Knowing what foods we should and shouldn’t be eating can be really confusing, especially when it feels like the advice changes regularly. However, evidence suggests that as well as affecting our physical health, what we eat may also affect the way we feel.

Improving your diet may help to:

• improve your mood
• give you more energy
• help you think more clearly.

Eating regularly

If your blood sugar drops you might feel tired, irritable and depressed. Eating regularly and choosing foods that release energy slowly will help to keep your sugar levels steady.

Slow-release energy foods include: pasta, rice, oats, wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds.

Quick tips:

• Eating breakfast gets the day off to a good start.
• Instead of eating a large lunch and dinner, try eating smaller portions spaced out more regularly throughout the day.
• Avoid foods which make your blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits, sugary drinks, and alcohol.

An easy, throw together salad that uses up leftover roast chicken. This wholesome dish is packed with crunchy vegetables to make up 2 of your 5-a-day

1. Soak the freekeh in cold water for 5 mins, then drain and rinse again under the tap. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a deep saucepan, add the bay leaf, garlic and freekeh , and toast, stirring vigorously, for 1 min or so.

Method

• Soak the freekeh in cold water for 5 mins, then drain and rinse again under the tap. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a deep saucepan, add the bay leaf, garlic and freekeh , and toast, stirring vigorously, for 1 min or so.
• Fill the pan with boiling water, add a generous pinch of salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until tender. Add the asparagus for the final 4 mins. Drain and leave to cool. (To speed the cooling, spread out the freekeh on a baking tray. )

Slow cooker lamb curry

Use the slow cooker to make this nutritious, easy curry and the lamb will melt in your mouth. You can batch cook and freeze the leftovers for another day. Try our tasty recipes for hummus (or houmous) and make your own chickpea dip with peas, peppers or beetroot. We have serving suggestions and dinner ideas.

Method

• Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker pot with a third of a can of water and stir well. Cover with the lid and chill in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, stir again, then cook on Low for 6 hrs until the lamb and vegetables are tender. Serve with brown rice.

Organic livestock raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products must have access to the outdoors and be given organic feed. They may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal by-products.

The term “organic” refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. While the regulations vary from country to country , in the U.S., organic crops must be grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.

Organic food vs. locally-grown food

Unlike organic standards, there is no specific definition for “local food”. It could be grown in your local community, your state, your region, or your country. During large portions of the year it is usually possible to find food grown close to home at places such as a farmer’s market.

The benefits of organic food

How your food is grown or raised can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health as well as the environment. Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts and people with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives often find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods.

Organically raised animals are NOT given antibiotics, growth hormones, or fed animal byproducts. Feeding livestock animal byproducts increases the risk of mad cow disease (BSE) and the use of antibiotics can create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Organically-raised animals are given more space to move around and access to the outdoors, which help to keep them healthy

Organic food is GMO-free. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods are plants whose DNA has been altered in ways that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding, most commonly in order to be resistant to pesticides or produce an insecticide.

Use it as a base to create your own tuna salad recipe. A few ideas: Omit the lettuce and add shredded carrot. Substitute parsley for the cilantro. Omit the chiles. Use lemon juice instead of lime juice. Add a pinch of black pepper. Replace the lettuce with spinach. Use your imagination. It is almost impossible to mess it up.

Spicy Tuna Salad

• 2 lbs tuna; skinned, deboned, and cubed
• 1 1/2 cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp. ginger, minced
• 1 large red onion, minced
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup calamansi juice
• 2 tbsp. chopped red chilies