The January Kick

Happy  New Year everyone. We indulged our way through December, it was fun, but how do we now get back on track with our weight and mood. Below are just a couple of starter points to get you going

Weight management

I find that many clients who come to see me have hit a lull with weightloss and can’t understand why. One aspect can be - the more alcohol, or ‘fake food’ (sweeteners, white pasta, bread, sweets) we consume, the more toxins our liver must process. The quickest and safest mechanism the body has is to store these toxins in fat cells. Fat cells form a protective barrier around a toxin so it can’t cause havoc to the system.  It’s a bit like a prison guarding the trouble maker till its safe to be let out. Trouble makers can’t stand cheery colourful antioxidants that we get from plant food. Antioxidants neutralise their harmful effects and remove them from the body. We are always told aim for your 5 a day. Imperial college recently proved that we need 10-12 different portions a day due to the amount of environmental factors we have impacting on our health. It did go up for discussion to see if it was worth changing the guidelines but so many of us cant achieve 5 a day it was thought this would be too overwhelming to put this pressure on people.  

Top liver supportive foods:

Beetroot, onions, garlic, cruciferous vegetables ie cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower. 

Your diet should resemble a rainbow! By consuming plant foods, especially liver supportive ones you are encouraging a fat cell to breakdown, therefore encouraging a healthy and safe weightloss plan:

The feel good factor

Remember that chocolate box and mince pies that disappeared when nobody was looking. You had one and before you knew what was going on, you were rummaging through an empty box of wrappers thinking there must be a secret compartment where all the chocolate went…

When we consume anything sugary it signals to our body to create the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is like your best bud as they always make you feel great, therefore, the more we have the more we want. Sounds like a winning solution doesn’t it - eat sugar, feel great. However, the feeling is very short-lived. When we have too much sugar our body panics and releases insulin to bring the levels in our blood down. Insulin can often overcompensate and take the blood sugar levels too low. When our blood sugar levels are low we tend to hit something I call ‘the black box’. The black box is when your negative emotions surface ie: anger, teary and frustration. This is also the point where you get another craving for something sweet.

Tryptophan food sources

We can naturally boost or encourage serotonin by eating foods that aren’t too rich in carbohydrates and therefore less likely to send our blood sugar levels in a spin. These foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan and perfect for weight management:

Egg, fish, turkey, chicken, hummus, nuts and seeds

Top supplements for January

L-Glutamine powder Lamberts-  to heal the gut lining. Alcohol and sugar can damage the integrity of the gut lining, this stitches it back together. If you are putting new years resolutions in place such as quitting smoking, glutamine is effective in curbing addictions.

Liv- D Biocare – to encourage removal of toxins from the body for a healthy weightloss

Biomulsion D Biocare – encourages serotonin production. A lack of sunlight means a lack of serotonin production.

Mood Food – Patrick Holford – A lot of people struggle with January, this can be taken as and when you need it to perk up all your happy hormones

Lifestyle choices

Deep tissue massage  - a massage stimulates the lymphatic system to remove toxins from the body.

Walk before work – the festive season can make our minds a little foggy. Walking stimulates the circulatory system and therefore encourages microcirculation in the brain to get you thinking all those groundbreaking ideas again. 

How to Go Vegetarian

Veggie Month

Vegetarianism is basically eating more plant based foods and less animal produce. Plant based diets are ‘growing’ in popularity and below outlines some of the rationale behind this:

1.      There are some wonderful health benefits  from reducing meat consumption

2.      Ethical and moral reasons, this may or may not be related to cultural and religious reasons.

3.      It is becoming increasingly fashionable, yes that is right, it is cool to eat less meat

If you are interested in vegetarian month, I have put below a few potential options you could consider

Flexitarian – this is a very popular approach as it basically means you are flexible, sometimes you eat meat products, dairy and eggs and sometimes you don’t, it is a gentle way to ease in to a stricter vegetarian diet

Lacto vegetarian – you consume dairy and eggs but eliminate all meat and fish. This style of vegetarian diet has recently become one of the most popular diets.

Pollo vegetarian - Eliminating red meat and fish but still consuming poultry (chicken), dairy and eggs

Pesco pollo vegetarian – Eating poultry, fish, dairy and eggs but not consuming red meat.

Potential Health Benefits from reducing meat consumption

·         Too much red meat has been linked to potential inflammation, therefore as with everything, moderation is key

·         Plant food is rich in soluble and insoluble fibre to encourage bowel movement. Regularity in bowel movement is key to managing weight, bloating and reducing toxic load on the body.

·         You digest meat with stomach acid and digestive juices. Digestive juices also support the immune system. Therefore reducing meat or animal produce consumption allows the digestive juices to busy themselves on other jobs they need to do

Some considerations to bare-in mind with a vegetarian diet

·         Iron levels are a common deficiency with all diets, vegetarian diets means you have limited sources of iron. To aim at supporting iron levels mix iron rich foods with foods rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C encourages iron to be absorbed in the body. Some combinations could be egg and orange juice, falafel and tomatoes or hummus and lemon juice.

·         If you aren’t consuming meat, fish, dairy and eggs speak with your doctor or a nutritionist about managing your vitamin B12 levels.  Vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to low mood and energy, a sore tongue, numbness and tingling. There are no plant foods that provide this essential vitamin. Contrary to believe marmite and sea greens do not contain vitamin B12 in a form that we can use.

·         Including combination of beans, pulses and seeds in meat free meals and snacks throughout the day will provide a good source of protein.

Have fun exploring all the great flavoursome foods that a vegetarian diet has to offer. If you make any wild and wonderful dishes we would love to hear about them. 

Nutritional Support for your Breastmilk

If you are a new mother getting support on breastfeeding is so important as initially it can feel alien, confusing and frustrating to do and therefore you need a midwife to show you how to latch your baby and not hurt yourself in the process. Latching can take some time to master. Look for support groups in your area too.

If you are worried in the first few days about milk flow and intake you can get a blood test monitor for your baby from Boots which plugs into your phone and gjves a nice graph on blood sugar levels. My baby had her levels monitored for the first 12hours. She had very little milk and mainly slept but her blood sugars were perfect which suggested she didn’t need feeding.

Breastmilk is such a great food to give to your baby because:

·        It’s free

·         It’s nutrient rich

·         It doesn’t upset your little ones tummy as much as bottle feed

·         It’s more convenient than bottle feeding and its prep time

·         It’s a natural antibiotic, I used it to clear baby sticky eye, by applying it to the tear ducts

·         If you are poorly you produce antibodies that pass across the milk to help your baby fight off what you have

As a mother with a newborn of 5lb 8 ounces I wanted to make sure I could get some chub onto her to get her nice and fighting fit. They said she would lose upto 10% body weight initially, she lost about 4% and was back at her birth weight within 2 days (this can take 10-14 days on average). I am sure a lot of this was down to my survival kit below that helped with the breastmilk flow:

Supplements:

Biocare Pregnancy and Lactation Multi Take a good multivitamin suitable for breastfeeding, this will help replace general nutrient levels such as iron which can be low causing tiredness from bloodloss in childbirth. Vitamin A and zinc which helps with healing. Selenium to cross the breastmilk to support babies thyroid for metabolism (thyroid function is one of the tests the doctors did with the heal prick test on your baby). A few days after birth your babies own thyroid should function independently, prior to this they have your hormones circulating the system to support them.

Solgar Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) taking 3.5grams per day should increase milk flow within 1-3 days. For some woman it can take upto two weeks. You will know that you are taking enough if your urine and sweat has a maple syrup smell to it.

Botanicals Raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus) helps to tone your uterus back into shape and increases milk supply

Biocare Sea Plasma is more to support the circulation of lymphatic system to reduce risk of blockage and infection in the breast tissue. Sea plankton can also support the hormone prolactin which is produced to stimulate milk production.

Biocare Biomulsion Omegaplex contains omega 6 to increase your natural hormone synthesis, this is important to rebalance hormones to make you more relaxed, a more relaxed mum means more milk production. The omega 3 and 6 will also cross the breastmilk to support your baby brain development and give beautiful skin.  

Skincare

Lanolin get lots of it, and when you have got lots, get some more! This will save your nipples from getting sore cracked or hurting from any bruising

Foods to avoid and foods to enjoy

Eat healthy this will help with your sleep deprivation for  the next couple of months, also what you eat will affect your babies taste buds, this has been tested with breastfeeding mothers eating garlic and carrots and their infants when weaning having a preference to these flavours.

Avoid chocolate you will give your child that unwanted sweet tooth, soothe cravings with nuts and seeds with fruit instead which will be rich in nutrients for your milk and will give you a boost in energy

Start the day with oats by making a porridge or muesli, Oats help to replenish lost iron levels for milk flow. Oats also contain tryptophan which increases happy hormones. A happy mother has an easier ‘let down’ on her milk supply

Avoid dairy this can prove difficult for your baby to digest if any of the protein lactose from milk goes into the breastmilk. One sign of this is colic.

Neuners Organic Nursing tea Aniseed, fennel, verbena, caraway, (11%) fenugreek seeds this is caffeine free, caffeine is not advised in breastfeeding as it can affect your babies sleep.

Gluten Free Pasta Recipe for Lunch with the Girls

Gluten Free pasta lunch with the girls

Sometimes people feel a little lost when thinking of gluten free options for social gatherings, so I thought I would put up my recipe for luncheons with the girls. This is a new type of pasta dish that I have tried that is so easy to make, it was all ready and in my fridge within 10 mins and didn’t cost much to make. Especially as good health naturally were kind enough to send me a sample of their black bean fusilli pasta

Serves 3

Ingredients

 20 Large Black Olive deseeded and sliced

100g sundried tomatoes

20g of green olive pesto

150g of artichoke

50g peppadew peppers chopped

50g of capers soaked in brine

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Seasoned with black peppercorn to taste

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

125g organic black fusilli pasta

Recipe

·         Bring pasta to boil and leave to simmer for 5 mins

·         Rinse pasta with a little lemon juice

·         Stir in ingredients

·         Cover and put into fridge

·         Voila…one yummy dish for 3

Some Health benefits of meal:

Contains fats which are good for mind function and good for silky hair and soft smooth skin

Pasta is rich in fibre and protein which means I will be fuller for longer

The dish is full of nutrient rich foods, meaning my body can utilise the food to aid my body to function rather than it being stored as fat

The meal is gluten free making it less likely to make me bloated and uncomfortable win win.

Weightloss Tips

The festive season has passed and our waist size may have expanded slightly from all the treats we have snacked on. It’s now the New Year and with that comes plans for the new us, the pre-Christmas streamline version!

Here are some of our favourite weightloss tips: Get a blood glucose monitor These are great, you can buy them online or in Boots and they often link up with smartphones. You can take simple skin blood prick tests throughout the day to monitor your blood glucose levels so that you are eating when you need to. Sometimes you will think you need to eat, but your blood sugar is high, meaning the best you could do is fast at that time and go for a walk to get the metabolism going!     Avoid instant sugar hits ...such as chocolate.  Sugar is stored in all the wobbly bits such as the tummy and thighs. When you eat sugar, and it isn’t used up immediately for energy, such as when you exercise, your body can be in danger of going into hyperglycemia which can cause you to pass out. To prevent this, your body thinks ahead for when you may need some food and cleverly stores the sugar like a packed lunch in your fat cells ready for when you need a big surge of energy. Alas the energy surge is often not that frequent leaving you with lots of prepacked packed lunches to get through! Cinnamon is your new buddy that goes everywhere with you Carry this in your pocket and sprinkle a small amount on your food or in your drinks. This slows down sugar release into the blood stream keeping you feeling fuller for longer and less likely to gain fat. Chromium This little mineral is known to have the GTF (glucose tolerance factor) which means it regulates glucose in the blood after eating or when experiencing cravings, making it a popular ingredient to have when hungry or just after eating, to encourage satiety. Insoluble fibre   Fibre such as Konjac, alongside water, swells inside the gastrointestinal tract. The swelling makes the body feel full by triggering appetite suppressors. Get your Zzzs Sleeping and appetite can easily get confused. There is an appetite stimulator called ghrelin - think of it as the little hunger gremlin in your tummy which makes that rumbling noise. Ghrelin is stimulated by two things, hunger and sleep deprivation to encourage sleep, which can easily confuse you in to thinking you are hungry.

Nutritional Halloween Treats

It feels like the summer holidays were only but a blink away!   Not only is it half term, but it’s that spooky time of year; Halloween. It's a time when adults get to show their inner child with fancy dress and pretending that trickle treating is for the children’s benefit!  With celebrations and holidays to celebrate, we thought we would give you some tips on how to keep it healthy and still fun. Here are a few treats for your Halloween party.

Alcohol Free Mulled Wine Made with elderberries, lemon, ginger and cinnamon is rich in vitamin C to boost the immune system fighting off the common cold and flu. Alcohol free mulled wine Serves 2 Ingredients 400g of elderberries 1.25 litres of water 2 cinnamon stick 50g raisins 10 cloves 3 large oranges 3 tablespoons of manuka honey ¼ lemon 1 piece of ginger root (grated) Method Grate the zest from the oranges and lemon, and then juice them with the elderberries and add the cloves. Place all the above into a large saucepan. Add the water, honey, cinnamon sticks, grated ginger and raisins. Heat the mixture for 20 mins, try not to let it simmer. Remove from the heat and drain through a sieve into a large punch bowl. Your wine is now ready to serve.

Raw Cinnamon Chocolate Truffles Made from chopped dates and nuts, cocoa powder, nuts and cinnamon. The combination of nuts and cinnamon stabilise the blood sugar levels, meaning you won’t have hyperactive children and adults on your hands! Raw Cinnamon and chocolate truffles Serves 10 Ingredients •           100g of chopped pitted dates •           100g of chopped mixed nuts •           1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder •           2 tablespoon of cocoa powder Method 1.         Use a food processer to turn the dates into a paste. 2.         Add the chopped nuts, cinnamon powder and a    tablespoon of cocoa powder and mix together evenly. 3.         Roll the paste into small balls between the palms of your hands. 4.         Roll the truffles in the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder to give them a nice finish and take the stickiness away.

Pumpkin Soup Made with garlic and a dash of pepper. Its good fun to get creative with pumpkin designs to show off your talent in your window. Make the most of it, and cook the pumpkin itself, it is nutritiously rich in vitamin A to help you see in the dark when out on ghost and ghoul watch. Pumpkin Soup Serves 5 Ingredients ·         2 tablespoon of coconut oil ·         750g of Pumpkin deseeded, and cubed (scooped from the pumpkin, important you keep the pumpkin for decoration) ·         4 cloves of crushed garlic ·         2 finely chopped onion ·         1 teaspoon of ground black peppercorns ·         250g of double cream ·         600ml of vegetable stock ·         2 finely chopped red chillies Method 1.    Add coconut oil to a hot pan and fry off the onions until golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and chilli, lightly fry and leave to cool 2.    In a saucepan add the stock and pumpkin cubes, simmer for 10 minutes and then add the cream and ground black pepper and take off the heat 3.    Add the contents from the frying pan to the pumpkins and blend with a hand blender The soup is now ready to be reheated when needed and served

Beauty isn't just skin deep: looking after you skin

Many things can take a toll on our skin, whether it be seasonal changes from cold winters with drying central heating to sizzling UV rays of the summer sun, natural hormonal changes as we pass through life stages, the environment, and even our own immune system.

Here are some of our top tips on how a good daily skincare and healthy diet can help to keep you glowing on the outside and within.

Be gentle: the top skin layer protects your body from the environment but it is delicate. Avoid rough exfoliating techniques, stripping this layer can worsen acne and dry the skin Instead use gentle cleansers – those with rose oil are particular soothing. For open wounds, manuka honey helps protect against bacteria .

Support natural elimination: a healthy liver, kidneys and digestion enable the body to deal with that may otherwise come out through the skin as spots. Helpful foods are artichoke, dandelion and alfalfa.

Eat clean: choose unprocessed wholefoods such as colourful vegetables, fruit, nuts, oily fish and avocado – they are rich in skin-supportive essential fats and antioxidants like Vitamin A, C,E manganese and zinc

Drink water: our skin contains four layers, with the cells in the upper layers being flatter and drier. Staying hydrating helps the cells stay plump and look youthful.

Golden rule: use ingredients on your skin that you’d be happy to eat – your body absorbs some of them.

How to reduce premature aging

Sun exposure

Cells in the lower levels of the skin produce melanin, a pigment that helps to create your tan as part of protecting the skin and its DNA from UV damage. Enjoying some time in the sun is important to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, but the key is moderation.

Bare 20: Skin can protect itself from a little sun, with the palest skin having an SPF2, constantly wearing high SPF sunblock can prevent vitamin D which is important to keep normal skin health. Ideally get up to 20 minutes of sun exposure daily without sunscreen, or less if the skin turns slightly pink.

Go natural: When spending the day outside choose natural sunscreen. Coconut oil is one option that provides SPF4 and supports elastin to keep skin supple but you need to reapply frequently to benefit from its UV barrier.

Nutrient boost: sip green tea in the sun, antioxidant-rich foods such as green tea help protect the skin from UV damage.

A natural facelift

Vitamin C supports collagen production for reduced appearance of wrinkles. Choose topical creams containing vitamin C to use on fine lines, include a high strength supplement and eat rich food sources as broccoli and berries.

Sea Algae helps to support the firmness, moisture and structure to improve skin appearance.

Acne

Hormonal balance

From puberty onwards both men and women can have an influx of testosterone that increase in a oily wax called sebum, causing hair follicles to become blocked and creating pockets of bacteria and debris. Spots that tend to surface on the chin can also be related to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.

Apply zinc to the affected area and take a supplement to support healing and a healthy level of testosterone.

Only pop spots hygienically - use a comedone extractor as your hands can lead to bacteria and debris being pushed deeper into the skin, increasing chances of scarring and infection.

Include garlic in the diet for its antimicrobial effects to help reduce any bacterial or fungal skin infections.

Hopefully this will give you a good starting point for flawless skin, for further support the Patrick Holford skin problems covers all dietary and lifestyle changes to get yourself flawless skin.