Posted by kathryn in Breakfast, Snacks and Ethics & Sustainablity

• Being healthy at the office: I’ve been really enjoying following The Office Diet blog. It’s one of those rare sites which provides realistic and real advice, grounded in the practicalities of working in an office. I particularly like these five suggestions for making it easier to cook in the evening. * Salad for breakfast: I don’t know many people who eat salad for breakfast, but I really like this suggestion. And thanks to Sophie for pointing it out. …

Read more 9 comments 27 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Fruit

This is going to be a light blogging week, as I have some article deadlines I’m struggling with. My ability to focus and construct meaningful arguments seems to have deserted me this week. So this is a quick post to ask if you’re too busy to eat an orange? Apparently a lot of people in the UK are. Or at least sales of oranges have declined three years in a row – and they believe it’s because people are …

Read more 19 comments 25 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Labels & advertising and Ethics & Sustainablity

Time for the normal Friday Quicklinks round-up. Articles I’ve been reading and recipes I think you’ll like: * Eating locally: It’s claimed eating locally is better for you, but nobody’s done the research. The Well reports on a team from University of North Carolina who are going to study the health impact of the local foods movement. * Health claims on food: A piece on the extravagant health claims made about some foods. And attempts to control this trend …

Read more 7 comments 20 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

For the next 10 weeks Limes & Lycopene is one of the featured blogs on I Eat I Drink I Work. This is a new-ish site all about food and the food industry, here in Australia. It’s frequently updated with videos, podcasts, a hospitality job board, blog posts and some great articles. While it’s primarily aimed at the hospitality industry, part of the goal is to display the diversity of opinions, produce and people involved in the food world. …

Read more 1 comment 19 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

I’ve been doing some research today, for an article I’m writing. Via Melanie’s Dietriffic site I came across a quote that struck a chord with me. It’s by Craig Hassel of the University of Minnesota. He’s talking about whether coconut oil is healthy or not. But you could give this answer for almost any other food. I’m frequently asked whether a particular food is healthy or not. And this quote sums up why my answer is almost always it depends. …

Read more 7 comments 18 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

One of the most common topics during Q & A Thursday is dairy. Is it good for you? Do you have to drink milk to get enough calcium? Low fat vs full fat? What about healthy bones? It’s a topic guaranteed to get people commenting. Recent comments and discussion got me thinking – that it was time to write a longer post on my attitudes to dairy h3. Dairy as a natural food People regularly comment to me that …

Read more 9 comments 17 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Breakfast, Salads and Ethics & Sustainablity

• Recipe index: This week, while reading On Food & Wine I found out about "_Food Blog Search_ ":http://foodblogsearch.com/. This site allows you to search for recipes in a huge range of food blogs. You can enter ingredients or recipe titles and see what comes up. * Revolting foods: In the YUK category: news from Weighty Matters of bacon in a can. * Another beetroot salad: This week Jul from Stonesoup posted a simple and quick raw beetroot salad …

Read more 10 comments 13 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Vegan, Legumes and Dinners

We ate this last week. And it was wonderful. It’s another one pot meal which takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then cooks away in the oven, requiring very little attention from you. I didn’t have a recipe, but instead put this together from ingredients we had in the cupboard, fridge and freezer. It’s another flexible recipe, allowing you to adapt and vary, depending on what you have on hand. You could replace the edamames with white beans …

Read more 13 comments 11 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Finally . . . here’s the June list of the fruit and vegetables in season in Sydney. h3. Fruit: * Apples: the best apples this month are are Braeburn’s, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Pink Ladies. Update: I think pink ladies are the pick of the bunch and most of the fujis I’ve bought recently have been bitter. * Avocadoes: Hass and Sharwill are in season * Bananas: good quality and cheap * Blueberries: from Coffs Harbour, although …

Read more 8 comments 10 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Legumes, Salads and Dinners

I seem to have bumper list of Quicklinks today: * How virtuous are you?: A gentle poke at dietary snobbery that made me laugh. I am as guilty of this as anyone! * Healthier baking: Sophie from Mostly Eating has written an excellent post with tips on making your muffins healthier. It’s solid and useful advice. * Our diet is killing us?: Michael Pollan was recently in Australia for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He did an interesting interview on …

Read more 9 comments 06 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

And that’s it for Q & A Thursday this month. Thanks to everyone for your brilliant questions and for taking part in the forum. I’d love to know any feedback and follow up thoughts. The next Q & A Thursday will be 3rd July – so if you have any questions then let me know by email. And I’ll up date the Q & A Thursday archives in the next few days

Read more No comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

The final question in this month’s Q & A Thursday is on the topic of weight loss: bq. Is it possible to gain or not lose weight when you restrict your calorie intake? Is there an optimum amount of food to eat for your body to burn fat? When you’re trying to lose weight it’s tempting to take the less is more approach – the less food you eat, the more weight you’ll lose. But this is not necessarily …

Read more 11 comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Fats & oils

And now it’s on to dairy in Q & A Thursday. Rachel has asked: bq. Lately, I have become confused around dairy. I read one thing that said we should drink whole milk and use butter rather than margarine, as these are more natural products. But anything I read from nutritionists advocates low fat milk and olive oil based spreads. I want to know what is more healthy for the body in general. My answer is going to be …

Read more 10 comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Next on Q & A Thursday we move on to portion sizes. A reader has asked: bq. There’s lots of information around about how many portions of fruit & veg, protein, grains & carbs and fats we should be eating each day; and there’s a reasonable amount of info about how big a ‘portion’ is. My problem is this – when I set out to eat the recommended daily amounts of everything, it’s too much food for me. I …

Read more 10 comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Next in Q & A Thursday, Tessa asks: bq. What are the benefits/downsides of eating smoked fish, like mackerel? Smoked fish is one of the categories of foods that has both good and bad points – so it really depends on how much you’re eating. h3. The good The fish that are smoked tend to be the more oily fish, which are high in Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3s are a group of poly-unsaturated fats with many, …

Read more 1 comment 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

The next question in Q & A Thursday is also about tahini. A reader has asked: bq. I am using tahini for the first time, a liquid has risen to the top, do I use that? It’s quite common for tahini to separate out and yes, you can use the liquid at the top. The two main components of tahini are oil and also the more fibrous matter. The oil has a different density, hence it’s tendency to rise …

Read more No comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

The first question in this week’s Q & A Thursday is from Em: bq. Can tahini be made at home, or do you have to buy it commercially? In all the recent posts I’ve written on tahini I’ve never thought about making your own. However, it is certainly possible, given the right blender, to make a tahini paste at home. In commercially produced tahini the seeds are often crushed, soaked and then brined, prior to milling. This removes the …

Read more 11 comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

It’s the first Thursday of the month, which means it’s Q & A Thursday. Today, on Limes & Lycopene, I’ll be answering readers’ questions on food, nutrition and how to eat well. You can ask me anything. And I’ll (attempt to) post a simple, practical and intelligible answer. I have a few questions already, but there’s space for a few more. So if you have a nutrition or food dilemma you’d like answered, send me an email. I’ll accept …

Read more No comments 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

Two years ago today I wrote my very first blog post and Limes & Lycopene was born. Much has changed since those early days. For starters my writing style has improved enormously. Plus I’ve fine-tuned the subject matter and gained more readers. And blogging has enabled me to “meet” some smart, interesting and generous people. Over the last two years, I’ve written nearly 800 posts. Subjects have ranged over the amount of vegies you should eat each day, how …

Read more 10 comments 04 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Vegan, Legumes and Dinners

I’m bending my own rules with this recipe. It’s not quite a one-pot meal. I’ve tried adding more vegetables and increasing the variety of ingredients, but it’s one of those dishes you just shouldn’t tamper with. It’s not a very glamorous dish, or even particularly good looking. However it is one of the best and easiest ways to cook lentils. Five minutes of prep, put it in the oven and it cooks away all by itself. No stirring, sauteeing, …

Read more 11 comments 03 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

Thanks for your patience everyone – the comment function is now up and running again. Phew.

Read more 3 comments 03 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

It’s the first week of a new month, which means it’s Q & A Thursday week. This is the day when I stop writing about what I want and put the subject matter in your hands. Ask me any question you want about food, diet or nutrition and this Thursday I’ll post an answer. Last month’s Q & A Thursday included simple strategies for getting rid of winter colds. Plus I was asked if vegemite was healthy and how …

Read more No comments 03 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

Update: comments are back up and running. Thanks for your patience. Just to let you know – there’s currently a problem with the Limes & Lycopene comment functionality. While it may seem like I’m being an over-zealous moderator, there’s actually a problem! So if you have something to say, hold off for a few hours. We’re on to it and everything should be back to normal soon. I’ll post an update when all is well.

Read more 4 comments 02 June, 2008