Since the 1940’s the nutrients in our food have diminished by around 30 to 40%. Minerals such as zinc, iron, copper and magnesium are less abundant in our foods than back in 1940’s.
Add that to our nutrient depleting lifestyles, smoking, caffeine, alcohol, high calories and stress it’s no wonder we are not as well as we should be.
If you would like your diet analysed or want to establish your nutrient levels, make an appointment with Julie
.
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Fennel
Fennel is a favourite of mine, if you like the taste of aniseed, you will love this vegetable.
Fennel is a bulb, it’s foliage is used as a herb. The bulb is eaten raw, roasted or slowly braised. You often find fennel accompanied with fish.
Fennel has many health giving properties, it has been used for centuries for improving digestion. Nutritionally this bulb offers calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium and manganese. It’s often used for menopausal diets as it contains phytoestrogens which helps boost the women’s estrogen levels if eaten with other such foods like soya and chick peas with a high nutrient dense food plan.
Try this:
Caramalised Fennel
Use 2 large bulbs, sliced length ways ½ inch thick, or which ever way you prefer.
In a large thick bottomed pan heat some oil, and heat, put in the fennel and sauté for 10 minutes, turning it over and ensuring you don’t burn it.
Serve with grilled seabass, mashed sweet potato and minted peas, mange tout and baby carrots.
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Autumn as arrived.
Pumpkin and squashes are in season, so I thought I would share some of the facts about these wonderful hearty vegetables.
The wonderfully shaped vegetables are great for stews, risottos, soups and for roasts.
Squash is a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium and magnesium, and a very good source betacarotene, vitamin C, potassium and manganese. Super healthy.
Try this
Carefully chop your squash into squares and slice off the skin and scoop out the seeds, The seeds can be cleaned and roasted with spices if you are feeling adventurous.
Add the squash to a pan with onions and garlic, chillies and ginger.
Stir, making sure you keep the vegetables moving and don’t brown them, just sweat them.
After 5 or 10 minutes and when the flavours have released, add some organic vegetable stock and a squeeze of lime.
Cook until the squash is soft, add some coconut cream (1/4 of a pint or to taste) and cook on a gentle heat for a little longer, allow to cool and blend into a smooth delicious soup. Serve with a large green salad with roasted walnuts, lime juice, olive oil and roasted beetroots.
Lots more information and intersting cooking articles about Eating Seasonally try this
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Here are some top foods to help fight the bugs and boost your immune system
Onions and Garlic contain allicin, allicin is thought to have the ability to slow and kill a variety of viruses and bacteria. However, it’s the raw variety that really has the immune punch.
Raw garlic and onions
Add some raw onion to your salads and use fresh garlic in your dressings. A little side salad with these little immune fighting gems could really help.
Lemons
Include some lemon juice (vitamin C) in the dressing and make a big chicken and vegetable soup
Add some cayenne pepper and turmeric for extra anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits.
Bone broth or mushroom broth
Fantastic for supporting the immune system, full of minerals and potassium and are great to fighting those winter viruses.
Ginger tea
Natural anti-inflammatory and gets the taste buds zinging!
Immune Tea
Another fave of mine is Hibiscus and Rosehip Tea with a little Manuka honey. Delicious drink with benefits! Anti-oxidants from the tea and anti-bacterial affects from the honey. Beautiful deep red tea tastes delicious.
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On 2nd November through to 4th November Julie will attending a Yoga Retreat at The Kilnhanger, Surrey. Julie will be providing students with relaxing Indian Head Massage to complete their weekend of rest and relaxation before we enter Party Season. She will also be available for confidential nutrition chats and consultations to help you get through winter free of colds and flu’s.
Alexa is a wonderful Yoga teacher, Julie and Alexa have worked on retreats together previously, and they are both looking forward to working together again, and hopefully seeing you there. Full details of the Yoga Retreat – November 2012.
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Pop into The Forge Clinic today for your free 10 minute confidential chat with me.
You will get some tips on improving your digestion, suggestions for helping you reaching your ideal weight and lots more. All in 10mins and it’s free.
Pop in today, The Forge Clinic, 37 Red Lion Street, Richmond Surrey TW9 1RJ.
Have a good food day!
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Most of us only use the top lobes of our lungs when we breathe. I used to suffer with asthma when I was younger, I was tired of medicating my problem, I did some research on breathing exercises. After attending professional yoga classes, I learnt to breath using my diaphragm and tummy rather than using short shallow breathes from the top of my lungs. It took a while to get used to this new way of breathing, now I experience the benefits of feeling more relaxed, less out of breathe and able to exercise for longer.
Breathing exercises are a form of relaxation and can help reduce your stress levels. Lower stress levels means lower cortisol levels, which can encourage weight to accumulate around the middle. So you could find weight loss as a side effect if you keep using this way of breathing to reduce stress.
Why not give it go? It’s free and you can do it anywhere…
Either laying down, or seated. Take a deep breathe in through your nose, using your tummy rather than expanding your chest and lifting your shoulders, and feel your lungs fill with air.
Your tummy should raise as you breath in and go in when you breath out.
As you breathe in count to 8, and breath out for 6 – continue for 1 minute, breath normally for 1 minute and start the exercises again for 1 minute. Continue for a further 3 rounds. Afterwards, sit or lay down paying attention to the air passing your nose. Slowly get up and have a drink of water or herbal tea.
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Keep insulin resistance away!
Numerous studies (1, 2, 3) have demonstrated that the use of this delicious spice in our food may help to improve our ability too handle sugar and carbohydrates better.
Now that sounds easy, why not add it to your breakfast? Great on oats, muesli or fruit yoghurt and flaxseeds.
It adds a sweetness without the sugar response, perfect. Of course there are always going to be studies that don’t’ agree with these findings, but at the cost of a box of cinnamon its worth a go!
It’s also a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
Please note, not suitable for those suffering with highblood pressure, kidney or liver disease and those taking blood thining medication. Always seek advice from a professional before making drastic changes to your diet and lifestyle.
1. Qin et al., Cinnamon Extract Prevents the Insulin Resistance Induced by High Fructose diet. Horm Metab Res 2004; 36(2): 119-125
2. Kirkham, S., Akilen, R., Sharma, S. and Tsiami, A. (2009), The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 11: 1100–1113. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01094.x
3. Karalee J, Jarvill et al., A Hydroxychalcone Derived from Cinnamon Functions as a Mimetic for Insulin in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes. J Am Coll Nutr August 2001 vol. 20 no. 4 327-336
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I know I want to be as fit and healthy as possible so I can achieve my dreams, I don’t want to rely on pills to keep me going into old age, I want more than that.
If you believe in a more natural approach to health, then Nutritional Therapy is perfect for you. Understanding how your health got to a point in time is helpful, it can allow us to see a way back to health that’s possible, and for me that’s really exciting and very motivating.
Knowledge of the human body and its physiology is an amazing gift, it could unlock the key to your health success story!
For a confidential chat about your health concerns please give me a call 07957806207 and ask for Julie, I am currently working in Fulham and the surrounding areas
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I wanted to share with you, that when I have friends over for lunch or dinner and I make pasta, I always use gluten free pasta, and no one has ever noticed!
Yesterday I made tomato sauce from tinned tomatoes, chopped garlic, a pinch of sugar, a punch of basil and tomato puree (and let it reduce over a low heat). I added sliced carrots and thinly sliced broccili stems. The result was a thick tasty sauce full of goodness and flavour. I then added some roasted chicken and cracked pepper and served with a big salad of mixed leaves, tomatoes, artichokes and toasted seeds, I usually add some anchovies, but I know not everyone likes them so I made them available on a separate plate. For dressing I usually use olive oil, cracked pepper and a lots of squeezed lemon juice and a few basil leaves or mint leaves.
Enjoy your food, if you batch cook sauces it can save lots of time and money too! 
Nutritional Therapy Link 