Kate Dimmer Nutrition

Baked feta and figs 😋

Still holding onto salads but I’m enjoying warm elements to them. I’m loving baked feta combined with ripe figs and thyme. Just pop in the oven for ten mins whilst you prepare the rest of the salad. I’ve added it to mixed organic leaves, beetroot and walnuts. Simple. Very tasty too.

Gut friendly🫒 foods

Not all gut friendly food will be friendly for YOUR gut unfortunately. We are all different and if there are some imbalances and digestive issues, some of the most healthy foods can cause wind and bloating. In general, a diverse diet is best for gut health. This ensures your body receives a broad range of nutrients. A common way to achieve this is to include lots of coloured veg and fruits in the diet.

In this salad I have included sauerkraut and olives which are both probiotic foods that feed the gut bacteria. Healthy gut bacteria is important for digestion and immune function (among other things!). The beetroot supports liver and bile flow and provides a source of starchy carbohydrates. The chicken provides protein (amino acids are what we get from protein) -important for many things including keeping us fuller for longer. Protein is needed for bones, muscles, immune health, hormone balance, cognitive health and more. I’ve included mixed leaves and lentils providing gentle fibre. Tomato is there for carbohydrates and antioxidants. All the foods on the plate are packed with vitamins and minerals.

Other factors affect gut health - not just food. The top issue I see in my clinic alongside IBS is stress. Stress damages the gut lining and affects blood glucose and blood pressure too. This is why I’m training in hypnotherapy- to support my clients with stress and anxiety.

Today looks like a beautiful day for getting out into nature which is a great stress reliever. Have a good weekend. What are you up to? 😊

I thought this was a useful little vid from Dr John Campbell. He suggests a couple of devices you might like to keep in your first aid kit.

Every home diagnostic devices Well worth having these in the home and learning about your normal physiology. This is called your baseline. If you know your baseline physiology it becomes ...

Boost your nutrient content

Just a quickie to give some suggestions on how to increase your nutrient intake with food. It’s now autumn and it’s a time of year when we start to see more colds going round. Take a dose of elderberry syrup daily during autumn and winter. Elderberry has antiviral properties.

This salad is packed with herbs. I’m terrible at growing things but I do have some herbs in the garden and kitchen. Herbs are very densely packed with minerals, vitamins and other health promoting compounds. In this salad there’s Basil, mint, coriander and oregano. Go with your personal tastes. Now autumn is coming I will probably move from Basil to thyme.

Spices are also packed with nutrients. Just add some seasoning (but not the packets with blends containing sweeteners and sugar) to your meal for a nutrient boost. Cinnamon is warming. Cardamom has many antioxidants. You could add both to porridge. Turmeric is anti inflammatory and can be added to smoothies and curries.

Garlic and ginger are warming and both have anti viral properties. Ginger is a great home remedy for upset tummies. If you’re still enjoying salads, garlic, chilli and ginger along with fresh coriander leaves make a zingy nutritious dressing. ⭐️

Ps still obsessed with feta since Greece.

Simple food 🥗
The other day my friend made me a delicious lunch. She said ‘it is just sample food’. And it was simple. But very tasty. Sometimes we think that simple food is boring. But the simplicity is just in the ingredients used being natural and unprocessed. And maybe there are only a few ingredients. The flavours and textures can be exciting. When you eat less sugar and avoid artificial sweeteners, you suddenly become aware of the simple sweetness of a ripe nectarine. Our palates can get used to processed foods, especially sweet things, and lead us to crave more. Fortunately for me this hot weather is helping me eat good simple food. Assembling a salad is not difficult. It is easier in summer, I think, than winter when we need higher energy, comfort foods. Try and simplify some of your meals - maybe the ones that you don’t have to cook for others 😆and see how you learn to enjoy the subtle flavours. I am back to eating a large ripe tomato with feta and herbs and olive oil for breakfast. The herbs really take it to another level. Just shake on some dried oregano or use a few fresh basil leaves or maybe add mint. This basic salad for lunch is poached chicken (a poached a batch ready for meals) with different organic leaves, avocado, olives, pumpkin seeds and fresh basil. I used olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, sea salt and black pepper as a dressing. But you could make a more exciting one. The other day I made a carrot and pea shoot salad with a lime, garlic, coriander leaf and garlic dressing. It was tasty 😋!

Last Sunday I picked blackberries 💜with mum. It reminded me that we don’t do enough of these sorts of things -foraging and also side by side mother and daughter domestic jobs. It can be bonding. Years ago we got our knowledge from our families. Now we use Google. Anyway I had these gorgeous blackberries to use. Not wanting to make a crumble in the heat, I created blackberry cashew creams. Perhaps this recipe already exists out there but this is what I created. It is tasty, not too sweet, cool and refreshing. And packed with nutrients of course.

Recipe
1 cup cashews
1 cup water
1.5 cups blackberries
Pinch sea salt
Teaspoon vanilla extract
Teaspoon maple syrup

Blend the cashews and water into a smooth cream. Then add the blackberries and other ingredients to taste. I wonder if it would be better not smooth. You go get bits of blackberry seed.

Pour into 5 pots or ramekins and refrigerate.

Helpful foods for digestion🫐and general well-being

It blows my mind when I hear of a health professional who says that food has no influence on health. I’ve heard it from opticians, doctors, gastros, dermatologists and more 🤯. We are literally made of and function because of nutrients! Crazy. Anyway I’ll leave it there.

Non-food factors can affect digestion (see previous post) but foods have a clear influence. Helpful foods include fibrous plants such as veg, salads, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses. Fruits can aid constipation are a good source of antioxidants and polyphenols. Polyphenols are like antioxidants that balance gut bacteria. They also have an anti inflammatory effect which is supportive of health in general. Good sources of polyphenols include berries, olives, tea and dark chocolate 👌. Nuts and seeds can be very useful for normalising bowel movements and for supporting hormone balance.

If in doubt as to whether something is ‘healthy’ to eat, ask yourself ‘is this is natural?’ If it came from a factory then it’s most likely not! 😉

📸 tahini loaf, cashew cream & raspberries

Non-food factors that may influence your digestion 😴

Nutritional therapists like me are trained in ‘lifestyle medicine’ which means we learn about lifestyle factors (physical activity, sleep, emotions, daylight exposure, stress and more) that affect our overall health. Our digestion is sensitive to lifestyle influences as well as food and nutrition. Non-food factors affecting digestion include parasites, infection, bacteria imbalance, poor digestion, undiagnosed health condition, stress, anxiety, poor sleep, disrupted circadian rhythm, late nights, travel, emotional upheaval, trauma, unhappy relationships, poor connection, light exposure, exposure to radiation, exposure to chemicals, toxins, moulds and more. Many of my clients have IBS and it’s important we talk about stress and anxiety because the vagus nerve (part of the parasympathetic nervous system) goes through the gut to the brain and influences digestion. If you experience or have past experience of stress, anxiety or trauma, you can be stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode, and this may affect your digestive symptoms causing loose stools or constipation. Therefore, relaxation practices may sometimes help people with IBS. I’m looking forward to integrating hypnotherapy into my practice for this reason.👌

Breakfast. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Breakfast is often the first thing I support changing with clients. It’s the meal that usually has the least amount of thought and time put into it because we are busy. And that’s ok. By the way, you don’t need to eat breakfast and it isn’t necessarily the most important meal of the day -except where it’s doing more harm than good.

There’s no polite way to say this so I’m sorry if it offends but breakfast cereals are some of the least healthy foods you can eat. They are marketed to sound like they are going to fix your health problems and provide fibre but nothing could be further from the truth. Unfortunately cereals are sugary, high GI processed foods with added artificial vitamins. Furthermore they often contain high levels of pesticides. Yes even Weetabix. Sorry mums!

The best breakfast for ‘cereal’ lovers might be organic oats. Add nuts and seeds for fats and protein (missing from cereals) and maybe organic yoghurt and berries. Eggs are packed with nutrition and make an excellent start to the day. Or eat something unconventional like I do - Greek salad 😆. You need protein and fibre- from veg, get it, nuts, seeds or pulses.

I don’t like to be a meany and try never to say never, so if you or your children love cereal, have it as an occasional treat. The same as you would cakes and biscuits. 😊

Eating for the heat 🌞🍉🥒

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to stay hydrated and eat lots of juicy fruits and veg- I expect that’s fairly obvious. But it can be useful to have awareness of how your food can support hydration and help protect your skin from sun damage.

Firstly, if you’re sweating lots, make sure you replace the salt. You shouldn’t be scared of salt anyway. Just another myth! I’ve just come back from a lovely holiday in Kefalonia. I had salted nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios, cashews) as an afternoon snack to replace the salt and minerals and for an energy boost.

A good drink at this time is coconut water as it contains many of the electrolytes often lost in the heat, such as sodium, chloride and potassium. Celery is a good food to snack on for this reason too.

You might like to put some fruit in the freezer. I prepared slices of watermelon and put some in the fridge and some in the freezer for a cold refreshing snack. I also have ripe banana in the freezer which can be blitzed up to make ice cream. Banana is also a good source of potassium. As is carrot.

Carrots (and orange and red fruits and veg) are high in beta carotene and lycopene, antioxidants that help protect the skin against the sun. Watermelon and cooked tomatoes are great sources of lycopene. A Mediterranean diet is naturally high in these skin protecting antioxidants. I’m surprised I didn’t turn into a tomato, the amount I ate in Greece. 😆

Yes I’m still alive 😆and this was my lunch! Sorry for the radio silence. I’ve been working very hard on stage 1 of my cbt hypnotherapy diploma, whilst seeing nutritional therapy clients. I’ve also started a mental health first aid (MHFA) course so it’s all come at once! 🤪

I’m pleased to say I’ve passed my stage 1 hypnotherapy 🌟. I’m absolutely exhausted though as I haven’t been sleeping well and I’ve had a bit of anxiety too. I’ve managed to support this with herbs, meditation and self hypnosis but it would have helped to eat better. Eating regularly when stressed is helpful for blood sugar balance. The problem is when we’re stressed we might not have an appetite or any time to shop or prepare food. 🙌We might have to ask for help or cut corners. My daughter cooked the dinner Wednesday night which was helpful.

Here’s a big old salad. Contains sweet potato and beetroot for carbs. Feta for fats and protein. Loving the hot weather! Have a good weekend!

Sorry for the spam but I have just started my journey studying hypnotherapy at the UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. It’s a diploma in CBT hypnotherapy which is an accredited course enabling me to practise as a hypnotherapist. Inspired by one of my clients, I wanted to add another level of support to my IBS nutritional therapy. I have started the course online and need to get stage one complete before the 18th June as live classes for stage 2 begin on the 20th 😅. Hope I make it. Nearly half way through the lessons I think. You can follow my journey in training on Instagram at ☺️

https://www.instagram.com/myhypnotherapyblog/

How to give your food a nutrition boost 🌟

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cd6I83fIsgJ/?igshid=NmZiMzY2Mjc=

Watch this reel by katedimmernutrition on Instagram biohacker_babes • Original Audio

About me☺️🥑

Thank you to all my new followers! Here’s a quick ‘about me’ for those who don’t know. I’m a registered nutritional therapist and health coach. Also, a mum of two teen girls! I’ve a Masters in nutritional therapy from University of Worcester. I specialise in supporting people with IBS and digestive issues. I also work with clients within other areas such as blood glucose management, high blood pressure, low energy levels and anxiety. My personal approach is about support. I am not the nutritionist with the strict meal plans. Together we build on what you are doing already. I enable you to make the changes you want to make to reach your health goal in a realistic way. I promote a balanced mindset towards food, lifestyle, and life in general -and I never judge. If you’d like to find out more about how I might be able to help you, I offer a free call. Give me a ring on 07714340345, leave a message, and I’ll call you back. Or email me at [email protected] and we’ll arrange a call. And if I’m not the right person for you, I’ll help you find someone who is.

It’s mental health awareness week and I’ve left it to the end of the week to post. I resisted writing because in my local community many (due to personal experience) are well aware of the mental health crisis affecting children and young people now. I won’t say any more other than that I, like everyone else, wish that something could be done. Perhaps wiser use of our NHS resources -but let’s not go there! Mental health can be supported and affected by nutrition and lifestyle. Nutrients influencing mood and hormones include the group of B vitamins. Eat a diverse diet including plenty of proteins, healthy fats and fibre from fruits, veg, nuts seeds and pulses. The usual thing that I say! 😁Food timings may influence. Try to avoid prolonged periods without food. Likewise have an awareness of grazing or eating out of boredom and comfort. Comfort eating is very common, but it is useful to bring your awareness to it. Are there some triggers to this that can be supported? Are there some non-food related treats or comforts to be enjoyed? Mindfulness around alcohol is helpful. It can feel relaxing to have a drink, but alcohol is a depressive and can drive feelings of anxiety and disrupt sleep. Alcohol depletes magnesium -another key nutrient for mood and mental health. Try to prioritise regular bedtimes and consider an Epsom salts bath for relaxation and its magnesium. 🌟

Who are my clients? Who comes to see a nutritional therapist? ☺️My clients are often people who come to me having already seen their GP and sometimes a consultant, gastroenterologist or specialist. They are often people with multiple health concerns. Complex cases. People who are stressed and or tired. People who are fed up of not improving their health issue despite trying lots of things.

The way I work is to start where you are now. I don’t ask you to radically change something straight away or follow strict, unrealistic plans. We work together to build on or adapt what you are already doing so you can take realistic steps towards meeting your health goal. This might be adding a bit extra of something or reducing something else. All with guidance and support. We take things at your pace.

If you’d like to know more about how I might be able to help you, call me on 07714340345 or email me at [email protected] and we can see how I might support you.

What did you have for lunch? I must admit to eating some kind of salad most days. I’ve just been enjoying listening to Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries again. They appeal the the English lit student in me (very descriptive) and inspire me in the kitchen too. I felt a bit jealous of his summer lunches of crunchy bread, rustic cheese and tomatoes. This is because I can’t really eat bread -or cheese really. Anyway today I used leftover fajitas to make a tasty warm salad. I warmed the peppers, onions and mushrooms and added them to prawns and crunchy little gem leaves with lentil sprouts. I added some garlic mayo, olive oil and lime juice to liven it up. It was yummy. I also had three big spoonfuls of leftover macaroni cheese 😳. What about you? What did you have? Do you find lunch a challenge?

Sort of healthy’ banana 🍌 loaf

I made this banana bread for my daughter who has just started her GCSES. She has politely commented that it’s a bit too healthy and the point of cake is not to be healthy!

120g pure butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons runny honey
2 free range eggs, beaten
100g ground flax
150g self raising flour ( I used Doves gluten free)
2/3 very ripe bananas, mashed
Option- 100g dark chocolate chopped into small chunks
Option- sprinkle of sunflower seeds
2llb loaf tin, greased and lined

Preheat oven to 160.
In a free standing mixer or a large bowl,
beat the butter and honey until smooth.
Add the eggs gradually.
Add the flax and flour.
Mix well. If mix is too stiff (gluten free flour can need more liquid) add a splash of water or milk
Stir in the chocolate chunks and pour mix into prepared tin.
Bake in the oven for about 40 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin. Store in a tin or wrapped in a tea towel.

How is it healthy/ unhealthy? The least ‘healthy’ ingredients in baked goods are often the sugar, the flour and the fats. This cake contains sugar from natural sources - the ripe banana, the honey and dark chocolate of using. These forms of sugar contain fibre and other nutrients making them a bit more gentle on the blood sugar spike. Flour is ‘unhealthy’ as it has little nutrition- no fibre- and is refined so causes blood sugar to rise. This recipe only uses 150g of flour, which isn’t much. You can use wholemeal flour, oat flour or spelt flour. You would need a raising agent if not included. Or for a grain-free option the recipe would be adapted to have more eggs and perhaps more flax or ground nuts. This recipe contains flax to provide fibre, healthy fats, and minerals. The fat used is organic butter. Despite ethical views on animal products, butter is a superior choice to vegetable oils as it is chemically more stable so will not produce free radicals when heated. Butter contains a mix of healthy fats and is also full of vitamins and minerals. Coconut oil or a mild olive oil are good plant based alternatives in baking. The sunflower seeds provide crunch and extra minerals.

Hope you enjoy it!

How I built my detox salad 🥗😋

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdMCNlbFdue/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Watch this reel by katedimmernutrition on Instagram Global Genius • Matrix Alignment

What are your challenges with your IBS? How can I help you? Friday is the last chance to book my 5 week group course, £125. To book go to https://katedimmer.com and sign up with the pop up or contact me at [email protected] or 07714340345 for more information. Course starts week beginning 9th May. Places limited. If you can’t make it this time, let me know and I’ll put you on the list for the next one. Also watch out for more free webinars. 🌟

Are you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? Each month is a blog post, recipe and any events. Subscribe via my website and receive a free breakfast meal plan.
www.katedimmer.com

NEW -5 week group online course week beginning 9th May

This course is aimed at people suffering with IBS, constipation, bloating, wind and digestive issues who would like to support themselves with food and lifestyle under the guidance of a registered nutrition practitioner without the cost of working one to one.

This course is available for a limited number of participants to keep group numbers small. During this course you will receive specific education and general advice on nutrition, diet, and lifestyle to support IBS symptoms along with general nutrition information.

Course content. We will explore:

Possible causes of IBS, diagnosis, testing and referral
Helpful and unhelpful foods and lifestyle factors
Different dietary and lifestyle approaches for each condition
Group coaching and support in making your own changes
Nutrition education
Recipes
Practical tips for meal preparation
Also included in the group course:

Private Facebook group
Weekly group Zoom call
10% discount at The Natural Dispensary
£99 discounted price book by Friday 29th April
£125 from Monday 2nd May. Course registration closes Friday 6th May.
I'm keeping numbers limited. Course begins the week beginning 9th May on a day to be decided to fit in with group members. To register for the course or for more information please get in touch via email [email protected] or call 07714340345 and leave a message and I can tell you more about it.

Please note participants do not receive individual nutrition advice. For this and complex digestive issues I recommend one to one nutritional therapy.

Working with me one to one

I specialise in supporting clients with digestive issues such as IBS and bloating. However, I also support people with complex issues such as immune support, metabolic health, tiredness and more. I also offer health coaching to those struggling to stick to their health goals and this is integrated into nutritional therapy also. If you’d like to work with me or find out more about how I might help, please get in touch and we can have a chat on the phone.

Here is my website if you'd like to know more about me and how I work with clients.

https://katedimmer.com/

Best wishes

Kate

Kate Dimmer - Nutritional Therapist - Kate Dimmer Online Nutritional Therapist, Online Nutritionist, Cheltenham Gloucestershire Diet and Lifestyle Gut & Digestive Health. Health coach.

Last chance to register for this free webinar on Zoom. I’ll be giving all my best tips on food and lifestyle to support IBS, constipation and bloating. Email [email protected] by 4pm today for your link.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨?
Whether it’s IBS, IBD, an undiagnosed digestive issue or other, digestive discomfort has a cause. Here are some possible root causes that are associated with digestive issues (this is for information and not for diagnosis).

Inflammation- this can be measured by blood tests carried out by your GP or gastro. Inflammatory markers will be raised in IBD conditions including coeliac. Inflammation can also be caused by a parasitic infection or overgrown bacteria. An inflammatory response may also be caused by food intolerance. Causes of food intolerance include leaky gut and or gut bacteria imbalance, see below.

Imbalance in the microbiome - this is your gut bacteria. In the colon or large intestine you have an ecosystem of bacteria, yeasts, viruses and more. You’ve probably heard of friendly bacteria. These guys support your immune system, nutrient absorption, make neurotransmitters, help to digest and absorb foods, protect the gut lining and more! This will not usually be tested by a GP or gastro. But a functional medicine practitioner or nutrition practitioner can order a comprehensive stool analysis for this. Imbalanced bacteria or yeasts can cause symptoms due to multiple causes. These include: fermentation of foods in the wrong part of the gut, impaired digestion of carbs, fats or proteins, and leaky gut. Leaky gut (intestinal permeability) is linked to food intolerance, allergy, auto immune conditions, inflammation and disease.

Poor digestive enzyme function. Low stomach acid is a common problem and can be caused by stress and long term use of medication such as antacids and PPIs. Reducing the amount of, or the ph of stomach acid, impairs it’s ability to break down food and also stops it from killing bugs. Proper digestion may also be impaired by poor function of other digestive enzymes and this can be caused by lifestyle factors such as stress and medication use.

Parasitic infection can be the cause of digestive issues including pain and diarrhoea. Parasites can be common and in some cases harmless. Or they may be the root cause of symptoms. H Pylori is a parasite linked to heartburn and stomach ulcers...

I’m running a free webinar on supporting IBS, constipation and bloating Wednesday 20th April 7-8.15pm. To register go to www.katedimmer.com and fill in the pop up form or email me at [email protected]. 🌟

Do you suffer from IBS, constipation or bloating? Diet and lifestyle can help support symptoms. Learn what foods may help and worsen your symptoms and how to support your digestive issues with food and lifestyle at my FREE webinar with Q&A Wednesday 20th April 7-8.15pm via Zoom. To register go to my website www.katedimmer.com or email [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow then. Registration closes 4pm Weds 20th.

How to up level your diet🌟

You think you eat healthily so what else can you do to optimise your health with diet? This partly depends on time, lifestyle and budget. So take what resonates with you.

🌱Up level your breakfast. This is often the least healthy meal of the day -especially in children. If you’re eating commercial cereal, can you swap a couple of times a week to something else? For example, porridge made from rolled oats with mixed seeds and fruit or scrambled eggs with spinach? Kids love boiled eggs and toast. This is higher in nutrients than breakfast cereals.



🌱Make your own. Choose something you currently buy ready-made and make your own version. This way you can make it with more nutritious ingredients -no unwanted nasties. Plus you have the fun of making it, maybe involve the family. How about energy balls instead of shop-bought cereal bars?



🌱Add more veg. Most people don’t eat enough salads, fruit and veg. Try a handful of spinach or watercress with your eggs, some raw veg with lunch and a handful of extra greens with your evening meal. Natural fruit such as blueberries make a great snack paired with walnuts. Consider eating a mixture of raw and cooked veg. Take it to another level and grow some of your own! Herbs and cress are a good start.