Vitamins are Good for You!

Muscle cramps? Heavy periods? Fatigue? You may be lacking vitamins or minerals. Some deficiencies can be dangerous; even a slight lack of vitamins or minerals can have a noticeable impact on your health. We are all different and your lifestyle factors such as excercise, stress and alcohol all affect your vitamin and mineral levels.

Instead of popping a pill, it's better to fix problems by eating the right foods, as vitamins and minerals are almost always better absorbed this way.

HERE IS A HELPFUL GUIDE TO SOME COMMON AILMENTS AND HOW TO TACKLE THEM NUTRITIONALLY:

MUSCLE CRAMPS:
Lack of: Magnesium - This mineral is crucial for the nerves that transmit messages to the muscles.

Alot of us don't get enough because fast food, fizzy drinks, crisps, biscuits and refined grains are VERY low in magnesium. If you consume a lot of milk and dairy products, calcium-rich foods can lower magnesium levels.

Where to find it: Wholegrain foods, bran, dried fruit, sweetcorn, mushrooms, nuts, seeds and cocoa.



URINARY TRACT INFECTION:
Lack of: Vitamin C - Research has shown that Vitamin C can help reduce harmful bacteria in the urinary tract.

Vitamin C is water soluble and the body can't store it, so you need it daily.

Where to find it: Guava, pineapple, strawberries, green peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, citrus fruit such as oranges, lemons and naartjies. Tomatoes, cabbage and spinach.



BLOODSHOT EYES: 
Lack of: B Vitamins - B vitamins help to regulate how much fluid there is in the eye socket.

Bloodshot eyes occur when the small blood vessels on the surface of the eye become inflamed and engorged with blood. This can be caused by a deficiency of Vitamins B12 and B6.

Where to find it: Dairy products, fish and meat (especially liver). Also found in yeast extracts such as marmite.

STRESS:
Lack of: B Vitamins - B vitamins are needed for all out body functions and are especially vital for concentration and brain function.

Another stress-buster is magnesium. It has a calming effect and helps regulate levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Where to find it: See BLOODSHOT EYES and MUSCLE CRAMPS.



PMS: 
Lack of: Zinc - Zinc is essential for hormone-related health needs and is especially important for menstruating women.



Where to find it: Poultry, chickpeas, cashew nuts, oysters and sardines, red meat and pumpkin seeds.



BRUISES: 
Lack of: Vitamin C

If you're bruising more easily that usual or bruises take longer to heal, you could have a Vitamin C deficiency. It's essential for collagen formation which keeps the skins' tissue strong and helps wounds to heal.

Where to fiind it: Citrus fruit, broccoli and red vegetables such as tomatoes and red cabbage.

DRY SKIN:
Lack of: Vitamin A - Vitamin A is often added to skin creams which help to keep the skin supple. This antioxidant fights the free radicals that damage cells and also helps to form new skin cells. Many multi-vitamins contain Vitamin S and other supplements such as fish liver oil.

Where to find it: Egg yolk, bright yellow, red and green vegetables, oysters, dairy products and fatty fish such as herring, mackerel and anchovy.



COLD HANDS AND FEET:
Lack of: Selenium - Selenium controls thyroid function and affects your metabolism.

You need plenty of selenium for a healthy metabolism and good circulation.

Where to find it: Nuts, lentils, seeds and shellfish.



PINS AND NEEDLES: 
Lack of: Potassium - Potassium is needed to regulate metabolism and low levels can lead to muscle weakness and pins and needles.

This mineral is also lost through the pores when you perspire and is depleted by caffeine, alcohol and smoking.

Where to find it: Lentils, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and asparagus.

INSOMNIA: 
Lack of: Magnesium - Magnesium is involved in the production of melatonin, the hormone needed during our sleeping and waking cycles.

Try taking a supplement an hour before bedtime or ensure you get more magnesium into your diet.

Where to find it: Bran, wholegrain foods, dried fruit, sweetcorn and mushrooms.

You can also take a bath with epsom salts added. This allows the mineral to be absorbed through the skin.



LETHARGY:
Lack of: Iron - Iron helps make the haemoglobin, that carries oxygen around the body.

Even a slight deficiency can make you feel lethargic. Women often have low iron levels at menstruation.

Where to find it: Red meat is the best source as the iron is easily absorbed, dried fruit and egg yolks are good too. Vitamin C enhances absorption so drink orange juice at the same time. Avoid tea, the tannin retards it.

Durban Virtual Properties Introduces Comfort Foods on a Shoestring Budget

Are you thinking of entertaining but your house or apartment is too small to have more than 6 people in it at one time? AND of course, you would like to serve an excellent meal that isn't too pricey? Cooking a fancy dish does not have to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you are on a tight budget, one can buy items that are on special and stock up. This way, you can still entertain and maintain your budget.

My boyfriend and I recently had 4 guests over for dinner at our duplex in Morningside, Durban. After deciding what we would be cooking, we headed down to the market to purchase a few groceries.

We had decided on a really inexpensive way of making Chicken ala King that would serve 6 people:

SO, LET'S SLICE, DICE, CHOP AND PREPARE!!

Total cost: R51-00

Per portion: R8-50

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 large onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium sized green pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 punnet mushrooms, sliced

3 heaped TBSP margarine

3 level TBSP flour

1litre long life milk (or 750ml milk - depending on how thick you want your sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsps oreganum

250g uncooked rice

Method:

• Bring rice to the boil in salted water, reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 12 minutes.
• Strain, rinse and set aside.
• Gently fry the onions and green pepper till al dente.
• Add the cubed chicken, garlic and oreganum - fry on low heat for 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add the sliced mushrooms, reduce the heat, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Make a 'well' in the center of the chicken, add the margarine. When the margarine has melted, remove from the heat and add the flour. Mix to form a paste (this is known as a roux).
• Return pot to the heat and add the milk. Leave the sauce to thicken on low heat for 10 - 12 minutes, add salt and pepper. Stir occasionally.
• Switch stove off and leave to simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.

STIR, DISH AND ENJOY!

TIPS:

Green Pepper: Buy these in bulk, remove seeds and cut into 1/4's. Freeze them and when you want to use them, simply run under cold water for 1 second. Still fresh and crisp!

Onions: Buy these in bulk and cut into slices, freeze into packets and when ready to use, place in a colander or sieve for a few minutes to rid excess water.

Blog One: Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is colleen and I would like to share the "ART OF COOKING CREATIVELY ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET" with you. The recipes contained in this blog may even help you impress friends and family and will contain helpful hints and tips around the kitchen.

From an early age, I used to love faffing around in the kitchen, sometimes much to my mother's horror! But she always had the time to show me how to do things properly and without criticism. By the time I was 13, dinner would be ready and waiting when my mother got home from work. We battled in those early days, just my mother and myself; my father having passed away when I was 7 years old. We had to make do with what we could afford and being imaginative, often really cooked up a storm!

In my first year of high school, I took cookery lessons, unlike my classmates who did ballet or played the piano. I felt that by doing cooking, it would benefit me later in life; I could definitely NOT imagine myself in a tutu prancing and twirling around to "Swan Lake", or banging away on a piano with a teacher who resembled "Mev Rottenheimer" in the tale about "Heidi" - NO WAY!!

Cooking and being creative in a kitchen has always been my forte, and as jobs are so scarce - especially when you're over 40 - my current boyfriend and I decided on home cooking as a source of income. With him also having a creative mind, we put our thoughts together and would often come up with a 'masterpiece' - original, not just out of any old recipe book. I have started my own little enterprise, with help from my boyfriend (when he has a gap, as he has his own property website: www.durbanvirtualproperties.co.za) and named it "COLLEEN'S COMFORT FOODS". The meals are carefully packed and frozen in aluminium containers, the punnets are 400gr and cost R25 each.

Our range includes:

• Spaghetti Bolognaise
• Cottage Pie
• Mild boneless beef curry with chunky carrots
• Chicken Supreme
• Spicy Beef and Noodles
• Hawaiian stirfry

and many more...

Some of the recipes are "old school", which have been slightly changed, but most of them are based on thought and creativity, taking into consideration meals for the elderly, as many older people find tough meat difficult to eat.

With the cost of living being as high as it is, the main aim of this blog is to share our knowledge and what we continue to learn with others, so by keeping an eye on our recipes and costings you will find it is possible to create a super meal for a family of 6 for under R50 - now that's not bad going is it?