One in five young people (10-15 yrs old) regularly eat 500ml tubs of ice-cream – five times the recommended serving size- to themselves in one sitting. 22% of 16-24 year olds admit to regularly taking on  a tub solo in one go, versus 13% of the general population.

Ben and Jerry’s suggest a single portion of 100ml, not 500ml as by eating a full tub by yourself means you are likely to consume 1,000 calories and therefore exceed your recommended daily amount of sugar and saturated fat. Unilever state that they advocate that consumers eat no more than 250 calories per serving as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Hardly anyone goes for basic milk any more- it has to be soy, almond, rice or lactose-free, etc.

But while ‘normal’ cows’ milk does have its disadvantages (the full-fat variety is high in saturated fat and has even been linked to breast cancer) it also has its perks, too. For children especially, milk provides vital calories and protein, together with key vitamins such as B2 and B12.And then there’s the calcium in milk, crucial for keeping bones strong and warding off diseases including osteoporosis. Perhaps think twice before leaving ‘regular’ milk to one side when shopping next.

Dark chocolate is a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants remove free radicals which are destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other illnesses. It is the cocoa phenols in the dark chocolate that have been shown to reduce blood pressure. Cocoa beans are good sources of flavonoids, but not all chocolate retains much of the cocoa bean. Flavonoids, a group of chemical compounds with antioxidant properties, are derived from a variety of plants.

Previous clinical studies have shown the beneficial effects of dark chocolate on the function of blood vessel endothelium (the inner lining of blood vessels) after either a single dose or several doses of dark chocolate over a few days.

However, the addition of milk to create milk chocolate or white chocolate may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants thus rendering dark chocolate the ‘healthy option’.

The FSAI has urged the public not to wash raw chicken after a survey found that 57% of people wash raw chicken before cooking it- a practice the authority said could spread campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment through splashed water droplets. The most cited reasons for washing chicken were given as (1) Remove dirt (2) Get rid of germs (3) That’s how they always done it.

More than 90% of the public had heard of salmonella and E.Coli, said the authority, while only 28% of people know about campylobacter. The FSAI added that, of the people who had heard of campylobacter, only 31% knew poultry was the main source of the bacteria.

Campylobacter is the main cause of food poisoning in Ireland and the number of cases peaks in the summer months. For most people it means a couple of days with a dodgy tummy, but babies, the elderly and other vulnerable people could become seriously ill because of the bacteria. Please be vigilant!!

Four out of five fizzy drinks on the UK/Irish market contain the equivalent to, or more than, the WHO recommended daily maximum for sugar intake. The survey analysed 232 sugar-sweetened drinks finding that nine out of ten sugar sweetened carbonated drinks would receive a ‘red label’ for high sugar content under traffic light labelling schemes.

Added sugars are completely unnecessary in our diets and are strongly linked to obesity and type II diabetes. The findings are troubling enough, but doubly troubling since their publication coincides with the soccer World Cup 2014, part-sponsored by soft drinks.

There was plenty of coverage this week on the big problem of escalating obesity rates in Ireland,  this is across all age groups but it was particularly alarming to hear about our young children and young adults. We must promote healthy eating and exercise to negate this very serious and very real problem. Please think about what you eat, ALWAYS CHECK THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION!!

Elite Food Solutions, established in March’14 is an innovative and fresh approach on a plethora of services which include food hygiene training, auditing of food manufacturing sites, mentoring, project work, food consultancy and also a supplier of exotic wildflower and Irish honeys. Welcome to our site and if you have any queries, please feel free to send on your comments via our contact us page. Go raibh mhaith agaibh agus go n-éiri an bother linn.