cranberries last Christmas, so the festive food I've plumped for this year is dates. Hailing from the Middle East these sweet fruits are available fresh or dried and it's usually their dried form that's associated with Christmas. They take a more prominent position in the supermarket at this time of year rather than being hidden away in the baking aisle as they are for the other months; it's popular to stuff them with marzipan for a festive treat.

Dates are packed with fibre; a single date provides 2g and we should be aiming for at least 18g daily to maintain bowel health. They have a high glycaemic index, which means they raise our blood sugar quickly, so aren't the best option for someone with diabetes, but can be eaten in moderation - 3 dates whether fresh or dried counts as a serving. Dates are full of polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant; their role is to mop up free radicals, which damage body cells and are linked to heart disease and cancer. A number of minerals - calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and copper - are present in dates in small, but useful amounts. Magnesium plays an important role in maintaining bone strength, muscle and nerve function, while copper and manganese form part of enzymes involved in increasing the rate of reactions within the body.

If you did get tired of popping dates like sweets, you can add chopped dates to cereal, yoghurt or baking such as scones, flapjacks and bread. However, dates also work well in savoury dishes - think tagines, salads, pasta dishes or as a stuffing for chicken and pork.

Take a look at the following websites if you want to get creative with dates:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/date
http://www.cooksunited.co.uk/rs/s0/date/recipes.html
http://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-using-chopped-dates-801

Attribution:
Photo of a date by J.P.Lon via Wikimedia Commons

Lancrigg - a review

Whether you're vegetarian, vegan or just like a break from meat and fish from time to time, when you eat out you have probably noticed that the selection of vegetarian options on a pub or restaurant menu is usually limited; typically you'll get a veggie curry, veggie lasagne, mushroom stroganoff and a vegetable stir-fry. They also seem to think that because you don't eat meat, you don't want any protein, so often dishes will come without any pulses, nuts, soya or Quorn; usually the only veggie protein served will be dairy produce or eggs, which is obviously out of the question if you're vegan. However, Lancrigg Country House Hotel offers those dining in its Green Valley Restaurant a completely different experience and is a real breath of fresh air.

At Lancrigg you can look forward to dishes inspired by all corners of the globe, which use fresh - and where possible local ingredients - and are well balanced; they truly understand the needs of vegetarian diners and can cater well for anyone who is vegan or who has a particular food allergy.

While our table was being prepared we waited in their homely lounge and perused the wine menu. All their wines and beers are organically produced and we chose a bottle of their house white - a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. There was certainly a good choice on their food menu, but I opted for bruschetta to start. Now these bruschetta weren't like the disappointing ones that many Italian restaurants serve with a thin scraping of topping; they were loaded with fresh chopped tomato, peppers, basil and dressing, and were bursting with flavour. To follow I chose falafel, which were served with roast new potatoes, a piquant tomato sauce and steamed green vegetables. Unlike the typical chickpea falafel - though this option was available as a starter - they were based on cashews, apple and lemon, which was a winning combination. The sauce complemented the falafel well and the veg was cooked to perfection. Although the new potatoes were salted, which isn't to my taste, I appreciate that this helps them to crisp up during roasting. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert, though the chocolate and toffee nut sundae or the espresso chocolate mousse did both sound tempting, so when we visit again I'll know to forgo the starter to save room for something sweet.

A must for anyone who likes vegetarian food and definitely somewhere we'll return.

Attribution:
Photo of Lancrigg Hotel by Elfrieda Waren via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Parsnips

I always think parsnips are a bit like Marmite; people either like them or they don't. That said parsnips have grown on me over the years. I remember as a child always being bitterly disappointed when I bit into what I thought was a roast potato, only to find there was parsnip lurking under the crispy exterior. However, I now enjoy parsnips mashed with other root veg or in a soup - they combine well with ginger and apple.

Although parsnips are often thought of a starchy vegetable, a lot of the starch they once contained has already been converted to sugars by the time they reach our plate, which is why they taste sweet. Sometimes people choose to replace potatoes with parsnips, thinking they are a lower calorie option, though there is very little difference in their calorie content; parsnips are however higher in fibre. Parsnips have a very high glycaemic index - a measure of how quickly they raise blood sugars - so tend to be given a wide berth by anyone following a low glycaemic diet - usually to aid weight loss or to control blood sugar levels in diabetes. Regarding their vitamin and mineral content, parsnips are a good source of Vitamin C, folate and manganese - the latter forms part of enzymes which speed up reactions within the body and it also plays a role in maintaining bone health.

Besides roasting, mashing and turning them into a soup, how else can parsnips be used? Parsnips soak up flavours very well, so make a good addition to a curry. Equally they can be added to stews and casseroles; you might decide to slice them to top a hot pot or as an alternative topping for a cottage pie. Root veg crisps are becoming popular, so you could try to make your own from parsnips, carrots and beetroot. Apparently they can also be used to make bread and in baking.

Check out these ideas for using parsnips:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?keywords=Parsnip&searchType=recipes
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-ingredients/parsnip
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/parsnips
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-3145/parsnip-recipes.aspx


Attribution:
Photo by AlbertCahalan

In the spotlight - Passion fruit

You need 5 or 6 of them to count as one of your 5 A Day. What are we talking about? No, it’s not strawberries, but passion fruit.  Not sure I'd fancy eating that much passion fruit in one go though, so I'm doubtful whether anyone ever eats them in this way for their nutritional value - in these quantities they are rich in Vitamin A and C and fibre, while providing smaller, but still useful amounts of B vitamins and surprisingly iron. 

Remove their unwelcoming purple skin and the inside reveals an orange flesh and as many as 250 seeds. They have quite a tart taste, so not a fruit to eat on their own. If I was to buy passion fruit I would add the flesh to a fruit salad, though I can't take credit for this, as it was a recipe from second year Home Economics at school. The only other time I've come across them is either drizzled in the form of a coulis on the side of a plate with a sweet dish or in a cheesecake. However, looking at the recipes available online it seems that passion fruit have their place in savoury dishes too; salsa and sauces to accompany fish seem a popular use. If you like a zombie cocktail, they involve passion fruit syrup, though how much fruit this actually contains is another matter!

Photo by Manuel Anastacio via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Asparagus

Admittedly asparagus are a spring vegetable, but owing to the fact that the blog has been running for over a year now, issues such as seasonal produce and food miles have gone out of the window in terms of which fruit and veg we are now spotlighting. They may not look very similar, but asparagus are related to onions and garlic - all belonging to the lily family - and similarly asparagus grow under the ground like their bulbed relatives. Another likeness is the sulphurous compounds that they contain and when these are broken down by the body they can give rise to the distinctive smelling urine that some people experience on eating asparagus. However, not everyone produces these pungent by-products and not everyone can smell them; as with the so-called "super tasters" of brassicas veg it is down to our genetic makeup and whether we possess a certain form of the genes responsible.

In centuries gone by asparagus was held in high regard for its health promoting properties and now we know that it is a rich source of numerous nutrients, that makes sense. Asparagus is a good source of Vitamin A, C and K, as well as thiamin and folate - two of the B vitamins; it also provides smaller amounts of minerals such as iron, copper and selenium. Folate isn't just beneficial for pregnant women; there is increasing evidence that it helps to keep levels of a substance known as homocysteine in check, high levels of which have been linked with heart disease and dementia.

There are obviously a lot of good reasons to eat asparagus - both nutritionally and because they are a delicious veg, as long as they aren't overcooked - so how are they best served? A few simple ideas might be to add them to a salad, grill them to serve with say chicken or fish, roast them with other veg or use them as an interesting pizza topping. However, they can be easily incorporated into a range of dishes; for example, in a frittata with peas and mint, they can be added to a stir-fry or pasta dishes. While asparagus soup or adding them to a casserole isn't an uncommon way to use asparagus, allowing this veg to turn soft always seems a shame, so I tend to prefer recipes that allow them to retain somewhat of a bite.

Feast your eyes on these recipes for further inspiration:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?keywords=asparagus
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-173/asparagus-recipes.aspx
http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/recipe_index_quickandeasy.php

Photo by Evan-Amos via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Pomelo

Apart from melons, fruit don't come much bigger than this, with pomelos typically weighing in between 1 and 2 Kg. A member of the citrus family, pomelos have much thicker skin, which starts off green, but turns to yellow as they ripen; all the pith needs to be removed before it can be eaten. The flesh can vary from yellow to pink in colour and has the same sweet-tart flavour that you would usually associate with citrus fruit. As you would expect, pomelos are rich in Vitamin C; a handful will meet your full daily requirement for the vitamin. Although it is native of South East Asia - so it's pretty high up there on the food miles - you can find it in larger supermarkets and specialty food shops.

In traditional cooking they are combined with seafood, papaya and spices. You can just eat a pomelo as you might a grapefruit, but you could try adding it to a fruit salad, a savoury salad or stir-fry.


Image by uploader via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Kohlrabi

Now here is a vegetable that probably doesn't make it to many dinner plates. Not the prettiest vegetable in the patch, kohlrabi is knobbly with various leafy stalks sprouting off its upper surface. It's most commonly green, but you may see striking purple kohlrabi too. Although it might look similar to a root vegetable, it is actually related to the cabbage. Don't let its alien like appearance put you off trying it, as you will be pleasantly surprised when you tuck in; it has a mild flavour and a texture similar to a radish. Kohlrabi is popular in mainland Europe, China and India, but it's time that its profile in the UK was raised.

If you were wondering what kohlrabi has to offer nutritionally, like other cruciferous vegetables it is a good source of fibre, with a 100g serving providing 3.6g. As far as vitamins go, a similar sized portion will meet your daily requirements for Vitamin C. It contains small amounts of various other vitamins and minerals, but providing less than 10% of your daily requirement, does not make a significant contribution by itself. Interestingly unlike other vegetables in the same family it is very low in Vitamin K, so anyone taking Warfarin can happily eat it.

If you are new to kohlrabi and wondering what to do with it, here are a few ideas:

• For a simple side dish, simmer cubes of kohlrabi till tender. Once drained drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. This makes a good partner for a fish or chicken dish.
• Grate kohlrabi and serve as part of a salad or mix with grated carrot and onion to make  coleslaw.
• Thinly sliced kohlrabi makes a good addition to a stir-fry.
• Kohlrabi can also be stuffed. Remove the base and hollow it out before boiling for around 10 minutes. Stuff with mixed beans, a vegetable chilli or another mince dish, then cook at high temperature for about 30 minutes in the oven.
• Don't forget the leaves! These can be used as an alternative to spinach in dishes such as curries or why not lightly fry them with a dash of chilli and ginger to accompany a main meal?

Attribution - photo by thebittenword.com via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Kumquats

I was actually going to write about another tropical fruit this week - dragon fruit - but as I couldn't find some reputable nutritional information after a quick search, I decided to leave that for another time. Instead I'm turning my attention to kumquats. I always confuse these with physalis - the fruits with their papery foliage that often feature on the side of a dessert at a restaurant - which is understandable in a way as they are both small orange fruits; the two are also rich in Vitamin C and fibre. However, kumquats are more closely related to oranges, though they do not technically belong to the citrus family.

It's most common to eat kumquats as a snack - you can eat the whole fruit, as the skin is surprisingly sweet compared to the more sour flesh, though avoid the bitter seeds. However, don't alternatively keep kumquats as a decorative addition to a fruit bowl or dish, as they can also be used in a variety of ways in cooking. You can make sauces, jams and chutneys from kumquats or they can be used as an ingredient in baking and desserts such as cheesecakes. They also work well in savoury dishes, complimenting chicken, pork, fish and pulses nicely.

If you would like to look through some recipes that use kumquats try the following links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/kumquat
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-3420/kumquat-recipes.aspx
http://www.kumquatgrowers.com/recipes.html

Photo by Loadmaster via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Figs

There's more to figs than fig rolls. It's common knowledge that figs are high in fibre, whether fresh, tinned or dried. However, in their fresh state figs are relatively low in vitamins and minerals, but when dried weight for weight their content of micronutrients shoots up; calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese and copper become more concentrated. Manganese is a constituent of various enzymes involved in the processing of carbohydrate and fats in the body, while copper is essential to maintain the health of blood vessels, bones, nerves and the immune system. Lesser known still is the fact that fig puree can be used as a fat replacement in baking; it's possible to replace between half and the full amount of fat in recipes for cakes and cookies. Figs are naturally able to retain moisture, which helps them to take on the role of a fat replacer. The puree is very easy to make - simply blend 200g of dried figs with 50 - 100ml of water, then use it to replace an equal weight of butter or margarine; store what you don't use in the fridge. While not entirely guilt free, your baking will be that bit healthier.

Photo freely available via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Melons

While it's true that you're never going to get melons in season within the UK - that is unless temperatures soar - it's nice to have fruit in the months towards the end of the year that remind you of sunnier days. With the clocks going back this coming weekend and the prospect of shorter days, now is as good a time as any to indulge in some tropical fruit. At one time it was mainly the Honeydew melon that made an appearance, but now there are half a dozen different varieties available; so whether your prefer Galia or Water melons, you've got permission to tuck in to these sunshine fruits, even if they have travelled a long way to get to your plate.

Although melons have a very high water content, they are a good source of Vitamin C - particularly the orange fleshed Cantaloupe variety - so don't just use them as a handy base to attach your loaded cocktail sticks at a party - cheese, pineapple and pickled onions anyone? Enjoy a large slice of melon as it comes, cube it to serve with other fresh fruit either in a bowl or on skewers, or freeze melon balls to use in place of ice cubes in drinks. A popular starter, serve melon with berries, sorbet, Parma ham or seafood. If you really want to take this fruit further, there are numerous recipes available for chilled melon soup or sorbet, amongst other dishes. However, sometimes the simple approach works best. Enjoy!

Photo by Asio Otus via Wikimedia Commons

In the spotlight - Guavas

It's that time of year again when more of us starting to pick up coughs, colds, sore throats and the flu. No one likes to feel under the weather, so it's no surprise that we do our upmost to avoid the aforementioned conditions, which for some people includes taking a high dose Vitamin C supplement. This vitamin has long been heralded as a prevention and way of reducing the severity of a cold, linked to its beneficial action on immune function, but is this substantiated by scientific evidence? A review of the evidence in 2009 indicated that Vitamin C is not effective in preventing a cold in the general population, though is effective in doing so in athletes who train in subarctic conditions - strenuous exercise has been shown to dampen the immune system, as can the cold, which would explain this finding. This review also found that although Vitamin C does not reduce the severity of cold symptoms, it can reduce the duration of a cold.

Despite these findings, if you are still thinking of reaching for a Vitamin C supplement, avoid those with mega-doses. The body's daily requirement is 40mg, but supplements with a daily dose of a gram or more - 25 times the recommended amount - are available. Taking such high doses of this vitamin might be detrimental to health, as high doses of Beta-carotene and Vitamin E have been linked with an increased risk of mortality, though further research is still needed to see whether the same applies to Vitamin C.

The safest way to top up your Vitamin C levels is through your diet. Citrus fruits are well known for being rich in the vitamin, with berries, kiwis and green veg as other useful sources. However, tropical fruits are also a good bet for Vitamin C, particularly guavas, which have 4 times as much Vitamin C gram for gram as oranges do.

With some tropical fruits you can be left wondering what the best way to prepare them is. However, it's easy with a ripe guava, as you can eat the whole fruit; though if you prefer the skin can be peeled and cutting the fruit in half is the easiest way to remove the seeds. While the obvious choice for how to eat guava might be to chop it with pineapple and papaya to serve in a fruit salad, what else can you do with guava?

Like a lot of fruits with soft flesh, guavas can be combined with other fruits to make a smoothie. They can also be used in baking - there are lots of recipes on the internet for cakes and desserts. It's not just sweet dishes where guavas make an appearance; they work well as part of a savoury course too. For example, chunks of guava can be served in a salad with cheese, they can be threaded on skewers with vegetables or meat to barbeque, added to a curry or pureed and combined with seasonings to form a marinade for chicken, pork or fish. There's not really any limit to what they can be used for in cooking, so push the boundaries and be more adventurous in the kitchen.

If you're struggling for inspiration, take a peek at the following websites:
http://www.yummly.com/recipes/fresh-guava
http://www.food.com/recipe-finder/all?foodido=11828,12622,12623,13046,17210,17369,18254,19693

Photo by Fibonacci via Wikimedia Commons

In the Spotlight - Bean sprouts

I went through a stage while at university where I would eat bean sprouts as part of a salad; I'm not sure what gave me the idea - it wasn't as if I even ate them in a stir-fry very often - but I liked the added crunch they provided. What I didn't know at the time was that bean sprouts are a notorious carrier of Salmonella and E. coli - they were linked to the E. coli outbreak that killed 30 people and left thousands unwell last year in Germany. The warm and humid conditions required for sprouts to grow are also ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply and when they do so the appearance of the sprouts are not altered, so it is difficult to know that they are actually contaminated. Although high temperatures would kill such bacteria, this would prevent the beans from sprouting. As with other food borne infections, it is young children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system who are at most risk; these groups are advised to avoid raw bean sprouts altogether. The advice for the rest of us is to wash them well - ideally a hot rather than cold wash - if we are to eat them raw and even doing so if cooking.

Although not particularly high in vitamins, bean sprouts are still a source of Vitamin C and various B vitamins; as stir-frying is a light cooking method, it allows their content to be conserved. Bean sprouts are a useful source of protein for anyone who avoids animal protein. Like many other vegetables, they are also a good source of fibre.

Bean sprouts are present in most ready-made stir-fry packs, but you can easily make your own mix using whatever combination of vegetables that you wish; so whether you fancy peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, carrots, cabbage, sugar snap peas or green beans, toss them all in. Don't forget about bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, which can also add some interest to a stir-fry.

Stir-fry sauces that you buy tend to be very high in salt, which you can control if you make your own, adjusting the amount you add; don't forget that soy and fish sauce, along with other similar condiments, are also high in salt. Try the following suggestions:
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-5622/stir-fry-sauce-recipes.aspx
http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6518
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/stir-fries
http://www.cooksunited.co.uk/rs/s0/stir+fry+sauce/recipes.html

Frozen Veg - a Path to 5 A Day?

Frozen fruit and veg are often seen as a poor relation of their fresh counterparts. Perhaps it's because they are tarred with the same brush as the chicken nuggets, pizza and ice cream that are found in the same aisles in the supermarket and people assume that any frozen food can't be good for you? However, far to the contrary, frozen fruit and veg can actually be better nutritionally for you, as their vitamin content is often significantly higher. You don't know how long it is since the fresh produce was picked, with levels of Vitamin C and B vitamins depleting with time, but with much fruit and veg being frozen within hours of harvest you are safe in the knowledge that their vitamin content is preserved as soon as they are frozen.

Not only that, but frozen versions of fruit and veg have a number of other advantages. They tend to be cheaper, are already prepared for you, can be used in the quantity that you require and won't spoil. As cost, time constraints and difficulties in using them before they are past their best are all reasons that people commonly give for not eating more fruit and veg, keeping our freezers stocked with a supply might be a good way to boost the nation's fruit and veg intake.

The range of fruit and veg available now is vast, so no longer do you have to limit yourself to peas, carrots, broccoli and summer fruit; whether you need spinach for a curry, peppers for a stir-fry, mango for a smoothie or rhubarb for a crumble, the freezer can come to your rescue.


Photo by Denoyelle via Wikimedia Commons

In the Spotlight - Apricots

Apparently if you dream of apricots it is meant to bring you good luck. I'm not so sure about that, but apricots are certainly a good source of Vitamin C when fresh and when dried they are a concentrated source of beta-carotene, fibre and potassium. Although they have a short season in the UK - they come in July and are gone by the end of August - don't forget that they are also available tinned; try to choose those in natural juice if you can or at least drain off the sugary syrup if that is all you can find. Buying apricots tinned can also be a more economical option, as they are not a cheap fruit to buy fresh.

We talked about how dried apricots might be used in the previous post, but what could you do with them when they are fresh or tinned? I know it comes up time and time again, but if you're a lover of cereal for breakfast, they can be chopped and added to your bowl. In fairness they might not go that well with cornflakes, but I think they are an ideal partner for Weetabix or porridge. Apricots also work well in savoury dishes to accompany pork, chicken and pulses - a favourite of mine is a tagine, a North African dish, which you can think of as like a slow-cooked stew with spices and indeed contains apricots. If you prefer your fruit in a dessert, apricots can be stewed on their own or maybe with apple - perhaps with some added cinnamon or ginger - and served with natural yoghurt, custard or used as the base for a crumble.

For further ideas using apricots to tempt your taste buds, visit the following links:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?keywords=apricot
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-ingredients/apricot
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-1922/apricot-recipes.aspx?search
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/search?q=apricot

As I was happily typing away about the nutrients in the first paragraph it struck me that although my regular followers and anyone with a grasp of nutrition will be well aware of what each of these nutrients is important for, anyone picking up a post by chance might not be. It's perhaps time I invested in a post on the blog that details all the macronutrients - protein, fat, carbohydrate and fibre - and micronutrients - vitamins and minerals - that I can direct people to, rather than assume prior knowledge. There might also be enough scope for a nutrient blog in itself...though perhaps a second blog is slightly ambitious.

Photo by carol via Wikimedia Commons

Don't forget dried fruit

If someone says the words "dried fruit", what do you think of? Adding it to the Christmas cake, the raisins that you find in certain cereal or the shrivelled prunes and apricots at the back of the cupboard that will probably never be eaten? Whatever images dried fruit conjures up for you, it might be time to start including it regularly. Not only is it packed with fibre, but is a good source of iron and calcium - particularly useful for anyone who avoids red meat or dairy foods (or their fortified alternatives) respectively. Although low in Vitamin C, dried fruit is rich in other antioxidants; prunes have a particularly high content due to their dark colour.

As we've said a number of times in previous posts, fruit doesn't have to be fresh, so dried fruit counts towards your 5 A Day. Remember that as the water has been removed, gram for gram you don't need to eat as much dried fruit as when it is in its fresh state. The following can be used as a guide for what counts as a portion of dried fruit:

• 1 tablespoon of raisins, sultanas or currents
• 3 prunes or dried apricots
• 2 figs
• 4 apple rings
• 2 halves of peach or pear

Anyone with diabetes needs to be particularly careful with portions of dried fruit, as the sugars are more concentrated; eating a handful of any dried fruit would likely send their blood sugar levels soaring.

You might notice that we haven't included all the dried fruits available; what about pineapple, mango, cranberries and all the others you might have seen in the supermarket aisle? A lot of these other dried fruits have extra sugar added to them, which detracts from their nutritional value somewhat and in some cases makes them not much better than sweets. That said, check the packaging as sometimes it is possible to get the more exotic dried fruits without added sugars. Another dried fruit that I've excluded is banana chips, as these are often fried when they are processed, but again your best bet is to check the label.

A portion of dried fruit can be eaten as a snack, but as a portion has a small volume, you might find that it does not fill you as well as a piece of fresh fruit. Try adding dried fruit to other foods to boost the nutritional content of your meals. Why not give the following ideas a go?

• Add dried fruit to porridge or your favourite cereal
• Halve and toast a bagel, then spread with light soft cheese and add chopped dried apricots - serve for breakfast or as a light lunch with salad. I find this topping also works well on a slice of malt loaf or tea bread.
• Raisins also work well added to sandwich fillings such as grated cheese or hummus; they also can be added to salad side dishes such as rice with chopped pappers and nuts or grated carrot and beetroot.
• Try the following as desserts: core a cooking apple and stuff with raisins before cooking in the oven; add a chopped banana plus a dried fruit of your choice to natural yoghurt; add sultanas to rice pudding with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
• If you're in the mood for baking, add some dried fruit to the mix. With scones don't just stick to dried vine fruits, try adding chopped apricots or dates with some added mixed spice. If you like fruitcake, but want something less rich, try making a tea bread, as these are lower in added fat and sugar; if you have a copy of the Be-Ro book they have a number of recipes, but with lots of regional variations, searching the internet will bring up plenty of suggestions and you can always improvise by adding your own combination of dried fruit. Don't forget that flapjacks and tray bakes are also good for the addition of dried fruit.

Photo by Pawel Kuzniar via Wikimeida Commons

Incorporating fruit and veg into breakfast

We've all heard the phrase "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", but how many of us sometimes miss it? Research conducted by Warburtons (of baking fame) earlier this year revealed that almost half of adults miss breakfast at least once during the working week. The most common reasons cited by participants in the research were that they would rather spend longer in bed, are too busy getting their family ready or are not sufficiently organised.

So why is it crucial that we eat breakfast daily? Breakfast provides us with the energy that we need to carry out all our activities during the morning; it's also essential for mental function and concentration - very important for those of us heading to school, college or work. Missing a meal doesn't just leave you lacking in energy, but can reduce your likelihood of achieving daily requirements for vitamins, minerals and fibre. Breakfast eaters are also more likely to maintain a healthy weight or be more successful in losing weight.

Ideally breakfast, like all meals, should include a starchy carbohydrate - usually bread or cereals in the morning - as well as a portion of dairy foods, along with a serving of fruit or vegetables. This combination of foods provides the body with its preferred energy source, as well as a good chunk of fibre, vitamins, calcium and other minerals.

As time constraints appear to be a big factor in determining whether people eat breakfast or not, if this applies to you, choose quick and easy options, even something that can be eaten on the go. Save those dishes that require more preparation for the days when time is on your side. For some people eating first thing can be a real problem. If you really can't face anything to eat when you get up, wait a couple of hours before you attempt breakfast.

Try the following suggestions for breakfast, all of which include at least one portion of fruit or veg:

• Breakfast smoothie - this is literally breakfast in a glass. Blend a banana, peeled pear and glass of apple juice with a small pot of natural yoghurt and then add a handful of oats - this should make enough for two days, depending on how hungry you are.
• For breakfast in the autumn and winter there is nothing nicer than a warming bowl of porridge made up with milk. Add a chopped banana, grated apple or 3 tablespoons of sliced tinned fruit such as peaches or pears.
• Add a tablespoonful of dried fruit to your cereal of choice, though Weetabix, Oatibix and Shredded Wheat are amongst the best options, as they are very low in sugar and salt.
• Mash a banana on toast - ideally granary or wholemeal - to replace the butter or margarine; alternatively make a fruit compote to add to toast or porridge.
• If you prefer a savoury start to the day top toast with baked beans, grilled tomato and mushrooms that have either been poached or dry fried. Toast can be varied with a seeded bagel or wholemeal muffin.
• Although it doesn't contain starchy carbohydrate, if you only feel able to manage something light, have any combination of chopped fruit with natural yoghurt.
• Whatever you have for breakfast, accompany it with a glass of pure fruit juice, though stick to 150ml, as they are concentrated in sugar.