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Almonds – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Native to Mediterranean / Middle East and spread historically to north Africa and south Europe and more recently to California. Wild almonds are bitter and toxic while domestic almonds are not! Almond is a kernel or seed not a nut. Almonds reduce serum cholesterol...
Chia Seeds – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Chia ( Salvia Hispanica) is a flowering plant of the mint family from Mexico and South America, that can sprout in a matter of days. Apparently the 16th-century Aztec Codex Mendoza shows that it was cultivated by the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times and was as important...
Raspberries – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
The raspberry is an edible fruit of the Rubus, or rose family. We most commonly eat the red variety though they are also found in black, purple, blue and yellow varieties. Raspberries are rich in polyphenols such as flavinoids, anthocyanins and tannins, which are...
Manuka Honey – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Manuka bush (Leptospermum Scoparium) is indigenous to New Zealand and bees that pollinate it are used to produce Manuka Honey (MH). All honeys contain hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from an enzyme that the bees add to the nectar, though this does not accumulate in medical...
Oxidative Stress – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Life exposes us to many types of stress; oxidative stress is one we cannot see or feel. A certain amount is produced by our normal metabolic processes and can be important for our immune function, yet excessive oxidative stress can be a risk factor for many chronic...
Selenium – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
SELENIUM Selenium is an essential trace mineral, needed in small amounts in the body. The level of selenium in plant foods depends on the soil it is grown in and varies greatly in different parts of the world. Most areas of UK, Finland, New Zealand and parts of China...
SILENT INFLAMMATION – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Inflammation is the body's natural response to a real or imagined threat. Acute inflammation protects the body, e.g. when you cut your finger or sprain your ankle the body releases chemicals to trigger inflammation, initiating a healing response for blood cells and...
Obesity – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
The latest obesity statistics in UK are alarming. According to the BBC 60% of adults and 30% of children in UK are overweight and 30,000 people die annually from obesity-related illnesses. Britain has 1.5 million adults classed as morbidly obese and weight loss...
Black Pepper – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Black pepper is native to south India and is cultivated in other tropical regions. Vietnam is currently the world's largest producer and exporter. Dried ground pepper has been used for its flavour and medical properties since antiquity. It is the world's most traded...
Juiceplus Update
Cayenne Pepper – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
It is named after the city of Cayenne in French Guiana. It is a capsicum related to bell peppers, jalapenos and paprika and is part of the nightshade family. Capsaicin is the main ingredient responsible for its heat, rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units....
Pumpkin Seeds – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Known as Pepita in Spanish, especially when roasted are edible green seeds found inside a white hull that you find in the centre of your pumpkin. Squash (cucurbita) is thought to be the earliest domestic western plant, dating back 8-10,000 years preceding maize and...
Garlic – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Garlic (Allium Sativum) Garlic is a close relative of onion, shallot, leek and chive. It is native to Asia , a long time staple in the Mediterranean and was used by the Ancient Egyptians for culinary and medicinal purpose. It was rare in traditional English cuisine...
Coconut Oil – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
An edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts from the coconut palm. It is used as food and medicine. It is slow to oxidize due to its high saturated fat content, so is resistant to rancidification and lasts up to two years without spoiling....
Lemons: Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Lemons are thought to have first grown in India, Burma and China originating from a hybrid between a sour orange and a citron. Known to the Jews of Jerusalem in 90BC, they entered Europe in southern Italy in 1C AD, in the time of ancient Rome and only introduced into...
Apple Cider Vinegar – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
ACV is a natural product made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and yeast are added to the liquid to start the alcoholic fermentation process, and the sugars are turned into alcohol (cider). In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is...
Tumeric – Bridgeford’s Best Bites: Nutrition Tips
Tumeric (Curcumin) A food of the ginger family, native to Southern Asia and responsible for the golden-yellow colour of curries. Ayurvedic Medicine Used for 1000's of years for its medicinal properties primarily for treatment of heart, liver, lungs and skin....
Spring into Health – Bridgeford’s Best Bites
Spring fruit and vegetables are nutritious, mouthwatering and tasty. Choose a variety of colours and textures to enhance your diet and improve your health. Nutrients abundant in spring foods and what they help Vitamin A: eyesight, skin, growth, protein synthesis,...
