Family Nutrition Clinic

22/10/2021

The Alkaline diet suggests that eating foods which are ‘alkaline forming’ (e.g. fruits, veggies, soybeans and some legumes) rather than ‘acid forming’ (e.g. meat, grains, dairy, alcohol) can improve our bone health, metabolic health and even fight cancer! 😱

The hypothesis:
The theory behind this diet is that you can change your body's natural pH levels, through what you eat, reducing the acidity level. It has been suggested that a higher acid level removes calcium from the bones, reducing density and provides an optimal environment in which cancer cells can thrive.

The evidence:
❎ Unfortunately there is NO EVIDENCE to support the above in humans.
Your body's pH levels are designed to be acidic or alkaline in certain areas and this is tightly controlled, despite what you eat. For example your stomach is naturally acidic, this is important to help you break down and digest food, as well as to kill potential pathogens which may enter your system. If your stomach was not naturally acidic you could be more susceptible to illness as well as conditions such as SIBO.
Food can affect the pH of your urine, so those (unncessarily) following an alkaline diet may use this as a monitoring method, however it does not give us an indicator of your body's acidity levels or general health, and can be influenced by other factors outside of diet.
Nothing we eat will change the pH of our blood. If our blood pH was outside of the normal it can be fatal! ☠️ Your liver and kidneys do the job of excreting toxins from your body, and they don’t tend to need any help to do so.

Take-home:
Ditch the supplements, alkaline water and ionisers, and consider un-following any “influencers” who are spreading harmful messages about following an alkaline diet to treat medical conditions, because it just isn’t supported by any good clinical evidence. It certainly isn’t a cancer treatment, and there are significant risks related to this diet. As always, a healthy balanced diet with food from all the food groups and plenty of plants is the safest and most beneficial!

05/05/2021

Food neutrality: Should we be labelling food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ to children?

How we speak to children about food is really key. Food neutrality is the practice of looking at all foods as being equal, rather than labelling then as good or bad. ...

19/04/2021

Do bananas cause constipation? Nope...in fact they can have the opposite effect!

Bananas are high in fibre, full of potassium and great for gut bacteria. Some people might experience wind and bloating due to the FODMAPS and resistant starch in them. If this is the case opt for slightly green bananas.

I am often asked ‘do bananas cause constipation?' and bananas also be high in FODMAPs? I explain whether bananas help or worsen constipation.

17/04/2021

Loving this recipe!

Enjoy a vegetarian lasagne bursting with spinach and courgette, held together with a creamy mascarpone sauce. It's a filling midweek meal for all the family

12/04/2021

There are reasons why someone with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may suffer from frequent diarrhea. And there are ways to manage these symptoms.

06/04/2021

Have you ever had bloating, pain or other (💩) IBS type symptoms even though you've only eaten low FODMAP foods?

We've all heard of FODMAPs by now, and with good reason. A low FODMAP diet has been shown to help 3 out for 4 people get significant improvements in their digestion. But did you know there are other reasons that people get these symptoms too?

🧅FODMAPs: these are short chain carbohydrates that aren’t digested properly. They stay in the digestive tract and pass through. On the way they attract water into the digestive tract and when they arrive in the colon they become fast food for the healthy bacteria that live there. When the bacteria eat they create gas as a side effect. It’s this excess fluid and gas that is implicated in the bloating, wind, pain and altered bowel movements that are characteristic of IBS.

☕️Gut irritants: Some foods are harsher on the gut than others. Most people will find that caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, carbonated drinks and acidic foods in large serves are problematic.

🦠Food poisoning and gastro bugs: Unfortunately, these happen at times. Make sure to rest up and stay hydrated. If things persist or you are concerned, see your doctor.

🌶Salicylates: These are natural food chemical that are present in some fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, juice and toothpaste. When people who are sensitive to Salicylate's are exposed to high amounts they can trigger symptoms throughout the body e.g. gut upset, sinus problems, skin irritation, headaches and muscle aches.

🍫Amines: Amines are related to ageing and fermentation. They naturally occurring compounds found in over ripe fruits, vegetables, aged cheeses, meats, stocks, and certain food additives. They increase as foods ripen or age, including when leftovers are in the fridge for a day or two. When people who are sensitive to Amines are exposed to high amounts they can suffer with symptoms throughout the body e.g. gut upset, sinus problems, skin irritation, headaches and muscle aches.

🧻Fibre: Fibre is important for healthy digestion. It bulks and softens the stool and helps keep the gut healthy as it passes through. But, you can have too much of a good thing. Too much or too little fibre can result in poor gut transit time. For many with IBS it can be a delicate balance to get the right amount of the right sort of fibre. Your dietitian can help you tweak this to your needs.

05/04/2021

The British Nutrition Foundation busts some of the most common nutrition and food myths...

Don't be fooled! On April Fool's Day, the British Nutrition Foundation busts some of the most common nutrition and food myths...

25/03/2021

If your thyroid gland is not functioning correctly, this can lead to problems. This is either in the form of an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), where your body produces too much of these of hormones; or underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), where your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones.

Read the below article about how NUTRITION can effect Thyroid health:

Thyroid gland The thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck and plays a key role in producing a number of hormones. These affect your heart rate, basal metabolic rate, and body temperature. Thyroid Disease If your thyroid gland is not functioning correctly, this can lead to problems. This i...

19/03/2021

Like all foods that are high in fat, cheese is a food that can cause guilt or anxiety for some people.

Cheese is actually a nutritious food that is high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, B12 & zinc. It also contains riboflavin, selenium & a number of other nutrients. However, some of these nutrients vary depending on the type of cheese.

Cheese & Heart Health ❤️
Studies have found that high cheese consumption (roughly 40 grams per day) is linked with a lower risk of heart disease. The surprises many, as cheese can be high in sodium & saturated fat. This effect may be related to the ‘food matrix of cheese’, specifically the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) which wraps around the saturated fat and seems to offer a layer of protection from increasing serum lipids, like LDL cholesterol. Another explanation for the reduction in risk may be related to the type of saturated fat naturally found in dairy (i.e. odd-chain saturated fatty acids) & the other nutrients that cheese contains may also play a role e.g. CLA (a naturally occurring form of trans fat), protein, the numerous vitamins and minerals present. But more research is needed to look into this.

Cheese & Cancer 🧀
Cancer Research UK state that “there is no good evidence that milk and dairy cause cancer” & also highlight that there is actually good evidence that consuming dairy products (including cheese) is actually associated with a reduced risk of bowel cancer. This may be related to the high calcium content of cheese. There are some studies that suggest that eating large amounts of dairy could be linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer – but more research is needed to look into this.

Overall ⭐️
There's a lot of really interesting research emerging about the impact of cheese on health & it’s looking promising that cheese may play a bigger health-promoting role than we once thought! Not to mention how divine it tastes (IMHO) 🤤

*lactose content of cheese varies between different types, but many types are low in lactose (particularly hard cheeses).

22/02/2021

19/02/2021

Guides to nutrition and immunity for all ages from the British Nutrition Foundation

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/covid19/nutritionimmunityallages.html?fbclid=IwAR1FijiGEUKUPXQbTI7HM84NL0yElxR7G9820UiRqJOgMD6K0JWEypWFLHo

Understandably in these unprecedented times, interest in nutrition and diet in relation to immunity has increased, but misconceptions and confusion are common.