Food For Thought
ISLAND LIFE COLUMNIST
Catherine Burns (BA Hons, Dip ION) is a Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London, UK. After marrying her Bermudian husband and moving to the Island she worked in the worksite wellness field for seven years. She is currently the Managing Director of natural ltd - a nutrition consultancy offering preventive health solutions. Catherine has been running Nutrifit since 2007 and has been writing a weekly nutrition column for The Royal Gazette since 2005. Food for Thought began as a factual nutrition column that quickly took on some humour as stories of Catherine's domestic highs and lows crept in. Catherine is mum to two girls (1.5 and 4) who are often perfect examples of healthy living and occasionally the polar opposite. Catherine strives every day to nourish her daughters and to help people in Bermuda lead healthier lives. Please note that Catherine is not a Registered Dietitian. For contact details, go to www.natural.bm.
Send an email
236-7511
-
Jun 14, 2013 8:00 am
Making junk food giants redundant
Chloe’s career choices so far have included: princess, hairdresser, jewellery maker … and now (drumroll please), nutritionist. Let me savour this tiny little moment where she wants to be just like me. I know it will be over soon and I should probably drink it in. She’ll be stomping up stairs and applying for a job at KFC before I know it. Maybe! Or maybe not. Is it possible that her acceptance of “healthy stuff” will be...
-
Jun 7, 2013 8:00 amPerfection is a myth, love your lumps and bumps
Food for Thought
“Mummy …” said Chloe “ … your tummy is all wobbly.”
I am not sure what was less welcome, the fact that we were having this conversation at 6.01am, or that we were having it period. -
May 31, 2013 8:00 am
Clean up your diet with confetti salad
I love my job but it does have its drawbacks. For a start, people run away from me in grocery stores. Some do roll past proudly with a cart full of fruit and veg, but others — usually the ones with sodas hanging off the sides — reverse in panic. The irony is of course that as no one is perfect, I have probably just hidden a large bag of chips under my kale. So now you know!
-
May 17, 2013 8:00 am
Simple and delicious, Coconut Caramel Energy Bites
Another week, another column, another visit from Little Miss Belle.
This time I have packed her back off to bed and apparently she will stay there. I “pwomise” mummy, she whispered as I tucked her back in.
Wow this one really does know how to shake my resolve!
Fortunately I am pretty confident she knows how loved she is, and just in case there was any doubt, Naughty Nana is back to shovel on the affection too. -
May 3, 2013 8:00 am
Healthy kids snack on the go
There are bathtimes that go well in our house, and there are bathtimes that make me want to put my head in my very expensive blender. Tonight, I had the audacity to separate Belle from her dancing monkey. This was a pretty stupid decision given that after 7pm, we walk along the knife edge of the terrible twos. An even more stupid decision was to buy her a dancing monkey in the first place. Add that to the fact that I bought Chloe a similar...
-
Apr 26, 2013 8:00 amGreen smoothie that can boost your mental clarity
Supergranny has just flown home and it’s time to clean up! Don’t get me wrong, the house has been pristine — literally sparkling — with her in it. If I hadn’t seen our family tree, I would suspect she was related to Mary Poppins. Whereas I have a tendency to “panic shop”, my Mum is queen of the lists. And I approve of the habit, if not necessarily the contents. One of my favourites began “Gin,...
-
Apr 19, 2013 8:00 am
Brown rice salad shows its sweet side
Just so we’re clear, I wasn’t born loving green smoothies and wholegrains. I had a decade-long love affair with strawberry Ribena and iced buns before I saw the light. My mum raised me on plenty of healthy food and I still was drawn to sugar like a moth to a flame. Between marketing, ease of access, affordability and the biochemical proof that sugar, salt and fat are addictive, it’s no wonder that we all get sucked into the world...
-
Apr 12, 2013 8:00 amSports injury? What you eat has never been so important
“Mummy,” said Chloe, with as much gravity as a five-year-old can muster, “I know babies come OUT of the birth canal, but how do they get IN?” Ah, I said, and having promised myself that I would never be an ask-your-father kind of mother, I told her that it was an excellent question for Uncle Richard.
-
Apr 5, 2013 8:00 am
Some sweet news to gladden the hearts of chocoholics
Imagine my alarm when I discovered I was sweating chocolate through my pores. There I was, collapsed on the sofa, clutching a medicinal glass of wine after treading on Lego, when I noticed chocolate oozing from my arm. For a nerve-wracking few minutes I thought I had actually done it. Eaten so much chocolate that it had to find an alternative means of escape.
-
Mar 22, 2013 8:00 am
A healthy children’s menu? Have your say!
Discovering my Facebook page has more likes than KFC had me turning cartwheels in my office. Maybe there is hope for us after all! Half of Bermuda has an emotional relationship with fried chicken but if we have begun to crack the surface of that and generate some good awareness around healthy options, then at least we are moving in the right direction. Some people say “it’s just a treat” but if “treating” yourself means...
-
Mar 8, 2013 8:00 am
Making and sharing food: A great way to spend time as a family
My two girls are at that fantastic age where they think that taking part in household chores is fun. This week they have happily loaded the dishwasher every day, helped with the extra washing up and are now begging to wash the car. I would let them loose on the car unsupervised were it not for the fact that last time I found Belle washing it with a Brillo pad.
-
Mar 1, 2013 8:00 am
No cow’s milk? No problem
Well, it’s official. I am going to Mummy Hell. On a mission to get the girls home at top speed during last week’s gale force wind-a-thon, I fabricated a totally outlandish excuse to avoid detouring at the ponies. The wind was so strong I explained, that we were in danger of being hit by flying horse poo. Chloe thought it was hysterically funny for a fraction of a second, before becoming genuinely alarmed. A natural born worrier, she...
-
Feb 15, 2013 8:00 am
Shockingly good, even with beetroot juice
Food for Thought for Friday 15th February 2013
-
Feb 8, 2013 8:00 am
Get in the mood for Valentine’s Day!
“Mummy,” said Chloe, in the middle of grocery store, “where is my birth canal?” What is it about my kids and the need to chat about Babies-And-Where-They-Come-From in Lindo’s? Chloe especially has always been one to go for maximum embarrassment at the checkout. I remember when she was younger and just learning to talk, she pointed out the “big clock” on the wall by the cashier. That’s all very well, unless...
-
Feb 1, 2013 8:00 amHiding carrots and beetroot in yummy mini-muffins
In general, I am not of fan of lying to my kids, but there are a few important exceptions: Santa, the Tooth Fairy … and beetroot. Normally good eaters, Chloe and Belle were absolutely NOT going to try my lovingly roasted organic beets. There wasn’t just a little resistance, but an arms-crossed, tight-lipped, fully adamant protest. That funny looking vegetable that we’d picked out in Lindo’s was not being eaten and short of...
-
Jan 25, 2013 8:00 am
Raising the bar on nutrition with immune-boosting soup
Sweet potato and coconut immune-boosting soup!
-
Jan 18, 2013 8:00 amBye bye food dye
We celebrated a big milestone in our house this week, as Chloe turned five. “Today was the best day of my life!” she told me, as I tucked her in. At five years old, this is what made her day a piggy bank, $5 and an astronaut outfit for her Barbie. Oh, and a gigantic, five-shaped chocolate birthday cake covered in Smarties.
-
Jan 11, 2013 8:00 am
Super healthy winter warmer
Happy New Year! Well here we are on the other side of the festive season and I couldn’t be feeling more perky. I could be feeling more toned, but more of that later. After a fabulous but freezing Christmas in the UK it is so good to be home and dry (I do mean that literally.) And despite getting hit by the flu bug, we are now coming out the other side. In fact, there’s nothing quite like the sick days to make you appreciate the healthy...
-
Dec 7, 2012 8:00 am
The Elf on the Shelf is a very serious business
Early this morning, Chloé jumped on the end of our bed yelling “Chippy DIDN’T MOVE!!” This was an emergency that required some super-fast thinking — a lot to ask given that the sun was barely up. Bleary-eyed, I rolled over and tried to conjure up a convincing white lie about the nocturnal habits of our Elf on the Shelf.
-
Nov 30, 2012 8:16 am
Happy, healthy smoothies for kids
After removing the latest assortment of crackers, pumpkin seeds and raisins from the back seat of the car, the LH finally Lost The Plot. I had tried to keep up with the wayward snacks but after a busy few weeks had clearly fallen short. We now have a very strict no-food-in-the-car rule, which under NO circumstances can be broken. This has tested me enormously as the best solution to after-school whining is a healthy snack. There is a direct...
-
Nov 23, 2012 8:00 amMake your own hand sanitiser
I love my kids. Not just in an I-love-chocolate kind of way, but in an earth-shattering, heart-stopping, life-defining way. They are absolutely the apex of my world. And they are also disgusting.
-
Nov 16, 2012 8:00 am
Your dance card will be full with these lunch box ideas
Once upon a time this was a serious column. It didn’t last long. At the end of my first month I realised you were never going to read about lentils unless I made it funny. No-one likes to be told what to do, especially if you are halfway through a pack of coffee rolls and sipping your first soda of the day. Spinach? Quinoa? You are a crazy woman! Pass the mayo! (To be fair, I have never seen anyone putting mayo on a coffee roll, but I...
-
Nov 9, 2012 8:00 amCrash-free chocolate chip cookies
The LH has been teaching Chloe our phone number in case she gets lost. “But daddy,” she said, “maybe I should have a credit card …. you know, just in case.” It was a nice try. Later, I asked her what she thought she might need the card for. This list was long, and included stickers, apples and nail polish. Life’s essentials when you are four! At least I will know where to find her if I lose her in Phoenix. Having...
-
Oct 26, 2012 8:50 amNo trick, pumpkin mini-muffins are a treat
The jet-setting LH is away again. I explained that it’s not a part-time position but was met with a withering look, whoops! Nevertheless, it was well-timed as we have continued to destroy the kitchen in his absence. I have navigated my way through four sets of pumpkin muffin recipes this week, assisted by my two enthusiastic but outrageously messy kids. Still, our final attempt was a winner even if the majority wound up in Belle’s ear...
-
Oct 19, 2012 8:00 am
Bubble, bubble, without the toil and trouble
“Mummy,” said Chloe, on the way home from the beach, “I want to go to a naked party!” Unfortunately I was mid-swig from my water bottle. If you have ever considered an in-car sinus wash, I don’t recommend it. It took me a while to figure out where the comment came from, until I remembered Naughty Nana and her bathtime information session on nudist colonies. I wholeheartedly embrace all offers of babysitting, but...
-
Oct 12, 2012 8:00 am
Let ‘Switch Witch’ help handle the Hallowe’en sugar rush
“Darling,” said my mother, holding up the one naughty thong that I own, “is this washable?” And so began Super Granny’s stay. Oh don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the help, but how is it possible that within a nanosecond of arriving, she was already elbow deep in washing? I hadn’t thought, let alone had the time, to censor the laundry pile. And yet here she was at my desk, incriminating thong held at...
-
Sep 28, 2012 8:45 amTax junk food? Better to subsidise healthy food
All children have underdeveloped social filters, with Chloe being no exception. You may remember her very loud conversation about — how shall I put this — male anatomy, during a quiet moment in La Trattoria. This week’s gem was only marginally less embarrassing. “Uncle Richie?” said Chloe, “What does it feel like when your hair falls out?”
-
Sep 21, 2012 6:00 am
Ditch the Doritos and try lentil chips (and my dip, too)
Naughty Nana has arrived to stay and the naughtiness is already out of control. I arrived home to find the kids elbow deep in her make up bag, powdering their noses and applying lip gloss. I then discovered little Belle sitting on the potty, wearing Nana’s glasses, clutching her BlackBerry and trying to text. At bedtime, I stepped out of the bathroom for just a few minutes, only to return to an earnest conversation about nudist colonies. I...
-
Sep 14, 2012 6:00 amYummy choices for school lunch boxes
In a spectacular display of not-enough-sleep, I have completely forgotten what day it is. I sat down ten minutes ago to write this at leisure — a cup of green tea and a homemade blueberry muffin by my side. It was all very relaxing. Until I realised I was a day behind and my deadline ran out 12 hours ago. Cue the panic — and the tea on my keyboard. I am persevering through the spill in the hope that the RG is running on Bermuda time.
-
Sep 7, 2012 6:00 am
Simple, healthy and fast
Reaching under the bed to retrieve a hair clip and pulling out a cockroach was not an ideal way to start the day. It has however extended little Belle’s vocabulary. She now says “DUCK!” whenever she sees an insect. Fortunately the roach was dead. If I had pulled it out alive I would have either passed out or died. I am aware that’s a little dramatic.
-
Aug 31, 2012 12:01 am
Chick peas and pizza? Surely not.
It’s hard to know where to go after discussing your husband’s nuts in the paper. If you’re still trying to recover from last week’s column, rest assured that this one will be clean as a whistle. At a loss for something angelic to say, I have just ransacked my kitchen cupboards for inspiration. Fortunately I have come up with nutritional gold — the Lucini “Cinque e’ Cinque” farinata mix.
-
Aug 24, 2012 8:00 am
Soak your nuts!
The long-suffering LH has grown used to my demands, but he did do a double take when I asked him to soak his nuts in the kitchen.
Rather than setting off to find a man-sized bucket, he responded with a mix of profanities and panic.
Of course I found it hysterical and he was much relieved that I was referring to the almonds sitting benignly on the counter. -
Aug 17, 2012 7:00 amMaking a smoothie? Go green
Guilty secret time. I have a Facebook addiction. I probably need help for it but I am not sure I want it. I complain about being too busy but spend half an hour a day browsing around and catching up with the big news and the tiny details. Whether you have had a baby or made a cup of tea, I want to know. In fact, short of going into the grim details of a genital wart infestation, I really am interested.
-
Aug 10, 2012 8:00 am
Muffins that children and adults will enjoy
I am in the middle of a Very Scientific Experiment. If you’ve ever wondered if taking muffin mix out of the oven, frantically stirring in a missing ingredient and then shoving it back in actually works, then read on. I’ll let you know in about ten minutes time.
-
Jul 27, 2012 7:00 am
Dr Oz’s protein cookies made over!
Yesterday evening I was a walking example of how not to grocery shop with your kids. For anyone that witnessed me wheeling my whining, yelling, snotty children around Lindo’s in Warwick, I do apologise. It was not one of my finest parenting moments, made worse by the fact that usually (honestly!) my kids are a bit of a dream when we shop. It was however, an effective method of contraception for the student packing bags at the checkout.
-
Jul 20, 2012 8:00 amA great thide for BBQ theason
I thtill have a bit of a listhp! My new brathces are affecting my thpeech. It is providing the LH with some comedy entertainment but it is a pain in restaurants. Popping into Ten (which should win an award for a) not serving fries and b) serving great options like quinoa), I ordered an “arugula thalad with pumpthkin theeds”. What I got was an arugula salad with parmesan cheese. Still, it was only mildly irritating. More annoying was...
-
Jul 13, 2012 8:00 am
Cool off with coconut milk ice cream!
For a few weekth, I will be talking a bit like thith. Having very British teeth, I have finally plucked up the courage to have them straightened with Invisalign.
This was a brave decision, given that there is nothing that terrifies me more than a trip to the dentist. I know no one likes having a drill in their mouth, but I am fairly spectacular in my cowardice. -
Jul 6, 2012 7:35 am
It’s difficult being a yummy mummy in all this heat
Catherine Burns
Food for Thought -
Jun 22, 2012 7:00 am
Cleansing olive, bean and artichoke salad
I like to think I have an eagle eye for typos but occasionally I do let the odd one slip. Most crushing of all was the day I signed (and sent) an e-mail “best retards”.
