Healthy Addition to Breakfast- Linwood’s Seed Mix

We always hear of the many ways that seeds such as flax, pumpkin and sunflower can benefit you.  But it can be difficult to know how to incorporate them into your diet, especially if you do not enjoy just eating them by the handful.  I was really pleased when I found Linwood’s Organic seed mix as the seeds have all been milled and can easily be sprinkled into you cereal, porridge, or yoghurt.

It has been said that milled seeds are better than whole because the body is not able to digest all of the nutrients when the seeds are consumed whole and some of the nutrients will be excreted.  Milled seeds are easy to digest and your body absorbs all of the goodness.

I buy the organic Linwood seed mix containing flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seeds and goji berries.  I simply sprinkle it into a yoghurt along with some muesli each morning.  It is a great way to get a variety of seeds that you would not usually have on a daily basis.  It is recommended that you have two 15g servings each day.  I tend to have one serving per day as I only have it for breakfast.

Different variations of the seed mix can be bought from Holland and Barrett or some branches of Sainsbury’s supermarket.  The average retail price in Sainsbury’s is £4.99 and it can be slightly more expensive in Holland and Barrett.  I would say that it is worth the price because buying individual packets of the different seeds would cos t much more.  Give them a try!

Lactose Intolerance Discovery

I have recently discovered that I have a lactose intolerance, its self diagnosed but all the same I have many of the symptoms associated with an intolerance.  A lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, because of a lack of the required enzyme lactase in the digestive system.  It has been estimated that approximately 75% of the population worldwide show some decrease in their ability to handle lactose during adulthood. 

People are often misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) without first ensuring that it is not a lactose intolerance.  It is a very common condition but because some people only suffer with mild symptoms they can often go unnoticed.  Below I have listed some of the more common symptoms:

• Bloated stomach
• Stomach pains
• Stomach rumbling
• Nausea
• Flactulence
• Stomach cramps

As you can see the symptoms vary dramatically and if you are not being observant you could just assume that your stomach is upset for another reason.  The interesting thing with a lactose intolerance is that it varies so much from person to person.  Some people can have small amounts of milk, in their tea for example, and be fine, whilst others need to steer clear completely. 

Another interesting fact is that not every product containing lactose will necessarily trigger symptoms in a lactose intolerant person.  For example I am able to eat yoghurts and small amounts of cheese with no problems.  Studies have shown that the active live bacterial cultures (also known as probiotics) found in yoghurts with help lactose digestion.  Also cheese has very low levels of lactose so small amounts of it will not result in the same problems.

I decided that the best solution would be to eradicate cow’s milk from my diet completely, which left me with the dilemma of which dairy milk substitute to go for.  The first substitute that came to mind was soya milk which is a beverage that is made from soya beans.  The benefits of soy milk is that it contains the same amount of protein as cow’s milk yet it has only a little saturated fat and no cholesterol.  The down side is that it has been suggested that soy milk can effect bone mineral density and sperm quality, and also be the root cause of some thyroid disorders.  Although it should be noted that there has not been enough research carried out in order to make these claims facts.  Soy milk is also an acquired taste which I could not get used to.

Goat’s milk is another alternative, it is a good source of calcium and can usually be consumed by those with a lactose intolerance with no problems as it does not go through the same process as cow’s milk and contains much lower levels of lactose.  It is also a good source of protein.  The downside to goat’s milk for me was the taste, it is much thicker and richer than cow’s milk and I could not get used to it.

The final milk that I tried and fortunately liked was rice milk.  Rice milk is a kind of grain milk processed from rice.  It is mostly made from brown rice and commonly unsweetened.  Rice milk contains more carbohydrates than cow’s milk but has less protein and calcium and no cholesterol or lactose.  Although rice milk does not contain the same vitamins or calcium as cow’s milk, popular brands, such as Rice Dream for example, are often fortified with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin B, and iron.  Unlike other types of milk rice milk has no known side effects and it is what I now choose to use in place of cow’s milk.

I hope that reading this article has made you more aware of the different choices of dairy milk substitutes on the market, and also made you more observant if you suffer from any of the symptoms listed after you consume cow’s milk.

Spotlight on Christine Robinson: Clicking Joints Complaint

Today the spotlight is on Christine Robinson who recently informed me that he joints keep clicking when she moves and the noise seems to be getting louder and more frequent.  It is inevitable that your joints will sometimes click maybe after you have been sitting down for a long period of time, or when you just wake up, but if it happens repeatedly throughout the day then it is something that should be looked into.
                      
Like many of us Christine has an office job which requires her to sit staring at her computer screen for many hours throughout the day.  Christine does not do any additional exercise and also does not take any vitamins or supplements.  Whilst her complaint is simply that her bones click rather loudly throughout the day, it is important for Christine to change her everyday habits, incorporating some exercise, so that this does not develop into something more serious.
Over one million people in the UK suffer from osteoarthritis, which is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints.  In some cases the symptoms for this condition appear periodically.  I have listed some of the most common symptoms below:

• a grating or crackling sound or sensation in your joints
• pain or stiffness when you have not moved your joints for a while
• limited range of movements in your joints
• joint tenderness

The more serious symptoms of osteoarthritis are:

• pain, especially when doing load-bearing activities, such as walking
• short-lived stiffness in the morning, which improves in 30 minutes or less when you start to move
• difficulty moving your affected joints or doing certain activities 

The good news is that Christine does not have any of the more serious complaints and at the age of 27 she has more than enough time to set the foundation to not have these complaints in the future.  This is not to suggest that you cannot make positive changes at any age.
I advised Christine to take a cod liver oil supplement daily.  She opted for the Seven Seas cod liver oil extra strength.  After taking this for 3 months Christine can then take the normal strength cod liver oil.
                                
Cardiff based researchers believe that a cod liver oil supplement could delay or even reverse the destruction of joint cartilage inflammatory pain.  It has also been confirmed on BBC news that cod liver oil is actually good for your joints, some people believed that it was just an old wives tale.
Cod liver oil is good for your overall health, it is not just for joint complaints.  It is the most reliable and concentrated source of the 4 nutrients  which are essential to human beings health; EPA, DHA, Vitamin A and Vitamin D.  It also helps to give you the following:

• Healthy skin
• Strong bones and teeth
• Healthy cardiovascular system
• Healthy nervous system and prevention of depression
• Healthy digestive tract

A Norwegian study of more than 68,000 women reported that female cancer patients who took cod liver oil supplements daily had significantly reduced mortality (25% for all cancers, 45% for lung cancer) compared to women who did not take such supplements.
 I have given Christine the following advice to help her gain more strength and joint mobility:

• Take a daily multivitamin- Vitabiotics Wellwoman Original, is what I have recommended. Please click on "New Year New Vitamins" to read my previous post on Wellwoman vitamins
• Join a yoga class that you enjoy and attend once or twice per week in order to build core muscles, improve joint mobility and overall wellbeing.
• After 8 weeks introduce some jogging into the routine, once or twice a week to begin with and then build this up to 3 times per week; this is a great way to get her heart pumping, burn calories, improve muscle tone and strength. Christine enjoys jogging but you can choose any aerobic activity that you enjoy.
• Take cod liver oil daily
• Drink more water. Christine was not drinking enough throughout the day, I have suggested that she aim for 6 glasses per day.
• Take regular breaks from staring at the computer, walk around the office at least once per hour.  Drinking more should mean that you visit the bathroom more often anyway.
• Take the stairs when you can instead of the lift and walk up the escalators, these are easy ways to get the legs in motion daily.

We will revisit Christine in 3 months to review how she is getting along with these suggestions.  All the best Christine!

Ryvita Fruit Crunch Slices are Delicious!

You are probably thinking ‘how nice can Ryvita be?’ but the Ryvita crunch is really tasty.  They are good to have in your desk drawer or around the house if you fancy a sweet snack.  My friend introduced me to them quite a while ago and she said that she could not stop eating them (she was pregnant at the time so I assumed her taste buds were a little off!).  I cannot say that I rushed to the shop to try them, but when I bought a packet eventually I loved them, and they have been in my shopping trolley ever since.
Each slice has:

	Calories	Sugars	Fat	Saturates	Salts
Total	57	3.5g	1.0g	0.1g	Trace
Percentage of GDA	3%	4%	2%	1%	<1%

Ryvita is good for you because it is made of whole grain rye and whole grains, fruit crunch slices have also been topped with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and whole grain oatflakes.

There are also recipes that you can experiment with involving fruit crunch slices www.mydish.co.uk make a really nice Ryvita Crunch Fool:

Ingredients

• 4 Ryvita Fruit Crunch Crispbreads
• 300g Raspberries
• 150ml Double Cream
• 125ml Greek Yoghurt
• 1 tbspn (to taste) Icing Sugar
• 1 tspn (to taste) Lemon Juice
• 4 strawberries (for decoration)
• 4 Serving glasses

Method

• Rinse the berries and crush them roughly with a fork. Pour the cream into a chilled bowl and whip it untill it stands in soft folds, ensure that it is not too stiff. Gently fold in the yoghurt and two thirds of the crushed raspberries. Stir in the lemon juice and the icing sugar to taste. Stir in the reserved third of raspberries, leaving a trail of red through the pink of the fool. Crumble the Ryvita roughly, and sprinkle half of the rubble into the bottom of the dishes, dollop a spoonful of the creamy mixture on top, sprinkle with the remaining Ryvita pieces, and finish with the rest of the fool mixture. Top each one with a strawberry, and chill until you are ready to serve.

So give them a try the next time that you arr shopping, I usually buy them in Sainsbury’s, it can be a bit more difficult to find them in other supermarkets.  They retail at £1.45per packet.

Do Your Children Need to be Tested for High Cholesterol

This morning I was watching the news on BBC1 and there was an interesting segment on high cholesterol and the fact that the genetic link to high cholesterol is being missed.  What caught my attention was the fact that children as young as 1 are being tested for high cholesterol, I did not know that this took place.  It has been said that Cholesterol tests in children between the age of one and nine years are the most accurate because as people get older their cholesterol gets higher for other reasons, such as an unhealthy diet.  Experts have even gone as far as to say that children should receive a cholesterol check when they receive their routine vaccinations at 15 months. 
It was explained that familial hypercholesterolaemia is genetic and if one family member is diagnosed, the others will also need to be tested. For every child with the condition, one parent would also have to be affected and they could also be tested and treated.  The benefit to testing children for high cholesterol as a routine at such a young age is that, if they are diagnosed their parents would also be tested and treated if necessary also.  It is important for people to be diagnosed, if people are not treated the result is that over half of men and a third of women will develop heart disease before the age of 55.
The good news is that children are rarely treated with statins, parents are simply encouraged to give the child a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet.  The child will then be reviewed in a few years.  A study, which involved more than 6,800 children from Bogalusa, Louisiana, found that after four years, cholesterol levels in children who initially tested high dropped below threshold levels 60 percent of the time.  Dr Richard Di Censo explains that "exercise is one of the best and safest ways to control cholesterol levels" in his book Beyond Medicine, Explaining New Ways of Thinking.  The important thing is that the high cholesterol is detected as early as possible. 
 The British Heart Foundation has an article which gives some great tips on naturally lowering high cholesterol, below I have summarized them:

• Cut your total fat intake
• Know which fats are bad and which ones are beneficial to the body
• Get active brisk walking, jogging, visit the gym, exercise really helps
• Stop  this only has a negative effect on your body and cholesterol
• Small amounts of red wine, approximately 2-3 units per day can be beneficial
• Eat more fresh fruit and veg
• Make sure you are within the healthy weight bracket for your height, being overweight can increase your cholesterol and your risk of coronary heart disease
• Eat more oily fish which is high in Omega 3 and good for you
• Get good protein each day 25g of soy protein is sufficient

If you would like to read the article in more depth please click on this link http://newsletter.bhf.org.uk/e_article000664561.cfm?x=b8bppc8,b26sSHD6  The tips are practical and will allow you to hopefully lower your cholesterol naturally.

Yoga Really Works

For the new year I have decided to attend Yoga on a more regular basis.  I used to go to yoga every week and I really did enjoy it, but my attendance started to dwindle as I began to do much more fast paced exercise all the time such as Spinning, Circuits and Aerobics.  Suprisingly I have noticed that I had more muscle tone and definition when I did yoga regularly, in comparison to when I do aerobic activities.  It is good to have a mix of both aerobics and strength exercises such as yoga as they both have different benefits.

Yoga is an ancient Hindu practice that people have been doing for thousands of years.  There are numerous styles of yoga so it is always best to try and find a class that is suited to you.  Yoga relieves daily tensions and anxieties, it improves spine health and muscle tone immensely.  It can be started at any age and there is no age limit for when you should stop practicing yoga either.  Below I have listed a few more of the benefits:

• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Posture improves
• Core muscles are strengthened
• Energy levels are increased
• Pain decreases
• Integrated functioning of body parts improve

I practice Ashtanga/Power Yoga I find it the most enjoyable and challenging.  Ashtanga means “Eight Limbs” and this is a fast paced intense style of yoga.  You follow a set series of poses which are always performed in the same order, this class is physically demanding but fun.


Bikram Yoga, also known as Hot yoga, was pioneered by Bikram Choudhury, and is performed in a room that is heated to 95- 100 degrees!  This encourages tight muscles to stretch and also causes you t sweat rather profusely which some believe is cleansing to both the body, skin and mind.  I have not tried Bikram yoga yet but I do want to, there are numerous classes held in and around central London which are easy to commute to.

Hatha Yoga is a term which is sometimes used quite generally to cover different types of yoga, if it is used to describe a class it will usually mean that the class will be slow- paced, providing a good introduction to beginners on the different types of yoga poses.

Vinyasa Yoga is based around synchronizing your breathing with the yoga moves that are being performed.  This class will be slightly more vigorous than a Hatha class as you perform more sun salutations and again match your breathing.   This class is intermediate and the warm up at the beginning of the class means that the body is prepared for more intense stretching.

Iyengar Yoga is mostly concerned with keeping the body aligned and being precise with poses.  In Iyengar classes you hold the pose for a longer period of time.

This is just a brief introduction to some of the most popular styles of Yoga on the market, there are many more.  I hope that I have encouraged you to give Yoga a try for the new year, or if you already practice yoga you could challenge yourself with a different style.  I intend to try Bikram Yoga at some point this year!

The Benefits of Weight Lifting

Weight lifting does not appeal to everyone, especially women, in fact the number of women who include weights in their work out routine is very low.  This is a unfortunate as weight lifting has numerous benefits some of which I have listed below:

• Research has shown that regular training with weights can increase your basal metabolic rate by up to 15% which means that you will burn significantly more calories in a day.
• Weight lifting strengthens the bones and decreases the risk of developing osteoporosis.  It is especially good for older adults who typically suffer from reduced bone density.
• It helps in increasing the mineral density of the spinal bone by at least 13% within approximately 6 months.
• Weight lifting improves your overall health regardless of your age.  It actually helps to preserve your muscle mass as you age, which otherwise would naturally decrease.
• It helps reduce the risk of diabetes by improving the bodies method of processing sugar.

Many women avoid weight training as they believe that it will make them bulky when they would rather the long and lean look.  However there is no need to worry about bulking up as a high level of testosterone is needed to do this. Women have significantly lower levels of testosterone in comparison to men, which means that weight training will not lead to a very muscular bulky physique.

One important fact to remember is that weight lifting helps to lose fat.  A big mistake that people often make is doing cardio exercises and cutting their calories without doing and weight training.  This is not good because it can mean that you lose muscle along with fat, and when you lose muscle your body cannot burn fat efficiently.  When you weight train your body continues to burn fat whilst you sleep and the following day.

I hope to have convinced you to give weight lifting a try if you have not already.  A good way to start could be by joining a class at the gym, they are usually called 'Body' or 'Power' Pump classes.  This will give you the opportunity to learn the correct way to lift weights once you know this you can continue to lift weights in the comfort of your own home or at the gym.

Lastly, when you begin to lift weights try not to concentrate too much on what the scales say that you weigh.  Muscle weighs more per square inch than fat, so it may seem as though your weight is not decreasing as quickly as it should.  It will be more than likely that you are actually losing inches and  you should begin to feel more toned.

With all of the above benefits I know that you will want to give it a try!