The Nutrition Coach Blog London Nutritionist The Nutrition Coach offers advice on healthy living, nutrition and diet issues such as IBS, bloating, gluten intolerance and more.

I am so excited about our Dump The Diet course which we deliver either as a group course (on the phone) or one-to-one consulations either face to face or on the phone.  We are getting great results and changing how people think about food forever!    The course concentrates on weight-loss-coaching – so, we give you a plan and then coach to actually doing it – week by week.  The course teaches you to be happy now (with your weight and your life) but to keep doing the action (eating knowing the rules!)  to get to your goals.  So often we live in a place in our minds where we are never quite good enough and this leads to a self-destructive cycle of plummeting self-esteem.  A weight-loss coach is your personal guide to getting the results you need.

Have a look at our weight-loss programmes

 If like me, your body has not been exposed to direct sunlight for a good few months and the sight of snow and darkness has been your forte, you could be lacking in Vitamin D.

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.

The New Year has kicked off brilliantly for the Nutrition Coach’s corporate arm.  We have been instructed by an organisation to design a number of health initiatives for their staff – hosted in various locations.  It is these far sighted companies that can see how much just a little nutritional knowledge can do for not only the organisation but how much the staff benefit as well.

Typically, we host interactive talks or workshops with action points for the staff that are easy to implement but make a huge difference to energy and health.

It is interesting that some companies, after all the difficulties of last year, want to make sure they are still allowing budget for these all important benefits for staff – but the benefit really goes two ways – it is great for the staff and good for the company

Have a look at Corporate Nutrition

The balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut is of vital importance when it comes to optimal health. If and when bad bacteria overcrowds the good ones you could run the risk of bowel problems.

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!

By now, we probably all agree that if weight loss was as easy as balancing your calories in and calories out, we’d not even be talking about the whole topic.

In reality, the way we metabolise foods and consequently either put on or lose weight, is dependant on a variety of factors.

Insulin for example, is the hormone that helps transport energy from the foods you’ve ingested into your cells, where it’s needed for fuel.  It’s also the hormone that helps convert any excess energy into fat.  Generally, if your insulin levels are consistently up, you get more cravings, are more likely to store incoming energy as fat and less able to access excess fat (i.e. the weight you wanted to lose) as a source of energy.

It would therefore make sense to get your insulin levels to cooperate with your weight loss goals.  This is where we come to the role of stress.  The hormones secreted during periods of stress can increase your insulin levels.  Knowing what we now know about raised insulin levels creating cravings and making weight loss more difficult, it does look like stress can also play a part in your ability (or the lack of) to lose weight.

The other interesting fact to bear in mind is that excessive physical exercise can also stress your body out, creating a supply of the same stress hormones that can negatively impact your insulin levels.  Which means that too much exercise might not be helpful either if you want to lose weight.

So what’s the answer?  The best one I’ve found so far is the Metabolic Balance diet programme.  It’s based on solid scientific evidence, and helps create rapid changes in your metabolism and hormonal system which help you lose weight and more importantly, also keep it off.  Each client’s programme is unique to them, based on extensive blood test results and personal health information.

The next great thing to a foodie like myself is that this programme is all about eating a good varied diet of normal foods without starving yourself, or relying on some odd meal replacements.

The end result is exactly what it should be – healthy, sustainable weight loss.  Having said everything I did above though, I wouldn’t be as foolish as to claim that it works for absolutely everybody.  However, I would be happy to say that it is one of the better, more scientifically based programmes out there, and because it’s based on eating a healthy normal diet, I have no problems recommending it to my clients.  And by the way, everyone I’ve coached through it so far has indeed lost weight, and has been very happy with the results.

If you are interested, do get in touch and book in for your complimentary session.

The recommended amount of daily fibre is 26-35g, a number which not nearly enough of us are reaching.

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.