RAW NOURISHMENT: Forget low-fat spreads and probiotic drinks, the biggest thing happening in food right now is raw foods. Sometimes called living foods, these foods include fruit, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds and grains and are valued for their enzymes when eaten raw.
Dr Brian Clement, director of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, is an expert in raw foods. He will give a public talk on Sunday in the Stillorgan Park Hotel, Stillorgan, Co Dublin from 2pm-4.30pm. Tickets €20. Tel: 01 2843333.
ASTHMA AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Life Without Limits is the theme of a new photographic competition aimed to encourage those with asthma to live life to the full.
Sponsored by the Asthma Society of Ireland, the award scheme invites people with asthma to tell their story through a photograph of them enjoying physical activity.
Asthma Control Test leaflets will also be available in GP surgeries to help those with asthma assess the control of their symptoms on a regular basis. Entry forms for the competition are in pharmacies. See also www.asthmasociety.ie
ENHANCING DANGERS: The Institute of Complementary and Integrated Medicine is running a series of seminars to highlight the health risks of flavour enhancers and artificial sweeteners. The seminars will be addressed by nutritional therapist Suzanne Laurie.
"The risks these additives have on our health is extremely worrying considering they are in foods we eat almost every day," according to Laurie.
Seminars will be held in the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley, Dublin this Saturday at 10am; in the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Galway on Sunday at 10am; and in the Silversprings Hotel, Cork on July 30th at 10am. Admission is €25. See also www.icim-ireland.net or tel: 01 8391234
MIGRAINE SURVEY: The Migraine Association of Ireland is currently undertaking a survey of Irish migraine sufferers to assess the extent of the condition's impact and how it is managed.
People with migraine are invited to complete the short questionnaire online at www.migraine.ie or contact the Migraine Helpline at 1850 200 378 for a hard copy.
The questionnaire is confidential and the association says it will help it to build a profile of migraine in Ireland; "determine the most important issues surrounding the condition; and raise awareness of this hidden, often-misunderstood disability".
The closing date for completed questionnaires is Friday, July 14th.