THE PERFECT LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR A HEALTH-CONSCIOUS FOODIE!

Regular readers will know that combining my passions for tasty treats (I have a terrible ‘sweet tooth’) with the necessity for health, I am always in search of useful information on your behalf. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!

I recently discovered ‘Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache’ by Harry Eastwood.

This scrumptious book is almost good enough to eat, let alone the cake recipes within it. The evocative photographs begin inside the front cover, and depict the cakes in the setting of a beautiful English country garden, nestling against antique china, and displayed on miniature furniture in a period doll’s house.

The recipes use seasonal vegetables to reduce fat and sugar content, thereby making them healthier but incredibly tasty with not a whiff of the secret ingredient hidden within. What an incredibly clever way to feed vegetables to children and reluctant adults, disguised as a nurturing and comforting treat.

The recipes are also suitable for anyone who has a wheat intolerance, as easy-to-find substitutes are used and do not detract at all from the texture or flavour.

As well as including step-by-step instructions for the perfected recipe, Ms Eastwood diarizes the creative process she followed to arrive at the end result, and gives the reader ‘character notes’ on each cake – a fun and personalised angle which encourages us to get to know the cakes ourselves. I found that the ‘Courgette and Camomile Cupcakes’ more than lived up to their promise.

The perfect last-minute Christmas present for a health-conscious foodie who loves cakes (don’t we all?!) Follow this link to check it out for yourself. http://tiny.cc/redvelvetchocolate

Amazon say they can still deliver in time for Christmas (select Express Delivery at the checkout)

Do ‘takeaways’ contribute to Type 2 diabetes?

On Dec 7th, K J Smith, L Blizzard, S A McNaughton, S L Gall, T Dwyer and A J Venn published the academic paper, ‘Takeaway food consumption and cardio-metabolic risk factors in young adults’. This paper outlined a study which reported that eating takeaway meals twice a week or more increased a person’s chances of becoming insulin-resistant, and in turn their chances of developing type-two diabetes.

They took a sample of 1,896 people aged 26-36, and surveyed them on their eating habits in regard to takeaway food, their physical activity and to what extent they were a ‘couch potato’. It also measured their waistline and blood pressure.

They primarily divided participants into two groups- those who ate takeaway food once a week or less, and those who ate it twice a week or more; within this, they then categorised results on account of age, employment status, and again, the amount of physical activity the person generally undertook.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the report indicates that the people who ate takeaway food twice a week or more had higher blood sugar and insulin levels than those who ate it once a week or less. It did note that women seemed more susceptible to the unhealthy effects of takeaway food than men, although of course it still had a negative impact on the health of male participants as well.

Looking at some reader comments discussing the article, some people are clearly critical of this study; some argue that it is basically common sense that eating a greater amount of unhealthy food makes you more prone to diabetes, whereas others argue that, whilst the study took several external factors into account, it failed to account for their other eating habits. After all, just because a meal isn’t ‘takeaway’ in no way means that it’s healthy, either! There are all manner of other foods that can still constitute an ‘unhealthy diet’.

Is it takeaway food specifically that makes people more prone to diabetes, or is it the fact that it’s unhealthy food? As stated above, you could quite easily argue that this study gives no real new, useful information. Yes, unhealthy food is bad for you- that’s why we call it ‘unhealthy’. Logic would therefore dictate that the more of it we eat, the more likely we are to become unhealthy ourselves and again, if you make the connection between takeaway food being unhealthy, it’s really quite questionable as to whether anything in this article can really be called revolutionary or even surprising.

What do you think about this article and this study? Feel free to leave any comments in the comment box. :)

The Food Hospital (06-12-2011)

This TV programme (screened at peak time on Channel 4) continues to fascinate by showing that quite severe health conditions can be improved with dietary changes.

The first patient on this week’s episode was Anne Colins, age 55, who had been suffering from terrible hot flushes for 6 years due to her menopause but was unable to take Hormone Replacement Therapy due to other medical issues.

The doctors on the show recommended smaller, more natural doses of hormones in the form of plant-based estrogen, and developed a food plan for her including tofu, soya, edamame beans, soya milk and yoghurt, together with chickpeas and other calcium-rich foods.

Anne stuck to this diet for ten weeks (despite occasionally having more than their suggested one glass of wine per day!). The episode showed her at two separate later stages, experiencing considerable reduction in both the frequency and intensity of her hot flushes.

The second patient was Kate, age 39, who had suffered from Ankylosing Spondylitis- for 21 years. This condition is a form of arthritis which usually attacks the spine, fusing the vertebrae together and causing limited mobility and considerable pain.

There is no outright ‘cure’, and the standard treatment of anti-inflammatory painkillers had only helped so far in terms of curbing the pain.

The doctors deduced that starchy foods could be contributing to the problem- certain bacteria associated with the disease feed on starch, and the antibodies created to combat them can erode cartilage. They did however state that starch was a key and vital food requirement, so that she would have to be careful to ensure that she still got the required amount of starch, whilst eliminating the excess from her diet.

Kate was advised to avoid eating potatoes, starchy vegetables, rice, pasta, and wheat products, but could still eat small amounts of beans, pulses and bananas to ensure she got enough starch.

Upon returning six weeks later, she felt that whilst the pain understandably hadn’t gone completely, there had been a significant improvement.

The third patient, Taigh aged 19, had a phobia of most foods brought about by numerous food intolerances as a child. She had never eaten a vegetable in her life and only ate crisps, bacon, sausages, pancakes, bread, sweets and ice cream but said that she always feels energetic (ironically this girl is training to be a fitness instructor!). However, her selective phobia-driven diet caused embarrassment, meaning she rarely ate with family or friends.

The doctors discovered that whilst there were no outwardly visible symptoms of ill-health, she was suffering from malnutrition (understandably), and putting herself at risk for problems such as scurvy and anaemia, due to lack of a wide range of nutrients found in a normal balanced diet.

They helped her take things one step at a time to overcome her phobias, and upon returning at a later date, she stated that she was making steady, if slow, progress.

Next week is the final episode in the series, and it will be very interesting to see what dietary measures the experts suggest to combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

‘THE FOOD HOSPITAL’

This is so exciting!  Something really HUGE and potentially life-changing is about to happen in the U.K.

I noticed in the TV listings that a new series, ‘The Food Hospital’ begins tonight, 1st November 2011.  Channel 4 have billed it as a ‘Specialist Factual Series’ which will be ‘examining the science behind using food as medicine’. Brilliant!

The series will feature experts such as a Professor of Gastroenterology (the digestive system), a specialist Dietician and a GP who will be assessing the effects that certain foods can have on the specific health problems of some of their patients.

Since training as a Dietician, this has very much been my focus as well. In addition to this, I was taught to cook by my grandmother, who - as a former school meals supervisor - passed down valuable nuggets of information such as the importance of cooking vegetables lightly in order to retain their vitamin content (and in turn our own health). This was a relatively new way of thinking at that time, back in the early 60s.

The 2005 book, 'Food Is Better Medicine Than Drugs (by Holford and Burne) further cemented these principles in my mind, as did Professor Jane Plant’s 2006 book ‘Eating for Better Health.

However, my training in hospitals indicated that medical conditions to be treated with special diets were limited to Diabetes (restricted carbohydrate), kidney problems (a low-potassium diet), and the occasional low-fat diet for patients having gallbladder surgery.  

In recent years, as I struggled to find answers for my own chronic fatigue illness, my efforts to put an all-round programme using diet and nutrition into place were dismissed by GPs. Despite this, I have come across some incredibly forward-thinking Nutrition experts and scientists, and one Doctor I encountered -  a fatigue specialist - enlisted nutritional methods as part of a regime that she had recommended for me.  I said in a previous blog that, between the two of us, we arrived at a management programme involving 27 nutrition supplements per day (all natural substances, but containing a higher dosage than that found in food),  allowing me to be up and about and functioning normally, as opposed to being bedridden – for which I am eternally grateful.

The evidence for the success of the regime was my own wellbeing and recovery, but unfortunately Doctors traditionally receive just about half a day of nutritional education during their 7 year medical training, and there are not enough ‘peer reviewed’ studies (where controlled experiments are carried out and the results checked by the researchers’ medical colleagues) to convince them that nutritional methods get results. But increasingly, substances that Nutrition experts have known about for decades are, very slowly, coming into mainstream use (folic acid for pregnant women is one example).

I firmly believe that the future of medicine is for everyone to be treated with a tailor-made nutrition programme based on test results (if deficiencies are indicated), alongside the more typical medical treatment.  

Each day, our bodies need a certain amount of nutrients in order to function properly and stay healthy, but it is shockingly easy to be deficient in various nutrients (a form of ‘malnutrition’), even in the Western world; because of our modern staple diet of white flour, white sugar and hydrogenated fats, the nutrient levels in our body can easily be thrown out of balance.

Perhaps, Channel 4’s new series will plant the seeds of change in the thinking of the medics.  It can only be a good thing for patients that a major television channel is broadcasting such a programme at peak viewing time – meaning that the subject is really coming into the ‘mainstream’ consciousness.

With the small number of patients being studied during the series, there may not be conclusive results over the relatively short duration of the experiment and this could perhaps give critics grounds to argue that dietary methods do not work. However, viewers can apparently be part of the 'largest ever' scientific study into how changes in diet can improve - if not cure - some illnesses and ailments, by joining in online.  

So let’s hope that the medics keep an open mind.  It remains to be seen, but I will be on the edge of my seat with anticipation, hoping for a wider recognition of food’s incredible health benefits from now on.

Update:  At the end of the programme tonight Channel 4 mentioned that there is a book to accompany the series, written by the featured experts.   It is available from Amazon which you can reach directly by clicking the link here:- 

The Food Hospital


If you live in the US and would like to look at the books mentioned in this blog post, please click the links below;

Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs

Eating for Better Health

Part 2 - SAY NO TO DIABETES, AND YES TO HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

Book Review - 'Say No to Diabetes' by Patrick Holford

‘Say No To Diabetes’  is the latest of 30 books by Nutrition specialist Patrick Holford BSc. who founded the Institute of Optimum Nutrition and trains nutritional therapists.

He has gathered the latest research on diet, lifestyle measures and supplements for diabetes into this well-written, down to earth programme.  It also details many success stories of studies conducted by Specialist Diabetes Doctors utilising the methods that the book has collected and discussed.

As a Dietician I found the book an easy read, but it is in plain language and accessible for an untrained person to follow.   I do in fact have blood sugar problems myself, and spent 8 years researching and putting together a well-rounded programme of diet, lifestyle and supplements to address my own health issues (in collaboration with a Nutritionist, Medical Herbalist and fatigue Doctor) which were very similar to the programme Holford suggests, and some of the same supplements have been invaluable in helping to keep my blood sugar stable along with the diet principles.  Therefore to me, the guidelines within this book make perfect sense and I am wholeheartedly in favour of this approach.

Holford sets the scene by outlining the theory behind his recommendations and explains why the changes to the body systems in a diabetic state are so damaging. Once we realise how important it is to address these issues, he then leads us into the practical steps to reverse them.  Type 2 Diabetes accounts for about 90% of all cases of diabetes, but it can lead to Type 1 Diabetes (insulin dependent) if not controlled.

He points out that it is not possible to completely reverse Type 1 diabetes but that the programme will help reduce the dosage of insulin needed (he recommends - as would I - that this is done in close consultation with a Doctor).

There are chapters on the ‘Low Glycaemic Load’ eating plan, laying out easy principles for choosing the correct foods and substituting unhelpful foods with something better. Section 4 gives low GL recipes for breakfasts, lunches, main meals and side dishes. There are some delicious sounding desserts, and sample menus for daily variety.

Other sections describe exercise plans and ways of getting a good night’s sleep as part of the programme to recover health.

Significant percentages of people in the studies have reversed their indicators of diabetes (high fasting blood sugar, high blood fats, high blood pressure),  and  Holford says they  ‘would not  be diagnosed with diabetes if they were tested now’. The majority lost weight easily almost as a ‘side effect’ of the programme, because the Low GL eating plan is designed to keep blood sugar stable and avoid hunger.  In my opinion it is easy to follow as a ‘way of life’,  which means it avoids the rollercoaster which many people experience  - losing weight on a ‘diet’ and then putting all the weight back on again (and more besides!) when the ‘diet’ is stopped and normal eating habits resumed. 

However, I do feel there was one minor contradiction in the book. The included tables of food GL (glycaemic load) values included some items which we are supposed to avoid on the programme. I would have preferred them to be listed in a separate section for clarity, where they could still be used for comparison with the recommended foods.

But overall, if you have blood sugar problems or want to lose weight or to prevent/reverse Type 2 diabetes, this book is a clear signpost to the practical actions needed.

Diet Diva J

To check out the book now, click the buttons below;

If you are in the UK or Europe; 

 

If you are in the USA;

 

Prefer to read books on a Kindle?   Click the banner at the end

Part 1 - SAY NO TO DIABETES, AND YES TO HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

By now, most of us are aware that obesity and type 2 diabetes are on the rise- and it seems almost common sense that to lose weight, you should eat less and exercise more; but, as with many things, that’s far easier said than done (and even more so maintained!).

As I mentioned in my welcome blog,  I’ve struggled as much as the next person, over a number of years, with my blood sugar and weight issues - despite being a trained Dietician (embarrassing really!!) and I can tell you,  it’s not easy at all,  that is until you find the right programme to follow. 

I spent a decade gradually refining a well-rounded programme to recover my health, which involved changing my diet and taking specific supplements that my nutritionist and I had researched, which targeted the nutritional deficiencies causing my symptoms of fatigue and blood sugar imbalance.  Considering the latter was likely the cause of the former, this was a very important factor, and arguably a means of killing two birds with one stone.

My fatigue began suddenly after major surgery in 2001, and as a ‘lady of a certain age’  my hormones were creating havoc, (maybe as a result of the surgery, or as part of the natural process)  and I found I simply could not stop eating. I was craving sweet things and refined carbohydrates all the time (in other words, chocolate,  biscuits, cakes and what have you).  I would be awake all night and head out to the local 24-hour supermarket ,  buy 4 large bars of their cheapest own-brand chocolate (loaded, of course,  with sugar and trans fats)  scoff the lot, and then force myself to keep from going out and buying another four bars!

During the day, I ate whole packets of chocolate-chip muffins and Rich Tea biscuits, which I would then wash down with an obscene amount of tea (and not the decaffeinated kind!).  The more I ate, the more I wanted to eat; I felt totally disgusted with myself.  I was a trained Dietician; I of all people should have known better.    All of this was, of course, a recipe for disaster, and within a couple of months I had become agitated, fearful, and constantly over-emotional.  My head felt as if it would explode, and my neck felt strangled. My blood pressure was too high.  Since there has been a history of high blood pressure in my family, this didn’t come as too much of surprise, but more frustrating than anything was the fact that it could have been avoided.

I felt like I was on a constant adrenaline rush; I rarely had the energy to get out of bed, and my health was beginning to suffer. I was really starting to worry.

Thankfully, seeking out the nutritional route in an attempt to regain my health led me to a doctor specialising in fatigue illness with a brilliant understanding of blood sugar imbalances and how they can have disastrous impacts on a person’s health. It was around this time that I also discovered (through a qualified medical herbalist), that I should take supplements of Chromium to help stabilise my blood sugar levels.

Chromium helps re-sensitize the body’s cells to insulin, better allowing them to absorb and utilise the nutrients from food, thereby lowering the amount of insulin which needs to be produced each time we eat.  If your body is producing too much insulin, this may be a sign that you have (or are at risk from) diabetes.

I had my insulin levels checked in early 2009, and found that they were shockingly high, even many hours after eating, suggesting my body had built up a resistance to it.

I found a fascinating study conducted in China in which people with type 2 diabetes were given 1000 micrograms of Chromium per day, and after several months, 65% were able to stop taking their diabetes medication.  (Please note that I don’t recommend anyone stop taking any prescribed medication without speaking to their doctor first; also, 1000mcg is quite a lot of Chromium to take. Always consult a qualified practitioner who specializes in the use of supplements).

Within weeks of beginning the chromium supplements, my cravings for all things sweet and unhealthy had all but stopped; although breaking the mental habit of such excessive consumption patterns took a little while longer.

I then tweaked my supplement programme. It now included;

• Chromium – to increase insulin sensitivity

• High-dose fish oil capsules – to reduce inflammation (an early stage of many diseases)

• Vitamin C – to relax blood vessels and  reduce blood pressure

• CoEnzyme Q10 – to combat fatigue and further reduce blood pressure

• B Vitamins – to help deal with stress

• Vitamin B3 – Helps distribute energy in the body and also lowers cholesterol

• Zinc – to replace the amount lost in producing high levels of insulin

• Magnesium – very calming, and helps to stabilise blood sugar levels

• Professional Grade Multivitamin and Mineral supplements – used as a foundation for the rest of the programme

• Vitamin D supplements – Many functions including helping to stabilise blood sugar, healthy bones.

• Valerian herbs – Promotes restful sleep

• Digestive enzyme capsule – to aid absorption of nutrients

• Glutathione and Selenium – to help detox the body

In conjunction with the supplements,  I was able to switch from sugar-packed ‘refined’ carbohydrates, to a low G.I diet (Glycaemic Index in those days, but recommendations are now updated to the principle of Low GL – Glycaemic Load – which takes into account the food portion sizes as well as how quickly it is broken down into simple sugars for use by the body, and therefore how much or how little it raises insulin).

The result of all the above is that when I had HBA1C tests in 2009 and 2010,   (Glycosylated Haemoglobin - an effective measure of how high the blood sugar has gone in the previous 3 months)  the readings were 5.5 and 5.2 respectively, which is well within the ‘normal’ range).  I no longer feel ‘strangled’ or agitated, and my blood pressure is at near normal levels for my age.  I am able to stick to the low-carbohydrate, no-refined-carb diet easily and without feeling hungry, and have lost over half a stone in weight.   Whilst I had not been diagnosed with diabetes, prior to my diet change and supplement programme, the warning signs were all there; it was imminent, if not actually present.

Because I address everything from a broad perspective, I also listen to relaxation tapes before sleep (which help me to drift off easily because they increase the brain waves which induce restfulness)  and during most weekdays I take some exercise (at least twenty minutes of brisk walking) and listen to a tape of tailor-made ‘positive affirmations’ at the same time (thereby achieving two healthy things at once). 

Patrick Holford has just recently released a book called ‘Say No To Diabetes’ ;  which interestingly brings together all of the principles I have used (but took me eight years to put together individually!) , and more,  citing the research studies which have led his experts to their conclusions. I will be reviewing it in my next blog.  Look out for it!    

In the book Patrick Holford describes the comprehensive programme of diet, lifestyle changes and supplements needed to reverse or prevent diabetes, and it looks to be a fabulous read. 

To check out the book now, click the buttons below;

If you are in the UK or Europe; 

 

If you are in the USA;

 

Prefer to read the books on a Kindle?   Click the banner at the end.

Welcome!

When we want to lose weight, we generally think that the only two options are to diet, to exercise, or a combination of both. However, in many cases, some simple changes to the way you eat can result in relatively fast weight loss without having to ‘diet’ in the traditional sense.

We don’t have to look very far these days to hear stories telling us that obesity, diabetes and similar health problems are on the rise; so much so that you may sometimes feel like there’s little you can do to avoid them. However, I strongly believe that first and foremost we ourselves are the ones who are responsible for our own health - and considering the cutbacks which are due to be made to the NHS, this has never been more necessary.

However, taking good care of ourselves can be much easier than you might think; and can make a huge different in how we feel, both physically and emotionally. Not only that, but eating right can also drastically increase our chances of fighting off ill-health in general.

Having trained as a dietician, when I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome back in 2001- which baffled the medics at the time- I quickly turned to a nutritionist to help fill me in on things. I looked up various supplements on the PubMed research database to see what kind of major studies had been done on the matter, then, together with my nutritionist, put together a tailor-made programme of dietary changes and nutritional supplements which- slowly, but surely- saw drastic improvements in my overall health. I continued to refine and update the programme over the next few years, especially as I begun to realise that much of the problem lay with my blood sugar levels (which I’ll cover in more depth in a later post).

I prefer to use natural means of staying healthy whenever I can, to complement more mainstream treatments, rather than rely on them.

Everyone’s body is different, and as such there can be limitations to the effect that mass-produced treatments can have, depending on the individual. Whilst I am by no means trying to discredit nor discourage the use of such medication when needed, I believe that natural nutritional supplements and dietary changes allow for much more flexibility in terms of targeting an individual’s underlying health problems. There is also the matter of the side-effects which more ‘mainstream’ medications can often have.

I will be going over new, exciting studies which may broaden the approach to treating health problems. The blog will feature effective tips and tricks to regain or maintain good health, as well as lose weight in a healthy, easy manner. I’ll be talking about nutritional supplements which could help toward your goal of weight loss and good health.

You will also find recipes which may come as a surprise- things that you would never expect to be allowed to eat whilst sticking to a ‘healthy’ diet. And that’s just the beginning- so make sure to check back often.

In the meantime, feel free to sign up for my newsletter, ‘Diet & Health’, packed with tips, tricks and recipes. I’d also be more than happy for you to leave any comments or questions, if there are diet-related issues that you are struggling with and would like some advice on, as I’d be happy to feature these in future entries!

See you soon! 

Diet Diva  J