Seasonal nutrition: what to eat in autumn

August 31, 2020August 28, 2020 / feelaliveuk / Leave a comment

As we head into September we also fall into the change of seasons into Autumn. Whilst most of us just want the summer to continue forever, just as night follows day, the seasons must change.

Even during ‘normal’ times it is important to start thinking about how you can best protect your immune system for the colder months ahead. And right now, it is even more essential. Eating with the seasons also provides foods that are more nutrient-dense, just as nature intended.

Clinical nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, shares her five top seasonal foods as we head into Autumn.

Plums

Any darkly coloured fruits or vegetables deliver a wealth of protective antioxidants, and plums are no exception. Unusually for fruit, plums are rich in vitamin E which is a very powerful antioxidant looking after the natural fatty part of our cells. They’re also high in heart-loving potassium and energising iron.

When plums are dried, they become known as prunes, probably best acknowledged for their fibrous content when bowels are sluggish. You can also find them pickled in brine and called umebushi. Plums are especially tasty lightly poached with a little honey and added to oats or other breakfast cereals.

Venison

Venison from deer is actually one of the healthiest red meats available. Deer generally move freely around which means the meat is tender and flavoursome. It is also lower in fat that a skinned breast of chicken and higher in iron than any other red meat. If you can find venison from free-range or wild deer, that’s going to be the healthiest option.

Venison is often thought of as a meat only eaten by the aristocracy because of the sport of hunting deer. However, it’s certainly a food that could feature on the menu right now. It can be prepared and cooked in the same way as beef or steak, simply pan-fried. Venison also makes a tasty curry or casserole.

Mackerel

Mackerel’s main claim to fame is down to the amount of healthy omega-3 fats it delivers. These essential omegas have to be eaten in the diet, as the body can’t make them, and they are very important for heart, eye, skin, hormone and joint health. Oily fish, such as mackerel, is the best source of these fats. There are plant sources of omega-3s, such as flaxseeds, but these are not always as well absorbed by the body.

Mackerel makes a great lunchtime meal with salad, especially when it’s smoked. Although it will contain more salt when prepared in this way, it helps the fact that it doesn’t naturally have a strong flavour. Mackerel is therefore best spiced up a little or paired with a sharp fruity sauce. Try to include it on your menu plan once a week if possible.

Apples

Apples are synonymous with Autumn as they always appear on the Harvest Festival table. However, they make a wonderful snack providing plenty of vitamin C, as well as being the star of any pie or crumble. Apples are also low in both calories and on the glycaemic index, meaning they won’t upset blood sugar levels and are therefore great if you’re watching your weight.

Supermarkets tend to store apples for many months, therefore buying them at farmer’s market or freshly picked is certainly preferable. However, there are plenty to choose from with over 50 different varieties grown in the UK. They’re very protective of the heart due to their potassium content and the presence of the flavonoid quercetin, plus, apples are a great source of fibre. So many reasons to always have one handy as a go-to snack!

Kale

A member of the cabbage family and also known as curly kale or collard, kale has often been hailed as a superfood, alongside Brussels sprouts and broccoli. This is partly because all these vegetables contain a phytonutrient called sulforaphane which is a powerful liver detoxifier.

Kale is a very rich source of the antioxidants, vitamin C and beta carotene. Even better, kale is a great source of the minerals iron, manganese, calcium and potassium which are often deficient in the typical western diet.

What do I do with it, you many ask! Kale can be very lightly boiled or steamed and then stir fried with garlic. It can be grilled with a little salt to make kale chips. It is also great in stir fries or in a delicious green soup with onion, potatoes, garlic and chorizo, if desired.

So, as we head into autumn enjoy these five delicious and super-healthy foods which are in season right now.

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Top wellbeing tips for getting back into work

August 24, 2020August 21, 2020 / feelaliveuk / Leave a comment

Whether you’re coming off furlough or just heading back into the office a few days per week, getting back into the swing of things should be an enjoyable experience.

Nothing feels quite normal at the moment, and it probably won’t for a long time. Therefore, trying to keep yourself happy and healthy with a varied diet and balanced lifestyle can really get that feel-good factor going at work.

Clinical nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, shares her five to back to work tips.

Have a happy lunch

Whether you take your lunch to work, eat out or take out, or there’s a staff canteen, what you eat at this time of day can have a massive impact on mood, motivation and energy. Our happy hormone, serotonin, needs the amino acid, tryptophan, plus other nutrients for its production. The good news is that tryptophan is found in many different protein-containing foods so there’s plenty of choice. Best lunchtime foods to consider are chicken, eggs, fish, soya produce, including tofu, cheese, turkey, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Combine with some vegetables or salad.

You can always cook some extra the night before and eat it for lunch the next day, or quickly rustle up a healthy salad using any of the above ingredients.

Exercise

For some, doing regular exercise has been an absolute saviour during lockdown, helping to keep a balanced mood and energy levels high. However, for many it’s not been possible and home-working has made some of us more sedentary.

If you can walk or cycle to work, this can really help increase activity levels without thinking about it too much. If not, why not resolve to get into a routine by walking every lunchtime. Now gyms and sports centres have re-opened, if you feel comfortable to use them, why not consider working out or joining a class before work, during lunchtime or after work.

Try not to graze

Home working has meant the fridge and store cupboard have been much more accessible, therefore the temptation to graze and overeat is never far away. Now that you’re physically not in front of them, it should be much easier to banish grazing.

The body needs definite breaks between meals so that it can enter the post-absorptive phase of digestion. Constant grazing doesn’t allow this to happen and the body will start storing more fat than it would otherwise do. Try to stick to eating three satisfying and well-balacned meals a day and resist the urge to snack if can, especially if you’re not really hungry.

If you do find you are hungry between meals think of protein and fruit as your go-to snack: think of cheese with apple, nuts with dried fruit or hummus with crudités.

Sleep

Many people have reported being able to get more sleep because they haven’t had the daily commute. However, some have found sleep more difficult due to heightened anxiety levels. Whatever your situation, poor sleep is going to impact on how you feel and function at work.

Make sleep a priority and aim for seven to eight hours per night. Having a good bedtime routine can help massively, and most importantly, turn off electronic devices at least two hours before bedtime. Blue light is known to keep us awake.

Be kind to yourself

This is most important of all. Life has been challenging for everyone for many different reasons over the last few months and will continue to be for some time. It’s also given us a chance to evaluate what’s working and what’s not in our lives.

Crucially, it’s made us appreciate the little things in life that matter and also confirmed that none of us are invincible. Try to avoid giving yourself negative messages. For example, if you’ve put on some weight during lockdown, resolve to improve your diet and get more exercise but don’t beat yourself up. Additionally, allow yourself some ‘down time’ to just be in your own headspace – your thought processes will become much clearer as a result.

So, with a little preparation, the next back to work phase can be enjoyable and rewarding.

Stay well.

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For everything you need to know about vitamins, minerals and herbs visit our sister site Herbfacts

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Seasonal nutrition: what to eat in August

August 17, 2020August 14, 2020 / feelaliveuk / 1 Comment

Eating seasonally offers many benefits, mainly because produce is tastier when eaten at the time nature intended. Indeed, British strawberries have been particularly delicious this year.

So, what’s in season right now which will also deliver some amazing nutritional benefits?

Clinical nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, shares her five top seasonal foods to enjoy now.

Runner beans

A perennial favourite for any keen gardener, the best time to eat runner beans is freshly picked otherwise they can become tough and chewy. And whilst they might seem like a British traditional late summer vegetable, runner beans are actually native to Mexico and Central America.

As with all beans, runners’ deliver some good quality protein and dietary fibre, plus useful amounts of magnesium and copper (great for the muscles and joints), and energising iron. Unlike many vegetables, they are not especially rich in vitamin C but do provide plenty of other powerful antioxidants including various carotenoids.

From an enjoyment perspective, there’s simply nothing better than pairing runner beans with some delicious roast lamb (also on good form right now).

Aubergine

Also called eggplant, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants, helping scavenge free radicals. Interestingly, latest research has focussed on a particular antioxidant found in aubergines called nasunin, which is found to be especially protective of the brain. Aubergines provide good sources of vitamin B6, useful for hormone-balancing and vitamin K, great for heart health.

In terms of preparation, aubergines can generally be eaten with the skin-on so are super-easy to roast, along with red peppers and onions. They can be made into the ever popular babaganoush with garlic, lemon and tahini or used in many traditional Mediterranean dishes, including ratatouille.

Watercress

Watercress was a favourite of the famous Greek doctor, Hippocrates, due to its high mineral content; it has more calcium per 100 grams than a glass of milk (although you’d need to eat a fair amount!)

Just like spinach with its powerful green leaves, watercress delivers plenty of health-giving chlorophyll (otherwise known as the green food of life), plus immune-boosting vitamin C and the mineral manganese for a healthy nervous system.

Watercress adds a delicious peppery taste to salads, helps balance the richness of a steak or makes a delicious soup. Enjoy!

Beetroot

Truly a vegetable where you get plenty of ‘bang for your buck’, beetroot is low in fat but high in wonderful nutrients. Interestingly, whilst the edible leafy tops were used medicinally in ancient times, it’s generally the red root that’s eaten. And unlike many other vegetables, freshly boiled beetroot has higher levels of most nutrients than raw, including heart loving potassium.

However, fresh raw beetroot juice does provide a great source of vitamins and minerals and is often used as a tonic. It’s also useful for athletes and has been found to help aerobic performance.

At this time of year, when they’re freshly harvested, there’s no better way than eating beetroot grated in salads with some feta cheese to compliment the flavours.

Raspberries

Second only to blackberries in terms of their health benefits, raspberries provide very high levels of vitamin C. Raspberries became super-famous when it was discovered they could possibly help with weight management, hence raspberry ketones were developed. It was found that they helped stop the production of our fat-digesting enzyme, lipase, hence less fat was digested and absorbed. Raspberries certainly help balance blood sugar levels which will also help with weight management.

Why not get your day off to a flying start by adding some to your low-sugar morning muesli with some natural yoghurt? Raspberries are also great on their own as a dessert with some freshly chopped mint.

So, make the most of the this seasonal and nutritious produce whilst you can!

Stay well.

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Garlic: the health benefits

August 10, 2020August 7, 2020 / feelaliveuk / Leave a comment

Often referred to as a ‘wonder herb’ or ‘super food’, garlic certainly lives up to its reputation. Prized for many thousands of years by nutritionists, naturopaths, doctors and herbalists, garlic has been used to treat anything from asthma to arthritis.

Its healing properties as an antiviral and antibacterial agent have also been used widely and very effectively. And did you know that despite its pungent smell, garlic is considered to be a natural aphrodisiac!

Clinical Nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, reveals why garlic is so acclaimed and how you can use it to boost overall health.

What is garlic and how does it work?

For those of us who have been enjoying the great outdoors, the smell of wild garlic is unmissable. Garlic is actually neither a spice nor a herb, but generally referred to as a ‘botanical’. It is from the same family as onions and leeks; hence it tends to be used in similar ways in cooking.

Garlic cloves contain a phytonutrient called alliin which breaks down into the active ingredient allicin. These are sulphur compounds also responsible for its strong odour. It is the allicin in garlic that’s mainly responsible for its pungent odour as well as its medicinal benefits.

Interestingly, the enzyme responsible for activating garlic, becomes less active when exposed to heat: for some, fresh raw garlic is considered to have the most health benefits. This would also explain the fact that cooked garlic doesn’t produce as strong an odour as raw. As eating raw garlic is not particularly sociable, there are still many health benefits to be gained from including garlic into your cooking or raw dishes.

Did you know? Garlic breath can be combatted by chewing fresh parsley.

The health benefits of garlic

Garlic is probably best known for its heart-loving properties with the potential to reduce blood pressure and also lower cholesterol production in the liver. It helps reduce harmful cholesterol and raise levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol in the blood. Garlic is also a natural anti-coagulant that helps prevent the blood from clotting too much.

When it comes to viruses, garlic can be eaten raw which helps to remove excess mucus from the lungs and reduce nasal congestion, generally caused by colds or upper respiratory tract infections. Whilst everyone needs a little watery mucous to lubricate and protect the lungs, it can become thick and excessive, otherwise known as catarrh. For this reason, people often increase their intake of garlic when they have a cold. Try including it in a chicken broth which also has antiviral effects. And always use fresh garlic rather than powdered.

Garlic can also support a healthy digestive system, protecting the beneficial gut flora from harmful invaders, especially when exposed to contaminated food and drink. This is the reason why many people take a course of garlic pills prior to foreign travel to help protect against the dreaded traveller’s diarrhoea. However, it can also work as a laxative and diuretic, so it maybe best taken prophylactically before the trip rather than eating it excessively during, although cooked garlic has less potent effects.

Additionally, garlic has demonstrated significant anti-fungal activity, particularly in cases of Candida albicans or yeast overgrowth, in the digestive tract. Candida can be problematic to treat and causes unpleasant digestive upsets as well as fatigue. These infections can often be alleviated by using a garlic liver cleanse, because it contains enzymes and sulphur compounds which help flush out toxins.

How to use garlic in your daily dishes

There are very few dishes where garlic can’t make an appearance! Anything from chicken Kiev to roasted lamb to garlic and cheese portobello mushrooms. Additionally, vegetable side dishes such as broccoli, which can be lightly stir fried, really benefit from being cooked with garlic. Plus, any vegetable soup, stir fry or stew should have garlic as the first ingredient in the pan.

Garlic has so many culinary uses and is also very easy to prepare; just separate and peel the cloves and use either crushed or whole. And if you’re feeling very brave, remember raw is most beneficial so why not add some into your salads, especially as the summer season is here!

Stay well.

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For everything you need to know about vitamins, minerals and herbs visit our sister site Herbfacts

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Summer skin health: five delicious foods to nourish yours from the inside out

August 5, 2020August 3, 2020 / feelaliveuk / Leave a comment

Many of us will be enjoying some summer sun right now, whether venturing abroad or making the most of pleasant temperatures here on a staycation in the UK.

But wherever you are enjoying the sun, our skin can often become rather dry and dehydrated during the summer months which is why nourishing from within is so important.

Clinical Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer shares her five favourite foods to help your skin glow all summer long!

Guava Fruit

Guavas contain some of the highest amounts of vitamin C of all fruits and vegetables. This is key for healthy, glowing skin because vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, our key structural protein. Whilst most of us love the warmth and feeling of the sun on our face, the sun’s rays are extremely damaging to the skin and can accelerate the ageing process.

Since collagen helps prevent wrinkles, guavas could become your go-to fruit this summer. The tough outer skin is bitter, but the flesh inside is deliciously sweet and creamy. They partner really well in fruit salads with berries and kiwis. And the seeds are perfectly edible – also loaded with vitamin C.

Eggs

Eggs are a great source of protein – another collagen booster. They are also high in one of our key skin-loving vitamins, biotin. Biotin is a really busy vitamin, needed for many metabolic processes, including healthy skin. Importantly, it helps metabolise fatty acids, enabling skin to retain structure and moisture. No wonder biotin is often referred to as the ‘beauty vitamin’!

Eggs are extremely versatile but always make a great breakfast choice because of their high protein content, which will keep you feeling fuller for longer – yet another bonus!

Avocados

Any plans for ensuing you have beautiful glowing skin should include the acknowledgement of avocados; they are synonymous with healthy skin. There are two key reasons for this; firstly, they contain the highest amounts of protein of any fruit or vegetable, and secondly, they are loaded with the powerful antioxidant, vitamin E.

Those watching their weight often avoid avocados. They do pack a punch calorie-wise, but as long as you limit them to no more than three a week you should be fine. Avocados also make wonderful face masks, leaving the skin soft, glowing and refreshed. And because they make such a delicious addition to salads, eating avocados always conjures up thoughts of summer, whatever the weather.

Pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate seeds are rich in powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins. These can help protect the skin against free radical damage (including that caused by the sun) and also prevent the ageing process. Pomegranate seeds are also really high in ellagic acid (also found in some berries) and has been studied for its ability to help prevent wrinkles developing. Even better, it protects the skin’s natural collagen from being broken down by over-exposure to the sun.

Pomegranate seeds work as well in sweet dishes as savoury ones. Think chicken, couscous, salads or homemade muesli, to get your morning off to a flying start!

Carrots

Carrots provide some of the richest sources of beta-carotene, a super powerful antioxidant. Specifically, beta-carotene has been studied in relation to its ability to prevent damage from the sun to the skin. The body converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A – also known as retinol – which is a common ingredient in many skincare products.

Clearly, carrots need no introduction for their wealth of uses in dishes. However, during the summer months there’s nothing better than chopping up a plate of crudités with carrots, peppers, cucumber, some toasted wholemeal pitta bread, with some delicious dips, for a great al fresco starter. And your skin will love it too!

When it comes to skin, what happens within is actually more important than what happens on the outside. So, nourish yours well this summer.

Stay well.

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

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For everything you need to know about vitamins, minerals and herbs visit our sister site Herbfacts

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Get more out of life

Month: August 2020

Seasonal nutrition: what to eat in autumn

Plums

Venison

Mackerel

Apples

Kale

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Top wellbeing tips for getting back into work

Have a happy lunch

Exercise

Try not to graze

Sleep

Be kind to yourself

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Seasonal nutrition: what to eat in August

Runner beans

Aubergine

Watercress

Beetroot

Raspberries

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Garlic: the health benefits

What is garlic and how does it work?

Did you know? Garlic breath can be combatted by chewing fresh parsley.

The health benefits of garlic

How to use garlic in your daily dishes

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Summer skin health: five delicious foods to nourish yours from the inside out

Guava Fruit

Eggs

Avocados

Pomegranate seeds

Carrots

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Plums

Venison

Mackerel

Apples

Kale

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Share this:

Have a happy lunch

Exercise

Try not to graze

Sleep

Be kind to yourself

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Share this:

Runner beans

Aubergine

Watercress

Beetroot

Raspberries

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Share this:

What is garlic and how does it work?

Did you know? Garlic breath can be combatted by chewing fresh parsley.

The health benefits of garlic

How to use garlic in your daily dishes

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Share this:

Guava Fruit

Eggs

Avocados

Pomegranate seeds

Carrots

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Share this: