Optimising your nutrition both before and during pregnancy will not only give your baby the best start in life but research suggests a healthy pregnancy diet also has long lasting effects that go well into childhood. Here are just a few key steps to supporting your reproductive health throughout all stages of pregnancy and beyond. Preconception If you are thinking about trying for a baby, it is vital to maintain good levels of a wide range of nutrients including vitamin D and folate. Vitamin...
Carb-loading is a term you’re likely to have heard before, but what does it mean? Do we really need to jump on the carb-bandwagon in order to excel, or is it just another diet myth? Should you really have an 'all-you-can-eat' pasta dinner the night before the marathon? The science
“Our body stores carbs in the form of glycogen in our muscles and liver. When we workout, our body needs energy. The easiest accessible way for the body to regain this energy is through our glycogen stores -...
IBS can have a significant impact on people's lives. The low FODMAP diet can help, but can you do this alone? The low FODMAP diet is scientifically shown to improve symptoms in over 75% of sufferers. However, it can be tricky to negotiate alone. So the best results are seen when sufferers have expert advice and support from a dietitian who specialises in FODMAPs. A dietitian can help tailor the diet to that of the individual and therefore make it more manageable. Impact on life IBS isn't...
Fad diets or diets that are restrictive or make you feel hungry a lot of the time, are unlikely to be sustainable in the longer-term. However, making small positive changes can make a huge difference over time. The book called ‘The Slight Edge’ by Jeff Olson explains this thinking clearly. However, as human’s, we are often attracted to a quick fix. When it comes to your diet, making small changes and some better choices each day can make a big difference over the course...
You’re constantly hungry and your moods seem to only come in two types: irritable or angry (or ‘hangry’ as I like to refer to it as). You often wake up feeling groggy, and a little bit ‘hungover’ despite a full nine hours sleep the night before… and all with zero alcohol involved. Sound familiar? Many of the women I meet in my clinic report experiencing similar complaints and although these symptoms can be completely different, there may be one common...
“All disease begins in the gut.” - Hippocrates of Kos (c. 460 – c. 370 BC) knew that gut health was key to your overall health and many diseases and seemingly unconnected symptoms you may have, and this was over two centuries ago. Luckily, we now have the technology and scientific knowledge to address an unhealthy gut microbiome and to implement dietary steps to improve the balance of your microbiome and ultimately your health. Symptoms and...
Cutting back on meat and dairy is one of the ways many of us are looking to start healthier habits. Flexitarianism is on the rise, with more and more British meat-eaters buying vegan and vegetarian products as part of their weekly shop. 40% of us now spend over £25 each week on meat-free alternatives, thanks to our growing awareness of the health and environmental impacts eating meat can have. What is flexitarianism? A flexitarian diet, also known as ‘casual vegetarianism’ has become an...
About stomach acid Stomach acid, gastric acid, hydrochloric acid – these all refer to the acid that is naturally produced by the cells lining the stomach. Too frequently, stomach acid tends to get a bad press as it is considered to be the cause of many digestive symptoms; and consequently, medications that suppress its secretion are prescribed by the medical profession. This article demonstrates why we need stomach acid, why very often you may have too little rather than too much, the...
Until around 1900, heart disease was so rare that doctors would congregate by the bed of a sufferer to learn about this unusual condition. Yes, genes are relevant, and stress, but genes haven’t changed much in a century, and life was always stressful. So what has changed, and what can we do about it? Milk sugar causes heart attacks One change is refrigeration. In the past, milk tended to be converted to butter and cheese, as those kept well. With refrigeration, milk kept well....
Many people come to me complaining of aches and pains. Sometimes they are in one particular place, sometimes they are all over. They may have been given a diagnosis like fibromyalgia, migraines, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Omega 3 and 6 fats should be balanced “-itis” means inflammation. We need to be able to make inflammation to fight infection, but we do not want to be inflamed all the time. Why is inflammation so common nowadays? One reason is...
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