Nutrilogica Personalised Nutrition

Garlic chives 🌱

Spring is a time for blossoming trees and flowering plants 🌷 as well as more choices of colourful vegetables and fruits.

We know eating diverse plant foods is favourable to our good gut microbes, which in turn can affect other aspects of our health e.g reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Also, remember herbs and spices count towards your 30 plant foods per week.*

Garlic chives (or Chinese chives) are one of my favourite herbs. They are more versatile than normal chives. Chive leaves and flowers are popular ingredients in Chinese, Thai, Korean and Japanese dishes such as chive cake, dumplings and Pad Thai. 😋

Or simply adding chives to omelette.

People with IBS may tolerate chives better than garlic and onion.

Enjoy the spring weather with some fresh chives! 💚

*Reference:
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.00031-18

New Year, New (Healthier) You 💪

Not achieving your health goals last year, try again this new year.

But perhaps do it differently!

Try reducing your sugar intake gradually.
Or eating a new plant based food each week.
Or taking regular exercises 45 minutes once or twice a week and increase from there.

Changing habits isn’t easy. Setting smaller, achievable goals help keep ourselves motivated and lead to long-term and sustainable health benefits.

Wishing you a success on your journey to better health in 2024!

Oh… this healthier version of low sugar, low carb, gluten-free Madeleines (small butter cakes with shell-shape and little hump) are perfect for a new year Afternoon Tea 😋

Recipe 👇

https://www.nutrilogica.co.uk/post/gluten-free-madeleines

Roast sweet potatoes and fresh herb salad with tahini dressing

The summer has gone 😔 but let’s keep the positive energy going through the autumn… 🍂

Keep eating plenty of colourful vegetables.

What are in season in the autumn months?
🥕 🥬 🧅 🍠

Who loves sweet potatoes? 🙋🏻

Did you know that sweet potatoes are close cousins of morning glory and only distantly related to regular white potatoes? 🧐

🍠 versus 🥔 who wins nutritionally?

🥇 Sweet potatoes contain more fibre than white potatoes, therefore they release natural sugars slowly into the bloodstream.

🥇 The orange/yellow and purple sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidant polyphenols (beta-carotene and anthocyanin).

Polyphenols also have prebiotic-like properties that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which in turn produce bioactive compounds with several health benefits such as improving gut barrier function and reducing low-grade inflammation. 💚

Hope you enjoy eating sweet potato this autumn 😋

https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/sweet-potatoes/grow-your-own

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9220293/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34268328/

Food is beautiful… 💚

Summer is on its way. Celebrate summer with colourful, healthy foods.

‘You are what you eat, so don’t be fast…or fake.’

Take time with every bite to smell and taste the food. Why is it important?

…because you are what you digest and absorb.

Digestion begins with the smell and sight of food resulting in the brain sending signals to the salivary glands to make the mouth water 🤤 and to the stomach to secrete gastric juice.

Carbohydrate and fat digestion starts in your mouth.

Fast eating is associated with poor digestion, bloating and gastroesophageal reflux.

Interestingly, fast eating has also been linked to other health issues e.g overweight, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

When people eat fast, they tend not to feel full and are more likely to overeat. This is not good, particularly if they have bad food choices.

Research has shown that proper chewing stimulates more insulin release, and hence better glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

It’s not only what you eat, but also how you eat that matters.

https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo201596

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230501/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15330896/

https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2023/05/eskan-diabetes-teeth.html

Dark Chocolate & Almond Tart ❤️
(Low carb and gluten-free)

Happy Mother’s Day (UK)

Wishing all wonderful mums happiness and good health…

Good quality dark chocolate 🍫 (> 70% cocoa) is rich in polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that protect our body against free radicals and support heart and brain health.

Polyphenols also have a prebiotic effect that enhances the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Dark chocolate is high in essential minerals, especially magnesium which promotes relaxation 😌 If you want to make your mum in a good mood, give her some dark chocolates 💝

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400387/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35273477/

Fried cauliflower rice with prawns 🦐

This healthy and delicious low carb dish is nutrient dense, very easy to make and perfect for a special day 💝

Like other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, sprouts, kale, cabbage) cauliflower is a good source of sulforaphane, which boosts our liver’s detoxifying enzymes to fight against free radicals, induce detoxification and may help reduce cancer risk.

Cruciferous vegetables are also good at boosting our intestinal defenses and immune function as well as modifying the gut microbiota composition. Research has shown sulforaphane may help lower the risk of IBD and leaky gut syndrome.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286322003060

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728691/

Happy Holidays 🎄

Christmas is not only a religious celebration but also a special day for family and friend gatherings.

🎄+ 🎁 + 🍽️ = giving, sharing & joyful

These homemade cinnamon rolls are made for sharing. 💛 gluten-free and low sugar as erythritol sweetener was used. (Erythritol has no effect on glycemic levels and insulin release.)

Cinnamon is one of the most warming spices with health benefits, especially on blood sugar control. It also contains polyphenol antioxidants.

A gold standard trial (RCT) showed cinnamon may help prediabetic* people improve their blood sugar control and slow down the progression to type 2 diabetes.

*Prediabetic is referred to as having fasting plasma glucose (FPG) between 100 and 125 mg/dL or HbA1c of 5.7% to 6.4%

Previously a systematic review and meta analysis (including 6 RCTs) examined the effect of cinnamon on glycaemic control in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. It was concluded that cinnamon showed a beneficial effect on glycaemic control (both HbA1c and FPG). The dosages varied between 1-6 g a day for 40 days to 4 months.

But I don’t mean we should eat a cinnamon roll everyday. 😁

Also…more of a good thing is not always better. Here is the fine print 👇

Cassia cinnamon (the variety commonly sold in supermarkets) contains a compound called coumarin that might cause liver damage if consumed in large amounts.

How much is too much? 🧐

A teaspoon (~ 2.6g) of Cassia cinnamon powder contains 7-26 mg of coumarin.

Some countries in Europe e.g Germany set a tolerable daily intake (TDI) for coumarin as 0.1 mg per kg of body weight. Therefore, an average adult with a 60-kg body weight would exceed the TDI if taking > 6mg coumarin a day which is about 2g (3/4 tsp) of Cassia cinnamon daily.

Good news...
Ceylon cinnamon only contains negligible amount of coumarin so this variety is safer to use daily. Perhaps add cinnamon in your tea, smoothies, porridge and curries too.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with warmth and happiness 💛

Do you eat organic? 🥬🥕🥦

Eating organic foods is a simple way to reduce our toxic load.

Inarguably, the accumulation of toxins and chemicals in our bodies is mainly from the food we eat as well as the water we drink, and the personal care and household products we use.

Unfortunately, with modern agricultural and farming methods using lots of pesticides and insecticides, foods tend to be more toxic. 😞

Genetic variations have a big impact on how well our bodies can eliminate toxins, and therefore poor detoxifiers could be more prone to disease. 🧬

Toxins in the body have been linked to many diseases including cancer, autism, neurodegenerative disorders and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

Notably, people with an autoimmune disease are likely to have a leaky gut allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream and turn on an autoimmune susceptible gene. So there are 3 factors involved - genetics, environment and leaky gut!

We can’t change our genes for sure but the good news is we can modify our environment and optimise our gut health. 👍

Another Good news!👇

New store is open. This is their first store outside London and is right in the centre of Henley-on-Thames, a very lovely town not very far from Reading. 🙌

I had the opportunity to attend the preview day and look around the store. There is a huge range of healthy products to choose from. I had my eye on many things like the refill nuts and chocolates, gluten-free products and fresh produces. Look at those bright yellow cauliflowers on the chilled shelf. 💛

Also, the highlight for me is ‘Mighty Green’ smoothie that is made to order…Oh wow! That is super delicious and healthy and is 100% organic! 😍

I will go and grab another one soon!

👉🏻 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9143500/

Keep Cool 🥗

July seems to be the warmest month for English weather, and especially with the heatwave 🥵

Make sure to stay hydrated.

Here are my favourite salads to help increase appetite and keep our gut bacteria happy on a hot day.

- Vietnamese rice noodle salad
- Thai Papaya salad
- Japanese egg roll, potato & watercress salad
- Turkish style cucumber & tomato salad
- Quinoa and parsley salad

Eating at least 30 different varieties of plant based foods per week helps feed our gut bacteria.

According to the research, American Gut Project, people who ate more than 30 different plant foods per week had a more diverse gut microbiome compared with those who only ate 10 or fewer.

It's the Queen's Platnum Jubilee weekend!

Today is the first of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. 👸

So perhaps we deserve something a little bit sweet today!

This homemade Pavlova is topped with vanilla flavoured cream and juicy berries. 🫐 Perfect for afternoon tea on this special weekend.

Easy to make and it is gluten free!

Colourful blueberries and raspberries are rich in polyphenols.

Did you know 90% of polyphenols are not digested in the small intestine? They may contribute to the maintenance of gut health by supporting microbial balance in the colon.

Research has shown that dietary polyphenols have prebiotic effect. They can stimulate the growth of beneficial gut bacteria (e.g. lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) and inhibit pathogenic bacteria.

So our ‘good’ gut bacteria got to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee too! 🎉 🫐

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27781961

Tulips 🌷 & Tea 🍵

Hope you had a relaxing Easter weekend and made the most of the beautiful weather.

Sunny blue skies and colourful tulips 🏰🌷

Popped by at a lovely local tea shop and pick one of my favourite flowering tea, Jasmine green tea.

Did you know green tea 🍵 is good for your gut?

Research has shown green tea can improve gut dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria) and reduce inflammation.

Lab studies have shown green tea polyphenols inhibited growth of several pathogens as well as H.pylori that can cause ulcers in the stomach and the duodenum.

On the other hand, green tea polyphenols can increase the abundance of the beneficial gut bacteria like Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and increase the production of short chain fatty acids, the main energy source for gut cells. 🤩

Green tea is also high in amino acid L-theanine that may help improve mood, focus and sleep.

Good for both the gut and the brain!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8271705/

Happy Sunday!
What a wonderful ☀️ Sunday in South East England! Feel like summer at the end of February!!! Let’s go out and get natural vitamin D☀️

But before that… let’s start with a cup of turmeric latte and a homemade banana & dark chocolate chip muffin (made with extra virgin olive oil) to boost our polyphenols as well 💛 so that our gut bacteria will be happy too!

Mirza Ghasemi

There are many type of diets that you may wish follow but whatever diet you choose, don’t forget to ‘Eat a Rainbow’ every day. 🌈

How many colours do you put on your plate/bowl in each meal?

This popular Persian dish is made with just a handful of ingredients: grilled aubergine (eggplant), tomato, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, egg and turmeric but packed with antioxidants and fibre.

Lycopene from cooked tomatoes 🍅
Beta-carotene from 🥕
Curcumin from turmeric.
Olive polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil 🫒
Fibres from beans and aubergine 🍆
Prebiotic inulin from 🧄

Served as a warm starter / dip with vegetable sticks. Or even better as a main meal when served with saffron rice with dill and broad beans. 😋 (added more green colour!)

Eating colourful foods makes me feel good and my gut is happy. 😊

Reflection 🪞

December is not only a great time for celebrating with family and friends but also a good time for self-reflection.

Any health goal that wasn’t achieve this year? No failure, only feedback! Let’s try again next year but perhaps do it differently!

‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.’

Make sure your goal is SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic with a Timeframe.

Wishing you a relaxing and joyful time during the festive holiday wherever you are. 😊

High protein breakfast 🍳 & Chrononutrition

Nothing is better than waking up on a lovely Sunday to have a cooked breakfast!

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cauliflower hash browns + a cup of matcha latte (made with cashew nut milk) 🍵

High protein breakfast made me feel satisfied! 😋

Proteins are the building block for the body to build muscles and promote growth/repairs. Ideally, we should eat about 1g protein per kg body weight per day.

What time do you have your breakfast? ⏰

A recent study conducted by Japanese researchers suggests that protein intake at breakfast may be better for the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass. 🤔

Previous studies have also found that the absorption of proteins seems to decrease later in the day, when the circadian rhythm (internal biological clock) recognises it’s time for the body to sleep. 🥱

It’s not only ‘what’ you eat but also ‘when’ you eat is important - the concept of ‘Chrononutrition’ (meal timings and nutrient intake).

Circadian rhythm controls our metabolism and sleep cycle. Misalignment with the circadian clock has been shown to influence glucose metabolism, weight regulation and obesity. 😮

Importantly, insulin secretion and sensitivity is closely regulated by circadian control. That is diurnal variation of glucose tolerance typically peaks during day-light hours and reduces when it comes to night-dark hours.

No more skipping breakfast and no late dinner or snacking at night seems to make more sense now!

👀 :https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109336

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41387-020-0109-6

Relax and Digest 😌

A trip to Seven Sisters Cliffs in Seaford has been on the top of my list for so long and finally I did it....Yay!

For me, nothing is more relaxing than sitting on the beach on a sunny day and feeling that lovely sea breeze while eating. 🦐 I find the food taste a lot better than normal too.

Why is being relaxed when you eat so important? 🤔

When we feel relaxed, our body switches to the parasympathetic nervous system (’Rest and Digest’ mode). This helps to improve digestive function by promoting the production of digestive enzymes, hence reduce bloating and stomach cramps and help your body absorb nutrients better.

Unfortunately, we can't always sit on the beach when eating or can't have a luxury of dining in a good restaurant for every meal. So what can we do?

Introducing these habits below when eating may help you be in the ‘rest and digest’ mode.

- Take small bites
- Chew thoroughly
- Take time to eat
- Turn on relaxing music
- Avoid eating in front of the computer, answering emails or reading news that might make you feel stressed or anxious

Additionally, studies have shown eating too quickly is associated with excess body weight. 😮

Slow down, relax and enjoy your food...

Happy Friday!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26100137/

Apple Day 🍏

An apple (or two) a day may keep the doctor away!

Apples are rich in fibres and polyphenols.

Apple contains pectin, a soluble fibre that is resistant to digestion in the small intestine but fermentable by gut bacteria in the colon generating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Butyrate in particular plays an important role in improving the integrity of the gut barrier leading to a decrease in bacterial translocation and immune activation.

A study showed 2 apples 🍏🍏 a day for 2 weeks significantly increased f***l bifidobacteria (the ‘good’ bacteria) and reduced Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium perfringens (the ‘bad’ bacteria).

There is also evidence to suggest that apples may beneficially modulate cardiovascular risk factors. 💚

A study in healthy subjects showed eating apple puree containing epicatechin increased plasma Nitric oxide (NO) metabolite levels. NO helps blood vessels relax and improve circulation.

A meta-analysis concluded that pectin may decrease total cholesterol and LDL-C.

The polyphenols found in apples rely on the gut bacteria to modify them and so improve their bioavailability to be more beneficial to the host.

Research therefore suggests this may be the reason behind some of the protective effects of apples against heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. 🤩

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4488768/

Bua Loy 💜 💚
(Rice pearls in sweet coconut milk)

When you follow a gluten and dairy free diet, you likely limit shop-bought sugary and junk food. However, this doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy something a little sweet.

This homemade Thai dessert is gluten and dairy free. It is sweetened with a little of coconut sugar or maple syrup. I added purple sweet potato and matcha powder to make it colourful and nutritious with polyphenols. 💜 💚

Polyphenols are plant compounds found mainly in colourful fruits and vegetables as well as tea, cacao, herbs and spices.

Polyphenols are potent antioxidants and have been shown to improve heart health, cholesterol, insulin resistance and inflammatory markers. 🤩

Clinical research has also demonstrated the prebiotic effect of polyphenols on modulating the gut microbiota composition. 🤩

👀 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224418303765

Blackcurrant & Lavender cake 🍰

We are approaching the last week of August, meaning the end of summertime. 😔

The good thing is the UK weather forecast looks promising for next week and hopefully it would still be sunny over the bank holiday weekend! 💃

Most English lavender farms are now closed for harvesting. I love lavender products, especially the shampoo and hand sanitiser... the scent of lavender is so relaxing. 😌

Although I’m not keen on lavender tea as I find the taste is too flowery, I do enjoy this lavender cake!

This homemade Blackcurrant & Lavender cake is perfect as a birthday cake for someone born in summer. 🎉
Or perhaps for special afternoontea 🫖

The lavender scent in this cake is not overpowering. The blackcurrant jam adds a bid of tangy taste and lovely colour to the cake.

It is gluten-free and can be made dairy-free. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the pink colour of the frosting was made from wild blueberries! (not food colouring)🫐

Enjoy the remaining of this summer!

Arundel Castle 🏰 seafood 🦀 and East Beach 🏖

I had a wonderful time in the garden at Arundel Castle. I must say it is very impressive as the garden is incredibly beautiful. There are lovely fountains and plenty of seats we can sit down and relax during the hot day. 😎
Highly recommended!

Then we had a yummy seafood meal followed by a short walk to East Beach in Littlehampton just a few miles away from Arundel. It was a little busy at the beach so we didn’t stay there for long but even just looking at the sea already made me feel relaxed. 😌

What a warm and wonderful weekend!
Hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend too 😊

Tuna Teriyaki BBQ ☀️

Summery weather is here 🇬🇧 What is your plan for the weekend?

I am thinking to go to the beach nearby and having fresh seafoods 😋 but all the beaches will likely be crowded. 😔

Perhaps having a BBQ at home in the garden is not a bad idea. 💡

This grilled tuna steak reminds me of my trip to Zlatni Rat, Brac in Croatia 🇭🇷 nearly 20 years ago. I had the best ever tuna BBQ on the beautiful beach! The tuna was perfectly cooked, so fresh and tasty simply served with fresh garlic and olive oil dressing. It was ‘real’ food! 🤤

Fresh tuna is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (unlike canned tuna because the omega 3 fats are much reduced after being processed).

This tuna teriyaki paired well with lightly grilled asparagus.

I make my own teriyaki sauce. Simply mix together some tamari soy sauce, a splash of sushi vinegar, garlic powder, sesame oil, and maple syrup (optional).

Asparagus is a top prebiotic food. It contains inulin fibre which feeds beneficial gut bacteria like bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

Asparagus is also rich in polyphenols like flavonoids (quercetin) and vitamin C with antioxidant activity.

Moreover, asparagus may potentially have anti-stress effect. A small clinical trial demonstrated the efficacy of an asparagus extract on improving stress response and sleep quality as well as reducing fatigue.

Happy Weekend! ☀️

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28071026/

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/62/3/62_198/_article

Salmon Lover 🍣
There was plenty of sunshine today, especially in the South of England. Hope you made the most of it because the weather forecast says the sun would be hiding again for the next few days. 😞
(Let’s hope the forecast is wrong🤥)

The weather really affects our mood, doesn’t it? So do some foods.

Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, have the potential to benefit people with mood disorders. They also have anti-inflammatory effects that may help alleviate depression.

Eating oily fish 2-3 portions a week helps increase your intake of the omega 3 fatty acids. For fish lovers, this is doable. But for vegans and people who do not like oily fish, supplementation may be a good alternative. Importantly, make sure you choose a high quality supplement brand that independently tests for omega-3 content, impurities, and degree of oxidation.

Are you a salmon lover? Then you must try this delicious seared salmon roll called ‘Salmon Lover’ 😻 I really enjoyed it. Absolutely healthy delicious! 😋

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/omega-3-fatty-acids-for-mood-disorders-2018080314414

Lavender 💜

Lavender starts blooming now. Another lovely way to enjoy British summer weather is visiting a lavender farm.

Luckily, I live just over an hour drive from a lavender farm

I had a wonderful couple of hours sitting on the ground surrounded by those lavender plants and breathing in the lovely scent of lavender flowers while having a small bottle of still lavender lemonade. 🍋 What a relaxing late afternoon! 😌

Research suggests lavender can have positive effects on mood, stress, anxiety, and depression as well as sleep.

Lavender essential oil intervention (via inhalation) for 15 days increased quality of sleep and reduced level of anxiety.

In a clinical trial, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms improved in women who inhaled lavender essential oil.

Another trial conducted in women with acute coronary syndrome showed a significant improvement in the levels of anxiety and depression after the lavender treatments (essential oil massage). The analysis of physiological parameters also revealed a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate.

Let’s enjoy the sunshine and hot weather before thunderstorms are coming later this week ⛈ 💨

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nicc.12198

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229917307835?via%3Dihub

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijn.12601

Picnic at Windsor Great Park 🌳

The weather has been lovely and warm. It’s time to get out and connect with nature. ☀️🍃

Connecting with nature can support our mental health and wellbeing.

Nature can help us find a sense of calm, relax and joy. 🧘‍♀️

Did you know Forest Bathing is considered a preventative medicine? 🤩

Spending time in nature by walking slowly, touching the trees, looking at green colour and breathing deeply.... being immersed in the sights, sounds and smells.

Studies have shown forest bath could reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol levels and improve concentration and memory. A chemical released by trees and plants, called phytoncides, was found to boost the immune system. 😯

Since lockdowns we had spent too much time indoors. I’ve realised how much I’ve missed connecting with nature.

Just feeling the sun or wind on your face or hearing birds sing, spending time outdoors can help boost your mood. Research has shown exposure to natural environments enhanced vitality.

Natural light plays a key role in helping our body maintain its normal sleep-wake rhythms.

Indeed, our health and well-being is affected by not only diet and exercise but also good quality sleep and stress management.

Hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend outdoors! 🕊

https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/68/2/134/4791430

https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/90720.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494409000838

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213007641