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Va va vitamins: Focus on zinc and colds
Zinc may be another player in cold and flu prevention.
Zinc:
Unlike the others cold fighting micronutients, zinc is not a vitamin, but a mineral. Like vitamin C though; there is a mixed bag of evidence regarding zinc’s effectiveness on colds. Still, there have been some well conducted studies showing taking zinc can shorten the length of a cold, so it may be worth a try. You can buy zinc lozenges in a chemist or a health food shop. If you are on other medications, let the pharmacist know, in case anything interacts with the zinc.
Food sources of zinc: Beef, lamb, pork, crab, turkey, chicken, lobster and salmon. Good vegetarian zinc food sources are dairy products such as milk and cheese, yeast, peanuts, beans, wholegrain cereals, brown rice, whole wheat bread, potato and yogurt. Pumpkin seeds are one of the most concentrated non-meat food sources of zinc.
You can buy good quality vitamins and minerals in your local healthfood shop or in reputable online stores. When it comes to vitamin D in particular, the best brands of the highest quality can often be found online.
The foundation of good health is diet, but sometimes nature needs a little help!
High zinc recipe:
Savoury Mince with Lentils
Mince is so versatile and easy to use and combining it with lentils reduces its GI as well as giving added interest and texture. This savoury dish is good as a simple meal with vegetables but also great spooned over a jacked potato – either a sweet potato or a traditional one – or with pasta. This recipe is also good for freezing.
Serves 6
400g (14oz) very lean mince beef
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1tsp English mustard powder
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2tbsp tomato puree
400g (14oz) tinned tomatoes
200g (7oz) green lentils, rinsed
2tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2tbsp freshly chopped chives
Put the beef and onion in a large non-stick frying pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently until they are well browned.
Add the mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree and stir well. Add the tomato puree and stir well. Add the tomatoes with 1 tin of water and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the lentils, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes until well cooked and reduced to a rich sauce. Add the chopped herbs just before serving.
By: Lynn Dunning
