Serve with fresh grilled mackerel and not only do you have a balanced meal, but you are including those essential fats only obtainable from oily fish.

Our ancestors and preindustrialised peoples all soaked or fermented their grains before making them into breads, porridge or casseroles, unlike today where convenience and speed is the order of the day.

These practices accord very well with what modern science has discovered about grains. All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer of bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. Soaking allows enzymes to breakdown phytic acid and this practice will greatly improve their nutritional benefit.

Scientists have learned that the proteins in grains, particularly high gluten grains like wheat puts a lot of strain on the digestive mechanism.

Therefore it is suggested to soak your porridge the night before cooking, not only will this help to breakdown phytic acid, but your porridge will cook in half the time it normally does which allows for five extra minutes in bed.

Book your consultation today and together we can yell at the TV ads in the mornings while eating a virtuous home made spelt muffin!

Why not try this for a change?

I bought some mixed stir fry veggies and fresh salmon. At home I stir fried the veggies (as is) with some Tamari Soya sauce and I always have some garlic lying around. This takes about two minutes, and then I placed the salmon fillets on top of the veggies, covered it with a lid and allowed to steam for seven minutes. I squeezed some lemon on to my fish and, checked for seasoning and my dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes.

It was quite late so I didn’t need a heavy meal, the green veggies and protein went down a treat, it was light, filling and tasty and most importantly….convenient.

But the best was that I had some leftovers for my lunch the next day, which always makes me happy. This meal is of course also great for your detox, it’s gluten and dairy free and a great balance of protein, fibre and healthy fats. Even more to smile about!

Burdy organised Friday’s beauty event with her usual passion and boundless energy. I am always impressed with the passion and drive with which Burdy and her colleagues pull out all the stops for the employees. Everyone I met spoke very highly of the company; most have been working there for no less than five years and some for 30 – unheard of these days. They truly have the employee’s best interest at heart when it comes to promoting health awareness and Inmarsat employees are always keen to learn more. I have had many success stories with some losing weight, others reducing blood pressure and cholesterol and increased energy levels as well as better productivity which is definitely a win-win situation all round.

Why don’t you get The Nutrition Coach to inspire your staff with health tips which can change their lives today?

As a light lunch served with grilled mackerel or as side dish

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp organic coconut oil (odourless)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbs tamari Soya sauce
• 400g purple sprouting broccoli

Method:

Wash and trim the broccoli, removing an inch of the bottom of the stem.

Steam the broccoli for 5-8 minutes.

Place the garlic, ginger and chilli in a mortar and pestle and pound until the mixture resembles a paste.

Heat the coconut oil and add the paste. Stir regularly and cook for about two minutes.

Add the sugar and Tamari Soy sauce.

Add the steamed broccoli and toss well ensuring the broccoli is coated by the sauce.

Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the hardiest part of the stem is tender.

Serve hot as a side vegetable.

Purple sprouting broccoli contains the phytochemical sulphoraphane and is hailed for its many health promoting benefits. These beautiful vegetables are packed with vitamin C and is a good source of caretenoids, iron, folic acid, calcium, fibre and vitamin A.

The most natural way of acquiring vitamin D is through the sun and your body will self regulate the amount you need, however this is not a luxury if you live in the northern hemisphere.

A study published in June 2008 concluded that 50-60% of people could be vitamin D deficient. The contributing factors for this could be urbanisation, pollution, lack of sun exposure and less outdoor activity.

Why do we need Vitamin D?

The evidence is overwhelming and vitamin D plays a vital role in breast and other cancer prevention.  Low levels of vitamin D have been correlated with heart disease and heart attacks and it boosts the immune system. Receptors that respond to vitamin D have been found in almost every human cell ranging from brain to bones and researchers are finding health benefits of vitamin D in every area they look.

How do you increase your levels of vitamin D without the risk of solar radiation?

Supplementation is a safe way of increasing your levels, and the type of supplement you have to look out for is Vitamin D3.  Cholecalciferol is the natural occurring vitamin D and is made in large quantities when sunlight hits the bare skin.

The amount you need to take really depends from person to person and this can be determined by a 25 hydroxy vitamin D blood test. If your blood levels are low, use supplementation for six weeks and then retest.

The optimal levels of 25(OH)D is between 50 and 70 ng/ml, summer and winter.

Vitamin D from cod liver oils is not a good source because some cod live oils contain toxic amounts of vitamin A which antagonizes vitamin D.  

People who have regular sun exposure all year round don’t have to supplement. For children under the age of two it is recommended to take 1,000 IU per day, over the age of two, 2,000 IU per day. Healthy adolescents and adults between 80 pounds and 130 pounds should start with 3,000 IU per day and those over 130 pounds (35kg) but less than 170 pounds (75kg) should take 4,000 IU per day.

With the lack of sun exposure for months on end and the distant memory of your last holiday in Cape Cod it might be a good idea to have your vitamin D status checked out. Make an appointment today with one of our qualified practitioners in order to have the test done and suitable recommendations can be made tailored to your needs.

I recently had a client who suffered with constant bloating and it couldn’t be pinpointed by anything specific in her diet. I did suspect dysbiosis due to the fact that she had food poisoning in Zanzibar and that is when the bloating started. A stool analysis confirmed that she had no parasites or other nasties, but that she had no growth of the essential lactobacillus bacteria species.

Long term use of antibiotics (which destroys not only bad but also good bacteria) the pill, alcohol and drug abuse, stress and even a trip to an exotic country can affect the delicate balance of friendly bacteria in the gut.

Certain types of vegetables act as a fermentable source of food which helps to promote the growth of healthy probiotic bacteria.

The extracts inulin and oligofructose from these foods are called pre-biotics because they travel through the digestive system intact and when they enter the large intestine they are converted to probiotics where they start doing their work.

They also act as a food source for friendly bacteria which already exists in your bowel therefore extending their life and activity.

Which foods act as pre-biotics? Onions, leeks, garlic, artichoke and chicory do, and eating sauerkraut and live probiotic yoghurt is a sure way of obtaining good sources of good bacteria in the gut.

Remember to include fibre, water and plenty of these prebiotic forming vegetables into your daily diet for optimal bowel health, and most importantly…..chew, chew, chew!

There are two main types of fibre: Soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre is more water retentive and therefore more viscous which makes it gentler on the digestive system. A good example is oats.

Insoluble fibre on the other hand is fibrous material which is indigestible by us. Think of the fibrous part of broccoli, that stringy part of the celery (the only time I would peel these are when serving as a crudité at a fancy schmancy dinner party, however I do find it quite funny when someone has a stringy piece dangling from the corners of their mouths not knowing exactly what to do next) – (slight diversion) or beans and pulses. These act like a brush in your gut and sweeps the intestines clean.

In the 1930’s and 40’s white bread became fashionable, some even thought it was healthier than good old whole wheat. However, in the 1970’s fibre made a comeback when Dr. Birkett studied black Africans and discovered that compared to Western Europe they had virtually no bowel disease. After this study was published more people started eating fibre.

Three ways to ensure you are getting enough fibre:

• Add ground or soaked flax seeds to your porridge or yoghurt in the morning
• Snack on raw veggies such as peppers, sugar snaps and broccoli
• Have one portion of beans or pulses everyday.

Remember to increase your water intake when you eat more fibre. Fibre without enough water will be like ‘cement’ and contribute to the stool being very hard to pass.

Good bowel health may need more than only fibre, it also needs lots of friendly bacteria. Join me next week to find out more.

If you have uncomfortable or painful and unresolved issues with your tummy why not book a private consultation and nip the problem in the butt once and for all.

I am almost always amazed when clients tell me how constipated they are, and I mean seriously constipated! Some have a bowel movement every five days, others ten days and these scenarios have been continuing for years.  They feel sluggish, uncomfortable and not very sexy. Every remedy has been tried from laxatives to soaked prunes in uneven numbers to fibrogel with no lasting results. However, many don’t think that their current diet or lifestyle has any role to play and I can obviously not wait to show them the light.

Let’s start at the beginning. Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on bowel health. Loving your tummy should be on the top of your list of priorities for optimal health.

If you haven’t heard this before, I will say it again….CHEW, CHEW, CHEW you food. I would like to see that you are the person annoying the waiter because you are eating so slowly and he is giving you the evil eye, waiting to clear the table. You’ll have the last laugh and will probably also be the last to reach for the Rennies after the meal – well, hopefully not at all!

Digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth. Good lubrication and masticated food is essential to combine digestive enzymes which is in saliva with the food in order for effective digestion and absorption of nutrients to take place.  Further enzymes are secreted by the pancreas and the liver to continue the process, but it is so much easier if the food is already well liquidised. Needles to say that waste material will also be passed much easier through the bowels.

Food which remains undigested can irritate the large bowel and cause other problems.

Remember…. your tummy doesn’t have teeth and don’t forget to choo, choo, choo your food.

Next week I will continue with advice on different types of fibre and why it is such an important ingredient for loving your tummy effectively.