Can't stay awake after lunch?

How often have you suddenly found yourself longing for a nap on the sofa on Tuesday afternoon at the office?  That low energy moment after lunch when you just can't seem to stay awake.  The terrifying thought that someone could set up a meeting at that time is enough to have you panic stricken about being able to stay awake.

Well, this is normal... especially when you are eating incorrectly.

One of the main causes for this is that after a heavy lunch your body is using as much energy as possible to digest all you have eaten, this diverts blood from the brain to help with the digestion process which in turn, makes you feel lethargic.  If you have had a lot to eat and especially if you have mixed carbs with protein, it will take you body a lot longer to get through the digestion process.  If you avoid the carbs at lunch and stick to protein and vegetables you won't hit the slump.

What's more, we are all eating way more than our bodies need.  Portions have increased by about 50% in the past 20 years.  We really don't need to eat as much as we do and a light lunch works wonders.  Eating large amounts of pasta will always be a challenge for our systems, especially if you chuck a meat sauce over it.  Think light, eat lots of vegetables and some protein, eat slowly and away from your computer.  Chew properly and be mindful of what you are eating.

Stay as far away from sugar as possible.  The minute we find ourselves lacking energy we tend to stroll to the vending machine and grab a chocolate bar.  But sugar just causes a spike in your blood glucose levels, giving you an instant "high", which is lost just as quickly when insulin is released to lower the level of glucose in your blood.  So your "high" gets converted into a "low" very quickly, taking you right back to your lack of energy and your need for another "high".

Snacks can be healthful and energy giving too - even if they don't have sugar in them.  High protein and high fat snacks can do wonders.  Think nuts... a handful of raw nuts gives your energy a healthy boost, or half an avocado, for example.

Don't worry about having a coffee or a cup of tea.  Caffeine is a good energy booster and can also lower your risk of Alzheimer's and diabetes, can boost your mental as well as your physical performance.  A cup of coffee after lunch can work wonders - just don't have any too far into the afternoon as you may have problems sleeping.

Some fresh air is an essential part of any working day.  Being stuck in an office all day from 9-5 with recycled air and staring at a computer screen is enough to make anyone feel exhausted.  So have your lunch, a coffee and then go for a brisk walk.  Make it as long as your schedule will allow - the ideal is half an hour.  Studies have shown that a half hour walk at lunchtime increases our energy AND our productivity once we are back at our desks.  It also helps build muscles, boosts our mood and also our self-confidence so, what are you waiting for?  Talk to some of your friends at work, they might be willing to join you!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Diets don't work.

Yes, that's right, diets don't work.  Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't change the way you eat.

Let's start off with the concept of a "diet".  Your diet is actually the WAY you eat - not just a weight loss program.  However most of us associate the word "diet" with eating a lot less and basically lettuce and grilled chicken.  Severe calorie restriction and avoiding all those foods that we enjoy is a recipe for disaster.

If you want to lose weight there are several things you will need to do, but the main one is to:

MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE

The majority of people who decide they need to lose weight follow the following steps:

1. Go on a calorie restricted diet
2. Lose weight
3. Stop the diet because they have reached their weight loss goal
4. Put the weight back on again... and then some.

Sound familiar?

Consider this:  If the way you ate before the diet made you put on weight, going on a calorie
restricted diet will help you (in some cases) to lose that weight.  So you then think YIPEEE! I can stop the diet, and you then start eating the way you did before.  Yes, the way that made you gain weight to start with... So if it made you gain weight in the beginning, why wouldn't it do the same again?

The few people who manage to lose weight and keep it off is due to not only changing their diet but changing their lifestyle as well.  A change in eating habits that permit you to lose weight is a longterm change, not just a quick fix. 

First you need to sit down and analyze exactly what you eat and what healthy habits you have in your life - if any.  Now, you need to be brutally honest with yourself.  My suggestion here is to keep a food diary for a week or two.  Write down EVERYTHING you eat or drink EVERY day and at the very moment you eat or drink something.  Don't wait to write it all down at the end of the day - you simply won't remember everything.

Once you have completed your diary you can analyze the types of foods you are eating.  We know for a fact that refined carbs (sugar, pasta, white bread and white rice), and root vegetables make us put on weight, also processed foods and junk foods.  So you can see where you are making the wrong food choices.

Ask yourself WHY you ate that McDonald's meal on Thursday evening, for example.  Or WHY you ate that packet of biscuits.  Do you eat when you are stressed?  Do you eat when you are emotional?  Bored?  Knowing your state of mind when you eat something you know you shouldn't is very important and will help you to make healthier choices in the future.  So, when you are reaching for the family sized chocolate bar in the cupboard, ask yourself why you want to eat that.  

Do you feel guilty after eating something you know is fattening?  If you do, then the next time you are heading for the biscuit tin, ask yourself if you are going to feel guilty afterwards, is it really worth it?

If you ask yourself pertinent questions, you can also find healthier solutions.  Am I eating from boredom?  What can I do to stop myself feeling bored?  How about reading a book or better still going outside in the fresh air for a brisk walk or a run?  

When eating healthy food, visualize what those healthy nutrients are doing to your mind and body.  Enjoy the knowledge that you are giving your body what it needs and, in time, those healthy foods will become what you crave.  

Have patience.  Sustained weight loss should happen over time.  Each person loses weight at their own pace, no matter what they do.  I have had patients drop 6 kg in 18 days, and other lose 1.5 kg per month... it all depends.  So, bear in mind you won't know how you are going to lose weight until you try, so don't get frustrated and give up if you aren't losing weight at the pace you'd like.  Your body will dictate that.  

Exercise is very important.  Not only for the body but for the mind too.  Find a sport or activity that you enjoy and look forward to doing.  If you can find people to join in with you then all the better.  If you have arranged to meet someone to go for a walk or run, you are more likely to go.  Exercise also helps with stress levels.  High stress levels means high levels of cortisone which leads to weight gain, so try something that will help you to de-stress.  Everyone is different, I like to run, a friend of mine likes to do high adrenalin workouts at the gym... it's up to you.

However, none of these changes will work if you don't incorporate them into your life as a part of it. 

1. Find a healthy eating plan that works for you - my suggestion is almost always a low carb diet with lots of vegetables.
2. Find a sport or activity that you enjoy.
3. Make this a long term project.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Science and food... what the evidence says

I spend every day reading clinical studies on different foods and how they affect our health - or help it.  And I totally understand that people are genuinely confused as to what you CAN eat without worrying about the negative effects those foods can have on your weight and health.  Heck, I'm confused most of the time too!

We are constantly bombarded, day in and day out by the "health" industry and the food industry telling us that sugar is fine one day and then saying it needs taxing the next (I agree with this last point and one day I might just write a book about that one!), if low fat is heart healthy and then saying that low fat is heart dangerous... or high carb is fine for weight loss... oh no wait a minute... no it isn't!  Aren't you confused?

I hope my blog goes a long way to helping you understand what is right for you and what isn't.  I do try and base my information on scientific findings, but even those can be misleading.  The success of a clinical study depends on 3 factors; the number of participants involved, the duration of the study and the interpretation of the results.  Small studies with short durations give quick results that may not extend to a wider population and could change over time - for example.  Quite often the press pick up on once phrase and the whole thing goes viral without actually reading the entire study.  So most should be considered in their entirety before making conclusions.

However, there are some foods out there that have bad press which needs to be reassessed.  I wrote recently about how good avocados are for you and coffee has had a negative image for years.  Chocolate has been considered the devil since the beginning of time and wine was usually struck off in any weight loss plan.  We have been told for years that eggs raise cholesterol and therefore are a risk to heart health, and nuts are so fattening you shouldn't even be in the same room with them - same goes for pickles!

So, as I am not one for bashing anyone or anything over the head without proof... here's mine...

EGGS

I love eggs.  Considered one of the purest forms of protein, also considered to raise cholesterol and study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eggs can help your body better absorb other vegetables' nutrients - more importantly it is the fat in the yolk that creates this better absorption.  So, add an egg to your favorite vegetable dishes. make you fat as the yolk is supposedly pure fat.  Truth is, the egg as a whole is packed with fat, protein, loads of vitamins and minerales and is very low in carbs.  They could also help you to absorb other nutrients more efficiently.  According to a new

PICKLES

Fermented foods are fashionable at the moment and for good reason.  They are extremely good for your gut health, and if your gut isn't healthy then you really are going to have problems - even in your mental health!  The Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition has carried out an albeit small study with only 40 participants, which found that the participants who consumed probiotics for four weeks, spent less time dwelling on bad past experiences or negative feelings.

Fermented foods are packed with probiotics which could also help reduce social anxiety.  700 college students were surveyed on their eating and exercise habits and their personalities.  The scientists that carried out the survey discovered that those who described themselves as anxious had better social behavior if they ate probiotics.

NUTS

Wonderful and healthful nuts, packed with healthy fats, fiber and vitamins but feared for their high caloric value.  However, fear not!  Maastricht University discovered that people who ate about 10g of nuts every day had a 23% reduced risk of dying from heart attacks, diabetes, respiratory failure, and cancer, compared to people who ate less.  However, eating more than 10g a day did not increase the protective benefits so there is no need to go crazy and eat huge amounts.  Just remember to keep them raw and avoid peanuts!

AVOCADOS

Another one of my favorites!  Now to add to all those benefits is the avocado's LDL (bad cholesterol) lowering properties, making it heart healthy - or so new research published in the Journal of American Heart Association.  Another small study and funded by Hass Avocado Board and including only 45 participants so could be considered questionable on all levels... but it does shed light on the positive effect of the healthy fat found in avocados on cholesterol... Seeing as there is no reason NOT to eat avocados, this just adds to the positives.

Professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo has found that a lipid in avocados attacks leukemia stem cells directly without harming other healthy cells.  Obviously this would be a major breakthrough in cancer research but the drug is still a long way from being approved for use in human cancer patients.

CHOCOLATE

The never ending chocolate debate.  Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants which can't be bad, right?  Just keep it in moderation.  Although a study at Columbia University and NYU found that participants who ate a lot of chocolate - 100g of cocoa powder which contains 100mg of flavanols - got higher scores on memory tests than those who ate a little.  This means that chocolate is actually good for your brain.  However, to get that much from regular chocolate means you would have to consume 44 pounds a day and I really don't think your waistline would appreciate it even if you were capable.

Chocolate can also be considered good for you heart, or simply not bad for it.  A study in the British Medical Journal states that eating up to 100g of chocolate a day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.  But it could just mean that people with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease eat less chocolate than those who don't.

COFFEE

Can't live without it, but you think you should cut back because of the caffeine?  However, one thing all scientists seem to agree on is that drinking coffee isn't harmful at all.  In fact, a review of 40 different on the link between coffee and different kinds of cancer found that coffee consumption is inversely linked to the risk of various different types of cancer including breast, pancreas, bladder, prostate and throat.  The American Heart Association research has shown that higher levels of coffee consumption means a lower risk of stroke.  Also another study from Kyoto University discovered a reduced risk of death from heart disease in participants who had at least one cup a day.

Another study from the University of Texas shows that a few cups a day (2-3) could help lower the risk of erectile dysfunction.  This, they believe, is due to the fact that caffeine helps relax muscles and arteries, improving blood flow to the area in question.

WINE

Specifically red.  Full of an antioxidant called resveratrol, red wine is believed to be heart healthy and maybe even gut healthy due to it's fermentation and now, thanks to a study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, it may even improve weight loss too.  Red wine in mice has been found to help them metabolize fat and sugar more efficiently - however we will have to wait and see if it has the same results in humans.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Shocked AND horrified

Obesity is a very serious problem.  Not only is it a serious threat to those who suffer from it, it is also a serious economic threat to public health services.

Obesity is not just a problem of eating too much.  It isn't just an aesthetic or "unsightly" problem, it is a serious health problem that leads to serious health issues such as heart disease and cancer.  Let's face it - obesity kills.

All these obesity generated illness put a lot of stress on the public health services and together with the European economic crisis, this means there could be serious problems in the future.  Obesity is a very real and present problem that needs to be addressed in many ways.

There are several questions that need to be answered; why do we get fat in the first place?  Why do some people get fat and others don't even though they eat the same amount and even the same type of food?  We now know sugar is a serious threat to our health, so why aren't governments doing anything about it?  The old advice that fat in the diet is the problem has been clinically and statistically disproved, so why haven't dietary guidelines been changed?  We now know that refined carbohydrates make us fat, so why are we constantly being told that low fat, high carb diets make you thin?

To be honest the list of questions just goes on and on, and there still aren't many answers.  Some doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, homeopaths, etc strive to find the answers in the hope of helping people control their weight and avoid health issues.  Others... want to make money.

Hollywood, television, fashion... industries that are constantly trying to tell us that SKINNY is beautiful and the secret to success.  You want to become and actor... you have to be thin.  You want to be a model... you have to be thin.  Women and men are constantly comparing themselves to models, actors and even the person they sit next to on the bus.  We are body conscious and the better we think we look the more confidence we have.

So, another industry has arisen to help us in our quest to be skinny and beautiful.  The diet/surgery industry.  The first "diet book" was written in 1863 called A Letter of Corpulence by William Banting.  And the industry has grown from there.

Even back then Banting had it right.  After years of trying to lose weight through exercise and other forms of dieting, this British undertaker finally went on a LOW CARB diet and lost a load of weight.  He was so happy with the results that he wrote the book to share this knowledge with the rest of the world.

There are high carb diets, low carb diets, high fat or low fat, Dukan, Southbeach, Palm Springs, Hay
Diet, Atkins Diet Revolution, Mayo Clinic... pills; dangerous so called fat burners... meal substitutes in the form of shakes or soups... and then surgery arose, bariatric surgery; stomach bypass, reductions, balloons... all in an attempt to make people THIN.  And then the plastic surgery to rearrange the sagging and lagging post diet body.

Just one point I'd like to make about bariatric surgery... Did you know that 30% of patients that have bariatric surgery regain the weight they lose with in 24 months?  There is a reason to this... if you lose weight be it through surgery or through diet alone or diet and exercise... you have to make a permanent lifestyle change.  If the way you ate made you fat and you then go on a diet to lose weight, you lose weight and then stop the diet and go back to eating they way you did to start with... you will put the weight back on.  You have to make a clean break from the way you ate before and maintain that lifestyle change and make it permanent.

But as I said at the beginning,  I am both shocked and horrified by the latest diet "thing" that came to my attention this morning.  It is by a company called Aspire Assist.  Basically it is a tube inserted into the stomach and out through the abdomen where it connects to a machine that allows you to eat to your heart's content and then PUMP OUT UP TO A THIRD of what you have eaten before the body processes it, and flush it way down the toilet.

Yes, you heard me right and here's the video that tells you all about it.

Aspire Assist is a nicely marketed way of having an eating disorder.  At least 2 eating disorders involve eating normally and then forcing vomiting immediately after eating so as not to assimilate the food and therefore not put on weight.  Emptying out a third of your stomach contents through a tube eliminates the nasty vomiting process but it has the same end result.  So basically this company is condoning eating disorders.

However, having said that... obesity is a big (no pun intended) issue and many people just aren't capable of making the change... they can't change their way of thinking, their beliefs and in many cases they know they have to lose weight as it is affecting their health but they don't WANT to diet.

That word DIET is a small 4 letter word that no one wants to utter.  It's scary... it instantly conjures images of grilled chicken or fish with a side of lettuce.  Why would anyone want to diet and give up all the foods they love?

So although every atom of my body screams NOOOOOOO to his device, for the desperate, it may be a less invasive way of losing weight compared to bariatric surgery, ALTHOUGH I WANT TO STRESS THAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS AT ALL.  With this device there is no need for a general anesthetic and the procedure takes just 15 minutes and you can go home 2 hours later.  I can only HOPE that it will be used cautiously and that each case is assessed correctly.  This should not be used unless someone is in desperate need for health reasons.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Eat your way to amazing skin

I don't care how old you are.  If you learn to look after your skin from an early age, it will benefit you all your life.

And no, I don't just mean which creams, cleansers and tonics you should be using.  I'm talking from the inside out.  You see, it may not be visible, but the inside is just as important as the outside.  You've all heard of collagen - the main structural protein of the various connective tissues that gives our skin its firmness.  However, as we get older the production of collagen decreases especially after the age of 35, and wrinkles start to appear and things start... sagging.

However, there are certain foods that you can incorporate into your diet that will give your collagen production a boost:

1.  VEGETABLES:  Love your veggies and they will love you.  The more colorful the better.  The red vegetables such as beets, tomatoes and red peppers are full of lycopene which protects against sun damage and boosts collagen.  Dark leafy greens such as kale or spinach are packed with antioxidants that protect against the free radicals that attack collagen.  Orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, which restores damaged collagen.

I quite often snack on red or yellow pepper sticks and sweet potatoes are better for you than normal potatoes as they have more vitamins and minerals and less calories.

2.  GARLIC:  Yes well, even though there is a certain "danger" to eating too much garlic (people might not want to get too close during a conversation), garlic is actually very high in lipoic acid and taurine, which rebuild damaged collagen.  It is also high in sulfur which is an essential part of the collagen production process.

3.  BERRIES:  Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries to name just a few.  Berries are bursting with antioxidants that protect against the free radicals that damage the skin, berries also boost collagen production.

A bowl of berries for breakfast is a great way to start the day, or as a snack between meals - but ditch the cream and sugar, you really don't need them.

4.  BONE BROTH:  Just what grandma used to make when you weren't feeling well.  Now this may not sound very appetizing but bone broth is actually cooked collagen.  Eating broth is a great way to restore collagen in your skin and smooth out any wrinkles.  Also the gelatin derived from the collagen in bone broth has the added advantage of healing your digestive tract which will prevent inflammation and aging skin.

5.  FISH AND LEAN, GRASS-FED MEAT:  Fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon and tuna and grass-fed meat are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids.  They protect the fatty membrane around skin cells.  The omega-3s plump up the cells, making them bouncy and full which gives skin a more youthful glow.  These foods provide essential amino acids and reduce inflammation which will keep your skin firm and elastic.


I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com