• ‘Why do I never lose weight despite exercising regularly?’
• How to shift that ‘fat around the middle’
• How to lose weight and boost energy levels
• How to maintain an ideal weight

Tickets cost £15 and can be booked by ringing Millburn Clinic on 02870 321332. See you there!

Just Nutrition Viewpoint

This study is interesting because, while it has long been accepted that eating wholegrains is good for health, particularly heart health, it has not been generally known that this effect is dependent upon simultaneously restricting refined grains in the diet. These foods lack the fibrous outer coating which is not only a source of vitamins & minerals but also helps buffer the release of sugar into the blood. Such foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar which causes the pancreas to release insulin in order to return the blood sugar to normal. Insulin resistence occurs when the cells become insensitive to the effects of insulin causing the pancreas to produce higher and higher amounts of insulin.  Eventually the pancreas becomes exhausted and is unable to produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar within normal range leading to persistently high levels and Type 2 diabetes.

Together with a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes are caused by high levels of ‘bad’ fats in the diet, namely, saturated, ‘trans’ and hydrogenated fats. While fat is an essential component of a healthy diet, it should be from ‘good’ fats, primarily Omega 3 and Omega 9’s. Omega 3’s are found in oily fish, flax seeds and flax seed oil as well as nuts and seeds. Omega 9’s are found mainly in olive oil. Saturated fat is found primarily in meat and dairy products, ‘trans’ fats in fried foods and hydrogenated fats in processed foods such as cakes, biscuits and ready meals. All should be kept to a mimimum in the diet. Sugar and alcohol cause a rise in blood triglycerides (fats) that also promotes heart disease and insulin resistence.  

*Whole- and refined-grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: the Framingham health study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 92, No. 5, 1165-1171, November 2010

Just Nutrition viewpoint   

This is great advice from Dr Flynn as it pulls together research on a wide range of cancer-fighting nutrients to produce an easy-to-follow diet that helps beat cancer as well as lose weight. Olive oil is a great addition to the diet and should be the main cooking oil and base oil for salad dressings. Flax seed oil is also a good oil to include but should never be heated and should be stored in the fridge. It is also important to limit sources of ’bad’ fats in the diet that promote inflammation – saturated fat (meat & dairy), ‘trans’ fats (fried foods and foods baked at very high temperatures) and hydrogenated fats (some margarines, biscuits, cakes and processed deserts and sweet foods). Dr Flynn’s diet does not emphasise oily fish; instead she believes that restricting Omega 6’s is enough to get a balance of the healthy fats. I still think  oily fish is a good addition to the diet (because of the anti-inflammatory Omega 3’s) but unfortunately, due to our polluted waters, intake should be restricted to 2 servings per week. Fish oil supplements are a great alternative as they allow for a good intake of Omega 3’s but without the pollutants (these should have been removed in the manufacturing process).

Dr Flynn also highlights a very relevent point – the over-abundance of Omega 6’s in today’s diets. There is very frequent mention, rightly so, of the importance of Omega 3’s but it is worth noting that the balance between the two groups of essential fatty acids is also very important. Fifty years ago the ratio between Omega 6’s and Omega 3’s was roughly 3:1, now it is the order of 20:1. This has been caused by the relative decline of Omega 3’s in the diet coupled with the vast increase in the consumption of Omega 6’s, principally from vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and safflower. However these vegetable oils contain polyunsaturated fatty acids which means they are easily oxidised into rancid, often highly toxic, fats. Add to this the fact that such oils are often heated to extremely high temperatures when used to deeep-fry foods then the situation becomes much worse. These fats become ‘trans’ fats which are highly toxic and often cacinonogenic. Olive oil is an Omega 9 oil and is much more stable; it does not convert into ‘trans’ fats and therefore is an ideal cooking oil.  Nuts and seeds contain a mixture of Omega 6’s and Omega 3’s and are an ideal way to consume these fatty acids in a healthy and beneficial form. The use of vegetable oils should be curtailed and, under no circumstances, should they be heated.

The work of Dr Flynn also highlights an area of research that is gaining significant attention in medical circles, namely the role of insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) in carcinogenesis. Insulin is a hormone released by the body in response to the consumption of carbohydrates. Highly refined carbohydrates such as white rice, bread & pasta raise the blood sugar much more quickly than complex carbohydrates that still retain the fibrous component. A high level of insulin in the blood (hyperinsulinemia) has typically been linked to metabolic syndrome, but is also now being increasingly linked to certain types of cancer, principally colorectal cancer but also to breast cancer. Dr Flynn’s diet is essentially a low Glycaemic Index (GI)  diet which may partly explain the positive impact it seems to have on both weight loss and breast cancer.

The Show is open from 10am-7pm (Friday) and  10am-6pm (Saturday & Sunday). Entry is £5 or £4 if travelling by bus, bike or train.

I shall be presenting a talk and answering questions relating to fertility & nutrition.

This is an informal group that meets every last Thursday of the month. They meet to share information, listen to speakers and offer support. The group offers people  a place to meet and speak in confidence about issues that are not always easy to talk about to others.

Newcomers are always welcome.

Stork is one of 5 groups throughout the UK – Derry, Omagh, Craigavon and More to Life – a support group for those who are involuntarily childless.

For further information contact Fiona by emailing fionaodonnell@infertilitynetworkuk.com or visit their website www.infertilitynetworkuk.com.

12.00 BodyTalk                                            2.00 Women’s Physiotherapy

12.30 Confidence Building                            2.30 Reflexology

1.00 Counselling                                           3.00 Nutritional Therapy

1.30 Homeopathy                                          3.30 Traditional Acupuncture

Hope to see you there!

The details of the Centre are as follows:

Millburn Complementary Therapy Centre, 65 Millburn Road, Coleraine

Tel: 028 703 21332

www.millburntherapy.org

New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that African children fed a largely vegetarian diet and breast-fed to 2 years had vastly different gut bacteria than those children living in European cities and breast-fed for half that time. In the latter case the  children had higher levels of certain gut bacteria linked to inflammatory conditions such as allergies as well as obesity. The African children were also found to have a more diverse range of microbes that may be protective against a range of diseases. The study also highlighted that not only diet, but vaccines, antibiotics and better hygiene have contributed to changes in gut bacteria that have coincided with an increase in allergies and autoimmune conditions. Mario Ciani, chair of natural science at Mercy College, New York, commented that the study “definitely verified that a difference in colonization is associated with a low-fat, low-sugar, lower designer-food-type-diet”.

Just Nutrition Viewpoint

This research joins a growing body of evidence linking ’bad’ gut bacteria with a range of health issues including obesity, allergies and autoimmune conditions. In recent years there has been a marked increase in childhood conditions such as eczema, asthma, allergies and Type 1 (juvenille-onset) diabetes.. The gastrointestinal  remains immature in infants and toddlers and the state of the gut flora can play a major part in the development of certain conditions. Breastfeeding has been shown to promote the growth of ‘good’ bacteria which may partly explain why breast-fed babies have a lower incidence of certain childhood diseases. Even if the balance of the gut flora is weighted in favour of the ‘bad guys’, things can still be turned around. Changing from a high-sugar, high refined carbohydrate diet to a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, pulses, fruit and vegetables promotes the growth of the ‘good guys’ and cuts off the food supply to the less desirable microbes.

Yoghurt drinks containing friendly bacteria generally do not contain enough good guys to significantly increase gut levels. In addition, they often contain sugar which only feeds the bad guys. The best thing to do is change your diet. For those prone to the types of conditions already mentioned a probiotic supplement might also be beneficial. These should contain both acidophilus and bifidobacteria. As the acid environment of the stomach can be hostile to these bacteria, it is best to take probiotic supplements at the end of a meal when stomach acid tends to be a little weaker.

Just Nutrition viewpoint

This study highlights the pressures on women today to be thin, to have successful careers and often to juggle them with having children.  It seems that the one aspect of life that suffers is nutrition. It is important to remember that what you eat not only provides nutrients but can also deplete them. There is a myriad of chemical reactions occuring in our bodies every second which require vitamins and mineral for their effective completion. Wholefoods are packed with these nutrients which means that these reactions can proceed unhindered. Processed foods, sugar and fried foods contain few nutrients which means that the body has to draw upon its reserves, often leaving them depleted. In addition stress, alcohol and smoking make big demands upon on these stores, reducing them even further. The result?  - we’re left feeling drained, washed out and exhausted.

This study also highlighs an important drawback of many weight loss programs that emphasise calorie restriction – eating less means less nutrition. This lack of nutrition can only hinder weight loss; to effectively and efficiently metabolise our food (fat, protein and carbohydrates)  we need the key nutrients that this study has highlighted are often lacking – magnesium, zinc and iodine. Eating the right foods not only provides adequate nutrition but also results in gradual, yet sustainable, weight loss.