Hi <<First Name>>

I hope that you and your loved ones are well. I hope that the COVID-19 madness has not taken too great a toll on your health and well-being. It has certainly been a strange time and it is nice to be coming out the other side.
I am lucky as I found it did not impact greatly on my life. I am used to working from home so that part of lock-down was nothing new for me. And I really enjoyed having Hubby working from home too as it meant that I had someone to have lunch with every day.

I burst out of my bubble at the start of Level 3 as persimmon season began. I have friends who own a local orchard and they asked if I could help out in the packing shed again this year. It certainly has been different keeping up social distancing while trying to have systems running efficiently, especially when trying to train new staff. But it has been nice to get out and about again, meeting new people. A couple of weeks left to go.

As it is another month it is time for another 12 for 2020 New Years Resolution: 
#5 May - Add more fibre to your diet.
It turns out that most NZ adults are consuming less that the recommended daily intake of dietary fibre, about half the recommended amount. You might be wondering why that might be a problem. Well, the big thing is that there are all sorts of health benefits associated with dietary fibre, from its effect on heart health to type-2 diabetes to cancer. These associations have been shown that as fibre intake increases chronic disease risk decreases.
There are two different forms of fibre, and they both play important roles in our gut health. One is soluble fibre, which forms a gel, absorbing fluid and making the bowel contents softer. It helps to lower blood cholesterol and improve blood glucose control. The other form is insoluble fibre, which acts as a ‘bulking agent’ to help keep us regular.
Fibre is found natually in plant products – fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains. When increasing your fibre intake to reach the recommended amount (30g/day for men; 25g/day for women), it is a good idea to do it gradually, to minimise potential side effects such as wind and bloating.
Below is a recipe that is packed full of fabulous fibre from cannellini beans and onion. Rich and tasty to satisfy your tastebuds, and packed with slow release energy to keep you going for longer! Great as a breakfast or brunch option, but also perfect for a simple dinner.

Take care, and I will catch you next month with resolution #6.
Kind regards,
Nicole

PS. This recipe is actually for my next Mahurangi Matters article... you are getting to see it first!