What Is Type 1.5 Diabetes

What Is Type 1.5 Diabetes? Understanding the Overlooked Form of Diabetes

In this article I want to provide a general breakdown of LADA/Type 1.5 diabetes, so that there is increased awareness around this often overlooked and poorly managed condition.

Turmeric Curcumin Health Benefits

Turmeric & Curcumin: Helpful or Hype

In this article, we explore the spice turmeric as well as its popular active component, Curcumin. How might turmeric and curcumin benefit your health and is there good evidence behind its use? If it can help, what conditions might it...

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The Healthiest Snack in the World

In this article we are going to look at some research looking at intermittent periods of exercise and its impact on muscle protein synthesis. We also explore other benefits of exercise snacking.

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5 basic nutrition weight loss tips by a nutritionist that don’t involve counting calories

Creating a calorie deficit is an accepted goal to effectively support someone’s weight loss journey. However, not everyone wants to track, measure, or count calories. Below you will find some tips that are not directly quantifying calories but may help...

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The pros and cons of tracking calories for weight loss

This article explores the popular methods for tracking your nutrition intake: calorie counting, flexible dieting and meal plans and provides some top tips for tracking your nutrition intake. For most people, calorie counting tends to be done on an app...

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Why is protein important for weight loss?

If you are embarking on a weight and fat loss journey, you are likely wanting to be setting yourself up for success. Research shows that the role of protein within your diet could be one of the most important tools...

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The importance of fibre for weight loss

Eating foods that are naturally rich in fibre are a corner stone of any successful weight loss journey! This article covers some of the many benefits of fibre, examples of high fibre foods, some tasty meal ideas, as well as...

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5 mindful strategies for successful weight loss

How we eat is often overlooked when it comes to weight loss. Retaining a level of mindfulness over our choices can have a profound impact on what we actual choose. Stress can impact our brain, leading to more impulsive decisions...

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Can flexible dieting help with weight loss?

In this article we provide a basic look at what flexible dieting is and some of the pros and cons to consider.

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Does fasted cardio help with weight loss?

You may have heard or read that fasted cardio is superior for losing weight and fat and therefore wondered whether this is true. This article provides the science behind fasted cardio and some need to knows and top tips for...

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Does meal timing and frequency matter for weight loss?

When and how much you eat are important components of setting up a weight loss diet and achieving a calorie deficit. Part of creating a personalised nutrition plan involves establishing meal frequency and timing that is optimal for you. This...

10 tips to improve insulin sensitivity

10 tips to improve insulin sensitivity

This article provides tips to optimise insulin sensitivity. The tips will also assist to: help manage blood glucose levels, prevent and/or reverse type 2 diabetes and reduce cardiovascular risk factors, PCOS and other insulin resistant associated conditions.

insulin resistance weight gain

Insulin resistance and weight gain: chicken or egg?

Whilst there is a definite relationship between insulin resistance and weight gain, which one comes first remains unclear. Both insulin resistance and weight gain are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and many other chronic diseases. Let’s examine their relationship.

lifestyle factors and type 2 diabetes

Lifestyle factors and type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes results from genetic and lifestyle factors. The great news is, lifestyle can be changed. Changes to diet, physical activity and weight (especially body fat) levels prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes. This article covers the key lifestyle...

is low carb best for type 2 diabetes

Is low carb best for type 2 diabetes?

Expert advice on recommended carbohydrate intake for type 2 diabetes remains controversial making it particularly confusing to know how much to have. This article summarises research on the impact of a low carb diet on type 2 diabetes.

a healthier approach to barbeques

A Healthier Approach to Barbeques

In this article, I am going to highlight some of the challenges with grilling and barbequing food. How there may be some health implications with the foods you choose to cook and how you cook them. Equally I want to...

food nutrients that may help immune system covid-19

Foods & Nutrients that MAY provide some immune benefit and help with COVID-19

Let’s kick things off by being completely blunt and honest. Nobody knows if specific foods, nutrients or supplements will have a positive or negative impact on COVID-19, there have not been any specific tests as yet to look at this.

batch cooking ideas

Batch cooking ideas

Thankfully the initial madness that surrounded coronavirus food shopping habits and the access to food seems to have now finally calmed down. I have had a number of requests for meal ideas that can be batch cooked at home and...

natural approaches to managing coronavirus

Natural approaches to managing the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

At the time of writing this piece (10th of March 2020) there have been around 115,000 cases of COVID-19 resulting in just over 4000 deaths globally. The rate at which the virus is spreading is causing a level of panic...

fay halloween recipes

Fay’s Halloween Recipes

Hey everyone. Fay here to spread some Halloween fun. I love Halloween for dressing up, making big curries and also for pumpkins. I love carving them and I love using the flesh to make some amazing recipes. They are seasonal...

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Vitamins & Minerals: Why they matter

Vitamins & minerals are collectively known as micronutrients. They are exceptionally important for maintaining and optimising health. Even though they are required in relatively small quantities, many functions within the body are dependent on sufficient amounts of these micronutrients –...

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Water: Why it’s important and how much should you consume?

There is a striking resemblance between the amount of water on this earth and the amount of water in the human body. With around 60-65% of the human body being water and 75-85% of the brain being made up of...

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What fats are best to cook with

With an ever-growing body of research underscoring the importance of dietary fats in our meals, discerning the most beneficial fats for cooking has never been more paramount. This article delves into the structure of fats, highlighting why preserving their integrity...

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Foods to support a healthy digestive system

In this article I am going to discuss some basic tips to help you maintain a healthy digestive system through the food that you eat.

calorie macros breakdown common foods

Calorie and macronutrient breakdown of common foods

In this article I provide you with a full and accurate breakdown of the calorie and macronutrient levels of common foods and use other methods to help you make more informed decisions about portion sizes.

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Understanding your hunger meditation practice

In this exercise developed with the help of my colleague and Dietician Lara Rickard, we are going to look at a short mindfulness practice to help you understand your hunger.

understanding hunger physical psychological cues

Understanding Hunger: Physical and psychological cues

Have you ever had a sudden urge to eat something or following a meal had a significant desire to eat more, especially something sweet? Why is it that this seems to happen at the same time of day each day...

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Stress, emotions and mindless eating

In this article written by my colleague and Dietician Lara Rickard and myself we look at the connection between stress or emotions and how we eat.

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My Top 10 Mindful Eating Tips from Thich Nhat Hanh

Here are some tips I have taken from Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh, also known as “The Father of Mindfulness”. These were taken from his short book titled How to Eat.

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Why We Eat: Exploring your relationship with food, finding balance & flexibility

We’ve all heard it before, “everything in moderation” or “eat a balanced diet”, but what does that mean and what does that mean for you? In this article we are going to explore how to create balance in your diet,...

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Why We Eat: Food, Emotions & Connection

In this article we are going to begin to explore this emotional connection and why it influences behaviour as well as bringing awareness to the social role that food plays.

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Why We Eat: Food and the Body

In this article we are going to look at the connection between food and our physiology and why food can play such an important role in optimising health and improving physique.

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Using nutrition to get relief from Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)

In this article I’d like to educate you about how nutrition can act as a natural treatment and provide relief from the symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS).

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Nutrition to speed up injury recovery

Want to recover faster from an injury? Nutrition can play a pivotal role in speeding up the recovery process.

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Why people get “hangry” and what to do about it

In this article we are going to look at why some people get “hangry” after not eating for a while or between meals.

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Understanding Fats

Fats have had a bad rap over the past 30-40 years. The obsession around low fat products along with misinformation based upon cherry picked research has ultimately lead to a state of confusion as to whether fats are helpful or...

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Understanding Caffeine

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that can help provide mental stimulation, in fact it is the worlds most consumed psychoactive drug. The media and opinion often portray caffeine as something that can be both good and bad for your health....

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Understanding Alcohol

How we all respond to alcohol is likely to be very individual but let’s explore it’s potential affects on your health and physique goals, as well as providing some ways to be more mindful and make better choices when it...

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Understanding Carbohydrates

Not all carbohydrates are equal and over the years the image of carbohydrates have gone from friend to foe back to friend again depending on what article or “expert” you listen to.

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Understanding Fibre

In this article I aim to provide a general overview of fibre, its benefits and the best sources to include in your diet.

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Understanding Protein

In this discussion we are going to look at the role protein plays in the body, whilst determining what optimal levels are for you and reviewing whether too much protein can be bad for you.

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What are Phytonutrients?

We’ve all heard of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, but what are phytonutrients?

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Food Preparation Made Easy

If you are a busy person, who still likes to make their own meals but would like to perhaps reduce your time in the kitchen then this article is for you. Not only will be be covering some food prep...

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The Best Prebiotic and Probiotic Foods and how to support Postbiotic levels

To help support the balance of bacteria in our gut there are certain foods that should feature regularly in your diet. The two food groups you should include are prebiotics and probiotics. In this article we look at why beneficial...

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Halloween Recipes

Hi all, my name is Fay and I am Steve’s wife. People always ask me ‘ooooh your husband is a nutritionist, you must have to hide all your naughty stuff!’. Well no, luckily Steve is not a sergeant but he’s...

Should I be on a gluten free diet?

In todays article I want to discuss a few considerations with regards to going gluten free. I want to discuss my stance on the subject and also present some literature that was presented to me by Dr Tom O’Bryan recently...

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Are you using foods to self-sooth?

In this article we look at emotional eating, how to raise awareness and some tactics to help you overcome emotional eating habits that often lead to yo-yo type dieting and an inability to achieve your health and physique goals.

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The Forgotten Basics of Nutrition

As a nutritionist it can be easy to get carried away with the more complex side of our job, the laboratory testing and supplement prescription. All too often nutritionists and other health practitioners forget or even disregard the basics that...

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Introduction to Macronutrients

In this article we are going to review the importance of the three main macronutrients: Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates.

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The Importance of Mindful Eating

In this article we look at what mindful eating is and what you can do improve how you eat and the process of mindful eating.

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3 Nutrient interactions you should know about before supplementing with Vitamin D

Confirmed low levels of vitamin D may require supplementation, yet before supplementing with vitamins you should consider the following nutrient relationships:

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Natural ways to support bone health – Mineral rich foods for healthy bones

Minerals are inorganic substances that provide physical structure to the body in the bones and also combine with other chemical regulators such as enzymes to shape biochemical processes. They divide in to two groups – the major and the trace...

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Foods that increase blood flow – Salicylate rich foods

Salicylates are chemicals that are naturally found in plants. They act like natural pesticides to help protect the plant against insects and disease. In some individuals, salicylate sensitivity is possible, and the symptoms are pretty obscure such as headaches, IBS,...

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Microwave cooking: How does it affect your food and your health?

For such a common method of cooking there has been a surprisingly sparse amount of research completed on the positives or negatives of microwave cooking on our food and our health. Most of the articles / blogs online are either...

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Organic vs Non Organic Food

There is an increasing awareness with regards to organic foods vs non-organic foods, with many people choosing to buy organic for a variety of reasons, with the most popular reasons given are that of reducing toxin exposure, being better for...

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How many vegetables should I eat per day?

There is not a week that goes by without a contradictory article telling us exactly how many vegetables we must eat to stay healthy. But is there an amount that’s right for everyone? Should we be aiming for a certain...

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Honoring your cephalic response: The practice of mindful eating

Your cephalic response occurs when we see, smell, think or taste food. It is a primal response that stimulates the limbic system in the brain before it then stimulates the vagus nerve that goes on to stimulate the production of...

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The Zinc – Testosterone Connection

Athlete populations seem to be more prone to zinc deficiency, so those that train on a regular basis would fit into that same population. Red blood cell zinc is a much more effective measurement than serum zinc levels and test...

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The Vitamin D – Testosterone Connection

There are vitamin D receptors located on sperm cells and vitamin D also appears to play a direct role in the production of steroid hormones. Similar to Zinc and Magnesium those found with low levels, and given supplementation to increase...

magnesium testosterone connection image

The Magnesium – Testosterone Connection

Low magnesium levels are associated with lowered testosterone, thus magnesium supplementation has been shown to increase testosterone to normal ranges.

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How much water should I drink per day?

One of the first areas of nutrition everyone should focus on and is easy for us to change is that of water intake.

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A Functional Medicine approach to performing an elimination diet

Embarking on an elimination diet can seem like a daunting endeavour. However, when guided by the principles of functional medicine, this process transforms into a powerful tool for uncovering the hidden causes of discomfort and disease. In this article, we...

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You seem confused! Can we trust the media’s nutrition advice?

There is a reason why I don’t rely on the mainstream media to educate myself on nutrition and lifestyle practices. Day in day out we are being told contradictory information regarding what we should or should not be putting in...

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The importance of adequate zinc

The human body contains around 1.5-2.5grams of zinc, of which most is found in the bones and muscles. Because there are no reserves of zinc in the body that are readily mobilised, it is crucial to keep a steady intake...

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Lifestyle Medicine and Chronic Disease

Working as a nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner, I am able to work with my clients on a number of different levels. I work on every single aspect of their lifestyle to elicit the most optimal change in their health,...

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It’s not just about calories!

I am going to touch on a very controversial subject. For years the notion of calories in calories has been the fundamental principle many health experts, doctors, dieticians etc have stuck to as an explanation as to why we as...

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Cruciferous vegetables, Cancer and Estrogen metabolism

Consumption of cruciferous vegetables – a family of vegetables that includes spinach, watercress, radish, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale – has long been associated with good health. A highly significant study from the University of Ulster was published...

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Lose the Pot Belly

In my clinic I spend a lot of my time pinching my clients skin and taking their body fat measurements. The method I use called Biosignature Modulation is a great way of seeing where a client is predominately storing body...

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Are government guidelines making you fat?

Image taken from: www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/nutrientinstitution.pdf Here in the UK we have a major challenge with obesity. Every evening there is a programme on TV about obesity and weight loss, most of which concludes that the best approach is to staple around...