A few healthy snack ideas for you. How about reaching for…
Just to let you know that we can now measure HBA1C from a finger prick test at home, so if you want to see how at risk you are of Type 2 diabetes or monitor your blood sugar, this is a good choice. It is also useful to monitor whether a low GL diet is necessary for you to lose weight, especially around the tummy, and to check how a low GL diet is going. Cost is £99. Ask for more info if you think it might help you.
A recent study compared the effect of valerian with a placebo on sleep quality and symptom severity in people with restless leg syndrome (RLS). The study concluded that the use of valerian for 8 weeks improved the symptoms of RLS and decreased daytime sleepiness. Cuellar NG, Ratcliffe SJ. Does Valerian improve Sleepiness and Symptom Severity in People with Restless Leg Syndrome? Alternative Therapies. Mar/Apr 2009, Vol. 15, No.2; 22-28.
The introduction of charges for single use plastic carrier bags has been a big success. Since charging 5p a bag & using incentives M&S say the number of bags taken home has fallen 80% from 460million a year in UK to 80m. The National Trust now charges 5p per bag & has reduced plastic bags given out by 85%. Tesco’s had a 50% reduction. Sainsburys did not reveal their figures. Guardian 1.5.09
A new study by scientists in Germany shows that organically grown apples have a 15% higher antioxidant capacity than conventionally produced apples, reports FoodNavigator.com.
The findings of the new survey are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and build on evidence from a number of studies showing significant nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food.
The study compared the polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of Golden Delicious apples grown under organic and conventional conditions over a three year period (2004-2006). It found that antioxidant capacity was 15% higher in the organic fruit. NPN May 09
Just 8% of 100 breakfast cereals tested recently by Which? received a green light for healthy sugar levels. Some were so sugary they were indistinguishable from confectionery, said the consumer body.
31 cereals out of the 100 compared in Going Against the Grain contained more than four teaspoons of sugar per recommended serving and only one of the 28 cereals specifically marketed to children was found not to be high in sugar (but was still high in salt).
Morrisons Choco Crackles topped the sweet mountain with more sugar per serving than a Cadbury’s Chocolate Flake, followed closely by Kellogg’s Coco Pops Moons and Stars, Frosties and Ricicles which were over a third (37 per cent) pure sugar.
Many brands positioned as healthy, such as Kellogg’s All Bran, Bran Flakes and Special K did little to bowl over Which? researchers. Starting the day with Special K, it says, would be almost the sugar equivalent to waking up to a bowl of Tesco’s Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Ice Cream. (Ed’s note – haven’t I always said that!!) NPN May 09
Unsurprisingly, porridge comes out top. To read the full report on the Which? Website, click http://www.which.co.uk/static/html/pdfs/cereals_report.pdf
A new study from researchers in Egypt and published in the medical journal Acta Paediatrica has found that a combination supplement containing omega 3, vitamin C and zinc may help to improve symptoms of asthma. The trial was a randomised, double blind, placebo-self-controlled crossover trial, which involved 60 children with an average age of 8 with moderate persistent asthma. The children were randomly assigned to alternating phases of supplementation with omega 3 (1000mg oil containing about 30% EPA/DHA), zinc (15mg) and vitamin C (200mg).
Researchers found that this combination of nutrients were associated with improvements in asthma measures, lung function and markers of inflammation in the lungs. They believe that both the anti-inflammatory effects of omega 3 and zinc, and the antioxidant capabilities of vitamin C may be responsible for these positive effects. They also said that zinc may work via different mechanisms, including the regulation of T-cell lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s allergy response. Nutri News May 09
I have been watching the media hype about the supposed pandemic the last few days. It seems like, hopefully, it will be a storm in a teacup, although not for those who have already got it, of course. It did make me think about how we make sure our immune system’s are healthy, though, to avoid being ‘at risk’. First, here is a reassuring quote from New Scientist:
“The chances of dying from this pandemic are smaller than being killed by lightning, a shark attack, moose attack, hippopotamus attack, an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or something as mundane as taking a bath or shower.” Joe Sheehy, New Scientist Magazine
And now a quick bit from the Ecologist which puts it into context a bit:
“A healthy, well-fed middle class individual is unlikely to succumb. A poverty stricken individual, perhaps working on an industrial hog farm, or who may be undernourished and living in conditions which put them at a greater disadvantage, immunologically speaking, may well be at greater risk of complications such as pneumonia and therefore of death.
While it is believed that the H1N1 strain responds well to anti-virals like Tamiflu and Relenza, the catch is you need to start taking these drugs within two days of the start of the illness, when many people may not necessarily be able to tell if they have a cold or the flu.
There are many unknowns about this current outbreak. Should the virus travel around the world it may well mutate. But how it will mutate is completely unpredictable. It may, for instance, become easier to pass on from human to human, but milder. It may become harder to pass on from human to human, but more virulent. It may vanish altogether over the summer.
What a public already stressed by economic and environmental gloom don’t need is to have the flame of a collective panic and anxiety about life in general fanned by out-of-proportion reports about a pandemic, when all we appear to have so far is a mild self-limiting outbreak that may disappear by itself.
The most productive thing the great British ‘worried well’ can do right now – apart, perhaps, from not travelling to Mexico or taking any day trips to industrial pig farms – is to remember to wash their hands, eat sensibly, sleep well. Given the well documented deleterious effects of stress and anxiety on human immune function it may also be wise to, if not cut out, then at least cut back on their daily diet of shock-horror news reports. Pat Thomas, Editor of the Ecologist
It did get me thinking though about what I would do top-up my immunity. So, I thought I would share my ideas with you. As it says above, avoid stress, get enough sleep and wash your hands well. In addition, I would get a walk in the daylight every day to top up my Vitamin D levels and take a good multivitamin and mineral that contains Vitamin D as it is antiviral. (Some experts reckon that we get more flu and other viruses in the Winter because of the lack of daylight and consequently the lack of vitamin D – makes you think!).
I would also start taking beta glucans. These are relatively new to the nutrition scene and come from a yeast called Saccharomyces Boulardii. There is a lot of exciting research coming out about the immunity potential of the beta glucans – enough to convince me they are worth taking if you have poor immunity or you need to protect yourself from viral attack. I have used them successfully already in people that have tested with low SIgA gut levels, which shows a poor immunity. Secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is the main immune marker in the mucus of the body and helps to prevent viruses and bacteria from taking hold and protects us from food residue and therefore allergy problems. Low SIgA levels are surprisingly common and reflect a poor level of immunity. In fact, it may be a good idea to have this test done to check your own immunity. It’s a simple home stool test and costs just £44. Beta glucans are known to help raise the SIgA levels again and therefore enhance your immunity against viruses in particular. There is some debate about the best type to take so I’m looking at it and will advise which products I think are best.
Other steps would be to eat plenty of garlic, get plenty of vitamin C and zinc in fruit, seeds or supplements, and take a natural antiviral product like lauric acid or olive leaf. I shall have my stocks at the ready…please ask if you need more help.
Did any of you see the TV Programme Professor Regan’s Diet Clinic recently where they discussed food supplements etc? As a rule, I don’t bother watching these much nowadays as I know they will be misleading. I am getting cynical in my old age and often wonder who puts up the money to fund such programmes. I find you can invariably predict what conclusions they will come to which doesn’t really make for useful TV. Anyway, enough of my ranting! If you saw it, you will have seen a 2 minute slot where a panel discussed whether you needed to take supplements or not. I will say straight away that I would much prefer we didn’t take supplements, but experience over the years has sadly shown me that a) people don’t eat well enough to nourish themselves against today’s lifestyle and pollution levels and b) even if they did, the foods are grown in poor soils, sprayed, artificially ripened or processed and stored for so long they are not very nourishing even if we do choose good food. A sorry state of affairs, but unfortunately true.
However, on that panel in the programme was Dr Marilyn Glenville. I thought her response to it was useful so I repeat it here:
Professor Regan’s diet clinic
It was a shame that the section only lasted a couple of minutes as we spent the whole afternoon debating the topic and they said it would be a 15 minute slot. But such is the nature of television.
I wanted to share a number of comments I have about the programme as a whole. The emphasis on the programme was one of having scientific rigour and strict guidelines about which evidence would be accepted and which would not. And I totally agree with this which is why my books are backed up by all the scientific references and listed at the back of each book. It was then amusing to see at the very start of the programme that volunteers were given a pill, told they were pills to help with weight loss but were in fact placebos, and also asked to exercise and follow a healthy diet and when they lost weight then stated that the placebo ‘works’.
For this to be scientifically studied, the volunteers should have just been given the pills, told they were to help weight loss and then told to carry on with their lives the same as normal, eat the same and exercise the same, so nothing else changed except the pills. If they then lost weight, it would be valid to say that the placebo worked. Otherwise the test was a nonsense.
My other area of concern was two women who took food supplements on a daily basis had their diets analysed and were told they did not need to take supplements as they were getting enough nutrients from their diet. The problem is that the analysis was done from food charts which show the breakdown of nutrients in those foods. It was not done by analysing the actual food the women were eating. It is well known that we have a problem with the food we eat in that it does not contain the nutrients it should have. Compared to the 1930s, fruits and vegetables are depleted in minerals by an average of 20% including magnesium by 24%, calcium by 46%, iron by 27% and zinc by 59%. And it even affects meat and dairy foods e.g. iron in meat is depleted by 47%, iron in milk by over 60%, calcium loss in cheese 15% and Parmesan cheese 70%. (The Independent Food Commission’s Food Magazine 2005).
Other tests have shown that just by buying the cheaper tomatoes in the supermarket, for example, can mean a huge percentage drop in lycopene (an important antioxidant) compared to the more expensive tomatoes because the way the way the cheaper ones are forced to grow changes valuable nutrients. A Consumer Which report found that, for example, with green beans, they only contained 11% of the vitamin C they should do. So with all the best will in the world it is not easy nowadays to get everything we need from out diet and just analysing somebody’s diet using charts that have been used for years cannot show this.
The only scientific way to show whether somebody is deficient in certain vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids is to actual use laboratory testing e.g. blood, sweat etc. to see what the level is like in the body. If it is suspected you have anaemia, the doctor doesn’t analyse your food to see if you are eating enough iron-rich foods, you are given a blood test, if you are anaemic you then take iron supplements and are then re-tested to make sure the level is back to normal, that is the best way to test for deficiencies.
The other problem using charts is that they are often based on the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) and these are aimed to give you enough of that nutrient to stop you from having a deficiency disease. So for vitamin C the RDA is 60mg, which would be enough to prevent scurvy, but is not aimed at giving you good health. It is interesting that our Government pushes the five a day fruit and vegetable message but in other countries the target is much higher. For instance in Denmark it is 6 a day, Canada 5 to 10, US 5 to 13 and in Australia and Japan they actually break down the target into fruit and vegetables so Australia is 7 (5 vegetables and 2 fruit) and Japan 17 (13 vegetables and 4 fruit). So, like with the RDA, our fruit and vegetable target is about just having enough rather than aiming for good levels to keep us in optimum health.
My point is that food supplements are not a substitute for a healthy diet, but as the name implies are ‘supplementary’ to what we should be getting from our diet but don’t always. This is because some meals are rushed and we have to grab what we can e.g. a sandwich at lunch but also the food itself is depleted in valuable nutrients because of the way it is grown or it is flown several hundred miles and sits in a warehouse for days before it gets on the shelf.
o use good quality supplements from trustworthy companies so you know that they are easy to absorb and make sure that you are eating a healthy diet as well.”
Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD 2009
I always have a good look at the new Goodness Foods trade catalogue when it comes in and drool at all the lovely new things. Here’s my pick of the best this month. To order, simply click HERE and then click on the goodness link to have a good look and buy whatever you fancy.
For your Summer freezer, I notice some new natural fruit ice lollies and pops by Bensons and Fruit. Also, the wonderful Stuff in a Tub Chocolate ice cream is now being stocked in small tubs for a tiny treat. If you remember the Booja Booja Stuff in a Tub is made simply from cashew nuts, agave syrup and reverse osmosis filtered water with the natural flavouring (chocolate in this case, but I like the maple and pecan!). It is low GL, dairy, gluten, sugar, cholesterol and soya free so you can enjoy it without the guilt! It tastes divine. Nuff said.
There are two new Fish 4 Ever products. These are the ‘tinned’ fish I use – a world apart from other stuff. Smoked kippers in organic sunflower oil or sustainably fished yellow fin tuna in organic olive oil. You’ll pay a little more, but I defy you to not to love it.
If you’re forever on the look-out for ‘healthy’ chocolate, this has to be it: the Raw Chocolate Company has brought out 3 new flavours – natural, minted and lavish (orange). They are all sweetened with low Gl xylitol so good for your teeth and blood sugar with just raw chocolate and the flavour. Has to be said: they are expensive, but at the price you won’t be tempted to over-indulge, so every cloud and all that…!
Finally on my chocolate-themed round-up. I see Rice milk is now coming in chocolate flavour so great for little dairy free ones (or big ones, of course!)
Offers this month include Cauldron Tofu (12.5% off), Provamel Yofu Desserts (third off), Fruitus and Seven Seed snacks (15% off), Green People suncare range (15% off) and Ecover Laundry stuff (15% off). Every little helps etc etc..
