nutritional bites

Healthy nuts snack are not fattening

2012-02-24T05:37:00.002-08:00

Nuts seeds and weight loss

I often hear from my client that they worry about eating nuts and seeds when I suggest it as a healthy snack to stop their hunger way before their dinner. And the main worry is about the fat content of nuts. Well I was trying to see if there are any connection or studies to proof that the nuts are not a problem regarding fat and weight gain. From my experience not one person that had problems with weight was eating nuts regularly. On the contrary when put on a healthy nuts snack they were amazed that they lost weight. From my research, I found that many studies have shown that people with weight problem did not gain any extra weight but lost weight when added between 26 to 67 g of healthy tree nuts a day. The 67g portion had the benefit of also reducing the bad cholesterol and improving vascular reactivity. This was especially found with the walnuts studies. Walnut contain a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (the good fat), phenolic acid (ellaic acid, which is an anti-oxidant), especially in the little skin of the walnut, also it contains L-arginine, an amino acid that is also an anti-inflammatory and good for man fertility, high fiber content like any other nuts which helps with any elimination problems, phytosterols which have shown to reduce bad cholesterol and finally walnuts, as well as the other healthy nuts, release the sugar level in the blood slowly therefore people are less luckily to feel hungry or low in energy. Almonds are another good healthy snack, they are high in absorbable calcium and fibres and again very good for snacking when hungry (needs to be soaked for a better absorption of calcium or grounded). Pumpkins also are a very healthy snack and high in zinc, together with the Brazil nuts are very good for men as Brazil nuts contains selenium which is important for the fertility again. Pecan nuts also very beneficial similar to walnuts. In all in many of the research that I read and seen mostly were mentioning the benefits of eating healthy snacks, and not many connected eating nuts with increase in weight on the contrary few connected the eating healthy snacks with loosing weight. I would recommend to have also a general healthy diet for the best benefit of eating nuts. But in all adding nuts and seeds into your breakfast or snacks can be very beneficial and maybe even lose weight (no guarantee unless connected to a healthy diet but good to try). Also nuts and seeds are not for everybody as some kids and adults can be intolerant or dangerously allergic to them therefore not be very beneficial. But if you are ok with them enjoy them unsalted and plain. (please remember to store them in a tight air container or in the fridge as nuts and seeds can go rancid or mouldy after they are out of the packet and therefore lose their benefit and cause problems as well).

Reference:

1. Brufau, G.; Boatella, J.; Rafecas, M. Nuts, source of energy and macronutrients. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S24-S28.

2. Blomhoff, R.; Carlsen, M.H.; Frost Andersen, L.; Jacobs, D.R. Jr. Health benefits of nuts,potential role of antioxidants. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S52-S60.

3. Dreher, M.L.; Maher, C.V.; Kearney, P. The traditional and emerging role of nuts in healthful diets. Nutr. Rev. 1996, 54, 241-245.

4. Eaton, S.B.; Konner, M. Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications. N. Engl. J. Med. 1985, 312, 283-289.

5. Feldman, E.B. The scientific evidence for a beneficial health relationship between walnuts andcoronary heart disease. J. Nutr. 2002, 132, 1062S-1101S.

6. Griel, A.E.; Kris-Etherton, P.M. Tree nuts and the lipid profile, a review of clinical studies. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S68-S78.

7. Li Z. et al. Pistachio nuts reduce triglycerides and body weight by comparison to refined carbohydrates snack in obese subjects on a 12 weeks loss programme. Journal of American College of Nutrition. 2010 - 29 (3) 198-203

8. King, J.C.; Blumberg, J.; Ingwersen, L.; Jenab, M.; Tucker, K.L. Tree nuts and peanuts as components of a healthy diet. J. Nutr. 2008, 138, 1736S-1740S.

9. Kelly, J.H. Jr; Sabaté, J. Nuts and coronary heart disease, an epidemiological perspective. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S61-S67.

10. Mattes, R.D.; Kris-Etherton, P.M.; Foster, G.D. Impact of peanuts and tree nuts on body weight and healthy weight loss in adults. J. Nutr. 2008, 138, 1741S-1745S.

11. Mukuddem-Petersen, J.; Oosthuizen, W.; Jerling, J. A systematic review of the effects of nuts on.blood lipid profiles in humans. J. Nutr. 2005, 135, 2082-2089.

12. Nash, S.D.; Nash, D.T. Nuts as part of a healthy cardiovascular diet. Curr. Atheroscler. Rev.2008, 10, 529-535.

13. Rajaram, S.; Sabaté, J. Nuts, body weight and insulin resistance. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S79-S86.

14. Ros, E.; Mataix, J. Fatty acid composition of nuts. Implications for cardiovascular health. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S29-S35.

15. Ros E. Health Benefits of Nut Consumption. Nutrients 2010, 2, 652-682; doi:10.3390/nu2070652

16. Sabaté, J.; Fraser, G.E.; Burke, K.; Knutsen, S.F.; Bennett, H.; Lindsted, K.D. Effects of walnuts on serum lipid levels and blood pressure in normal men. N. Engl. J. Med. 1993, 328, 603-607.

17. Sabaté, J. Nut consumption, vegetarian diets, ischemic heart disease risk, and all-cause mortality:evidence from epidemiologic studies. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1999, 70, 500S-503S.

18. Sabaté, J.; Salas-Salvadó, J.; Ros, E. Nuts, nutrition and health outcomes. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S1-S102.

19. Sabaté, J.; Angt, Y. Nuts and health outcomes, new epidemiologic evidence. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2009, 89, 1643S-1648S.

20. Salas-Salvadó, J.; Bulló, M.; Pérez-Heras, A.; Ros, E. Dietary fibre, nuts and cardiovascular disease. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S45-S51.

21. Segura, R.; Javierre, C.; Lizarraga, M.A.; Ros, E. Other relevant components of nuts, phytosterols, folate and minerals. Br. J. Nutr. 2006, 96, S36-S44.

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Holidays are over and back to health!

2012-01-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

Well the holidays are over and who ever survived the eating and indulgence is ready for going back to health. I went back to my family and being Italian, they cannot deal with low salt or less wheat. Being an Italian myself, I love the food but I realised that eating a lot more salt and eating more wheat that I usually eat lead to my increase in my weight, and that without any alcohol. So now that I am back to my normal no salt and little wheat a day I already lost 1 kg. I loved the Italian foods but eating it every day is too much. But that is only traditional food, if you eat fresh salads from the garden and fresh vegetables without the salt and wheat is actually the healthiest diet! I suppose once a year even the healthiest person can let go of being strict and enjoy what everybody else eats. I was actually craving though for my own foods after a week I do not think I could bare much of the good tastier food or the rich food that I was eating, once a week or twice yes but everyday was too much!! Well my advice after the new year for everybody, is staying away from alcohol for a month, reduce the salt and wheat products and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils for the vegetarians and vegans and fish and white meat for the non vegetarian, grilled or oven baked or stir fryed. Enjoy long walks in the park or visit your nearest gym for some extra exercise!!!

www.nutritionhealth.net

Love your liver this holiday!

2011-10-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

Is that time of the year again where we start to indulge again in a lot of food, sweets and alcohol. Just a short reminder again of taking care of your liver!!. Here is again a reminder of what your liver does and how much pressure it gets under the holiday seasons.....

The liver is quite often forgotten by people or not thought about at all. Even though the liver is the only organs that can regenerate, when it cannot cope with too much work, you can start feeling it by having spots on your face or forehead, feeling sluggish, having headaches and feeling tired and having the feeling of being spaced out. Even if you are eating healthy but loosing weight for any reason the liver is the one that will have to do a lot of the work by eliminating all the toxins freed by the fat cells or any cell. The liver also is the one that makes protein that you need for repair of cells as well as transforming excess sugar into fat for storage. It is the major detox organ for drugs, hormones, as well as being the organ where vitamin D is activated. The liver is also a storage place for some of the vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, K, and B12. Now it is Christmas time again and time for Christmas parties and overindulgence of alcohol based drinks and overeating time. It is good to have fun but think of your liver as well. So even though you do not want to miss out on a Christmas party, take few steps to help your liver to cope with the extra work. Take some extra vitamin B, vitamin C, as well as milk thistle, dandelion root tea or tincture. Drink water between alcoholic drinks, fruits such as mandarins, and other seasonal fruits, as well as vegetables such as chicory salad, fennel, beetroots, artichokes, rockets, watercress, cabbage family and radicchio. If you drink water between the alcohol you will not drink as much and you will still have plenty of fun. Eat some food with your alcohol, which helps with reducing the effect of the alcohol. By taking the few steps above you can still have fun without the feeling that you need a month to feel good again after your parties. And most of all enjoy yourself……..

Heart burn suggestions

2011-07-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

I have been quite busy lately and have not done much on writing here but just to get back to it I have something that I wrote a while back on suggestions on heart burn which is a problem for many people.

Triggers factors

Heavy meals
Lying down or bending after a meal
Eating immediately prior to exercise
Prior esophageal surgery
Esophageal stricture (narrowing of the esophagus)
Cigarette smoking
Alcohol intake

Sign and symptoms

Heartburn -- a burning sensation under the sternum in the chest -- is the primary symptom of GERD. Heartburn often occurs after a meal and worsens at night, when you are lying flat. It is more likely to occur following a heavy meal, or if you bend, lift, or lie down just after eating.

Other symptoms of GERD include:

Regurgitation of food
Belching
Nausea and vomiting
Chronic cough, wheezing
Sore throat, hoarseness or change in voice, difficulty swallowing
Chest pain

Life style

Avoid behavior that does not allow food to easily move down into and through the stomach. This includes bending, lying down, or participating in jarring exercises soon after a meal.
Don't eat heavy meals
Avoid acidic foods and drinks. These include caffeinated beverages, decaffeinated coffee, and orange juice
Avoid alcohol, chocolate, spearmint, and peppermint. These can relax the low esophageal sphincter.
Avoid carbonated beverages
Avoid eating fatty foods, including full-fat milk, which also may relax the lower esophageal sphincter tone. Avoid fried foods.
Citrus foods
Take medication with plenty of water
Lose weight if you are overweight
Quit smoking
Avoid cranberry juice

· Avoid Italian heavy food,

· Avoid Mexican foods

· Avoid Tomatoes

· Processed foods

· Sugar

· Drink a big glass of water when the reflux starts, - Chew well - Eat plenty of raw vegetables - Eat slowly - Do not eat 3 hours before going to bed

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loosing weight, brown fat and white fat

2011-05-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

Loosing weight, brown fat, white fat

What is the difference between white fat and brown fat? Well is better to have brown fat for thermogenesis (production of heat) if you want to lose weight and keep warm. Brown fat has got a high degree of vascularity (more blood into them). They contain more mitochondria, where the energy fuel is made. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy for the building up compounds as well as breaking them up. Babies have a lot of brown fat as they need to cool down or warm up more than adults for survival, then, once they start moving the muscles will deal with activating our brown fat. Adrenaline, which is the hormone that deals with stress activates the brown fat which is why when hunting or doing fighting might make you lose some weight (also there is a danger of exausting your adrenal glands if that carries on for too long). Thermogenesis is the dissipation of energy derived from ingested food as heat. So when you overheat or you are exposed to prolonged cold, the brain and more specifically the sympathetic division of the brain (the division that is more to do with stress activation, running, fear, etc) activates the thermogenesis. For this process also retinoic acid is also stimulated (vitamin A). Also lipoprotrein lipase and glucose transporters are enhanced to provide fuel. This means that the more heat is needed the more ATP needs to be produces which stored glucose and nutrients are then broke down to supply this. In theory this is a way to lose more weight. There is a theory regarding obesity and defective thermogenesis in obese people, which counts for the fact that they cannot loose weight. I have been to a seminar yesterday that actually confirmed this with plenty of research. According to their study, people exposed to cold baths would activate the brown fat and therefore thermogenesis. The people participated in the study lost about 38 kgs in 24 weeks without being on a restricted diet. Certain food activate or de-activate thermogenesis, capsicin and protein would activate it and carbohydrates and sugars would turn it off. Nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin D and essential fatty acid (omega 3 oils) are needed for the brown fat to be activated. Low or deficiency of these nutrients would not activate the thermogenesis. Warm clients or heating system would not activate the thermogenesis either. Also this is my thought is the eschimos have a lot more brown fat than anybody else and they do not have high incidence of heart problems. That because they eat a lot of fat from fish and because they are exposed to extreme cold.

The above is a thought for people that would like to lose weight and nothing works…… There are many more factors to losing weight though, as emotional and mental condition, allergies, and the entire body-mind integration…..

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Vitamin A for the immune system

2011-03-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Vitamin A has had a bad repution for a while and many people think that they have to be away from it. The most danger from vitamin A is if you eat the liver of a bear or liver everyday, which can contain a lot of the vitamin A and other nutrients. The following are facts about vitamin A:

Vitamin A is one vitamin that has a bed reputation for being bad in pregnancy. But a vast majority of pregnant women and children in the third country and some in the western world are deficient of this vitamin. This leads to many problems in the foetus and pregnancy as well as reducing the activity and function of the immune system.

Vitamin A has an important role in the mucosal surfaces of the intestinal tract (which is the first line of defence for the body) and the lining of the lungs. Deficiency of the vitamin A leads to night-blindness, xerophtalmia, retardation of growth, impaired reproductive capacity and anaemia.

There are two ways that you can get the vitamin A, directly from food via animal sources in the retinol form. These foods are egg yolk, liver, butter, cheese, whole milk and cod-liver oil. The pro-vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene is found in vegetables foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, papaya, oranges and tangerines and many others..

How vitamin A works is in the form of retinoic acid and attaches to retinoid receptors in order to make its effect on the target cell and specific target gene. Retinoic acid influences gene activation through specific receptors that are part of the thyroid and steroid receptors. Vitamin A receptors is very closely involved in the gene expression (DNA expression, where each individual body takes their instruction) and therefore involved in regulating genes.

Vitamin A is essential for the mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts and it is also essential for the lymphoid system of the mucosal tract Deficiency of vitamin A in childhood is one of the most causes of mortality in the developing world. Also vitamin A it seems to be recognized as essential for many aspects of the immune function, including components of both non-specific immunity such as phagocytosis (eating debris or bad bacteria), maintenance of mucosal surfaces and specific immunity, such as generation of antibody responses (IgA in mucosal surfaces).

Deficiency in vitamin A can lead to:

• Abnormal expression of keratins in the respiratory tract, genitourinary tract and ocular surface

• Loss of Cilia from respiratory epithelium

• Loss of microvilli from small intestine

• Decrease in goblet cells and mucin production in mucosal epithelia

• Impaired neutrophil function

• Impaired natural killer (NK) cell function and decreased number of NK cells (NK are included in the immunity as anti-viral and anti-tumour immunity)

• Neutrophils are impaired (involved in phagocytosis adhesion and generation of active oxidant molecules (retinoic acid plays a role in the normal maturation of neutrophil)

• Impaired aspects of haematopoiesis (CD4 + lymphocytes count is lower)

• Shift towards T-helper type 1-like immune responses (vitamin A balances the T-helper type 1 and T helper type 2 like response.

Measle

Some studies have shown that children with deficiency of vitamin A are more at risk of mortality from measles. Children given vitamin A, showed reduce mortality and less complication from measles. Children who received 60mg of retinoic acid had significantly higher IgG responses to measles virus and higher circulating lymphocytes counts during follow up compared with children receiveing placebo.

Diarrhoeal diseases

Diarrhoeal disease caused by rotavirus, Escherichia coli, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae Salmonella and Entamoeba histolytica have been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity from these pathogens by fortification or supplementation of the vitamin A in Tamil Nadu, Nepal, Ghana and Brazil.

Vitamin A in pregnancy and lactation might has shown to be very important for the immune system and for night blindness. Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene has shown to reduce all cause of mortality and morbidity in the developing countries and western world. Beta-carotene needs zinc to be converted into the retinoic acid.

Mucosal immunity

The way the mucosal function can be impaired by the deficiency of vitamin A is through the loss of cilia in the respiratory tract (cilia are hair like processes, they are also found in the uterine tract to move the ova towards the uterus). Loss of microvilli in the gastrointestinal tract (this are fingerlike projection that makes your nutrients being absorbed from the intestine). Loss of mucin and goblet cells in the respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts (mucin and globlet cells, make mucous which get rid of any bacteria and waste from the mucosal lining). Squamous metaplasia with abnornla keratinisation in the respiratory and genitourinary tracts. Alteration in antigen-specific secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations (this are the antibodies that fights bacteria and other pathogens in the mucosal surface). Impairment of mucosal-associated immune-cell function and lastly decreased integrity of the gut (allowing more pathogens and bigger molecule to enter the blood leading to possible allergies and intolerances reaction).

Well the above was a bit scientific but it is nice sometime to have some breakdown of what the actual nutrient do in your body and how wanderful our body is to make all these things from just a little nutrient and which we get from our healthy food!!!!!
http://www.nutritionhealht.net/

One apple a day

2011-02-15T05:06:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone know the expression ‘one apple a day keeps the doctor away’, even in Italy when I grew up! Being lucky enough to grow up in the countryside in Italy and near the seaside I did not realize then that not everyone had the same fortune of picking up their own fruits and vegetables from their front yard. I remember just going under the tree and picking up the fruits of the season wash eat or clean it and eat it. I don’t think I have ever tasted the same fruit ever again really. Or I still do when I go back to Italy and my parents still pick up pears from the tree for our breakfast. But all fruits have really a good amount of nutrients and vitamins, so why just apples are the ones that are so important or why the expression. I am not sure where it started or when but here are some apple history and qualities:

There are about 25 types of apples and they vary in colour and texture, from green to red. Some are sweet such Red Delicious, Royal Gala (my favourite) to Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Cox Apple, etc.. It seems that the original apple tree comes from Eastern Europe and Southwester Asia. Because of the cultivations and hybridization (is the process of combining different varieties or species of trees and make a new type) there are now many more varieties of apples from the first original apple tree. In the past the apple was thought to keep people forever young. Scientifically the consumption of apples in many studies have show to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, asthma, type 2 diabetes (as it releases the blood sugar slowly). Here are some of the nutritional benefits of apples. Apples contain high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that protects the integrity of the cell membrane. Our body is formed of millions of cells and the outside of the cell can be under oxidation attack all the time. Quercetin and other antioxidant such as vitamin C, and many more flavonoids found in coloured fruits and vegetables, protect our cells from being destroyed. Quercetin also blocks the inflammatory cascade, which involves quite a lot of the inflammatory disorders such as asthma, arthritis, allergies, etc... Of course you could be allergic to the apple and so in that case you need to find the solutions for that (see my website for treatments). Pectin is another ingredient in apples; pectin can help lower cholesterol levels by improving the intestinal motility and reducing therefore the reuptake of fat and toxins (in few words good for elimination of food waste). One medium whole apple supplies 3 grams of fibres; eating about two apples a day will reduce the cholesterol up to 11 percent. Pectin is good not only to relieve constipation but also diarrhoea (Kaopectate is an over the counter medication for diarrhoea that contains pectin). Nutritionally raw apples contain vitamin C, pectin, fibres, potassium, phytochemicals such as ellagic acid (anti-oxidant) and quercetin. So really when they say that one apple a day keeps the doctor away is quite true but it is also true that many fruits also contain some sort of nutritional value, antioxidants, and fibres and therefore is worth to vary and combine our fruits to get the most of goodness from them. So hopefully the above has convinced you a bit to start keeping an apple or two in your lunch box or bag or any other fruits. Fruits salads are really good to have and enjoy!!!!

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Probiotics and immune system

2011-02-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

I am still amazed at the fact that in England, most doctors still are oblivious to recommend probiotics and multivitamins after they have prescribed antibiotics or after diarrhoea infection of any kind. Doctors in Italy suggested multivitamins to children and adult 30 years ago and at least for the past 10 to 15 years they suggest probiotics to all children and adults after a rotavirus or any other intestinal. It is always amazing at the huge difference of suggestions. I am sure that quite few doctors do know about the benefit of doing so, but I wander if they do not suggest that because they assume that people cannot afford to buy them. I am sure that any person that can or cannot afford to buy the probiotics would want the option of knowing what is best for them regardless of the cost. Here I summarized some of the benefit of taking probiotics with or without infections.

Microbacteria are part of our gut ecology and depend on what type of bacteria is more prevalent which can help the immune system or cause problems with it. The lumen of the intestinal tract (the small intestine) has got the most bacteria followed by the colon. The stomach does not have many friendly bacteria as they would be killed by the stomach acid. Most friendly bacteria that are found in the intestine are the Bifido species and the Lactobacillus species. The colonization of the intestinal tract starts from birth and it depends on the health of the baby and the milk given on how much will stay and protect the intestinal tract and therefore help the immune system (some formula now include probiotics and the milk of the mother especially the first few days of life will have colostrum which protect and repair the intestinal tract. Things that would destroy the friendly bacteria includes: antibiotics, diarrhoea, viral diarrhoea, allergies reactions, alcoholic drinks and some medication. Consuming a live yogurt or actimel type yogurt is not enough to repopulate the intestinal tract with the billions of good bacteria that it needs when the intestinal tract ecology is not well balanced.

Several studies have shown the benefit of the probiotics. Some of these benefits are protecting the intestinal tract in the children diarrhoea infection by the rotavirus, some protection after a vaccination in adult volunteers, protection against recurrent inflammatory intestinal disorders (there are still many studies on their way regarding the benefit for Chron’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis). Some reduction of allergies, the IgE count goes down in elderly subject with nasal allergies, reduction in milk hypersensitive infants and adults, reduction in tumour recurrence in adult bladder and many others. The most used strains of probiotics used in the research are the Lactobacillus acidophilus, the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and the Lactobacillus casei Shirota, La1 lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus brevi. The Bifido species are found in the colon section of the intestine in the most used are Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb12, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Bifidobacterium brevisYIT4064.

The best way of getting the proper benefits of the friendly bacteria after antibiotics or for helping the elimination process is to buy one that has got all the different strains (for children there are appropriate ones either in powder of liquid). For adults the combination should be a total of billions of them to be most effective. If there are any intestinal settling when you first take the probiotics, the dosage should be reduced until the intestinal tract is settled. The good probiotics will cost a bit more than the common ones but they are worth it and YOU are worth it….

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Vitamins claims and probably food soon

2011-01-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

From March 31st there is a directive from the EU that state that we cannot make any claim on health from supplements or probably even food. So what does this mean? We cannot say anymore that vitamin C prevents scurvy? or that eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day will prevent obesity and heart problems in later life? Eating 30 g a day of fibre will help your intestine to function well? What can we say then? And why can the pharmaceutical company claim health for their drugs? For example why can they advertise so much or publicize so much on the benefit of statins for prevention of heart problems when in reality there are no even much evidence of that. Why can they advertise on the benefit of aspirin on health when is not something that the body needs to function?

A friend of mine mention also that something is going on saying that soon there will be an elimination of all books regarding the benefit of herbs and supplements books and all information about it. "I answer well if we were in China that might happen". But I was reflecting on that later on. What if they are going to sensor all health claims so that they can make it life easy for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to take over all the power from the people? Can that be a truth on the rumour? What if I and millions of people are to naive to think that something like this might happen in Europe? What if there is enough recession and people are not going to be concerned about supplements and food claims as it would not matter? What if the government and the European committee is distracting us with other serious things and than they just pass the law without the people having any knowledge of that until is too late? Are we going towards a Chinese government style so that things will be easier for the government to keep an eye on us and our own choices? Well I hope not, I hope people are better than that and they start now enquiring and responding to the threat of our own choices..

www.nutritionhealth.net

New Year detox

2011-01-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Simple New Year Detox

After the big meals and drinking time is time for a month of detox to give the liver and the body some respite. The best thing to do is to start with drinking at least 1 litre and half to two litres of water a day. Eat more salads and vegetables soups. Eat fruits between meals and for breakfast. Cook stir fry, oven baked or steamed vegetables and fish or white meat. Eat more of lentils and beans, avoiding creams and cheesy foods. Eat a smaller portions of food but first of avoid drinking any alcohol if you have drunk a lot. To help the detox also you can take some milk thistles and probiotics which help the intestine. Happy New Year and best Wishes

Maria Esposito

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Fish for your mind and now for your feet!!

2010-12-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

I heard about fish eating the hard skin of your feet last summer, and it sounded great. I meant to try it since as I know there were some in Camden Town but never managed too. Yesterday at Wood Green shopping centre I had the opportunity to try it. At the beginning was very ticklish but as after few minutes it was so relaxing and it felt like little current massaging your feet. There was a woman next to me that was very regular to her feet being nibbled by the little fish. She went few times in Camden Town and she had already two treatments that week alone. She said that her feet were great during the summer. We trying to convince some of the onlookers that it felt great and I think quite few people were thinking piranha biting your feet. They do not bite but nibble your skin. Also many were thinking who putting your feet in there where everyone else put their feet! Well if you go bare feet on the beach or walk bare feet in the swimming pools than you should not worry about the fish tank as that is much cleaner than the sand and the swimming pool floors!! The water in the tank is warm and you feel like you want to be there all day really. It seems that some hospital in London might be using these fish for medical reasons. You need to be referred by your doctor, but hey how great would be to be referred by your doctor to have your feet or body nipped. The name of the fish is Garra Rufa and they live and breed in the outdoors of some Turkish spas. They are used there and other parts for psoriasis condition, where you bath in a pool. That must be quite a fantastic experience!! It helps the skin condition for a while, but as psoriasis is a lot to do with internal mechanism errors and external endogenous factors you need a continuous trip to the Spa (hey could be worse!). The Garra rufa fish also lives in the Northern and Central Middle East, Syria, Iraq and Iran. It is protected legally from commercial exploitation in Turkey. Well that is great!! You can take or eat oily fish for your mind and now you can get them to heal your feet!! Worth to try for 5 to 10 pounds for 15 minutes….

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

The liver and Christmas parties...

2010-11-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

The importance of liver

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Simple recipe and its nutritional value

2010-10-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the many symple recipes with its nutritional value:

Mediterranean salmon (taken from good housekeeping booklet, modified)

Hands on time 15 min – plus marinating. Cooking time 12 min. – serves 2 –

Ingredients

2 x 125g salmon fillets, skinned

1 tbsp pesto

10 g sun dried tomatoes, chopped

40 g black olive

Organic lemon (as the zest need to be used is better to use an organic lemon)

Preparation and cooking

- Mix the salmon, pesto, olives and sun-dried tomatoes in a bow. Sprinkle over the zest of ½ lemon. Cover and chill for 30 min. You can set up this part the night before or two days before.

- Preheat oven to 200 degree C (180 with fan) mark 6. Arrange the salmon in ovenproof serving dish, spooning over the marinade.

- Cut the lemon into 3 wedges and put around the salmon. Cook for 10-12 min or until the fish flakes when pushed with a knife.

Health benefits of the ingredients:

Salmon = source of omega 3 essential oil, proteins, potassium, selenium, vitamin B12, wild Alaskan salmon has got a higher content of omega 3 and less heavy metals and pesticides residue.

Pesto = contains mainly basil benefits includes helping the digestive system, is a mild sedative for relaxation, has been used for kidney support and slow circulation.

Pine nuts: (this is another ingredient of pesto, as well as the garlic and the parmisan cheese or pecorino cheese) contain more protein than any other nuts and in 100g of nuts it contains about 24g of protein, is a source of goo fiber, and some fat which is mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are the good fats, only 10 percent is saturated. Pine nuts also contain b vitamins, vitamin E, zinc and potassium.

Garlic: Garlic nutritional values are amazing. Garlic is an anti-fungal, anti-microbial activity, it has been researched into his lowering of cholesterol, and it seems to increase the immune system activity and therefore helping with fighting colds and flue. The sulphur compound are the main active ingredients such as allicin, diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide, which are released when garlic is crashed. Garlic also contain a good amount of vitamin B6, manganese, selenium, vitamin C, phosphorous, calcium potassium, iron and copper.

Cheese: Parmesan cheese and pecorino cheese are a good source of protein, calcium and other minerals but the amount that would be in pesto would not count as much for their real benefit.

Sun dried tomatoes = Tomatoes are low calories food, and the main benefit of the tomatoes is its content of antioxidants such as beta-carotene and lycopene. Tomatoes also contain biotin, vitamin C (if fresh not sun-dried), vitamin K, B6, B5, niacin, folic acid and fiber.

Black olive = Olives like the tomatoes and cucumber are fruits, and not vegetables. But they are the source of monosaturated fats which are one of the good oils or fats. The black olives are the same as green but at different degree of ripeness. Usually black olives that are less bitter are soaked in brine straight away and for longer. Olives are a good source of omega 9 which is one of the monosaturated fatty acids and vitamin E.

Lemons = Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium folic acid, flavonoids and the phytochemical limonene (this can help the liver for some parts of detoxification)

Enjoy the cooking and eating. This can be done when you have little time or it can be taken for the next day lunch.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Jamie's Oliver revolution

2010-10-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well, watching the programme last night, again I was amazed at the problem that Jamie faced. Again they still had rubbish food in the freezer and the dilemma is 'what to do with it'. Sincerely I would say gave it to the dogs, but I think that would be very cruel. I would not give that food to the dogs or homeless as that would be animal and human cruelty. I cannot believe that the US government still does not get it, how can you feed that rubbish food to the children? how can you let your kids eat the rubbish in the brown bag that I saw. What are the parents thinking? that their child will grow healthy with sweets and bright colorant??? I think parents and teachers as well as the kids should try to get that any, any junk food is bad for you. How can you go back to have your child not eat the healthy food and compare the junk food such as chocolate milk to real milk?? The children will adjust to anything, is the parents that don't and I have seen it with some of my clients. So parents and adults please think of what you eat. Because what you eat is how your body function. All the vitamins, minerals, good fats, carbohydrates, proteins are the ones that makes your body function well or bad (if you eat junk food or sugary foods). And the healthier and nutritious your food is the better your child is going to grow, which should be healthy, not tired, not too hyper and not overweight and obese..
http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Jamie's Oliver USA

2010-10-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

Well, watching Jamie's Oliver programme last night, I was so glad that the radio presenter finally saw the reality of his town and the other side of the coin. It was not just about him wanted to keep eating his junk food is saving his town from dying young and badly.... Well done to Jamie Oliver for not giving up even though he had so many obstacle, and I suppose after he trying UK he knew how to get the people finally. Great in involving the University with the dancing... He made cooking fun and enjoyable and obviously well done to the teachers and the students that did it so well.... Great hopefully now that Jamie is out of there the town and a lot more towns in America will take up cooking lessons and keep up with the healthy eating. It just means that McDonald and all the other junk food chain will earn less money... Great!!! So for anybody else keep staying healthy and have fun trying new recipes.....

www.nutritionhealth.net

French fries - vegetables or .....

2010-09-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Again I watched Jamie Oliver's programme yesterday and it is becoming quite amusing the more I watch it. The teenagers that he got for his cooking skills, are amazing. They are probably a minority of kids that really understand that if you want to change something you need to make a big effort. They went from not knowing how to cook anything to cooking an entire meal for 80 + people, how great that is!! I am sure their parents or guardian have no choice but make a difference. But what about the rest of the school!! Will they understand the change that they need to make now for the future? I hope so.

Now going towards explaining French fries. I like a good French fries and once a year I probably have it somewhere nice. But just to be very precise, French fries are NOT A VEGETABLE, they are not part of the 5 a day scheme and they do not count towards a healthy eating!!! The lady that organized the meals for the schools in America, is very supportive of Jamie's mission and she wants to do her best to change the meals, but I do not think she understood that French fries are not better than freshly cooked noodles with few types of vegetables in there.... French fries are tasty but unfortunately they don't have anything healthy in them. Potatoes are not part of the vegetables either, they are starchy food, like rice and pasta, and, cooked with the skin on, they are a very good source of some minerals and vitamins as well as fiber (which helps in case you suffer of constipation, with some of the actual vegetables fibers). So again I hope that the people in America start thinking of their own health, as I do not think anybody else is doing anything there to change the bad habits that they got into... Also I still think the radio present of Huntington is a a... hole as he should be quite and keep his opinion of eating bad food for himself. If he and his family wants to eat unhealthy food that should be their choice but if the rest of the kids and family in his town wants to try the healthy option he should let them do that and be quite..... or even better be supportive, that is if he really cares about his listeners and he does not want them to have a heart attack while they are listening to his opinion!!

www.nutritionhealth.net

Support for Jamie Oliver's mission

2010-09-21T03:17:00.000-07:00

I have a great respect for Jamie Oliver and his mission of trying to make the nation, first with UK and now with America a better place. Making people more conscious of where the food come from before all the big chain of fast foods and easy food came along. Before all that happen every child and every woman knew what a vegetable was, and how to cook it. In a sad sense, we were much more healthier at a time or depression and low food than now. As before everyone that had a piece of soil or land would plant their own vegetables to eat and not flowers. Not that flowers are not great, but that is not the point. I am lucky that I grew up in a countryside where everything came from my parents garden. Vegetables, fruits, and meat. The only thing was missing was fish from their land, but leaving quite close to the sea you could easily find freshly caught fish sold off the boat! My son is also lucky, because he often visits my parents and knows what a tomato plant look like, the pear plant, the olives, plant, the salad plant and all that. He is very lucky also because I taught him what different fruits and vegetables are and he loves them. In Italy where I send him for the summer the play scheme where he stays have their own vegetables and they make the kids go and pick their own vegetables up! Which is fantastic!! And apparently all the kids that did not eat vegetables they started eating the vegetables they picked up!! Going back to Jamie Oliver mission, I am also lucky that the school where my son goes, use a lot of their own herbs, use organic food as much as possible and they have fruits and salad as well as vegetables in their menu. Definitely the smaller kids do not complain and they are learning to eat vegetables. I might have to thank Jamie Oliver for his mission here in UK as my son's started his school after Jamie Oliver started to stir up the kitchens. Well, I would have done packed lunch, but for somebody that is tight for time everyday would have been a big mission, as well as my son not having warm meals everyday. He does not like sandwiches all the time which is good, but it meant that he would have a cold lunch everyday. Now again going back to Jamie Oliver mission, I was reading in the observer about the community that he managed to set up for cooking lessons for adults and children!! What a fantastic ideas. That would make a huge difference in the health of the adults, young, elderly, and children as they would know more about food and what healthy food means!! they would eat much more healthily which it means less burden on the NHS in the future.... So why now is the government cutting the funds for that!! Instead of taxing people with money they again taxing people without the money. Agian the health of the Nation will have a repercussion later if the kids do not learn now how to eat and cook. Maybe the government is not thinking of the future as they might not be in power later on. Anyway the other big thank you to Jamie Oliver is for trying so hard to change an entire town in America if not the entire America with his mission. And you would think that they would say thank you themselves and be happy. Last night when I saw the programme I was very much saddened by the fact that his enthusiasm at the beginning was met with mistrust and anger and even the Radio host that should be thinking 'hey this is for the health of the people in our town, let's give it a try people and support him', he was against Jamie. I think the host of the radio was very selfish and not really considering the hundreds of people and children with big problems not knowing the name of one single vegetable and where their food came from.... I think as a radio presenter he should make a better judgement of what helps the listener and what is good for them rather than attacking Jamie Oliver for trying to help the children being healthier...... Again I felt very sorry for Jamie Oliver that seems like he had to beg for a job in the school to stay on and teach them what a good meal would be for the children.... How can they ever go back to that rubbish that they gave to the children, how can the parents ever go back to give their children that rubbish... Jamie Oliver does not have to do this, he can stay at his home writing and cooking in his own restaurant and no bother about any of this! He knows that his children will eat healthily, he does not need to beg for a job,, he does not need to do any of this... He is doing this because he is passionate about food, passionate about what health is and he wants to help.. He could have easily stayed at home and not care and have more time with his family.... And I hope that the people in UK and America understand how lucky they are that somebody like JAMIE OLIVER is teaching them to be healthier and how to cook... What an honour!!!! So well done Jamie Oliver and thank you for doing this......

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

B vitamins and Alzheimers and homocysteine connection

2010-09-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, finally there is prove that the B vitamins, especially B12, B6 and folic acid are beneficial in prevention of Alzheimer. But the homocysteine connection is also beneficial for the prevention of heart conditions, including reducing high blood pressure. Measuring the homocysteine level with a simple blood test will give an indication on how much B vitamins you need to take for how long and than keep maintaining a basic dose to keep you healthy. If you have a family history of dementia or Alzheimer it is worth to start early to keep it down and prevent it. And if you are older you can still take it and prevent any further damage by taking the B vitamins. Again a simple blood tests should be done. Some GP are very helpful and would send you for the test themselves. For the doctor is worth suggesting the tests and giving B vitamins as a prevention rather than spend much more later if the person gets either the Dementia or Heart problems.

www.nutritionhealth.net

Sunshine - reminder of importance of vitamin D

2010-09-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

I just came back from Italy where my parents live and it is amazing what a difference in weather there is. It seems that you are in a different world altogether. The problem in England is that the luck of much sunshine can affect the mood and increase the risk of mould allergies or infections. August has been a very wet month and getting some sun on your body seems to warm up everything even the joints that start aching after so much humidity. Just to remind also people that from November till March/April in England the sun is not strong enough to give you the minimum amount of vitamin D that the body needs. So store up now and during the winter time take extra vitamin D or D3 for the elderly or people with kidney problems which is the active form of the vitamin D. Enjoy as much sun as possible now (the safer hours are up till 11am and after 3pm).

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Green leafy vegetables

2010-08-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

I always recommend to my client to eat green leafy vegetables. There are many reason why, one they contains lots of minerals, especially magnesium with all the benefit that magnesium has. Another one is being leafy there are also part of the leaf that is not absorbed but digested and worked on by the friendly bacteria which in turns make any elimination of toxins and unwated waste more easily. Now one of the new reseach (mentioned by Dr Briffa in his blog) has the benefit of preventing diabetes type 2. Which I am not surprised as magnesium is an important mineral also for the control of insulin but also I suppose the people that eat more leafy vegetables, also tends to eat less sweet, white pasta or bread and usually either cook their own foods or eat as heatlhy as it can be. It does not mean that just eating leafy vegetables will stop the diabetes, again is a lifestyle change rather than just one thing. Such as walking or doing exercise and implement the healthy eating as a regular thing rather than an occasional meal. ....... Enjoy your greens!!!http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Detox for a week with healthy eating

2010-07-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

This can be tried by anyway that would like a bit of challenge and a chance to change their diet. Here is a week of healthy eating to see what difference it makes to your inside and outside.

Every day for – 7am till 9am - Breakfast with 4-5 strawberries, a palm full of blueberries, and blackberries, cherries two tablespoon of mixed nuts or seeds, and live organic yogurt (3 tablespoon).

Mid morning and afternoon snacks 11am and 3-4 pm: 2 nectarines or blueberries and blackberries with 1 pot of yogurt, or one slice of cantaloupe melon with two tablespoon of mixed seeds

Lunch 12pm -2pm: Salad with salmon, tuna, eggs or beans, or chicken with vegetables or a fistful of brown rice with beans, fish or chicken. Alternatively an omelette with mushroom or any other vegetable with salad can be made.

Dinners: 7-9pm – fish, chicken, beans or lean lamb with a lettuce mixed salad (heart of Romaine, rockets, Cos salads, carrots, celery, cucumber with 1 teaspoon of vinegar with one tablespoon of olive oil (cold pressed). Eat the salad before your dinner. With the protein have some leafy vegetables such as kale, pak choi, greens, spinach (slightly cooked)

Drink up to 2 litres of water away from your meals throughout the day. Walk for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour everyday (now that the weather is good, should not be a problem) and most of all enjoy the week.

One coffee or one tea a day only is allowed, no juices only fresh produce, no alcohol.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Heartburn and GERG

2010-07-13T03:49:00.000-07:00

Many people and even some children suffer of heartburn or excess acid. Quite often what food and drink is consumed might make a huge difference and reduce the heartburn or high acidity. Here are some suggestions and facts about heartburn:
Triggers factors

• Heavy meals

• Lying down or bending after a meal

• Eating immediately prior to exercise

• Prior esophageal surgery

• Esophageal stricture (narrowing of the esophagus)

• Cigarette smoking

• Alcohol intake

Sign and symptoms

Heartburn -- a burning sensation under the sternum in the chest -- is the primary symptom of GERD. Heartburn often occurs after a meal and worsens at night, when you are lying flat. It is more likely to occur following a heavy meal, or if you bend, lift, or lie down just after eating.

Other symptoms of GERD include:

• Regurgitation of food

• Belching

• Nausea and vomiting

• Chronic cough, wheezing

• Sore throat, hoarseness or change in voice, difficulty swallowing

• Chest pain

Life style

• Avoid behavior that does not allow food to easily move down into and through the stomach. This includes bending, lying down, or participating in jarring exercises soon after a meal.

• Don't eat heavy meals

• Avoid acidic foods and drinks. These include caffeinated beverages, decaffeinated coffee, and orange juice

• Avoid alcohol, chocolate, spearmint, and peppermint. These can relax the low esophageal sphincter.

• Avoid carbonated beverages

• Avoid eating fatty foods, including full-fat milk, which also may relax the lower esophageal sphincter tone. Avoid fried foods.

• Citrus foods

• Take medication with plenty of water

• Lose weight if you are overweight

• Quit smoking

• Avoid cranberry juice

• Avoid Italian heavy food,

• Avoid Mexican foods

• Avoid Tomatoes

• Processed foods

• Sugar

• Drink a big glass of water when the reflux starts, - Chew well - Eat plenty of raw vegetables - Eat slowly - Do not eat 3 hours before going to bed

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

NAET for allergies and intolerances

2010-07-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

Naet for allergies and intolerances is a treatments that many people do not much about it. Read more on my website

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Summer healthy desserts

2010-07-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Finally it is summer and as everybody else kids and adults would like something sweet and cold. Well there is a healthy desserts that can be done for both adults and kids. Home made ice lolly. You can buy the ice lolly mould at amazon. Buy the fresh seasonal fruits, such as cherries, berries, water melons, cantaloupe and mix them up in a blender you can add some yogurt or freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice and fill the mould. Put them in a freezer for about 6 hours and you have healthy desserts. You can also just make the smoothies if you do not fancy an ice lolly. But these desserts are very popular with children as they can help making them and they taste good as well as being healthy. .. Enjoy them.....

summer healthy desserts

Child constipation

2010-06-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

Many children, amazingly enough, suffer from constipation. Here are some advice on how to solve the problem and make the child intestine work nicely every day.

Children can become constipated as a result of holding back stool. They might no want to stop playing to go to the loo. That means that the stool becomes drier and more painful to pass. That will lead to avoid going to the loo because is too painful and etc….

Important points:

1. Make sure that your child drinks up to a litre of water of more per day, throughout the day. Have her/him drink water, herbal tea, very very diluted juices and soups readily available and encourage your child to drink them often.

2. Increase the fiber in their diet: Simply add a piece of fruit such as banana, apple, orange, pear or prune. The whole fruit provide the most fiber. Give your child a fruit half an hour or an hour before the main meals or 1 hour after her meal.

A dry pitted prune soaked overnight in a glass of water contains extra moisture and is easier to digest. Make sure that is soaked in a 1 glass of water and they drink the juice from that as well as the prune. Vegetables and whole grains are also rich sources of fiber. Beans and lentils very good source of fiber, you can mash or blend them. Zucchini and cooked spinach as well as cooked broccoli will help. Green leafy vegetables are full of magnesium and other minerals that will help her constipation. Have them eat one or two of these everyday. Make sure that they eat what vegetables they like as well as the vegetables that are good for her, maybe with an incentive, such as you can have an homemade ice lolly (made from fresh seasonal fruits). Add some Udo’s oil, 1 teaspoon with each meal. That will help soothe their stools as well as providing essential oils for their growth.

3. Serving warm liquids or hot oatmeal every morning acts gently to stimulate the intestinal tract, in addition to being a fiber provider.

4. For an overnight relief of constipation, mix ½ cup of prune juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 cup of spring water. Have your child drink this before bedtime.

5. Give them acidophilus, the recommended dose half an hour before going to bed.

6. If your child’s stool has an exceptionally foul odor, consider giving them chlorophyll supplements. Chlorophyll is high in trace minerals, especially magnesium and has natural antibacterial properties.

7. Simmer a half teaspoon of flax seed in two glasses of water for fifteen minutes. Use the liquid to make the oatmeal in the morning.

8. Massage your child’s lower abdomen for comfort and to help to get things moving.

9. Gently massage your child’s abdomen, following the natural movement of the intestine which is clockwise. Start in the lower right corner, move up towards the ribs, over to the left side and then down toward the pelvis.

10. Make sure that your child runs around for 1 hour everyday, this stimulates the elimination system.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Resveratrol

2010-05-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

I was researching resveratrol and it is amazing how many benefits it has been connected too. It is not only a powerful antioxidant but much more. Resveratrol (RSV) is a phytochemical found in the skin of grapes and particularly the red grapes. A phytochemical is a chemical that may affect the health but it is not considered an essential nutrient. RSV has been shown to positive effect on inflammation, platelet and as it has also been shown to have a phytoestrogen effect, it might help to prevent breast cancer caused by the oestrogen. Phytoestrogens have shown to inhibit cancer formation and growth, reduce cholesterol levels and have some benefits in preventing osteoporosis, especially after menopause. RSV is mainly known as powerful antioxidant which has been shown to help prevent the destruction of the vascular endothelium. RSV is high in red wine and this has been indicated to be the reason for the so called French paradox, where in certain region of France, people drink more red wine and the mortality from coronary heart disease is lower than any other region. RSV has also been shown (in animals studies) to increase aerobic capacity (energy created in the mitrochondria, which is part of our cells that make our energy). RSV induces the genes for oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial biogenesis and it has been shown to protect the animal against a diet-induces obesity and insulin resistance. So do we now start drinking a lot more of red wine or should we eat other healthy food which contains this nutrient. Well a glass of red wine a day might help, but more than that it starts to counteract the good effect of the RSV nutrients, so not worth drinking much more because of that. Eating red grapes might be good but too much of eat would give you a running for the toilet and feeling of bloating, therefore moderation on this too. RSV is made synthetically from the Japanese plant knotweed for the supplements production. Well I think drinking a glass of really good red wine few times a week, or everyday with your food, some grapes and maybe adding some supplements if there is a history of heart problems might have a good effect on preventing some of the disorders mentioned above.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Naet treatments for weight loss and allergies

2010-05-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Being overweight nowdays is a major issue, as there is an abundance of food around (in the more rich country) and less exercise or work of the adults and children. We sit at our desk most of the time, and the children after a school day they other play with the Nintendo ds or Xbox or whatever computer gadget they have. Most parents complain about their children being a bit overweight and the majority of the children that are overweight, have the same diets as the parents which is junk food, salty foods, no vegetables or fruits and lots of sweets and fizzy drink. Now for the majority of the overweight adults and children, as sedentary work and choice of food is the main problem. For some the hormonal glands are the problems (very rare though). For a lot of adults, emotions play a major part of their problems. For others is the choice of certain foods that they are allergic or intolerant too that they keep eating that leads to put on more weight that they would otherwise, even though they exercise 3 times or more a week. Let’s have a look at the more scientific problem with being overweight and/or obesity. Obesity is the modern lifestyle disease. The body mass index (BMI), is the measurements that the science use to see if a person or child is overweight or obese and at risk of physical problems due to the weight, such as heart disease, high cholesterol and or diabetes. A BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight and above 30 obese. Obesity seems to affect more women than men; there is a genetic susceptibility for obesity as well as lifestyle, dietary intake and lack of exercise (11, 13, 17). Many studies, therapist and doctors have been trying to find one solution for being overweight or obese. For example leptin has been identified as the obesity gene (ob). Leptin is expressed in the fat cells and codes for the protein leptin. It acts as a hormone in the hypothalamus, and it has shown to promote a negative energy balance by suppressing appetite and increase energy expenditure. Therefore a lack of ‘ob’ has been suggested to cause obesity in susceptible people (17). But unfortunately this is only for very few obese people, not many obese people have a deficiency of this gene, therefore all the other factors have to be accounted for before blaming the individual gene. Quite often obese people and children are malnourished, even though they consume a high amount of food, which is usually highly processed fats, refined carbohydrates and fizzy drinks that are empty calories food. Abdominal obesity (the so called apple shape) has been associated with elevated markers that are connected to heart diseases and strokes (11, 18). In this case the waist-hip ratio, as in the apple shape individual, has been shown to be more relevant in predicting the syndrome X disorder than the BMI factor (18). High oestrogen has been also connected to increase appetite and therefore increase in weight (11). Eating breakfast reduces total calorie intake and late night eating increases it, therefore breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and an emphasis on not skipping it is important even if the person does not feel hungry. Usually once a person gets used to eating breakfast the evening meal might be lighter and therefore their appetite in the morning increases (11). In summary obesity should be addressed from every angle that include testing and assessing any body glandular disorders, good planned dietary intervention, addressing any nutritional deficiency, testing and eliminating allergies or intolerances, physical exercise that is suitable for the individual as well as emotional support (11, 13, 17). NAET is a method of testing and treating allergies, intolerances and sensitivities. I have treated children and adults with NAET and eliminated allergies and intolerances as well as some of the disorders that allergies and intolerances can cause, reduce asthma attacks, eczema, hayfever, headaches, fertility problems, candida and weight problems.

Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) NTCC - More on the therapy and the therapist on

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Protection from the sun inside out!!

2010-04-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Protecting the skin from the inside out is not that difficult. What you need to do is eating a lot of orange and yellow foods, which contains the most beta-carotene, which will not only protect the skin but also the eyes from the damage of the sun (I still recommend to wear sunglasses and sun cream if you are in the sun in the hottest of times such as from 11am till 3pm or and for a long periods of times). The foods that you should include in your diet in greater quantity for your protection are the following: carrots (juices or slightly cooked you absorb the beta-carotenes better), squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe melons, apricots, mangoes, yams, sweet potatoes, spinach and green peppers. To protect your eyes a bit more, blueberries and berries in general increase the range of antioxidants and therefore protect them more from the damage of the sun. In general colourful fruits and vegetables will be full of antioxidant and vitamins and you might also eat less of the sweet foods that do not contain any or little nutrients, therefore loosing weight as well, without much effort.…. Enjoy your spring and summer with the most nutritious food and you will see and feel the difference as well as getting a safer tan……

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Easter time and lots of Easter eggs around

2010-03-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

Easter is back again, and for most kids and some chocolate fun people, Easter is about chocolate eggs rather than any of the religious part of Easter. Nutritionally chocolate has been the bad and the good food. Even though, I think there is not as much as good and bad food but healthy and unhealthy food. Even the healthy food for some can be unhealthy if they are allergic to it. I had treated a little girl with NAET (see my website for more information), just before last year at Easter time. The girl, who is now 12 years old, had been having terrible headaches since she was 6 years old when she ate even a small piece of chocolate. Naturally for her was not as nice when she went to parties when Easter time would come and she could not have much of the Easter eggs!! I treated her a week before Easter and when she came back from the Easter holidays last year for a check up, she said she had had a big chocolate egg with some more small little eggs, with not so much approval from the mother obviously!! But the girls was very very happy, and in some way even the mother as she did not suffer of headaches anymore if she had any chocolate. I saw her a week ago and she is still eating her chocolate almost every day (not a big portion) with no headaches or any other problems at all (she is very healthy and active so no problems in having a bit of chocolate as a dessert). Now I love chocolate but unfortunately my liver does not, so I cannot eat a lot of it. But when I do eat it, nutritionally, the darker the better, because it contains a good amount of antioxidant and iron (even though you do not absorb much of the iron!). Well I think if you do not exaggerate with the chocolate a little bit of Chocolate Eggs is not too bad for anyone and not even unhealthy, as long as you have a good healthy meals in between... Enjoy your Easter and the Easter eggs!!!!!

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

An apple a day!

2010-03-11T07:08:00.001-08:00

One apple a day
Almost everyone know the expression ‘one apple a day keeps the doctor away’, even in Italy when I grew up! Being lucky enough to grow up in the countryside in Italy and near the seaside I did not realize then that not everyone had the same fortune of picking up their own fruits and vegetables from their front yard. I remember just going under the tree and picking up the fruits of the season wash eat or clean it and eat it. I don’t think I have ever tasted the same fruit ever again really. Or I still do when I go back to Italy and my parents still pick up pears from the tree for our breakfast. But all fruits have really a good amount of nutrients and vitamins, so why just apples are the ones that are so important or why the expression. I am not sure where it started or when but here are some apple history and qualities:
There are about 25 types of apples and they vary in colour and texture, from green to red. Some are sweet such Red Delicious, Royal Gala (my favourite) to Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Cox Apple, etc.. It seems that the original apple tree comes from Eastern Europe and Southwester Asia. Because of the cultivations and hybridization (is the process of combining different varieties or species of trees and make a new type) there are now many more varieties of apples from the first original apple tree. In the past the apple was thought to keep people forever young. Scientifically the consumption of apples in many studies have show to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, asthma, type 2 diabetes (as it releases the blood sugar slowly). Here are some of the nutritional benefits of apples. Apples contain high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that protects the integrity of the cell membrane. Our body is formed of millions of cells and the outside of the cell can be under oxidation attack all the time. Quercetin and other antioxidant such as vitamin C, and many more flavonoids found in coloured fruits and vegetables, protect our cells from being destroyed. Quercetin also blocks the inflammatory cascade, which involves quite a lot of the inflammatory disorders such as asthma, arthritis, allergies, etc... Of course you could be allergic to the apple and so in that case you need to find the solutions for that (see my website for treatments). Pectin is another ingredient in apples; pectin can help lower cholesterol levels by improving the intestinal motility and reducing therefore the reuptake of fat and toxins (in few words good for elimination of food waste). One medium whole apple supplies 3 grams of fibres; eating about two apples a day will reduce the cholesterol up to 11 percent. Pectin is good not only to relieve constipation but also diarrhoea (Kaopectate is an over the counter medication for diarrhoea that contains pectin). Nutritionally raw apples contain vitamin C, pectin, fibres, potassium, phytochemicals such as ellagic acid (anti-oxidant) and quercetin. So really when they say that one apple a day keeps the doctor away is quite true but it is also true that many fruits also contain some sort of nutritional value, antioxidants, and fibres and therefore is worth to vary and combine our fruits to get the most of goodness from them. So hopefully the above has convinced you a bit to start eating keeping an apple or two in your lunch box or bag or any other fruits. Fruits salads are really good to have and enjoy!!!!

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Tiredness

2010-02-25T05:50:00.000-08:00

Many people are tired nowadays, either they run around too much or try to fit too much in a short period. Also many people wake up already tired. If you are one of the ones that wake up tired, it means that something is not quite right. There are various reasons for that. What I am concentrating on is food that we eat and water that we drink, as well as a possible cause is the liver being sluggish to detoxifying. What I have found that certain foods, and especially sugary foods, wheat, cheese and dairy products can cause water retentions, and also the body to work at a slower rate. Quite often eliminating wheat or reducing it, makes people have more energy during the day and in the morning when they wake. Drinking enough water, which can be between a litre and half to two litres or more, depends if you are working somewhere with air conditioning or heating system, or if you exercise or cycle to work. Dairy and especially cheese, is another food that makes the body sluggish. Try to eliminate some of the food above to see which one gives you more energy and either stay off it for a long time or reduce the amount that you have a day.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Hypoglycaemia

2010-02-17T06:41:00.002-08:00

Hypoglycaemia is a condition where the blood sugar level goes very low. The condition can cause dizziness, moodiness, irritation, tiredness, foggy heads and among others heart palpitation day and or night. I always knew that I could not go without eating for more than 3 hours, if by chance I do, or I have to wait for dinner, lunch or even breakfast, I become a hungry and angry lion!!. Travelling is the worse time when I am not prepared and the only things that you find is fast releasing sugary foods, which makes things better at first and than I get another dip in my sugar level and I start the lion behaviour again!! Now usually to avoid all that, during the day I keep that under control by eating snacks such as seeds and nuts, as well as apples and pears or mandarins. I had a blood test lately as I was having a raised heart beat at night and not sleeping well. I thought I was under stress and that was the cause of it, but to be in the safe side I thought to have it checked with my doctor anyway. Heart is good, which is a relief. The day I did my blood test, I had breakfast which is oat muesli, with nuts and fruits and yogurt, and two hours later I had my blood test. I had a call in the afternoon from the doctor asking if I was ok. I said yes, of course I was. The reason he called was that he was worried as the blood test showed that I was hypoglycaemic and he thought that I was walking around feeling faint or dizzy. I said I was quite well, as I kept my blood sugar level in control by eating my snacks etc. So I had to repeat the blood test, but as I wanted to think why would I be hypoglycaemic after having a slow releasing breakfast, I said to him that I would repeat the test the week after as I wanted to do something before hand. Well thinking of my habit of eating, during the day I was fine, but I eat quite early at 6pm with my son and than I do not eat anything till the next day at 8am. Now for me, but also for many people suffering from hypoglycaemia, that is a long gap. What I did to see if it worked, I ate nuts with yogurt or some slow sugar releasing fruits such as apple, pear and or mandarins around 9pm and see if that will make a change. As vitamin D in England is not made through the skin as the sun rays are not strong enough, from November till March, I decided to take extra dosage. Vitamin D as well as chromium has a very important role in the insulin metabolism. Well on Monday I repeated the blood test, without the breakfast in the morning as suggested and well, no hypoglycaemia, I was fine. This in a way warned me about the long gap without eating, even from the evening to the mornings. Now, my theory on this episode is that it takes two meals for the blood sugar level to stabilize and therefore is an interesting fact. For me and my colleagues at least is a very important point. Many people do not eat breakfast and sometimes skip even the lunch, which it means that the body stays in red alert for many hours after the first meal. This means that if somebody does not eat breakfast it takes two meals for the blood sugar level to stabilize, that might be a reason why many people feel much more energetic after their evening meals, while they feel tired after lunch. Obviously what you eat for breakfast and lunch is as important as skipping the meals to stabilize the blood sugar level. This is especially important in people with a family history of late diabetes (type II) or even type I diabetes. So having breakfast and not leaving a long gap between one meal and the other is as important as eating the right food!!!

www.nutritionhealh.net

How to improve your immune system to fight colds

2010-02-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

January till March most people get a cold for one reason or another. Food that can help the immune system include garlic, onions, leeks, pumpkins and any of the vegetables will gives help with fighting infections and get your immune system strong. Supplement wise, vitamin C (up to 2000 mg a day or bowel tolerance), zinc, echinecea if taking as soon as you get the cold, aconites same as echinecea, wild oregano is very good for fighting viruses, fungi and bacterial infections, colloidal silver, as well. One extra vitamin that is needed during the winter months, especially in England is vitamin D, as the ray from the sun are stron enought to promote the making of vitamin D through the skin. Vitamin D as well as being involved in the calcium and magensium uptake is also involved in the immune system. Have a good supply of the supplements, support your liver always and intestinal tract with probiotics to avoid getting any bug through the intestine and you should get either much healthier or fight the bugs quicker and faster.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Christmas indulgence and New Year Resolutions!!

2010-01-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Many people, including me, eat too much over Christmas and New Year, and many drink too much to celebrate the new Year. Once all the festivity are done, we realize that we need to go back to not eating drinking too much because we have put on some extra weight. I noticed that eating a lot more bread and wheat as Italian do, as well as plenty of extra salt, did not agree with me at all. Nothing to do with allergies, but pure retention from eating too much carbohydrates. I am also very greedy on chocolate, the darker the better and that for my poor liver and body did not go well either. Now back to my routine of eating food that does not contain wheat or salt seems quite boring. But I do feel much better in the morning, less tired and less water retention! Now I would love to change my entire family way of cooking, but it does taste good when you eat it. My family actually lower down on salt big time since I suggested that, even my father which things that a salad with no salt is like being a rabbit and eating it from the soil directly might have more taste!! Anyway for people that needs to detox after the holidays, eat plenty of fresh fruits (I know is cold but worth it), plenty of freshly cooked vegetables stews, soups and green vegetables. For the once that do not like beans and lentils much, try the chicken or low fat meats or if you like the fish, eat the fish with vegetables, sweet potatoes or rice and after two weeks you will have lost the weight as well as feeling great, obviously no alcohol too for a month to give your liver a rest!!
Buon appetito to all!!

www.nutritionhealth.net

Christmas party!!!

2009-12-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

It is soon Christmas and many people have started Christmas parties with work and friends. I have have done mine with very good friends last Saturday. We went to a Chinese restuarant, we usually go to a Vietnamese restuarant, where the food is superb but still I am sure with lots of additives, spices and fat that do that body does not agree with. But this year the Vietnamese restuarant was closed, so a friend organized in a Chinese restuarant. Well I have the tendency to eat more than I should at this occasions because of the taste of the food and because I rarely go out to a Chinese meal. By the end of the meal, I felt I had drunk a bottle of wine by selself (I do not drink, so I did drink a bottle of water and half by myself though, as I was very thirsty). The meal was quite salty, which I do not usually eat. But it is not until the end that we stopped the salt, as we were chatting away and eating without complaining much. I left the restuarant with a huge headaches and very very tired. In order to get rid of my headache and consequences of whatever was in that meal, I took milk thistle, probiotics and vitamin C. I am not usually allergic to anything that I know of, but my thought was that because of Christmas, they might have added some more MSG (monosodium glutamate) in their food, a lot of salt and who knows what ever they put in the food to make it more tastier. In short, especially over Christmas, be aware of food that you eat as well as the alcohol that you drink, which can de-hydrate you or cause a major physiological problem which can last up to two days after the meal. In alllergic people this can also cause an allergic reaction or an asthma attack. Otherwise enjoy your Christmas and the have a HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

vitamin c

2009-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

I have been busy with a project and not paid much attention to my blog. But today while working on my project I read something about vitamin C. This is for people that wants to get everything from their food mainly but also for anyone that wants to improve their health. Vitamin C from food, as ascorbic acid, is mostly found in acerola foods, guavas, peppers, especially red chilli and red peppers, kale. Oranges have less vitamin C than the above foods but as usually is peeled and eaten straight away such as the other fruits, it is less destroyed before you eat it or juice it directly. But what mainly destroys vitamin C from the other foods, is heat, air, light. So to reduce the loss of the vitamin C what it can be done is the following: Try not to bruise the fruits when cutting them as that will release the oxidizing enzymes (the fruit start to get dark and lose its vitamin C). Put vegetables in boiling water, which will again destroy the oxidizing enzyme and preserve more vitamin C. Put a lid on the pan so that less air enters the cooking food. Steam the vegetables or boil them in a little amount of water. Avoid food at the supermarket that looks too green, as sodium bicarbonate might have been added to preserve the color and therefore destroy all the vitamin C. Avoid keeping the vegetables hotfor too many hours once they are cooked, such as the ones that are kept in restuarants. Fruit juices even the fresher ones will lose their vitamin C once the bottle or carton is open. The best way to get the most vitamin C, is to eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables and a variaty of them as well.

www.nutritionhealth.net

Sunshine

2009-09-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am lucky that I have my parents living in Italy, when I go there during the summer, I can also go to the beach and get some sunshine. Naturally you need to be carefull nowdays when you go to the beach as unless you go early you will get burned even with a 50 protective sun cream. Especially if your skin is pale white. I usually go early in the morning and by 10.30am I want to go out of the sun and get into the shade. Especially if you have children that is the ideal time. But unfortunately I saw plenty of children coming with their parents or grandparents at that time of the day and staying the hottest hours till 4 o'clock. There are many people concern about not getting tunned enough. I put a suncream of 50 to my child and he still got brown, but luckly not burned.
I think if you live in England you do need to get some strong sunshine sometimes, if you like the sun. For healthy reason, during the summer you should be out and about in the sun for about 10 minutes a day and 20 in a cloudy day. During the winter at least 20 minutes to 30 minutes. I know of many elderly people that do not get even one minute in the sun, as they do not go out much during the summer and winter, which it means their chance of worsening their osteoporosis is greater, as they do not get much of vitamin D. Especially the vegans or the elderly that do not eat any vitamin D containing food.
Anyway the best way of getting vitamin D is with the sun (unless your kidney or liver does not work well, than you do need to get it from either the diet or supplements).

www.nutritionhealth.net

Chewing. How many times is enough?

2009-08-10T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was reading Dr John Briffa blog, as I like his point of view on things, and I respect him a lot. It is good to have doctors that are not narrow minded and understand how the body really works. In his latest blog wrote about something about chewing. I recommend to most of my clients if not all to chew their food well.But how much is chewing well. Usually I say until the food is almost melted in your mouth. Some suggests that you need to chew at least 20 times before ingesting, others 40, and others even more. So I decided to see how long it would take me to melt my food last week-end. Well, for salads, it can take between 20 to 30 chews, and if there are carrots in the salads than might be more. For cooked green soft vegetables, it would take about 15 chews. For fish it would take about 10 chews. For breads, it takes 30 to 40 chews (as it is very gummy). For meat it would take 30 to 40 chews, and it does depend on the meat. For chicken it takes 20 to 30, but I suppose for lamb and beef it would take much longer. I do not eat beef steaks or beef in general so somebody else needs to try that. With fruits it takes 10 chews for the softer ones, but even with apples and pears it takes max of 15 chews. If you have nuts and seeds in your breakfast than it will take about 20 to 30 chews, and this is for almonds and hazelnuts, for other nuts it might take less or more, depends how big they are.So chewing it cannot just be once count for all foods, but instead of counting the chews, I think just chew until what ever you are eating is melted in your mouth, and that would be the best thing. One because is easier on your intestine especially if you have conditions such IBS. Two you enjoy and savor your food much more, and the third reason, you do not eat as much because you feel full at the right time.

www.nutritionhealth.net

Folic acid (folate)

2009-08-07T07:32:00.001-07:00

Folic acid is found in mushrooms, green vegetables, such as spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, turnip greens, legumes (especially lima beans) and liver. Raw foods are very high in folate (green lettuce and greens are very good sources), cooked foods and meats as well as fruits are poor sources of folate. Apparently synthetic food fortified with folate and eaten with an empty stomach is more easily absorbed and used by the body than the normal folate that you found on the above foods!! But I would still eat the greens anyway!! Folate plays a role in the function of various amino acid metabolism and reduces homocysteine level which in turns reduces the risk of coronary disease. Deficiency causes megaloplastyc anaemia (the cell erythrocytes that carry the iron around your body are too big and therefore the iron cannot attach to them), this usually leads to feeling tired and depressed, as well as one of the causes of dementia. Also low or a deficiency in folate is connected to an increase in heart diseases. Excessive alcohol ingestion, low stomach acid, inflammatory bowel disease, malignancies and oral contraceptive reduces the body folate. Pregnancy and lactation increases the need of folate.

www.nutritionhealth.net

Biotin

2009-08-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

Biotin – This vitamin is found again in quite a lot of foods, such as liver, soybeans, and egg yolk, cereal, legumes, nuts as well. Biotin needs magnesium in order to enter the cell and function, (there are enzymes that are depended on biotin to function and therefore work in making energy. Biotin is used in the Krebs cycle (energy production), synthesis of fatty acid and the functions of other amino acids and protein in the body. Deficiency – causes depression, hallucinations, muscle pain, anorexia, nausea, alopecia, hair loss, and scaly dermatitis. For sports people who ingest raw eggs in a great amount for their protein can develop biotin deficiency due to impaired biotin absorption. Also people who have gastrointestinal disorder and low stomach acid and people taking anti-convulsant drugs can be in danger of low biotin, as well as with people that drink too much alcohol and are on sulphonamide therapy.

www.nutritionhealth.net

B5 and Panthothenic acid (helps burning feet syndrome)

2009-08-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

B5 – pantothenic acid –
Panthos means everywhere in Greek, which means that this vitamin is found everywhere in food. It is found in most plant and animals and a deficiency is very rare, unless you do not eat at all, that would be a problem with everything anyway. This vitamin is found in meats, egg yolk, legumes, whole-rain cereals, mushrooms, broccoli, avocados, royal jelly from bees and many others. The main role of panthotenic acid is with the coQA which is essential for the production of energy from fat, carbohydrate and protein. Deficiency causes the ‘burning feet syndrome’ (an abnormal skin sensations, exacerbated by warmth and diminished with cold of the feet and lower legs, this syndrome can be helped with calcium pathothenate administration). Vomiting, fatigue and weakness are other symtpoms of deficiency. Again like with the others B vitamins people with alcoholism need more of this vitamin, as well as people with diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel disease.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

organic food or not organic food - that is the question

2009-07-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

I read this morning about the article on the daily telegraph, that according to a research organic food is not as healthy as they thought before. Well, I am not sure what the author or researcher think that their vitamins and minerals come from. And I am getting confused myself reading all the studies. One study says that you have everything that you need from your diet, the other says well there is not enough vitamins and minerals in food anyway and now this one says that organic food is not better that the non organic one. Even though some food might be the same, I think when you compare the content of the nutrients of organic food and non organic food, or even the taste of organic food with non organic food, the difference is enormous. First of all if you do not put so many pesticides and preservatives in food, you obviously do not eat them in your food. The second point is that organic foods do have more vitamins and minerals, so you get more, which it might be not much more but it is more, and third of all, the people that do eat organic, know the difference, no matter what the studies says or try to prove. Just to remind the public that many studies will make sure that what ever point they want to make they will make it at their conclusion. And hey there was a study that said that Guinness is very healthy for you!! it has got anti-oxidants, iron and all the good healthy nutrients that you can have, as well as alcohol!!!! I am sure if someone decides to make the point, there will be a study soon that makes cigarettes smoking healthy!!!

Just another reminder that again referring to my other blog about food grown by yourself with no pesticides or a minimum pesticides, will definitely have more nutrient and taste than the ones that are full of chemicals.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Vitamin B3 (niacin)

2009-07-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

B3 (niacin) is found in tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork and others meats, cereal grains (whole), seeds, and legumes. As well as being a co-factor for the energy production, niacin is needed for up to 200 other enzymes activities in the body. Like B1 and B2, niacin is part of the Kreb Cycle (it is the cycle that makes the energy in the cell and therefore makes most of the cell work efficiently). Also niacin is part of the fatty acid synthesis, in the cholesterol and steroid hormone synthesis and the many others important function of the body. Deficiency causes pellagra which causes dermatitis, dementia, diarrhoea, and death. Again people drinking alcohol needs more of this vitamin.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

2009-07-28T02:00:00.000-07:00

B2 is found in milk eggs, meat, and legumes. This vitamin is a co-factor (it means that without it there is no action from certain enzymes), for a wide variety of oxidative enzymes systems (this is part of the energy production again). Deficiency causes lips cheilosis and corners of the mouth angular stomatitis, inflammation of the tongue glossitis, redness or bloody and swollen mouth cavity, dermatitis, and neuropathy (peripheral nerve dysfunction). Again excessive alcohol intake will deplete this vitamin, so if you know that you drink more than 1 pint a day or over the week-end, take some extra B vitamins. Also if you have diabetes, you are under a lot of stress, or you had a trauma, the vitamin will be used more and therefore you need to take extra and cannot rely on your diet alone.

what do vitamins and minerals do?

2009-07-27T01:47:00.000-07:00

Not many people know what various vitamins and minerals do, so this will be an explanation of what the main vitamins and minerals will do and we will start with the one of the B vitamins. All the B vitamins are water soluble, which it means that they are absorbed easily and eliminated easily with water.
B1 (Thiamine), is found in legumes, meat, yeast and grains. B1 play a part in energy transformation (like most of the B vitamins), it also plays a role in the membrane and nerve conduction and has got a major role in the synthesis of the various sugars and fatty acids synthesis. Its deficiency causes the beriberi disease (thiamine) that causes loss of appetite, cardiovascular problems and neurological problems. Alcohol depletes vitamin B1, so if you are a heavy drinker make sure that you replace the B1 or other B vitamins too.

www.nutritionhealth.net

healthy food and vitamins

2009-07-23T03:18:00.000-07:00

Hi there, just wandering about what we get from our foods from the supermarket. I grew up in a country side in Italy, and my parents, plantend more or less everything that can grow and in season. So all my vegetables and some fruits where directly from the soil to the plate. I just came back now from my parents and left my son there to spend the summer. Often my clients asks if they need supplements. My answer is usually yes. The reason for that is because unless you have your own allotment and you buy food a the market that has been picked that morning, the vegetables and fruits that we eat are probably with less than half of what they should have. So yes I think living in London, being stressed out and for the majority of us that have not the fortune of having our own little vegetables spot, I think we do need some extra vitamin and minerals. Also if you do have problems even minor, might help the body to fight that particular problem. The problem with taking vitamins or minerals arises when you start taking many without knowing what is the problem and at high dosage, for no reason. It is always advisible if you do have a specific problem to ask or see a nutritionist as she/he will have a thorough consultation and have the knowledge to suggest specific supplements for specific problem.

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

2009-07-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

IBS is one of the most common condition nowdays around. Quite often is ignored by the doctors or the person is adviced to just live with it. Most of the IBS conditions are related or triggered by something, and for most of them you can do something to help relieve it or eliminate it completly. The following are a brief explanation of what it is and what you can do for it.
IBS what is it?

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a gastro-intestinal disorder suffered by an increasing number of people. However, due to its multifactorial aetiology, IBS doesn’t have a single cause or treatment. (3,7). Many people diagnosed with IBS by their GPs are prescribed drugs that treat the symptoms, but unfortunately not the causes. There is, however, a range of non-pharmaceutical solutions that can successfully treat the disorder itself.

The following are typical, defining symptoms of IBS (3):

Abdominal pain or rumbling
Meteorism (a bloating sensation often combined with visible distension of the abdomen)
Nausea, indigestion and loss of appetite (4)
Flatulence, constipation and diarrhoea
Abnormal stool characteristics (6)
Mucus or slime in the stool (4)
The sensation of not empting the bowel properly (4)

Often, the intensity of the symptoms is most pronounced in the afternoon or evening. Incomplete or faulty digestion may aggravate the symptoms while defecation or passing flatus may provide some relief. The symptoms may come and go over a period of months (3)

Possible triggers of IBS
The following are some of the possible triggers that have been connected with the symptoms of IBS.
Food hypersensitivity or intolerances (1,7)
Emotional problems or stress (2,3 & 7)
Intestinal infections and inflammation caused by parasites or unfriendly bacteria. These can cause an increase in intestinal mucosal permeability (Leaky Gut Syndrome), which allows food and chemicals to enter the blood stream before they are properly digested. This can overload the immune system and cause an increase in the body’s inflammatory response, triggering mucosal sensitivity, abnormal motility and secretory response (8).
Dysbiosis (the imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract).
Altered bowel flora. This can be the result of antibiotics, laxatives, diarrhoea or low dietary fibre.

Diet and Lifestyle.

Diet can have a strong modifying influence on the symptoms of IBS.

An increase in the intake of water and dietary fibre, mainly from fruit and vegetables, can be quite beneficial, as can a reduction in the consumption of diuretic beverages – tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks (3).

Constipation, diarrhoea and dysbiosis (toxic bacteria) may be directly attributed to food sensitivities and intolerances (3).

Meteorism is caused by trapped intestinal gas, though the mechanism of this painful condition is not yet fully understood (3). Bacterial decomposition of lactose can increase the amounts of gas, leading to meteorism, intestinal rumbling, flatulence, bloating, diarrhoea or bowel movement immediately after consuming dairy products.

Psychologically, patients with IBS seem to experience more emotional disorders than non IBS sufferers (2,3). Anxiety neurosis, depression and other psychiatric disorders are most common, although it has yet to be indisputably established whether IBS leads to these disorders, or vice-versa. (3).

Food intolerances are thought to play a major role in the pathology of IBS. For example, people who are intolerant to lactose have been found to lack the enzyme needed to digest the sugar in dairy products. This can result in a bacterial fermentation of the sugar, creating an increase in hydrogen gas that may trigger certain IBS symptoms (1,3,5).

NB: IBS should be clinically diagnosed by your GP after he or she has conducted a series of tests to eliminate other possible causes of the symptoms. These may include taking a medical history, a physical examination, proctoscopy, routine blood tests (hemoglobin, sedimentation rate, white cell count, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase) and urinary tests (glucose and protein). A barium enema is obligatory, except in young patients. A gynaecological examination and a lactose tolerance test should also be considered (3).

Possible natural treatments for IBS:

The symptoms of IBS can often be reduced by these modifications to the patient’s lifestyle (3):

Drinking 1-1/2 litres of pure water daily, in addition to usual beverage intake.
Reducing or eliminating tea, cocoa, chocolate, cola and alcohol.
Identifying and eliminating possible food sensitivities/allergies.
Increasing fibre intake by eating more fruit and vegetables (NB: eating raw foods can be a problem for some people).
Allowing time and privacy for bowel movements.
Reducing stress levels by finding ways to relax and cope with stressful situation.
Eliminate food that you react too (see NAET treatments)

When consulting patients who have been diagnosed with IBS, I begin by compiling a detailed account of the patient’s health and a family medical history and by requiring the patient to keep a food diary, recording daily food and drink intake and noting any symptoms that may have developed during the day. An assessment is then made as to whether food allergies or intolerances are aggravating the symptoms. I often recommend parasite and bacterial overgrowth testing to rule out any gastro-intestinal infections.

If it is agreed that emotional problems may be part of the cause, counseling by a qualified therapist or psychologist will be suggested

The treatment is collaboration between the client and the therapist. It is, therefore, vital that the client be committed to taking an active role in dealing with the disorder. In the case of food allergies or intolerances, the client should be aware that the elimination diet requires forgoing certain common foods and entails some sacrifices in normal eating habits. The client should also be prepared to introduce new foods to his or her diet.

If deemed necessary, I use a non-invasive muscle-energy allergy test to assess food allergies or intolerances. I also suggest private laboratory blood tests for food sensitivities/allergies, leaky gut, Candida overgrowth and other appropriate tests.

www.nutritionhealth.net

Reference:
1 Bohmer C. J. M. 7 Tuynman H. A. R. E. (2001). The effect of a lactose-restricted diet in patients with a positive lactose tolerance test, earlier diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome: a 5-year follow-up study. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology; 13: 941-944.
2 Douglas A. et al. (1988). Psychosocial factors in the irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology; 95:701-8.
3 Krag E. (1985) Irritable bowel syndrome: current concepts and future trends. Scandinavic Journal of Gastroenterology; Suppl. 109: 107-15.
4 Stewart M. & Stewart A. (1994). No more IBS. London : Vermilion.
5 Vernia P., Di Camillo M. & Marinaro V. (2001). Digestive & Liver Disease; 33 (3): 234-9.
6 Yamada T., Alpers D. H. Laine L., Owyang C. and Powell D. W. (1999) (3rd ed). Gastroenterology (volume II). Phyladelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers.
7 Zar S., Kumar D. and Benson M. J. (2001). Review article: food hypersensitivity and irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther; 15: 149-449.

Bibliography:

Alun Jones V., Shorthouse M., McLaughlan P., Workman E. & Hunter J.O. (1982). Lancet; 1115-1117.
Chey W. Y et al. (2001). Colonic motility abnormality in patients with irritable bowel syndrome exhibiting abdominal pain and diarrhea. American College of Gastroenterology; 96 (5) 1499-1506.
Villanueva A., Dominguez-Munoz E. and Mearin F. (2001). Update in the therapeutic management of irritable bowel syndrome. Dig. Dis.; 19:244-250.

Recipes for constipation

2009-07-14T02:44:00.000-07:00

Well if anyone has got problem with constipation child or adults here are some recipes to increase your intake of fibres. Enjoy them!!

Berries porridge with oat, sunflower seeds and pumpkins seeds (Antony Worrall thompson’s modified)

50g of rolled porridge oats (Scottish oat porridge will do)
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
75 g of blueberries or strawberries or any other berries (chopped)
250 ml of water

Put the oats in a small saucepan with cold the water. Bring to a simmer and than simmer for 5 minutes, until is thickened. Stir occasionally. If it is needed add some more water.
Put the cooked porridge in a bowl and add the seeds and the berries.

Fruit salad with soy yogurt seeds and nuts
Ingredients:
1 apple
3 prunes
2 dry figs
Half cup of berries (mixed or one of the berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc)
2 dry or fresh prunes
½ cup of plain soy yogurt
2 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
2 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds

Cut the fruits and put them in a bowl, add the seeds and top it with yogurt and enjoy it.

Tuscan beans stew (good housekeeping, ‘eat well, stay well’ pg 223) This is a very simple and easy stew to make -
Serves 4 – preparation: 30 minutes – cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
175 g red onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
125 g carrots, peeled and sliced
75 g celery, trimmed and sliced
4 red tomatoes, preferably plum, skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 sprigs thyme or a large pinch dried
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground pepper
450 ml vegetable stock (or use the water from cooked beans if you cook the beans yourself, if you use tinned beans (no salt, or sugar added, use the Kallo organic vegetable stock no yeast)
2 x 400 g cans of beans (butter flageolet, kidney or pinto beans, use two types of beans) or 500 g dried beans soaked overnight and cooked until tender)
50 g French beans, trimmed and cut into short lengths
Thyme sprigs to garnish

In a non-stick pan, heat the oil, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, tomato paste and chilli powder (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the next 5 ingredients and season with pepper. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes or until soft.
Add the canned beans or the freshly cooked beans, and French beans, then simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the beans have heated through and the French Beans are just tender. Serve hot, garnished with thyme

If cooking the dried beans follow the instruction below:
Soak the kidney beans and flageolet beans or pinto beans overnight. Through the water away in the morning and pour fresh water, bring the water and the beans to boil and boil them at high gas mark 10 minutes, then lower the gas mark at medium heat and cook the beans until they are tender. Add the vegetable stock to the bean water so that you can use the water for you stew. You can add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda which makes the beans get very soft and they cook faster.

Vegetarian stir fry

Bubble and Squeak bean cakes (from Antony Worral Thompson’s GL diet made simple pg 85) served with salad.

200 g large new potatoes, roughly chopped
250g Savoy cabbage or curly kale, shredded
1 small leek (about 100g) sheredded
410g organic tinned kidney beans in water, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons blac onion seeds (kalonji)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 teasppon olive oil

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender (if will take about 15 minutes). Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Reserve the cooking water and use to cook the cabbage and leeks for 5 minutes. Drain well.
Mash the potatoes and beans together then add the cabbage and leeks, onion seeds and plenty of pepper. Mix together and form into 4 large cakes
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the cakes over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, running once, until crisp and golden on both sides. Serve with salad.

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allergies and food intolerances part 1

2009-07-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Today, I would like to mention the difference between allergies, sensitivies and food intolerances. It will be part 1 of few bites.

Allergies/sensitivities and intolerances
What is the difference and what are the symptoms?

Allergy or hypersensitivity is used to describe an immune reaction to an allergen. An allergen can be a food, insect sting, chemical or other substance that enters the body or touches the skin. There are four types of hypersensitivity:
· Type I (IgE-mediated. This type of allergy is an immediate response to repeated exposure to specific allergens such as food, animal dander, pollen, dust mite and drugs. Once you become sensitised to the allergen, as soon as you are exposed to it again, your immune system will react within minutes and the severity can range from mild sneezing through to anaphylactic shock. This type of allergy occurs to less than 5% of the population and mostly in children.
· Type II allergy occurs when antigens lodge in the body’s cells, for example, antibiotics may be absorbed into the red blood cells. The antibodies then bind to the cells and destroy them (the antibodies and the cell).
· Type III allergy is when antibodies and antigens are too large to be destroyed by the leukocytes (part of the body’s immune system). In this case they end up in tissues such as lungs, arteries, skin and joint causing inflammation and therefore pain (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis). This type of allergy is more common than type I and the allergic symptoms are delayed in onset, appearing two hours to several days after consuming the allergic food (e.g. migraines or headaches appears 48 hours after allergic foods is consumed). Possible problems connected to this type of allergy are: allergic rhinitis, non seasonal, anxiety, panic attacks, asthma, bed-wetting, depression, eczema, fatigue, firbomyalgia, headaches, migraine, etc.
· Type IV (delayed hypersensitivity) The symptoms of type IV hypersensitivities occurs 24 to 72 hours after exposure to the allergen.

· Sensitivity is often used to describe either a reaction to certain food or drugs or chemical. This reaction can either be the same as the substance normal side-effect but exaggerated. For example someone who uses a high dose of a reliever inhaler for asthma and is sensitive to the prescribed medicine may start to shake

· Intolerance is usually referred to food only. For example lactose intolerance, is a lack of lactase enzymes. If you are intolerant to a particular food and eat it without realizing, your digestive system does not produce enough of the right enzyme or chemical to break the food down and this causes your body to react badly.

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nutrition

2009-07-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

This is to try this new blog. I am a nutritionist and I often wonder how people consider their health worth and what they think make their body work. I know plenty of people that love food, any food and they eat because they want to eat not because they have to in order for their body to function well. Some people treat their pets or cars much better than they treat their own body. Some genuinely do not have a clue of what they need to eat and how the body gets their nutrients from. Some have a very good knowledge of what they should eat and not eat. And some people eat healthy but still have ill symptoms or don't feal at an optimal health.

So here is to say that what makes the body work in general are minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, fat good and bad (if you want to define them in this way, but that is another discussion). We get all the above from quality food such as wholemeal grain, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, meat and fish products, seeds and nuts as well as any other vegan or vegetarian form of protein. From this the variety of the food is also important, as you get some vitamins and antioxidant from certain food and others from a different food. So in conclusion to this little taster is eat plenty of diffent type of fruits, vegetables, carbohydates and form of protein.

Enjoy your meal and remember why you eat.....

Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapist

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/