Many athletes may fuel their bodies with refined carbohydrates, consuming too many empty calories which lack essential nutrients. They consume some protein but the optimal amount they require is unclear and although they will cut back on saturated fat they may be missing the intake of essential fats.

The first areas which need to be addressed are to ensure that blood sugar levels are stable and every meal consists of healthy fat, fibre and lean protein.

Blood sugar fluctuates every three hours, for athletes it is important to never go hungry and thirsty, ensure that you have planned snacks and spread your meals throughout the day. Try having a smaller breakfast and have the remainder mid morning, do the same for lunch and dinner, you will consume the same calories but less energy deficit and enhanced performance. Large meals will cause more insulin to be released and could lead to a sharper fall in blood sugar and leave you tired with low energy.

It is also of vital importance that you listen to your body. Through keeping a food log every 7-10 days note why, when and what you are eating. Do this five times and you will become an instinctual eater rather than just eating for eating’s sake.

Exercise has two effects on nutrient requirements: it increases the rate of energy usage and increases sweating, if there is not enough energy consumption it will have a negative impact on the body and on performance. That is where restricting calories come into play when trying to loose body fat. Although you may be loosing weight on the scales, you will also be loosing lean muscle mass because the body is compensating and needs to get energy supplies from somewhere.

Weight loss of one to two pounds per week is safe and realistic and won’t have a negative impact on you training.

Eating real food may take time and preparation but will deliver results!

If you are not getting results from training program, a diet overhaul may just be the ticket to help you achieve the results you are working so hard for. Get in touch to find out if we could help.

Kate Cook helps people deal with their diet, digestion and stress.
Contact 0845 0502442 or kate@thenutritioncoach.co.uk http://thenutritioncoach.co.uk/contact-the-nutrition-coach.php”>

How Vitamin D Deficient Is The UK?

A recent survey in the UK showed that more than half of the adult population in the UK has insufficient levels of vitamin D. In the winter and spring about 1 in 6 people has a severe deficiency. It is estimated that about 9 in 10 adults of South Asian origin may be vitamin D-deficient. Most affected people either don’t have any symptoms, or have vague aches and pains, and are unaware of the problem.

Why Do Your Vitamin D Levels Matter?

In addition to the well-known osteoporosis connection, deficiency of this fat-soluble vitamin can be linked to a wide range of health problems, from cancer and cardiovascular disease to cognitive impairment and problems with auto-immunity such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Huge increased research interest in this field is constantly bringing to light new evidence which underscores the enormous importance of vitamin D to human health.

Sources of Vitamin D

What many people don’t realise is that very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Fortified milk, egg yolks and oily fish are the best sources, but we can’t rely on food to provide with optimal amounts of vitamin D on a daily basis. In fact, the major source (80 – 100%) of vitamin D is actually sunshine. Ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight rays convert cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D.

That’s right, although cholesterol is often a much maligned substance, our bodies literally could not survive without it! The sunlight has to fall directly on to bare skin (through a window is not enough). To add to the complexity of this issue, age, skin colour, geographic latitude, seasonal variations in sunlight availability and sunscreen use can impact on your body’s ability to produce all the vitamin D it needs. For example, darker skins need more sun to get the same amount of vitamin D as a fair-skinned person and because of geographic location, people in the United Kingdom cannot synthesise vitamin D from November to the end of March.

Why the Vitamin D Epidemic?

So why are we experiencing such epidemic proportions of vitamin D Deficiency? It’s because we are increasingly much less exposed to sunlight due to our indoor and sedentary lifestyles, and because of official advice to protect ourselves from skin cancer by covering up totally in the sun and slathering ourselves with sunscreen, which blocks UVB rays, and thus vitamin D synthesis.

What You Can Do

At least 2-3 exposures of sunlight per week between 10 AM and 3 PM are considered enough to achieve healthy vitamin D levels. Each episode should be 20-30 minutes to bare arms and face, legs, or back without sunscreen. This is not the same as sun tanning; the skin simply needs to be exposed to sunlight, but should not burn. Thus, the time of day, geographic latitude and seasonal variations in sunlight availability will determine the optimal length for direct, yet safe sun exposure.

Most experts now agree that supplementation is currently the safest and most effective method of achieving optimal vitamin D status. A blood test for vitamin D can be very useful; it can help establish your current vitamin D levels which can help you figure out how much vitamin D you need, or whether the sun exposure you get and/or the supplements you take are providing optimal levels.

If you’d like to know more about whether you might be vitamin D deficient or how you can optimise your vitamin D levels, please call us on 0845 0502 442 for an informal chat.

Wishing you the best of health

London Nutritionist Sylvia Hensher

The question is, is ‘fertility tourism’ the best answer? The national UK average success rate for IVF is approximately 23%.  This is compared with a success rate of close to 80% when a holistic approach, including changes to diet and lifestyle and adding nutritional supplements, is followed.  The food you eat, nutritional deficiencies, excess toxicity and lifestyle all have a dramatic effect on the health of your reproductive system.  Here at The Nutrition Coach, we have seen a huge number of couples successfully conceive after adopting a carefully tailored nutrition programme.  In my opinion, nutrition offers a more successful and affordable alternative to IVF trips abroad, and that holidays should be all about relaxation, exploring and generally having a wonderful time.

Find out more about how we can help with optimal nutrition and fertility and contact us to make an appointment at one of our London nutrition clinics.

Julia

Welcome to The Nutrition Coach Blog; your resource for news and opinion on matters related to health, nutrition and vitality.

Find out more about the team at The Nutrition Coach:

Kate Cook
Kim Porter
Sanna Anderson
Julia Alderman
Hilary Davies