Are You Getting Your Factor X
Here in the UK we seem to get more than our fair share of rain, but did you know that the right nutrition can prevent gloomy weather leading to ill health?
Way back in 1919, a scientist called Sir Edward Mellanby found by chance that dogs living mainly indoors developed a bone disorder not dissimilar to osteoporosis. He found that they were lacking in a substance he labelled 'Factor X', which we now call Vitamin D. Sir Edward rightly concluded that Vitamin D must be produced by the skin of the dogs - a fact which we now know to be the same for humans, too.
The main role of Vitamin D is to maintain normal levels of the two most important minerals in our bones: calcium and phosphorus. Without it, therefore, we're much more likely to develop brittle bones and nails, as well as undernourished hair. Recent research has even suggested strong links between a lack of Vitamin D and an increased likelihood of various cancers.
Fortunately for us on this rain-prone island, we don't have to rely solely on sunny days to provide our daily dose of the D vitamin. The next best source is from naturally oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna. For vegetarians I recommend a good supplement called Skeletal Strength (for adults) or Herbasaurs Calcium for Kids. However, if you do like fish, there's a whole host of exciting ways of ensuring you get your Vitamin D all year round, like the following recipe for Spiced Mackerel Fillets:
Spiced Mackerel Fillets
These lovely fillets are versatile and can be eaten hot (even grilled on the BBQ) with grilled vegetables or eaten cold alongside salad.
Ingredients
8 mackerel fillets (scaled but skin left on)
2 lemons (1 to juice and the other to make 4 lemon wedges)
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
Pepper to taste
Directions
Make diagonal slashes in the skin of the mackerel, then place in a bowl. Mix the cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and pepper with the lemon juice. Rub this spice mixture over the mackerel and leave for 20 minutes to marinate. Grill the mackerel skin-side up for 7 to 10 minutes until cooked thoroughly. Serves 4.
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Here in the UK we seem to get more than our fair share of rain, but did you know that the right nutrition can prevent gloomy weather leading to ill health?Read also:
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Arthritis
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Colour Yourself Healthy!
When talking fruit and veg, the government advises that we eat 'Five a Day'. That's certainly a good start, but if I was the Prime Minister I'd change that to 'Five Colours a Day'. That way we'd hopefully find ourselves eating more than five different kinds of fruit and vegetables daily, but it would mean we'd also benefit from the additional health-promoting properties of eating naturally pigmented food.
