More positive research on the effects of fish oils on mental health – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8490937.stm

I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears today when I saw an advert for a new probiotic drink:
GALAXY PROBIOTIC MILK CHOCOLATE DRINK.

I am dumbfounded at the absurdity of this product and can’t bring myself to say another word, except take a look at the ingredients of this, which is being marketed as a product to enhance your health, and see if you want to drink it:

Skimmed milk (65%), water, sugar, chocolate (3%)(sugar, cocoa butter, skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, lactose, vegetable fat, whey powder, milk fat, Emulsifiers: Soya lecithin, E476, water, flavouring), cocoa powder, stabilisers: modified tapioca starch, E460, E466, E415, E407, whey powder, malt extract, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, emulsifier: E471, wheat flour. (Heat treated)

Please don’t even humour them by buying it.

I tried this food labelling quiz on the BBC website today – how many can you get right?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8036046.stm

Consumer organisation Which? have issued another worrying report on the sugar and salt content of popular breakfast cereals, many of which are marketed directly at children or as foods with ‘health benefits’. These products are so heavily marketed, we are constantly bombarded with messages that they are ‘good’ for us and provide a healthy start to the day.

Their top 10 for sugar content are (per 100g):

• Morrisons Choco Crackles (38.4g)
• Kellogg’s Coco Pops Moons & Stars (37g)
• Kellogg’s Frosties (37g)
• Kellogg’s Ricicles (37g)
• Sainsbury’s Choco Rice Pops (36g)
• Tesco Choco Snaps (36g)
• Nestle Cookie Crisp (35.3g)
• Nestle Cheerios Honey (35.1g)
• Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut (35g)
• Nestlé Nesquik (35g)

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/29/breakfast-cereal-survey-health-food for the full story.

One teaspoon of sugar is roughly 5g, so even in a 30g serving of any of these cereals you are getting a good 2 tsp of sugar and many people will add more to that – I know I used to add a good teaspoon of sugar to my cornflakes as a child (not any more though, and I certainly don’t eat cornflakes!).

The cereal manufacturers claim that the sugar and salt content are not an issue because the products provide so many vitamins, minerals and fibre that they MUST be healthy. Don’t believe the hype!

There are plenty of healthy alternatives available for example:

• Porridge – add cinnamon powder or fresh grated apple/pear to sweeten
• Mixed seeds with natural live yoghurt and a portion of chopped fruit
• Scrambled or poached eggs on 1 slice rye bread
• Sugar free muesli with nuts, seeds and dried fruit

With any food that’s bought in a packet, you need to read the labels and look for added sugar and salt. A lot of my clients think they’re eating really healthy breakfast cereals eg Dorsets and Jordans, but although these are marketed as such, many of their products are very sweet with a lot of added sugar.

My advice to clients is to ignore everything they’ve ever been told about food (especially by TV adverts) and try to buy foods as close to nature as possible. If it comes in a brightly coloured box with lots of claims on it, it’s trying too hard; if it contains more than 5 ingredients or you need a degree in chemistry to understand what the ingredients are then don’t buy it.

Keep it simple, eat real food, and live life…

Here’s an article by Claire Smith of The Scotsman newspaper, who came to see me  for Nutritional Therapy advice and went through a series of colonic hydrotherapy treatments with my Detox Clinic colleague, Dawn Leuchars:

Read the Article (11/4/09)

I’m in training for the Edinburgh Half Marathon in April and have been really appreciating the warmer weather, bird song and sunshine whilst I increase the length of my long runs. After each run, I have a tasty smoothie , packed full of nutrients to replace those I’ve used up when running.

Here’s the recipe:

1 Scoop Solgar Whey To Go Vanilla Protein Powder

Half a cup plain live goats yoghurt

1 cup of frozen berries

Half tsp of glutamine powder

100% apple juice (about half a pint)

1 level tsp Viridian Organic Green Food Blend Powder.

1 desertspoon Viridian Organic Hemp Seed Oil

Whizz that all up with a blender and enjoy!

• The berries provide antioxidants – vital after vigorous exercise to mop up damaging free radicals.

• The protein powder has no artificial flavourings or sweeteners and helps muscle repair and support the immune system.
• Glutamine also helps muscle repair and improves immune function.
  
• The green food powder is a concentrated source of nutrients including magnesium and B vitamins, both of which are used in the energy making processes of the body.
  
• Yoghurt provides some beneficial bacteria and more protein, and the apple juice some carbohydrate to restock my liver and muscle glycogen.
• Hemp oil is rich in omega 3 and 6 oils which help to reduce inflammation in the body.

Well it’s a long time since I last wrote anything here. Despite the doom and gloom in the news, clinics have been busy with people coming in with all sorts of health problems – lots of IBS, menopausal symptoms, post-viral fatigue, and skin problems which often get worse into the winter months.

My new Weight Loss Clinic at Bristo Place is now up and running, offering nutritional and herbal support for weight management. Call the clinic on 0131 225 5542 to book an initial appointment or email me for more information.

In the news today, more about the link between B vitamins and Alzheimer’s Disease. Vitamin B3 has been shown in mice to protect the brain from the degenerative changes seen in this condition. However, you do need to be careful with B3, it can be toxic in very high doses, and often also produces an unpleasant flushing effect (think beetroot colour!). More on this story on the BBC website – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7710365.stm

A new study has shown that a balanced vegan diet can help sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis – see the full article on the BBC Website

Although a small study, it backs up previous studies and experience of nutritional therapists that diet can make a big difference in rheumatoid and other forms of arthritis. Certainly we would almost always recommend to cut down saturated animal fats (from meat and dairy products), increase the ‘good’ essential fats (omega, 3, 6, 7 and 9) and to reduce wheat and gluten consumption. These simple changes will often make a difference quite quickly in reducing pain and inflammation, and as this study shows also lowers cholesterol and so protects the heart and arteries.

Of course when eliminating foods from your diet it’s wise to get some advice from a qualified nutritional therapist who will ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you require from your diet, and this is especially challenging on a vegan diet.