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!
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Does Food Affect Your Mood? Find out with this FREE Food, Mood and Movement Tracker #1SmallStep
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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 | Jul 25, 2017 | Blog
Ever wondered why doctors and nutrition-people (like me!) keep talking about how important it is to ‘eat a rainbow’? (A phrase which is dangerously close to the slogan for Skittles – ‘taste a rainbow’- which will have quite the opposite effect on your health!).
It’s because brightly coloured fruits and vegetables contain an array of natural compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that are all bound up with what colour they are.
So for example, orange and yellow veggies like peppers, carrots, and butternut squash are rich in beta-carotene, an immune-bosting antioxidant compound that’s a member of the carotenoid family, whilst dark bluberries and red grapes contain cyanidin – another protective antioxidant compound.
Including at least 1 food from each colour group everyday means you will be nourishing yourself with a vast range of naturally powerful ingredients, giving your body the support it needs to cope with modern life!
Pick any one of these top 10 practical tips to start increasing the colour, variety and nutrient load of your diet;
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Green powders are helpful if you struggle to get enough greens into your day: mix spirulina, chlorella, barley grass or wheatgrass powder into pesto to boost the antioxidant and protein levels.
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To support blood sugar stability and reduce reliance on refined carbohydrates, swap to higher protein alternatives. Mung bean pasta, lentil pasta, quinoa, or wild rice are good alternatives.
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If you’re dealing with intestinal yeast overgrowth (and this is best confirmed with a stool test rather than trying to guess), think foods before supplements: natural anti-microbials such as garlic, ginger, oregano and marjoram can be added easily to salads, soups, casseroles – even herbal infusions.
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The anti-inflammatory actions of turmeric and cinnamon are well documented; these spices blend well with warmed almond milk to make a simple chai-style beverage.
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Seaweed flakes can be sprinkled into salads, soups or casseroles, and Nori sheets make a good alternative to wheat wraps, instantly increasing the iodine, zinc and magnesium content of your meal – perfect for thyroid support.
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Mixing a tablespoon of olive oil into 25g of butter creates a spreadable butter rich in oleic acid – with none of the negative effects associated with margarine or poorly processed vegetable oils.
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Encourage children to explore different coloured vegetables by using a picture colour chart and negotiating which coloured veggies to try next.
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Nourish your friendly gut bacteria with pre- and probiotic food. Add a tablespoon of sauerkraut to grilled salmon and roasted vegetables; use unfiltered apple cider vinegar in salad dressings with lemon juice and fresh herbs; or mix kefir into a morning smoothie.
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Green vegetables can be problematic for many people, especially supertasters. A basic smoothie made from baby spinach, banana and almond milk is a gentle option to begin with, and is packed with folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, and the antioxidant compound lutein. If you’re managing IBS, add fennel or caraway seeds when steaming brassica greens as this helps to soften the taste and aid digestion, reducing bloating and wind.
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To eat different foods you have to buy different foods. A vegetable or fruit box delivery scheme is a hassle-free way to have new ingredients delivered direct to your door. Many schemes offer inspiring recipe ideas too.
Remember, the idea behind #1 Small Step is to encourage steady change and growth whilst side-stepping overwhelm. So pick 1 new idea to try, and build up those changes gradually!
If you’ve enjoyed this post you might also like;
What Small Step can you take today?
Tweet me at @nutritioninyork or drop me a line via sallyduffin@nutritioninyork.co.uk
A shorter version of this post was originally produced for Nutrition I-Mag (July/August 2017 edition) downloadable HERE
by Sally | Jun 14, 2017 | Blog
What do indigestion, bloating, excess wind, heartburn, and weight gain all have in common?
They can all be caused by not chewing food properly!
It’s a simple thing to do, but chewing so often gets neglected in favour of eating quickly due to short lunch breaks, or multitasking with food and a laptop.
Retraining yourself to chew food thoroughly is a vital first step to digestive wellbeing and healthy weight balance.
Let’s look at why…
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The action of chewing tells your brain to send messages to your stomach alerting it to the fact that food is on its way. These nerve signals tell the stomach to start producing the gastric juices that break food down.
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Chewing mixes food with saliva and salivary amylase, an important digestive enzyme that begins the breakdown of carbohydrates. This is why food taste sweeter the longer you chew it: amylase is busy breaking down carbohydrates into simpler sugars.
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Your stomach does not have teeth! If food isn’t chewed in your mouth, it won’t get broken down properly anywhere else. So, you can be eating the perfect diet and still be nutrient deficient, simply because your body can’t access the vitamins and minerals bound up in the food.
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Chewing properly means you eat slower. Remember at school there was always one child who took ages to eat dinner? That was me! Sitting there chewing away whilst my friends were itching to get outside and play! But eating slowly is no bad thing. It allows you to tune into satiety signals, and realise exactly when you have eaten enough rather than ploughing on and finishing your plateful regardless of how you feel or how big the portions were.
Taking the time to chew food is part of the overall practice of eating mindfully. By eating in a calm relaxed manner, savouring each mouthful, you begin to appreciate each food and flavour and receive those all-important hunger and satiety signals.
Try these 5 basic steps to eating mindfully;
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As you sit down to eat, take 5 slow deep breaths. This relaxes your nervous system, preparing you to ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic dominance), rather than trying to eat whilst in the stressed out ‘fight or flight’ response (sympathetic dominance). When stressed, the body down regulates digestive functions producing less stomach acid and digestive enzymes – pretty much guaranteeing that you’ll end up with indigestion and bloating!
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Chew. Exactly how many times you chew each mouthful will depend on what you’re eating: yoghurt needs less chewing than steak for example. And yes, you do need to chew yoghurt and other soft foods like smoothies and mashed potato – otherwise, how will your stomach know that it’s on its way? If it helps, put your knife and fork down whilst you chew, and don’t prepare the next mouthful until you’ve swallowed what you’re chewing.
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Savour the flavours. Really appreciate how each food tastes and feels in your mouth.
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Once you’ve finished eating, sit still for 3-5mins to allow food to pass comfortably down to your stomach.
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Wait for at least 10mins before deciding whether you want dessert or not. It takes roughly 15-20mins from the start of eating for your brain to register the actions of satiety hormones like leptin. These hormones work in a complex way, registering how stretched your stomach is, and how much fat you have stored in your body overall. They tell your brain when you are full, but if this message is ignored you eventually become resistant to their signals.
Eating mindfully does involve changing habits, and this can take time. It’s not always easy to do, especially if you’re juggling your own meal with feeding a couple of cranky toddlers! It really is worth persisting though, as no amount of supplements or nutrition guidelines can replace the benefits of good chewing.
If you’d like the benefits of mindfulness to spread beyond the kitchen table, and support other areas of your life, say hello to Joanne Bull at CalmWorks. Joe offers a 
range of mindfulness training options designed to build your inner calm and resilience to ongoing stress.
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Need nutritional support for dealing with ongoing stress? See HERE for options of how we can work together.
by Sally | Jun 3, 2016 | Blog
‘Clean Eating’ is the new buzz-phrase in nutrition. Endorsed by countless celebrity dieters and fitness professionals filling Instagram with image of mashed avocado and raw brownies, this so-called new way of eating revolves around ‘clean’ foods and the avoidance of anything highly processed and sugar-laden.
On the surface, this seems like a good idea and is certainly the sort of approach I would normally endorse: avoiding refined processed foods and eating a wide range of natural, nutrient-rich goods instead. But dig a little deeper, and you find the world of clean eating is far murkier than it likes to appear.
A quick Google search reveals several ridiculous rules for clean eating;
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“Processed foods are anything in a box, bag, can or package.” So you’re going to have to carry that free-range chicken home in your bare hands. And yes, you are indeed being ‘dirty’ by choosing lentils and chickpeas from tins despite the fact you haven’t got time to be soaking and simmering dried ones for hours.
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“Clean foods are naturally low in sugar, salt and fat.” 
Statements like this perpetuate the widespread confusion we have over low-fat foods. Trans fats and refined vegetable oils disrupt the actions of healthy fats in our bodies, but regular consumption of butter, ghee, good quality olive oil and coconut oil brings many health benefits. And in terms of the so called ‘clean foods’; avocadoes, coconut oil, nuts and seeds are brimming with fats!
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“Use clean sugars.” I don’t think I understand this one at all. Sugar comes in many guises and in various states of processing. Avoiding the refined white table sugar is certainly helpful, but replacing this with huge spoonfuls of agave syrup (often favoured by clean eaters) is not a good alternative given its high fructose content. Fructose is metabolised in a different way to regular glucose, with high levels contributing to the formation of triglycerides in the liver – long term issues with this include Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
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A ‘Clean Eating Pyramid’: the science behind this pyramid evades me. It encourages the majority of the diet to be 
based on fruit and water – great if you want erratic blood sugar levels, bloating and diarrhoea. Not so great for supporting your body in dealing with stress, hormone fluctuations, ongoing fatigue or digestive issues such as IBS.
The biggest disagreement I have with ‘clean eating’ is the phrase itself. It implies foods are either clean or dirty, and therefore, by extension, YOU are either clean or dirty, according to your food choices.
It is yet another way in which food becomes demonized. It is yet another way for eating disorders to develop, as people (mostly young women) begin to restrict and control the foods they eat, obeying rules set out by other followers on social media, each trying to outshine the other with the latest images of their ‘clean’ meals.
For me, dirty foods are the carrots I haven’t washed yet. I enjoy mashed avocado as much as the next person, and just as much as I enjoy a bag of ‘dirty’ chocolate buttons at the cinema.
A shorter version of this article appeared in The Press on 07/06/2016
