Food

Many people believe that fresh vegetables are better than frozen vegetables. However, fresh vegetables lose nutritional value just by sitting around and sometimes it could take up to two weeks from the time they’ve been picked until they reach your plate. Straight from the garden to the table is certainly …

We expect that our diet and appetite will change as we age, and to a certain point eating less as you get older is normal. Mobility issues may cause older people to reduce the amount of physical activity they do, and their metabolism may slow down which results in less …

Blue Zones are geographical areas of the world where people live longer, healthier lives: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, US; Nicoya, Costa Rica and Icaria, Greece. One thing common to Blue Zones is eating a 95% plant-based diet—a diet full of whole plant foods. It’s not about cutting out …

It’s a matter of taste Some people eat to live, others live to eat, but one thing is certain, if food tastes good, you’ll eat more of it! We all have personal food preferences. These are shaped by many influences including, our early food experience, culture and traditions. Above all, …

If you are on your own this Christmas, it can be hard to decide what to cook. However, eating alone doesn’t mean you have to forgo your Christmas meal, but rather it may take a slightly different form. Treat yourself. Choose something special, something that you don’t often get to …

Although diet in itself is not a treatment for depression, eating the right foods can help with stabilising our mood and control side effects of medications—such as increased appetite and weight gain. Eating regular meals is really important to stabilise energy and mood levels. Ensure all of your meals contain …

Author: The Pure Food Co I was reminded of the problems people can experience when they have swallowing difficulties when visiting a relative in hospital a few weeks ago. Another patient in the four bedded cubicle, Tom, reported to his nurse that he was unable to swallow pills unless they …

You may know that older people need more protein but at the same time often struggle with digesting meat. Eggs are a nutritious protein source food that’s incredibly easy to digest, making them a great solution for getting enough protein. However, some research has found that most people over 60 …

Author: The Pure Food Co Malnutrition, in the form of undernutrition remains very prevalent in New Zealand, especially in the older population (1). It is a problem that is often under-recognised and under-treated with grave consequences (2). Malnutrition is described as ‘a state of nutrition in which a deficiency, excess or …

Author: The Pure Food Co When you think about malnutrition, heart wrenching images of extremely unhappy looking, thin, bony and famished individuals come to mind. Some years ago, while working as the Chief Dietitian in a hospital in the Sultanate of Oman, I worked with many malnourished children with these …