The Nutritional Trends. Do you get swept along?

I was reading a blog a few days ago, and it reminded me of one I had written several months ago along very similar lines.

There are so many differing opinions around food and on what is good/bad, right/wrong, and currently in fashion that it is no wonder many of us feel confused or even overwhelmed when it comes to making decisions. And whilst there is no shortage of information out there, how do we know the difference between what is sound advice or just another current fad.

Whilst I commend anyone who makes the effort to improve their diet, and their knowledge of food and its impact on us, my clients and those who know me will also know that I don’t buy into the current trend, or any fancy “magic” solution. I strongly believe that choosing the right amount of real food, in as natural state as possible, in season, and where possible organic, is the most sustainable and healthy way. It’s a constantly evolving journey, and I for one, am often making small changes and improvements. I’m currently enjoying eating a largely plant based diet. My body seems to like it, and I feel great and have good energy levels.

The current trend is toward low Carbohydrate diets, Paleo diets and Ketogenic diets, as well as an increasing number of people turning to a largely plant based diet. (often called Vegan, but as a friend pointed out to me recently, Vegan is more a lifestyle than just a diet. So a “True Vegan” would not use products that came from animals, such as leather shoes etc)

Whilst many have had success losing weight on a Keto, Paleo or Low Carb diet, that weight loss has generally come about as a result of a lower calorie intake than their previous diet. And so often we see people who follow these diets for a while, lose weight, feel better etc, then they go back to their old habits, and the weight goes back on and their energy drops off.

There are a few questions you can ask yourself before embarking on a new regime…..

Is someone making money out of this? Often the answer is yes. There is a product or supplement you need to buy, that will help you lose weight, get healthy etc. If you are buying real food, locally grown, and purchased as close to its original source as possible, then the person most likely making money is the local farmer/grower. That’s great.
Is it sustainable long term, forever ? If you are needing to make major changes that mean you are no longer eating “normal food” or your regime is for a set number of weeks etc, then chances are, it’s not going to be something you can do or want to do long term, and that’s when we see people see the “On again Off again” pattern which just leads to a lifetime of being unhappy with your body.
Is it a variation on a familiar theme? Is the latest trend just a twist on an old theme? The food/weight loss/health industry is big business and a huge amount of money is made when people who are dissatisfied or vulnerable spend large amounts on a solution to their problem.

Before you set off on your journey to a leaner healthier you…..I encourage you to firstly take an honest look at what you are already eating. If we are honest, there will be things we can cut out (sugar, processed foods, etc) that will make a big difference to our waistline without jumping on the latest bandwagon. I love creating a really colourful plate…..lots of greens, dark reds and yellows. Some Nuts and Seeds for good fats. If you are a meat eater, then try to choose meat that is unprocessed….so a steak rather than a sausage, Chicken breast rather than chicken nibbles etc . Kumara or Potato (or other starchy vegetables) for your carbohydrates, rather than Pasta or Bread….. Keep it simple, keep it colourful, keep it natural. And as we head into summer, it gets even easier to eat like this. Give it a go, your body will thank you for it.

Karyn Holland
Catalyst Fitness

The Value of Buddies

One of the things I love about my work is seeing the friendships that are being made here at Catalyst. From what started out as a Women’s Strength class, we now have a group of 12 women going off on a 4 day tramp this summer.

Women’s Strength Class

From one of the bootcamp classes, a day hiking group has formed, and once a month they meet up and go exploring for the day.

Hiking Group

From running our Active Women’s Retreats, there is now a group of friends who keep in touch, and are planning a catch up and glass of wine at Rimu Bar soon.

Adventure Weekends

Us humans are generally quite social by nature, and once we find or meet others who share similar views and values, we want to spend more time with them. We like doing things as a team, or in a group, and it’s very rewarding to witness the friendship and comradery that is happening. I was recently away for two weeks, and some of the class members arranged to carry on with their workouts, making the commitment to each other to turn up at the usual class time, and have a training session together.

If you are struggling to find the motivation to exercise during the winter, or if your training sessions are feeling a bit boring and uninspiring, consider asking some of your friends to join you. Make the commitment to each other to turn up and work out. If none of your friends are keen on that, then come along and join in with one of the groups or classes at Catalyst. You may start out as a new class member, but it won’t take long and you will be “one of the guys/gals” and you’ll have a new group of friends to motivate and cheer you on.

Karyn Holland
027 223 9561

The Basic Principles of Food Combining

There are a lot of ‘diets’ and eating trends out there in the world. Too confusing for most of us. Not all of them suit everyone. Some have more validity than others. I try and encourage everyone to eat a well balanced diet, mostly whole foods, mostly plant based, unless you thrive on meat proteins, and everything in moderation.

For some though, who have a delicate digestive system, need to pay a little more attention to what and how they eat. Raw may not suit them, mixing certain food groups together may be a problem, or not.

For some, food combining can be a temporary solution to giving the gut a little respite. Here’s a basic guide to get you started. Always seek advice from a qualified health professional before embarking on a different eating regime to ensure you are getting a balanced intake of nutrients. If you don’t feel you are thriving, stop and re- evaluate your situation with qualified guidance.

Food combining is nothing new. It has been around for a long time. If you have ever heard of the Hay diet, this is a diet based around food combining for healthy living.

Food combining is a perfectly healthy way of eating that need not restrict nutrient intake in any way. It is an ideal way of eating for those who would like to optimize their digestive function, for those who have digestive issues or conditions, as well as weight management

When your digestive function is optimal, your body weight will naturally regulate itself. Bloating, heaviness, fatigue associated with eating, wind and acid indigestion become a thing of the past. Mental clarity can be enhanced and therefore learning capacity.

In very simple terms, food, whether it be animal or plant, is composed of many elements with some more predominant than others. Enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, phyto-nutrients and so on, are contained in every food but in relation to food combining, we are mainly looking at proteins, fats, acids and carbohydrates or starch.

All foods contain these nutrients, and in proportions that are specific to each particular food. For example, Banana – carbohydrate, fish – protein, coconut – fat, bread and grains – carbohydrate etc. Knowing your food groups makes it easier to grasp this fact.

Some foods contain a greater proportion of protein to other elements e.g. as we know, beef is largely made up of protein at 19%, whereas Avocado has only 1.9% of protein but 24% fat (that is quality monounsaturated, vegetable fat). Whole grain rice on the other hand contains only 7% protein, 2% fat and 75% carbohydrate or starch.

The fundamental edict behind food combining is that the more nutrient groups we digest at the same time, the more taxing this becomes for our digestive system, which therefore slows down the digestive process, and can contribute to issues like fermentation in the gut, gastric reflux, bloating, wind, general digestive upset such as gut dysbiosis where the natural gut flora gets out of balance (very common with over eating), stress, sleepiness or foggy brain and so on.

A number of nutrients can be digested during a single meal – on condition that the proportions of nutrients mutually suit each other and it is these proportions that are the key to food combining.

Indeed, other things contribute to healthy digestion –

Eating slowly

Eating smaller amounts and for some, smaller portions more often

Being relaxed while eating

Focusing on the food you are eating, in other words being mindful

Liking what you are eating

On the negative side these things hinder digestion –

Stress and mental tension
Emotional upsets
Physical ailment or illness
Overly processed foods
Medications
Alcohol
Over eating

The Number of Possible Combinations

Food combining reduces the combinations of different food nutrients taken in at one time but not the volume. Basically put, what you eat with what.

You will often notice that many meals might contain two different sources of protein, various high starch foods combined with say, an acid based sauce, and fat thrown in for good measure. In fact, if you look at many of the classic meal combinations we have grown up with – meat and potatoes for example, pasta and meat bolognaise, from the food combining principles this is not ideal.

So that begs the question what is ideal?

These basic combinations below, I hope, will help simplify the theory for you.

Workable combinations –
Carbs (starch) + fats
Fats + acids
Carbs (starch) + acids
Non-starchy carb + fats
Non–starchy carbs + protein
Protein + fat
Sugar + acid
Starch + starch

Not-so-workable combinations –
Protein + fat + starchy carbs
Fat + acids
Protein + starchy carbs
Starchy carbs + sugar
Starch + acid
Protein + acid
Protein + sugar
Protein + protein

A Few Simple Examples of Carbohydrate groups, Proteins, Fats Acid based foods (lists are by no means exhaustive but are designed to give an idea)

Starchy carbs
Cereals
Pasta
Bread
Buckwheat
Chestnuts
Potatoes

Sugary carbs
Beet sugar
Cane sugar
Honey
Syrup
Jams/preserves
Dried fruits
Bananas

Proteins
Meat
Fish
Eggs
Nuts
Seeds
Pips
Yoghurt
Milk

Fats
Cheese
Animal fats
Edible oil
Butter
Whipped cream
Egg yolk
Mayonnaise

Acids
Vinegar’s
Brewer’s yeast
Soft drinks
Sauerkraut
Yoghurt
Fruit
Berries
Tomatoes

Sarah La Touche is a registered Holistic Nutritionist, and a member of the New Zealand Clinical Nutritionists Association.

She also runs walking tours in France, Italy and Spain. The forthcoming tour is walking the Camino del Norte from San Sebastian to Bilbao in September.

Sarah is available to see clients for nutritional consultations and advice by phoning 027 315 1165 or email sarah@livingnutrition.co.nz.

To find out about the walking tours go to www.foodiesinfrance.com or email ds@foofiesinfrance.com

Sometimes The Best Way is Too Easy

One of our members has lost a lot of weight. He has also got a lot fitter. He looks fantastic, and it’s happened reasonably quickly.
A few people have asked which diet he has been doing…….. Is he Paleo, or Keto, or is he a vegan or vegetarian, or perhaps gone Low carb high fat (LCHF).
The reality is far better…. He’s done none of these. What he’s done is followed the Common Sense Diet. Along with regular and varied exercise, he has steadily transformed himself into a fit lean version of himself

The Common Sense Diet. Three meals a day and modest serving sizes. Sure, he stopped drinking alcohol, but I’m sure that the occasional drink wouldn’t make that much difference. He hasn’t eliminated any main food groups, he eats as much in season whole food as possible, and he still has a takeaway once a week. Sounds good doesn’t it.

I’m a firm believer that we don’t need to spend money on fancy products or diets. The ability to lose weight and be fit and toned is already within us. The hard part for most is finding the desire to educate ourselves and make the changes we need to make.
For most people, it’s not carbs that are the problem (our bodies need carbohydrate) it’s the sugary processed carbs that do the damage. It’s not bread that’s a problem, its eating half a loaf a day that would make most people feel bloated. It’s not alcohol as such that’s the problem, it’s the 2-3 glasses everday that add too many calories.

So, how about trying the common sense diet?……
3 small meals a day of fresh seasonal whole food. Minimal alcohol. No/minimal snacks. And most days do 30-60 min of a mix of aerobic exercise and resistance exercise.
If you find something you eat doesn’t agree with you, don’t go rushing off to get allergy tested, just don’t eat it (common sense right?) Learn to tune in and listen to your body, eat less, move more, and eat healthy food.

Festivity and Food

fes·ti·val

[fes-tuh-vuhl] http://dictionary.reference.com/help/luna/Spell_pron_key.htmlShow IPA

Noun

A day or time of religious or other celebration, marked by feasting, ceremonies, or other observances: the festival of Christmas; a Roman festival.
A periodic commemoration, anniversary, or celebration: an annual strawberry festival.
A period or program of festiveactivities, cultural events, or entertainment: a music festival.
Gaiety; revelry; merrymaking.

Adjective

Festal: a festival atmosphere of unrestrained joy.

Food is a naturally festive thing. If you think about it, many of the festive occasions we celebrate throughout the year include festive meals like Christmas and New Year, Easter, Epiphany on the 6^th of January, and Shrove Tuesday in February, which is celebrated by eating pancakes, or Halloween with all is sweetness and spookiness.

In many European countries like France, Spain and Italy, a celebration without food is unthinkable and there are many such occasions throughout the year. And so, here too in New Zealand, we have our traditions and rituals around food and celebration.

Thanks to our diverse, multi-cultural mix we now enjoy celebrating Chinese New Year and Pasifika, Diwali – the Festival of Light, and next week, Matariki, our native winter solstice. None of these significant events in a year would be complete without food.

Aside from religious festivals, we use food to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries too, special occasions like christenings and confirmations, weddings, births and even funerals. Whenever, and wherever we have a special occasion, food is never very far from our thoughts especially when it comes to families.

So where does this tradition come from?

The word Feast first appeared in language around the thirteenth century and while exact feasting origins are unclear, long before that families and community celebrated feast days. Offering a sense of belonging, providing entertainment, celebrating seasonal changes and harvest bounty, feasts, festivals, fetes, fiestas, gatherings and get-togethers, whatever you care to call them, were and are, a time for sharing, goodwill and celebration.

On our home turf, being a relatively young culture we have tended to adopt European festive foods and habits to celebrate festivals and religious holidays, baking Hot Cross Buns at Easter time, eating Turkey and hams at Christmas, scoffing down Trifle and Mince tarts.

When I was growing up in my Pakeha community in Wellington, a Hangi was a rare thing but now we can experience this amazing communal feasting tradition more often, especially when visiting a Marae, and we can even buy Hangi Take Out!

As our culinary horizons have widened, and with the influx of a broader cultural mix, our food experiences have expanded and so have our tastes and waistlines. Where once we celebrated an occasion with roast lamb, mint sauce and Pavlova with lashings of cream, it’s now more common to see the barbeque being fired up to cook a marinated, butter-flied leg of lamb with fresh salads and new potatoes, and naturally something sweet to finish like a fresh tropical fruit salad.

But as we have become more prosperous and processed foods much more readily available, celebration is becoming much more of a daily ritual. Our waistlines are expanding and our wellbeing is deteriorating as a consequence.

Diabetes is now epidemic in this country especially amongst young people, and we are sadly, number three in the world obesity statistics. Is this because food is more widely available? It certainly isn’t getting any cheaper.

Instead of that festive Sunday picnic at the beach with the family, it’s easier to go out for a quick meal, grab a carb-loaded morning tea with coffee, or fetch Take Out home and sit on the couch to watch TV. Are we eating our way to ill health while we celebrate?

I’m certainly not suggesting we stop celebrating or being festive, far from it. If anything we need to take more time to celebrate life and each other.

It’s more about the choices we make, being mindful around how we choose to include foods when we celebrate, and get moving!

There’s nothing wrong about having a festive outing to the park with the kids to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. And if we are going to indulge in some high energy foods, then the park or the beach is an opportunity to work off that energy intake with games and pastimes that leave us enriched with smiles on our faces.

Make informed food choices for you and your loved ones. Choose quality lean proteins, either animal or plant-based, whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables, instead of a Big Mac and fries or Wendy burger.

Hold back on the sodas and fizzy drinks, they are literally making us sick. Make water your favourite drink and have lots of it. Do have some sweet treats. Just be smart about it. Opt for fruit, fruit-based desserts and hold off on high sugar, processed cakes, sweets and pastries. If you must go in that direction these kinds of foods need to be enjoyed occasionally as opposed to daily or weekly.

Watch that alcohol consumption, studies are now showing us that even mild alcohol consumption is a contributing factor to certain cancers, especially for women.

Poach, steam, bake or grill, reduce your consumption of starchy carbs – rice, pasta, bread and potatoes for 2 weeks and see how you feel. Create a celebration around an activity like walking or an outdoor pursuit.

Make your daily ritual of breakfast and evening meals together as a family a festival, at the table, with the TV off, whenever you can. Conviviality and celebration enhance the all-important process of digestion and you are less inclined to eat as much.

Celebrate life by making smarter food choices and you’ll be around to enjoy the festivities, and your loved ones, a lot longer!

Sarah La Touche is a registered Holistic Nutritionist, and a member of the New Zealand Clinical Nutritionists Association.

She also runs walking tours in France and Spain. The forthcoming tour is walking the Camino del Norte from San Sebastian to Bilbao in September.

She is available to see clients for nutritional consultations and advice by phoning 027 315 1165 or email sarah@livingnutrition.co.nz.

To find out about the walking tours go to www.foodiesinfrance.com or email ds@foofiesinfrance.com

Ginger Gem

We all need winter warmers and ginger has to be one of the best. This pungent, aromatic rhizome was domesticated way back in prehistoric times around southern Asia, and was one of the most important dried spices to be used in medieval times.

Gingerbread dates from around this period too, and remains a popular yuletide sweet treat European country’s to this day. Candied and preserved ginger is another way this flavourful root is used, especially good in cakes and baking. And Ginger beer dates back to the 19^th century when English Pubs sprinkled dry powdered ginger on their drinks.

Relatives include galangal, cardamom, turmeric and quite distantly, the banana of all things. We use ginger in a surprising number of things from sweet cakes and biscuits, drinks, flavouring teas, chutneys and relishes, curries and stir-fries, pickled, candied, in soups, fish dishes and sausages. It has a huge culinary and medicinal range.

Aromas vary depending on where the ginger comes from. Chinese ginger tends to be quite pungent. South Indian and Australian gingers have more of a lemony aroma. African ginger is penetrating, and Jamaican ginger said to be some of the finest, is delicate and sweet.

Surprisingly, dried ginger is stronger than fresh, and as with mustard, cooking reduces its pungency. It adds refreshing zing and warmth to whatever it mixes with and has the ability to compliment the flavours that accompany it, rather than dominating them. Which is possibly why we don’t always recognise it in a dish sometimes. Although those of us who love it, always acknowledge its presence when we come across it.

Fresh ginger contains a protein-digesting enzyme, which makes it great for marinating fish and meat. Perhaps this could also be why it is beneficial in aiding and soothing digestion, cleansing and disinfecting. There is nothing nicer than starting the day with a squeeze of lemon and some freshly grated ginger in a hot cup of water. Not surprisingly, it is highly prized in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines.

So to ward off those winter chills, and make you feel just great, I’ll leave you with my simple Carrot, Ginger and Coriander soup.

Just remember when you are choosing fresh ginger, look for large, firm, pale smooth-skinned, pieces, which should give you lots of juice and flesh. Avoid any that are wrinkly or spongy to the touch.

You can chop, grate or rub ginger, peeled or unpeeled (the skin contains bioflavonoids and antioxidants, use the flesh or juice, and it freezes well too.

Carrot, Ginger and Coriander Soup

Serves 6

2 – 3 tablespoons oil, olive, rice bran or grape seed are ideal

1 large onion or leek, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 piece of fresh ginger, about 3-4 cms, peeled or unpeeled, and chopped

1 kilo carrots, peeled and chopped roughly

100 mls coconut milk

400 mls chicken or vegetable stock

1 large bunch coriander, leaves and stalks, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to season

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan gently over a medium heat.

When hot but not smoking, add the onion or leek, garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two until translucent without letting them brown. Add the carrots and combine, cooking them for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. As it starts to split pour over the stock.

Throw in the chopped coriander saving a handful of leaves for garnish, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender.

Pour the contents into a blender, or use a mixing wand and blitz until smooth and creamy.

Spoon into warm bowls, pop a dab of plain yoghurt on top if you want, sprinkle over a few coriander leaves, and serve piping hot with some cumin poppadums, roti, or crusty bread. An aromatic glass of Gewürztraminer makes a pleasant addition.

Sarah La Touche is a registered Holistic Nutritionist, and a member of the New Zealand Clinical Nutritionists Association.

She also runs walking tours in France and Spain. The forthcoming tour is walking the Camino del Norte from San Sebastian to Bilbao in September.

She is available to see clients for nutritional consultations and advice by phoning 027 315 1165 or email sarah@livingnutrition.co.nz.

To find out about the walking tours go to www.foodiesinfrance.com or email ds@foofiesinfrance.com

I’m too old to go to the gym, that’s for younger people

I’ve heard people say that before, and I’m sure you have too. Or maybe you have even been someone who has said, or thought that. The thing is……you are wrong!! You are not too old to start exercising, to join the gym, to start getting stronger. And it’s not the place for only young fit people.

I have clients and gym members ranging from 16yrs old through to 91 years old, and they are all benefiting from the training they are doing.

As we age, we start to lose things we previously took for granted, like mobility, strength, muscle tone, agility, balance and the speed of recovery from exertion.

By following a program that works on those things, you can not only slow down the rate of decline, but even find you are gaining in those areas.

A suitable program for our older members would see them working on gaining muscle strength, improving balance, especially whilst moving over and around obstacles or an uneven surface, and some stretching and mobilising of muscles and joints. If that sounds a bit confusing…..think squatting and lifting. Reaching up, pushing and pulling. Bending and turning. All movements we do every day in our usual environment.

If you are finding you are losing some strength and muscle tone, you can’t move as easily as you used to, or you just want to feel more confident when you are moving around outdoors, then pop in and let’s have a chat. We would be happy to visit you at home to do an assessment and discuss your requirements. This is done with no obligation and with strict confidentiality

This winter, Catalyst is running a twice weekly class for our older people. It will work on all the areas I have mentioned above, and will be a lot of fun as well.

Let me know if you think you would like to participate.

Tips For Building & Maintaining a Healthy Gut

Building a healthy gut isn’t as easy as you think these days. With our busy lifestyles, processed foods, stress, high alcohol society, illness, heavy workloads and all the other expectations placed upon us … it’s a wonder sometimes we can stay upright.

But there are a few simple things we can do to stay well and healthy, and building a healthy gut is crucial to this. So why is that?

Well as we discussed in last months Blog, over 80 % of our immune system resides in the gut. So if we aren’t feeding the native commensal flora in our gut, our immune system is at risk, energy is low, and we can become more susceptible to disease.

We carry around about 2 kgs of naturally occurring bugs in our gut, commonly referred to as the microbiome. These bugs live happily along side one another performing all sorts of important tasks like gobbling up the bad bugs that can make us sick, making essential short chain fatty acids, and chemicals like butyrate important for our wellbeing.

Genes, along with diet and lifestyle play a large part in whether we have a diverse or limited microbiome. In fact with a new study coming out virtually every hour currently, we now know that our microbiome is like a personal fingerprint. That means every single person has their own microbiome makeup, some more diverse than others.

We also know that while we can’t change our genes, we can impact them via diet and lifestyle, something called epigenetics, and that harnessing the power of diet and lifestyle can increase the diversity of our gut flora. Eating a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods, along with regular exercise, good quality sleep and stress management, will already be supporting a healthy microbiome.

In as little as 24 hours, the food you eat can be changing the resident gut microbiota. In fact the impact of dietary choices on our health may have less to do with the vitamins and minerals a particular diet contains, and more to do with the way in which it can alter gut flora, and subsequently affect our health.

Dietary fibres, proteins and peptides that escape digestion are metabolised in the colon by the microbiota, which then produce beneficial health promoting metabolites like short chain fatty acids or they can produce harmful metabolites associated with disease. So diet is therefore a critical factor in the prevention and treatment of disease.

So what do these good bugs like to eat? Well, in order to grow beneficial and diverse gut bacteria that produce ample short chain fatty acids, the right types of foods need to be consumed, such as pre-biotic foods.

Many of these are widely recognised in the world of health as non-digestible compounds that can help encourage the growth of specific beneficial microorganisms in the gut. For example, the pre-biotics fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin, both found in many natural plants, promote the growth of favourable butyrate- producing organisms.

Recognising the importance of a wide variety of specific foods that can also improve microbial diversity and/or increase the production of beneficial fermentation products, allows for improved gut and general health, by improving digestive function, and protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa, and therefore our immune function.

Foods that have pre-biotic functions include dietary fibre, polyphenols, such as those found in blueberries and tea, as well as microbiota accessible carbohydrates – for example carbohydrates that can be metabolically used by gut microbes. They too are often found in dietary fibre, but can also be found in animal tissue.

Consuming a range of these foods regularly has been found to reduce the incidence of western diseases. These foods are listed below in their groups.

FOS & Inulin
Chicory root, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, leek, onion, dandelion greens, asparagus, banana, barley, wheat, sugar beet, honey, tomato, rye.

Resistant Starch
Potato – roasted and cooled
Green bananas, cashew nuts, ripe bananas, and uncooked rolled oats, steamed and cooled potatoes, white beans, cooked lentils.

Fibre
Flax seeds, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts

Polyphenols
Blueberries, strawberries, peach, plum, grape seed extract, cranberry extract, resveretrol, tea, cocoa & chocolate.

Other Pre-biotic Foods
Kiwifruit, beetroot, fennel bulb, green peas, snow peas, sweet corn, Savoy cabbage, chickpeas, red kidney beans, soya beans (including fresh edamame), cashews, pistachio nuts, peaches, watermelon, grapefruit, pomegranate, dried fruits e.g. dates, figs, chia seeds, psyllium husks.

Adults are recommended to consume 30mgs fibre daily but in a western diet, rarely do.
Of course, making sure your tummy is smiling is just one part of the puzzle, albeit a big part. And as with all health and well being issues, we can all do with a helping hand from time to time so make sure you seek advice, when needed, from a trusted health care professional.

Sarah La Touche is a registered Holistic Nutritionist, and a member of the New Zealand Clinical Nutritionists Association. She is available to see clients for nutritional consultations and advice by phoning 027 315 1165 or email sarah@livingnutrition.co.nz.

The Right Stuff – Joint Flexibility

How is Your Joint Flexibility?

As the years go by are you experiencing more musculoskeletal joint stiffness? Maybe your shoulders, knees, and ankles are not as flexible as they used to be. Has it become more difficult to bend over and pick up a dropped object or put on your clothes? Maybe to turn your head around to see the car in the next lane is uncomfortable or worse, impossible. The bad news is that left untreated, your joints will get stiffer as you get older. Ignored, our joints will loose a large amount of mobility. However, the good news is there’s plenty you can do to help prevent this. You can regain and retain much of your youthful flexibility, but only if you are willing to be proactive and do something.

Joints such as the shoulder, knee, and ankle are lubricated by synovial fluid. The Synovial fluid keeps the joints moist, provides oxygen and nutrition, and washes away toxic end-products of the normal metabolic processes. The joints in our spine are also lubricated and maintained in this way. Simply put, our bodies live for movement – Move it or Loose It! However, aging reduces the amount of available synovial fluid. The normal aging processes also increase the thickness of the remaining synovial fluid. Essentially, you have less lubricant available and the lubricant that you do have is thicker. The unfortunate result is stiffer joints, throughout your entire body.

Get Moving
One way to combat such physiologic aging is to keep active. This is a pretty big task for the people of today, in a world in which most of our time is spent at a desk or sat down. Our bodies were designed for physical work. However, as we have evolved from an agrarian to a more industrial society, and in recent times from an industrial to a service-based society, the type of work we do on a daily bases has changed dramatically. When we are not typing on a computer, we are at home watching TV or playing games on our electronic devices. None of these activities involves any actual active motion. If we want to look after our bodies, we’re going to have to be proactive about finding the time to do so.

So for those of you who already have included exercise as part of your daily routine, good for you. Some may still be struggling to get going and making the time for exercise. Years in practice have taught me that people make excuses to justify their actions (or lack of). The number one excuse, “I don’t have time”. Rubbish, the truth is people will make time for what is important to them.

Almost any type of exercise helps synovial fluid to become more available which allows the synovial fluid to be pumped into joint spaces and increases the lubrication into the joints. Exercise also raises the core temperature of the body, which subsequently decreases the viscosity of synovial fluid. The end product is increased joint flexibility. This benefit is, more often than not, experienced immediately. The benefit will be long-lasting, but only if you continue to exercise regularly.

Stay Moving
Thirty minutes of exercise per day, 5 times a week, will help us maintain as much joint flexibility as possible. Switching between a cardiovascular exercise day and a strength training day is the optimal exercise program. Yoga can give a total body workout which uses cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility. The types of exercise you do are not as significant as the long-term consistency of the exercise. Regular, vigorous exercise, will provide great benefit, not only will it improve your joint flexibility, but it will also help to improve your general health and wellness.

We Can Help!
One of the great benefits and focuses of Chiropractic care is improved flexibility of not only spinal joints but all the joints in your arms and legs as well. Consider how a loss of the spinal vertebral motion can lead to spinal muscle tightness and pain, which generally results in various other physical problems. For example, headaches, a lack of restful sleep, and increased irritability may all have a link with a loss of spinal flexibility. By increasing the mobility in your neck, mid-back, and lower back, chiropractic care helps your body function more efficiently. By removing the sources of the musculoskeletal irritation, chiropractic care can also reduce internal physiologic stress.

Boosting Immunity

As March winds to a close, and the mornings cool, it’s well worth investing a bit of time focusing on your immune system, stoking up your body’s in-built resistance so you and your family are better equipped to tackle head on, all those winter chills, bugs and lower energy levels that come naturally with slowing down into the autumn and winter months.

Many of us growing young families and juggling busy lives, don’t stop to consider that this time of year is a natural slowing time. The busy hot energy of the summer finally subsides, and along with that our bodies react differently to the new round of stresses and strains placed upon it. Something as simple as a series of sharp cool mornings or nights can place our immune systems under pressure and if we don’t have the resilience to deal with these changes, down we go with a tummy bug, seasonal cold, or worse, the flu.

So given that over 80 percent of our natural immune system resides in our gut, it makes very good sense to look after it. Taking a 60-day course of a quality probiotic can make all the difference. Or an immune boosting formula of vitamins, minerals and herbs like Natures Way Systemwell. Some swear by viral fighting Olive leaf extract taken daily for a month or two. Whatever works for you, now is the time to get stuck into working on nourishing your immune system to avoid being flattened by unwanted and debilitating illness.

There are many things you can do to keep yourself on top of winter ills; perhaps the simplest of all is a course of quality Vitamin C with bioflavonoid. We can do with all the help we can get frankly, so listed below are some handy hints that could make all the difference for you this year. Get yourself to a qualified health practitioner for some quality advice that suits your specific requirements and lifestyle.

Enjoy a balanced diet – rich in Antioxidants, Bioflavonoid (all your brightly coloured vegetables and fruits) – eat a rainbow daily. If your gut is sensitive to raw foods, steam, poach, bake or grill your veggies. Eat lots of Mushrooms – particularly reishi, codyceps & shitake, are know to stimulate immune function. Bee pollen is supportive of immune function.

The colour of fruits and veggies often reflects their nutritional value. Strongly coloured foods are packed with good nutrients. Antioxidants work by reacting with destructive free radicals to render them harmless before they get to damage your valuable DNA or RNA. Download an ORAC (oxygen-radical-absorption-capacity) chart and find out how high you can get your daily ORAC score up just by eating fruits and veggies.

Plants also contain myriad secondary compounds like terpenes, alkaloids and isothiocyanates (garlic, and brassicas) providing strong protective, immune enhancing properties, as well as providing antimicrobial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory functions.

Reduce your sugar intake – especially any processed white sugar or foods containing processed sugar, including alcohol. Sugar in any form is known to suppress immune function and is also highly inflammatory.

Favour low GI sweeteners such as Stevia Agave syrup, coconut palm sugar, Xylitol, palm sugar, apple concentrate or low GI berry fruits or pear. Cut back your alcohol consumption. Alcohol sugars are highly acidic, and disrupt gut function.

Get Plenty of Sleep

The value of good sleep is so underrated! A lack of sleep will, over time, impact on your immune system raising cortisol levels, which will disrupt blood sugar metabolism, and gut function. Check out the science behind sleep by reading Mathew Walkers ‘Why We Sleep’ Published by Allen Lane. It makes for compelling reading.

Manage your stress levels – Cortisol the stress hormone also regulates blood sugar, metabolism and the inflammatory process. Stress of any kind can increase cortisol levels and prolonged stress can impair aspects of your physical and psychological function but particularly normal cell development and immunity, contracting arteries, impairing digestion and nutrient absorption.

Coffee and caffeine, sugar and highly refines carbohydrates as well as allergens may be contributing factors to stress and lowered immunity. If you suspect you have an allergy, see a health practitioner and get checked.

Get Regular Exercise Daily with Quality Vitamin D Exposure – If nothing else a brisk 20 minute walk for maintenance, or snacking on short 10 to 15 minute bursts of intense exercise several times a day. Better still; Get a qualified professional to design a program specific to your needs.

Some Key Nutrients To Strengthen Immune Function

Zinc – pumpkin & sunflower seeds, oysters, meats, seafood’s, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes.

Selenium – Brazil nuts, meat, seafood, brassicas, garlic, onion, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, mushrooms, eggs.

Iron – haeme and non-haeme versions – red meats, parsley, coriander, oily fish, seeds, nuts, sweet potato, spinach and dark leafy greens, shellfish, eggs, legumes.

Iodine – Seaweeds and sea vegetables, seafood’s, vegetables grown in iodine rich soils (NZ soils are deficient in iodine, zinc and selenium), soya beans, peanuts.

Vitamin D – Take a vitamin D supplement through the winter each year. Butter, meats, eggs, cheese.

Vitamin C – Capsicums, strawberries, gogi berries, parsley, kiwifruit, currants, most fruits and veggies.

Olive leaf extract – Take as a supplement from autumn through winter.

Echinacea – In the root form as part of a supplement, as a tea, form late summer through winter as and when required.

Coughs and Colds – Simple Can-Do Home Remedies

Immune system foods
Ginger, Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary, Horseradish, Turmeric, Shitake mushroom/reishi mushrooms – in fact any mushrooms.

Flu-Fighting Soup

(You can add an organic, free range chicken carcass or fresh stock instead)
1 red onion
2 green chillies (stimulant, removes mucous)
4 cloves garlic (antiviral, antibiotic etc.)
2-inch piece of ginger (anti-inflammatory, heating, stimulates circulation)
1 small butternut squash (antioxidant)
1 handful of shitake mushrooms (can buy fresh organic shops or dried Asian)
or use button. Shitake are specific for immunity and energy support.
Vegetable stock

Chop onion, chillies, garlic and ginger, sauté with water and touch of oil.
Dice squash, slice mushrooms, and add to the pot. Cover with stock and simmer until squash is cooked. Blend into spicy orange soup. Add fresh herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary, sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Tea – Thermos to take to work
Slice up a big chunk of ginger (you can add garlic and chilli too) put in a thermos, cover with boiling water and let sit for an hour or so before drinking.

Add honey to sweeten, a squeeze or two of lemon juice. This should be heating, and with the garlic, which has antibiotic properties, chilli which is good if you want to remove mucus.

If you have fresh horseradish in your garden, then pull a root up and grate some in. This can be boiled instead on the stove.

TEA on stove

This is warming and soothing to the lungs, the hotter herbs will help clear mucus if you put enough punch into it.
Fill up a pot, add any of the herbs below – big chunks of ginger sliced or grated, a clove of garlic (optional), cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, and spices – cardamom, star anise, a pinch of chilli if you want, turmeric powder (antimicrobial, antioxidant), and bring to boil, then turn to a simmer until liquid reduces a little and the flavours infuse – add some palm sugar or honey at the end or liquorice tea bags.

Coughs

Easy to make and take – good for the kids
Thinly slice onions (brown are stronger) and/or garlic (fresh horseradish root)
Cover entirely with good quality raw honey
Leave overnight in fridge – the honey will draw out the moisture of the onion
Strain and take teaspoon when needed.

Sore throat Gargle
Fresh Sage leaves and/or thyme leaves
Cover with boiling water and cover with lid
Strain and gargle liquid each day.

Or
1 onion, ½ fresh red chilli, juice of 2 lemons, 1 tsp salt, sprig of parsley
Chop the onion and chilli finely and place in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and salt. Leave to stand for 1 hr in the fridge. Strain and use as a gargle, spit out liquid.

Decongestant
Eucalyptus oil (from pharmacy) or Friars Balsam
Add a few drops to bowl of hot/boiling water cover bowl and head with towel.

Thanks to Nicole Bostock – registered Medical Herbalist for herbal recommendations.

Categorized as: Health Tips

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