Seasonal sense

INSTEAD of eliminating anything from your diet right now, eat what’s here for the asking this spring.

Start with strawberries, rich in Vitamin C, fibre, potassium, folate and the antioxidant anthocyanin. They help to balance blood sugar, with polyphenols that boost the immune system and healthy cell renewal.

Move on to asparagus, the slim dark green ‘trigueros’ whose season is just beginning. They are abundant in vitamin K, needed for blood clotting, heart and bone health and cancer prevention, as well as copper, selenium, Vitamin D and the B vitamins. Also, add broad beans to your shopping list. One of the world’s oldest crops, they too are brimming with nutrients that include folate, phosphorous, manganese, magnesium and the B Vitamins.

That’s exactly why chair yoga, via free YouTube or Zoom sessions, can help adults ­ especially the over ­ 65sto enjoy all it has to offer in safety, however frail or lacking in flexibility they might be.

Benefits include loosening and stretching painful muscles, reducing chronic pain, decreasing stress, and improving circulation.

Yoga also reduces anxiety, helps to lower blood pressure, protects joints and builds strength and balance. There are no hard and fast guidelines on how often to practise chair yoga, although doctors and exercise experts recommend two days a week as a good starting point.