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Grumpy, irritable and comfort eating?
This week there has been much written in the press about mental health, but something which is less touched on is a SAD; temporary condition which affects millions of people worldwide throughout the winter months.SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a condition which can have a profound effect on mood, and mental health from late autumn until the spring. Symptoms can include tearfulness, stress and anxiety, lack of concentration, irritability, feelings of low-esteem and worthlessness and general despair, and in severe cases sufferers can feel suicidal. A lack of sleep can often be a major issue, and it can also influence appetite, immunity and production of feel good hormones such as serotonin, which help us feel positive and motivated.
The main cause is the lack of sunlight, which causes the brain to produce more melatonin; a hormone which helps us sleep at night. Melatonin production is triggered by the brain as darkness sets in, and then cortisol is produced as daylight emerges to help us feel awake and active, so longer darker days can cause hormone imbalance which can impact on many facets of our well being. This hormone shift can encourage comfort eating and binging, blood sugar imbalance leading to mood swings, and weight gain. Another side effect can be an impaired immune system, which can explain why we are so susceptible to colds and flu at this time of year.
So what can you do to beat the winter blues?
- Help support your gut health by cutting back on sugary foods such as refined carbohydrates (cakes, biscuits, pasta, bread and potatoes), and foods we tend to be more intolerant to such as wheat and dairy. Switch white rice and bread for brown rice, grains and wheat germ. Sweet potatoes are a filling and good alternative to white varieties.
- Reduce stimulants; caffeine, alcohol and chocolate might offer a quick fix when you need a pick me up, but they can trigger cravings and play havoc with your blood sugar levels and brain function in the longer run.
- Increase your fruit and vegetable portions to boost your vitamin and mineral intake to support your immune system.
Eggs are the perfect winter fast food. Plenty of ways to cook them; they are cheap, nutritious and rich in Vitamin D and choline and which supports the brain.- Essential fats are vital for your brain function so include oily fish, nuts and seeds and olive oil.
- Look for foods that will help you produce serotonin. Turkey, chicken, fish, avocados, bananas and beans will help. These are also rich in Vitamin D to help make up for lack of sunlight.
- Get outside in the daylight as much as you can. Take time at lunchtime to leave your desk and go for a walk. If that’s isn’t feasible, look for daylight bulbs to use in your office or home.
Finally, comfort eating is fine if you choose the right options. One pot dishes such as bean and vegetable stews, shepherds pies, fish pies, or curries will give you nutritious filling meals to keep you going until the days start getting much longer!
So, if your friends, family or colleagues are grumpy and irritable this winter, a good place to start is with their diet. After all, as Paul Theroux once wrote “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.”
Some facts about calcium, your bones (and why sunshine is such good news!)
I have had two queries this week from clients who are avoiding dairy and worried about their calcium intake and the potential impact on their bone health. This is becoming an increasing worry with the prevalence of dairy intolerance.Many of us grew up with Milk Marketing Board messages telling us that milk is the best source of calcium and essential for the bones of growing children; however the truth of the matter is that there are plenty of calcium rich foods to add to our diet if dairy is causing problems.
So how can we look after our bones if we are dairy-free?
Calcium is undoubtedly a vital nutrient – it not only helps build healthy bones and teeth, but is needed for nerve transmission, blood clotting and muscle function. Our bones not only give us frame and structure, but are comprised of crystalline salts, and as such, act as a storage vessel for essential minerals including calcium and phosphorus. The cells in our bones continually break down and rebuild throughout our life, although the rate at which this happens declines as we get older.
But other nutrient such as magnesium, Vitamin K, Vitamin D and boron also help with healthy burn turnover.
Acid/alkaline balance is also an important factor. The ideal ratio in our body is around 70% alkaline and 30% acidic, but when the pendulum swings in the direction of being over-acidic, for example if we consume too much red meat, alcohol, sugar or caffeine, this can result in problems such as arthritis, gut imbalance and damage to hair, skin and nails. More importantly, when our body becomes too acidic our body looks for a way of restoring balance with alkalising minerals, and these will be released from the bones – leeching calcium and making the bones more brittle and vulnerable to damage in the process.
To support good acid/alkaline balance and bone health, we therefore need to do the following:
- Include calcium and magnesium rich foods in our diet. This means filling our plates with plenty of green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage are good choices). Salad leaves such as watercress are also helpful, as are fresh fruits, dried apricots and figs.
- A great calcium-rich snack would be a handful of mixed unsalted nuts (eg almonds) and seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- Sardines and mackerel can also help with calcium levels since their tiny bones are a rich source.
- Avoid red meats, alcohol, caffeine and sugary / processed foods; all of which leave an acidic residue.
- Prescription medication can also be a culprit, so if you are taking prescription drugs, even more important to try to alkalise your diet.
- In particular, beware fizzy drinks which can be high in phosphorus – a mineral which can cause calcium to be excreted.
And the sunshine connection?
Calcium in our food need to be converted in our body into a form body that can be utilised, and this conversion relies on good levels of Vitamin D. It is now thought that Vitamin D deficiency is a growing issue worldwide, with a 2009 study suggesting that around ¾ of Americans thought to be deficient (CNN News).
One of the culprit’s is dietary insufficiency, which can be addressed by including eggs, fortified cereals and oily fish such as sardines and pilchards in your diet; but the other, the prevalence of advice in recent years to cover up in the sunshine to avoid skin cancer.
Vitamin D is converted in our skin through exposure to UV sunlight, so whilst we obviously should not be burning and putting our skin health at risk, a little access to sunlight each day is vital for our health. The NHS advises around 10-15 minutes of exposure between 11am and 3pm would be enough to build Vitamin D reserves. A number of other medical complaints are also being linked to lack of Vitamin D, including rickets which we thought had been all but eradicated in our developing society(BBC News)
So, whilst the sun is out; wait a short while before layering on the sun cream, and build your Vitamin D reserves for the long dark winter days (albeit hopefully a long way off!)
If you are concerned about your bone health or Vitamin D levels – particularly if you have a history of osteoporosis in your family – you can ask your GP for a bone density or Vitamin D test. You can also order a test kit online which will assess levels of Vitamin D and calcium in your blood. You can find this at http://www.myvitdtest.com/
If you are concerned about levels of calcium and other minerals in your diet, contact me and I can look at your current diet and health status and make recommendations.
Fighting the germs in the workplace
A study reported in HR Magazine recently suggested that the average employee now has 7.7 days absence, costing £673 each per annum.. Two thirds of those days occurred across the winter cold and flu season and this can have a major negative impact on any workforce, but small businesses in particular.
Now that the coughs and sneezes are starting to circulate, what can you do to prepare yourself, your business and your colleagues, and try and avoid becoming part of these statistics?
Hygiene in the workplace is a key issue with a significant number of germs being spread around office equipment and in places like communal kitchens. The close proximity of workers, and the unavoidable commute to work for many, is also problematic.
Whilst coming into contact with the germs may be unavoidable, a poor diet is one of the immune system’s greatest enemies, so the best preparation you can have is to build your immunity ready to fight off the germs, and eating the right foods can help significantly. Once the immune system has started to break down, it has to fight harder to fend off the bugs and is more likely to succumb repeatedly over the winter leaving you vulnerable to every germ circulating.
In an earlier blog I talked about specific nutrients which can help build the immune system naturally. Here are some tips to making small but important changes:
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Fill your shopping basket with a wide variety of coloured fruits and vegetables which are rich in Vitamins A, C and E, and phytonutrients which all help your immune system function to optimal effect. Rosehips have a very high concentration of Vitamin C, so look for the rosehip syrup we used to be given in childhood. Start your day with a mug of hot water and a squeeze of lemon to further boost Vitamin C levels.
Mineral-rich foods are also important since zinc, selenium and calcium are vital immune boosters. Zinc in particular works alongside Vitamin C to help increase the white blood cell count to fight the invading germs. Great sources of these minerals are Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds (a handy between-meal snack), whole grains, lentils, chickpeas and green leafy vegetables .
Choose foods with anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties such as onion, garlic, honey, ginger and Cayenne Pepper. Berries are also included amongst these, so enjoy the seasonal cranberries and also look for frozen blueberries which you can de-frost overnight and add to your porridge or muesli in the morning.- Prebiotic foods can also help. Much of our immune system is based in our gut and is supported by gut bacteria which behave as ‘nature’s antibiotics’, so ensuring you have a healthy supply of ‘good’ bacteria over bad is important. Prebiotic foods such as chicory, artichokes, bananas, leeks, onions and whole grains help ‘feed’ the good bacteria to keep the balance healthy.
Herbs and spices have a multitude of health benefits such as the antimicrobial properties of turmeric, widely used in Indian cooking.- Avoid too many stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and sugar which merely put a strain on your digestive system and liver and make it harder for your body to fight the bugs. Smoking is another key thing to avoid. Each cigarette destroys around 250mg of much needed Vitamin C.
- Try to get as much rest as possible – a significant amount of our body’s repair and growth takes place whilst we are asleep, so hibernation on those long winter nights can really help build your defences.
- Get outside and make the most of any sunlight. Vitamin D is now thought to be a major factor in our immune health, and the sun is a one of the richest sources. When sunlight is limited, try to include more fish and eggs in your diet.
WHAT TO DO WHEN THE GERMS STRIKE
- Keep a supply of lemon, ginger and honey at home. The acid in lemon can help destroy bacteria and heal the respiratory tract, whilst honey and ginger are both antibacterial and anti inflammatory, so a hot honey, ginger and lemon drink can be very soothing. Cinnamon is also stimulating and warming and can help ease aching muscles, and elderflower can induce perspiration to reduce a fever. Add fresh elderflower heads to boiling water and stir in honey and a slice of lime.
- Take some Echinacea – a powerful herb which acts as an immune stimulant and natural antibiotic. Trials reported in The Lancet indicated that those taking Echinacea were 35% less likely to get a cold when directly in contact with rhinovirus than those not. It also reduced duration of colds by 1 ½ days, and when supplemented in conjunction with Vitamin C, reduced infection levels by 86%
COMFORT EATING
The temptation on long cold winter days is to resort to comfort eating, but by combining many of these immune boosting foods you can create tasty and filling family meals which are packed with nutrients and can help you fight the germs.
Chicken soup traditionally fits the bill here, so experiment with using leftovers from your Sunday roast to best effect, or turn leftover vegetables into soups and broths. Also consider making one pot meals such as Chilli con Carne, vegetable or meat stews and curries which you can freeze and have available as healthy alternatives to shop-bought ready meals or takeaways. Fill them with vegetables, peppers, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, onions and beans for optimum nutritional value. As a side dish try making spice rice adding lime zest, sliced chilli pepper and garlic.
….. And don’t forget to start your day with a warming bowl of porridge; add grated cinnamon and a handful of defrosted berries for the perfect winter breakfast.If you are interested in improving the immune health of your family or your workplace colleagues, contact me now.
The Power of Eleven: Eleven Top Tips for Weight Loss
Eleven is the magic number today being 11.11.11, so here are eleven top tips to help you plug into the magic and lose weight.
1. ‘Break the Fast’ and start your day with a good meal. Porridge and wholegrains are in the news today and will give you great slow releasing carbohydrates to fuel you through the morning and help avoid that chocolate biscuit fix at elevensies.
2. Avoid sugary snacks and choose options such as a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts or an oat biscuit with hummus.
3. Cut back on your starchy carbohydrates. Meals packed with pasta, potatoes, biscuits, cake and too much bread can quickly pile on the pounds.
4. Try eating 5 portions of vegetables and two portions of fruit a day. These are packed with nutrients, will fill you up and help you avoid reaching for the more fattening snacks.
5. See if you can break those bad snacking habits. If you always reach for a biscuit or chocolate at a particular time of day, distract yourself, do something else at that time (go for a walk, tidy a drawer) and tell yourself you can have it in half an hour if you still want it. Chances are the moment will have passed!
6. Cut back on your alcohol intake to help do up your trousers! Alcohol is effectively pure sugar and empty calories so can encourage quick weight gain; particularly around the waist.
7. Don’t eat whilst watching the TV. If you are distracted when you eat, you are likely to miss your body signalling that you have had enough and will therefore eat more.
8. Watch your portion size. Try eating off two side plates rather than one large dinner plate, with vegetables/salad on one and your protein on the other.
9. Grate cinnamon on your porridge. Cinnamon can help regulate your blood sugar to moderate the peaks and troughs of energy which can send you running for a sugar hit.
10. Add ginger, spices or mustard to your meals. These are thought to increase your metabolic rate and help burn fat more quickly.
11. Drink more water. We often reach for food when we think we are hungry and are, in fact, really thirsty. Green tea is also a good alternative to black tea or coffee since it is also thought to help burn fat.
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