Avokate Nutrition

12/06/2023

Identifying which foods are ultra-processed can be confusing. The NOVA food classification was designed to help people “group foods according to the extent and
purpose of the processing they undergo".
It categorises foods as follows:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed = natural foods that have been submitted to cleaning, drying, grinding, cooling, freezing such as frozen veggies or dried mushrooms, fruits and legumes.

2. Processed Culinary Ingredients such as OILS, FATS, SALT, AND SUGAR which have been extracted from natural foods.

3. Processed foods = manufactured by industry with the use of salt, sugar, oil or
other substances (Group 2) added to natural or minimally processed foods (Group 1) to preserve or to make them more palatable such as canned fish, cheeses, and cured meats.

4. Ultra processed foods = made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, and proteins), derived from food constituents
(hydrogenated fats and modified starch), or synthesized in laboratories from food substrates or other organic sources (flavor enhancers, colors, and several food additives used to make the product hyper-palatable). This list includes everything from biscuits to sports drinks to breads, and breakfast cereals, fruit juices, spreads and more.

Read the NOVA food classification here:https://educhange.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

Find a BANT Nutrition Practitioner at bant.org.uk

⁠ ⁠ ⁠
⁠ ⁠
⁠

13/09/2022

https://bant.org.uk/2022/09/09/may-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-rest-in-peace/

It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history and a constant presence in our lives over the past seventy…

23/05/2022

Throughout the month of May we've been driving Mental Health Awareness and showcasing the important role that both nutrition and lifestyle can play. Current statics show that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, and 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week (1). The triggers for these are as varied as people are different, which is why a personalised approach can really help you to identify the areas most relevant to you.

Alongside optimising the foods you eat, there are many lifestyle adjustments you can make to help support symptoms of mental health. These include promoting good sleep quality, reducing stress, taking regular physical activity, and engaging in activities which calm and restore your equilibrium. Today we're sharing a guide on the importance of breathing - deeply, efficiently, calmly - and how breath-work is one of many supportive tools for mental health. Download it here:https://bant.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BANT_FFYH_BREATHE-BETTER.pdf

Visit our Food for your Health campaign page to access a range of free food and lifestyle guides to help you take the first step towards a healthier YOU. https://bant.org.uk/foodforyourhealth_tools/

Search for a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at bant.org.uk

(1) mind.org.uk

04/02/2022

We started the week talking about sugar and artificial sweeteners and we're finishing with our guide 'Get to know your sugars'.

According to the NHS guidelines, adults should consume a maximum of 30 grams of sugar a day, or 7 sugar cubes. Children aged 7 to 10 should have less than 24 grams of sugar a day (6 sugar cubes), and children aged 4 to 6 should consume no more than 19 grams of sugar a day (under 5 sugar cubes).

You can download the pdf direct from our Food for your Health campaign page here:https://bant.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/BANT_FFYH_SUGAR.pdf

06/12/2021

With the so-called curse of “Long-COVID” estimated to affect a third of people post-infection, the legacy of this virus is set to disrupt populatio...

04/11/2021

Today marks National Stress Awareness Day so here is a quick look at why stress and stress-resilience is so important to your health and well-being. ⁠

There is no magic solution for stress and we will each handle it in very individual ways. What is true for everyone however is the havoc too much stress can have on your mental and physical health and well-being. Are you stress-resilient or stressed out?
⁠
The effects of stress are recognised as contributing to poor health by physically altering our bodies reactions to everyday metabolic processes. Over time, prolonged stress can contribute to creating a state of continual inflammation in the body. ⁠
⁠
This can trigger many knock-on effects. For example, stress can suppress the appetite and impact digestive processes, raise blood pressure, up-regulate nervous system activities, promote irregular bowel activity, influence s*x hormone production, libido and fertility, reduce our immune tolerance and ability to fight infection and much more. ⁠
⁠
Personalised nutrition and lifestyle medicine looks to identify mechanisms which can help individuals manage their stress better through dietary and lifestyle interventions.
⁠
Download our 'Guide to Stress' herehttps://bant.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/STRESS.pdf and visit bant.org.uk for more 'Food for your Health' campaign resources and lifestyle guides.

For more personalised support you can find a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner online at https://bant.org.uk/bant/jsp/practitionerSearch.faces
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠

01/11/2021

Healthy eating is about achieving greater balance in your diet to support your health and wellbeing. This will differ for every individual however often invo...

08/10/2021

New Feature article by BANT Fellow Anh Nguyen on Nutritional Therapy Strategies for Long- COVID: How to help the long haulers!

With the so-called curse of “Long-COVID” estimated to affect a third of people post-infection, the legacy of this virus is set to disrupt populations for years to come. It is still unclear as to why some people experience the virus more, or less, severely, and why prolonged symptoms linger in some but not in others. Inevitably there are still more questions than answers as the studies play catch-up with the reality of people living their lives blighted by persistent symptoms. Dubbed as ‘long-haulers’ these people are now seeking therapeutic strategies to alleviate and support long-COVID symptoms in a bid to get back to full health as quickly as possible.

BANT Fellow, Consultant in genomic medicine and Clinician at the University of Stirling, Anh Nguyen, walks us through the latest research and nutrition therapeutic considerations for supporting long-haulers at the intersection where diet, nutrition and eating habits converge on gut health, inflammation, and specific symptoms of long-COVID, such as loss of olfactory senses, fatigue and poor cognition.

Read the article here:
Read Anh's excellent, fully referenced scholarly article on the website by clicking on the link below: https://bant.org.uk/2021/10/07/nutritional-therapeutic-strategies-for-long-covid-how-to-help-the-long-haulers/

Access more Long-COVID research at Nutrition Evidence:
Read our NED Alert on Long-COVID from July 2021 with links to the latest research.
https://bant.org.uk/2021/07/24/nutrition-evidence-alert-july-2021/

Download our Long-COVID NED InfoBite
https://bant.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/05p_BANT-NED-Info-Bites_Long-Covid.pdf

24/01/2021

❓ Did you know, the adrenal glands have 100 times more vitamin C than anywhere else in the body! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🎧 Let’s continue to hear what DR Paul Marik says in this (and if you haven’t read the post about him cracking the covid code, then you must! Message below if you want me to repost). Make sure you have signed the petition to receive tomorrow’s newsletter, it is a MUST read! Make sure our email is whitelisted and check your spam folder. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🍊 So the adrenal gland secretes both cortisol, as well as vitamin C. In addition, the liver increases synthesis of vitamin C. This is based on absolute science. And we know this absolutely and categorically that vitamin C in other species is an important stress hormone. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦠 So I have a colleague who's actually measured vitamin C levels in COVID patients, and they are undetectable. Undetectable. The levels are so low in all COVID patients they cannot be detected. So we absolutely know, that patients with COVID, apart from all the other benefits, are absolutely profoundly deficient in vitamin C. So all of them actually meet the diagnostic criteria for so called scurvy. So just on that basis, they shouldn't be so much controversy about giving vitamin C; these people have a disease induced scurvy.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦠 What’s the definition of Scurvy? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Well a disease caused by a deficiency in vitamin C. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We know people with scurvy have incredibly low vitamin C levels almost undetectable in your sepsis patients. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Given the science and logic behind this, how can this not be used in a hospital setting for covid? Please help us keep spreading the word, write to your MP (we have a template), get others to sign the petition, tag people below...

16/01/2021

Food First.⁠
Aim for a healthy balance of proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrate foods. Embrace home-cooked meals with fresh nutrient-dense ingredients, rather than counting calories.⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠ ⁠
⁠
⁠

11/01/2021

73194 signatures are still needed! Stop the UK from allowing EU banned bee-killing pesticide to be reintroduced

16/12/2020

School closures have affected children from disadvantaged backgrounds the worst, widening the gap between rich and poor