Can Food Help Shift Anxiety?

Anxiety symptoms can make you feel very unwell and run down. Coping with anxiety can be a challenge not just for you but also for your family. Anxiety can leave you feeling powerless but by making some lifestyle changes you can get your power back! There aren't any diet changes that can cure anxiety, but watching what you eat may help.

Here are my top tips

1. Eating protein at breakfast can help you feel fuller longer and help keep your blood sugar steady so that you have more energy as you start your day. Eggs, Greek yoghurt, nuts and seeds are great options. Protein helps stimulate the production of the brain chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine, which, like serotonin, are neurotransmitters and carry impulses between nerve cells.

2. Carbohydrates are thought to increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which has a calming effect. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as oats, quinoa, whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals.

3. Try and eat a healthy, whole foods diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. It is especially important to include foods that are rich in the B vitamins, such as beef, pork, chicken, leafy greens, legumes, oranges and other citrus fruits, rice, nuts, eggs, whole grains, nuts and fish. A deficiency in B vitamins such as folic acid and B12 can trigger depression in some people. Vitamin B supplements can be very useful to add to your diet if you feel you are not eating enough vitamin B rich food.

4. Increase omega 3 in your diet. Evidence continues to mount that consuming omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines, can be uplifting and enhance your mood.

5. Tryptophan can have a positive effect on stress because this amino acid helps your brain produce feel-good chemicals. You will find tryptophan in a variety of foods such as turkey, chicken, bananas, milk, oats, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, and sesame seeds.

6. Pay attention to food sensitivities. In some people, certain foods or food additives can cause unpleasant physical reactions. In certain people, these physical reactions may lead to shifts in mood, including irritability or anxiety. If in doubt contact us to arrange a food intolerance blood test.

7. Could processed foods such as hot dogs, sausage rolls, pork pies and cakes cause anxiety or other mental health issues? Researchers in London found that eating a diet of processed and fatty foods increases the risk for depression. In the study, people who mainly ate fried food, processed meat, high-fat dairy products and sweetened desserts had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate "whole" foods such as fish and vegetables.To help lift mood and calm anxiety, keep away from processed foods and eat more natural products.

8. Although drinking alcohol seems to have a calming effect short term, it dehydrates the body and can actually end up acting as a depressant. Alcohol can also interfere with sleep so moderate it in your diet.

9. Sugar is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. The absorption causes an initial high or surge of energy. But that surge wears off as the body increases its insulin production to remove the sugar from your bloodstream. The result: You're left feeling tired and low. Avoid fizzy drinks loaded with sugar, instead drink plenty of water, to stay hydrated.

10. Reduce caffeine in your diet as this can make you feel jittery and nervous and can interfere with sleep. The problem is that caffeine has been shown to inhibit levels of serotonin in the brain, and when serotonin levels are suppressed, you can become depressed and feel irritable.

Try these 10 top tips and always remember - feelings by there very nature come and go. This too shall pass.

Coffee - Good or Bad?

Coffee swings from being beneficial to harmful in the nutrition world so what is the truth about our morning pick me up?

The Down Side to Coffee.

A cup of coffee contains up to 200 mg of caffeine, a cup of tea up to 80 mg and coca cola around 55 mg of caffeine. Due to it’s high caffeine content excessive quantities of coffee can cause unpleasant side effects such as restlessness, anxiety, sleep disturbances tremors and problems with blood pressure.

If you are a regular coffee drinker, you likely are aware that the caffeine in coffee is also highly addictive. Coffee is so addictive that even individuals who consume just one cup per day can go through severe withdrawals symptoms if they eliminate their daily cup. Who remembers my whinging when I did the juice fast sans coffee?!

The ultimate pick me up?

On the plus side coffee is packed full of antioxidants which studies show help protect against free radical damage and therefore diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Caffeine can also help improve your memory and mood. When you drink a cup of coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain. Once in the brain the caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine, which in turn allows an increase in your alertness and memory. 

According to studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, drinking coffee on a daily basis also lowers your chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 7%.

However, it's important to remember we are all different, meaning some people are slower caffeine metabolisers than others. Caffeine is metabolised in the liver through an enzyme called cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2). This enzyme is responsible for 95 percent of the metabolism process for caffeine and differences in our genetic makeup decide how much of this enzyme we have. If you don’t happen to know your genetic predisposition to this enzyme then my advice is to stick to one good quality organic coffee per day. 

The Link Between Sleep and Weight Loss

The debate about the best way to achieve a healthy weight always revolves around eating and movement. If you want to look better, the most common suggestion is “eat less and move more.” But it’s not that simple. Sometimes between living your life, working and exercising, you’re forgetting to sleep enough. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35% of people are sleep deprived. And when you consider that the statistic for obesity is nearly identical, it’s easy to connect the dots and discover that the connection is not a coincidence.

It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly. When you don't sleep enough, your cortisol levels rise. This is the stress hormone that is frequently associated with fat gain. Cortisol also activates reward centers in your brain that make you want food. At the same time, lack of sleep causes us to be short tempered, more irritable and far more likely to choose unhealthy snack options.

A recent study carried out by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland looked at the associations between sleep, stress and success at sticking to a weight loss program. They found overwhelmingly that people who had less than six hours sleep per day were less likely to achieve weight loss than those who had between six and eight hours. The researchers also concurred that high stress levels also affected weight loss. When combined with poor sleep, stressed people were about half as likely to be successful at weight loss than their less stressed counterparts who got between six and eight hours of sleep.

Of course weight issues are not all the fault of poor sleep patterns. Your bulging waistline could equally be caused by any number of different factors including sneaky snacking, poor genetics, stress, night shifts, food addictions, sugary drinks, too much alcohol, a food intolerance or an imbalance in gut bacteria. However one thing is clear if you are getting less than 6 hours quality sleep every night then your body will not be in prime 'fat burning' mode.

Nutrition & Self Worth

When it comes to food and healthy diets you may be surprised to hear ‘self worth’ rather than ‘low fat’ or ‘low calorie’ is actually the key to long term health. We all know that fruit and vegetables are healthy and processed foods are not – so why do we overindulge in the very things that cause us harm? The answer is linked to low levels of self esteem and self worth.

When we learn to love ourselves and respect our bodies we are more inclined to take better care of ourselves with good nutrition and sensible exercise. When we let food control us however, every time we are low or distressed there is a tendency to turn to food for comfort. We have all done it at some point. Bad day at work, falling out with your friends or breaking up with your partner can all trigger food binges as we try to use sugar and fat to plug the emotional gap that has been created. Chocolate and ice cream may produce short term gratification, but the results of that tub of Ben & Jerry’s will sit firmly on your thighs and give you yet another reason to feel low again.

Think about the times you have caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror or your reflection in a shop front and followed that up with a negative thought about how you look. When you berate yourself for gaining weight or not fitting into an outfit you are sending negative messages to your body that you are failing and letting yourself down. Physically speaking you produce more of the hormone cortisol when you are critical of your appearance and in a stressed state. Studies show that high cortisol levels make it very hard to lose weight and can even lead you to gain weight. Think carefully about how you speak to yourself – if you would not say it to a friend, then do not say it to yourself. Practice self love, self worth and self appreciation and your health will thank you for it.

Treating Kidney Infections

 Top tips for naturally treating kidney infections;

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar contains malic acid which has certain antibacterial properties. Although a vinegar it is actually an alkaline so can therefore assist the body in getting rid of the infection.

Apple cider vinegar can also be taken for urinary bladder infection in order to prevent the infection from spreading into the kidneys. It also helps in resolving bladder infection and in promoting a speedy recovery.

You can take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a glass of water. Take this drink twice in a day.

2. Garlic

Garlic is a strong natural remedy that has the potential to help resolve kidney infections.

Garlic contains an active ingredient called allicin that acts as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal agent. It is also an antioxidant that cures a wide range of diseases.

Allicin Max garlic supplements are excellent.

3. Turmeric

Turmeric is a potent natural remedy that can resolve kidney infection and speed up the recovery process.

Turmeric contains an active ingredient known as curcumin which is a strong anti-bacterial agent. Curcumin is also an anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal agent that helps in inhibiting the growth and spread of all kinds of microbes.

You can either consume pure turmeric powder or mix it with food. Alternatively, you can also take turmeric supplements in the form of capsules.

4. Diet

Your diet should be as low sugar as possible. This is because sugar encourages the development of bacteria. Avoid food items like cakes, biscuits, chocolates, soft drinks and alcohol.

Add more probiotics to your diet. Foodstuffs like yogurt, tofu and kefir contain lots of probiotics. Probiotics inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and promote the spread of healthy bacteria.

5. Ginger

Ginger is an effective remedy for kidney infections.

Ginger contains an active ingredient known as gingerols which is an antibacterial agent that inhibits the spread of bacteria within the kidneys.

Try fresh ginger and lemon in warm water to start your day as this will act as an excellent digestive cleanse.

Fat Loss Programmes

The question you should start with when embarking on a fat loss programme is ‘do I want to be thin or do I want to be healthy’? You can’t ‘out train’ a poor diet in the long term so putting your health first and fuelling your body with the nutrients it requires is key.

70% of how we look is based on what we eat and 30% is down to movement and exercise. Both diet and exercise are important for our overall health and well being, but when embarking on a fat loss programme it is vital that food habits change in order to see real lasting change. Extreme regimes of any kind rarely last and are almost impossible to keep up in the long term so healthy balanced meals containing protein, carbohydrates and good fats are essential to lose the fat and keep it off.

When someone has a large amount of weight to lose this balance is of even greater importance as the skin needs the correct nutrition in order to shrink and tighten effectively. Losing weight too quickly by under eating, over exercising or skipping meals can lead to excess skin folds on the body where it has shrunk too quickly. Extreme exercising also puts increased pressure on your adrenal glands and you can end up stressing the body with high cortisol levels that can lead to future health problems.

When deciding to lose weight It is very important to choose a food plan based on real food, as near to nature as you can. If it was made IN a plant DON’T eat it, if it was made FROM a plant then DO! Eating 3 meals per day with 2 small snacks is ideal as this ensures your blood sugar levels do not drop leading to ‘snack’ impulse eating.

Change your eating habits by cutting out processed foods and refined sugars. Start by reading labels and knowing what goes into the food you are eating. Where possible make your meals from scratch but If you are not a cook or are ‘time poor’ then make sure you purchase homemade fresh foods without additives and preservatives added. Watch your salt intake and be mindful of your calorie consumption and make changes today that your body will thank you for, not just this time next year but this time the year after and for many years to come.

Food Intolerances

Food intolerance, unliketrue food allergy can have a number of different causes.

A food intolerance is difficulty digesting certain foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them. It is much more common than food allergy and is not caused by the immune system. The onset of symptoms is usually slower, and may be delayed by many hours after eating the offending food. The symptoms may also last for several hours, even into the next day and sometimes longer. Intolerance to several foods or a group of foods is not uncommon.

With food intolerance, some people can tolerate a reasonable amount of the food, but if they eat too much (or too often) they get symptoms because their body cannot tolerate unlimited amounts.

The symptoms caused by food intolerance are varied. They usually cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, irritable bowel and can include skin rashes and sometimes fatigue, joint pains, dark circles under the eyes, night sweats and other chronic conditions.

The number of people who believe they have a food intolerance has risen dramatically over recent years, but it's hard to know how many people are truly affected.

Top Tips For Painful Periods

Painful menstruation is known as Dysmenorrhea which literally means “difficult menstruation”.  Considering that Dysmenorrhea is an inflammatory state in the body, it is important to avoid foods that increase inflammation response. High glycemic foods are known to increase levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body.

Avoid refined carbohydrates. Stick to whole grains like oats, millet, brown rice, quinoa.

Eat enough of the right kinds of fats. Eating fats like quality organic meats, butter, coconut oil, ghee, olive oil, etc can help boost proper hormone production.

Eliminate sugary foods and processed sugar. Remember sugar is hidden in everything. Up to 2 tsp in some sliced bread so watch out. Try swapping out standard sugar for Stevia or Xylitol as a sweetener.

Exercise. If you have hormone imbalance, intense extended exercise can actually make the problem worse in the short term. Sleep is actually more important, at least during the balancing phase, so focus on relaxing exercises like walking, yoga or swimming and avoid the extended running or intense cardio.

Consider eliminating dairy. Dairy products are congesting to the body. If you choose dairy, try to purchase organic or organic raw dairy only to avoid added hormones.

Reduce red meat consumption. This is because red meat is high in arachidonic acid (AA). This has been found to increase cellular inflammation in some people. Choose organic free range meats and eggs when possible to avoid added hormones.

Vitamin A. Be sure to get enough Vitamin A through natural sources like cod liver oil or carrots. This will help to keep estrogen levels regulated.

Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is needed to help produce ‘good’ prostaglandins which help to relax and widen blood vessels as opposed to ‘bad’ prostaglandins which increase the womb contractions and increase the pain. So it is worth taking a good B-complex supplement. This vitamin has been shown to significantly reduce the intensity and duration of period pains.

Magnesium. Magnesium helps to relax smooth muscle tissue. It has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping greatly. Magnesium deficiency is a leading cause of menstrual cramps.

Basil. Basil is another very effective herb for reducing menstrual pain and cramps. The caffeic acid present in basil has analgesic, or pain-killing properties.

Ginger. Ginger is a wonder herb that can effectively ease menstrual cramps. This herb plays a key role in lowering the levels of the pain-causing prostaglandins. It also helps fight fatigue associated with premenstrual syndrome. If you experience nausea or vomiting or due to painful cramping and hormonal changes, ginger is one of the best herbs to soothe the stomach. It is also anti-inflammatory.

Chamomile. Chamomile tea is both anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. It is also helpful for women with digestive constipation contributing to pain. Because this herb is also a mild sedative it may help to reduce stress, relax the nervous system and induce a restful state in the body. This can be very useful when experiencing menstrual cramping accompanied by anxiety and irritability.

The Dangers of Tap Water

Unfortunately, water quality issues are not a recent development. Industrial dumping, pesticide runoff, leaky storage tanks, and government mandates have created big problems. Don't panic though, there is no need for bottled just purchase a water filer jug. Although tap water in the UK is considered ‘safe’ to drink it does still contain a lot of chemicals. Key scientists are now providing evidence that long-term ingestion of small amounts of chemicals like these could be the cause of some major health problems.

Here is a list of just a few of the chemicals routinely added to our water supply:

• Liquified chlorine

• Fluorosilicic acid

• Aluminium sulphate

• Calcium hydroxide

• Sodium silicofluoride

Even if the water leaves the source in a relatively clean state, don't forget that your water travels through pipes, which may have been underground since Victorian times. It is almost impossible for the water not to become contaminated by something undesirable. Tap water is treated with a large number of chemicals in order to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. In addition, it may contain other undesirable contaminants like toxic metal salts, hormones and pesticides, or it may become contaminated by chemicals or microbes within pipes (e.g. lead, bacteria, protozoa).

Typical Tap Water Content:

• Chlorine

• Fluorine compounds

• Trihalomethanes (THMs)

• Salts of:

  • arsenic

  • radium

  • aluminium

  • copper

  • lead

  • mercury

  • cadmium

  • barium

• Hormones

• Nitrates

• Pesticides

Breast Tenderness

Breast pain (mastalgia) is a common symptom that affects up to two-thirds of women in the UK, mostly between the ages of 30 and 50.

Breast pain may be felt as a heaviness or soreness, and has also been described as a stabbing or burning pain. It's usually felt in the upper, outer area of your breasts and may extend from your breasts to your armpits, and sometimes down your arms.

Many women worry that breast pain may be a sign of a serious condition. However, breast pain by itself is not a symptom of breast cancer and breast pain does not increase your risk of developing breast cancer.

In most cases, breast pain is relatively mild, although some women experience moderate or severe pain. Severe or chronic breast pain can interfere with daily activities and lead to stress, anxiety or depression.

Any pain or lumps that are ongoing and do not come and go with your monthly cycle should be investigated by your GP but for cyclical pain try these changes;

·         When you’re in the shower, soap your breasts and gently massage them from the centre of your chest out to your armpits. This improves blood circulation.

·         Wrap a towel around a bag of ice cubes and apply it to each breast for about 10 minutes. The cold-pack treatment reduces swelling and dulls the pain.

·         Consider wearing support bras instead of underwire bras when your breasts are tender. You may want to wear your bra to bed to reduce nighttime jostling.

·         Consume plenty of fibre, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes (like lentils and black beans) and whole grains. A higher-fibre diet helps you excrete more estrogen, which helps with breast tenderness.

·         Aim to get less than 30 percent of your calories from fat.

·         Reduce your consumption of methylxanthine, a component of many common foods, including coffee, tea, wine, beer, bananas, chocolate, cheese, peanut butter, and mushrooms. Most women who endure painful lumps on a cyclical basis will improve if they cut back on foods that are high in this compound.

·         Sodium increases water retention, which causes your breasts to swell. Be especially careful to keep a cap on your salt consumption starting about two weeks before your period.

·         Dandelion is a natural diuretic. Take the herb in capsule form, or make a tea. Drink three cups a day.

·         Try evening primrose oil, a traditional herbal remedy for premenstrual symptoms. It contains an essential fatty acid GLA that may help balance a woman’s hormones and seems to ease cyclical breast tenderness.

·         Vitamins E and B6 may also work together to help prevent breast tenderness. While you may have to use supplements, you can boost the vitamins in your diet by eating nuts, barley and wheat germ for more vitamin E, and avocados, lean meats and spinach for plenty of B6.

Reducing Cholesterol

Do you or someone in your family suffer with high cholesterol? To dramatically lower your LDL cholesterol levels without resorting to high doses of statins I recommend these dietary tips:

·         1. Limit your intake of foods full of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol.

Foods with a lot of saturated fat include butter, fatty flesh like red meat, full-fat dairy products and oils. If you see partially hydrogenated fat in the Ingredient list of a food label, that food has trans fats.

·         2. Eat a lot more fiber-rich foods.

Foods naturally rich in soluble fiber have proven particularly good at lowering cholesterol. Excellent sources include oats, oat bran, barley, peas, and sweet potatoes, as well as legumes or beans, such as pinto beans, black beans and peas. Vegetables & fruits rich in soluble fiber include carrots, brussel sprouts, berries, passion fruit, oranges, pears, apricots, nectarines, and apples.

·         3. Choose protein-rich plant foods (such as legumes or beans, nuts, and seeds) over meat.

They’re full of nutritional riches and are a very healthy, protein-packed alternative to meat. Legumes help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels, and may even lower cancer risk.

Nuts and seeds have been proven to modestly lower LDL cholesterol levels. To avoid blood pressure raising salt, choose raw unsalted varieties. To avoid gaining weight, don’t eat more than a handful per since nuts and seeds are dense with calories (averaging about 175 calories per ounce).

·         4. Lose excess weight.

Losing excess weight is beneficial for all sorts of reasons including improving your cholesterol levels.

Do keep in mind that it’s important to limit fat intake, even so-called “good” fats like olive oil, because any fat is dense with calories, which means heavy consumption can easily lead to a heavy body.

·         5. Take supplements.

I recommend Sterols which are naturally occurring substances found in plants. A daily intake of 1 to 2 grams of plant sterols has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Psyllium husks are also great. These seed grains are sold as a soluble fiber supplement and natural laxative.

Could You Be Suffering With Adrenal Fatigue?

If you answer yes to these 6 questions then read on…

·                  Do you have difficulty getting up in the morning even after a long sleep?

·                  Do you experience high levels of fatigue each day?

·                  Do you feel you have an inability to handle stress?

·                  Do you crave sweet or salty foods?

·                  Do you have higher energy levels in the evenings?

·                  Is your immune system low meaning you catch colds and virus’ easily?

The adrenals are two small glands that sit just on top of the kidneys. They keep cortisol and adrenaline in check (two major stress hormones but essential components to our metabolism) as well as regulate inflammation in the body. An episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective leaving you feeling exhausted.

If you feel you could be suffering with adrenal fatigue here are some steps to take;

• 1. Cut out sugars– Avoid sugary foods, cereals, etc. and be aware that sugar is an additive in many breads, condiments and dressings. Try stevia or Xylitol as an alternative.

• 2. Add healthy fats – Coconut oil, ghee, organic olive oil, and clarified butter all greatly support adrenal health.

• 3. Get more Sleep – Rest wherever possible and try turning off all electronics 1 hour before bed and aim for 8 solid hours sleep per night.

• 4. Sip on Green Tea. Organic green tea has high levels of nutritive phytochemicals which support the adrenal glands. Matcha green tea is the best.

• 5. Eliminate stress – Try yoga, tai chi or meditation to relax overly-stressed adrenal glands.

• 6. Improve your diet – Add plenty of leafy green vegetables to your diet throughout the day and at least 40 grams of protein in the morning. Try eggs or Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

• 7. Consume Natural Salt - Natural salts like Himalayan salt contain many trace minerals, which help to support the adrenals. .

• 8. Limit the use of stimulants - Coffee and alcohol should be moderated when you are suffering from adrenal fatigue.

• 9. Don’t over-train at the Gym – Excessive Cardio or endurance training is really hard on the adrenals. With adrenal fatigue try a gentler form of exercise.

It can take 6-24 months to reverse adrenal fatigue but at Body Fabulous we can write you a specific plan to support you with your diet and supplementation regime to regain your health and get that energy back again!

The Benefits of Teff

Teff is a versatile grain and can be eaten whole, steamed, boiled or baked. It is high in protein with a great combination of eight essential amino acids needed for the body’s growth and repair. It has high amounts of calcium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, aluminum, barium, thiamin, and vitamin C (which is not normally found in alternative grains like quinoa). The iron from teff is easily absorbed and is also recommended for people with low blood iron levels.

Gluten-Free
Teff is a gluten-free grain so it can be a great alternative for those having gluten intolerance or choosing a gluten-free lifestyle.

Blood Sugars
If you’re diabetic, you might want to consider adding teff to your diet to control blood sugar levels. Teff contains approximately 30% resistant starches and has a relatively low glycemic index (GI) that can help diabetics better regulate their sugar levels.

Bowels
Teff is also great for helping your bowels move. The fibre content in this tiny little grain (smallest in the world) can help you regulate your bowel movements and keep you feeling fuller longer.

Low Sodium
Teff is also great for those seeking to lower their blood pressure and maintain a heart healthy diet. Unprocessed teff is a better alternative compared with pre-processed, cooked teff which often comes with preservatives or additives that are high in sodium.

Low In Fat
Naturally, this grain is very low in saturated fat.

Tastes Great
Looking very much like poppy seeds, teff has a nutty, grainy taste and texture that can add dimension to your recipes and cooking.

Recovering From Cancer

When recovering after cancer treatment be prepared for a change in your palate. Bear in mind that your emotional recovery is just as important as your physical so choose foods kind and gentle to your mood, listen to what your body is asking for. Think about including the following;

Avocados - a rich source of antioxidants which attack free radicals and toxins in your body.

Pulses - provide your body with oestrogen like chemicals that may help block tumour regrowth.

Beetroot - for blood related cancers.

Berries - packed with antioxidants and vitamins.

Carrots, kale, eggs, garlic, onions, oily fish, peppers, nuts, seeds, spinach, tomatoes and whole grains