26 May 2021
Firstly, shall we define what we mean by keto diet? Keto refers to the production of ketone bodies which are the by product of fat metabolism. This process is known as ketosis. To ensure fat is the preferred fuel source being burned, carb intakes have to stay very low – under 50g per day equating…
12 May 2021
Insulin resistance is a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. It is also associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). For clarification, type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterised by an imbalance in blood glucose levels, altered lipid profiles and high blood pressure. It usually presents as a combination of insulin resistance…
28 April 2021
Having a healthy, happy relationship with both exercise and food is the ideal. Unfortunately, diet culture teaches us to put them both in the same basket and ‘diet and exercise’ plans are everywhere. We may cut calories and up our exercise to force weight loss, but this can be counterproductive if we don’t understand what…
14 April 2021
It is common for many of the people I meet and work with to feel they are addicted to food. But how do you know if you addicted to food? And is this even accurate? Often this label we give ourselves is all tied up in a history of chronic dieting which has led to…
24 March 2021
Fasting is not a new concept and has been around for thousands of years but what exactly is Intermittent Fasting? Fasting involves alternating food absence with periods of normal food consumption. We break a ‘fast’ every day when we first eat – breakfast even if not at breakfast time. In the ‘diet trend’ sense, intermittent…
03 March 2021
It’s the world’s most popular stimulant and a friend to many of us but what’s the truth about caffeine and how it benefits us? Can you imagine mornings without it? How much caffeine should we have? Caffeine is a bit of a fickle friend – routine users of caffeine won’t get the same euphoric effects…
08 February 2021
Headlines about salt never seem as prevalent as those bashing either fat or sugar, and yet dietary wise, salt is the biggest threat to our health. If salt intake fell by a third, it would prevent 8000 premature deaths in the UK and could save the NHS over £500 million annually. What is it about…
02 February 2021
Veganuary recruited a record number of signups this year (around 500,000). It continues to trend but against popular belief, not all vegan diets are healthy. Let’s pull back that ‘health halo’ and have a poke around, with a particular focus on the vegan processed food market. This product research and evidence has been compiled by…
21 October 2020
Do you live in assumption-ville? Last time I chatted about how the brain likes to automate things. Not because it likes to let us down, but because it has to automate stuff to allow our deliberate system to focus on what really matters that day. Can you imagine if we deliberated over what to have…
09 October 2020
Our brain is the most metabolically active tissue in our body. To state the obvious, it’s quite clever but even the brain has limitations and short-cuts it puts in place to help us navigate information overload. The part of the brain that makes us human, often referred to as the pre-frontal cortex is responsible for…
21 September 2020
The scales supposedly track our progress towards a goal or serve as a reminder to keep things in check. And now, with the development of wearable devices, we have countless ways in which we can track ourselves – 24 hours a day. On the surface, all this tracking is supposed to act as a motivator…
28 July 2020
In the past, I’ve delivered weight management services which had weight loss at the heart. I’ve worked alongside other healthcare professionals in specialist NHS services, to support people on a journey to better health through weight loss. It has never been simply about offering dietary advice; we have to look at the interplay between the…
18 May 2020
Mental Health Awareness Week is flying the flag for kindness this week. So, it’s the perfect time to think about how we’re interpreting this for ourselves, particularly when it comes to our quest to lose weight or change our body shape. Dieting often takes us on a merry-go-round of emotions, initially euphoria when our efforts…
28 April 2020
How much protein do I need in lockdown? I thought it was time to delve into the protein macro again, particularly as our habitual exercise patterns have shifted somewhat. We may be exercising more, or less than usual or altering the type of exercise we’re doing. Lockdown might also have influenced out dietary choices too…
02 April 2020
With all this home living, we may be spending more time in the kitchen and perhaps feeling inspired to bake whether that be for child entertainment or taste bud titillation. For some of us we may break up the snacking frenzy with a bit of work, or to craft an elephant out of a milk…
27 March 2020
We enjoyed making these today – I like this recipe because it’s super simple and uses cup measures which avoids having to weigh things, which involves me being more hands on and I couldn’t be today because I’m not an octopus. They’re also packed full of fibre – don’t make me work out how much,…
17 March 2020
The latest government advice will see more of us working from home than ever before. For those of us not used to it, the lack of familiar routine can throw our usual habits out of the window. What and when we choose to eat for example, are likely to shift in the coming weeks, whether…
12 March 2020
This week is Salt Awareness Week, with a focus on hidden salt in our foods. Perhaps we’ve been looking the other way watching fat and carbs battle it out and we’ve forgotten about salt – yet another risk factor for us to be wary of, will we ever get a break? Salt is worth a…
21 February 2020
Following on from my cereal bars for busy people recommendations, here is the low down for those who need to be mindful of carbohydrate intake whilst also ensuring their snacks can be nourishing and help them top up on protein, fibre and other vitamins and minerals. They’re also allowed to be busy, but carbs and…
13 February 2020
Should we all be following strict rules around fasting? The potential benefits of fasting for the body have been talked about for a long time, but the idea that restricting your eating to a certain time window is good for health, seems to be building momentum so what does the science say? Fasting allows the…
