Connacht Gold & NDC Health & Wellbeing evening at Sligo’s Clarion Hotel
At the Connacht Gold & NDC Health & Wellbeing evening at Sligo’s Clarion Hotel last November, experts Paula Mee, Fiona Hoban and Fidelma Kelly proffered their guidance on how we can all improve our personal nutrition, emotional wellbeing and feel and look great coming into the Christmas season.
Speaking at the event Mary Fox, General Manager of Connacht Gold’s Food and Retail Division, said, “This has been a new departure for Connacht Gold. The idea for this evening started out as a thank you to all our customers and clients, but as it progressed it developed into whole lot more.
“Unfortunately some people may have misconceptions regarding dairy, when in fact it is an essential part of our daily nutrition and provides a natural source of vitamins essential to our health. Paula’s presentation has put the spotlight on this and given us a lot of food for thought, so to speak!”
RTE TV personality and one of the country’s leading independent nutritionists Paula Mee told the audience that there’s more to dairy than healthy bones and teeth. In a presentation entitled ‘Celebrating the Nutrient Richness of Dairy’ she looked at recent medical and research findings to explore in detail the full package of nutrients in milk and some of the health benefits of dairy as part of a balanced diet.
42% of Irish teenage girls and 23% of Irish teenage boys do not have enough calcium as part of their regular diets. In adulthood, research shows that 23% of Irish women do not have enough calcium as part their regular diets, compared with 11% of Irish men. “Such dietary trends could be placing those people at increased risk of serious long term health problems in the future, such as osteoporosis – also known as brittle bone disease,” said Paula Mee.
Describing our bones as the “scaffolding for our body”, Paula Mee made the point that the risks associated with osteoporosis are related to calcium deficiency and can also be affected by lifestyle factors including intakes of caffeine and alcohol, excessive intakes of salt or vitamin A, low weight and low activity levels or lack of exercise.
“Many of these factors are modifiable – which means we have the capacity to control them,” explained Paula Mee. “Every meal and snack is an opportunity to boost the nutrient quality of our food choices. Balance, variety and moderation are key.”
Emphasising the wide range of vitamins and minerals dairy produce provides, Paula Mee described how emerging research is pointing to the potential beneficial role of milk in the management of blood pressure.
Moreover, Skimmed Milk may also have a powerful role to play for athletes in tackling dehydration caused by exercise, training and competition, with research from the UK showing that skimmed milk may be more effective for retaining fluid than plain water or a commercially available sports drink.
The Connacht Gold & NDC Health & Wellbeing Evening concluded with a presentation by communications consultant Fiona Hoban, who challenged the audience to think about how emotional needs should be balanced as part of our health and wellbeing, and skincare demonstrations for women and men by Fidelma Kelly from beauty and treatment specialists, Clarins.
The National Dairy Council nutritional team has produced fact sheets, a Guide to Healthy Eating and a Guide to Weight Loss, which are available free of charge, (tel 01-6169726) or visit www.ndc.ie. Details of Connacht Gold’s full range of dairy products are available at www.connachtgold.ie.
