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Raw milk – hunt it down, it’s worth it

February 4, 2012 By 1 Comment

Wow – this is such a health and political hot potato. There is a LOT of information about raw milk, both for and against. Anyhow,  I took delivery of raw milk for the first time this week and have made some scrumptious yogurt with it  -I will tell you how at the bottom (super-easy). However, not nearly so easy is getting hold of raw milk. Raw milk can only be sold legally directly from the farm where it was produced. No retail outlet is allowed to sell it.

The big difference between raw milk and what you buy in the supermarket, or even from a farmers market / farm shop, is that all non-raw milk has been pasteurized. This means it has been blasted with super-high heat to kill off all bacteria, rendering it safe in the eyes of the health laws of this country.

However, there are enzymes, bacteria and certain proteins that get killed off by heat that are extremely beneficial to health. In fact, through my research I found testimonials from many people who are lactose-intolerant i.e. they don’t produce the digestive enzyme lactase that digests the sugar, lactose, in milk, but are perfectly able to digest raw milk. This is because raw milk already has the digestive enzyme lactase in it but this is killed off through pasteurization. In fact, there are 60 beneficial enzymes in raw milk all of which support healthy digestion.

There are also really good amounts of beneficial bacteria in raw milk including lactobacillus. This is the ‘gut-friendly’ bacterial so heavily promoted in live yogurt and those little ‘healthy digestion’ drinks, which are all killed off in commercial milk.

The good bacteria are so prolific in raw milk that they overwhelm any nasty bacteria that may be present. Also, raw milk is a whole food, far better balanced than semi and skimmed milk. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E, abundant in whole milk, will not get absorbed in to your system if fat is not present and raw milk has the perfect balance of minerals to allow the calcium it contains to be absorbed, and more importantly, transported in to our bones.

Raw milk also contains a type of protein called immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies. These little power-houses provide protection from many viruses and bacteria. PLUS, raw milk has high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (see previous post). This special type of omega 6 is known to boost metabolism, burn fat (esp. abdominal fat), boost muscle growth, increase insulin sensitivity and it strengthens the immune system.

So, I am really excited about getting raw milk delivered every week. To further increase its benefits, I am using it to make yogurt. As you’ll know if you follow my blog, I have tried many milk-alternatives to replace my once loved but now scorned soy milk. I am happy to stick to coconut milk on my oats, as it has many benefits, but anything in a carton is going to be lacking in live enzymes and good bacteria, so adding to my breakfast a good dollop of homemade raw milk yogurt, filled with the health-promoting lactic acid, makes my breakfast pretty tip top!

To make raw yogurt you don’t want to heat it to the high temperature normally used in yogurt making as it will destroy all of its benefits. I gently heated 2 pints to 43?C. Take off the heat and gently whisk in 2 tablespoons of good quality live yogurt. Put in to sterile jars or thermos flask. I did both. I put my jar in a cool bag with a hot water bottle which I reheated after about 10 hours. I left it in a warm place overnight along with the flask and in the morning I had AMAZING yogurt- thick and glorious!

My next post will be on the different types of sugar – which are good, which are bad etc. Coming soon….

 

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment, Weight Loss

Why Extreme Dieting Makes NO Sense

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

  If you’re struggling to lose those extra few pounds that you put on over Christmas and new year, the temptation to go to extremes and massively reduce your calorie intake can be immense, especially when you’re bombarded with diet programmes wherever you look.

I really hope I can persuade you to ignore all the hype and not be seduced by the hype. To be fair, dramatically restricting your calories will result in weight loss – absolutely! The various programmes that offer meal replacement bars and drinks, giving you between 500 – 800 calories a day will work – but for how long?

I see SO MANY clients who have been on these programmes, often many times over,  only to  put the weight back on, and often end up weighing more than before they started the miserable process of being hungry and bored on one of these plans.

There are a number of problems with low-calorie regimes that make long-term success highly unlikely:

There’s the psychological issue of deprivation and boredom: once you’ve committed to a low calorie diet, it won’t take long before you’re craving and obsessing about the foods you enjoy but can’t have. Soon you’ll be cheating, then beating yourself up about cheating and invariably this leads to feeling useless, hopeless and depressed.

Then there’s the inevitable problem of your body’s response to being deprived of energy – it will very quickly adapt to the reduced calorie intake and manage to do exactly what you demand of it i.e. your typical daily activities, on less. Your metabolic rate drops to accommodate your energy output in comparison to your energy input. End result, your metabolic rate will be more efficient i.e. slower than when you started. The less you eat, the less you will need to eat – simple!

Finally, my biggest issue with these diets is that they prevent you from learning how to feed yourself well and manage your weight using fresh, natural foods. The artificially flavoured meal replacements  may be packed full of added vitamins and minerals, but you will not be getting the goodness, the enzymes, fibres and flavours that will satisfy you; the diet will not nourish you properly on a physical or psychological level and it will suppress, not stimulate your internal furnace.

These diets can never be long-term because they are so restrictive. Once you resume your ‘normal’ eating, the pounds will pile back on.

Learn to eat well and you will never have to think about a diet again – really!

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Weight Loss

Keep it simple in 2012

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A week in and are you giving yourself a hard time for not sticking to those resolutions of abstinence from alcohol, chocolate, crisps and late night takeaways etc. etc.; of daily exercise; never skipping breakfast; drinking more water…..?

Well, rewind, forget all of the must nots, must do more ofs, must eat less ofs and simplify and healthify by keeping it really simple. Here are a few basics which, if you keep in mind, most of the time, you’ll do your body and your mood a serious favour:

•  Keep it fresh – aim to have some fresh fruit or veg with every meal (don’t rely too much on fruit if you’re hoping to lose weight as it is sugar-packed. I recommend 2 pieces of non-tropical fruit per day). Opt for variety, locally grown and a wide range of highly coloured veggies where possible.

• Watch those coffees   – if you do have a coffee make sure you have it once you’ve eaten something. That way the caffeine won’t play havoc with your blood sugar and adrenaline levels. Ideally opt for green, white and herby teas.

• Notice what you’re eating – unconscious eating can result in bloating, poor absorption of nutrients and major over-eating, so don’t eat while distracted or on the run. Sit down, chew well and focus on what you’re eating.

• Try and have some good quality protein like free-range eggs meat, fish, nuts or pulses with wholegrains with every meal.

• Make sure you are getting the essential fats you need. Omega 3 – soooooooooo important (refer back to previous blogs). Take a high quality, high potency fish oil or get eating LOTS of oily fish.

• Try not to eat too late; try and avoid refined sugars and grains; definitely avoid trans fats and don’t deny yourself all of your favourites, just have them on occasion, in moderation and when you do – really enjoy them.

More on easy, healthy tips to come :)

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment, Weight Loss

Keep your spirits up….

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It may well be the time for good cheer and festivities, but if you are prone to ‘the blues’, to feeling down, where even the smallest things require an enormous effort and you carry with you a heavy sense of hopelessness; if all you really want to do is crawl in to bed and never come out,  then the thought of putting on your glad rags and partying the night away can be utterly overwhelming, never mind revving yourself up for a house full of family for Christmas day.

Depression can take many forms. Clinical depression is a serious mental illness that usually requires long-term medication to maintain a healthy balance of brain chemicals to keep the levels of depression under control. Other, less severe forms of depression can sometimes respond well and be managed by using some nutritional interventions.

Mild to moderate depression can be triggered by a difficult life event; by prolonged high levels of stress or anxiety; a poor diet lacking in certain essential nutrients; an excess of alcohol and/or recreational drugs or a genetic predisposition. Symptoms include episodes of sleeplessness, low sex drive, loss of appetite, or a craving for high-carbohydrate foods, low mood, obviously, poor concentration, and a real lack of motivation and self-belief.

What many people do not realise is how food can affect brain chemical balance. In just the same way as any other organ in the body requires specific nutrients for optimum function, so too healthy brain function can be maintained through healthy food and lifestyle practices.

With this is mind, I was at a Christmas party last night and when asked about my work I explained what nutritional therapy is and gave the example of how eating certain foods can help with certain cases of mental illness. The woman I was speaking with found this utterly remarkable and was keen to hear more.  I gave the example of depression. She failed to understand why people didn’t just go the gym to get a hit of endorphins, the way she does. I explained that once depression takes hold it can be extremely hard to find the energy and motivation to do anything very much, never mind going to the gym.

It struck me as interesting though, as this woman had clearly found her own strategy for coping with her stress and anxiety levels by thrashing it out at the gym. I am well aware that depression is far more fickle and pervasive than feeling a little stressed out, wound up or jaded, but I wanted to run through some healthy guidelines for helping to keep your brain chemicals in good order:

Omega 3: yes, yet again, this essential oil, woefully lacking in most Westerners diet, is utterly critical for healthy brain function including ensuring the feel good chemicals and well balanced.

Vitamin D: another nutrient severely lacking in many people, especially during the winter. Low vitamin D levels are strongly correlated to low mood depression.

-Tryptophan: this an amino acid, found in certain proteins and is the precursor to the manufacture of serotonin, one of the main ‘feel-good’ chemicals in the brain. Interestingly, there are high levels of tryptophan in white meat, especially turkey, so it makes sense to feast on turkey during holiday times when tensions can be high with all those visitors and demands on your time.

Whole grains: especially brown rice and whole oats. These foods contain good levels of various B vitamins essential for supporting adrenal function (helping with feelings of stress and anxiety) and good for supporting the nervous system and getting a good nights sleep.

Organic, free-range eggs: containing great levels of protein and, if organic and free range, will also contain lots of omega 3 and vitamin D.

Stable blood sugar: ensure regular, well-balanced meals with good levels of protein, whole grains and fresh veg. This will help maintain steady blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar can trigger low mood, energy slumps and feelings of anxiety.

Stay off the refined carbs: sugar, white bread, processed snacks, cakes, biscuits etc. play havoc with blood sugar levels and can negatively affect brain chemical balance.

Manage your stress: easier said than done, but high levels of stress over a prolonged period can result in serious levels of depression due to the stress hormone cortisol -  a well studied depressant.

Get outside! A good brisk walk can significantly lift a low mood. Even if you don’t feel like it, force yourself to get outside. It doesn’t matter if the sun isn’t shining, you’re brain chemicals will still benefit from revving up your body and being out in the daylight.

I appreciate that this is a somewhat simplistic approach to depression and I in no way wish to trivialize what is often a very debilitating, misunderstood and under diagnosed problem. Equally, please do no underestimate the power of healthy eating on certain mental health issues.

There are some specific supplements that can significantly boost serotonin, dopamine and melatonin levels, all involved in mood regulation, stress management and sleep. If you feel you need some help with managing your depression naturally, please get in touch.

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment

A simple health tip that will give you a huge boost…

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You may have heard that lemon water is good for you, but you may not know why. Well, there are many great reasons to start your day with this cheap and refreshing tonic. Having a large (pref. a pint) glass of warm water with the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon (or lime), will:

•  Give you a great energy boost first thing in the morning due to its great hydrating and oxygenating effects. Have it as soon as you get up, before eating anything, to get the best results.

• Improve your mental clarity as the body loses a lot of moisture throughout the night so you will be in need of good hydration first thing in the morning. As I’ve posted before, even a tiny amount of dehydration leads to sluggishness in body and mind.

• Many people rely on caffeinated drinks to get them going in the morning, but this over-stimulates the adrenal glands, resulting in a downer shortly afterwards, and caffeine is a diuretic causing more dehydration and the loss of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium. Lemon juice not only rehydrates, it is high in vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.

• Lemon water will stimulate your hydrochloric acid and digestive enzyme production, preparing your body for food, so you digest and absorb the goodness from your breakfast much better.

• Fresh lemon has been shown to stimulate liver function, specifically the production of many of the liver enzymes that help the body to detoxify.

• Citric acid, found in high levels in lemon juice, helps to prevent excess calcium building up on artery walls and as kidney stones.

• Lemon water taken regularly has been shown to reduce blood pressure and dilutes uric acid in the body – a build up of which can cause the potentially excruciating conditions gout and arthritis.

• and, it helps with excess acidity in the body. I appreciate this is counter-intuitive as citrus fruits are acidic, but due to the process of digestion, it becomes buffered and actually helps keep the digestive system at a healthy pH balance.

Go on, try it. Once you start you’ll wonder how you ever got going without it. oh, by the way, if you have weak / thin tooth enamel, it’s best to drink your lemon water with a straw so you bypass your teeth and protect your enamel from the weakening effect of the lemon juice.

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment

A quick word about garlic

November 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It is pretty widely known that garlic is a really healthy food. The reasons behind its healthy status are manifold and include being strongly antibiotic and blood cleansing – so very good for acne sufferers; it is also a powerful anti-fungal and anti-viral. Garlic has been shown to help reduce high levels of the unhealthy type cholesterol (LDL) and for lowering blood pressure; it is high is selenium, a potent anti-oxidant and it has been shown to offer great protection for the cardiovascular system and from various cancers – pretty amazing, no?

These incredible healthy-giving powers are mainly attributed to the active ingredient allicin, a sulphur compound. The allinanse enzyme gets activated once the cell walls of the garlic clove have been damaged. Therefore, in order to get the most out of your garlic, chop or crush it well before you heat it or add other ingredients. I find the best way to do this is to prep your garlic before you do any other preparation for the dish you are making. Allow it to sit and add to your cooking as late as possible to retain as much of the healthy active ingredietns as possible.

Microwaving garlic pretty much renders its health properties inactive (I think this is probably true for many nutrients in food) and eating it raw, having let it sit once crushed for a least 10 minutes, provides the optimum levels but if you have a delicate digestive system, you may find raw garlic causes a burning sensation and, of course, you’ll be a bit stinky. Chewing parsley can help with garlicky breath and will also provide you with a wealth of vitamins and anti-oxidants, so it’s a win win!

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment

Calorie-Counting – a complete waste of your time and health

October 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

Oh the joy of Sunday radio 4 listening. There’s Desert Island Discs, some whacky quiz-type show, and then, the very wonderful Food Programme. I’ve listened to this show for years and it retains my interest because the subjects covered are so varied and extremely current.

This weeks show was on the notion of calorie counting – arrgghhhhhh! It was so wonderful to hear some well-qualified experts in the field of nutrition and dietary science making it unequivocally clear that calorie counting as a guide to weight loss is a waste of time.

I won’t go in to the scientific details, you can get those by listening again on the iplayer, but the point is well made that all calories are not equal. I have been trying to convince dedicated yo-yo dieters for years that they have to stop being guided by the calorie content of foods. The old adage of ‘energy in, energy out’ as an equation for weight loss is just not true. 100 calories (a measure of energy) from a piece of cake is absolutely not going to have the same effect on the body as 100 calories of carrots or a 100 calorie piece of steak.

What I didn’t know is that Weight Watchers this year dropped their calorie counting system all together in favour of a colour-coded scheme – hallelujah!  The whole concept of calorie counting and how many calories are required is seriously flawed. How can a sedentary woman of 5’2″ with very little muscle tone need the same calorific intake as a woman of 5’10″ who is fit and active with a lot of muscle – bonkers!

The resounding message from the programme, which I agree with wholeheartedly, was this: there’s no need to worry about calories if you are making your own food from fresh and minimally processed foods; calorie counting drives people to eat the wrong foods, choosing calorie content over nutritional benefit e.g. nuts are super healthy but a high calorie food. Eat real food and you never need think about calories ever again.

If you’re struggling with this concept, think of it like this – our bodies need a fairly constant supply of nutrients to maintain all the very many complex functions in the body. Eating real food that provides the body with these nutrients,  your body will use, not store the food you eat. Processed foods, comprising ingredients that our bodies don’t recognise and cannot use i.e. foods that have been messed around with,   cannot be used by the body so will be stored instead, as fat.

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Weight Loss

Acid reflux – can be due to too little stomach acid!

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I was giving a talk at a vocal health forum recently. The room was filled with singers and singing teachers. After the forum a number people came to complaining of acid reflux and how taking antacids prescribed by their doctor, was having no benefit. I have also worked with several singers in the past with acid issues but this problem is in no way exclusive to singers. Because acid reflux is very detrimental to a singers voice, singers are far more likely to seek help rather than suffer in silence like many people do who do not feel so protective about their throats.

Acid reflux is quite simply stomach acid coming up the oesophagus (throat) rather than staying in the stomach. The acid in the stomach is incredibly strong and is there to kill off bacteria and other nasties in our food as well as helping to break down our food before it passes in to the intestines for absorption.

Acid reflux is generally considered an excess acid problem where too much of the stomach acid forces its way back up the throat, irritating the tissues and causing burping and an uncomfortable burning sensation. The same symptoms can also come for too little stomach acid. As you can see in the diagram, there is a sphincter at the top of the stomach. When the stomach has food in it, acid is added to the contents of the stomach and that top sphincter should jam shut so nothing can escape back up. If your body does not produce enough acid., the opening does not close properly, allowing acid to leak back up the throat.

Other symptoms of low stomach acid include bloating, as your food will not be getting broken down properly so will be fermenting in the gut; foul-smelling wind; poor bowel functioning – usually constipation; bad breath; feeling heavy and full for a long time after eating and if this condition goes on for some time you will become fatigued and run down as your absorption of nutrients from your food will be seriously impaired, potentially leading to much more serious aliments.

There are 2 simple tests you can do to get a good idea if your digestive issues and/or heart burn are caused by too little stomach acid. Firstly, get out the good old apple cider vinegar  (ACV) – see a past blog for more on this great health tonic. Use a high quality, unpasteurised ACV. Take 1 tablespoon in some water with your first mouthful of food. This will help generate a balanced amount of stomach acid and make your sphincter shut properly. If you find you feel better after a meal using the ACV, it is very likely you have low acid. If you feel worse, you are probably producing too much stomach acid.

Another test, add a level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to a glass of water and drink on an empty stomach. The bicarb will react with your stomach acid and cause gases to be produced. If after a few minutes you do NOT start to burp, your acid levels are low.

Remedies include taking a betaine and pepsin supplement – this supplies hydrochloric acid to your stomach; use ACV when you eat; have a broad spectrum digestive enzyme to help breakdown your food and CHEW, CHEW, CHEW – this will stimulate stomach acid production.

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment

Get in to Wild Game

October 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

For all you meat eaters out there – it’s coming in to Game season and I strongly urge you to make the most of it.

Pheasant is a great meat. It can be a little dry so I recommend you use the breast meat, cut in to strips, and quickly sauteed with lots of veggies to make a fabulous, healthy dish that keeps the meat moist. Or roast the whole bird just like you would a chicken, basting regularly. If your butcher does not have any, request they get some in.   Pheasant is lean, low in fat and has a lovely flavour.

For me though, the most fabulous wild game is venison. Another lean meat that is super healthy. It is an amazing deep purple colour because the animal is so active. Deer are not intensively reared so they live a naturally free life before being culled. Different cuts require different treatment. The steaks can be flash fried in a little butter and olive oil or you can get diced venison which makes amazing stew -    pop it in a slow cooker or casserole dish with lots of root veg, mushrooms, juniper berries and a little stock and 6 hours later you’ll have a fantastic, hearty meal (there are loads of great recipes online).

These clean, lean, tasty meats are satisfying and nourishing, providing lots of the amazing amino acid L-Glutamine which heals the gut lining; supports immune function; aids in muscle recovery after exercising and improves stamina.

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Weight Loss

To all you runners out there….

September 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered why so many people run, for fun? It’s an incredibly popular sporting activity in the UK, maybe because you can do it for free – no gym membership or fancy equipment required; maybe it’s because you can do it in groups if you need the support and motivation to get you out there and keep you going, or it can be a solitary pursuit, at your own pace while you get away from it all . Of course, many people run to keep fit and healthy, to manage their weight, maintain a healthy cardio-vascular system and  running certainly great for  muscular strength and tone.

Whatever the motivation, running  is enjoyed by millions. But there appears to be a lot of confusion about what is best to eat when in training and as importantly, when to eat it . So, here are some guidelines to help all you runners to get the most out of your running and to allow your body to recover as quickly and as fully as possible between runs.

•  Allow at least 90 minutes after eating before a run, and if you’re running after a main meal, 2 hours minimum. I definitely feel at my best running first thing in the morning after a large glass of lemon water, but no food.

•  Keep well hydrated – being even marginally dehydrated will impair the performance of your muscles and your ability to recover. I am not a big fan of the commercial isotonic drinks. I believe a well-balanced diet, with plenty of fresh foods that are high in water along with plenty of water throughout the day will ensure your tissues are well hydrated before a run. After a run try coconut water. This is now readily available and is incredible at rehydrating, providing all the electrolytes, sugars and fluids needed. Plain old water with a squeeze of lemon juice will also do the trick unless you have been on a very long run in very hot temperatures.

•  Eat plenty of high quality protein on a very regular basis – protein helps your muscles heal and recover. It also supports metabolism and helps balance blood sugar. It is best to have a little grade one protein at every meal, balanced with plenty of fresh veg and  complex carbs.

•  L-Glutamine is an amino acid available in supplement form. If you are prone to injuries, especially if you have a recurring injury, or if you find it takes a long time to get over a hard run, this may help. It is used by athletes to help muscle recovery and healing of injuries. It must be taken away from food to be effective.

•  Eat complex carbs immediately after exercising – along with some protein, of course. This will aid muscle recovery and replenish your stores of glycogen in your muscles. If you don’t do this within an hour of a run, you’re recovery will be impaired and you’ll find your limbs heavy and your energy sluggish when you set off on your next run.

I’ll go in to more detail in my next blog…

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Treatment, Weight Loss
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