Vitamin D   How to get the Sunshine Vitamin D in Winter? Most of your vitamin D tends to come from sunshine- your skin makes vitamin D through sunlight exposure. Your ability to produce vitamin D depends on how strong the sunlight is and is only made by skin which is exposed to the UV rays of the sun. However in Ireland and the UK, our exposure to sunlight is limited to the months of April to September. During winter months, your body gets its vitamin D from body stores and also from a limited number of food sources. However body stores have been shown to be insufficient to last for the winter months and the best way to ensure adequate vitamin D levels is by taking a vitamin D supplement (see recommendations below). Vitamin D is an important vitamin for a number of reasons in combination with a calcium rich diet.  It works with calcium and phosphorus to ensure healthy muscles, bones and teeth. Without vitamin D, calcium cannot be absorbed into bones and...

The Irish Heart Foundation’s Dietitian Sarah Noone Tells Us How to Eat Your Way to a Healthier Heart in the New Year   After all the indulgence of the party season, January is the month of New Year’s resolutions. Many of these focus on weight and nutrition, which is good news for heart health, as increased physical activity and achieving a healthy weight can cut your chances of developing heart disease and stroke. So here’s our top three tips to eat your way to a healthier heart:   1.             The best place to start is often reviewing portion sizes. Our perception of what is a ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ portion can be quite different from what’s recommended. Compare your portions to the Food Pyramid. What changes can you make?   2.             Swap bad fats for good fats. In practice this means choosing less butter, processed...