Look what I got for Christmas….

Niall Nordell has kindly agreed to do a monthly column on Health & Wellbeing, and below is his January contribution which I thought was very interesting – Thanks Niall!

“I am sure most of you will agree that we men are difficult to buy for, be it for a birthday, Christmas or indeed one of any number of occasions. I usually end up at Christmas with a book on some subject I have little interest in, socks, a tie, durable outerwear or something slimming like sweets. Imagine my surprise this Christmas when the kids presented me with a box big enough to hold mountain boots and roughly the same weight. I was eager to open my present as my imagination could not stretch to something which would conform to these dimensions.  Imagine my astonishment and delight when I opened the parcel to reveal a bullet. This bullet came in 12 parts, consisting of a motorised stand, several transparent mugs, screw top lids, a grinder and a host of instruction books. You have guessed by now this was no ordinary bullet but one of those high powered smoothie makers.  Why was I so delighted . . . well for years now my wife has complained about my limited diet virtually free of fruit, green leafy vegetables and the occasional exotic berry, so popular with the younger set. I now had at my disposal the means to completely revisit my diet and improve it to the highest nutritional standards without putting myself out.  My son and I (the next day) popped into the car and headed off for Tescos to ‘corner’ the fruit and veg market. We had a great time picking out fruits and vegetables we could hardly pronounce. We bought kale, satsumas, kiwis, bananas, pears, ginger, coconut water, natural  yoghurt, berries of all shapes and sizes including the famous gogiberries which are said to be a ‘power food’.

Back to the house with us where we cleared the kitchen table and proceeded to chop up small quantities of the various fruits and some vegetables which we had surplus to Christmas dinner. Well we had great fun, it was like playing with playdough but this time it was food. The results were only fantastic.  All we did was place the fruits and some veggies that we liked into the Nutri-Bullet cup, screwed on the pulveriser unit and followed the idiot proof instructions on how to place the assembled container into the high speed motor stand. Within 15 seconds we had the most delicious smoothie I have ever tasted, and we cleared the lot in 20 mins.   Best present I have ever received and here I am 3 weeks after Christmas still experimenting with various fruit and veg combinations. The kids were so impressed with the results that they bought one each when they got back to Dublin.  Now every morning I treat myself to the most delicious fruit and/or vegetable drinks you can imagine. If I find a new fruit or veg that I like I include it in the next smoothie making. My energy levels have improved, I now enjoy breakfast and the variety of tastes on offer, but best of all I no longer get jibes about my ‘restricted’ diet from my beloved.  My recommendation to you is give it a go  . . . it can’t hurt you as long as you read the recipes and follow them, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Happy New Year.

Niall”