Which oils should I cook with?

by | Oct 2, 2013 | Blog

Fats and oils have had a rough time over the last few decades.  Butter was banished during the late 70’s and 80’s to be replaced by so called ‘healthy’ margarines which we now know are essentially plastic and not healthy at all.

So which are the best fats and oils for cooking with? 

Well, a lot of this depends on the temperature of the cooking.  High temperatures alter the chemical bonds in oils and fats, changing their structure and the way they are absorbed and utilised by our bodies.  Polyunsaturated fats like vegetable and seed oils (with the exception of olive oil which is richer in monounsaturated fats) are particularly prone to this damage and are best used for salad dressings or drizzling over cooked foods rather than cooking with.  Personally I think oilve oil is best used this way too as you preserve the lovely taste of it though it is slightly more stable than polyunsaturated oils so can be used for very light, lower temperature frying.

For higher temperature stir frying and roasting, saturated fats like organic ghee and coconut oil are the best bet.  Solid at room temperature, these fats retain their chemical structure when exposed to high temperatures and are metabolised well by our digestion.  Ghee is clarified milk fat, with virtually no milk proteins or lactose remaining.  You can make your own ghee at home from organic unsalted butter but if you are concerned about cholesterol or prefer a vegan cooking fat, opt for the coconut oil or coconut butter as both are completely cholesterol free.

Lemon, Feta & Rosemary Buckwheat Muffins

by | Oct 2, 2013 | Recipes

gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free option

These tasty savoury muffins are ideal for pack-ups or as a great accompaniment for soup.  The recipe was published in The Guardian ‘Cook’ supplement, 31/08/2013 and was supplied to The Guardian by www.hemsleyandhemsley.com

Makes 6:

300g butternut squash

70g buckwheat flour

1 tbsp arrowroot

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda or baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp garlic powder

Zest of 2 lemons

1 egg, lightly beaten, OR egg replacer

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 chopped spring onions

20g pumpkin seeds

100g diced feta

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350F/gas mark 4.  Dice the butternut squash and gently roast until soft.  Allow the squash to cool slightly then place in a food processor with all the ingredients except the spring onions, pumpkin seeds and feta and blend until smooth.  Stir in the spring onions and half the feta.  Pop the mixture into muffin cases then decorate the muffins with the remaining feta and pumpkin seeds.  Bake for 35-40mins.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

6 Simple Changes to Boost Your Energy

by | Oct 1, 2013 | Blog

When I talk to clients about their nutritional therapy treatment recommendations, I emphasise the importance of making changes gradually.  Try and do everything at once and it becomes an overwhelming nightmare with rice milk and buckwheat all over the kitchen.

With this in mind, here are 6 simple, positive food and lifestyle changes you can make today:

  • Go and buy a reusable BPA-free drinking bottle – it looks good, is environmentally friendly and gets you on the way to drinking more water!
  • Drink the water in the bottle…
  • Swap your Snickers for a Nak’d bar.  The cocoa orange version tastes just like a chocolate orange. Trust me.
  • Eat breakfast – properly.  Get up 10mins earlier and make yourself oatmeal porridge with blueberries, it will set you up for whatever the day throws at you.
  • Try something new for lunch; quinoa and bean salad or a thick tasty soup
  • Put your coffee machine back in the kitchen cupboard and bring out the juicer or smoothie maker instead
  • And one extra tip because I kind of cheated with no.2 – relax.  Sit still for 10mins after eating your evening meal and relax, your stomach will thank you for it.

Why you should start taking Vitamin D now

by | Sep 30, 2013 | Blog

Getting plenty of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ has never been so important!  In fact, a recent study highlighted the fact that 1 in 3 people globally is vitamin D deficient – and Europeans are more at risk than North Americans!  We manufacture Vitamin D in our skin from the suns rays yet most of us now spend our days indoors and slather on the suncream when out in the sun so we never really get chance to make it.

The surge of research in recent years has shown how Vitamin D plays crucial roles in

– bone health; osteoporosis, rickets

– heart health; high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke

– immunity 7 auto-immune conditions; colds, flu, chronic infections, Multiple Sclerosis

– mood balance & brain function; depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease

– regulating inflammation; arthritis, cardiovascular disease,

– fertility and pregnancy

The old UK RDA levels of 400iu per day are currently being reviewed and new, much higher levels considered.   As Dr Janyne Althaus discusses, this is particularly important for pregnant Mums as the baby’s demand for vit D increases greatly in the later months of pregnancy when bone formation is taking place yet Mum is at risk of deficiency if her own Vitamin D stores are too low.

Now that we have passed the Autumn Equinox and the days are getting gradually shorter, the suns rays are no longer strong enough to give us the UVB rays needed for the manufacture of vitamin D in our skin.  Supplementing with it throughout winter is therefore a sensible and safe option – if you don’t like swallowing capsules or pills, try one of the new vitamin D sprays that are available and take at least 1000iu per day.

 

 

 

Stress as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease?

by | Sep 10, 2013 | Blog

One of the most feared signs of ageing has to be memory loss.  Forgetting the names, faces and memories of those you love and what you enjoy about your life.  In the UK alone there are 800,000 people living with dementia and because we have an ageing population, this number is set to rise rapidly over the next few years.

The term ‘Mild Cognitive Impairment’ covers the early signs of memory loss and dementia; 60% of people diagnosed with MCI will go on to develop Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia.

Currently, there are many theories as to how and why Alzheimer’s develops.  One of these theories is the link between stress and dementia and scientists at the University of Southampton are carrying out a 3 year research project investigating the connections between stress and mental decline.

Two groups of participants will be followed, one group with MCI and the other without.  Stressful life events will be tracked, along with measurements of  immune function and stress hormones to see how the stress response affects the progression of MCI to dementia.

Stress, whether we cope well with it or not, is a major part of our lives and increases the effects of risk factors for many chronic diseases including hypertension, heart disease and cancer.  The results of this study will prove hugely interesting and may provide more clues as to how we can reduce the negative effects of stress and ageing on our minds.