This week, social media and office canteens were full of discussion on 2 health related programmes on RTE. Dr Eva’s “Sugar Crash” and Operation Transformation, which is back for another year.

While I was not a fan of Dr Eva, I did find her programme very interesting. She has also written some interesting articles on sugar in the Daily Mail recently. It was quite shocking to see a 4 year old having all of their teeth pulled out because they were rotten. Even more fascinating was that the child hardly ever ate sweets. The culprit? Apple Juice. Now it is possible that there were other factors in losing all of her teeth, but the key message was that we need to be aware of what is in our food. Check the labels for anything sugar related (sugar has over 60 different names such as sucrose, corn syrup, maltose, rice syrup, etc), and understand how much sugar can be in common products. For example, a kid’s carton of juice can have 4 teaspoons of sugar, a fruit yoghurt 7 teaspoons, and a can of coke 10 teaspoons.

Moving on to Operation Transformation. It is a program that really engages the nation and it is great to see people out exercising in groups. You have to credit the leaders for putting themselves out there. They have some great characters on this year’s show. In particular Dan, who is 44, lives at home with his Mammy and likes his pints with the lads. He gave up the pints, cut out the crap and  started some moderate exercise. The end result: he lost 12 pounds in 1 week.

So what can we take away from these programmes. The key messages were:

• Avoid processed foods. If it is in a packet, it is probably not good for you.
• Reduce your sugar intake. Learn to read the labels and avoid non-natural sources
• Exercise regularly. Take the stairs or get out for a walk.
• And moderate alcohol. Follow the recommended weekly allowances (and not all in one sitting!)

Sugar Crash is available on RTE player at http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/sugar-crash-30003820/10515448/ and Operation Transformation is on RTE1 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

#sugarcrush #operationtransformation

Do you know where your food really comes from? What does “Produced in Ireland” really mean? And what about pre-packed gas-flushed meat in a supermarket? And what is dry or wet-aged beef?

Last week I was lucky enough to get a tour of a working farm in Inchydoney, Clonakilty owned by Leslie Beamish, followed by an informative speech by local butcher Mike O’Neill. Grazing along the sea are a herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle. Their main staple is the naturally salted grass, which adds a fantastic flavour to the beef. The cattle will mature for 18 – 24 months, and are slaughtered just 2 miles away in his abattoir on the edge of Clonaklity town.

Talk to your local butcher to find out where your beef comes from.

What does Produced in Ireland or Origin Ireland really mean?

Bord Bia operates a Q or Quality mark. Ideally you want to see Origin Ireland on the label which ensures that it is produced and processed in the Republic of Ireland. You can find more info here http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/qualityassurance/Pages/default.aspx

Dry-Aged vs Wet-Aged Beef

Dry-aged beef is meat that is naturally hung by most butchers after being slaughtered. This helps to break down the fibres in the meat to make it more tender. But dry-aging will lose moisture, and therefore weight, which is why the majority of supermarkets will wet-age their beef. Wet-aged beef is aged in a vacuum sealed bag. For more info see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_aging

What is gas-flushing

There is a lot of science around this, but in short, it is altering the amount of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide that is in pre-packaged goods, with the aim of prolonging the shelf-life. The oxygen content is reduced and carbon monoxide can even be added to maintain the red colour of the beef. I read separately that gas-flushing chicken can increase the shelf life from 6 to 18 days!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_atmosphere

Mike also mentioned that shoppers generally want the more expensive cuts, but the real flavour lies in the cheaper cuts. We seem unwilling to buy cuts of beef like brisket, oxtail or daube/cheek for a couple of euro, but would happily part with our hard earned euros for the same dish in a Michelin starred restaurant.

Yes, they need a bit more time to cook, but it is so worth it.

So no matter what your budget is, drop into your local butcher. You’ll find they are a world of knowledge and would be only too happy to suggest something different.

Once in a while, you come across a recipe that is so good, you almost can’t bring yourself to share with someone. But I’m a nice guy and I’m in a generous mood today; no cook, gluten free, dairy free (in fact everything free) chocolate brownies. My wife makes these with the intention of giving the kids a healthy treat, but they manage to get at very few of them. These brownies take all of 5 minutes to make and must be eaten from frozen. Hide well at the back of the freezer!

Check out the recipe here

http://terrylyons.ie/recipes/pecan-chocolate-brownies/

So the #30daychallenge is over. It coincided nicely with a christening we were having, so I enjoyed the food, the cake and the wine even more. I found the last 4 days very hard. Probably because I knew the end was in sight and I was sick of limiting myself to certain foods.

Overall, I found it a very beneficial exercise. I’ve a lot more energy and I am sleeping sounder each night. I did lose weight at the start, but as that was not what I wanted, I added some extra food into my diet and finished at the same weight I started, although much more toned. I do have the before and after photos and the difference is very noticeable. (My wife won’t let me post the photo, so you will have to take my word for it!)

Will I keep to the changes? I’ll keep to the majority of them. First back into my diet is oats and dairy and having tried a few paleo/gluten free/sugar free attempts at cakes, I think I’ll just treat myself to the full on, sugar laden, fat filled authentic version of Tiramisu every now and then (and less than before.)

I’ll definitely be cutting out the bread, pasta, grains (excluding oats) and pulses, as well as significantly cutting back on sugar. But if a recipe calls for some soy sauce or some baking powder, then I’ll have no problem using it.

For something healthy-ish, here is a recipe for tasty banana bread.

http://terrylyons.ie/recipes/healthy-banana-bread/