Different coloured vegetables and fruits

How important is it to eat different coloured vegetables and fruits?  

There is a good reason why it is recommended to eat a rainbow of different coloured fruits and vegetables each day. Each different coloured vegetable provides a range of phytochemical (plant nutrients)

Red fruits and vegetables are coloured by natural plant pigments called "lycopene" or "anthocyanins." Lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit, for example, may help reduce risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Lycopene is found in tomatoes.

Anthocyanins in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes and other fruits and vegetables act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. Antioxidants are linked with keeping our hearts healthy, too.

Orange/yellow fruits and vegetables are usually coloured by natural plant pigments called "carotenoids." Beta-carotene in sweet potatoes, pumpkins and carrots is converted to vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy mucous membranes and healthy eyes.

Green fruits and vegetables are coloured by natural plant pigment called "chlorophyll." Spinach, green peppers, peas, cucumber and celery also contain lutein. Lutein may help protect the eyes from developing age-related macular degeneration and cataracts

Blue/purple fruits and vegetables are coloured by natural plant pigments called "anthocyanins." Anthocyanins in blueberries, grapes and raisins act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. They may help reduce risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease.

White fruits and vegetables are coloured by pigments called "anthoxanthins." They may contain health-promoting chemicals such as allicin, which may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and may help reduce risk of stomach cancer and heart disease.

People who eat more generous amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including strokes, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps heart disease and high blood pressure.

The Food Remedy for gout

I have previously suffered from gout, Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future?  

Gout is a condition that causes pain, inflammation and swelling in the joints. The condition is due to high levels of uric acid in the blood, leading to the deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint tissue. Uric acid is normally a harmless waste product which is produced by the body when it breaks down a substance called purines.

Diets which are high in purines and high in protein have been long suspected of causing and increasing the risk of gout. This is because purine foods increase levels of uric acid in the bloodstream which contributes to gout. Studies show that when purine foods are eliminated from the diet incidents of gout decrease.

Treatment is therefore aimed at controlling uric acid in the blood and involves weight loss where appropriate. Long term goals should be focused on nutrition and reducing susceptibility to recurring flare ups. Although food sources only account for between 10-29% of uric acid in the body diet can reduce levels enough to prevent crystallization.

*This includes reducing/avoiding food high in purines. I.e. offal, herring, mussels, yeast brewers and bakers, sardines, sweet bread, shellfish, mackerel, anchovies, fish roe and game.

*Avoid fried food and food high in saturated fats (most fast foods and pre-packaged ready meals)

*Focus on eating a high fibre mainly vegetarian diet, this help creates a alkaline environment in the body and increasing uric acid solubility and it also helps reduce body fat, as excess weight (obesity) can also raise uric acid levels

*Focus on food low in purines such as rice, millet, avocadoes, green vegetables, goats milk and yogurt, eggs and non-citrus fruits, alpha sprout, celery these all help to clear uric acid.

*avoid crash/ fad/ high protein diets as rapid weight loss can often make gout worse.

*Remember to drink water at regular intervals during the day as this helps the body excrete uric acid

*Eat a variety of berries daily. Cherries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries and hawthorn berries. This is because berries contain anthocyanidins which have potent anti-inflammatory properties which help neutralise excess acidity including uric acid.

*Include omega 3 essential fatty acids found in salmon, seeds, seed oil, walnuts and rapeseed oils, these could help reduce inflammation and may also help prevent further attacks of gout whilst providing the body with essential nutrients.

*Take light aerobic exercise such as swimming/walking this helps increase circulation which helps the body eliminate toxins quicker. Start off gently even 15 minutes a day is of benefit.

*Alcohol should be eliminated or dramatically reduced; beer in particular contains high levels of purines in addition to alcohol.

*Bromelain found in pineapples has a wonderful anti inflammatory effect in the body

Including fresh pineapple could be of great benefit.

Eat to prevent Type two Diabetes

Both my mother, grandmother and brother have developed type two diabetes, Is it genetic and is there anything that I can do to prevent me from developing it?  

Type two diabetes is believed to be a multi-factorial disease; this means that it is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. It’s possible that people with a family history of the disease are at higher risk of developing because they are likely to share similar environments and dietary patterns.

Research has found that you are at a higher risk of developing type two diabetes if you have any of the following conditions obesity, suffer from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and are physical inactivity.

Type two diabetes occurs when you have too much sugar in your blood. This can happen if a person eats too much sugar or high Glycemic Load foods, or because their insulin isn’t working properly. As soon as your blood sugar goes too high the body pumps insulin into the bloodstream which gets the excess out as fast as possible, converting much of it into fat.

If you don’t make enough insulin, or you are ‘insulin resistant’ your blood sugar (glucose) level stays too high. This is problematic as glucose in large amounts can be toxic. It has the potential to damage arteries, brain cells, kidneys and the eyes. Glucose also feeds infections, chronic inflammation and promotes the formation of blood clots; some 80 % of people with diabetes die from cardiovascular disease.

To help lower your risk eating a low Glycemic load diet is helpful. This is because when you eat low Glycemic load food you need to make less insulin to keep your blood sugar level stable, and to naturally improve your sensitivity to insulin so you need less insulin to get the job done. There is a wide range of studies that now concur that a low GL Load diet helps to improve blood sugar balance and makes you less insulin-resistant. These are well summarised in a review article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.(1)

A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine put volunteers onto one of three diets:

1. A conventional low-calorie, low-fat diet,

2. A Mediterranean diet, low glycemic carbohydrates, moderate protein, high in fibre and monounsaturated fats,

3 A high-protein high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, similar to the Atkins diet, but emphasising vegetarian sources of protein rather than meat and dairy products. (2)

The Mediterranean diet was the most effective for diabetes, it significantly lowered glucose levels in diabetics. It stands to reason that this would therefore be helpful as a preventative measure too.

A low Glycemic load diet focuses on eating slow-releasing carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein.

A days eating in the low GL way could be

Breakfast – poached eggs on wholegrain bread with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms

Snack   - total 0% fat Greek yogurt and a pear

Lunch – chicken breast with new boiled potatoes in their own skin and salad

Snack - hummus with cucumber and celery

Dinner - salmon, wild rice and green vegetables

1. D S Ludwig, ‘The Glycemic Index’, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002, vol 287 (18), pp 2414–23

2. Shai et al, ‘Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial’, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008, vol 359 (3), pp 229-241

Preparing for pregnancy

My partner and I are planning to start a family next year, other than folic acid is there anything else I need to do to prepare my body for pregnancy?

There are a number of nutritional measures that can be undertaken to enhance the chance of conception. Many studies have found that a better diet and lifestyle can boost the chance of conceiving, one study carried out by the University of Surrey found that diet and lifestyle changes could enhance the chance of conception by up to 80 per cent!

It takes at least three months for immature eggs (oocytes) to mature enough to be released during ovulation. It also takes at least three months for sperm cells to develop, ready to be ejaculated. When you are preparing your body for pregnancy, it’s beneficial to have a three-month preparation period before trying to conceiving. This is called 'pre-conception care' and it's as important to take as much care during this period as it is during a pregnancy itself.

Here are five simple steps to help prepare your body for a baby.

1. The first place to start is to look at your current weight, are you a healthy weight for your height. Research has highlighted that women who are overweight or underweight at the time they fall pregnant are at greater risk of experiencing problems in pregnancy, than women of a healthy weight. If you are either above or bellow a healthy weight it is advisable to reach a healthy weight before trying to conceive.

2. Eat a healthy well balanced diet with a range of different foods to ensure the widest range of natural nutrients.

Include:-

-Low glycemic load carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, wholegrain bread, basmati rice, vegetables and fruit.

-Healthy amount of protein ideally from organic or grass fed animals, eggs, nuts, seeds, eggs and legumes.

-Healthy fats, by ideally eating two servings of oily fish per week and a small handful of mixed seeds/nuts per day.

3. Drink plenty of water. Water is essential for hormone balance and helps nutrients travel to your organs including your reproductive organs, it is also important in the removal of toxins. Eliminate or severely reduce caffeine. Drinking more than 300mg is linked to a higher rate of miscarriages. Men aren’t immune either and studies indicate that problems with sperm health increase with caffeine consumption.

2. Eat at least five portions of vegetables/fruit a day. Fruit and vegetables help supply your body with valuable vitamins, mineral and antioxidants as well as fibre. A study of a thousand pregnant women found those who ate 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day were 46% less likely to miscarry so this is a habit that you want to develop early. Fruit and vegetables also supply vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and studies show that it could protect against DNA damage.

3. Eat high fiber foods. Fiber is important as it helps to keep the reproductive system in optimal condition as it clears out toxins and old hormone residue. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seed, wholegrain bread, oats, quinoa, basmati rice, these are also packed with fertility boosting nutrients such as zinc, selenium and many B vitamins

4. Stop drinking and smoking, Research has shown that in men alcohol can cause a decrease in sperm count, lowering proportions of motile sperm and increasing chances of abnormal sperm. In women it could affect her ovulating or decrease her egg quality. Alcohol is also classed as an anti-nutrient so, as well as causing the loss of nutrients, it can block the absorption of them.

5. Zinc is essential for conception; deficiencies in zinc can impair both male and female fertility. It is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency could potentially cause chromosome changes, leading to reduced fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage. Zinc is essential for the female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. It is also required to make the outer layer and tail of the sperm its essential for the health sperm and, subsequently a healthy baby. Zinc is found in almonds, fish, beans, yogurt, corn, eggs and peas.

Food to help heal bones

Q. I have broken my leg and want to make sure I eat enough protein to mend it fast, could you tell me what foods I need to include?A. Good nutrition is one of the important influences on fracture healing. The healing time for broken bones is influenced by a number of variables and good nutrition will certainly have a huge impact.

It is well documented that calcium is essential for bone health; calcium improves bone density and can also reduce the risk of fractures. One of the key roles of calcium in the body is to act as a neutraliser. When you eat too much acid food – such as protein – your body calls up calcium reserves from the bones to counteract the acidity, too much acid is neutralised by the bodies’ release of calcium, an alkane mineral that is stored in your bones.

The best way to make your diet more alkaline is to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables each day, and choose good quality animal protein such as fish or eggs. Avoid caffeine and soft drinks as caffeine causes the loss of calcium, and soft drinks will also cause a leaching effect from your bones as they are high in phosphorus.

There's no doubt that calcium is imperative to build up and maintain the strength of our bones, but high levels in our diets or in supplements do not necessarily mean that the calcium is actually reaching our bones. When we consume calcium we need both stomach acid and vitamin D in order to absorb calcium properly. Many other nutrients are similarly critical for healthy bones, and these include magnesium, vitamin C vitamin D, zinc and boron. This is why it is imperative not to focus exclusively on calcium, but to take a range of nutrients that are important for the bones.

Magnesium, helps to metabolise calcium and in turn converts vitamin D – which helps regulates calcium absorption and excretion, especially when calcium intake is low – to the active form necessary to ensure that calcium is efficiently absorbed. Richest food source include - curly kale, broccoli, spinach, okra, peas, brown rice, quinoa, oatcakes, figs, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, prawns and lentils. Vitamin C is important in the manufacture of collagen, the 'cement’ that holds the bone matrix together. Richest food source: Citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, black currants, berries, tomatoes and peppers. Vitamin D is important for proper calcium metabolism and low levels have been shown to reduce bone density. Richest food source: Oily fish, egg yolk, molasses, wheat germ, broccoli and kelp (vitamin D is also formed by the skin from UV sunlight). Zinc is needed for the proper formation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, the two cells which are essential for bone repair. Richest food sources include - peas, chickpeas, prawns, squid, chicken, turkey, lean red meat, white fish, oatcakes, oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat noodles, pine nuts, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, crab, lobster and sardines. Boron, a trace mineral, is also needed as it plays a crucial part in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. Richest food sources of boron: include pears, prunes, pulses, raisins, tomatoes, and apples.

Once the plaster cast is removed, usually after approx 6 weeks, Mobilization, i.e. weight bearing exercises and isometric exercises should be undertaken to ensure that healing and strengthening continues.