Ador was fascinated to read recently how scientists from Tufts University in Boston, USA have found that having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables – and so rich too in the mineral potassium – can slow down the rate at which our bodies lose muscle.

Losing muscle mass is a natural part of the ageing process and accounts for gradual loss of strength and increasing frailty, along with a lowering of our metabolic rate (which means that we burn fewer calories each day).

This loss of muscle may in part be due to the gradual acidosis that occurs in our bodies, with the more acid environment triggering muscle wastage. Eating alkali producing fruits and vegetables appears to help to reduce this process.

In a study of nearly 400 male and female volunteers over 65, those eating a fruit, vegetable and potassium-rich diet averaged 3.6 more pounds of lean muscle mass in their bodies over an 18-month period than those having half the potassium.

As the scientists who carried out the work explained, this almost offsets the 4.4 pounds of lean muscle typically lost in a decade in men and women over 65.

In the UK, the most recent nutritional survey of adults suggests that women are averaging 2,653mg of the 3,500mg daily target (and men 3,367mg).

Meanwhile, in America, the last US federal dietary guidelines issued stressed the importance of older adults getting at least 4,700mg of potassium daily. So given that we do not meet even our lower target of 3500mg, it seems that upping our intakes may be a good thing.

Eating at least ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables is a good place to start. A medium-sized baked potato has 1,134mg of potassium, a boiled parsnip has around 675mg, a banana or half a papaya has 400mg, a serving of cooked spinach 270mg and an orange and a pear both have 240mg each.

Other foods also contain potassium and can further boost intakes. A pint of milk gives you 912mg, an individual yoghurt 255mg and two thick slices of wholemeal bread provide 250mg.

So you can see that to meet even the UK target, you really do need to eat a pretty healthy diet – which has got to be a good thing!

The new F-Plan Diet can also help you look younger

Plus check out this guide to six anti-aging foods

Because it’s quite tart, you may be surprised to learn that this nutritious vegetable – unless you’re in the US, where it’s classified as a fruit – is just as good in sweet and savoury dishes. The classic rhubarb dish, which rose to fame in the UK, is the desert rhubarb crumble.

Below you’ll find a savoury and sweet recipe, plus links to lots more…

Rhubarb Sponge Pudding

This delicious desert serves four and takes around 15mins to prepare and 45mins to cook.

Heat oven to 180°C. Beat 100g soft butter and 100g caster sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add 2 large eggs one at a time, beating well.

Gently fold in 100g of sifted self-raising flour, until you have a slightly creamy liquid batter.

Cut 500g of ripe rhubarb stalks into 2cm lengths, throwing away the leaves. Arrange loosely in a greased 1l pie or baking dish, and scatter with 100g of extra caster sugar.

Spoon the batter mixture on top of the fruit in clumps, then smooth them out to cover the rhubarb. Bake for 45mins, or until the topping is golden and cake-like. Serve with cream.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rhubarb Salsa

Place 1 boned leg of lamb on a bed of carrots (peeled and cut lengthways) in a roasting dish. Combine 100g of honey, 2 cloves of garlic and 1tbsp of red wine vinegar over heat. Once combined, brush over the lamb.

Roast lamb at 180ºC for 2-3hrs, brushing occasionally with any remaining glaze mixture. Once cooked, remove from the oven, place on a tray and leave for 10-15mins before carving.

In a stainless steel saucepan, combine all the salsa ingredients – 1 chopped onion, 100g of raisins, 2 chopped red chillies, 1/2tsp of ground cardamon, and 10 sticks of finely sliced rhubarb.

Cook slowly over a low to medium heat for 5mins, while stirring. Place a lid on the saucepan and cook over a low heat for 5mins more. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to boil off excess liquid. Remove from the heat and serve at room temperature.

More rhubarb recipes

Plus check out Delia Smith’s fabulous Rhubarb and Almond Crumble

Gluten-free Girl and the Chef’s rhubarb recipes

…and click here for even more rhubarb recipes…

Coffee shops
Coffee shops seem to be everywhere these days, enticing you in with tempting smells and the promise of a place to rest your legs. Next time you decide to pop in for a ‘quick’ coffee, or a well earned sit down, remember that muffins can easily pack in an astonishing 500cals and 26g of fat. You would be better off buying a standard-sized plain croissant with 250cals (share it if it’s a bumper sized one and avoid the luxury almond types, which pack 480cals each).

Fast food
When you’re out and the only option is fast food lunches, this doesn’t have to just mean burgers, fries and milkshakes – which, incredibly, notch up around 1,300 calories and 60g of fat and can definitely lead to a Super Size You.

Opt instead for a Subway Turkey breast with ham at 290cals, a Burger King Hamburger, also 290cals, or a portion of fish and chips. Believe it or not, splitting a small cod in batter and a potion of chips with a friend will keep your intake down to around 320cals each.

Bars
Usually the more ‘back to basics’ you go, the better. A roast chicken lunch has around 500cals, while a big ham salad has about 400cals. Both make much better choices than a ploughman’s with a pork pie (800cals) or a shepherd’s pie and chips (1,077 cals).

Seaside cafés
A ‘Full-Monty All Day Breakfast’ can give you the equivalent of two meals worth of calorific intake, packing in 1,200cals in one go. Instead, go for scrambled eggs with grilled tomatoes at 420cals and 29g fat. Alternatively, choose grilled mushrooms with grilled lean bacon (250cals) or simply a large serving of baked beans on toast (355cals).

There are also ways to eat healthily on holiday:
Click here for tips on healthy eating in Greece
Click here for tips on healthy eating in Italy

Teenagers are particularly keen on fast food, and often meet in cafés and burger joints. Click here for five ways to get them to eat out healthily.

Eating seasonally not only supports UK growers, but also cuts down on your food air miles. There also every chance that, just like Delia’s asparagus, it will taste far fresher and, indeed, better than imported produce.

So what’s in season right now? On top of asparagus, here’s a top 10 to get you started, courtesy of the Vital to Health and Wellness blog

1. Apricots
Although many people enjoy dried apricots, they are also delicious served fresh, especially when chopped in a salad.

2. Artichoke
They are one of the highest antioxidant vegetables around. To prepare an artichoke, tear off the outside leaves. Cut off the stems tips of the leaves and steam them in the microwave – serve drizzled with low-fat Italian dressing. Microwaving time depends on the amount. A large artichoke can take about 7mins, a small one only about 2 to 3mins.

3. Broccoli
Broccoli is always a good choice, because it’s loaded with antioxidants and is high in fibre. You can serve it steamed or sautéed, or try it raw in salads or for a crunchy snack. Broccoli is chocked full of essential vitamins and calcium for bone health.

4. Chives
Chives are one of the many seasonal herbs that are especially good in the spring.

5. Fennel
Around in early spring as well as summer and autumn, fennel has a delicious slight liquorice flavour and adds a unique taste and crunch to salads. Wonderful eaten raw!

6. Greens
Spring greens include Swiss chard, mustard greens and collard greens. Use them in a salad for a wonderful springtime treat. Don’t hide their natural flavours under a heavy dressing. Instead, mix a splash of lemon juice with a high-quality olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

7. Mango
Mangos are a wonderful treat just by themselves or mixed in a mango salsa and used on fish or chicken for extra flavour.

8. Oranges
Oranges are always a refreshing treat and easy to pack along on hikes or other outdoor ventures.

9. Spinach
Try spinach in place of lettuce in sandwiches, on burgers or in salads, or sauté spinach to serve as a side dish or in pasta.

10. Strawberries.
Strawberries are available through early summer, but may be sweetest in spring. Try putting strawberries on a spinach salad with a sweet dressing for a delightful lunch.

So what do you think about seasonal produce? And what are your favourites? Plus feel free to share any of your seasonal recipes!

Share your thoughts and tips and join the debate by becoming an Ador Facebook fan at http://tinyurl.com/2ufk7qc

Click here for proof that seasonal food can save you money, plus a delicious celery soup recipe

Find out how seasonal food can help you detox and control your weight with the Ador Spring Clean Diet

Although the Swiss are hardly likely to be shouting about the harm one of their most successful industries can do to you, the study has been recently championed by US health writer and GP Terry Gaff. It suggests that eating chocolate can actually reduce our chances of suffering from heart problems.

The research investigated the difference in heart-related deaths between those people who ate chocolate and those who didn’t, while also studying the effects of the quantity eaten. It was found that those who consumed chocolate less than once a month suffered 27% fewer heart-related deaths than those who never touched it.

However, more interesting – and even better news for chocolate lovers everywhere – were the findings that the risk was 44% lower for weekly chocolate eaters and 66% less for those who ate chocolate two or more times a week.

Taking this research to the extreme, you could use it as an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you like. However, the fat content, even of dark chocolate, makes drawing such a conclusion rather flawed, unless you seriously want to pile on the pounds.

Here at Ador, we believe in the old adage ‘everything in moderation’. And our 35g bars help you to have a little bit of what you fancy, without being tempted to overdo a good thing. They also contain a natural ingredient that keeps you fuller for longer, so they’re the ideal snack to have between meals – while also making them a pleasure you don’t have to feel guilty about.

Click here for our full article on research into the benefits of chocolate.

Click here for more on chocolate and health.

But don’t just sit back and give in to the bugs. By eating the right things you can actually fight back and boost your immunity – and I don’t mean vitamin pills. Sure, they have their place, but sort out your diet and you’ll stand a far better chance of stopping bacteria and viruses from taking hold and ruining your spring.

Seasonal vegetables are a good start, with bright orange and dark green varieties top of your list, as they convert into vitamin A. So go for carrots, spinach, cabbage and pumpkins, supported by protein-rich foods like meat, eggs, fish, pulse vegetables and nuts.

What’s more, ignore your friends’ protests and pile on the garlic – the most raw the better. It has legendary infection-fighting properties, with the added advantage of helping you get a seat on the tube in the rush hour, or whatever your preferred mode of public transport may be.

Finally, another favourite that boosts your resistance to infections is shiitake mushrooms, thanks to the presence of the supernutrient lentinan.

Balancing your diet well during winter and early spring can lay the groundwork for a healthier year.

Click here for more ways to eat to beat the bugs.

… and if you do pick up a bug, click here for your guide to which supplements and herbal remedies can speed up your recovery.

Meanwhile, click here to find out why broccoli is a great immunity booster and can help you live longer.

Plus click here for more immunity boosting food news.

One of the most popular pledges is to lose weight and eat more healthily, yet new research from Total Greek Yoghurt and Mumsnet suggests that we’re not too successful at this.

One of the biggest enemies to successful dieting is craving calorific food, according to the survey. Almost 80% of respondents said the danger zones were mid-morning, mid-afternoon and late evening.

This means that finding out when you’re most vulnerable to a snack attack can be a major factor in helping you stick to your slimming regime. And once you’ve identified your weak point, the new trend for food that keeps you fuller for longer could be your ultimate weapon for dealing with the problem.

The usual snacks that people indulge in so satisfy their cravings will simply leave you wanting more, meaning you’ll probably scoff something else soon after. But Ador’s Swiss chocolate and oatbar ranges only contain 175 calories a bar and include a natural ingredient that fills you up. This calms your cravings and helps you get to your next meal with serial snacking. This makes them perfect for the mid-morning and mid-afternoon danger zones.

To prevent late night cravings, the answer could be Marks & Spencer’s new Simply Fuller Longer range, which features ready meals that are high protein to keep you full right up to when you go to bed.

Share your tricks for sticking to your diet with our readers.

Click here for more on the Mumsnet survey.

Plus keep up to day with the latest women’s issues on the Mumsnet blogs.

Meanwhile, click here to become our Facebook fan and you’ll receive free healthy meal and snack recipes every day.

Jenni reportedly says that HCG allows her to survive on just tea or coffee for breakfast, a small piece of chicken, spinach, a breadstick and grapefruit for lunch and a melba toast, tiny bit of crab and a few strawberries for dinner.

If like most people, including us, you think that HCG or not, this little food would drive you to distraction, not to mention the biscuit tin, you are probably up for more realistic ways of staving off hunger pangs.

Ador chocolate contains extracts of pine nut oil, which have a natural ability to switch off your hunger so you can enjoy a delicious but small bar of Swiss chocolate without craving more. Meanwhile, Ador oat bars work by using a clever natural ingredient called Fabuless, which makes you feel full by making your body think it’s eaten more calories than it actually has.

So there’s no need for expensive supplements to curb your appetite. You can do it with great-tasting food.

Tell us what you think about HCG? And what diet plans do you think are most effective?

Click here to read more about Jenni Farley’s diet

Click here for more on HCG

Kicking off with Blue Monday, 22 January (how dare they name the most depressing day of the year after a classic New Order track!), last week was when people’s New Year resolutions tumbled like trees in a hurricane. The combination of cold weather, grey skies, post New Year abstinence and a flurry of pesky credit card bills has everyone running for the duvet with a plate of their favourite comfort food.

In fact, a Cardiff University psychologist has actually devised a formula that shows 22 January as the most depressing day in the calendar. The man himself, Dr Cliff Arnall, has come up with an equation that takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.

And taking action is certainly what you need to do to pull yourself out of the doldrums. The trouble is, that plate of comfort food probably won’t help. However, the good news is that you can eat yourself happier – and healthier. So pump up your iron levels with protein, breakfast on slow-release carbohydrates, fill yourself with folic acid, open up to omega 3 and boost your mood with berries. Do this and it could be the start of a wonderful friendship with the food that really matters, and your route to a healthier lifestyle.

Check out our feature Lift Your Mood With Food for more details…

Share your seasonal blues experiences at Seasonal Affective Disorder Support’s Journal

Plus click here for more tips on relieving seasonal affective disorder

And finally, click here for Sleep Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder Sufferers

We can’t do much to help the biscuit and fast-food lovers, but we can help every woman who sees ‘giving in’ to chocolate as being the trigger to falling off the slimming wagon and abandoning the best intended January weight-loss plans.

Our diet First Aid comes in the form of Ador chocolate – cute, stylish 35g bars of the finest Swiss chocolate that you don’t need to hide away in your handbag or furtively bolt down when alone in your car. Why? Because with just 179 calories per bar, Ador chocolate has the added advantage of containing a clever extract of pine nut oil. This triggers signals to your brain telling you that this sensible-sized bar is enough to fill you up while satisfying that craving for a chocolate treat.

Ador chocolate – if you’ve got it, flaunt it!

Click here for the full article on Lighter Life’s research.

Plus here are some great blogs on snacking:
The secret society of snackers
Finding some healthy snack foods