You can’t eat that you’re a nutritionist!!

You can’t eat that you’re a nutritionist!!

I have a confession, well not really a confession but something that seems to surprise people, I eat chocolate! I love chocolate, I also eat cake, Chinese, pizza and a whole host of other things that are on the whole not particularly nourishing .

I am after all a human, I am by trade a nutritionist and I’ve spent years studying biochemistry, human biology and nutrients, so….. I also know exactly what happens when I eat these foods!

I don’t however eat them every day – anymore! I used to; during my teens and early twenties I had a somewhat distorted view and relationship with food. I read every diet book going, attended any diet group or class I could and generally felt very very confused about what to eat because every diet seemed to have different rules, you can eat fruit in abundance on one yet it was the route of all evil on the next! Oh the confusion, all I wanted was to be slim! Why was it so complicated!

Years of yo-yo dieting and a growing list of health complications (IBS, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, suspected pernicious anaemia, anaemia etc) left me realising I needed to know more about how food was affecting my health - So I did what any normal person would do I retrained as a nutritionist!

What I learnt is that it’s what we eat every day that has the biggest effect on our health not what we do once in a while. I also learnt what certain foods do to the body and was shocked to find that the diets I had been following were likely to be directly responsible for some of the health conditions I was experiencing and completely responsible for the cravings I was having!

It’s been quite some time now that I qualified and I’m please to say that my relationship with food is now one of a healthy nature, I no longer eat chocolate for breakfast (Eater Sunday was different ok?!) or starve myself, but I so still eat chocolate and processed crap from time to time.

If you have rules and restrictions on the food that you can and cannot eat for anything other than allergies or health conditions in my view you are going into dangerous territory.

Food is fuel, food is nourishment, but food is also a social activity and this doesn’t need to mean that it’s unhealthy. I truly believe that there are times when a packet of crisps is just what is needed, yes of course you could go and have crunchy carrots and hummus or unsalted nuts but please its ok to eat a little what you fancy now and again. Less judgment is needed amongst fellow humans these days, so if you see me munching on crisps of eating chocolates don’t judge come and say Hi I’m happy to share.

My view is food is the remedy not the enemy, we don’t need to fear food, whilst I believe we should pick foods that nourish our body daily its ok to eat foods that nourish your soul every now and again too!

If you are struggling with your diet, or fed up of dieting and want shape up, slim down or just stop feeling crazing around food, I can help you, I offer one to one coaching around mindset, body image and self love aswell as one to one nutrition advice!

For more information please email me on Kirsten@thefoodremedy.co.uk or call me on 07780007361,

Ditch the diet mentality and remember food is a remedy not the enemy.

The Food Remedy - Chickpeas

Chickpeas Chickpeas or garbanzos are delicious and nutritious round bean that is popular in central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It’s also available in a flour and is the main ingredient in hummus.

Cholesterol and a Healthy heart

Chickpeas, are rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that helps excrete bile, which contains cholesterol, and ships it out of the body. Research suggests that regular intake of Chickpeas can lower LDL (bad) and total cholesterol. They also contain the significant amounts of folate and magnesium. Folate lowers the levels of the amino acid, homocysteine and strengthens the blood vessels. Studies have found chickpeas could lower the risk of heart attack.

Digestive disorders

Research studies have shown that insoluble fiber not only helps to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation, but also helps prevent digestive disorders. Chickpeas contain good amounts of the fibre.

Vegetarian and Vegans

Chickpeas are a good source of vegan protein. However it is considered an ‘incomplete’ protein as it does not contain all the 9 essential amino acids, Chickpeas lack the essential amino acid methionine and whole grains lack lysine. However when vegetarian and vegans combine things like hummus and whole meal pitta bread this produces a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.

Weight Loss

Chickpeas have a low GI value which means the carbohydrate in them is broken down and digested slowly. The low GI and the high fiber content are excellent for weight loss as they keep you full longer and help controlling the appetite.

How to eat them

Chickpeas are delicious addition to salads can be mashed and made into falafels, vegetarian burgers, or blended and made into hummus.

The Food Remedy - Ginger

GINGER 

Scented, strong and spicy, ginger adds a special flavor and zest to dishes from warming teas to cakes right through to stir fries. The health properties of ginger are vast and widely researched.  Ginger is available in various forms including whole fresh roots, dried roots, powdered ginger, crystallised ginger and pickled ginger.  The root, is the part of the plant most widely used in alternative forms of medicine, is rich in volatile oils that contain the active component gingerol.

Ginger has broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name just several of its more than 40 pharmacological actions

Ginger also contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly as it appears to reduce inflammation in a similar way to aspirin and ibuprofen . Gingerols inhibit the formation of inflammatory cytokines; chemical messengers of the immune system. It is also a valuable source of pain relief for those who suffer from menstrual pain, headaches, and other inflammatory diseases.

Ginger is a thermogenic substance with beneficial impacts on metabolism and fat storage

Ginger contains chromium, magnesium and zinc which can help to improve blood flow and assist in the maintenance of normal blood circulation, as well as help prevent chills, fever, and excessive sweat. As well as encourage increased and prolonged erectile function!

Ginger improves the absorption and stimulation of essential nutrients in the body. It does this by stimulating gastric and pancreatic enzyme secretion.

How to peal ginger.

Hold a piece of ginger root firmly in one hand and the bowl of a metal spoon firmly in the other hand. Scrape the edge of the spoon against the ginger to peel off the skin. Work your way around the ginger root, peeling only as much as you think you will use.

Always store ginger with the peel on as it lasts longer.

The Food Remedy, Health benefits of Cucumber

Cucumber 

Cucumbers are one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world and known to be one of the best foods for your body's overall health.  They have many benefits from assisting you digestive system, to easing acid reflux and research also suggests that it may help prevent some types of cancers.

Digestive Health

Cucumber skins contain insoluble fiber, which helps add bulk to your stool and helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination.

Cancers 

Cucumber contain three lignans - lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer. They also contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which research has found could possess anti-cancer properties

Diabetes

Cucumber juice contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin which is believed to be beneficial to diabetic patients.

Heart health

Cucumber contain plant sterols which are well documented for there ability in helping reduce cholesterol levels. They also contain a lot of potassium, magnesium and fibre, that work together to help regulating blood pressure. This makes cucumbers good for treating both low blood pressure and high blood pressure.

Stress

Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and helping ease some of the damaging effects of stress.

Cucumbers are great in salad, in stir fries or eaten with dips as a nutritious snack.

Delicious and Nutritious Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Lucy Bees Raw, Virgin coconut butter
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1kg pumpkins or squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
• 700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 200ml of full fat Coconut milk
• handful of pumpkin seed

Method

1. Heat 2tbsp of coconut butter in a saucepan, add 2 finely chopped onions cook for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured.
2. Add pumpkin, then carry on cooking for 8 mins, stirring occasionally until pumpkin starts to soften
3. Add the stock and season with mixed herbs and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft.
4. Add the coconut milk into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender.
5. When the soup is ready top with pumpkin seeds

The soup can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Food remedies

Pumpkin is a great source of beta-carotene, which helps protects the body from damaging molecules called free radicals. Free radicals damage cells through a process known as oxidation. Over time, this damage could lead to a number of chronic illnesses. There is evidence that eating more antioxidants foods helps boost your immune system, protect against free radicals, and may lower your risk of heart disease

Pumkin in rich in B-complex and minerals like copper, calcium, potassium & phosphorus good source of dietary fiber & mono-unsaturated fatty acids

Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of tryptophan is converted by the body into the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. The body cannot produce tryptophan so we need to get enough through our diets, if we don’t we could suffer from a deficiency leading to low serotonin levels which are associated with mood disorders, anxiety and carbohydrate cravings.

Both Coconut and Pumkin have anti-inflammatory anti-fungal & anti-parasitic properties.