Improved treatment for chronic fatigueWednesday, May 4th, 2011 / General News
CoQ10 is a substance that is found in abundance in muscle cells (and heart cells) because it acts as fuel to power energy production in these organs. For this reason, it is a promising treatment for people fighting chronic fatigue or wishing to increase energy levels. A new study shows that a new formulation of Co Q10 (called “Ubiquinol”) is more easily absobed than previous supplements and raises the level of CoQ10 in the blood significantly. Even better, it also reduces bad LDL cholesterol ………… sounds like it’s worth a try!
The importance of proteinSunday, April 3rd, 2011 / General News
Our bodies manufacture proteins to make hair, nails, muscles, tendons, ligaments and other body structures. During a single day, our bodies breakdown and re-use about one pound of protein whilst helping us to grow and heal. Therefore, adequate dietary protein is essential to good health and vitality. Examples of food high in protein include meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese and milk, beans, lentils and tofu but there are smaller and important amounts of protein in cereals such as brown rice, oats, corn, whole wheat, etc. It’s good to balance your protein foods between animal, fish sources and vegetables sources. Please e-mail me for a copy of my handout on healthy ways to increase protein in your daily diet.
Enhancing your memoryThursday, March 31st, 2011 / General News
If you memory is not what it should be and you’ve noticed that your concentration levels aren’t what you would like, you should think about your zinc intake. Marginal deficiencies of zinc can mildly impair mental functioning, including short term memory and attention span. Good levels of zinc are found in seafood like oysters and fish, and also legumes, cereals, whole grains and dark turkey meat.
Non-dairy sources of calciumSunday, March 27th, 2011 / General News
Men and women need about 800 – 1000 mgs of calcium a day but how do you get your calcium if you do not like or cannot take dairy. You can try drinking fortified beverages like orange juice and soya milk and eat white beans (soyabeans, cannellini and butter beans). Kelp are large sea plants and contain the highest natural concentration of calcium of any food (10 times more than milk) and is an excellent alternative to salt. Turnip greens, spring greens, kale, and spinach are just a few examples of natural sources of calcium from the greens family. The bones of canned salmon and sardines are softened in the canning process, making them edible and an excellent source of calcium. Two teaspoonfuls of black strap molasses (treacle) will give you 10% of your daily needs. E-mail me if you would like a copy of my handout on alternative sources of calcium.
Increasing your brain powerTuesday, March 22nd, 2011 / General News
Boron is a trace mineral and a low boron diet can produces brain waves which are more common during drowsy spells (confirmed by EEG). People who take lower boron diets are slower on basic tasks than those taking a higher boron diet. Eating nuts, legumes, leafy vegetables such as broccoli and fruits such as apples, peaches, pears will increase boron intake and just two apples and 100gms of peanuts will give you 3mgs of boron a day, the dose they used in tests.
Watching your salt intakeWednesday, March 9th, 2011 / General News
Lots of people think they don’t eat much salt, especially if they don’t add it to their food, however, 85% men and 69% women eat too much of the stuff. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, making heart disease and stroke more likely. So, it’s important to check labels for salt and anything with the word “sodium” in it, e.g., monosodium glutamate, sodium bicarbonate, etc. Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium. Understand just how much sodium is in salt so you can take measures to control your intake. One teaspoon of salt is 2.300 mgs of sodium. Middle-aged and older adults and people with high blood pressure need less than 1,500 mg per day and, for everyone else, aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
A little trick with corn!Saturday, December 4th, 2010 / General News
Eating corn is really good for keeping you regular, it’s also good for your heart because it contains folic acid, and it’s kind to your adrenals because of the Vitamin B5 it contains. I’ll let you in on a little trick with corn that we Nutritional Therapists use to assess a client’s bowel transit time: eat some corn and note the time and then note the time when you pass it (this is easy to spot because the corn “shell” is indigestible). If it takes longer than 24 hours to pass the corn, your bowel transit time is sluggish and you could do with increasing the amount of fibre and fluid in your diet. Ah, if only all life were so simple!
Beat the afternoon slumpTuesday, November 30th, 2010 / General News
Do you find that, after lunch, you’re tired, apathetic and have difficulty concentrating and thinking properly – are you trying to work through a brain fog? Well then, what you’re eating for lunch may be your problem. Carbohydrates, like bread, pasta and rice raise the level of tryptophan in the brain and tryptophan has a calming effect (tryptophan is a pre-cursor of serotonin, the happy neurotransmitter). And, protein foods like fish, eggs, cheese, beans and tofu increases the production of dopamine and nor-adrenaline, which promote alertness. So, be sure to eat some protein foods with your carbohydrates at lunch time – try whole wheat egg sandwiches with salad, chicken with your pasta, beans in your soup. Combining protein with your carbohydrates will you set you up for the afternoon and have you in tip-top condition right up to five o’clock!
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Fruit – hubble, bubble, toil and trouble!Monday, November 1st, 2010 / General News
Fruit is packed full of health-giving nutrients and it’s good to eat a few pieces every day. But, watch out, if you eat fruit in the same meal as high protein foods you could be in for trouble. Why? Well, high protein foods like meats, fish and beans need to stay in the stomach for several hours to be properly digested. On the other hand, fruit passes through the stomach within about forty minutes. Mosty fruits, except bananas, apples and pears, ferment in a warm acidic environment, and, if taken with proteins, remain in the stomach for several hours, bubbling away, and potentially causing a lot of discomfort. So, eat your fruit either on its own or with carbohydrate-rich foods like oats and millet. Apple porridge with cinammon is a joy for breakfast.
Green tea helps to reduce body fatSunday, September 5th, 2010 / General News
A new study finds that found that, in a randomised controlled trial, green tea significantly decreased body weight by 2.5kg.and body mass index by 1.9 over eight weeks in comparison to controls (those who did not drink green tea). In the study, the green tea drinkers also had a decreasing trend in “bad” cholesterol and a reduction in markers of oxidative stress – this means that they were likely to have better protection against chronic illnesses like heart disease, cancers and inflammatory problems like arthritis.
So, if you are trying to lose weight, green tea may well be a useful adjunct to your weight loss programme. The most common problems causing weight gain are: blood sugar imbalance, adrenal fatigue, sluggish thyroid and not chewing your food properly (honestly). If you have weight problems, give me a call and, together, we can review the probable causes.