World Osteoporosis Day - October 20

With World Osteoporosis Day coming up, what a great time to have a think about how healthy your bones are.

There are some things that impact our bone health that we can't change: being female, getting older and our genetics can but us at greater risk of developing osteoporosis.

But there are other things you can change:
1. Eating enough calcium rich foods. The amount of calcium you need varies depending on your age and gender, but aim for about 3 serves of milk, yoghurt or cheese per day. Osteoporosis Australia also do a good fact sheet on Calcium:
http://www.osteoporosis.org.au/images/stories/medicalresources/oa_medical_calcium.pdf

2. Getting enough vitamin D - a small amount of this comes from your diet (e.g. fortified margarine), but it mostly comes from the sun! The amount of time you have to spend in the sun to get enough vitamin D depends on how dark your skin is, where you live, and what time of year it is. Have a look at an awesome fact sheet from Osteoporosis Australia for more information:
http://www.osteoporosis.org.au/images/stories/medicalresources/oa_medical_vitd.pdf

3. Being at a healthy weight

4. Exercising regularly, particularly weight bearing exercise e.g. walking or weight lifting.

Interested in learning more?
Head to the Osteoporosis Australia home page http://www.osteoporosis.org.au/

The newest "Health Food"

I found this food product in the "Health Food" isle of my supermarket.

Kale Chips - Pineapple Coconut flavoured.

Sounds healthy, right? I thought this too, until I turned over the pack to read the nutrition panel......

These chips are 36% Fat and 25% Sugar!
And at around $140/kg, they aren't so healthy for your wallet either!

Meat-free Mondays

Who’s heard about Meat-Free Mondays? It’s all about being vego for 1 day a week, every week. Sticking to this eating pattern can mean – less saturated fat in your diet, eating more veggies, trying veggies in new ways and setting up lifelong healthy habits.

I think the meal that I struggle making meat-free the most is dinner – meat free meals no steak and veg, salad without the chicken, and no meat in the curry. But, it doesn’t have to be hard. Eggs are a great meat replacer – omelets or frittata with lots of low joule vegetables, boiled egg in salad or scrambled eggs in stir fries. Chickpeas, lentils or tofu work well in curries.

Who’s got a favourite vegetarian dish?

http://foodwise.com.au/meat-free-mondays/what-is-meat-free-monday/