WHAT DOES A NUTRITIONIST DO EXACTLY?

Most people get – on a conceptual level at least – that they should probably eat a bit better than they do, they should probably move more and take the time for more ‘me time’ to live a long and happy life. 

‘Life’ seems to get in the way of achieving that. Many of us are juggling jobs and the complexities of modern relationships, leaving little time to dedicate to the business of ‘being healthy’. Convenience often wins. It’s not that that’s wrong per se, but here’s the thing: all the time we are not eating or moving or living as well as we know to do, we are silently getting sicker. That may actually be going-to-hospital sick or it may just mean having health niggles that bother us greatly but that we have learned to cope with. I’m talking here about things like IBS or other tummy troubles, PCOS, perimenopause, PMT, arthritis, stress or anxiety, haywire hormones, or possibly weight that has crept on over the years and you can’t seem to shift it, no matter what you try. 

What I want to share with you today is that the food you eat matters more than you can possibly imagine. And that, in many cases, simply by making changes to your diet, the symptoms of some of these conditions can be improved so markedly that there is a really profound shift in how you experience life.  

WHAT IS NUTRITIONAL THERAPY?

Nutritional therapy used to be referred to dismissively as ‘alternative medicine’. It’s only now that the science of what to eat is getting the recognition it deserves and is being actively promoted by a small number of well-known and recently enlightened medical doctors, like Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Dr Michael Mosely. 

Essentially, nutritional therapists apply the latest hypotheses and research in nutrition and health sciences to you and your symptoms and they come up with a diet, lifestyle and (sometimes) supplement plan to support those needs. They might bring in some coaching to help you put the ideas into practice in a meaningful way or break through whatever barriers have held you back in the past. 

PERSONAL SERVICE

It’s a very personal approach. You might hear practitioners talk about people being ‘biochemically unique’. That means that there isn’t a single way of eating that is right for everyone. Sandra might have PMS and you want to lose weight, for example. Sandra might have a history of antibiotic use, while you had your appendix out when you were 14. Sandra might have an intolerance to dairy, while you hate strawberries. I could go on, but you can imagine the thousands of different permutations here. And the fact is that your DNA, previous medical history, and any current symptoms as well as what you like and don’t like, not to mention your personal circumstances are all important when a nutritionist creates a plan for you. 

It is personalised just for you. That takes both time and skill. You could download something from the internet – if you knew what you were looking for – but it is not the same. A nutrition practitioner may also work with supplements targeted to a specific condition or your own health goal. This can be a minefield – potentially dangerous and inevitably costly – if you don’t know what you’re doing.  

WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE SEE A NUTRITIONIST IF THE RESULTS ARE SO GOOD?

It’s unfortunate that so many people don’t understand what a huge effect a personalised food and lifestyle programme can have on the symptoms they have or how they experience their life. 

Newspapers are full of soundbites about the latest foods, but they don’t really join the dots, and it’s difficult to see what might be possible for you. The vast majority of doctors – even those being trained today – have next to no current knowledge or practical experience of what their patients should be eating or how they might integrate the theory into their lives. They live in a world, by and large, where the solution presented during your 10-minute session lies in a prescription. 

Some – like Chatterjee – are taking on training in something much bigger called Functional Medicine. This is a framework for considering that the symptoms you are experiencing are a result of imbalances in your body and, rather than treat the specific symptoms themselves, nutrition professionals try to understand the root cause of the problem and base their programme around that. If you think about it: nearly all medications merely suppress symptoms. Only very few are an actual cure – antibiotics come to mind here. The exclusively pharmacological approach conventional medicine so often employs does nothing to uncover the root causes. Metformin lowers blood glucose – but why is it high in the first place? Statins lower cholesterol – but why is it elevated? Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) numb pain – but why are you in pain? These are the questions nutrition professionals will ask before embarking on a quest to find out to then be able to address the root cause.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A NUTRITION CONSULTATION?

Your first consultation will last up to 90 minutes. You will have been asked to complete and send back a nutritional therapy questionnaire before you visit. During the session, we’ll go into your medical history, your health goals and any other challenges you’re facing, what you generally eat, what you like to eat, what you hate to eat and how you have to eat (on the bus, in a rush at your desk, and so on). There’s no judgement and anything you share with me is kept in confidence. 

Nutritional therapy sessions are usually sold in programmes that run over 12 weeks. This is because it is rarely helpful for anyone to leave without the knowledge that they have several more sessions in place to help them implement the programme, make changes at a pace that suits them, and to deal with any challenges or questions that come up along the way.  

WHAT IF I ALREADY KNOW WHAT TO DO?

Knowing what you should be doing is only part of the problem if you are unhappy with an aspect of your health. Staying motivated is the hardest part of any plan. The single best way to stay in the zone is to have a buddy or coach who can give you a nudge or call you out if you start to go off piste. I’d say this is the single biggest thing that makes the difference between reaching your goal and actually staying there. That’s where health coaching comes in. It keeps you accountable will ensure all that good work doesn’t go to waste. 

If you'd like to find out more, why don't you book in a free 30 minute health review. We can talk about what's going on for you, what you've tried before and I can give you some simple tips to get you feeling better right away. Click here to book.

 

How often do you reach your own goals? If the answer is ‘not very often’, you may need to revisit your goal-setting strategy.

This is something I work on regularly with my clients, as it’s *essential* to them really understanding what they want and working out how best to get there.

Whether you want to see improvements in your health and fitness, or better relationships, the change you want is unlikely to happen without a clear idea of exactly what it is that you want. Knowing what you want is just the first step – knowing how to get there is as, if not MORE, important. 

So how do you set goals that lead to success? You might already have heard about SMART goals but making them SMARTER is even better (and a lot more fun). This means setting goals that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound
• Exciting 
• Rewarded

Specific

The goal must be clear and concise. Vague goals, such as “I want to get healthy” don’t tell you, or anyone else, what you are aiming for. This makes it difficult to know when you’ve reached the goal. It might be worth looking at things like being able to fit into a specific pair of trousers or being able to get to the end of that 5k run without stopping – or other specific activities like getting out on a walk or doing some guided meditation. 

Measurable

The goal must contain measurable criteria for tracking progress. If your goal isn’t specific, you can’t measure it. Ensure your goal has a clear measurable component that you can track to see how close you are to the desired end point. If you are thinking about weight loss, the scale and the tape measure will be needed. You might well want to use both – sometimes the number on the scale doesn’t give the full picture. Or you might be measuring how far you can run, how many fresh meals you cook, how many Zumba classes you attend, how many times you listen to a sleep story. 

Achievable

The goal must be possible, yet still challenging. While it is important to make sure that you can actually achieve the goal, the goal must also challenge you sufficiently, to motivate you to spend time and energy pursuing it. For example, if you find it relatively easy to get outdoors to run, the goal is definitely achievable. Now consider, is it challenging enough? Reaching your goals are even more satisfying if they feel that they are a bit of a stretch - a target that is slightly further out of your comfort zone than you are used to.  

Realistic

The goal must be realistic in the long term. It is important to ask yourself, “can I actually do this?” and “is it realistic given my current circumstances?”. Not in a self-doubting kind of way, but in a rational, carefully thought-through sort of way. Thinking about goals that might relate to losing weight or exercise, there is a sweet spot between setting goals that feel a bit of a stretch and setting those that are over-optimistic or that require time that you just don’t have.

Time-bound

The goal should be grounded within a specific timeframe. When will you do this by? Having a scheduled completion date greatly increases your odds of reaching your goals. When you know your cut-off date, you know how to pace yourself and prioritise your time, energy, and resources. It can really help focus your energies and keep you motivated as you check in with yourself towards the end of the timeframe. A bit like that extra burst athletes get at the end of the race as they sprint towards the finish.

And now come the BEST bits…

Exciting

The goal must be enticing and inspiring. Does the thought of the goal excite you? Many people pursue goals because they feel they ‘must’, ‘should’, or because others want them to, rather than because they truly want to achieve the goal. Make sure your goal energises you and is motivating to you! Not what someone else thinks you should achieve. Focus on what will be possible for you when you reach your goal. How will it really feel when you achieve what you set out to do? I want you to get really fired up by your goal!

Rewarded

The goal must offer a clear reward. This can be an extrinsic reward (something tangible such as money, awards, savings, or prizes), or intrinsic (joy, happiness, mastering a skill, or satisfaction of a job well done). If you aren’t getting some benefit or reward for reaching your goal, your motivation is likely to dip. How will you reward yourself? What will feel like a real win? Remember, since we’re in the world of wellness, I’m not talking about having a big blow-out at the end of a diet but something more nourishing of the soul…

You can complete the following statements to help you set your goals:

• My goal is...
• It is clear and specific in the following way...
• How will I know if I’ve achieved it? I can measure success in the following way...
• My goal is realistic because...
• What are my time frames? By when will I have achieved this goal?
• What is exciting about this goal? What inspires me?
• What are the rewards? How will this benefit me and my life when I have achieved it?

Give these a go today and see how you get on! And if you'd like some support in forming your goals, why not call me today?

Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

I am a huge fan of asparagus – particularly British asparagus, you really can’t beat it! So, I am super excited that it’s currently in season! 

But did you know that as well as being completely delicious, asparagus is a real powerhouse of a veggie. Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals especially folate and vitamins A, C & K. Plus, it is a great source of both insoluble and soluble fibre making it the perfect partner for a healthy gut and good digestion.

Ingredients

4 fillets cod

1 large bunch asparagus, cut into 3-4cm pieces, tough ends removed

1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

½ white onion, very thinly sliced

1 lemon, very thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Seasoning to taste

Serves 4

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• On a flat oven tray, lay out a large piece of foil (larger than the tray) and line with grease-proof paper (also larger than the tray.
• Arrange the asparagus, sliced fennel, onion, lemon and garlic along the bottom of the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste.
• Nestle the fish fillets into the veg evenly and season.
• Drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
• Wrap up the paper and foil so that the veg and fish are encased. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Fish should be cooked through and asparagus tender.
• Serve with new potatoes and steamed greens.

THE MICROBIOME – HOW IT KEEPS US HAPPY AND HEALTHY

An adult human has around 2kg worth of microbes in our large intestine comprised of bacteria, viruses, archaea, fungi… and sometimes parasites.  In fact, our guts are so well populated that we actually have more bacterial cells in our bodies than our own cells. And as odd as this may sound, this tiny ecosystem in our gut plays an essential role in our health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

When the bacteria in our gut are living in balance, with the right combination of good variety of types of bacteria, we have a wonderful symbiotic relationship with them, where we feed them fibre and, in return, they fulfil a number of roles for us:

• They help us digest and draw nutrients from different foodstuffs, even allowing us to draw extra energy. 
• They provide special chemicals called Short Chain Fatty Acids, which act as food for the cells of our gut lining. 
• They produce vitamin K and help us create vitamin B12 in our guts by providing the necessary enzyme.
• Research shows that having a balanced microbiome may be protective of certain chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions and even certain types of cancer.
• Immune tolerance as about 80% of our immune system is in our gut, and our bacteria work alongside our immune system to help recognise what is friend and what is foe.

Finally, our microbiome plays a key role in our mental health. This may be no surprise when you think about getting butterflies when you’re nervous or needing the loo when you’re frightened – the connection between our gut and our brain is very real indeed. Research shows that a happy gut is a happy brain and vice versa. 

Sometimes called the Microbiome-Gut-Brain axis, the connection via the Vagus Nerve allows two-way communication between our brains and our guts, and scientists believe that this is to allow and monitor integration of gut signals into the emotional and cognitive centres of the brain. This allows our brains to have up-to-the-second information on our immune system, our gut function, plus production of certain gut-derived neurotransmitters, such as the feel-good serotonin. In turn, the brain supplies the gut with information to control immune function, motility and the permeability of the barriers.

Working alongside the central nervous system in such a way means that the microbiome and gut may have real influence over our emotional states, particularly when it comes to stress responses, anxiety and memory function. And this can often be seen in action with people with altered gut function, such as IBS, where other symptoms may include anxiety and low mood.

Looking after our microbiomes is therefore key to our overall health and mental wellbeing.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 fillets cod or other white fish

• 2 packets Merchant Gourmet pre-prepared Puy lentils

• 1 large bulb fennel

• 2 red peppers

• 3 small leeks

• 2 tbsp Rose Harissa paste

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bag baby leaf spinach

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Chop the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and scatter in an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until starting to caramelise.

3. Remove veg from oven, stir through the Puy lentils and the Harissa paste. Return to the oven.

4. Now, pan fry the cod in olive oil for a couple of minutes each side until the fish is fully cooked through. The lentils and veg will now be ready too.

5. Serve with the baby spinach at the bottom of the bowl, topped with the spicy lentils and veg, and top with the pan-fried cod. Dinner in less than 30 minutes!

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a problem I often see in clinic and it can be problematic on many different levels. If you've been diagnosed with this condition, you may well have been suffering with it for years and, while a diagnosis can – at first – offer comfort in finally having a recognised problem,that may be short lived because often that’s where all support ends, and you’re left no further forward in actually fixing what the problem is. Or you may have self-diagnosed through searching the internet by using a process of elimination.

The difficulty begins because IBS is essentially a catch-all term, which is used to encompass a huge variety of digestive issues. In my experience, it’s likely to be one of the following five conditions:

1 SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth)
Around 60% of people with IBS will have SIBO. Though you might have heard about good (and bad) bacteria in the gut, really what experts are talking about is the balance of bacteria in the large intestine: the colon.
The small intestine shouldn’t have hardly any bacteria, and each day the body should perform a flush to sweep bacteria from the small intestine and into the large intestine. This flush is called the ‘migrating motor complex’. For a huge variety of reasons (historic food poisoning being the most common, but also low levels of stomach acid or adhesions play a role, among others) the bacteria are not swept away.
The trouble is that these bacteria can ferment the food in your small intestine, causing gas, belching, bloating, pain and a variety of other symptoms, including constipation and/or loose stools, and even anxiety. A breath test can establish which gases are present, and we can devise an action plan based on your results. 

2 Lactose intolerance
This is when your body is not able to tolerate lactose, a type of sugar found naturally in milk and other dairy products. Essentially, bacteria in your intestine feed on these milk sugars, leading to a host of IBS symptoms, like bloating and gas, nausea, constipation or diarrhoea.
It can go hand in hand with other digestive complaints, such as coeliac disease or increased intestinal permeability (‘leaky gut’). Lactose intolerance can be diagnosed via a simple at-home breath test. 

3 Fructose malabsorption
The symptoms are very similar to lactose intolerance. Fructose (which is found in fruit, honey and many processed foods) is a sugar, which, like lactose, is digested in the small intestine.
Some people cannot absorb fructose, and what is not absorbed is fermented by intestinal bacteria, causing bloating, cramping, gas and distension of the stomach. You might also experience brain fog and headaches.
A breath test will confirm the condition. 

4 Dysbiosis
This is an imbalance in the levels of beneficial (good) and pathogenic (bad) bacteria in the large intestine or colon. This is now common due to overuse of antibiotics and alcohol, an increase in high sugar diets, and stress.
Symptoms can vary from a sluggish bowel, constipation or diarrhoea or both, pain, bloating and flatulence, to chronic bad breath, joint pain, fatigue and food sensitivities.
Dysbiosis is also implicated in a variety of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. A stool test can help establish whether your gut bacteria are out of balance, along with a host of other markers that might be useful in getting to the root of your digestive problems.
 
5 Yeast overgrowth
Where the gut environment becomes out of balance (due to dysbiosis), yeast can thrive. Diets high in sugar feed the yeast – although if you think you might have a yeast overgrowth, it’s worth noting that long-term yeast problems can mean that the yeast cells are pathogenic or disease causing, and that the yeast has switched its metabolism to also be able to digest protein and fat.
Symptoms of yeast overgrowth include recurring thrush, gas or bloating, fatigue, bad breath, cravings for sweet foods, joint pain and brain fog. 
A stool test can establish the presence of candida or other yeast overgrowth. 
 
Some people struggle with digestive problems for years, but you can often get to the root cause of the issue and make changes to help you feel like yourself again. Do get in touch if you'd like to find out more about how I can help you find your root cause. I offer free 30 minute health assessments - click the link to book.