Kate Arnold Nutrition

How diet can help MS

February 10, 2012 11:45 am

Let’s talk about sex and chocolate – February newsletter

11:00 am

We are not that great at preventative measures in this country – and this is true when it comes to our health – particularly our fertility. We spend so much of our lives trying not to get pregnant, it’s natural to think that conceiving is a piece of cake! More often than not it can become an emotional and painful struggle to be parents. To think that we can conceive instantly whilst smoking, drinking and eating junk food, is I feel, a little pre-emptive. If you think about it rationally it makes total sense to get your body as fit and healthy as it can be before you start trying for a baby. This months newsletter is devoted to boosting our chances of conceiving with the right nutrients and as its Valentines Day next week, I’ve thrown in the health benefits of eating chocolate as well! Enjoy!

Infertility stats and figures
It is estimated that one in six couples have difficulty conceiving – thats approximately 3.5 million people in the UK. Although many will become pregnant naturally given time, a significant minority will not. The NICE guidelines define infertility as failing to get pregnant after two years of regular unprotected sex, although many couples will seek help after a year. Most fertility treatment takes place between the womans age of 30-39 yrs old. With 40% of the infertility with the man, 40% with the woman and 20% with a joint problem, the figures are divided equally. There were over 60,000 babies born through IVF in 2010 in Europe. In the UK alone the figures have risen from 14,056 in 1992 to 36,648 in 2007 and figures are set to keep rising. So getting you and your partners body in tip top shape makes total sense when it comes to conception. There is so much you can do with good nutrition and concentrating on certain vitamins and minerals to boost your chances of having a child.

Let’s talk about Zinc
For a woman what you do in the month leading up to conception is critical. If you think you men are off the hook, think again – it can take up to four months to make new sperm from scratch! The speed of conception also varies and may depend on physical, psychological, nutritional and environmental impact. So what can you do? Let’s start with Zinc which is vital for reproductive health.The olds wives tale of eating oysters as an aphrodisiac has some merit as they are high in zinc.
Infertility and low sex drive have been linked to inadequate amounts of zinc. Together with vitamin B6 this mineral effects every part of the female cycle. LHRH (luteinising hormone releasing hormone) causes your pituitary gland to stimulate the development of an egg that causes ovulation. A low level of zinc has been proven to cause lower levels of LHRH so your fertility may decrease. Adequate levels of zinc and vitamin B6 can also increase your desire for sex and thats got to be good news all around!. Zinc is the most researched mineral when it comes to sexual health and the good news is that you can easily get it tested. If your levels are low and your diet is poor, it may be worth taking a zinc supplement with at least 15mg zinc on a daily basis for up to six months before you start trying to conceive.

Kate’s Top Tips for Women
1) Limit alcohol, stop tobacco and avoid coffee.
2) Supplement folic acid before and during pregnancy.
3) Eat little and often to balance your blood sugar.
4) Address any stress and try to learn to relax – this is very important. Conception is higher during holiday time!
5) Make sure both you and your partner have low homocysteine.
6) Check for chlamydia and any other sexually transmitted diseases.
7) Come off the pill at least three months before trying to conceive.

Nutrients for Women
Most women now know to take 400mcg of folic acid daily before and during pregnancy, to prevent spina bfidia. However folic acid also lowers your homocysteine levels which can damage the placenta if you have too much in your blood. A high homocysteine level has been associated with infertility, pregnancy problems and birth defects. It can be tested for – however it is not readily available on the NHS. If you would like this tested please contact me on 01323 737814. Other vital nutrients are zinc and vitamin B6 which work in every part of the female sexual cycle, and help produce adequate levels of sex hormones. They also increase the desire for sex! Zinc can be found in: oysters, lamb, nuts, egg yolks, rye and oats. Vitamin B6 can be found in: cauliflower, watercress, bananas and broccoli, muesli, sunflower seeds and lentils. You need approximately 15mg zinc and 60mg vitamin B6 daily.

Omega 3 is also important for healthy hormone functioning, so try to have a portion of oily fish two to three times per week. Other Essential Fatty Acids can be found in hemp, flax, soybeans, walnuts, seaweed, sunflowers seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, evening primrose oil and free range eggs. It is also a good idea to keep levels of antioxidants up to combat free radical damage – this is particularly suggested if you have been a smoker or heavy drinker. Vitamin A – found in carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, squash and watercress (do not supplement vitamin A during pregnancy). Vitamin C – found in green vegetables, peppers, kiwi fruit, tomatoes, citrus fruits and berries. Vitamin E – found in nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocadoes, beans and sweet potatoes. Selenium – found in brazil nuts, sesame seeds, tuna, cabbage and whole grains.

Kate’s Top Tips for Men
Today 90% of male infertility is due to a low sperm count. We know that smoking reduces sperm concentration by a staggering 24% while alcohol is toxic to the male reproductive tract and can cause significant deterioration in the sperm quality. With heavy drinkers this can lead to complete infertility. In the last 50 years the quality of sperm has dramatically reduced and this can be due to many factors, including pollution, unhealthy lifestyle, stress and poor nutrition.

For good quality sperm
1) limit alcohol intake
2) no smoking
3) address stress levels
4) avoid caffeine
5) beware of too many grooming products, and job related chemicals i.e. dyes, solvents/ weed killers in your environment
6) check for possible sexual infections and chlamydia
7) take a high quality multivitamin with at least 10-15mg zinc per tablet

Nutrients for Men
Zinc is the best researched nutrient with regards to sexual health. A lack of zinc can cause infertility and damage to the testes. It is found in high concentrations in the sex glands and also in the sperm itself. As much as 1.4mg of zinc is lost with each ejaculation! In the 19th century some men were diagnosed as having masturbation insanity. Although this was a myth we now know how important zinc is in mental health. Zinc is found in oysters, lamb, nuts, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks, rye and oats and works with vitamin B6 found in cauliflower, watercress, bananas and broccoli. Vitamin C may safeguard sperm from damage and Essential fatty acids are important for making prostaglandins – these can be found in nuts, seeds and oily fish.
NB: When trying to get pregnant couples in their thirties should be aiming to have sex at least two to three times a week, for up to a year before seeking any further help. So do not panic if it does not happen straight away!

The wonders of chocolate!
As its Valentines day next week, I couldn’t not talk about chocolate in all its glory! Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly eight times the number found in strawberries). Here are some facts about chocolate:

Chocolate comes from the Aztec ‘cacahuatl’ or ‘xocolatl’ meaning ‘bitter water’.
The word ‘cocoa’ was the result of the misspelling of ‘cacao’.
A cocoa pod contains around 40 to 45 cocoa beans.
It takes from 135 to 270 cocoa beans to make 500g of chocolate.
The amount caffeine in chocolate is relatively small. There are about 5 to 10 milligrams of caffeine in 28g of dark chocolate, 5 milligrams in milk chocolate, and 10 milligrams in a 170g cup of cocoa. A 225g cup of coffee has 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine.
It has been reported that Napoleon carried chocolate with him, and always ate some when he needed a quick energy boost.
Chocolate has over 500 individual flavour components. Strawberry and vanilla each have less than half that much.
98% of the world’s cocoa is produced by just 15 countries.
Cocoa butter melts at slightly below normal body temperature, which is why chocolate will melt in your mouth.

Does chocolate have any health benefits?
Dark chocolate can be good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday may help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are: Lowering Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. Flavonoids help relax the blood pressure by the production of nitric oxide.Lowering Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent. Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart: it tastes good, it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure, it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant and it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants.

Isn’t chocolate high in fat?
Here is some more good news — some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid: Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil. Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol. Palmitic Acid is a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk. So, only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you!

Balance the Calories
This information doesn’t mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day! Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits. One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.

Go for Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent (or higher) cocoa content.

Skip the Nougat
You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavourings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

Avoid Milk
It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body

Burger King continued

February 7, 2012 3:52 pm

It’s been nearly a month since I called Burger King UK and asked them for the actual ingredients in their food. They directed me to their nuritional information section on their website. I told them I had read this already and it told me very little – how many calories, how much fat and whether it was gluten free. This does not tell me what is in the burger. Forget the calories for a moment and look at what exactly we are putting in our bodies and without the ingredients list.. we have no idea…. Will let you know when they get back to me – but their PR dept/Media dept could not tell me a list of ingredients – I find that rather shocking – dont you?!

Whats wrong with the Food System – Birk Baehr – 11 yrs old

February 2, 2012 12:38 pm

McDonalds stops using pink slime thanks to Jamie

January 27, 2012 12:18 pm

Burger Kings..Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Double Angus Burger -996 calories

January 25, 2012 11:10 am

I’m furious (no shock there!). Burger King has a new Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Double Angus Burger – its 996 calories. You would think that would be my issue but no. Yes its half our day’s calorific intake blah blah blah we know that what we don’t know is exactly what is in the burger. So.. eas..y go to www.burgerking.co.uk and click on their nutritional information and it gives you everything you need to know. EXCEPT IT GIVES YOU NOTHING. I know whether there is gluten or soy in the product, how much energy, fat etc is in but there are no ingredients listed for each product. So I call them, and the UK reps can’t tell me either – interesting isnt it? So you think you are eating a high calorie but fairly “clean” burger. Well I’m waiting for their head office and PR person to call me back – in the meantime take a look at a similar smoked bacon and cheddar double angus burger – the ingredients should freak you out more than the calorie intake. Check out the high fructose corn syrup which we now know is metabolised as fat.

Ingredients of similar burger:

Bun: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN)], WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, YEAST, SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: WHEAT GLUTEN, SALT, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, ETHOXYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES), SOY FLOUR, CALCIUM SULFATE, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (TO RETARD SPOILAGE), MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, YEAST FOOD (AMMONIUM SULFATE)

Angus Burger: BEEF, WATER, FLAVORING, SALT

Cheese Slice: AMERICAN CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES, ARTIFICIAL COLOR), WATER, CREAM, SODIUM CITRATE, SALT, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVE), SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ACETIC ACID, LECITHIN

Bacon: BACON, CURED WITH: WATER, SALT, SUGAR, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE

Copy of January newsletter – antibiotic resistance and probiotics

January 24, 2012 3:32 pm

Welcome to my January Newsletter

A very happy new year to you all. No clichés in this newsletter – no detox nonsense, no
drastic weight loss plans – this year I’m straight into what really matters for our health in 2012! I hope you all had a great Christmas, and for those that get the January “blues”, the most depressing day of the year is now behind us and the evenings will start to get lighter!

This month I’d like to talk to you about antibiotic resistance and the importance of probiotics. Antibiotics have been nothing short of life saving miracle drugs in the last one hundred years. The number of lives saved far outways any negative issues surrounding their use. I’ve used them, my family have used them and they have saved us from potentially life threatening conditions. However as you are all aware there is another side to this. Antibiotic Resistance now effects our food chain, and as more resistant infections start to appear, this does not bode well for our future health. We all need to take responsibility for what has happened and this post antibiotic era has opened the door for the search for more life giving treatments for infectious diseases.. Meanwhile… let’s look at keeping our immune systems in great shape.

Need a diet and lifestyle overhaul?

Try my new 2 hr “MOT” consultation!

Call 01323 737814 for more details

The problem with Intensive Farming

Intensive farming is big business. Demand outstrips supply, and with this comes not only growing produce out of season, but also in huge quantities. To achieve this often requires the use of growth hormones and antibiotics, which can cause many animals to be overdeveloped and deformed, in order to produce more milk or appear plumper. This has been highlighted in the wonderful work that Hugh Fernley Whittingstall has done with his Chicken Out Campaign and Jamie Oliver did with pig farming. Antibiotics have saved millions of lives and revolutionised medicine, however most are not used in this way.

In human medicine we have used them too much for minor problems and in intensive livestock production they are still primarily used to compensate for crowded and unnatural conditions on factory farms.Many scientists now acknowledge that by using antibiotics unnecessarily we encourage the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. It has long been known that overuse of antibiotics on factory farms leads to antibiotic resistance in food poisoning bacteria, like salmonella. But in the last two years, scientific evidence has also implicated intensive farming in the rise of two serious super bugs: a new strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in farm animals, which is spreading rapidly and transferring to humans, and a new and almost untreatable type of E.coli that is causing large numbers of deaths in the UK and elsewhere, especially among the elderly. Farm-animal MRSA is spreading on intensive farms in continental Europe. In the Netherlands it already affects 39% of pigs and almost 50% of pig farmers. In Dutch hospitals 25% of all MRSA cases are now caused by the farm animal strain, and farmers are no longer permitted in general wards without prior screening. It has been found in chickens, dairy cows and calves and in 20% of pork, 21% of chicken and 3% of beef. It has also been found in farm animals and people in Germany and Denmark, from which we import large quantities of pork

A new type of resistance in E.coli, ESBL, has been spreading globally in recent years. E.coli is a major cause of urinary-tract infections and blood poisoning. In the UK 5-10% of all urinary-tract infections caused by E.coli are now ESBLs. This type of antibiotic resistance has now been found on large numbers of farms in the UK and it is suspected that this is spreading to humans on food.

Human Health Concerns

The overuse of non-therapeutic antibiotics in poultry, beef cattle and swine production poses a serious threat to human health. Because half of these antibiotics belong to classes

of drugs used in human medicine, the risk of antibiotic resistance in humans is increased. This is especially threatening for people with compromised immune systems including infants, elderly people and patients with cancer, receiving chemotherapy. Antibiotic resistance in humans is a tremendous public health threat on a worldwide scale. The World Health Organization (WHO) held a conference on this ‘crisis’ and concluded that there is sufficient evidence showing that “the major transmission pathway for resistant bacteria is from food animals to humans” and that this has led to “increased frequency of treatment failures (in some cases death) and increased severity of infections“. In their recommendations, the WHO specifically called for stricter legislation to minimise antimicrobial usage in agriculture because it is so prevalent and may pose a significant risk to human health.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be transmitted from animals to humans

in several ways:

Environment: bacteria found in the animal manure can contaminate local waterways and groundwater.

Food: people consume meat that contain antibiotic residues or have been contaminated with the resistant bacteria during slaughter.

Direct contact: farmers and farm workers may become infected by the animals and pass it on to the family and community.

If you would like to discuss a health problem in confidence or would like more information

call Kate on 01323 737814.

What about antibiotics for humans?

Both penicillin and streptomycin, two, “miracle” drugs were mass produced during World War II, and are credited with effectively treating bacterial illnesses and saving many lives. In fact, the likelihood of dying prematurely from infectious diseases in the early 19th century – before antibiotics – was as high as 40%. Since then, a diverse number of antibiotics have been produced. Most are medium and broad-spectrum antibiotics which, instead of killing the offending bacteria, kill ALL bacteria. These include tetracyclines, ciprofloxacin, bacitracin, erythromycins, penicillin, cephalosporins, and streptomycins.

One of the side effects of medium and, especially, broad-spectrum antibiotics is that they radically change the bacterial population in the intestines. Because these antibiotics kill all bacteria – even good bacteria that fight infectious bad bacteria – they may put the body at risk for superinfection.

Figures from the US: $12 billion is spent on advertising antibiotics in the U.S and over one million prescriptions are written for antibiotics annually -half of these are prescribed for common viruses. Luckily in the UK we do not have the same budget for advertising, however with the 10/15 mins allocated to a patient, GP’s are under pressure to halt symptoms. Patients tend to want a quick fix and have a tendency to stop taking antibiotics as soon as they feel better without finishing the course. Not finishing the course allows the bacteria to continue to grow and mutate into a resistant strain. So we must take responsibility and stop demanding antibiotics for viral infections and complete all courses prescribed to us.

Probiotics – what are they and how can they help?

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that live in the gut and are beneficial to health. They have a positive effect on many aspects of health, in particular helping to digest foods properly and support the immune system by populating the good bacteria that can help kill the bad bacteria and fight infection.

As mentioned above, antibiotics kill indiscriminately. They not only kill the bad bacteria that cause illness, they wipe out the good bacteria that fight off the illness-producing bacteria.

Other possible benefits

Help you digest your food,
Help to break down protein and fats.
Improve the absorption of folic acid, biotin, riboflavin, vitamin K and B12
Relieve constipation
Help heal a number of digestive disorders inc crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBS
Maintain the appropriate gut ph
Help digestive function through enzyme activity i.e. breakdown of lactose, therefore improves milk intolerance
Help increase absorption of Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc
Help bind and excrete heavy metals
Help break down excess oestrogen
Essential for the development of the immune system
Help produce antibiotic substances e.g. acidophlin which inhibits e.coli and salmonella
Help detoxify and transform many substances like breaking down bile acids

Should you take them while taking antibiotics?

Yes its safe and often beneficial to take probiotics during and after a course of antibiotics.

Try to take them 2-3 hours away from each other though to avoid any interaction.

How many organisms do I need?

That depends on the condition you have. Most companies manufacture 20-250 billion bacteria per daily intake. This is where you will need some advice as too much might make you bloat.

Do Probiotics need to be kept in the fridge?

This depends on the manufacturers instruction, most do, some will be ok until exposed to oxygen (those will have a seal on them).

Are there any side effects when taking Probiotics?

Hardly any. Those who are sensitive to probiotics may have a little wind, bloating or loose stools on the first days but usually this will settle down. If symptoms persist you may need to reduce the dose. Read the manufacturers instructions but most do better with food rather than on an empty stomach.

A free range/organic wholefood diet with natural probiotics may help prevent certain diseases and may help support your immune system. This would be particularly important if you were going into hospital for any length of time. Good sources of natural probiotics can be found in many fermented products eg Kefir, yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso soup, tempeh and natto (fermented soya bean). If that is not possible to find, then source a good quality probiotic, with a minimum of 10 billion bacteria, in a dark glass jar and keep them in the fridge. For more detailed advice please call me on 01323 737814.

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Have a great month – see you in February.

Kate Arnold

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Whats in my basket (again!)

2:56 pm

tiddlers1 As you may have seen there are a number of vintage youtube clips on my blog. They are favourites of mine and clearly you are loving them too – thanks so very much. One woman said “Your blog is not only educational but sometimes controverisal (but that makes me think) and very entertaining – to get all three of those elements is very clever!” Thank you lovely person for your comments. I’ve been asked again for another list of whats in my basket – I can’t believe that you are really that interested!!!