Being a parent is a big commitment. As a full time carer it takes up most of your time, energy and attention. If you have a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Dyspraxia, it takes up every second of your time, all of your energy and a lot of your patience.

Black, borlotti, flageolet, haricot, broad, lima, fava, kidney, pinto, white, lentils (orange, green and yellow), split peas (green and yellow), chickpeas and soybean products (tofu, tempeh and miso)…all different types of pulses and legumes…the same name for the dried seeds of different varieties of peas and beans. They have been a staple for thousands of years – they were even found beside the graves in the pyramids where they were meant as food for the pharaohs in the afterlife. It’s easy to see why they have stood the test of time: they’re cheap, earthy and popular.

For thousands of years yoghurt has been known as a health food.  In 76Bc the Roman historian Pliny recommended fermented milk products (like yoghurt) for treating gastroenteritis.  And a Persian version of the Old Testament (Genesis 18:8) states ‘Abraham owed his longevity to the consumption of sour milk.’

The smell of baking bread seeps into every room in a home.  It fills not only your house with a delicious smell but fills your heart with comfort.  It is truly nourishing and nutritious to enjoy freshly baked bread.  In Ireland, brown soda bread is traditionally made, but yeast bread is very straightforward and often easier to perfect than its soda cousin.  Many times a week I make wet yeast bread, this means that there is no kneading, no hassle and a delicious loaf at the end of it.  Although it takes a longer time than soda bread to get the finished product, it is very quick to assemble.  It

Xenoestrogens are compounds that resemble oestrogen in the body and can be found in pesticides, some chemicals and plastics.  They have been associated with hormone imbalance.  To avoid them, reduce:

- intensively reared chickens which may be hormone fed.

- non-organic foods, grown with pesticides.

- hot fatty food stored in soft plastic, especially cling film.  These plastics leach some of their oestrogen-like substances into foods high in fat, especially if the food is hot.

Did you know that cows fed fresh grass rather then dry grass during the winter gave milk with a much higher nutrient content?  This may be because young grass shoots (wheatgrass) are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.  Wheat and Barleygrass provide greater benefits than all other land vegetables - 22 vitamins, all 8 essential amino acids, phytonutrients and chlorophyll.

This highly nutritious ancient red wheat is one of the oldest grains eaten by man.  It’s an ancient relative of the common wheat, (which we all consume regularly), originating in South East Asia.  Until the 19th century, it was frequently eaten in the European diet, but because of it’s lower yield in comparison to the common wheat, its availability then decreased.  Recently, Spelt has made a huge come back.  It’s GREAT to see a highly nutritious food being enjoyed more and more!

The process of changing a baby’s diet from only milk to food takes quite a few months. But if you are strict with their diet in the first year it will pay dividends on their health for the rest of their life.  Most infants are weaned too early, some as early as 3-4 weeks.  Ideally it is best to begin weaning when the baby is about 6 months old.  At 6 months your baby needs more iron and other nutrients than milk alone can provide.

There are references to watercress in many early Irish manuscripts.  It formed part of the diet of hermits and holy men who valued its special properties.  Legend has it that it was watercress that enabled St. Brendan to live to the ripe old age of 180!