Healthy Foods + Diet

The humble cabbage is a member of a family of vegetables categorised as brassicas, they are believed to have been domesticated in the cradle of civilisation the Middle East, probably the food basket of the age more than 3000-4000 years ago, in the region of today’s Iran. — Read Article

Beans originated in the Andes of Peru and South America; they became part of the staple diet of native people throughout central, south and North America. — Read Article

We are going to talk in general terms about the health promoting properties of winter greens these include; cabbage, broccoli, spinach, silver beet, Brussel sprouts, parsley, kale, Chinese cabbage and bok choy to name but a few. — Read Article

Zucchini is a member of the squash family of vegetables, but is sometimes described as a fruit and has its genetic origins in the Americas, Central America through Mexico where it was a food source going back over 7000 years. — Read Article

The Paleo diet is modelled on our hunter gatherer ancestors who led an active lifestyle eating nutrient dense, whole foods. Followers of the Paleo diet ditch processed foods and stick to a meal plan filled with lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, healthy fats, nuts and seeds. — Read Article

Our recorded history features much in the way of references to apples, there is Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, the Trojan wars and Roman history all have references to apples. — Read Article

Top 10 Foods for Eye Health (as recommended by all optometrists) — Read Article

The history of beans and lentils as a food staple goes back 20,000 years through Roman, Greek and Egyptian periods well into pre-recorded times. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence supporting this in areas associated with ancient Egypt. — Read Article

Carrots could be described as a super food, a root vegetable that is well known for its actual health promoting benefits both real and mythical as a result of propaganda. — Read Article

There’s gold in them there hills, the gold we are referring to is Manuka honey. — Read Article

The flesh and seeds of pumpkin are both utilised as foods; the seeds are very often cleaned and dried, they contain approximately 3gm dietary fibre per cup which is approximately 10% of our daily dietary fibre requirements; they are rich in zinc which supports prostate health which appears to be linked to low zinc levels. Prostate health issues affect almost 15% of men through life. — Read Article

New Zealanders are one of the world’s largest consumers of bananas per head of population. — Read Article

A considerable portion of our customers are of the baby boomer generation, some of us have ticked many of the boxes on our bucket list and are now revisiting or continuing with what was part of family life when we were children growing up in post war New Zealand. — Read Article

Hormonal acne between the ages of 11 and 30 is said to affect around 80% of people at some point in their lives. Acne usually becomes less of a problem as you age — Read Article

Asparagus has a history going back over 2000 years. It originated in the eastern Mediterranean; in its wild form it was much smaller than the asparagus we know today. — Read Article

Avocados originate from Central Mexico, a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It can be described botanically as a large berry containing one large seed inside. — Read Article

Celery belongs to the apiaceous plant family along with parsley, it is a biannual crop especially suited to a European type climate and records document its cultivation in the Mediterranean region including France around the 17th century. — Read Article

Kiwifruit despite the name they are not native to New Zealand, Mary Isobel Fraser returned from China in 1904 with seed she had gathered while visiting. They were planted in Wanganui in 1906 by Alexander Allison and the first crop was harvested in 1910, people described the flavour as gooseberry hence the initial name of Chinese gooseberry. — Read Article

Food addiction or eating addiction is a behavioral addiction, there are many forms and types of behavioral addictions, gambling, sex, social media, smoking, alcohol, and drugs; they are all linked to the same area of the brain. — Read Article

Beetroot could justifiably be described as a super food due to its health promoting properties when consumed. It is high in immune boosting fibre, vitamins and minerals; vitamin C and essential minerals like potassium that supports nerve and muscle function, magnesium which supports bone, liver, kidney and pancreas function and general health. — Read Article