Breakfast ideas for 'National Breakfast Month'

Who can believe that we will be heading into September this weekend? The year is certainly flying by and with September comes a hope of a late summer.  As the days start getting shorter the first sightings of autumn slowly creep in, September also brings with it National Breakfast Month. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because whilst you are hopefully getting your 8 hours sleep, your body is in a fasting state which lowers your blood sugar levels. Therefore when you wake up it is time to refuel so that you are ready to focus on the day ahead. Here are some delicious nutritious ingredients to use in your breakfast so you and your family get the best start to the day.

Bilberry is rich in colour,  the deep colour is a good indication of how many health benefits they contain. The deep colours are from flavonoids which support the immune system and general well-being of the body’s health.  Bilberry is mainly used to support collagen, support eye health and mucous membranes.  Cinnamon can be a really good addition to shakes and to breakfast cereal to support blood sugar levels thus aiding weight management and reduce any possible inflammation linked to joint problems.  Cinnamon can also be effective in aiding the digestion of your food and reducing any digestive issues such as bloating and indigestion.

Jumbo rolled oats are high in fibre and are also a great source of carbohydrate to provide you with energy but also keeping you full until lunch time as the bulk of the fibre activates the hormones that regulate appetite in the gut.

Chia Bia is the food of the Aztecs. The Aztecs ate this as it aids endurance. This nutrient rich food is packed with omega 3, protein and antioxidants and provides a nice crunchy texture to the family breakfast.

Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein that help your blood sugar levels stay stable and essential fatty acids to support brain function during the day.   A good idea would be to grind a mixture of nuts and seeds and keep them in your fridge to sprinkle on your cereal in the morning.

Get Up and Go! Some people can’t stomach eating at breakfast time so they could try drinking a shake or smoothie. Get Up and Go is a delicious low GL breakfast shake powder formulated by nutritionist Patrick Holford that contains a range of vitamins and minerals, one third of your daily protein requirement, essential fatty acids and is made from the best quality whole foods, ground into a powder. You can either make a shake or add berries and make a delicious breakfast smoothie

Kick start your day the right way. Stay healthy The Totally Nourish team

Back to school nutrition

The school holidays are more often than not a very busy time with little relaxation when you're planning the day's entertainment. As the holidays come to an end and you start to get uniforms, books, routines ready and planned, it's also a good time to think about their nutritional needs too.

Here are a few essentials for your child: Concentration and memory So much information is expected to be absorbed and processed in just one day. To help your child absorb the most information possible give B vitamins to help them remain focussed during their lessons. Most B vitamins are either produced by friendly bacteria in the gut or ingested through the diet in protein rich foods. B vitamins are essential in supporting concentration as they help with neurotransmitter synthesis and insulating nerve cells to send messages and store information.

Gut instinct by name and by nature The digestive tract is packed with neuron activity and therefore is classed as your second brain. A lot goes on here, as mentioned earlier your good gut bacteria synthesise your B vitamins here, aid digestion of food and support energy and concentration. Therefore encourage probiotics and prebiotics into your child’s diet on a daily basis.

Don’t let them be as forgetful as a goldfish The brain is made up mainly of fatty acids and for this reason it is important to include these in your child’s diet. Good dietary choices are small oily fish such as mackerel and anchovies, which are packed with essential fatty acids that support brain structure and mind function but if your child won’t eat fish, a supplement rich in omegas 3, 6 and 9 will be a good place to start.

Keep their immune system troopers on guard Once the kids are back at school they need to beat off the colds and sniffles.  Ensure that they get plenty of vitamin C on a daily basis from a wide range of colourful fruit and vegetables to support a healthy immune system. At the first sign of a sniffle or a sore throat elderberry has been known to be effective in reducing the time that the virus sticks around. In addition taking zinc can be effective in repairing any damage to the respiratory tract.  Don’t let the lack of sunshine get them down Vitamin D has been getting so much press recently and with good reason. The government recommend 400iu of Vitamin D a day for children due to the lack of sunlight in the UK.  Vitamin D has endless amounts of beneficial research coming through to support multiple areas of people’s health including mind function, behaviour and the immune system. Hope the summer holidays have been fun filled with lots of great memories.

Eat your way to a flat stomach!

You’ve known for weeks that your summer holiday is coming but it’s so easy to put off the healthy eating and exercise plan till tomorrow, especially with all the dull, wet weather the UK has had this year. Well tomorrow is here and we need to get the bikini’s out, so if you have been putting off getting the bikini body you want for your summer holiday, here are a few tips to eat your way to a flat stomach.

Beat the bloat Bloating can be caused by poor digestion of your food due to poor levels of stomach acid and natural digestive enzymes. A lot of people think they have high levels of stomach acid as they suffer from acid reflux; however, this is normally due to producing stomach acid at the wrong times such as when we are stressed or consuming alcohol or caffeine. Natural ways to support your digestion and get a flat tummy is to encourage raw foods into the diet such as salads and vegetable juices. They contain natural digestive enzymes. Have lemon juice or apple cider vinegar before meals to act similar to your natural stomach acid.

Follow a low GL Palaeolithic diet A low Glycaemic Load Palaeolithic diet, that is high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates, can be really supportive for weight management and help maintain a flat stomach. Refined carbohydrates are very ‘water hungry’ in comparison to protein, therefore pasta dishes or a sandwich can leave you feeling quite bloated.

When you are on holiday, aim to have an array of vegetables with meat or fish to reduce water retention and maintain a confident glowing beach body. Antioxidants Antioxidants are important in weight management and to help keep you looking and feeling healthy as they protect the body from environmental toxins. Toxins that we ingest through a modern diet tend to be stored in fat cells. People that are low in antioxidants from vegetables and fruits can find it difficult to lose weight as the body doesn’t want to put the body in a health crisis.  Having plentiful portions of fruit and vegetables a day that are all different colours can make all the difference in aiding fat cell breakdown.

So now you have no excuse not to feel confident in that bikini, add some daily exercise to the above tips and you should feel fabulous on the beach. Happy holidays! The Totally Nourish Team

Your daily skincare regime

With the wet weather determined to hang around for another week, many of us may be starting to feel the doom and gloom of the cloudy grey skies. So this week lets discuss ways to make your skin look and feel radiant so even if the sun isn’t shining, your skin will be. Your Daily Skin care regime There are several important things to remember when it comes to treating your skin. What you put into your body can really affect your skin; poor diet, a stressful lifestyle and pollutants can all disrupt your liver and digestive health thus compromising your skins health. So ideally follow a healthy diet and drink lots of water along with a healthy daily beauty regime so that you can be both beautiful on the inside and out. Remember what you put on your skin is absorbed so it is best to use natural ingredients. We also recommend that you use your skin regime in the morning to wake up your beautiful face and in the evening to wash away all the impurities of the day.

Your daily beauty regime… How is best to wash your face When you wash your face use only water and pat your face gently dry with a clean face towel. Try not to use anything abrasive on your face; the skin is so fragile in this area. This applies to the use of scrubs to exfoliate; this should be a very gentle process. Scrubs can make your face feel soft for a short while but all they do is strip away a layer of delicate skin leaving it vulnerable to further damage. Afterwashing your face these are the stages you should follow... Cleanse Use a good product that contains ingredients like rose water, coconut oil, almond oil and tea tree oil. Apply to a muslin cloth and gently massage the skin to remove any dirt and make up that may be blocking the pores. When removing eye makeup use ingredients that are refreshing and gentle such as cold brewed honey bush tea, the eye area is delicate so using the right product is essential. Tone Try to use ingredients such as apple and cucumber as they contain Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) which penetrates the skin layer to break up dead cells and remove any dirt. These combined with drops of vitamin A (retinyl palmitate or retinyl acetate) will help to nourish and hydrate the skin.

Moisturise This will act as a seal. During moisturing you want to try and get all of your nutrients in to protect collagen. Use a cream containing antioxidants like Vitamin A, Zinc and Vitamin E. After following this regime for a month add in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is great for protecting collagen, reducing scaring and any possible visible lines. However, Vitamin C doesn’t agree with everyone so it is best that you build up the amount you apply to the skin to see if it works for you.

Eye Gel Apply a little bit of cream containing Coenzyme Q10 around your eyes at night time to reduce any fine lines and protect collagen. Now that you know what to do, experiment with making your own natural face creams, at least this way you can have a beauty regime tailored to your skin type

Nutrition helping you keep healthy during your summer travels

Travelling abroad The excitement of a holiday, new clothes, sunshine and exploring on day trips is sometimes almost enough for you to forget about your travel health.  Most of us don’t think about it until we get there, but we’ve got a few suggestions to help you plan a little in advance so you don’t have to worry when you should be enjoying your summer break. Reducing the risk of the travellers tummy bug: Most tummy infections from micro-organisms and parasites are from contaminated foods, water and infected animals.  However, tap water in some countries is to an equivalent or even better standard than bottled water so it is worth checking if you can drink it before you go. Bear in mind that tap water can be suitable for a local’s immune system but still affect you. If it’s not suitable for you make sure that you brush your teeth and drink mineral bottled water only. Be careful not to be caught out with ice made from tap water in restaurants and also make sure fruit is pealed and vegetables are boiled to reduce the chance of ingesting food borne contaminants.

Tasty food can look after your tummy: When choosing a meal at a restaurant look for dishes containing garlic, coriander, cloves, coconut, cinnamon and oregano as they not only make our food taste delicious they also all act as natural antibiotics making the digestive tract less habitable for pathogens. Had one too many to drink? The drinks were flowing and the evening was jolly but then you wake up the next morning it’s a slightly different story. The aftermath of alcohol can leave you feeling a little low, lethargic and under the weather due to four main reasons; the toxic load on the liver, disruption to blood sugar levels, dehydration and depletion of your B vitamin levels which like to keep you happy and energized. Reduce hangover symptoms by:  - Having liver supportive foods such as beetroot, artichoke, eggs and cruciferous vegetables before and after drinking can help to detoxify alcohol effectively through the liver.   - Eating berries and a banana the following morning can help rehydrate you and combine this with some nuts and seeds to aim at rebalancing your blood sugar levels.

Keep that flat tummy The trick to keeping your stomach flat is ensuring that you  are adequately digesting your food. We have put some tips below to help:

- Chew your food to a pulp so that your body can digest it - Limit refined carbohydrates in the diet such as pasta and bread.  They cause water retention and your body doesn’t really know what to do with it - Eat salads - raw foods contain digestive enzymes to aid food digestion

The desired summer glow The sun can give your skin a nice glow but can also cause damage. A couple of tips below should help: - Wear a sun cream of SPF-15 to protect your skin from the suns UV rays - Use aftercare containing vitamin E and aloe vera to help soothe and rejuvenate your skin - Use a skin regime containing antioxidants to protect and repair skin such as zinc, vitamin A and CoQ10

We hope that you enjoy your up and coming travels!

Keep your skin nourished in the summer sun

Let the sun shine... The time of year has arrived when we book it, pack it and get on our way for a holiday of hopefully sun, sea and summer fun (even if the UK isn’t being too generous with sunshine this year!). Sunny days make us feel good and have some health benefits too so if you are jetting off somewhere hot or the UK finally decides to shine on us, here are some tips on how to look after your skin safely in the sun. The summer sun The most common ray that we get directly from the sun is Utra Violet – B (UV-B) this is the ray that makes you burn. Ultra Violet –A (UV-A) is another ray that we get which is more associated with the aging process. We are exposed to UV-A all year round as it can penetrate through the clouds, therefore it’s a good idea to wear sun cream or make-up providing a protective layer of SPF-15 in all weather conditions.

Is the sunbed really bad for you? Tans became fashionable in the 1920’s when Coco Chanel accidently sun burnt herself at the French Rivera, her fans were taken by her look and her lead in fashion inspired a new trend that is still being continued today. If you like the idea of having a winter tan, buy a flawless self tanner to give you that glow. As healthy as a tan may look, a tan from a sunbed can do more damage than good as it admits UV-A rays damaging vitamin D and penetrates deeper in the skin layers causing damage to the tissue that is not immediately visible. We would always advise that you're careful when using a sunbed.

Picking a sun cream SPF 15 is an ideal factor to choose; above SPF-20 creams tend to include chemicals to keep its protective barrier but can also leach into the skin causing premature aging of the skin.  When picking a sun cream, choose one that is not overwhelmed with a lengthy list of ingredients and instead choose natural ingredients such as zinc oxide (sun reflective, supports collagen) or titanium dioxide.

How long should I be in the sun? 20 minutes of daylight exposure excluding the midday sun can be supportive to synthesize vitamin D.  After 20 minutes the sunlight begins to damage the vitamin D produced.  Another reason for not having longer exposure than your recommended daily amount is that the rays can penetrate into the skin damaging collagen, potentially causing premature aging and free radical damage. Uneven skin pigmentation Our skins produce a colour pigmentation called melanin in the sun. An example of melanin in one area of the skin is freckles which are more frequently seen on pale skin.   People that are exposed to the sun a lot may develop more obvious skin patches make the skin tone look more uneven. Using skin creams or foods that contain Vitamin A, E and l-cysteine may help to as they reduce the tanning pigmentation melanin in the skin whilst also protecting collagen.

Reducing sun damage to the skin Be sensible, don’t over expose your skin and make sure that you include plenty of antioxidants in your diet from fruit and vegetables to help your skin. Antioxidants provide additional support to sun cream by minimizing the risk of the UV rays penetrating through the skins layers. Bringing down sunburn and saving your tan Ideally, try not to burn your skin as this can cause aging, but if you are caught out apply vitamin A and aloe vera to soothe and repair the skin from any redness.

Keeping your glow Make sure you keep your skin well hydrated in the sun, drink plenty of water and eat healthy fats such as oily fish and coconut to help keep your skin glowing and moisturized to maintain your tan. We might only get a handful of sunny days at the moment, but it's definitely worth making the most of them. If you're able to get away this year to somewhere with much more sunshine, practise safe sun with a balance of getting enough Vitamin D and using a good sun cream. Enjoy your week.

Nutrition for before, during and after pregnancy

As we wave goodbye to one of the team as she goes on maternity leave, we thought it appropriate to focus on before, during and after pregnancy care for you, your partner and your baby. Preconception health and pregnancy It is recommended that you start a good nutritional health routine around three months prior to conception in order to improve sperm and egg quality. And once you’re pregnant you need to maintain a high quality diet to support your health and to give your baby the best possible start.

Support for both you and your partner   Zinc Zinc is an important mineral for healthy sperm formation and also helping with implantation of a fertilised egg in the womb. Essential Fatty Acids Omega 3 and 6 help with hormonal balancing. For men, omega 3 ensures healthy sperm formation and motility. For women, omega 3 is equally important for egg membrane flexibility to allow sperm to penetrate through.

Antioxidants Insufficient vitamin E has been linked to poor fertility levels in both men and women. Foods such as nuts, seeds and avocados are nutritious options to help support optimum levels. Selenium and vitamin C are both protective antioxidants against free radical damage and vitamin C reduces the chances of sperm clumping together. Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 A necessity for women during preconception health and pregnancy to prevent any deficiencies that have been linked with birth defects such as spina bifida. Neonatal Nutrition Congratulations on the new buddle of joy in your life. Having a newborn baby is very rewarding but can also be a demanding time for you, so some nutritional tips should help to keep you both in the best of health. The benefits of breastfeeding Breastfeeding stimulates the release of a hormone called oxytocin which makes you and your baby feel close. This hormone also helps you to feel relaxed and go back to sleep after night feeding. For newborns that are breastfed their digestive tract contains 80-90% of a probiotic called Bifidobacterium Lactis. The bacteria support the immune system to fight off infections and help to provide a healthy environment for good bacteria to grow. Babies with colic especially find probiotics supportive as the probiotic encourages a healthy bowel movement. A probiotic can always be used to give additional support, but is especially important if a baby is born through C-section, is not being breastfed or taking antibiotics.

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Essential fatty acids When breastfeeding make sure you have a healthy intake of essential fatty acids from fish, avocados and coconut oil as they provide nutrition to the baby through the breast milk. Essential fatty acids are so important for a whole range of reasons. The brain is predominantly made up of fats so they are crucial in supporting brain development as well as helping to provide some other benefits such as soft, smooth, healthy skin and good eyesight. Multivitamins and minerals Baby’s nutritional demands are high as they grow and develop; therefore all round support from all minerals and vitamins is needed. If you are breastfeeding make sure that you have an array of different coloured vegetables and fruits. The more natural plant food colours on your plate, the more nutrients you and your baby are benefiting from. To aid breast milk production Many women find producing milk can be difficult at times. Making sure that you are hydrated is crucial in being able to produce milk. Other aids to support milk production are phyto- plankton and teas containing fenugreek seed and fennel tea.

Beating Colic A common cause of colic is an intolerance to lactose in milk which can be helped by the mother reducing or eliminating ‘dairy’ in the diet whilst breastfeeding, and adding the digestive enzyme; lactase. Lactase can also be added to formula feeds to aid digestion. Also, try massaging the baby’s abdomen with rosemary oil to soothe any bloating.