If you choose cheese, are you aware how high in cholesterol it is?
I am a cheese lover;
I particularly like goats cheese for its strong unusual flavour.In the past, I would regularly tuck into cheese sandwiches every day; selecting different cheeses to eat every week.
I’m not in a minority enjoying cheese with around a third of us eating cheese regularly in a meal.
The top five most popular cheeses in Britain at the moment are:
English Cheddar
Red Leicester
Brie
Mozzarella
Parmesan
This trend seems to be growing with the increase in popularity of vegetarian foods recently. More people are becoming aware of the health benefits of cutting down on red meat and are also aware of the environmental impact of production processes. An appealing alternative to this appears to be cheese.
The most surprising fact is that one in ten people habitually eat a chunk of cheese as a main meal.
I’ve been trying to cut back on saturated fat intake along with my carer. Until recently I’d eaten cheese and thought it was not particularly any more fattening than any other type of food; except fruit and veggies which you can eat in abundance.
I discovered reading food labels in detail, that it is very high in saturated fats. Much higher than most red meats in fact and therefore not much help if your trying to cut back on saturated fat.
Cheese can contribute to increased levels of saturated fat in the diet fast if it’s eaten regularly. An alarming fact if you have switched to cheese recently and thought it was a healthy option to meat products.
Why is saturated fat something to be aware of in a diet?
Saturated fat in a nutshell……
Eating too much saturated fat in your diet leads to your body producing excess cholesterol which causes blood arteries to become blocked or restricted. This in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease which includes heart attacks, angina and strokes.
The easiest way to reduce this risk is by lessening the intake of saturated fats. There are some quick and easy ways to start making a difference. Avoid or reduce full fat dairy products such as cream or cheese (skimmed or 1% fat milk is much better than full fat milk). Also cut back on pasties, pastries, pies, cakes, chocolate, coconut milk, coconut oil and palm oil. When eating meat choose low fat meats such as chicken, turkey, venison, veal or rabbit.
In addition you can have foods that reduce cholesterol in the blood.
Soluble fibre (e.g. fruit, vegetables, oats and nuts) absorbs and carries the cholesterol out of the body.
Plant stanols or sterols inhibit cholesterol absorption in the gut. These are available in fortified foods such as Benecol.
For more information about diet and healthy eating have a look at the following website:
Fibromyalgia affects around 1 in 20 people. Although most people have no idea what fibromyalgia is; let alone what it’s like to live with.
So, here’s a brief guide for anyone who doesn’t know anything about fibromyalgia.
What is fibromyalgia?
Its a long term chronic health condition characterised by pain. The pain ranges in severity on a daily basis from mild symptoms to severe pain in changing areas of the body.
Themainsymptomsare:
Pain throughout the whole body
Joints and muscles feel stiff
Quality of sleep can be poor
Feeling tired and fatigued
Irritablebowelsyndrome (IBS)
Extreme Sensitivity
Cognitiveproblems, feeling confused, or dazed, sometimes called Fibro fog
Headaches
Depression
Anxiety
Painfulperiods in women
The symptoms can vary from person to person.
Symptoms can get better or worse from time to time.
Factors that influence this are:
the amount of stress you are experiencing
how much daily exercise you have
and changes in climate and temperature
Further information is available on theNHS website.
If you think you may be suffering from fibromyalgia, consult your doctor or health professional. They will run a variety of tests to get an accurate diagnosis of your condition.
There’s no cure….Yes you did read that correctly; there’s no cure, but…
I’ve lived with fibromyalgia for 15 years and found some times are really tough.
The single most upsetting factor for me has been other people’s perception of ‘living with fibromyalgia’. They almost always get it wrong. So, if you meet someone who has fibromyalgia, tread carefully. Don’t jump to conclusions about how they feel. Listen to them. After all they are living with it on a daily basis.
The positives are my symptoms are still there, but have improved greatly since I was first diagnosed.
For a fantastic way to kick off 2020. I have a guest post from a friend BM; he’s a real family history guru who has a wealth of experience and knowledge. He’s done extensive searches into my family history and uncovered fascinating facts about my relatives.
I understand more now about the lives they led and the hardships they endured in their daily existence. So, read on and uncover your own family’s secrets….
A new hobby for a new year- a simple guide to family history.
Have you ever watched a programme on TV about someone’s family history and thought I wish I could do that but it looks too complicated?
Well you can start it in a few easy steps. When you have got into family history; you’ll find it so interesting that the impetus will spur you on.
Step 1:
Write down everything you know and arrange it in an easy to refer to format.
Step 2:
Speak to your relatives to see what they know or can find out for you.
At this stage just make notes of any interesting stories that come up – you can pursue these later.
Make a note of any discrepancies without questioning them too -these can also be followed up later.
Your ultimate aim is to reach back in your family tree to about 1911 as useful records are available up to this date.
Step 3:
You can access census records online via a subscription website such as Ancestry, Find My Past or The Genealogist.
Some of these are also available from many library authorities.
They have a wide range of resources including the censuses which for England and Wales for example date back every ten years from 1911 to 1841. Other nations feature as well e.g. the United States and Scotland.
With luck these will allow to compile family groups back to the beginning of the Victorian period.
Step 4:
Repeat step 3 each time clarifying and checking what you know and using whatever relevant resources you can- not only from the internet but physical ones as well.
Find out about the areas your ancestors lived in and the types of lives they led which will help to explain much of what you find. There are many websites and magazines which can aid you.
You can also go down the route of DNA testing to find modern day relatives.
I hope this will introduce you to a hobby which millions of people are becoming fascinated by.
I’ve found researching my own family story helps you to understand your place in the world and the things that have come to be; as we are at a time when identity has become so important.
Great post BM. Maybe you can do a follow up sometime with details of relatives stories you have uncovered? Thanks Nick.
For couples getting engaged or married it’s not only special but also filled with love and happiness. With this in mind, I have always wanted to write a sonnet but never had a good enough excuse to!
If your trying to recall; sonnets are written in 14 lines, the subject matter is predominantly about love. Each line of the stanza should have 10 syllables and the rhyming pattern should be ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. It’s quite tricky to get right; so here’s my attempt…
