by Sally | Jun 8, 2018 | Blog
Kim Broderick has her milk-making process down to a fine art. While listening to Ken Bruce on Radio 2 she produces 200 bottles in just 4 hours – that’s a whole lot of almond-milking!
The story began when Kim received an unusual gift for Mothering Sunday last year: a bottle of homemade almond milk.
Her daughter-in-law was missing the rich nutty taste of New York almond milk, so decided to make her own – and Kim was more than impressed with the result.
Fast forward a few months to September 2017 and ‘Nutty Health’ launched themselves at the York Food & Drink Festival. “I was full of doubts when we arrived at the Festival” says Kim, “but we sold out within hours.”
I met Kim at Nutty Health HQ: her immaculate kitchen workshop in the beautiful South Yorkshire countryside. As we chat, Kim dons her rubber gloves and gives me a demo of how the milks are made.
Unlike any of the standard supermarket milks which only contain 2% almonds, Nutty Health is made with 14% high quality Californian almonds – a difference which is immediately noticeable in the rich creamy taste.
The nuts are soaked in spring water for 11-20 hours, before being rinsed, blended, strained twice through a cheesecloth bag, then pressed through a custom made fruit press. The only additive is a tiny amount of sunflower oil (1ml per 250ml bottle of milk) which acts as a natural preservative, giving the product an 8 day shelf life.
No artificial sweeteners, sugars or thickeners are added. The milk is beautifully simple and pure, brimming with vitamin E antioxidant goodness.
And the almond pulp doesn’t go to waste – Kim uses this to make energy balls to sell at Festivals and shows alongside the milks.
The plain almond milk is accompanied by 3 flavoured varieties: cacao made with organic raw cacao; vanilla, and organic green matcha – a flavour which is surprisingly popular with male customers and cyclists! 
Since launching last year, Nutty Health has blossomed and expanded into health stores and farm shops across our region (you can find a list of stockists here). Kim offers a delivery service in Leeds and York, allowing customers to buy direct if the products aren’t available locally.
To find out more about the Nutty Health range, contact Kim at https://www.nuttyhealth.co.uk/
Do you have top tips for making dairy-free milks?
Share your thoughts in the comments below or come and join the conversation in the Facebook group
by Sally | May 4, 2018 | Blog
It’s easy to get to the end of the day and realise you haven’t drunk enough water.
The familiar sensations of a mid-afternoon energy slump, headache, muscle aches and cramps are all signs that your body needs a drink (of water!).
The debate continues about whether tap, filtered, or mineral is best for our health, and there are pros and cons on both sides.
Unless you’re lucky enough to live near a natural spring, good quality mineral water usually (with a few exceptions) comes in single-use plastic bottles. As a result, the environmental consequences and exposure to plastic chemicals far outweighs the beneficial mineral content of the drink.
Filtered water has lower levels of chemical residues, but again, filter jugs are usually plastic. Glass ones are becoming more widely available though, and it’s worth investing in one if you can.
There’s no easy solution to the conundrum of plastic bottles and I don’t have clear answers! But, I do know we all need to hydrate regularly over the day, especially when managing low energy or digestive problems like constipation.
Aim to sip regularly rather than gulping down a large glass in one go, and limit drinks at mealtimes to avoid diluting your digestive juices.
Drinking more water is a simple and easy first step to take on the road to wellbeing.
If you find plain water a bit dull try these natural alternatives to wake it up!
Use a large glass Mason jar, or glass bottle and leave to infuse for 3-4 hours or overnight for full flavour. Pop them in the fridge, or if like me you don’t like cold water, leave the bottle at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.
- Fresh lemon & lemon balm zingy and calming at the same time. Lemon balm is traditionally used to soothe nerves and calm anxiety.
- Fresh lemon and mint perfect pick-me-up for when you’re tired and flagging, or as an after dinner digestive aid.
- Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and mint squeeze the fruit and scoop out the seeds to add to a salad. Mix the juice with water and mint leaves. Pomegranate is packed with antioxidants to help us process toxins.
- Cucumber, mint, and lime another cooling, uplifting drink.
- Raspberries and strawberries chop larger fruits in half, add to water and mix vigorously for a naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich drink.
- Pineapple & orange sweet and tropical – even in Yorkshire!
Keep taking 1 Small Step at a time and you’ll get to where you want to be!
You might also enjoy;
Does Food Affect Your Mood? Find out with this FREE Food, Mood and Movement Tracker #1SmallStep
Get Organised with this FREE 7-Day Meal Planner! #1SmallStep
7 Energy Boosting Breakfasts – #1SmallStep
Share your progress in the friendly Nutrition in York Facebook group, we’d love to know how you get on!
by Sally | Apr 3, 2018 | Blog
Are you curious about the connections between what you eat and how you feel?
Do some foods cause energy slumps, bloating, crazy bowel habits or skin breakouts, but you can’t pinpoint the culprits?
Keeping track of how your body responds to foods and drinks for a week or even a month can reveal these connections, and help you discover hidden patterns between eating habits, moods, and uncomfortable symptoms.
It’s easy to blame low energy and erratic digestion on work stresses, or the kids driving you crazy (and these may be perfectly good reasons!) but how much is linked to poor hydration, grazing on snacks, or only eating two servings of vegetables each day?
Writing down what you eat, when you move, how you relax, and how you feel provides a powerful insight into the way you are choosing to nourish yourself.
To help you discover these connections I’ve created a Food, Mood & Movement Tracker. Simply download the document, read through the example provided, and print out as many copies of the tracker chart as you need. Complete it each day, then look back and see if any patterns are emerging between foods and symptoms.
Once you’ve highlighted the areas that need working on (more movement, more relaxation, more green vegetables…) you can decide how to do this, and what support you need – whether that’s nutrition guidance, food intolerance investigations, an exercise plan, or help with relaxation and mindfulness.
It’s a simple tool, and is #1 Small Step on your journey to better health!
Download your free Food, Mood & Movement Tracker – no sign up required – and start discovering what your body is telling you today!
by Sally | Mar 3, 2018 | Blog
According to Allergy UK an estimated 45% of the UK adult population have food intolerances and a further 2% suffer an allergy.
Symptoms of food intolerance can vary from mild bloating and wind to severe migraines, low mood, fatigue, diarrhoea, constipation, and skin rashes, with the effects often not being visible until 2 or 3 days after a problem food has been eaten.
Diagnosis of food intolerance can be tricky especially if a reaction to the food doesn’t occur immediately. Keeping a ‘Food, Mood & Movement Tracker’ for a month can help as it may be possible to notice links between what has been eaten and any symptoms that later occur. Observing lifestyle factors such as stress and sleep patterns is also important. For women, symptoms may be influenced by the menstrual cycle.
Food intolerances can be caused by different factors, including;
– Inadequate digestion: for example low levels of lactase, the enzyme that digests the milk sugar lactose, can cause lactose intolerance.
– Excess histamine: we all have histamine in our bodies as it’s a vital chemical messenger and neurotransmitter BUT chronic stress and poor digestion can impair histamine breakdown causing levels to build up. Eating foods high in histamine can then cause problems.
– Reactions to pesticides in foods: your liver has a hard time dealing with pesticide residues and their pervasive effects can contribute to all kinds of health issues. Organic foods may not be widely available (or affordable) but do choose them if you can.
The Environmental Working Group produce a fantastic ‘Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen’ list detailing which foods are best bought organic due to high pesticide load, and which are okay to eat as non-organic. You can access the guide here.
– Reactions to naturally occuring compounds like alkaloids in the Deadly Nightshade family.
– An imbalanced response by your immune system. Our immune system is a complex team of cells and chemical messengers that can overreact to certain proteins in foods, causing either a strong immediate life-threatening reaction (an allergic response) or a more low-grade chronic response: a food sensitivity or intolerance.
It is thought that Ig-G antibodies are involved in some kinds of sensitivity reactions. Measuring levels of Ig-G can give clues as to which foods may be over-stimulating the immune system.
In Clinic I use a simple pin-prick ELISA blood test to help identify whether your immune system is producing too many Ig-G antibodies to certain foods, which may then be 
aggravating your symptoms. There are a range of tests available from the basic Food Detective Test that looks at reactions to the top 59 reactive foods and gives results within an hour, to the more in-depth FoodPrint tests which are laboratory analysed.
To find out more information on food intolerances or ELISA testing, call or email me today on;
T: 07910 705272
E: sallyduffin@nutritioninyork.co.uk
by Sally | Jan 30, 2018 | Blog
When clients come for Follow On sessions, they tell me how planning and organisation have been the keys to making successful changes in their diet and lifestyle.
Planning and organising are the foundations to your new way of eating. You will repeatedly thank yourself during a hectic week when you get home late and take a batch-cooked homemade soup out the freezer rather than a sad, beige, ready meal.
There are two main areas to focus on when it comes to planning ahead;
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How you organise your kitchen
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Meal planning and shopping
Before we look at the finer details of kitchen organisation, grab a pen and download the free meal planner;
To inspire your shopping the Planner includes;
Planning chart
‘Eat a Rainbow’ food suggestions
Which foods have the highest pesticide residues and which are okay to buy non-organic
Now, lets look at your kitchen…
In the world of the Internet, everyone has a kitchen like this
In reality, it’s probably more like this;
You may live alone, in which case great – all the cupboard space is yours! However if you’re in a family of 6, there’s going to be several different food tastes and requirements that need catering for so space may be at a premium.
Firstly, go through your fridge, freezer and cupboards and get rid of anything past its ‘Use By’ date (‘Best Before’ is a lot more flexible and can be safely eaten for a good while after the date has past – use your own judgment on this), and anything that no longer fits with your new eating plan.
If your cupboards are full of junk snacks it’s going to be harder to hold your nerve and resist them.
Give anything still usable to friends and family or donate to your local food bank or shelter.
Next, place on your worktops the utensils you need to make your new healthful meals and snacks.
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Cutting out caffeine? Put the teabags and coffeemaker at the back of a cupboard and bring out the water filter, herbal teas and juicer.
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Snacking on homemade protein smoothies? Place your blender jug next to the plug socket, ready to use.
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Batch cooking meals? Sharpen knives, make space for the chopping board and have pans and cooking trays within easy reach of the oven.
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Taking new supplements? Place the packets of supplements next to the kettle or sink (unless they need to be stored in the fridge) so you see them when you get a drink.
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Organise your storage containers. Many of us (me included) know only too well the sinking feeling that comes when you open the Tupperware cupboard and find mismatched lids and cracked boxes. Invest in glassware containers for fridge and freezer storage; IKEA do a reasonably priced range and I use old glass jars for freezing soups and sauces. Over the years I’ve gathered several 1970’s style brown ceramic bowls with lids from charity shops: perfect for storing leftovers in the fridge.
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The Zero Waste Chef has a great blog post all about freezing goods in non-plastic containers, see HERE for the details. Admittedly, plastic tubs are lighter and easier for packed lunches, and you can easily find BPA-free ranges.
Now that your kitchen is clear and organised, it’s time to plan those meals!
Before you do the shopping, whether its online or a proper trip to the store, take 30 mins to sketch out your meals and snacks for the week ahead.
If one of your aims is to include more variety in your meals, browse a few recipe sites or cookbooks, pick 1 new meal to try, and add the ingredients to your list.
With online shopping you can save time by storing your ‘favourites’ or previous shopping lists in the software so you don’t have to type it all in again the following week.
Veg box schemes provide organic, or locally grown (or both) vegetables and fruits, and often inspire new meal ideas – after all, once a new veggie has arrived on your doorstep you’ll need to find a way to use it!
Consider stocking up on some ‘emergency’ ingredients – things that can be quickly thrown together to make a meal – for those occasions when (and it is when, not if!) your best laid plans go awry.
Ideas include;
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Baking potatoes: they keep for weeks in a cold dark place and can easily accompany a leftover chilli, ratatouille, frozen fish and vegetables…
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Frozen vegetables: peas, sweetcorn and cauliflower florets have a pretty much permanent home in my freezer.
For tips on which vegetables freeze well and which are best left fresh, see here
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Frozen white fish (sustainably caught): this cooks from frozen in 25mins and is delicious smothered in a tomato & vegetable sauce served with that baking potato you bought earlier or sweet potato wedges and broccoli…
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Tinned tomatoes, red lentils and vegetable stock: here you have the base of a vegetable and lentil broth. Add chicken or a selection of leftover vegetables and you have a nourishing, warming meal.
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Vegetarians and vegans: buy extra tofu to drain and freeze, so you have a versatile protein source to hand when needed. Not frozen tofu before? Follow the steps here.
What are your top tips for getting organised in the kitchen?
If you’d like to know more about how we can work together to tailor your nutrition needs check out the consultation options or email or call today – 07910 705272 – and let’s get started!
