Category Archives: Nutrition

January 2, 2017

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D?

With doctors fearing the return of rickets due to low levels of the sunshine vitamin, how can we sun-starved Brits get enough this winter?

How to get more sunshine
Although it’s important to protect yourself in the sun, you need to build up your vitamin D levels with bursts of unprotected sun between April and October to build reserves for the winter. Try getting 10-15 mins of sun exposure to your arms, hands or back, two to three times a week. Longer exposure doesn’t provide additional benefits, so make sure you apply a high SPF afterwards.

Take a supplement
The Department of Health advises those who have low or no exposure to sun, those with darker skin, over 65s and all children aged 6 months to five years to take a vitamin D supplement. In addition, it is recommended that, in winter months, everyone should consider taking a 10 microgram supplement if their diet is unlikely to provide it.

Eat well
Although you might only get a small portion of vitamin D from your diet, it’s still important to eat a mix of foods rich in the stuff, especially during the winter. Top up on oily fish, egg yolk, fortified cereals, red meat and dairy products.

January 15, 2015

FOOD FACT: BANANAS.

You don’t need to eat bananas for the potassium. Although it is present in bananas, potassium is the predominant nutrient among most all fruits and vegetables.
Bananas are high in sugar, so they should not be eaten if you have blood sugar problems.
Don’t eat bananas on an empty stomach; combining them with a bit of protein will help to normalize the insulin response caused by the sugar in the banana.
Green-tipped bananas are better for your health than over-ripe bananas.

December 5, 2014

THE OUTSTANDING NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF KALE.

If you’re not already a fully paid-up member of the kale fan club, its low-calorie, high-fibre and zero-fat profile should tempt you to get on board.

As well as being a great addition to any weight-loss plan, kale is ideal for digestion and will help keep your system moving as it contains around 5g fibre per 100g.

Kale is an excellent source of iron – and, in fact, it contains more iron than beef per serve! That’s important for anyone with anaemia or heavy periods, or just looking for more energy, as it helps to form haemoglobin, the molecules that carry iron within our red blood cells.

Kale is also high in calcium, giving milk a run for its money with fewer calories. If you’re dairy intolerant or vegan, this veg will give you a good dose of bone-strengthening calcium.

Vitamin K, which helps to protect against certain cancers, is also found in high quantities in kale, along with heaps of antioxidants. This all-important, but lesser known vitamin is needed for a whole host of bodily functions, including the health of your bones, preventing blood clotting and keeping cholesterol in check.

Kale can help fight inflammation as it contains omega-3 fatty acids, so make sure you’re eating kale regularly if you have an injury, arthritis or asthma, as it will help to reduce the effects and speed recovery.

Vitamins A and C are two more vitamins found in kale. Vitamin A is important for vision and vitamin C for your immune system, but both of them are brilliant skin vitamins so dose up to help keep wrinkles at bay.

And if all of this wasn’t enough, kale is also a great way to cleanse your body, containing both fibre and sulphur, which are involved in the detoxification process.

October 10, 2014

WHAT EXACTLY IS ‘CLEAN EATING’?

Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food’s pathway between its origin and your plate.

At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or ‘real’ foods – those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible.

However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

Thanks to extensive research that has linked eating whole foods with good health, we do know that largely plant-based diets are healthy.

Multiple studies have shown that diets heavy on fruits and vegetables can curb or prevent certain life-threatening conditions and diseases, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Plus, there’s research linking diets high in fruits and veggies to healthy weight management and glowing skin and hair.

Cooking does alter your food, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While it’s true that some nutrients are lost during cooking, like vitamin C, other nutrients are increased when foods are cooked, like lycopene, so it’s best to eat a wide variety of foods, in both their raw and cooked forms.

When cooking food, the focus should be on maintaining the integrity of what you are consuming and avoiding high-fat cooking methods such as deep-frying or stewing in animal or vegetable fats.

When cooking, opt for flash-cook methods such as stir-frying and ones without additives like steaming. For fruits and veggies, raw is best, but steaming is a close second in terms of preserving nutritional value and keeping the food’s natural integrity.

July 10, 2014

YOGHURT WARNING!

Plain yogurt naturally contains about 16 grams of sugar per cup. But if you eat flavoured yogurt, you could be downing 15 or more additional grams of sugar, which is the equivalent to four extra teaspoonfuls.

Choose plain, low-fat yogurt and stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or all-fruit spread for a hint of sweetness. Or opt for fat-free Greek yoghurt, which is lower in sugar than even regular plain yogurt but often has double the protein to keep you satisfied longer.

June 27, 2014

FOODS THAT BOOST YOUR BRAIN POWER.

Turmeric: A study has shown that older adults in India are 4.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the same demographic in the UK. Turmeric also has anti-inflammatory abilities to protect cell erosion and carries antioxidant effects that fight against breakdown in cell membranes.

Berries: These sweet fruits are rich in polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, shown in studies to increase sharpness and speed of processing in areas of our brain function that are the first to go as we get older.

Avocado: Foods rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids will help your head and your heart. Stick to healthy fats only, of which avocadoes have many, and skip trans and saturated fats. Swapping avocado for butter in a lot of your traditional baked good recipes, such as cakes and breads, can provide the same emulsifying effect (and taste), but with an added cardiovascular and neuro-protective effect.

Orange fruits and veggies: Such as sweet potatoes, carrots, melon, butternut squash, and oranges serve as great defenders of cell breakdown, causing better brain function into older age.

Chickpeas: Chickpeas have high vitamin-B content (like B6 and folate), meaning lots of brain benefits. In our bodies, folate is responsible for the conversion of homocysteine, a byproduct of cellular metabolism, into methionine, which is another amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are responsible for blood vessel damage.

May 23, 2014

SHOULD YOU EXERCISE ON A FULL OR EMPTY STOMACH?

When you exercise on a full stomach food is fuel, and while hitting the gym straight after eating is not a good idea, having some (at least partially) digested food in your system means your muscles are stocked with the glycogen they need to work their best.

A study showed that exercisers who ate breakfast before working enjoyed significantly higher VO2 (a measure of energy expenditure) and fat-burn rates compared to those who hadn’t eaten breakfast before exercising.

The best part? The calorie-torching edge lasted for a full 24 hours after working out!

May 1, 2014

DID YOU KNOW…?

23% of Brits eat porridge almost daily!

It’s not just a delicious way to start the day – a bowl keeps you fuller for longer and provides an excellent dose of fibre.

So why not try a bowl of the good stuff for your next breakfast. Add honey, chopped fruit or nuts for an extra delicious taste.

March 14, 2014

TURMERIC FOR RUNNERS.

Did you know that turmeric boasts antioxidant compounds that could repair your body post run.

Curcumin, the spice’s active ingredient, fights inflammation, providing relief to aching muscles.

Try sprinkling it over roasted vegetables or adding it to soups and stir-fries.

Lanima Fitness

Personal Training for Women