Know what your body lacks

SOMEONE asked me this week, “what’s the best thing I could eat for my health?”

It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question, but it did get me thinking about my “dream team” of healthy foods and nutrients. As you’d expect, there are lots and lots of contenders, just as there are many strong contenders for the “hall of shame”, that ignominious list of “worst offender” foods.

Part of the difficulty in compiling our favourites here, is that the important foods and nutrients sometimes depend on who’s asking. For example, most of us know high intakes of red meat can push up our blood cholesterol levels. However, if you’re one of the 50% of young Irish women who don’t get enough iron in your diet, then increasing red meat consumption’s exactly what you should do.