Archive for November, 2009
Fighting Colds and Flu
Posted by: | CommentsWinter is drawing ever closer and everyone seems to be coming down with something!
The common cold is bad enough, but the flu has been dominating the headlines recently.
So, I have put together some basic facts about colds and flu and some advice on alternative therapies that can help you.
On average, adults catch three colds a year and will succumb to a bout of flu once every two years.
Most of us bounce back, but the symptoms can be debilitating while they last.
Colds and flu are everywhere, and we all know what it’s like to be bunged up and sneezy, with a sore throat and aching joints.
In both illnesses, viruses are to blame – in the case of the common cold, over 200 can cause symptoms, mostly belonging to two families known as rhinoviruses and corona-viruses.
Influenza, or flu, is much more than a heavy cold, even though the two are similar in their initial stages. Colds and flu can cause sore throats, aching limbs and headaches.
However, colds are much less likely to cause a fever and are rarely accompanied by a temperature above 38.8°C/100°F, while flu can often raise your temperature to 39.4°C/103°F.
Flu lasts twice as long as a typical cold, taking around two weeks to run its course.
Sometimes flu leads to pneumonia or other secondary infections that pose a serious risk to the very young, those with pre-existing health conditions such as asthma or diabetes, and the elderly.
The usual way we catch cold or flu viruses is to breathe them in on droplets in the air when someone sneezes.
They can also be easily caught by touching something with the virus already on it, such as a cup, door handle, or telephone.
The virus sticks to our hands, and if we touch our eyes or nose, it sticks there. From our eyes it is washed down with our tears into the nose.
The virus attacks the cells lining the nose and throat, and infects them.
It only takes one virus to infect one cell, but once inside the virus makes copies of itself, ultimately killing the cell and releasing new viruses to infect other cells.
This happens so quickly that within 12 hours of first arriving, there may be a million cells killed in the nose and throat, initiating symptoms such as a sore throat and mucus production.
When the nose and throat are awash with viruses, the infection can easily be passed on – starting the whole cycle over again.
So that’s how you can catch a cold!
For information on treating them with alternative therapies, subscribe to my RSS feed.
Government response to petition ‘Vitamins’
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to “oppose the adoption of the Codex Alimentarius (WHO/UN) proposals for restriction of the presently freely available herb/vitamin/mineral food supplements.”
The Details of Petition were as follows:
“The principle of self medication with herbal/vitamin/mineral food supplements would be restricted to ‘prescription only’ status, if the Codex Alimentarius is applied in this country.
Since the NHS priorities are ill health diagnosis and treatment, the good health preservation that supplements provide will be inaccessible to the majority of our population and the cost to the NHS will increase, and the health of the population will decline.”
Here is the Government’s response
There are no current or planned Codex Alimentarius proposals that require the UK to change the controls on vitamin and mineral or botanical food supplements.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 to develop food standards and guidelines. One of the main purposes of Codex’s work is to protect the health of consumers.
Codex texts and guidelines are not enforceable in law and Codex member countries are not obliged to reflect their requirements in domestic legislation.
In the UK, food supplements are regulated under the European Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC which came into effect in the UK in 2003 and has applied since 2005.
The Directive is implemented into national UK law by the Food Supplements Regulations (England) 2003.
There are no plans to make vitamin and mineral or botanical food supplements available on prescription only.
Herbal remedies are subject to separate controls and are overseen by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority.
Herbal remedies do not fall within the scope of Codex guidelines.
An outline of Codex, its activities and the UK’s involvement is available at:www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/Codexbranch/.
So all in all a small victory for those of us who choose the ounce of prevention rather than the pound of cure!
Leek and Potato Soup (5 a Day recipes)
Posted by: | CommentsNow that winter is drawing closer and the days are getting a little bit chillier, making your own soups is a great way to get your vegetables into your diet.
Soups are also very adaptable. You can eat them straight away; put them in a Thermos flask for work; or even freeze them for a later date.
This recipe for leek and potato soup is very straight forward (even I can make it!) And 1 serving counts as 2 of your 5 a day.
I always use organic, unsalted, pure butter – but a vegan substitute can always be used.
Ingredients
- 2oz/50g butter
- 2 leeks – washed and chopped
- Small onion chopped finely
- 12oz/350g potatoes, peeled & chopped
- 900ml/1 1/2 pts veg stock
1) Melt butter—add leeks & onion and cook gently for about 7 mins until soft
2) Add potatoes and cook for 2-3 mins, then add stock, bring to boil.
3) Cover & simmer for about 30 mins until potatoes are tender.
4) Season to taste and blend if preferred
I usually add garlic and black pepper to my leek and potato soups, but feel free to play around with the recipe to create your own version.
For more ways of getting your 5 a day, subscribe to my RSS feed.
The 5-a-Day Habit
Posted by: | CommentsFive daily portions of fruit and vegetables are considered to be crucial in providing us with the essential levels of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed to optimise our health and have a preventative effect against serious illness.
What benefits will we get if we incorporate 5-a-day into our everyday lives? LOTS! Fruit and vegetables are full of the goodness of beneficial vitamins and minerals to optimise a healthy diet and lifestyle.
They can also have valuable side-effects, such as:
- Weight loss & maintenance
- Feeling brighter and more alert
- Greater levels of concentration & cognitive ability
- Improved energy levels
- Elevated mood
- Healthy hair & skin tone
- Strengthened immune system
- Better overall health
- Quicker healing response in body tissues
- Reduction in unwanted skin conditions
- Reduction in auto-immune illness
With this list of amazing benefits, how is it that we still find it hard to attain a 5-a-day habit? What other possible way could you become more intelligent, more energetic and more attractive – without the help of surgery caffeine or plain old-fashioned witchcraft.
So now we understand why five-a-day, but it seems to be a bit of a social mystery as to exactly what constitutes a portion and what indeed counts.
Consequently it’s more than likely that this uncertainty contributes to the issue of not eating enough of what we need.
UK trading regulations now allow for products to carry a ‘trademark’ for foods that count as one of the five-a-day portions, which additionally do not have added sugar, salt or fat.
A portion is 80g of a fruit or vegetable, ideally fresh, but frozen or tinned (in water or own juice) is ok as well.
Examples of fruit portions are:
Apple: fresh 1 medium apple
Apple: puree 2 heaped tablespoons
Apricot: tinned 6 halves (in own juice NOT syrup)
Apricot: dried 3 whole
Apricot: fresh 3 apricots
Avocado Half an avocado
Banana 1 medium banana
Blackberries 1 handful (9 to 10 blackberries)
Blackcurrants 4 heaped tablespoons
Blueberries 2 handfuls (4 heaped tablespoons)
Clementines 2 clementines
Currants: dried 1 heaped tablespoon
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5-a-day and Nutritional Therapy
Posted by: | CommentsModern Eating Habits
One of the things my clients find tricky to do is get their “5-a-day.”
And trying to come up with new ways for them to include fruit and vegetables into their own and their family’s lives also keeps me on my toes.
Somewhere along the line, modern life seems to have gotten us a little lost along the way.
Our lives are so busy nowadays that we no longer have time to sit down and eat, let alone think about what it is we are actually eating!
All the things that make our lives easier – take aways/fast food, ready meals, microwaves, energy-in-a-can – are the very things that are making it harder for us to enjoy our lives.
In fact this all makes for increasingly worrying media attention and Government statistics.
It has been reported that up to half of the UK adult population only manage one to two portions per day of fruit and vegetables; with women eating more portions than men; and children eating far less than adults.
It’s estimated that the consequences of poor diet in the UK cause over 42,000 premature deaths per year and cost the UK’s National Health Service in the region of £6bn.
The advertising power of the fast food and confectionery businesses far outweighs that of the humble nutritionist and despite a more health-conscious effort to change public perception and eating habits; this is seen as normal.
Why 5 a day?
Widespread research and studies have determined a link between ill health and poor diet; coming to the conclusion that populations who consume more fruit and vegetables have lower occurrences of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, strokes and other illnesses.
In 1991 the World Health Organisation took the proactive stance of recommending that we all eat at least five fruit and vegetables per day.
The nutrients contained in fruit and vegetables work as the foundation of good health and are vital for many of our bodily functions.
Five daily portions of fruit and vegetables are considered to be crucial in providing us with the essential levels of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed to optimise our health and have a preventative effect against serious illness.
For ideas on how to get your 5 a day, subscribe to my RSS feed.
