healthy food

Curry, curry, curry - it's one of those pick me up dinners when you fancy something satisfying and full of flavour. Although curries may not have originated from the UK, they have certainly become a huge part of our culture. Perhaps we wouldn't have had the 'flavour experience' of different cultural food including curry we do now if it wasn't for the Great British Empire spanning from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. Maybe we wouldn't of had the vast range of consumable diversity that we take for granted today!

Our rich history has had a great impact on the food we eat - there are recipes dating back hundreds of years that have graced family tables for generations often influenced by visitors from far flung places.  Here’s our pick of the best British dishes and some of the traditions that go with them.

As we age it is important to look after our bones and our joints, as we can be more prone to problems like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The most common type of arthritis in the UK, osteoarthritis affects the cartilage between our joints and is most likely to occur in the knees, hips and small joints in the hand. Your weight can have an impact on the osteoarthritis of the hips and knees as it increases the pressure on them. If you are watching your weight why not try smaller portions with our popular Mini Meals range? This range has some of our favourite dishes but in a smaller portion so you don't feel like you are missing out on your usual tasty meals from Oakhouse!

The best way to keep your heart healthy is through your diet and we have explained some of the easiest changes you can make. Heart-healthy lifestyle habits will also benefit your general wellbeing whilst reducing your risks of heart disease and lowering your cholesterol levels. Fruit and vegetables should make up a third of our diets so you should be having at least 5 portions a day. This can be hard so why not try adding frozen vegetables to dishes? We have some great choices like Broccoli and our Baby Carrots. Always aim for a colourful plate; variety is the spice of life and with a larger variety means more of the good things like fibre, vitamins and minerals. Eating more fibre will also help lower your risk of heart disease, aiming for 30 grams a day from a variety of sources like Wholemeal Bread, Oats, Wholegrain Cereals, Potatoes with their skins and of course fruit and vegetables. Cutting down on your saturated fat is always a great way to lower your cholesterol levels - using leaner cuts of meat and lower fat dairy varieties will help so try using skimmed rather than whole milk.

Winter is here, the nights are drawing in and the heaters are on! Although it is comforting to settle down in front of the TV with a blanket and a cup of warming cocoa it is still important to keep fit and well in the winter months. Eating healthy will keep you alert, energised and help protect

With the cold nip of winter already in the air, now’s the perfect time to keep warm and toasty indoors and look through our latest brochure. It’s packed with a variety of wholesome and delicious home delivered ready meals – which makes stocking up on easy-to-prepare dinners simple and convenient. Along with all the classic favourites such as stews and casseroles, hearty soups and comforting hot desserts, the Oakhouse Foods chefs have been busy creating some tempting new recipes that are perfect for the chilly nights ahead. You’ll find some of these in our new Winters Wonders Pack, which offers a wonderful choice of recipes for this season including: Steak Diane, Mediterranean Chicken, Luxury Roast Pork, Fish & Potato Gratin and Four Cheese Ravioli.

It’s Carers Week, and we’re sharing our top tips for making sure you and the person you care for enjoy a balanced diet. Being a carer for a loved one comes with a whole host of challenges – particularly when it comes to mealtimes. Whether because of illness, disability or becoming less active, many people can find it difficult to eat or find that their dietary needs or appetite have changed. Here a few ways to make mealtimes easier, and help the person you care for get the nutrients they need:

As the weather gets warmer, we take a look at some refreshing, flavour-packed smoothies to help you keep cool.  If you find getting your 5 a day can sometimes be a chore, try drinking, rather than eating them. Digging out the blender and making a juice or smoothie is a simple, tasty way to pack loads of fruit (and even vegetables) into your daily diet. And because smoothies are thicker than other liquids, they’re also a great refreshment option for people with difficulties swallowing.

Spicy food can be just the thing in the warmer weather but there’s another great reason to try something new and exotic. From soothing joint pain to easing indigestion, we look at the surprising health benefits thought to be behind some of our favourite spices. They are the secret behind some of our most popular ready meals, from curries and Mediterranean classics to warming desserts. But far from simply adding mouth-watering flavours, these small yet powerful seasonings are believed to be good for us, too.

We’re all used to hearing about how exercise and a balanced diet help keep our hearts healthy. But a healthy lifestyle is also essential for looking after your brain. Here we explore some tips that could reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s in later life. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain, causing a range of symptoms such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating and becoming confused and disorientated. Although no main cause has been found, people who keep their blood pressure, cholesterol and weight in check are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s as they get older.