Top this with the daily stressors of City life, public transport and an inadequate diet, and you’ll soon experience the discomfort of a ‘cold’. The great news is that much of what our bodies need to fight off infection can be found in foods, so muscle up your immune system and add some of these great immune boosting nutrients to your diet.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C tops the list of immune boosters. There has been more research about the immune-boosting effects of Vitamin C than perhaps any other nutrient. Vitamin C is available naturally in many fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, kiwi fruits, mango, sweet peppers, asparagus, green vegetables and parsley. Eat your five portions a day and increase the production of infection-fighting, white blood cells and antibodies, as well as levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, which prevents the entry of viruses.

Vitamin E
This important antioxidant and immune booster doesn’t get as much press as vitamin C, but is important for a healthy immune system. Vitamin E stimulates the production of natural killer cells and enhances the production of B-cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria. To get your daily Vitamin E dose eat foods such as sardines, sunflower and sesame seeds, oats, brown rice and dark green leafy vegetables.

Beta carotene
Beta carotene is another powerful antioxidant that mops up excess free radicals and increases the number of infection-fighting cells. The body converts beta carotene to Vitamin A, which itself has anti-cancer properties and immune-boosting functions. Foods high in beta carotene include watercress, apricot, papaya, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, sweet potatoes, carrots and green leafy vegetables.

Zinc
Zinc is an essential element and critical to the work of more than three hundred enzymes in the body which assist in cell reproduction, maintain vision, wound healing and enhancing immune function (just to mention some). Zinc, like vitamin C, also possesses direct antiviral activity. The food highest in zinc are oysters but if you (like me) can’t stomach them, have some pumpkin seeds, fish, egg yolks, nuts (like almonds or cashews), turkey, lean red meat or spinach. (If you’re curious if you’re zinc deficient,get in touch with me and we can meet up for a quick, easy and free test.)

Garlic
OK, this might not be the best option if you have a big client pitch ahead of you, but think about this: garlic is nature’s antibiotic. Over 1,000 studies have shown that garlic’s immune-boosting properties are due to the sulphur compounds found in allicin, an antioxidant that’s released when fresh garlic is crushed.

Now here are two more factors for all those sleep deprived and sociable City workers who want to make sure their immune system doesn’t get depressed: sleep and alcohol.

Research shows that not enough sleep leads to more colds and flus, and excessive alcohol intake can harm the body’s immune system in two ways. First, it produces an overall nutritional deficiency, depriving the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients. Second, alcohol, like sugar, consumed in excess can reduce the ability of white cells to kill germs.

Now you’ve got the tools, so stay healthier this winter.

Lisa

If you are a busy City worker looking for nutrition and health tips on a weekly basis, please follow my new column on here’s the city.

As the current series of The X Factor 2009 reaches its grand final, it’s worth flagging up the involvement of London Nutritionists The Nutrition Coach with one of the UK’s leading independent websites dedicated to Cheryl Cole’s style: www.cherylcolestyle.com

The Nutrition Coach are the diet and nutrition experts for the site which focuses on all aspects of the ’style’ of one of the UK’s most popular female celebrities.

Joining a select band of leading style experts including Celebrity Makeup artist Louise Constad, Celebrity Hairstylist Mellissa Brown and Celebrity Fashion Stylist Desiree Lederer, The Nutrition Coach provide useful diet and nutrition advice.

Diet and Nutrition topics covered so far by The Nutrition Coach include how to get great skin like Cheryl Cole, how to beat bloating and wear glamorous, silhouette-hugging dresses  and how to reduce stress with good nutrition.

Recently featured in Look and Now magazines, the site has built up a strong following and continues to grow.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article on the Aol Living channel focusing on insomnia and improving sleep quality through nutrition.

Stress, too much alcohol, low blood-sugar levels … there are several reasons why a good night’s sleep can escape us. While some people might reach for the sleeping pills, happily, there are simple and healthy alternatives sitting in your kitchen cupboard.

Fall into sweet dreams by nibbling on one of these ten high-carb calmers.

# Porridge with milk

“Try a snack of porridge oats and milk or natural yoghurt before going to bed.  Oats contain a substance called gramine which has calming properties” says Julia Alderman of The Nutrition Coach “The calcium in the milk is important for nerve function and relaxation.”

Read the article here.

Find out more about how nutrition can help improve sleep quality and contact us to make an appointment for a consultation at one of our London nutrition clinics.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Cosmopolitan magazine focusing on aspects of The Nutrition Coach’s Dump The Diet programme.

It is one of nature’s cruellest jokes: some girls can munch through a box of Krispy Kremes and still wake up with a washboard stomach while others only have to look at a doughnut to feel their jeans tighten.

But don’t give up on your body just yet. New research suggests that with just a few tweaks to our daily diet, we can boost our metabolisms and burn calories faster.

Here are just a couple of the tips in the article:

#: Eat spicy foods. Chilli pepper and mustard seeds – two spices often found in Thai, Mexican and Indian dishes – can help your body burn extra calories thanks to a process called thermo-genesis.

#: Replace starchy carbs at lunchtime – such as sandwiches made with white bread and jacket potatoes – with wholewheat turkey wraps, baked salmon with brown rice or a vegetable stir fry sprinkled with ground quinoa.

Read the article here and here.

Find out more about our Dump The Diet programme and contact us to make an appointment for a consultation at one of our London nutrition clinics.

The Nutrition Coach in Zest magazine

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Zest magazine focusing on The Nutrition Coach’s Dump The Diet programme.

Alex, 32, from London, was fed up with trying endless diets that didn’t work. She desperately wanted to reach a happy size 12 – without going on a diet – and stay that way. She had six face-to-face session with The Nutrition Coach founder Kate Cook, who runs the Dump The Diet programme.

Kate says:

“Alex has managed to get out of the dieting mentality and adopt many new habits, like eating breakfast.  I’ve worked with her to change her attitude to food and stop seeing it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and she has really improved this aspect of her life. I think she is becoming relaxed in her own skin and realising she is beautiful just as she is, and if she carried on with the good habits she’ll feel better and better.”

Read the article here and here.

Find out more about our Dump The Diet programme and contact us now to find out how we can help you.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Cosmpolitan magazine focusing on pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

Kate Cook, founder of The Nutrition Coach, says that you can drastically reduce period pain by changing what you eat.

“Vitamin E, found in avocado and spinach, will help combat water retention and breast tenderness, while soya products, such as tofu, are rich sources of phyto-oestrogens that help balance hormones. Magnesium-rich foods, such as green, leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, help relax muscles and help nagging cramps.But they won’t work if you eat too much refined sugar, which is another good reasons to watch your chocolate consumption.”

According to Kate Cook, the trendy low card Atkins diet – popular with many female celebrities – is the worst diet for sufferers of period pain.
Cutting out carbs can leave you with low blood sugar – and the diet means you’ll eat very little fruit and veg, and the vitamins and minerals they contain.
All this can leave you run down, while period symptoms such as dizziness, weakness and headaches, can get worse.

“Steer clear of saturated fats found in dairy and meat, the main foods found in the Atkins diet and up your intake of the essential fats in nuts, seeds and oily fish. They promote healthy female hormone production.”

Find out more about what The Nutrition Coach offers for pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

Contact us to find out how we could help you with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

View the article here.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Zest magazine focusing on weight loss and vitality.

Stefanie, 32, explains:

“I have a toxic life. My job means I often work ten hour days and I keep myself going with coffee and chocolate. I also smoke to cope with stress and party hard. Burning the candle at both ends (and drinking too much) has left me frazzled.”

Kate Cook, founder of The Nutrition Coach, gives Stefanie some helpful tips:

“Stefanie should have a good breakfast, such as porridge topped with chopped fruit and nuts. This will keep her going throughout the morning. Healthy snacks, such as nuts, seeds and oatcakes will help Stefanie avoid chocolate at work. Like many people, her diet contains excessive wheat and dairy, and she has become intolerant to them, experiencing bloating. She should also try to regularly include alternatives such as rye bread and soya milk in her diet, which will give her digestive system a break..”

Find out more about how The Nutrition Coach helps to de-stress your body and your life.

Contact us to find out how we could help you de-stress your body and your life.

View the article here.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Now magazine focusing on food cravings.

Kate Cook, founder of The Nutrition Coach, explains why we are addicted to sugar.

“Refined sugar acts more like a drug than food. It quickly passes through the stomach wall, causing blood sugar levels to rise, then plummet.
When sugar levels skyrocket, the pancreas secretes insulin to stimulate the body tissues to take up the excess. Afterwards, the blood sugar level drops, causing the body to look for more. This type of craving tends to be more pronounced before a period.”

Find out more about how The Nutrition Coach helps you to learn how to eat.

Contact us to find out how we could help you learn how to eat.

View the article here.

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in the Evening Standard focusing on how to eat; specifically in terms of what to eat if you are going out to eat at a restaurant .

Kate Cook, founder of The Nutrition Coach, offers a brief but handy nutritional menu analysis of some of the top London restaurants..

“Going to The Ivy? Choose loin of yellow fin tuna with spiced lentil salsa.”

Find out more about The Nutrition Coach food consultancy service.

Contact us to find out how we could help you with food consultancy for your organisation.

We offer restaurant menu analysis and menu development as part of our food consultancy services.

View the article here.

Kate Cook, founder of The Nutrition Coach, offers several tips on how good nutrition can help to reduce stress.

“You have to look at diet as part of your lifestyle. If you’re eating badly because you’re very busy, we can show you how to shop for healthy choices.”

Find out more about how The Nutrition Coach helps to de-stress your body and your life.

Contact us to find out how we could help you to de-stress your body and your life.

View the article here.