General Health Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Glenville Nutrition Clinic

Using Foods To Help The Transition Of The Menopause

Menopause is a natural event in a woman’s life and you can use foods that Nature provides us in order to help you go through this transition easily and comfortably, controlling many of the symptoms of the menopause including hot flushes, night sweats, dry hair and skin, tiredness, memory loss, mood swings, aching joints and also weight gain.

We are aiming to include foods (like phytoestrogens) in your diet that help to balance your hormones as you go through this change, to include essential fatty acids (that we get from nuts, seeds, oily fish and eggs) in order to keep your body, skin, hair, joints lubricated and soft and antioxidants which not only slow down the ageing process but also can help to protect you against cancer and heart disease. All the recipes are balanced to keep your blood sugar level which not only helps with increasing energy but also reduces mood swings, anxiety, tension and irritability, symptoms which can increase around the menopause. And having stable blood sugar not only reduces your risk of problems like Type 2 diabetes but will also help you lose weight which may start to creep on at this time in your life especially around the middle of your body. None of the recipes even the desserts contain added refined sugar so that you have a sweet treat without worrying about your waistline.

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring substances in foods that help to balance your hormones. These are found in legumes such as soya, lentils and chickpeas and also in some seeds like flaxseeds (linseeds) and can help to reduce hot flushes and night sweats by up to 50%. Essential fats are also included in these recipes, because not all fat is bad. Essential fats ‘oil’ your body by lubricating your joints, skin and vagina as well as keeping your brain functioning well and they help you maintain a good metabolism.

There can be a tendency to gain weight at the menopause, especially around the middle, because this is your body’s protective mechanism to increase the amount of oestrogen circulating in your blood stream by producing it from your fat cells. Essential fatty acids can increase your metabolic rate which means that you will burn up more fat and store less fat as you go through the menopause. Some weight problems can simply be due to water retention and Omega 3 oils can help your body produce a hormone-like regulating substance which enables your kidneys eliminate excess water. These same substances can help keep your blood pressure normal and decrease inflammation in your joints.

Free radicals are produced through our normal process of living as well as from pollution and too much exposure to the sun. It is these free radicals that have been linked to premature ageing, cancer, heart disease as well as those brown patches (‘liver’ spots) that can form on the skin. Fortunately Nature provides us with protection against these free radicals in the form of antioxidants. In order to get a good supply of antioxidants you need to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables which are included in these recipes.

So these delicious recipes will not only help you through the menopause comfortably but also help you lose weight.

Breakfast

Homemade Luxury Muesli – this recipe is packed with many nutrients and has a good balance of protein (nuts and seeds) and unrefined carbohydrates giving it a low GI, keeping your blood sugar balanced and helping with weight loss. It has good levels of phytoestrogens for hormone balance as well as natural fibre which helps with blood sugar balance and lowering cholesterol. The nuts and seeds supply essential fatty acids and the apricots are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene and the oranges, apples and pears provide you with good amounts of vitamin C which helps in the manufacture of collagen to keep your skin and bones healthy.

Posh Porridge – oats are excellent at helping to control cholesterol but also have a low GI. Cinnamon is also included which is good for balancing blood sugar and helping with weight loss. The dried fruit is an excellent source of antioxidants and the soya milk provides good levels of phytoestrogens.

Eggs Florentine – Eggs are actually very good for you, they are a first class protein so help with weight loss and also the yolk contains good levels of Omega 3 fatty acids which are important for your metabolism, skin, hair and joint health. Eggs are also low in saturated fats. The eggs yolk also contains lecithin which helps lower the risk of heart disease by preventing plaque from accumulating in the arteries. Phytoestrogens are in good supply from soya.

Lunch

Tofu Vegetable Quiche – this quiche is an unusual way to serve tofu (a phytoestrogen) and makes an interesting change. It is full of healthy ingredients, including not only the tofu but also tahini and broccoli. Made from sesame seeds the tahini is a good source of calcium which is important for your bone health. The balance of protein from the tofu, and tahini with the wholemeal tart gives a low GI lunch which is important for weight loss.

Herring with Oatmeal – Herrings are an oily fish so are rich in Omega 3 fats which are important for boosting metabolism and also have an anti-inflammatory effect in your body. The oatmeal also has a phytoestrogenic effect to help with the menopausal symptoms but also contains good levels of fibre which not only help with your weight but also help to control cholesterol.

Lentil and Fruit Pilaf – lentils are a wonderful source of phytoestrogens and this combination of the protein from the lentils and brown basmati rice gives a good low GI lunch for weight loss. It also includes cinnamon for blood sugar control and also almonds which have been linked to helping blood sugar and also give a good amount of protein and also essential fats. The dried fruit gives good levels of antioxidants.

Dinner

Storecupboard mixed bean and tomato casserole – this dish is brilliant when time is short of an evening. This is a very warming and nourishing dish and there are plenty of phytoestrogens from the beans and the miso broth. The seaweed flakes provide vital trace minerals like iodine and selenium which are important for thyroid function and a healthy metabolism to help with weight loss. The tomatoes provide excellent amounts of the antioxidant lycopene which is good for both heart and eye health.

Roasted nut-coated cod with a lemon vinaigrette dressing – both the miso broth and parsley produce good levels of phytoestrogens to help with the menopausal symptoms. The nuts together with the flaxseed (linseed) oil provide good levels of essential fatty acids for your metabolism, skin, hair and joint health and also help to slow down the ageing process.

Banana cream pie – this seems like a wicked pie but does not have the usual cream or refined sugar. The filling is set with agar which is a seaweed which contains trace minerals like iodine and selenium which are good for your metabolism. There is no added refined sugar in this dessert just maple syrup which does not have the same negative effect on your blood sugar or weight that refined sugar does. So you can have a lovely dessert without the guilt!

For more nutritional advise on how to manage menopause, contact the Glenville Nutrition Clinic for more information.

Top Tips On How To Treat, Prevent And Reverse Osteoporosis

My top tips for preventing osteoporosis:

Your diet is important. Calcium is stored in your skeleton and is used as a buffer to neutralise acid. This means that the more acidic your diet becomes the more calcium can be leeched from your bones and the higher the risk of fractures. The most acid producing foods are animal proteins including meat and cheese. Milk and yogurt are more alkaline. Higher intakes of animal protein are associated with lower bone density. For more information on diet and supplements for osteoporosis see my book ‘Osteoporosis – how to treat, prevent and reverse it’.

Vitamins and minerals are important for bone health. The first nutrient that comes to mind is calcium. But many other nutrients are equally important.

Calcium –it not only improves bone density but also reduces the risk of fractures. Choose supplements that contain calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate for maximum absorption.

Magnesium – helps to metabolise calcium and converts vitamin D to the active form necessary to ensure that calcium is efficiently absorbed.

Vitamin D3 – important for the absorption of calcium (it must be D3 rather than D2). D3 is 87% more effective in raising and maintaining vitamin D levels than D2. We have a wide spread deficiency problem in the UK, my recommendation is to do a simple home finger prick test for vitamin D available at Glenville Nutrition Clinic to check whether you are deficient and then you can be sure of how much vitamin D you need to take each day.

Vitamin C – important in the manufacture of collagen, the ‘cement’ that holds the bone matrix together. Choose vitamin C as ascorbate rather than the acidic form – ascorbic acid.

Boron – an important mineral in relation to osteoporosis as it plays a crucial part in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form, which, in turn, is necessary for calcium absorption.

Exercise – It is better to have a combination of weight-bearing exercises like walking and dancing and weight resistance like bicep curls and lunges to create mechanical stress which helps put calcium into your bones.

Have a bone density scan to check the condition your bones are in now. You may have to organise this scan privately as it is not easy to get one on the NHS but it will be worth it (my clinic team can also arrange a referral for you).

What Is Cystitis And Can A Change In Diet Help?

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder, and it can be the result of infection, irritation, or bruising, or even a combination of these three factors.What symptoms can you experience?

An overwhelming urge to urinate every few minutes, normally with little urine to pass.

Burning pain during urination.

What can cause cystitis?

There are two main types of cystitis: bacterial (infectious) and non-bacterial.

Bacterial cystitis is responsible for about 50 percent of all cases of cystitis. Bacteria (normally the E-coli bacteria, see below) enters the urethra in one of a variety of different ways. Once in, it can stick to the walls of the bladder and occasionally travels to the kidneys. The urinary tract itself is normally kept clean by the rush of urine when we eliminate waste products, but infection can develop in the urethra if the bacteria sticks to the walls and multiplies. It then travels up the urethra to the bladder causing inflammation and infection.

Women who use tampons are more susceptible to bacterial cystitis than women who use pads. The chemicals from tampons can irritate the delicate lining of the vagina, encouraging inflammation and bacterial infection which then travels to the urethra. Furthermore, the string on a tampon can act like the fuse on a stick of dynamite: providing bacteria with easy access to the body.

Non-bacterial or non-infective cystitis is normally caused by bruising or irritation. This type of cystitis is often nicknamed ‘honeymoon cystitis’ because sex can irritate or bruise the entrance to the urethra, causing inflammation. This inflammation can also make infection more likely. Sex can also cause infectious cystitis; when body fluids are mixed, bacteria can more easily be transferred to the urinary tract.

Other causes of non-bacterial cystitis include: chemical irritants, including soaps and bubble baths. Even swimming pool chlorine can irritate the delicate lining of the urethra. Vibrations, such as riding a motorcycle, can also cause bruising, which leads to symptoms of cystitis. Drinking too little can make the urine over concentrated, causing irritation of the urethra and the bladder, which is never properly emptied. Some foods can also irritate the bladder and the urethra, including spicy foods, alcohol, strong coffee and any foods to which you may be allergic. Fresh fruit juice is also highly acidic, which can cause irritation in some people.

Some women experience cystitis during pregnancy because the urethra is relaxed by the extra progesterone produced by the body. In later pregnancy, urine can remain trapped in the bladder due to the size of the expanding foetus, also causing inflammation.

Cystitis is also more common around the menopause because, as oestrogen levels fall, the walls of the vagina become thinner and the walls of the urethra shrink, encouraging bacterial infection and making women more susceptible to irritants.

THE NATURAL APPROACH

Using your diet

Eating healthily will help to boost your immunity and encourage your body to overcome infection. In particular, pay attention to the following, which will help to kill off the bad bacteria, as well as restore balance in your system.

Avoid acidity
Acidic foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, alcohol, sugar, meat, spicy foods and undiluted citrus juices, can trigger cystitis, so if you are prone to the infection try to avoid them, and if you are overcoming an infection eliminate them from your diet completely. Instead, six to eight glasses of pure, filtered or mineral water every day to help dilute the acid in your urine.

Drink barley water
Barley water makes a great anti-inflammatory agent for the urinary system. Buy whole barley, put 1.5oz (40g) in 2 pints (1.2 litres) water, boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add a slice of lemon or the juice of one lemon and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then sip the water throughout the day.

Eat live yogurt Organic
Live natural yogurt contains lots of beneficial bacteria to help recolonize your system, especially if you have been taking antibiotics.

Avoid all sugar
Sugar feeds bacteria and weakens your immune system. Avoid anything with sugar in it – this includes not only obvious sugar products, such as sweets and chocolate, but also refined carbohydrates, such as white flour (which is found in cakes, pastries, bread and so on), and sauces such as tomato ketchup.

Drink cranberry juice
As long as it is unsweetened, unpasteurized and wholly natural, cranberry juice will help overcome cystitis because cranberries are high in substances called proanthocyanidins. These prevent the E coli bacteria from attaching themselves to the mucus lining of the bladder and urethra. If they can’t attach, they can’t multiply and this means they simply get washed away in your urine. You can use cranberry juice as a preventative, if you are prone to bouts of cystitis. However, do make sure that it is unsweetened, unpasteurized natural cranberry. Or, take a powdered cranberry supplement, or eat handfuls of the fresh fruit if you prefer.

Eat garlic
A wonderful, natural medicine, immune-boosting garlic helps eliminate the E coli bacteria, along with others indicated in cystitis. Raw garlic is much more effective than cooked, so chop it finely and sprinkle it over salads or in dressings; or eat whole cloves if you can bear it. Alternatively, take it as a supplement.

Supplements

Bromelain (500mg, three times daily between meals) This is a digestive enzyme that is found naturally in pineapple and papaya. It has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe cystitis.

Vitamin C (500mg, four times daily during infection) Studies show that immune-boosting vitamin C can prevent E coli from multiplying and taking hold. Take the supplement as magnesium or calcium ascorbate, which is less acidic than ascorbic acid.

Beta carotene (25,000iu dialy) The precursor to vitamin A, beta carotene is a potent antioxidant that can help your cells fight infection.

Zinc (30mg daily) This is another important antioxidant that can help prevent an infection.

Probiotics (22 billion bacteria, daily) Live yogurt contains lactobacillus acidophilus (healthy bacteria), but the concentration of bacteria in live yogurt is quite thin, so for the best levels of protection against infection eat yogurt and take a supplement.

For more assistance, make an appointment with a Nutritionist at Glenville Nutrition Clinic.

Why Is Vitamin D Crucial For Brain Health?

We have known for many years that Vitamin D is important for bone health and in the prevention of osteoporosis. However, it is only in recent years that we have realised how important this nutrient is for general health and, particularly, for brain health. Here are just some of the main benefits of vitamin D:

• It plays a major role in breast and bowel cancer prevention
• It is important for your immune function, particularly when you need to fight off colds and flus
• It helps protect your body against conditions as diverse as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, joint pain, dementia, infertility, autism, and allergies
• It reduces the risk of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Vitamin D also balances your immune function (if you have an autoimmune problem, it’s especially important to have your vitamin D levels tested), helps control inflammation, has antioxidant properties, and helps to control beta-amyloid plaque build-up. All these benefits are important for your brain health, so getting your levels exactly right is crucial if you are to benefit from them.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiencies have also been implicated in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease. We get most of our vitamin D quota from sunlight because natural food sources are few. Those most at risk of vitamin D deficiency are those who:

• Don’t go out much in the daytime
• Don’t expose their skin to sunlight
• Constantly wear make-up or cosmetics with built-in sun protection factors

The tone of your skin affects vitamin D production, so the darker your skin, the less your body produces vitamin D. Covering up large area of skin for religious reasons also reduces vitamin D production. It is estimated that we need about 30 minutes exposure to the sun every day to produce enough vitamin D to keep us healthy.

If you are moderately deficient in vitamin D, you have a 53% increased risk of dementia, and your risk of increases by 125% if you are severely deficient. With Alzheimer’s, one study found that those who were moderately deficient had a 69% increased risk, and the risk increased to 122% in those who were severely deficient.

This research showed evidence that these seem to be a threshold level in the blood below which the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s increases. Levels above 50 nmol/L are the most strongly associated with good brain health. However, I think a level between 80 – 100 nmol/L gives the best overall effect on general health, and this is the level I get my patients to aim for in my clinic.

How To Know If You’re Vitamin D Deficient

A question lots of people ask me when I give talks, is how much vitamin D should I take? The answer, of course, is that it depends on the level of your deficiency. For this reason, I now recommend that everyone gets their vitamin D levels checked, given this nutrient’s far-reaching health benefits, and then supplement to get the level back to normal. We have had instances in the clinics where the lab has even phoned to say there was no vitamin D detected at all.

There is, though, such a thing as too much vitamin D. A vitamin D level that is too low (less then 10nmol/L) increases the risk of all-cause mortality (dying of any cause) – but the same is true if your vitamin D levels are too high (more than 140 nmol/L). That’s why it’s important to get tested regularly, at the clinic we use this test that can be done via the post.

What Vitamin D To Choose?

Choose vitamin D in the form of D3, also called cholecalciferol. There is a cheaper form, called D2 (ergocalciferol), but research suggests that vitamin D3 is 87% more effective at raising and maintaining your vitamin D levels than vitamin D2. Researchers have said that ‘the assumption that vitamins D2 and D3 have equal nutritional value is probably wrong and should be reconsidered.’ Most people (especially older people) do not convert vitamin D2 to the active form that their bodies can use efficiently so it is best to speak to one of our nutritionists for advice.

A Beginner’s Brain Breakdown

woman looking down to the title of beggings brain breakdown in purple box with a colourful brain painting behind her head

The terms dementia and Alzheimer’s are often used interchangeably but dementia is actually an umbrella term for up to 100 different types of disease, of which Alzheimer’ is just one of them. What’s more, a person can suffer from more than one form of dementia at any one time and that’s because our brain – though all connected – has different parts which all serve different functions.

The type of dementia a person suffers from depends upon which brain function has become impaired – that is, which part of the brain has become diseased. You can start to spot early signs of dementia or disease by identifying the impairments. The main parts of the brain and their functions are:

The Brain Stem

At the base of the brain, this area controls your automatic body functions such as heartbeat and breathing.

The Cerebellum

Is responsible for your balance and posture

The Limbic System

Lies deep inside the brain, includes the hippocampus (the key to your memory) and the amygdala (which plays a role in your emotional health)

The Cerebrum

Compromises the cerebral hemispheres that make up three quarters of the whole brain. The cerebrum is responsible for consciousness, memory, reasoning, language, and social skills. The left cerebral hemisphere is responsible for language; while the right governs our understanding of where we are in relation to the things around us.

The Cortex

Is a thin layer of grey matter covering the cerebrum and containing billions of brain cells. Beneath the grey matter of the cortex is white matter, which is made up of bundles of nerve fibres. These fibres transport nerve signals between parts of the cortex and from the cortex to other parts of the brain.

The Lobes

Which are located in the cerebrum. There are four lobes in each cerebral hemisphere (right and left) with each one having its own vital role to play, as well as working in conjunction with the other lobes:

The Occipital Lobe – at the back of the brain deals with visual information

The Parietal Lobe – in the upper rear part of the cerebrum, handles information from your other senses and enables you to know how to pick up a fork to eat with, or to put one leg in front of the other to walk. You use your left parietal lobe to read, write and process numbers while your right parietal lobe helps you recognise objects as being three-dimensional.

The Temporal Lobe – on either side of your brain (near your temples), these are themselves divided into sections that govern different brain functions including the hippocampus (crucial for forming new memories) which lies inside the temporal lobes, as well as the outer part of the temporal lobe which is where you store your general knowledge or semantic memory. Again, within the semantic memory, the different sides of the brain (left and right) have different functions. The left side stores facts, word meanings and names of objects while the right stores the visual memories that help you recognise familiar faces and objects.

The Frontal Lobe – forms the large and complex management centre of your brain, helping you to solve problems and make decisions. You use this management centre to follow the steps of a familiar task as well as it helping to keep you focused to complete the task, learn a new one or develop complex skills until they become automatic – like learning to drive.

The reason it’s important to recognise the different areas of the brain, especially when it comes to dementia, is you can notice when something is not quite right with a particular function; for example, if your memory is not what it used to be or if you are feeling more reluctant to engage with life or socialising.

Frontotemporal dementia is the second most common cause of dementia in the under 65’s, but less common in older people. This is caused when abnormal proteins prevent the brain cells from communicating with each other as they should. One-third of cases are thought to be genetic. Symptoms may include personality changes, repetitive behaviour, changes in appetite and difficulties with decision making, problem-solving and concentration.
This form of dementia may be confused with depression, psychosis, or obsessive-compulsive behaviour.

As a nutrition clinic, the aspect of self-care in preventing dementia we are most interested in is, of course, diet – and we believe that what you eat can have a huge impact on the health of your brain.