Consultant Nutritionist and Food Intolerance Testing, Faversham Kent, IBS Specialist Clinic

B12 & Folate Deficiency

5/31/2022

B12 and Folate Deficiency can be mis-diagnosed or missed altogether as the symptoms are so varied and similar to other conditions such as depression, IBS, eczema, menopause, CFS. A B12 blood test is a clear means of assessing whether deficiency actually exists. There can be false negatives however, it's never simple it is. So even if you have a negative result, there still could be underlying conditions related to B12 deficiency.

Limited eating such as vegan, fasting, smoothies, fussy eaters can all potentially develop B12 deficiency.

Treatment is very effective and patients described feeling incredible. How many of the boxes do you tick?

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Omega Oils - Facts

4/25/2022

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Saturated – denser fatty acid molecules

Generally solid at room temperature

As a rough guide these are usually sourced from animal fats, full fat dairy products, palm oil foods, coconut oil. They are found cakes, pastries, biscuits, suet, dairy products, meat products.

OMEGA 6

Omega 6 cannot be produced by our bodies so it is essential it is included throughout the diet

Good sources are OIive Oil and Sunflower Oil

Some Health Benefits are:
Contributes to lowering bad cholesterol
Helps reduce breast pain during the menstrual cycle and PMS.
Regulates metabolic systems such as hunger.
Essential for healthy cellular growth and development.
Reduction in nerve pain such as neuralgia.

Unsaturated – less dense fatty acid molecules

Generally liquid at room temperature

As a rough guide these are usually sourced from plant, fish, nut, and seed oils. (rapeseed, olive oil, linseed oil, canola oil)

OMEGA 3

Omega 3 cannot be produced by our bodies so it is essential it is included throughout the diet.

Good sources are green leafy vegetables, soya beans, walnuts, salmon, mackerel, pilchards, sardines

Some Health Benefits are:
Contributes to lowering bad cholesterol
Helps maintain the elasticity of the circulation system, skin and heart and brain membranes.
Reduces risk of stroke.
Facilitates the absorption of vitamins A,E,D
and K.
Known to contribute to the reduction of inflammation.
Essential for healthy growth and development.

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Elderberry - Uses and Facts

6/16/2015

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It’s the time of year that we start to see the Elderberry trees overflowing with beautiful clusters of flowers, which then transform into the lovely dark globe shaped berries. We often walk past these trees, dripping in fruit, and don’t give a thought to their role. It has numerous names too; Aeldrum, Black Elder, Boor Tree, Bountry, Elder, Ellanwood, Ellhorn, European Elder, and German Elder.

And it has many uses:

Elderberry jam or jelly holds many minerals & vitamins; particularly vitamin B17. Its flower provides a good source of potassium plus viburnic acid (beneficial for asthma and bronchitis), vitamin A, vitamin C, and bio-flavonoids. Ripened elderberries can be used like some other berries in fruit pies, muffins, and jams. The dried flowers can also be steeped in water to prepare elderberry tea and the berries mashed to make elderberry juice. Elderberry helps to boost and maintain the immune & respiratory systems. Elderberry may be used to cure colds and flu.

The medicinal benefits of Elderberry are being researched. The bio-flavonoids in the juice are known to lower cholesterol, boost immunity and help prevent colds and coughs. It has also been purported to help fight bacterial and viral infections eg. Tonsillitis. An example of this is Elderberry Juice being used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in the mid 90s. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory, so makes a lovely drink for arthritis sufferers.

Beneficial components in Elderberries

Elderberries contain organic pigments, tannin, amino acids, carotenoids, flavonoids, sugar, rutin, viburnic acid, vitamin A and B and a large amount of vitamin C. They are also mildly laxative, a diuretic, and diaphoretic. Flavonoids, including quercetin, are believed to account for the therapeutic actions of the elderberry flowers and berries. According to test tube studies these flavonoids include anthocyanins that are powerful antioxidants and protect cells against damage.

Noted Health Benefits of Elderberries

Elderberries were listed in the CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs as early as 1985, and are listed in the 2000 Mosby's Nursing Drug reference for colds, flu, yeast infections, nasal and chest congestion, and hay fever. In Israel, Hasassah's Oncology Lab has determined that elderberry stimulates the body's immune system and they are treating cancer and AIDS patients with it. The wide range of medical benefits (from flu and colds to debilitating asthma, diabetes, and weight loss) is probably due to the enhancement of each individual's immune system.

At the Bundesforschungsanstalt research center for food in Karlsruhe, Germany, scientists conducting studies on Elderberry showed that anthocyanins found in elderberries possess appreciably more antioxidant capacity than either vitamin E or vitamin C.

Studies at Austria's University of Graz found that elderberry extract reduces oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of LDL cholesterol is implicated in atherogenesis, thus contributing to cardiovascular disease.

Resources: 1. J Alt Compl Mod 1995: 1:361-69 2. Youdim KA, Martin A, Joseph JA. Incorporation of the elderberry anthocyanins by endothelial cells increases protection against oxidative stress. Free Radical Biol Med 2000: 29:51 60

Properties

Astringent.
Immuno-stimulant.
Emetic.
Expectorant.
Diaphoretic.
Laxative.
Diuretic.
Sedative.
Anti-inflammatory.

Produced by Victoria Shorland, Consultant Nutritionist, Clinic Rooms, 2 Standard Quay, Faversham, Kent, 07789512825, www.eattolive.org.uk.

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Coconut Oil

3/6/2015

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Coconut Oil – Why are we so nuts about it ?

I tend to sigh when I hear about another food craze, they hit the high street and someone makes a lot of money from our desire to improve our health. All it takes is a few celebrities to get on the band wagon or one of the diet regimens to add it their miracle list and they spread like wild fire.   So I thought I would expel some myths and try to make some sense of the latest fad; Coconut Oil.

Marketing promotes coconut oil as a panacea, the elixir of life; that it can relieve stress, help you lose weight, fights viruses, helps reduce the effects of alzeihmers, and on the list goes. What is also interesting is the people who are extolling its virtues are the people selling it. A Weight Loss company for example is suggesting it speeds the metabolism, but they will profit directly from this claim.

The Sales Pitch for Weight Loss ?

Want a nice shortcut to staying thin? Coconut milk’s high fiber content helps fill you up fast, so you eat less and still get the nutritional benefits of a full meal. (Just don't overuse it.) At this point those of you grasping at any straw with regards to weight loss will switch off to the bad bits and focus on the above sentence. But for the sake of your health and piggy bank, read on ..................

The Calories and Nutritional content:

Approx. 120 calories per tablespoon; all types of oil contain very similar calorific values, therefore coconut oil is calorically dense, so if you are trying to manage or lose weight, you need to monitor how much you have in the same way you do with other fats and oils.    The marketing often gives the impression you can use it more liberally, but as a Nutritionist I would reiterate, you must still manage the quantity.

Coconut milk is super high in potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. We hear a lot about calcium, but phosphorus is the unsung hero of building strong bones. So it does have some merits with skeletal health.

High Cholesterol

Fats are needed for good health, in fact some of them are essential, hence the term essential fatty acids (EFAs). The EFAs are unsaturated so better absorbed and utilised by the body. These fats literally help your body clear the bloodstream of bad cholesterol or LDLs.   Coconut Oil could therefore contribute to raising cholesterol and the problems associated with this.

Interestingly Coconut Oil is one of the fats which is higher in the saturated fats (or bad fats) which promotes the production of bad cholesterol.

Fats are needed to help us utilise the fat soluble vitamins A,D and E, so mustn’t be excluded, however it is the type of fat we consume which is important. When oils are extracted from their ‘capsule’ in this case the white flesh of a coconut, you are removing the fibre and other vitamins and minerals (including A,D and E) which help you process the oil effectively.

Coconut oil is more than 90 per cent saturated fat, or about 11.8 grams per 15 millilitres (one tablespoon), compared to about 63 per cent or 7.2 grams for the same amount of butter.   As mentioned above, saturated fats are associated with increasing high cholesterol which can lead to heart disease, stroke, even bad behaviour in children !

Partially hydrogenated coconut oils are not natural and are associated with increased risk of several chronic diseases.

Eating within your Culture:

It is well worth remembering that other culture’s diets differ from ours, so if you compare the Western diet with the Asian diet for example, there are huge differences. The Asian diet might use Coconut Oil throughout their diet, however they are not also eating cheese, chocolate, steaks, bacon, fast foods, large portions, smoothies, so the effect of the oil on our physiology and weight will be different.

“I don’t think any health professional, including myself, is going to tell you to increase the level of saturated fat in your diet,” says Len Piche, a nutritional scientist, registered dietitian and professor in the Foods and Nutrition program at Brescia University College at Western University in London.

Cooking and Uses:

Coconut Oil will of course have a ‘taste’ which is very distinctive. The oil copes very well with high temperatures in that the trans fatty acids don’t break down easily (creating toxins and carcinogens), so it is very good for frying. There is a variety - “expeller pressed” coconut oil, which does not have such a distinct taste, its virtually removed, but that does make the oil processed, so lacking in nutritional value, but still containing the calories.

Alzeihmers

A clinical query search for “Alzheimer’s coconut oil” on PubMed yielded no results. “There are no peer-reviewed articles addressing research on coconut oil as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.” Even the Alzheimer’s Association says: “A few people have reported that coconut oil helped the person with Alzheimer’s, but there’s never been any clinical testing of coconut oil for Alzheimer’s, and there’s no scientific evidence that it helps.”

The Planet

http://speakupforthevoiceless.org/palm-oil-and-deforestation/

Huge swaths of forest are being cut down, villages destroyed and people displaced in order to provide an oil, where there is very little scientific evidence to corroborate the health claims associated with it.

While coconuts can be grown in Hawaii and Florida, the US for example continues to import the majority of its coconut products due to the heightened demand and lower cost. So even though it is popular and “exotic,” just remember how much it really does cost to import a product from across the globe just to give you a nice little coconutty treat here at home.

Sheeps Lanolin, which is in abundance in the UK, whilst not an exotic and romantic alternative, provides the same carrier qualities for creams and lotions in the beauty trade.

In Summary

There is no justification for adding it to the diet on top of the usual consumption of other fats. There is no credible evidence to support any of the many health benefits claimed for using it as a supplement.

Buy wisely and question its ethics.

Victoria Shorland (MBANT, MCNHC, RSM)
Nutritionist & Allergy Consultant, Bariatric Nutritionist
07789512825
www.eattolive.org.uk

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Cigna HealthCare - Medical Insurance Cover

2/25/2015

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Eat To live are now a recognised Nutritionist with Cigna Healthcare / Medical Insurance

www.cigna.co.uk

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National Heart Month - Love your Heart

2/9/2015

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February – A month for the Heart and Loving Yourselves

Many of us associate February with a feeling of gloom. The excitement of Christmas and new year are over and we are back into day to day routine, but on the horizon is Valentine’s Day.What else does February mean though?

It’s National Heart Month ! (www.bhf.org.uk)

I can hear some of you groan, thinking ‘not another National something or other’, but why should this month be embraced ?

Our lifestyles are getting more and more hectic, and our diets are suffering as a result of it.   There are such easy steps we can take to improve our heart health:

-          Good sources of protein – Lean meat, quorn, beans, and low fat dairy.

-          Vegetables – Tinned, frozen and fresh are all fine and all count as part of your five a day.

-          Regular exercise such as dog walking, walking to school, walking to the shops, the gym, there is loads
           you can do.

-          Take time for ‘you’, just half an hour even, to relax and be calm.

As a Nutritionist I wanted to write something different, not just reel off lists of good and bad foods, so I decided to focus on the Valentines theme, so let’s talk about loving your heart !

1.Stress is a big factor in effecting heart health.

There is a mechanism known as the fight and flee response, whereby the body prepares to run away or face a predator. The primeval reaction still exists in our bodies today, although the things we fight are different, road rage, alarm clocks, supermarket trolleys that have a life of their own, the school run; these are all things we ‘fight’, and strangely the flee reaction in our bodies is similar.

2.Our reactions to life’s stresses - hormones are released and our blood sugars can dip.

Our primeval body prepares for ‘a crisis’, and this in turn puts our heart under stress. We’ve all experienced a pounding heart beat when we are frightened, imagine this process happening in a subtle way, more frequently. It is like constantly revving your car engine with the handbrake on.

3.By adding a poor diet of bad fats, high salt, lack of hydration, the schene for poor heart health is set.

The good news is that by committing to simple changes this process (provided there is no structural damage) can be reversed.

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Heart Month - Love your Heart

2/3/2015

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Its February, so it’s National Heart Month – To promote awareness and action that can be taken to keep your heart healthy, and thereby keep you healthy.

Eat To Live; www.eattolive.org.uk

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B12 & Folate Deficiency

Omega Oils - Facts

Elderberry - Uses and Facts

Coconut Oil

Cigna HealthCare - Medical Insurance Cover

National Heart Month - Love your Heart

Heart Month - Love your Heart

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