Health – Alison Wells Nutrition

I’ve known the woman standing opposite me for a very long time. I have heard her stories, witnessed her pain, felt her joy, celebrated her highs and helped lick the wounds of her low’s.

She’s a woman who knows what she wants and makes a plan to get it. Once she’s decided what it is she wants there is nothing stopping her. Your options are to help her achieve her goals or jump out of her way!

She’s has achieved many things in her life. But, one thing has evaded her. The ability to control the number on the scales below her feet. She is convinced she has tried every single thing under the sun, but she’s addicted to comfort eating. The worst part of it all is that she eats in secret, scared of the scolding eyes of those around her.

She works out, walks a minimum of 12,000 steps a day, rides her mountain bike up the mountains behind her house at least twice a week and swims half a kilometre in the sea most evenings, exercise is not her problem.

She’s been through highs and lows with her weight. Some days she’s winning other days she’s spiralling out of control. She’s affected by her emotions and if the truth be told her lack of knowledge. She thinks she is making the right eating choices, actually, she truly believes it. She doesn’t eat butter or anything with any level of fat. She avoids sugar, using honey in its place – plenty of it. She is blissfully unaware of the sugar content of juice and drinks it for the vitamins, she cooks almost everything from scratch, except the pizza last night and the lazy I can’t really be bothered fish fingers the night before. Her office is above a bakery which is bad news for her. Like a moth drawn to the light in the night, she floats down the stairs on the wafting smell of freshly cooked bread and pastries. She knows the owners so gets to choose her favourites before anyone else, lunch is almost always from downstairs.

She thinks she knows what she is doing but the truth is she has no idea.

She’s been living in perpetual summer for the last couple of years. Loose clothing and bikinis make up 99.9% of her wardrobe choices. She has chosen to ignore the signs, the rings getting tighter, the fact that she feels more uncomfortable in her own skin that she can remember. Recently, she’s had a bit of a shocking wake up call. She went to a wedding and none of her formal dress’s fitted. She’s mortified by the fact that she had to buy another dress and horrified that she had gone up a couple of sizes. Que another spiral of closet eating because let’s face it, she’s got here so what the hell she’s going to eat what she wants.

Recently things with her husband have started to deteriorate, they are growing apart and there doesn’t seem to be anything that can be done about it. Things in her private life are not good. She lives on a beautiful island but everything is going wrong. So very wrong.

In a mist all the mayhem, she jumped on a plane and went “home” to the comfort of her best friends. Who, like all best friends should, have cuddled her and told her she’s wonderful, strong and amazing for dealing with the things she is dealing with. She’s hung out with them long enough to realise that it’s time to sort herself out. Truth be told she’s been inspired by them. She’s unimaginably grateful to them, making a mental note that they probably don’t get the credit they deserve, but they are her besties and she’s happy it’s a two-way street.

They have perhaps without realising it provided her with the motivation to actually do something. She has always been fascinated by the idea that the human body can heal and bounce back into shape and now she is going to put it to the test. She’s finally dog eared and determined enough to actually get the scales to come down to a realistic number. If she’s honest she has been avoiding the naughty step for quite some time, she knows they’re going to ping like a fairground hammer game when she stands on them and shudders at the thought of it. So, she’s spent the flight home eating her last chocolate bar – a KitKat – and psyching herself up to get on them. She has decided that the game starts the day she stands on them and it doesn’t stop until she feels good about herself. There is no number attached to the loss but she wants to feel really good again.

It’s November the 20^th 2012 she weighs 72.2kgs (which is a lot for her frame). The game is on.

The woman standing opposite me winks as she recounts the story. That year on Christmas day her father would hand her a bag and ask her to hold it for a moment. The bag is unreasonably heavy and she’s hoping she doesn’t have to hold it indefinitely, when she asks him what he would like her to do with it he says “Nothing, that’s how much weight you have lost to date” She smiles and for the first time since starting her journey feels proud of her self. She is 5kgs down.

Her weight-loss journey meanders like a river always descending, yet, somehow providing her with more questions than answers. What she is doing is working but she has no real understanding of why and that bothers her more than she thought it would.

Seven months later she is finally nearly happy with how she looks and feels. She’s not pushing herself as hard as she had been. She is starting to explore new ideas, she exercises as much as she can and binge eats berries rather than patisseries. It’s an improvement that she is delighted with. She is still a closet eater. She knows this is not good but she’s okay with it for now.

In a year’s time, she will be the fittest she has ever been. Her body fat will be down to 8% which is exceptionally low for a woman. She will have lost 13.3kgs of fat and gained a significant amount of lean muscle. She will keep it off for a number of years… until she has her baby.

Her journey will start her on the path of discovery, one that she is pretty certain will never end. She will become a Nutritional Therapist so that she can finally understand why what she did worked. She will delight it helping those around her, later she will specialise in autoimmune and autoimmune-related conditions. She’s fascinated by the simple fact that changing what you fuel your body with, can change how your body reacts enough to prevent autoimmune conditions from flaring up. She will have a baby and discover just how hard it is to repeat the weight loss process. She will become a Metabolic Balance Coach in order to break through her baby weight and help others do the same. Then, fuelled by an extremely competitive nature she will begin her journey to become a Performance Nutritionist as she loves the idea the food you eat fuels your body enabling it to achieve what many consider the unachievable. Though if she is honest that’s only part of the reason one day she hopes to finally beat her brother on a road bike. In the process, she will meet and help numerous others achieve their health goals.

The woman standing opposite me winks at me in the mirror. She bears an uncanny resemblance to me and I laugh with her, the last 8 years have been a wild ride. She reminds me that life is a journey, not a destination and that lifting others, helping them to achieve their goals is an honour and a privilege.

With Alison's help and support, I have managed to lose and more importantly not put back on over 8 stone (50kgs). I truly believe the help given by Alison has changed my life.

Bob Morton

I have a few very simple questions to ask you. What will it take for you to decide to do something to change your health for the better?

What
kind of evidence do you need to see in front of you before you realise that you
need to make a change?

In the 1600’s Dr. Thomas Fuller said “Health is not valued till sickness comes.” rather poignant considering nothing seems to have changed in 400 years.

It seems that ‘we’ humans have a tendency to live life in reaction to events often reluctant to make a change to our lives unless we are forced into it. We learn through personal experience, each experience dictates the choices we make when confronted with a similar situation.

You apply sun cream not only because you know that you should but because you have at some point experienced the lingering and somewhat excruciating pain of sunburn. You strengthened your home security after you were broken into.

We make changes after the event in the hope of avoiding it reoccurring. We are, in essence, reactive rather than proactive which, for the most part, we can get away with.

Not when
it comes to your health.

I am
often surprised by how much the human body can endure, our ability to keep
going when by all rights we should be flat on our backs and six feet under is
quite remarkable.

We push ourselves long past our breaking point in pursuit of our goals, paying no attention to the toll on our bodies until our bodies give in. When we dare to listen to them, suddenly but perhaps not unexpectedly we once again find ourselves in the reactive position versus the proactive mindset.

In my practice, I deal with the after-effects of life in the fast lane. A life spent pushing our bodies, both mentally and physically to the very limit of what they are capable of. Those limits vary for each and every individual. For some people, their health descent is triggered by too much pressure and stress leading to burnouts and in some cased mental breakdowns or midlife crises.

To others, it’s the result of continuously poor food choices, years of overeating and under-exercising. Some people come and see me suffering from both, some – having pushed their bodies so hard they have fallen into a state of disease; realisation that previous lifestyles has been damaging comes further down the line when the bad results show up.

Some fast lanes are comparatively slow when likened to others but, the result is always the same. Through our ignorance, in pursuit of wealth, we pay with our health.

So, my question is what do you need to see to realise that your health is the most valuable asset you have.

We are living in uncertain and unprecedented times; the world’s economy has, for the most part, come to a screeching halt. In the space of a few short weeks everything we had come to understand and accept as normal has been turned upside down and while the exact pathophysiology of the current virus has yet to be confirmed one thing is for sure, the healthier you are the better your chances.

Now is the perfect time to do something about the state of your health. You have been ordered to stay at home, you have stopped commuting to work which for most people means that you have gained roughly 3 extra hours in your day. You have time to prepare the delicious meals that you never had time to consider before. You have time to exercise, even if, like me, it’s following a recording in your living room.

You
might be sat here reading this feeling motivated thinking, this all makes sense
and I am ready to make a change, but you’re not sure exactly how to do it. With
so much information continuously hurled at us some of us are suffering from
information paralysis resembling deer in the preverbal headlights and that’s ok.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help, nothing wrong with raising your hand and saying “I want to make a change, but I don’t know how to do it”

Nothing wrong with saying “I’ve been trying for years but nothing seems to work.”

Nothing wrong with being scare of making changes either. Help is always just around the corner, all you need do is ask.

So, if not now, then when?

Let’s talk about how Omega-3 fatty acids affect your brain, that big lump of white matter floating around inside your skull.

I introduced Omega-3 fatty acids in my last article, now I am going to focus on their effects on your brain

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are fundamental in allowing your brain to function normally, they are also critical in the development of your brain though out every stage of your life from fetial development to the elderly.

In fact, multiple studies have shown that women who ingested fish oils or ate fish regularly throughout their pregnancy go on to have children who, when tested in their early childhood result in higher scores for intelligence and brain function. (1, 2)

Throughout life, these fatty acids play a vital role in normal brain function where they are critical in preserving cell membrane health and can facilitate communication between brain cells. (3)

The older we get the more imported maintaining optimal levels of omega-3 becomes. Lower levels of DHA in the blood have been associated with smaller brain sizes which are a sign of accelerated brain ageing. (4)

A very brief history lesson

Over the last century (with a handful of exceptions) the global adult population has experienced an unprecedented deficiency in omega-3 EPA and DHA acids. Primary drivers include the reduced consumption of fatty fish and the reduction in omega-3 levels in fish that have been farmed for ‘mass-production’. Alongside the significant increase in the consumption of dietary Omega-6 found predominantly in seed oils and processed foods, which have become abundant in the modern diet.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 compete for the same enzymes and given the disproportionate intake of Omega 6 to Omega-3 it’s no surprise that the majority of the world’s population is deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Memory loss

With Omega-3 fatty acids playing an important role in brain function and development with several studies suggesting that the consumption of fish oils in supplemental form may improve brain function in people with mild types of cognitive impairment (MCI) or age-related cognitive decline. (5, 6)

Researchers found that taking 1.8 grams of omega-3s from fish oil supplements daily for 24 weeks improved brain function in people with MCI. (7)

Depression

Reviews of clinical studies have found that taking fish oil supplements improved depression symptoms in people with depression compared to those on anti-depressant medications, with the grates improvements seen when the fish oil supplement contained higher doses of EPA. (8)

EPA has been thought to have effects on serotonin and the serotonin receptors in the brain, it is also thought that EPA improves depressive symptoms though it’s anti-inflammatory effects. Additional evidence suggests that fish oil may improve other mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. (9, 10, 11)

The way your body uptakes omega 3 oils is critical and if these pathways are not supported it won’t matter how much oil you take it won’t impact your body in the way that you had intended.

Uptake is more important than intake.

Uptake of omega-3 to your blood cells is critical for increasing your omega-3 index. Conventional research has focused on the intake of EPA and DHA primarily based on the logic that intake determines uptake for the absorption of fat. However, fat digestion needs to be initiated by the release of emulsifying bile salts and pancreatic lipases which occurs effectively only after a high-fat meal rather than a low-fat meal, explaining why the best dietary absorption of omega-3 oils happens after you have eaten. (12, 13, 14)

Having the optimum ratio of omega 6 to 3 fatty acids is essential for optimum brain function. When supplementing it is essential that the oil you use is balanced not only in EPA and DHA but that it includes the correct levels of polyphenols meaning amongst other things that you can still benefit from the positive and protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids without having to consume a high-fat meal.

To find out more about how you can test your levels of Omega 6:3 send me an email or book a free call.

Let’s talk about Vitamin D. The first thing we need to clear up is that Vitamin D is not a vitamin in the typical sense of Vitamins. It is in actual fact a steroid hormone, perhaps the most interesting thing about Vitamin D is that every single cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor. Your body makes vitamin D from cholesterol, this happens when your skin is exposed to sunlight. While Vitamin D is found naturally in some foods such as wild Atlantic salmon and eggs, it’s worth noting that the majority of foods rich in vitamin D are so thanks to fortification predominantly in dairy products. Due to the lack of naturally occurring vitamin D dense foods, it is very hard to get vitamin D from diet alone. (1)

Both Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are very common

An estimated 1 billion people globally believed to have low blood levels of vitamin D. One study found that 41.6% of adults in the US to be deficient. (2)

In the UK 29% of the population are deemed to have deficient levels of vitamin D, in fact, the NHS estimates the entire general population has insufficient levels so much so that it has issued a blanket recommendation stating that everyone in the UK supplement with vitamin D in the winter months. (3)

Why do we need it so much?

Vital in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, vitamin D is required by the body to build and maintain bone strength and integrity. In children, the consequence of low vitamin D leads to the development of soft bones (rickets) where adults develop fragile, misshapen bones (osteomalacia). Weak bones can lead to osteoporosis (the loss of bone density), which in turn can lead to fractures.

The parathyroid gland works in a continuous feedback loop to balance calcium levels in the blood, the kidneys gut and skeleton are involved in this process. When there are sufficient levels of vitamin D, dietary calcium can be absorbed and used throughout the body. However, if calcium levels are insufficient or vitamin D levels are too low the parathyroid glands will allow the use of calcium from the skeleton in order to keep the blood calcium in the normal range leading to brittle bones. Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of Calcium can lead to the calcification of blood vessels.

Vitamin D plays a key role in keeping our immune system strong helping you fight of viruses and bacteria that lead to illness.

If you’re someone who is frequently ill it may be worth having your vitamin D levels checked. There have been a number of large studies that have shown a link between deficiency and respiratory tract infections such as colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia. (4)

Fatigue and tiredness have multiple causes, vitamin D deficiency is one that is often overlooked. Studies have shown that very low vitamin D blood levels can cause fatigue that severely affect quality of life. (5)

Deficiency signs

Slow wound healing after injury or surgery may indicate that your vitamin D levels are low, studies have shown that vitamin D increases the production of compounds that are crucial for the formation of new skin as part of the wound-healing process (6)

Often attributed to stress hair loss can be a result of nutrient deficiency. In women, it is often linked to low Vitamin D levels. Alopecia areata an autoimmune disease, characterized by severe hair loss from the head and other areas of the body is associated with rickets in children which is linked to vitamin D deficiency. (7,8,9,10)

Muscle pain is often difficult to pinpoint, the receptor for Vitamin D is present in nerve cells called nociceptors in muscles. One study found that 71% of people with chronic pain were deficient in Vitamin D another study of 120 children with vitamin D deficiency who had growing pains showed that a single dose of the vitamin reduced pain score by an average of 57% (11,12)

As a Nutritional Therapist, I have run my fair share of vitamin D tests. To this day every single one has shown a result of deficient or insufficient vitamin D levels.

Even those who live in hot countries where the angle of the sun is sufficient to achieve optimum vitamin D status via sun exposure only have come back as insufficient or deficient. I find myself pleading with people to spend at least ½ an hour a day outside with the least amount of clothing on as feasible or socially acceptable, to allow their bodies the chance to generate as much vitamin D as possible. In countries where the angle of the sun only allows for Vitamin D to be naturally created in your body in the summer months, I would always recommend that you supplement with Vitamin D3 ensuring that the supplement you chose has the cofactor vitamin K2 as this will allow your body to absorb the vitamin D.

Co-factors are complicated which is why you should always consult a trained professional before you self-medicate with vitamins and minerals. If you think your vitamin D levels are low and would like some advice why not book in a call to see how I can help you.

When you work with me there will come a point where poo becomes a topic that we are 100% going to discuss.

I’ll probably phrase it slightly more professionally – I’ll ask you how many bowel movements you have a day or a week and what your stool looks like. In the beginning most people feel slightly uncomfortable talking about their bathroom habits but, once they get chatting, it all comes out fairly easily.

Your bowel movements are more important that you might think or give them credit for. You should probably pay more attention to them than you might have been, other than remarking about the stench that chases you down the hall way having dropped the kids off at the pool!

Have you ever heard the expression “you are what you eat”?

Well that’s not exactly true, “you are what you don’t poo” is closer to the truth.

Thinking about it, if it hasn’t left your system then it’s still inside you thus you are what you don’t poo and, if you’re not pooing or you’re not pooing frequently, then it’s time to figure out WHY.

Thankfully your poop is something that is fairly easy to read. It’s a great tell tail of what’s happening further up your digestive track. Changes in the colour, shape and texture of your stool can reveal signs of infection, digestive issues and in some cases your stool can indicate more serious health problems such as cancer.

Faecal matter is 75 percent water and 25 percent solid matter. The solid matter is made up of dead bacteria, indigestible food, toxic and inorganic substances. Generally speaking it takes three days for your food to pass through your system from ingestion to excretion however, we often find that food passes through your system either too quickly or too slowly this can affect the size, colour and texture of your stool.

A healthy poop should look like a torpedo, be easy to pass and it should be mid brown in colour.

It’s not just the shape and consistency of your poo that tells a story, the colour of your poo is another great indicator.

Mid brown: This is the target, the golden standard if you like. We all want our poops to be mid brown and look like mini torpedoes.

Red / reddy brown: There are a couple of things that could be going on here. One is that the red vegetables most notably the beetroots you had as part of last night’s dinner are coming though. Though if you haven’t eaten anything red recently then this colour poo is a sign that something more sinister is happening, such as upper gastrointestinal bleeding. If you think that’s the case now is the time to call your Dr. and book an appointment to get checked out! Now being right now and not some time next month!

Green: When I ask you if you eat your greens now is the time to really have a good think. Green poops can be the result of eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach. It can also be the result of adding spirulina to your morning shake. However, green poo can indicate an overuse of antibiotics, undigested bile and possible Crohn’s disease.

Yellow: No, this doesn’t mean that you have miraculously found a way to be the goose that lays golden eggs, though that would be pretty cool. Yellow poo or sand colour poo normally indicates issues with your gallbladder or parasitic infections namely Giardia.

White: If you have been busy popping the antacids (aluminium hydroxide) then this could explain your white or very light-coloured stool, however, something a little more sinister could be going on. White or light stool often indicated liver disease or a pancreatic disorder of some type.

Black: Chances are you visited your Doctor who having run a blood panel on your and finding you to be anaemic has asked you to take iron supplements which is the most likely reason that your poop is the colour of the night sky, however a diet rich in meat and upper GI bleeding can also cause this. If it’s the latter it’s time to pick up the phone and make a plan to see your Doctor.

Now we know what the colour is indicating we can take a look at shape.

Rabbit / Dear Dropping i.e lots of little lumps:

Your faecal matter is hanging out in your intestines too long, which means that water is being reabsorbed. A lack of dietary fibre can lead to these hard, pellet style lumps. Most likely caused by dehydration, stress, magnesium deficiency or a possible thyroid issue.

Floats and stinks:

The occasional stinky floater is nothing to be overly concerned about however if you often find yourself struggling to flush your poos away it could be an indication that your body is probably not absorbing fats as well as it should. This could also be the result of a malabsorption condition, weight loss drugs or over using products like olestra (synthetic calorie free cooking oils).

Hard and dry:

This guy is also hanging out in your intestines for far too long, your body is reclaiming the water allotted to the stool, however this type is generally down to being mildly dehydrated and can be a side effect of medications.

Pencil thin or ribbon shaped:

You may have a mass in your colon that may be obstructing the stools escape hatch. Pencil thin or ribbon shaped stool may be an indicator of colon cancer or polyps. If you find that your stool is frequently exiting looking like an old-school shoe lace or a ribbon then it’s worth visiting your Doctor for a check up.

Too liquid, often imitates a water fall:

Generally, this indicates that your stool is moving through the 30ft of digestive tract between your mouth and your anus faster than Usain Bolt and his 100m sprint … well maybe not quite that quickly but your poop is moving way too fast which means that water is not being absorbed. If this happens regularly, it’s most likely indicating severe inflammation, gut imbalances, intestinal permeability, possible IBS or Crohn’s Disease.

Nothing there:

If nothings coming out then you’re constipated. The question is why? For most people this is caused by dehydration and a diet low in fibre. Some women who are oestrogen dominant or on the birth control may find that this is caused by excess oestrogen.

Constipation can cause a myriad of different health concerns primarily because the whole point of your bowel movement is to eliminate waste material such as toxins, dead cells and excess hormones. When these materials sit in your colon awaiting elimination for longer than expected your body starts to reabsorb and recirculate those should have been excreted toxins and hormones, which can lead to hormonal imbalances, fatigue and brain fog. You also run the risk of painful haemorrhoids from straining to get rid of the feeling of being perpetually full.

When to see your doctor

If you feel a burning sensation while your eliminating or if when you wipe your rear end you notice blood it’s time to head over to your doctor for a full investigation.

I could stop here but there is another area that I would like to touch on, in fact there are many but this one is worth noting.

Do you have any of the following?

Unexplained constipation, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, gas / bloating or IBS type symptoms.
Fatigue, exhaustion, depression or frequent feeling of apathy.
Unexplained weight loss and never feel full after your meals.
Grinding your teeth in your sleep
Diagnosis of iron-deficiency anaemia
Skin irritation, unexplained rash, hives, rosacea or eczema
Have you ever travelled abroad and remember getting a dicky tummy, diarrhoea while you were abroad or even after you went for a swim in a river or lake while in your home country?
Have you ever suffered food poisoning and your digestion have never quite been the same since?

I often find the clients who come to see me saying “yes” to most points on the list above find that they are harbouring unwelcome guests in the form of parasites.

Trouble with sleeping, mood changes, muscle pain and skin irritations can all be caused by parasites releasing toxins directly or indirectly into the bloodstream. These toxins can cause anxiety which often manifests itself in different ways. Grinding your teeth while you sleep is an indicator that your body is experiencing anxiety while you rest. When toxins interact with your neurotransmitters or blood cells they can cause mood swings or skin irritations.

How do you know if you have a parasite?

A simple stool test will revile the answer and let us know which little parasite you are providing a comfortable home for. Once we know who’s triggering the symptoms we can work out rectifying the situation calming down your system and putting you back in control.

So, as you can see your poo, poop, stool (whatever you like to call it) is just one chapter in the book of what’s going on inside your body. In most cases drinking more water and eating more fibre will really help you, however some things need to be looked at with trained eyes so If this article resonated with you and you believe that you may have something else happening within why not give me a call.

Taking Strain? Frazzled? Tense? Worried? Overloaded? Stress comes in many forms and consequently is triggered by many things from our fast-paced lives, complete with long working hours and tight deadlines to improvising as the circus clown juggling careers and children all while dealing with relationship and financial woes. It’s a jungle out there!

Not all stress is harmful, in fact stress is actually a good thing for helping us deal with immediate issues. Like defending yourself in a fight or surviving an accident or, if you’re a cave man, staving off a sabre-toothed tiger. Situations where you find yourself in immediate physical danger trigger the adrenal glands to secrete the “fight or flight” hormones – adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortisol.

Day to day stressors are somewhat different. Our fast-paced high pressure lives mean that the majority of people struggle with long-term stress. Which in the long run can have disastrous effects on our health.

How stress can make us fat.

Stress triggers the release of adrenaline which keeps us focused (on the danger) followed by cortisol which works by increasing sugar and fat levels in the bloodstream giving us instant energy (if we need to fight or run away). Trouble is modern day stress doesn’t require us to run away or fight which means that the sugar and fat that your body releases to get you out of trouble is now redeposited around your middle, close to your liver, where it can be easily converted and re-released by the liver when the next stressful event arises.

Once the stress event has passed your adrenaline levels return to normal but your cortisol levels may remain elevated for longer – days rather than hours. This increases your appetite for fatty and sugary foods, your body does this because it thinks it needs to refuel which would be right if a physical event had happened. However, if the stressor was meeting a tight deadline, rather than fighting a sabre-toothed tiger, then it goes without saying that your body is not going to be needing the extra calories.

Long term stress quickly becomes chronic stress. The constant combination of sugar and fat being re-deposited around your middle, high fat, high sugar foods means that those under long term and chronic stress end up with an apple shaped body. Chronic stress can raise your risk levels of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic inflammation, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. High levels of cortisol can make you look older and if that wasn’t enough it can increase oxidative stress which damages our cells leading to premature wrinkling of the skin.

The Stress Balancing act

Despite the fact that high cortisol levels can have detrimental effects on our health, we categorically require it to survive. Cortisol plays a vital role in balancing blood sugar levels, maintaining immunity and heart health. Prolonged, long-term and Chronic stress – stress that is constant – can cause our adrenal glands to become fatigued which in turn can drastically lower the output of cortisol. Just as elevated cortisol levels can cause problems so can low cortisol levels.

When cortisol levels are too low, sleep, mood, appetite and concentration are often disrupted. Low levels of cortisol can make us more vulnerable to illness, behavioural and emotional problems, it can also increase the demand on the heart, muscles, digestive and immune systems. Balancing your cortisol levels is fundamental when trying to achieve optimum health.

Different people have different stressors and because everyone is unique we all deal with stress in distinctive ways. The stressor that freaks one person out may be the thing the keeps another going. Ultimately, it’s unrealistic to expect to live a life free from stress (though not impossible) but, there are ways that you can manage your stress through diet and lifestyle and supplement interventions to ensure that it doesn’t affect your wellbeing.

I’m going to say it out loud and clear: CRASH DIETS DON’T WORK!⁠⁠

As much as having one magic solution to all problems ⁠sounds alluring, it’s in essence, simply ineffective and a rather damaging approach. I often find myself wondering why we assume that internally, we are all the same because we are most certainly not. Which means that a one size fits all diet plan is never going to work!⁠⁠

We’re human, living and breathing creatures, after all. We might all look slightly different on the outside – eye and hair colour, skin tone, height and body structure but that’s where it stops.

Your gut is unique. There are many out there, but nobody else has one quite like yours. It’s a hive of activity, digesting and absorbing the food that you eat, extracting vitamins, minerals and nutrients in its own way (It’s actually called the second brain in India). It’s so important that to understand the best way for you to eat we need to understand how your gut is working. That means getting a look at what’s going on inside. Which is where biochemistry and personalised approach to nutrition step into the game. ⁠⁠

I hear you wondering how all this affects your weight-loss goals? Well, it’s wonderfully simple and at the same time, it’s insanely complex. In essence, if you’re unable to absorb the right nutrients in the right order your body is going to have a hard time fuelling itself.

Now, this could happen due to you fuelling it with the wrong fuel. Have you ever put petrol in a diesel car? If you have you know what I am talking about. If you put petrol in a diesel car, it will instantly cease the engine to the point where you literally have to buy a new engine! Now with your body it takes a little longer but if you put the wrong food in your body it will eventually fail. A long list of things will start to happen to you but in short, you’ll gain weight and you’ll be susceptible to a whole host of autoimmune conditions!

Imagine what happens when you throw in a standard dose of western societal stress, it’s like putting fuel on the fire!

Stress means that your body is in a constant state of fight or flight, the last thing it’s thinking about is digesting the last meal or snack you gobbled down, racing around in your busy life.

The combination of the wrong food and the chronic levels of stress that most people are under all too often results in long term nutrient deficiencies and permeability issues (amongst a host of other things). This inevitably results in much bigger and more serious problems than weight gain.

⁠But it’s not all doom and gloom – there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thing is your body is an incredible machine. All it needs is the right fuel and support, and it will begin to set things right.

You just need to know exactly what to put in your body to help rather than hinder, now that’s something we can do together.

If this resonates with you, send me a message I would love to hear your story. To book your free consultation, click here.

The key to controlling your blood sugar level is to help your body maintain it at a steady level. This can be done a number of ways; however, the simplest and easiest way is though diet and lifestyle. Small changes in your diet and exercise routine and your sleep schedule can wind up making a big difference in the management of blood sugar levels.

Processed food (the kind that comes with labels) needs to see a serious reduction in your diet. Aim to replace processed (inflammatory) foods with anti-inflammatory foods. When you do eat, don’t stuff yourself silly, it’s not Christmas day! This is important because the amount that you eat is just as important as when you eat as it directly influences how your body responds to the sugars in the foods that you eat.

It’s not 100% necessary to cut sugar and carbohydrates completely out of your diet but it’s vital to reduce the amount you consume and balance them out with proteins and fats. The main focus should be to obtain all of these from real whole foods.

Having protein, fibre and healthy fat with all your meals and snacks can aid in stabilising your blood sugar, this is especially important when you do consume natural carbs and sugars (e.g. starchy veggies like potatoes, fruit and whole grains) as the combination slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and prevents “insulin shock”, which then helps you manage your appetite, regulate your metabolism and digestion.

Always eat breakfast that contains high quality proteins and fats. Avoid eating sweets and starch before bed. Eliminate food intolerances and allergies as these create blood sugar instability and insulin surges. Common food intolerances are gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy and yeast). Reduce caffeine aiming to avoid it completely as caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands into making more cortisol adding to the merry-go-round effect.

Do your absolute best to eat as much organic food as possible

Foods to avoid / remove from your diet

Refined Carbohydrates
Sugar
Processed foods
Soft drinks and processed fruit juices
Caffeine
Inflammatory foods – foods that you may be intolerant to
Alcohol
White potatoes
Trans Fats

Foods to Include in your Diet

Protein Rich Foods

Wild fish eg. salmon, free-range eggs, grass-fed beef or lamb, raw dairy products (yogurt, kefir or raw cheese) and pasture-raised / free range / organic poultry.

Soluble and High Fibre Foods

Fresh vegetables eg. turnips; swede; okra; peas, artichokes, green leafy vegetables, avocado, sweet potatoes etc; oats; pulses; brown rice; xanthem gum; chia seeds; flaxseeds; pumpkin seeds; almonds; beans, sprouted beans; pulses and ancient grains.

Healthy Fats

Virgin coconut oil; organic ghee; grass-fed butter; MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil eg. coconut oil, these are fine to cook with. Extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil are brilliant but should not be used for cooking, flaxseed oil should be stored in the fridge. Nuts and seeds (almonds, chia , hemp and flax) and avocado.

High Antioxidant foods

Berries, sour cherries, kale, broccoli, cocoa, tomatoes, green tea, all dark richly coloured vegetables and fruits.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Either add this to salad dressings or for optimal effect 1 tablespoon either straight or in a small glass of water before meals

Water

Aim to drink a minimum of 2 ltrs per day

Lifestyle Changes

If you smoke do your utmost to stop
Take regular exercise
Sleep; avoid using cell phones or screens at least an hour before bed, switch these to night mode as soon as it gets dark.
Take steps to manage and reduce the stress levels in your life

Remember

Sugar is a highly addictive substance. It acts on the same chemical pathways as class A opioid drugs such as cocaine. Ensure that you control your blood sugar levels by sticking to foods that are low on the Glycemic Load Scale.

Above all remember that the human body is a remarkable creation, if you look after it, it will look after you, if you provide it with the building blocks to heal it will heal.

First things first, we need to understand exactly what Aspartame is. Aspartame was inadvertently invented in 1965 by a chemist who at the time was working on an ulcer drug when he accidentally spilled some of the product on his figures, later on licking his figures to pick up a piece of paper he noticed the unusually sweet taste. On testing, it was proven to be 200 times sweeter than natural sugar and thus the ulcer drug became a sweetener.

Today it is commonly known Cesulfame potassium (K), AminoSweet®, Neotame®, Equal®, NutraSweet®, Blue Zero Calorie Sweetener Packets™, Advantame®, NutraSweet New Pink, Canderel®, Pal Sweet Diet® and AminoSweet®.

It is found in more than 6000 products, consumed by over 200 million people worldwide, making it one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners. (1)

Aspartame does not occur naturally, once you consume it is almost immediately broken down into three chemical compounds. Aspartic acid, Phenylalanine and free Methanol (found in antifreeze, rocket fuel etc) while methanol is similar to ethanol (the alcohol found in wine and beer) the body deals with methanol by transforming it into formaldehyde, carcinogenic chemicals used in embalming bodies.

When apart of aspartame, phenylalanine, can cross the blood brain barrier where it’s toxic effect causes serotonin levels to decrease. Phenylalanine also breaks down into dopamine (the happy hormone) and norepinephrine and epinephrine (fight or flight hormones) not ideal for those dealing with high amounts of stress. (2)

Here are just a few of the ways in which Aspartame can negatively affect your body.

Gut Health:

Aspartame has a toxic, stressing effect on your gut making it difficult for microbes to grow and reproduce. This can in turn affect your body’s ability to process regular sugar and other carbohydrates. Raising your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Acting as a potential aggravator in autoimmune conditions leading to chronic inflammation and intestinal permeability (leaky gut). (3)

Effects on Muscle Mass:

Artificial sweeteners trick the body into believing it is going to receive energy in the form of sugar, when the sugar is not delivered the body finds the sugar somewhere else. One of the alternative sources is muscle leading to a loss in lean muscle mass.

Potential Increased Risk of Brain Tumours and Cancer:

Studies have linked malignant brain tumours to aspartame consumption. A study found that even in low doses animals were developing several different forms of cancer when fed aspartame with an exceedingly high incidence of brain tumours.

Harvard researchers reported a positive association between aspartame intake and the increased risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and multiple myeloma in men and leukaemia in men and women. The Ramazzini institute continues to stand behind the results of its multiple studies finding that aspartame is associated with a 300% increase in lymphoma / leukemia incidence. (4,5,6,7)

Weight Gain:

A 2017 study found that artificial sweeteners do not show a clear benefit for weight management, instead they may be associated with increased body mass index and risk of heart attacks. Another study concluded that artificial sweeteners are linked to obesity with aspartame linked to increased risk of abdominal obesity. (8,9,10,11)

Heart disease and stroke:

Aspartame intake is associated with metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess belly fat, high cholesterol/triglyceride levels) with risks in those who were exposed in the womb rising. (12)

Products that contain Aspartame

Diet soda
Sugar-free breath mints
Sugar-free (or “no sugar added”) cereals
Sugar-free (or “no sugar added”) condiments
Flavoured coffee syrups
Flavoured water
Sugar-free ice cream and/or toppings
Diet iced tea products
Low-sugar or sugar-free fruit juices
Meal replacement shakes/snacks
“Nutrition” bars
Sports drinks (especially “sugar-free” varieties)
Soft candy chews
Yogurt (sugar-free, fat-free and some drinkable brands)
Vegetable juice drinks
Natural fiber laxative
Fiber oral powder supplements
Appetite control supplements

Should I avoid aspartame?

Well in short yes, yes you should! In fact everyone should avoid it, diabetic, people trying to loose weight, pregnant women, children, young, old, tired, thin, fat … everyone.

Are there any natural alternatives?

The reality is that anything synthetic has no place in your diet. But, If you must sweeten your food and drinks with a sweetener then make use of one of these:

Stevia:

Stevia is a plant that has been around since before the dawn of time. Native to South America it is also 200 times sweeter gram for gram than sugar. However, please be sure to use Organic pure stevia avoiding altered stevia blends.

Raw Honey:

Raw honey has been known to aid in countering the effects of some allergies, helping to manage weight, promote sleep and fight oxidative stress. Though please note that this is not your invitation to make like Winnie the pooh and scoop it out of the pot, with your bare paws!

Monk Fruit:

A fruit-based sweetener that has no calories and is between 300-400 times sweeter than sugar. There is evidence that it may help lower the risk of diabetes and cancer as well as combat infection. Again, be sensible, organic only and given its sweetness you really don’t need a lot!

Over the years many arguments have been put forward to reason that Aspartame is safe, however medical science has dramatically evolved since aspartame was first approved and with increasing number of independent; non insider corporations, funded research papers indicating that Aspartame and in fact all artificial sweeteners are harmful to your health it might make you think again before you lift your soda can.

Tips to avoid artificial sweeteners:

My number one tip is to avoid packaged food, it’s hard to hide chemicals in food that doesn’t come in a package meaning that you’re almost always going to be better off.

Invest in eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables which will help your body regain optimum function and wherever possible make use of organic produce.

If you do buy packaged goods make a point of reading the labels to see what is in your food.

Magnesium is essential for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Despite magnesium being the fourth most abundant mineral in your body it is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies. It plays an important role in regulating our day-to-day metabolic functions, influencing everything from the manufacture of DNA, RNA and protein to the energy for your cells and the regulation of blood pressure, production of antioxidants, metabolism of glucose and insulin and everything in between.

Interestingly in order for your body to uptake calcium you must have sufficient levels of magnesium. Without which calcium deposits are left in the kidneys (kidney stones), arteries and joints. Vitamin D also requires magnesium in order to become active in your body, without which your body will store Vitamin D in its inactive form. This means that all those wonderful vitamin D supplements you’re taking are effectively rendered useless! (1)

The way in which Magnesium deficiency presents is often confused with other conditions as there are many similarities making it a tricky one to figure out. If any of these symptoms ring true to you, there is a strong chance that you’re suffering from depleted magnesium levels;

Fatigue; aches and pains; mood problems; muscle cramps; migraines; PMS; Irregular sleep patterns and insomnia; Heart irregularities; muscle twitches and spasms; anxiety; digestive trouble; poor appetite; constipation; brain fog; memory problems; depression; ADHD. (2)

Signs of magnesium deficiency:

Muscle cramps and spasms – Random cramps and spasms in your legs and feet or other places in your body. (3)
Low Thyroid hormone levels – magnesium is essential to the production of thyroid hormones. (4)
Sleep Issues – Your brain requires magnesium to make use of GABA (a nervous system neuro-transmitter) which works to calm your brain, a lack of magnesium can result in insomnia.
Anxiety / depression – Magnesium creates strong neurological pathways within the brain and has been demonstrated to be a rapidly effective intervention for depression and anxiety. (5,6,7)
Adrenal fatigue – Magnesium helps to regulate cortisol levels allowing for more balanced hormone production.
Poor Memory – Magnesium plays a vital role in the regulating brain receptors required for learning and memory function. Supplementing with magnesium has been shown to help clear “brain-fog” (8)
Migraines and other headaches – an estimated 50% of people suffering migraines and headaches are magnesium deficient. (9)
Heart Problems – Studies have shown that a lower level of magnesium intake increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 50 – 80 % (10)
Inflammation – Inflammation is common in just about every chronic health condition. Magnesium has been shown to decrease CRP which is a measure of generalised inflammation. (11)
ADHD – studies have shown that 200 milligrams of magnesium daily over six months had a significant decrease of hyperactivity symptoms when compared with children who didn’t take magnesium. (12)
Insulin resistance – studies have shown magnesium intake to improve insulin sensitivity reducing instances of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. (13)
Weak bones – 90% of magnesium in the body is stored in the bones, if you are deficient in magnesium the body will make use of stored magnesium in your bones which will result in weaker bones. (14)

So, why are you potentially magnesium deficient?

It’s a good question and in most cases it pretty simply boils down to the food that the majority of people consume. Modern “western” diets are highly processed and refined. Based on meat, white flour and dairy; these staples contain no magnesium.

Simple changes to your diet will go along way to aid your magnesium levels. Try to include the following foods in your diet as much and as often as you can.

Kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, brazil nuts, filberts, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley, dandelion greens, and garlic.

If you suffer from or think you may be magnesium deficient you may want to consider supplementation, however just like everything in life not all magnesium is created equal. Absorbing magnesium also requires the presence of a number of other vitamins and minerals.

Magnesium deficiency can be a very serious problem. For help and advice with your unique nutritional requirements please feel free to get in touch.

What kind of evidence do you need to see in front of you before you realise that you need to make a change?

Not when it comes to your health.