The Nutri Practice

If you’re thinking about how you can support your health this autumn/winter, looking after your gut microbiome really is a great place to start.

Visit my website (link in bio) to read my latest blog all about it. I cover:

1. What the gut microbiome is?
2. The crucial role it plays in our well-being, according to research so far.
3. What happens if we don’t support it?
4. How we can look after it?

I think this year I have suffered more with the ‘I don’t want to be back at my desk’ feeling after such a beautiful summer!

However, being invited to talk to the Jersey Alopecia support group yesterday was a privilege and to receive lovely feedback was the icing on the cake.

It reminded me how beneficial bringing people together to talk and share experiences can be. Autoimmune conditions are immensely complicated and highly personalized (there are no protocols to be offered) but it was great to be able to share how nutrition and lifestyle interventions can play an important role. As well as to be able to highlight avenues for further investigation that just aren’t available through mainstream medical routes yet.

Thank you for welcoming me and for the beautiful orchid.

So excited to find this. I love this brand but haven’t come across the beetroot kimchi before.

Beetroot is an all round super hero that I love and to have it combined in kimchi makes a perfect gift for your gut and over all health.

Great accompaniment to your BBQ’s this weekend!! 😊

To celebrate world microbiome day, here is a mackerel and new potato salad recipe idea full of prebiotic (food to feed your gut inhabitants) goodness.

This recipe contains cooked and cooled new potatoes. Why? If potatoes are left to cool completely after cooking (i.e. overnight in the fridge) this doubles their resistant starch content. Resistant starch is indigestible to us, which means it gets to your colon intact and provides a great source of fuel for your microbiome. A second benefit is that, unlike freshly cooked potatoes, cooled ones containing resistant starch are not rapidly broken down into glucose in your small intestine. This reduces the relatively fast blood sugar spike after your meal that potatoes have been associated with.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: guide per person

4 cooked and cooled new potatoes, halved (drizzle with olive oil or butter and sprinkle with mint)
1 x smoked mackerel fillet
3 x asparagus spears
1/2 apple (cored and chopped)
handful of roasted cashew nuts/ pistachio nuts
1/2 a fennel bulb ( sliced)
2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves (gem, chicory, watercress or any other vegetables you need to use up)

Dressing:

Try it with a simple vinaigrette (2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp honey, pinch of salt and pepper (2 people)

Or

1/4 cup Live/Greek yogurt or plain coconut yoghurt with 2tsp mustard, juice of 1/2 lemon (add more to taste), a handful of dill or herb of your choice, salt and pepper. (Mix it all together in a jar/bowl)

I’m so excited to be undertaking further study with the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED). First module of the syllabus completed (just a 5000 word assignment to finish!!).

We know maintaining a healthy weight is not as simple as the guideline to ‘eat less move more’ or endless counting calories. There is SO much more to it. The challenge is growing in our fast paced convenience led environment.

I’m looking forward to providing another element of specialist support for my clients to navigate through this web, considering every element (diet, lifestyle, psychology, genetics, biological function). No stone left unturned!

What are you doing to stay hydrated in this beautiful weather?

I love cucumber and watermelon for their juicy thirst quenching water content. They are also, perhaps surprisingly, packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals adding a nutrient kick to your snack, salad or drink.

Watermelon: Vitamin A (skin/eye health), C (aids iron absorption), B6 (helps your body break down protein), potassium (lowers blood pressure and supports nerve function), lycopene (may lower cholesterol).

Cucumber: Vitamin C and beta-carotene (immune supportive), B vitamins (reduce anxiety), silica (hair and nails), fisetin (brain health).

We like ours in drinks, frozen, in salads, ice lollies and with peanut butter. Try marmite peanut butter on cucumber it’s amazing! 🍉

It’s sunny and warm and you want to spend more time outside than in preparing meals.

This is a great, quick meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner).

Sardines are a bit like marmite - I find people love or hate them. Why should you love them?

👍 They contain beneficial omega 3 fats which have anti-inflammatory properties to support brain, skin and cardiovascular health
👍 They are high in calcium (get them with bones!)
👍 They’re a good source of protein
👍 They have a lower heavy metal load as they are small fish
👍 They’re a good source of vitamin D, especially important if you’re in the office all day

And so much more…..

How did I make this:
- Lightly toast some sourdough or a gluten free bread option
- Mash avocado onto the toast
- Spread a tsp of tomato puree over the avocado
- Place the sardines on top
- Grill until gently bubbling but check regularly to make sure the toast doesn’t burn (10 mins approx)
- Squeeze some lemon over the top
- Add sides of steamed/raw in season vegetables. 😋.

Find my top tips to help support those under exam pressure by reading my latest blog on my website. Link in bio.

I cover hydration, breakfast, sleep, magnesium and more.

Snack idea 💡

This is a great snack option which can go to school or work (if it makes it that far!).

Enjoy. 💪

I’m so excited to be supporting and part of the summer corporate hockey league this year . Thank you to Micheal James for organizing our team.

We all know that regular exercise is good for us but sometimes we need a little push to motivate us. Finding a way to exercise with friends while learning a new skill (or trying to dust off the old ones!) is not only great physically but also mentally.

How can you build this into your life?
Classes at the gym with like minded people ?
Walking, running, paddle boarding with friends?
Getting back to competitive sport?
Finding a physical challenge and roping your friends in?!

You won’t regret it. , , , ,

Are you jumping from one dietary regime to the next? Confused by what you should be eating, when you should be eating and how you should be eating it?

As a qualified and registered nutritional therapist, I’m here to help you navigate through the confusion and marketing hype about the ‘best’ ways to eat. I believe in a ‘food first’ approach, encouraging you to embrace variety, enjoy whole foods and crowd out unhealthy alternatives. It’s all about balance.

I love nutrition but realise it’s just part of the puzzle. This is why I also consider lifestyle, environmental and genetic influences which may be a barrier to optimizing your health.

Food and lifestyle coaching are just two parts of my kit bag. I also use comprehensive blood tests, functional testing (i.e. stool analysis) and genetic profiles to help me look at what’s going on under the surface.

Not only have I studied for 4 years in Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine but I continue to prioritize learning. I receive ongoing mentoring from highly experienced practitioners in the UK. This year so far, I have completed a 3 month in-depth nutrigenomics practitioner programme with Lifecode GX, studied advanced blood chemistry analysis and more.

I am continuously adding tools to be able to provide you with the best personalized care. I am always happy to admit when I don’t know something but will endeavour to find out. I am also more than happy to refer you on to another practitioner if I feel they will serve you better.

I’m here to help you with your health goals.

We all enjoy a treat from time to time but are you aware of your day to day ‘hidden’ sugar intake?

Did you know that your liver can process the fructose (fruit sugar) from up to two pieces of fruit per day? Any more than this gets stored as fat.

But it’s not just about sugar making us fat. Sugar is an important source of energy but when this becomes out of balance in our diets it is shown to contribute to conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and dementia.

Hidden sugar is everywhere: in your takeaway coffee, milkshakes, fruit smoothies, cereals, ready meals, ‘healthy’ energy bars, bread. Even seemingly healthy food and drink can be high in sugar and unlike our ancestors we don’t need to expend energy to forage for it! It has become normal to consume a high percentage of processed food.

Occasional sweet treats are fine, don’t feel guilty for craving sweet things, we’re primed to do this from an evolutionary standpoint. You can make a difference by tuning in to the ingredients in your day to day food and drink. Start checking labels. Anything with the ending ‘-ose’ is a sugar. Manufactures often list sugars and sweeteners (syrups, fruit juice concentrates) separately on labels to avoid ‘sugar’ being the first ingredient. Make simple swaps (adding foods with higher fibre and lower added sugar). Make more meals from scratch. This will be hugely beneficial for your health.

Nutritional Therapy can help guide you to achieve a more balanced diet and highlight where eating habits could be contributing to ongoing symptoms.

Feeling a little sleepy after the clock change?

A reduction in sleep will not only leaving you feeling fatigued, it can also have serious impacts on your overall health. Did you know that heart attack rates have been shown to spike the day after we lose an hour in spring!

Matthew Walker’s book (Why we sleep) is an amazingly informative read for anyone wanting to improve their sleep and health. Approximately 1/3 of our lives is spent asleep and this has a profound effect on the remaining 2/3 of the time we spend awake.

The benefits of a full night’s sleep (8 hours) are well researched (over 17,000 scientific reports). Here are just some of the benefits:

• Enhancing memory (for those studying for exams, taking a day time nap/siesta may improve your capacity to memorize what you’re learning)
• Helps manage weight and lowers food cravings (when fatigued your body holds onto fat and uses lean muscle for fuel)
• Helps reduce addictive behaviour
• Protects you from colds, flu, cancer and dementia
• Lowers your risk of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes
• Helps you feel happier and less anxious

Do you struggle with sleep? As well as providing guidance to improve your sleep, I use nutrigenomics to assess how your body is set up for sleep. By examining the influence of a person’s genetic variations on both stimulating and calming neurotransmitters, we can build a picture of how effectively you are able to receive and process signals for sleep and how your diet and lifestyle can support this. We can make a plan for targeted support where it’s needed.
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How much attention do you pay to your breath each day? Do you hold your breath while doing certain tasks? Do you breathe predominantly through your mouth or through your nose?

30-50% of adults are estimated to breathe through their mouths.

Take some time to recognize what you do. Not holding your breath when concentrating or stressed as well as making an effort to increase the time spent breathing through our noses can have a dramatic impact on our health by:

• Reducing exposure to external allergens due the filtering effect of nasal hairs and mucus (helping with seasonal allergies)
• Stimulating vasodilation (widening blood vessels) which improves oxygen circulation around your body
• Warming the air entering your lungs making it more usable for your lungs
• Helping prevent tooth decay (a dry mouth from mouth breathing affects the oral bacterial balance in your mouth which can lead to bad breath and gingivitis. This has been linked to systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease)
• Reducing snoring (studies have shown improvements in sleep quality where people place a tiny (half the size of a postage stamp) piece of tape over their lips to remind them to breathe through their noses during sleep)
• Slowing down your breathing, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.
• Strengthening the diaphragm which helps remove lymph and supports the immune system.

There are so many breathing techniques, so finding the right one for you is important. Key elements are:
• Focus on belly breathing
• Inhale and exhale through your nose
• Slow your breathing (aim to reduce the number of breaths per minute, 12 breaths are enough to shift the nervous system into a calm state, 6 breaths per minute is optimal)
• Slow breathing using a prolonged exhalation. Find a breathing routine that works for you, such as: breathe in for 4, hold your breath for 7 and breathe out for 8 and repeat for 4 rounds. You can do this a few times a day or when needed to relieve stress which can be really beneficial.

Nutrition for me is all about filling our bodies with a diverse range of nourishing whole foods, that leave us satisfied and energized to live life to the fullest. It’s not about low fat, low calorie, feeling hungry and deprived.

Are you stuck in a rut buying and eating the same foods each week?

I have two challenges you may like to try:
1. Add one more vegetable to each meal. Yes, that includes breakfast . Think about including a different colour or type of vegetable for variety.

2. Try one NEW vegetable, legume or grain each month.

Eating a diverse range of vegetables, grains and legumes (all good sources of fibre) supports a balanced and diverse ecosystem (community of microbes) in our guts. Different microbes like different foods just like we do!

Each of us has a unique community of microbes which help us to:

• Digest the fibre we eat
• Make vitamins (K and Bs), hormones and proteins
• Keep harmful microbes in check
• Regulate hunger and balance blood sugar
• Process hormones and toxins for excretion or recycling
• Keep our bowels moving
• Support our immune system

And so much more!

Make sure you give them what they need!

If you’re struggling with gastrointestinal symptoms (bloating, constipation, reflux, flatulence etc), or systemic health issues, working with a registered nutritional therapist to improve your gastrointestinal health can make a huge difference.

Contact me to find out how I can help you.

It was the International Day of Happiness yesterday which, with tough events going on around us, made me reflect on the importance of finding moments in our day to do things that make us happy. Making a conscious effort to shift our focus away from having our minds full of all the things we need to get done and trying to do everything at once. Instead, trying to focus on each activity and being present in that moment.

My top three daily activities that make me happy and keep me in the moment:

Singing: yes I’m rubbish, but I love singing in the car. It releases feel good chemicals in the brain and, due to the change in our breathing, helps to improve circulation.

Getting outside: whether its exercising, gardening or just sitting and watching the world go by. I try to listen to the sounds and take in the smells which really helps me stay present in the moment. There are endless benefits to spending time outside (even for short periods).

Having a hug (with a member of my family, including the furry ones!): research shows that even small everyday gestures like a well meant tap on the shoulder or a hug (human-human and human-animal) have a calming effect and positively impact the way we handle stress.

What makes you happy? Are you doing this often enough?
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This seems so simple and yet so many of us aren’t drinking enough water.

Water contributes significantly to both our physiological and psychological well-being. At least 60% of our body is water and only 1% dehydration can lead to negative effects.

Symptoms of dehydration include: feeling thirsty, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, headaches, palpitations, fatigue, poor concentration, dry lips, darker coloured urine.

Adequate hydration contributes to:
1. Heart Function (dehydration can reduce the amount of circulating blood. In response you may see an increase in blood pressure and possible palpitations)2. Movement (Water helps to cushion joints and keeping muscles working properly enabling us to stand, sit, move and carry out daily activities, including exercise)
3. Brain Health (Dehydration may cause worsened mood, increased perception of task difficulty, reduced ability to concentrate, headaches, tension, anxiety and fatigue)4. Digestion (Drinking water can help as a digestive aid, breaking down foods. It improves the ability of the bowel to produce round, soft stools that are easy to pass)
5. Liver and kidney function (staying hydrated helps us to remove unwanted toxins and used hormones. This can contribute to a glowing complexion!)

Men and women should be aiming for 2 litres of water a day as a minimum. Food intake can contribute to this. Vegetables such as carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes or beetroot in a meal or snack are effective at improving hydration levels. Weight, height, activity level and season should also be considered so that you increase intake when necessary.

How can I remind myself to drink water? Have a glass by your bedside for when you wake up. Keep a water bottle with you at all times; on your desk, kitchen counter, in your bag, so there is a constant reminder.

Tea and coffee should be considered in addition to your daily hydration total. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect, therefore drinking water between alcoholic drinks is advisable or reducing your alcohol intake!

This time of year is when our vitamin levels are likely to be at their lowest and also when we have the least amount locally grown seasonal produce - the further produce has travelled the lower its vitamin content.

What’s in season: Spring greens, spring onions, rocket, radish, rhubarb.

A great way to overcome this vitamin shortfall is to Sprout seeds. It’s so easy, takes no time at all. Small young plants are far more digestible than older ones and have a much higher nutritional value. Plus they haven’t been flown half way round the world!

Sprouted mung beans pack a real punch. They are alkalizing, full of vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin K, folate and potassium. They also help to lower histamine levels and are anti-inflammatory for the gut.

Broccoli seeds have significantly higher levels of substances (DIM and Sulphoraphane) that help us process oestrogen into a safer (non-carcinogenic) form to be excreted.

Eat sprouted seeds on anything and everything (raw to get all the benefits)

Involve your children, it might help them try new foods if they have seen them grow.

Everyone can benefit especially those who experience menstrual related symptoms, are in perimenopause or those carrying a bit of extra weight around the tummy (fat cells make oestrogen in men and women). Research has also shown that regular consumption may be protective from more common types of breast cancer.

If you experience menstrual symptoms, (migraines, bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings) you don’t have to put up with these symptoms or rely on medication. I can help you to feel better each month.

Or, if you want advice about how to meet your seasonal and nutritional needs to improve general health please get in touch.

Bread is a staple food in every household. Choosing a better bread is a really easy swap to make.

Breads are definitely not made equal. White sliced bread wrapped in plastic is devoid of nutritional value, needs artificial supplementation and contains preservatives and chemicals our bodies don’t recognize! Research has compared its effect on our health to that of smoking!

However, wholegrain and fresh multigrain breads whose dough has been fermented (sourdough) are a far cry from this and are shown to support the gut microbiome by providing easily digestable fibre and diversity of grains which promotes a healthy digestive system and supports our immune health.

Grab an hour with a slice of sourdough (try for their rye seeded sourdough 😋), dunk in some extra virgin olive oil and listen to this podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/healthily/id1524264288?i=1000550634885 with and from The Sourdough School. It is really informative and inspiring. It will encourage you to choose better bread for your health and maybe even make your own (please drop some to me if you do!!)
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Preparation is key to a healthy diet.

This is not a new concept and is often met with a sigh – ‘I don’t want to spend extra time planning what I’m going to eat!’

BUT - by allocating a specific time each week to do a weekly meal plan and make a shopping list you will:

• have less thinking to do each day about what you’re going to eat
• only have to shop once (with little top ups if necessary)
• be more likely to prepare healthier, balanced meals, looking at a range of vegetarian, fish and meat options across the week
• find it easier to achieve more diversity in your diet by considering each food group as you plan
• be able to plan to use left overs as meals or snacks which is more cost effective and saves time.
• be encouraged to look at a recipe or two and try different foods, rather than last minute grabbing something after work each day or following the same journey around a supermarket picking up the same foods week in week out.

This might seem prescriptive, but once you have a plan you can swap meals to different day if you don’t feel like eating it when you’d planned, or stick it in the freezer for another time.

If it feels too much to plan a whole week, just start by planning a few days and build from there.

There are apps to help if you like to work that way.

Try it, it really does work!

If you’re keen to do this but don’t know where to start, please contact me, I’m more than happy to help. I can provide templates, help with shopping lists, discuss food groups and guide you to which foods to focus on for your particular needs.

The days are getting lighter for longer, you can feel some warmth from the sun (when it’s out!) and everything is starting to sprout and flower. With energy levels improving, it’s time to come out of hibernation and start thinking about introducing new habits – small changes can have a big impact. Spring is when I make my New Year’s resolutions.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting 10 tips to kick start new habits. These will increase energy, support your immune system, reduce stress and more…..

Buckwheat pancake stack - love this for breakfast, lunch or dinner!!

Buckwheat is naturally gluten free despite its name and is a great source of protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates - so less chance of blood sugar spikes after your meal. It’s also richer in minerals than many other grains (manganese, copper, magnesium, iron).

Pancakes: (makes 12-14 chunky ones!)
180g Buckwheat Flour
2 tsps baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
2 eggs
300ml any milk

• Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
• Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and a little milk.
• Beat with a fork while adding a little milk at a time until you have a smooth batter
• Leave to stand for 20 mins

Drop desert spoonfuls into a lightly greased pan (you can make a few at a time) and turn the pancake once holes start to form and it begins to firm up on top.

Fill with whatever you fancy
Eggs, smoked salmon, mushroom, asparagus, watercress, rocket, sprouted seeds, squeeze of lemon etc…

Add a serving of greens on the side.

Save any leftovers for the next day.

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We need warm nourishing food in this weather and soups are perfect.

Why Beetroot?

Beetroot contains nitrates which are converted to nitric oxide by the body. Nitric Oxide is important for:

• Cardiovascular function
• Lowering blood pressure
• Vasodilation
• Supporting transport of oxygen and nutrients around the body
• Mitochondrial health
• As an anticoagulant

Some people are genetically predisposed to being less effective at generating Nitric Oxide which can increase their risk of cardiovascular disease. Including beetroot can help to support this process.

Recipe: serves 4-6

4 x raw beetroots (chopped into chunks)
2 parsnips (chopped into chunks)
2 sticks of celery
1 leek
1 red onion
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (add more if you want it spicier)
2 cloves garlic grated
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (add more to thin if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the beetroot, parsnip, celery, leek, red onion into a roasting tray, and roast using a little olive oil in the oven at 180 degree fan for 40 mins or until the beetroot is soft but holding its structure.

Place the roasted veg into a pan with ginger and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, add a splash of stock if it starts to stick.

Add the remaining stock and season with salt and pepper, cook for 15 minutes, then blend and enjoy with some feta crumbled on top and a sprig of thyme.

A great way to use up left over veg from a roast too.

With matters of the heart at the forefront of our minds this week, what does it take to really make our hearts sing? Click on my website link to see my latest blog - Matters of the Heart ,

Eggs are my favourite breakfast, so quick and easy to make . Add mushrooms, herbs, greens, (watercress, sprouted seeds, avocado). Packed full of protein , supporting your immune system 👍 and healthy fats - win win!

Feeling the cold?

Do you experience cold, numb, white or even blue extremities when you get cold or perhaps in stressful situations too? Is this a barrier to getting you outside for essential daylight during the winter months?

At this time of year lots of people experience painful fingers and toes, tingling, numbness and a burning feeling when the blood flow comes back.

Studies suggest that specific dietary and lifestyle changes could really help to manage these symptoms.

• Up your magnesium intake
Magnesium helps the blood vessels to relax encouraging better blood flow to your peripheries. Eating more green, leafy vegetables (steamed, never boiled!), pulses, nuts and seeds will boost your levels.

• Take an epsom salt bath
This provides a good dose of magnesium through your skin, as well as being relaxing and warming in the winter months.

• Ensuring adequate intake of essential fatty oils
Both fish oils (omega 3) and evening primrose oil (omega 6) may help. Add oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, kippers to your weekly meals. Smaller fish are preferable due to the higher mercury load in larger fish.

• Exercise
Get active, this helps the blood vessels to open up.

• Relaxation and stress management
Emotional stress also causes peripheral blood vessels to constrict. Incorporating time for relaxation into your daily schedule, such as breathing techniques, mindfulness, walking in nature etc is really beneficial.

Sometimes managing diet and lifestyle changes can be hard to navigate or may not be enough if there are underlying issues. Working with a Nutritional Therapist to delve a little deeper can support you in this process.

During an initial discovery call, or any other early correspondence, we will discuss how I can best help you as well as the packages I offer.

Clinic packages
Basic
Recommended
Complete

All 3 packages involve the same initial consultation (60-90 minutes) where we go through the information you will have provided in a detailed health questionnaire and food diary prior to the session. This first session is about us getting to know each other, building on the information you’ve provided and starting to look at initial elements of your diet and lifestyle to focus on.

After this session I dedicate time to mapping out your symptoms, taking into account all the information gathered, researching and looking at the systems in the body and how they are interconnected. This is where the personalized nature of your care comes in so that in the follow up session/sessions we can really start to focus in on what you need.

For the Recommended and Complete packages we might decide that reviewing your blood chemistry, hormone profile, gut function or using nutrigenomics (and many more options) might be beneficial to help get to the root cause of any ongoing symptoms.

For all the packages, follow up appointments can be booked (either individually or in bundles at a reduced rate). These appointments are scheduled to work at a pace that suits you (every other week, once a month etc). There are options for these sessions to include store cupboard reviews, help with shopping lists and menu planning.

To find out more, book a complimentary call through my website or contact me directly.

[email protected]