Nutrition Balance

It’s that festive time of year again! With all the fun and excitement of it, seeing friends and spending time with your family, eating and drinking can take it’s toll on your body. I’d like to take the opportunity this week to give you some tips on how to minimize the effect of drinking and the dreaded hangover.

Of course the best thing for your body is not to drink in excess at all. Research has shown that one glass of red wine with a meal is actually good for you… however we all know at a party it’s unlikely that we’re just going to stick to the one glass. So read on:

1. Line your stomach: eating before drinking will slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Try slow-releasing carbs or foods with natural oils. In some cultures people take a table spoon of olive oil before drinking for the same result!

2. Give your metabolism and bloodstream a break: make every other drink a soft one.

3. Dilute the bloodstream before bed: when you get home try to drink 2-3 pints of water. Don’t drink right up to the point of getting into bed.

4. Re-hydrate: drink plenty of water the next morning, and herbal teas like ginger and lemon, mint or green tea. Avoid fruit juices as the sugars they contain are proceed by the liver and actually enhance the unpleasant feeling of a hangover.

5. Have fun: if you are putting your body under stress it might as well be for a good cause, so enjoy yourself and have fun!

A Very Merry Christmas to all my clients and readers, and a Happy New Year.

Love,

Jane x

A great mid-meal snack, or a pre-exercise energy booster, the banana is a staple fruit for many of us. Containing three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

But bananas can also give us so much more! Read on to find out about the range of illnesses and ailments that bananas can fight against:

Depression

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS

Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power

200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Ulcers

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control

Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. InThailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood Enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use

Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress

Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes

According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts

Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

We are repeatedly told that we should eat plenty of oily fish to boost our bodies intake of omega oils.

I thought I might post a few recipes in the coming weeks, tried and tested by my family. First up, an easy introduction to oily fish is salmon. This recipe pairs the omega rich protein that fish provides with the lycopene rich and delicious roasted tomatoes. An easy mid week supper. Enjoy!

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/616700

Candida is thought to be part of our commensal gut bacteria. However, when your immune system is low or compromised, Candida can change from a yeast form to a fungal form. This can become pretty invasive and bring many of symptoms of ill health with it. I have seen many Candida sufferers over the years and with a test to identify it and an anti-Candida programme you can over come this health problem. The old days of extreme anti-Candida diets have gone and although you will need to adapt your diet it is not difficult. Look at my Candida page.

We all know that outward signs like dry skin, rashes or inflammation are our bodies way of telling us that something is up… but it’s difficult to always know what!

The website www.everydayhealth.com has published a very handy guide written by Dr. Eleanor Roberts to help us decipher what our nails reveal about our health.

Brittle nails, white dots or colour change? Read on!

http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/beauty/what-your-nails-say-about-you.aspx?xid=nl_TodaysHighlightFromDailyGlow_20111116

Dailyglow.com tells about the magic number: Want a smoother, clearer complexion? Who doesn’t!

Jessica Wu, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at USC Medical School and a dermatologist in Los Angeles, encourages you to pop all six of these fortifying Feed Your Face foods into your shopping basket.

1. Tomatoes
Definitely one of your skin’s best defenses, tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. While studies have not yet been entirely conclusive, many suggest that lycopene may be responsible for helping to protect the skin against sun damage.

Lycopene is best absorbed by the body when it has been cooked or processed, so eating tomato sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup is likely to be more effective than just eating raw tomatoes when trying to safeguard your skin against harmful UV rays. Lycopene is also fat soluble, which means that it is absorbed more easily when consumed with fat, such as eggs, avocado, and olive oil.

2. Red Meat
Sometimes it gets a bad rap, and even though red meat does contain saturated fat and cholesterol, lean red meat is one of Dr. Wu’s favorite Feed Your Face foods because it’s so high in protein and zinc. In fact, recent studies suggest that red meat may be even better at treating acne than antibiotics.

To produce collagen, your skin needs the amino acids glycine and proline, and the protein in red meat has the highest concentration of these two amino acids. The mineral zinc is also crucial for collagen production. “It’s an essential cofactor,” says Dr. Wu. “Without enough zinc, it’s difficult for the skin to make collagen. Plus, zinc is a natural anti-inflammatory.” And vegetarians don’t need to miss out. Dr. Wu adds that high concentrations of glycine can also be found in seafood, proline in cottage cheese and cabbage, and zinc in lentils, kidney beans, and raw oysters.

3. Green Tea
It’s no secret that green tea is an antioxidant powerhouse. Its strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects are attributed to its high concentration of catechin compounds. Studies have shown that green tea can be used both orally and topically to help protect the skin from sunburns and UV-associated skin cancers. Research also suggests that drinking one cup of green tea twice a day over the course of six months may actually reverse sun damage and significantly improve any problems you have with redness and broken capillary veins.

4. Green Beans
As long as we’re going green, let’s talk about how these low-calorie beans can help you grow thicker hair and healthier nails. Green beans are a star Feed Your Face food because they’re one of the richest sources of silicon — not to be confused with silicone, which is found in bad lip jobs and breast implants! The USDA has not yet established recommended daily intakes (RDIs) of silicon, but 10 mg per day seems to be adequate for strengthening hair and nails, according to recent studies. Dr. Wu recommends choosing organic green beans, since they retain more silicon from the soil. Don’t like green beans? You can also get your silicon fix from volcanic mineral waters such as Volvic, which contains 14.5 mg per liter.

5. Walnuts
Usually it’s salmon that’s synonymous with omega-3 fatty acids, but did you know that walnuts are also incredibly high in omega-3s? If you’re concerned with redness, swelling, blotchiness, acne breakouts, or wrinkles, walnuts may be your new best friend. Plant-based omega-3s, such as the ones found in walnuts, are naturally anti-inflammatory; they can help seal moisture into your skin and protect it from chemicals and other toxins. In particular, the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in these omega-3s can work to combat the dryness associated with aging that leads to wrinkles. But don’t stop with walnuts; you can also increase the amount of plant-based omega-3s in your diet by eating almonds, olive oil, and flaxseed, too.

6. Yogurt
Not only is it the main ingredient in the best smoothies, yogurt is a natural probiotic, which means that it helps replenish the “good” bacteria in your body and keeps yeast in check. This can come in handy if you have gastrointestinal issues or you’re prone to yeast infections, but what does it have to do with feeding your face? Well, according to Dr. Wu, yogurt is an excellent Feed Your Face food for dealing with acne breakouts, eczema, and even dandruff. Just be sure to choose a low-fat and low-sugar yogurt, since sugar can aggravate inflammation. And if you think your breakouts are related to dairy, Dr. Wu suggests skipping the yogurt and going straight for a probiotic supplement instead

The Guardian has some great meal plans as part of it’s heathy eating/ diet pages online. While I’m not advocating the diet, I do often get asked by clients and readers for healthy meal recipes and I think these are pretty good, and most of all, easy! No-one wants to get home from work and have to work for an hour to make a meal (well I don’t!).

Find recipes from mixed bean salad and granary bread lunches to whole wheat tortillas, with fruit and salad at http://www.guardianeatright.co.uk/dietprofile2/dietintro.cfm?code=27000

Happy eating!

Jane

A new study reminds us to think before we buy bread… one in every four loaves of bread sold in the UK high street contain as much salt in every slice as a packet of crisps, according to research published recently: www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/02/loaves-bread-salt-packet-crisps

You may be surprised to some of these worst offenders!

Popular packaged breads with highest salt content (per 100g)

1 Cranks seeded farmhouse, 2.03g

2 Vogel’s original mixed grain, 1.38g

3 Asda Chosen By You Baker’s Gold white farmhouse, 1.2g

4 Marks & Spencer Eat Well multigrain bloomer with 30% grains, 1.15g

5 Morrisons thick sunflower and pumpkin loaf, 1.1g

And coming out as the goodies of the study follows. Remember that it’s not just salt levels you have to think about so I would urge readers to choose whole, brown loaves over white.

Five loaves with lowest salt

1 Marks & Spencer Simply More Eat Well healthiest white bread, 0.58g

2 Tesco Stayfresh white sliced bread medium, 0.6g

3 Marks & Spencer Eat Well oaty bloomer, made with 30% oats, 0.65g

4 Marks & Spencer toasting white, 0.73g

5 Sainsbury’s medium wholemeal, 0.74g

Candida is thought to be part of our commensal gut bacteria. However, when your immune system is low or compromised, Candida can change from a yeast form to a fungal form. This can become pretty invasive and bring many of symptoms of ill health with it. I have seen many Candida sufferers over the years and with a test to identify it and an anti-Candida programme you can over come this health problem. The old days of extreme anti-Candida diets have gone and although you will need to adapt your diet it is not difficult. Look at my Candida page.