Archive: Feb 2011

1. Organic vrs non organic

   February 25, 2011 5:40 pm Leave a Comment

   I’m repeating myself again but slightly fed up with this argument. The new organic vrs non organic debate has recently been highlighted by a Which? report. They have come up with some interesting conclusions but please remember the trial they did was so small it is laughable. Tucking into some organic tomatoes for lunch, the smell was unbelievable – that true whiff of a real fruit that has not been tampered with, does not taste like soap, and has real colour – how wonderful is that?. There is no contest for me. But it’s a matter of choice which we are all entitled to make. I think the problem with organic food is the name. In the 1970′ my father didnt say “I’m going down the garden to pick some organic kale”. The word organic wasn’t used, it was just… kale…with no pesticides. I think ALL fruit and vegetables should be produced with as little pesticides, herbicides as possible and whatever arguments you have, no I really don’t think a chemical company ie Monsanto should be anywhere near our food chain. Just my thoughts.

   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1359746/Organic-healthy-Vegetables-grown-pesticides-contain-MORE-vitamins.html

2. Recommended books and dvds for you!!

   February 24, 2011 12:42 pm Leave a Comment

   I’ve been asked by loads of you to recommend books and dvds on health and nutrition, so on my homepage each month you will see various books and dvds which I think you might like and you can buy through my website by just clicking through.

   This month: Food, Inc. Everything you need to know about who has the real power over what we eat and how the food industry really works. It’s an amazing film and I know it will get you guys really thinking!

   Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom, is a wonderful “bible” covering orthodox and alternative treatments for womens hormonal problems. What I love about this book is it gives you a great balance in your decision making and is very informative.

   Bread: River Cottage Handbook 3 is a super book if you love making your own bread.

   River Cottage Every Day – again a lovely book from the River Cottage gang on sensible everyday healthy food ideas.

   Parick Holford’s Food is Better Medicine than Drugs – an interesting read that should keep your eyes open!

3. The truth about hospital food

   February 22, 2011 6:55 pm Leave a Comment

   I finally got round to watching channel 4’s The Truth about hospital food. The amount of waste must be huge.

   I haven’t really got anything to say for once – its terrible – and to refute the fact that there is no evidence that good food will get patients better is just laughable. Let’s hope there is a hospital food revolution soon.

4. Keep reading the ingredients

   February 21, 2011 10:39 am Leave a Comment

   On a mad dash round the supermarket the other day I picked up some feta cheese. When I got it home, I was just reading the ingredients and found that is was made with GM ingredients. It just shows you how one needs to keep reading the ingredients as they do change. So it’s organic feta for me next time – great hey? -it’s 40pence more!

5. Whats happened to MasterChef?!

   February 19, 2011 12:07 pm Leave a Comment

   Am devastated that one of my favourite programmes has been totally ruined with a simon cowell- x factor vibe – how to destroy a great series in one easy move – horrendous. It used to be about the cooking – plain and simple but this format is way too ITV for me. Such a shame.

6. True soulmates

   February 12, 2011 10:42 am Leave a Comment

   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1356228/An-eternal-love-Barry-Normans-moving-tribute-late-wife-soulmate-50-years.html

   I like to think of myself as Barry Norman’s greatest fan. He is just amazing and Film (add in the year) has never been the same since he retired. The article above on the death of his wife two weeks ago is just so moving I had to post it – made me sob!!!

7. Is 7 minutes enough time to see your GP?

   February 8, 2011 1:03 pm Leave a Comment

   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1354640/Doctors-advice-How-best-GP-7-minutes.html

   This DM article highlights the ludicrously short amount of time you are allowed to see your GP. It is the one thing that all my patients complain about. Many people also have more than one problem and this is when things start to get complicated. Supposing you have headaches, IBS and feel tired – three very normal symptoms that millions of people are suffering from. How does the GP get to grips with this within the ten minutes allotted to you. Double appointments are rare – our surgery doesnt do them anymore full stop. If you go in with multiple symptoms some of the symptoms may be caused by just one thing. Let’s take for example IBS, whats causing the IBS, could be causing the headaches and the tiredness and no GP can work all that out in such a short space of time. Which is why we need more time. Much more time. I think it needs to be quarter of an hour at least. I’m lucky – after an hour to an hour and a half, I’m getting a really good picture of what is going on, know what the person is eating, know their lifestyles, their stresses, their worries etc. It makes things a whole lot easier.

8. One in eight to get breast cancer

   February 4, 2011 6:24 pm Leave a Comment

   Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last few days you may have come across this story regarding breast cancer. I dont like scaremongering. I am not saying for a moment that people dont need a wake up call but it is especially difficult to tell an 18 yr old to stop binge drinking when as we all know, when you are young you feel immortal. This feeling of youth immortality is not new, every generation has it, its only when you get older, have more life experience that you begin to think perhaps I dont actually want to die.

   Most women these days are working mothers – the juggling, the multi-tasking, the guilt, the nursery fees, the commuting… it goes on and on. Unless you are unbelievably lucky to have help, support or a lot of money, most people are just spinning plates all week and trying not to break anything. This is stressful. Three quarters of a bottle of wine per night – easily done. Women can have it all of course, but it comes at a price and that price may be our health.

   The list below is from Cancer UK. Far more is needed on nutrition and environmental toxins in my opinion. Also drinking one alcoholic drink per day increases your risk by 12%. This does not make an awful lot of sense. In European countries people drink a lot more than that, but dont have the rates of breast cancer that we do. Partly perhaps due to a fantastic diet and less stress. Too much alcohol is only part of the picture.

   BREAST CANCER RISK FACTORS
   These are indicators only and how they interact is difficult to predict. Women can do all the rights things and still get breast cancer. Likewise, women can do all the wrong things and never get the disease.

   Family history: A woman with a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer has around double the risk of getting it herself than a woman with no family history.

   Obesity: Being overweight or obese is thought to increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer by up to 30%, because excess body fat raises levels of hormones such as oestrogen and insulin – common features of cancers.

   Age: the older the woman, the higher her risk. Women aged 50-69 are most at risk, particularly those who have a late menopause.

   Childbirth: The younger a woman has children, the lower her risk. Having children at all cuts the risk, as does breastfeeding.

   Lifestyle: regular physical exercise and a healthy diet helps reduce the risk by cutting dangerous fatty body tissues. Smoking is not advised.

   HRT: women using hormone replacement therapy have a 66% increased risk of breast cancer but the risk is temporary, returning to that of a never-user within five years of stopping.

   Oral contraceptives: they increase risk by around a quarter but since users are generally younger women, their risk is relatively low.

   Alcohol: drinking as little as one alcoholic drink per day increases breast cancer risk by around 12%

   Source: Cancer Research UK

9. TLC Activia 14 day diet plan

   February 1, 2011 10:22 am Leave a Comment

   As many of you know I’m not a fan of the UK’s best selling yoghurt. The marketing is second to none but I have serious concerns. Please LOOK at the ingredients on the Activia yoghurts, fruit layers, fat free yoghurts, and pouring yoghurts. Many of these have artificial sweeteners and glucose fructose syrup and even without this there seem very high in sugar.

   Many of my patients show serious concern regarding both these added ingredients with good reason. As I keep telling you we were not meant to wake up each morning and eat sugar – it does not set us up correctly for the day. After ingesting glucose syrup I just want to eat more not less.

   Any thoughts you have on this please leave some comments and let me know!!