Plenty of carrots and no sticks - 10 / 10 thread - all welcome

[FrannyandZooey]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information here (follow the link at the very bottom of the page)

It's Catcher isn't it Avi? Sorry to hear about the migraine, they are totally debilitating aren't they

Glad to hear people are on the mend. Has anyone tried Pelargonium for colds? I have heard that it works at the onset of a cold, rather than needing to take it for extended periods like Echinacea.

MrsCarrot, how old is your lo with excema? I just had ds at the docs yesterday with a patch on his arm - not serious, but I am worried about it getting worse.

Today I have had raspberries, juice(x2), banana, avocado... will probably have some dried apricots in a minute, and likely broccoli with dinner. I have been going out of my way to do more walking than usual the last couple of days. Ds hasn't been sleeping great so I am knackered though...

Oh gosh of course Catcher

I am nervous now, very nervous. What if you don't like it? Will you still try Franny and Zooey? Mind you if Holden annoys you the whole Glass family will probably finish you off

She will like it Franny. I am going to read Franny and Zooey very soon I think

ooh ooh

it's like introducing your new boyfriend to your mates and you know he is a bit geeky

Yep been there

was he major geek?

i had blind date when i was 14 with bloke who could turn the mulk sour...shock of white hair teeth buckaroo style..and dribbled!!
ofcourse we met everyone that night!!!!

catcher in the rye i really loved hope you love it avaitrix and can read soon migraine is shit...

oh OP hommous, tomato salad, apples!!, buttered leeks, mustard onion potato salad, rasps, strawberries..
off to mil..salad gives her indigestion
gawd elp me....

the time loomeths...value your liberty ladies!

Suzy- How do you eat your raw garlic? It sounds rank in honey but it coats the whole lot so it slips down your throat easily with water, can barely taste it. I haven't found a better way other than crunching it? Raw is the best way, all those lovely health boosting sulpherous compounds!!

Tatties- he's four months, but to be honest the excema isn't that bad but it always comes with this wheeziness and extra mucous. It sounds like there's a film at the back of his throat or something, not very nice. I've looked it up a bit today and very acidic foods are a common trigger, oranges, tomatoes etc. How much actually gets through to my milk I don't know but something definitely triggers it, poor thing

Franny- Rather embarrassing my teenage reads actually. I merrily hung out at the arts centre smoking marboroughs in purple and black stripey tights, and then snuck down to the fields with a bag of boiled sweets and an old collection of books to read up a tree, very Enid Blytonesqe...

The Year of the Cornflake by Faith Addis was the best one, then Taking the Biscuit? BBC made a series called Down to Earth but only the first episode was anything like the book and then they reissued the books in a horrible cover
with what's her name from Birds of a Feather?
There were seven in total and I LOVE them, still. They leave London to start some farm holidays for kids and it's hysterical. Then through the series they run Flower nurseries, riding schools, are always self sufficient etc

Then Ewes and I, by Elizabeth Arthurson. It is called that, and it is about her and her sheep

Diana Seton- Veterinary student (can't remember author) loved that one

here

MrsC I have heard of them I think

always love to hear about other people's comfort reads and I will look out for them on my book buying travels

Think they're mostly out of print

Completely forgot about veg! Muesli with lots of fruit and water large salad with herb quinoi, apple, apricots, asparagus green beans, more apple!

Out of print books my speciality MrsC

Really? The ones I used to get out regularly years ago all burnt up in a terrible fire at our library. I was walking to school and I could see this mushroom cloud. Tragedy. All those beautiful books...

Oof my god

yes if you have a challenge for me I love finding out of print books

mind you the internet makes it so damn easy these days

actually I just ordered the cornflake one form amazon secondhand, I have the reprinted crap cover one but I need nostalgia!

I will bear your bookhunting skills in mind if I get stuck!

Evening Aviatrix, glad you're feeling better but poor ds

MrsCarrot, ds has never suffered with wheeziness, but he has had bouts of very dry skin, which we attributed to the washing powder we were using. But he had been fine for ages so I lapsed a bit but I must go back to Soapnuts now.

Soapnuts, Tatties, are they good? I was looking at those in the Spirit of nature catalogue (before lo started chewing it) and I thought I might give them a try. DD was asthmatic as a baby but hers manifested as a cough more than anything. I didn't really know about changing my diet then. You'd think I'd be losing loads of weight with all this deprivation, but no Too many oatcakes maybe..

Aviatrix- I loved Black Beauty and Enid Blyton when I was little, in fact bought DD Th Enchanted Wood today and they've changed the names! Fanny is Franny, and Bessie is Beth, what's that about? Might start a thread.

Not too good today, some fruit and mushy peas with fish and chips! Ok, I know that doesn't count, bright green definitely food colouring!

Yes, they are good, the nice thing is that your washing comes out smelling of nothing (as opposed to detergent fragranced)

free samples here

and

more soapnuts

I have bought from both places, would recommend either

have not eaten a great deal of note

BUT

we got CHERRIES in our box today - ds delighted and whooping with joy - he has been asking for them since last year

there are advantages and pleasures to buying fruit in season

Indeed. We;ve had cherries today too. Have to say I'm sick of asparagus though.

Thanks, Tatties, I think I'm definitely going to try those

Sick of asparagus? Good lord

Hello all. Have been offline for a day or so but all okay now - fingers crossed.

Thanks for all the good vibes - dd1 has been selected for the junior Mastermind auditions - WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Had horrific morning yesterday though - dd2 picked up a coat hanger in a shop and got the metal bit stuck in her mouth. It was awful as I couldn't work out how to get it out. Then she was in so much pain I took her to hospital to be checked over. And we had to wait ages with poor dd2 screaming for about the first half hour.

Oh, this is a food thread right? Um. Have been eating salady sandwiches. And have discovered that you can shallow fry bread dough which is a) quick and b) excellent if you have a defective oven. And Franny did say I might need more fat

The other day we were at a friend's and he barbecued bread rolls and they were done in about 5 mins

from raw dough I mean, it was quite something

Oh, and I haven't bought myself any chocolate for at least 2 weeks.

Hey, where is everybody?