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If you’re having guests over the Christmas period, this is an excellent – and quick! - alternative to Christmas cake. And on the plus side it has some hidden veg in it too!

If food isn't the problem, is it the booze?

What I hear from clients is, it’s not always the food that’s the problem – it’s the booze.
Often partygoers who are cautious about their alcohol consumption are viewed with suspicion.
If you want to have a few glasses of wine, have a few glasses of wine. But make that decision inside of what you know to be your social schedule over the entire Christmas period.

Recipe: Healthy Mince Pies

Mince pies are my absolute favourite!! But rather than buying them – where the ingredients run to a laundry list of chemicals and unknown additives – why not try making them yourself? Here is my favourite recipe for gluten-free mince pies that taste *amazing*.

Are you at the mercy of Christmas FOMO?

Christmas
Nutrition
Lifestyle
FOMO

Seven Steps to Good Health this Winter

If you're looking to ramp up your immune health over winter, you might be wondering, "How do I gear up my body to tackle those pesky illnesses?" Well, boosting your immunity isn't a walk in the park, but a few tweaks in your lifestyle and diet can give your body's defence system a serious upgrade against those sneaky pathogens.

Spice Up Your Immunity

Spicing up your meals isn't just about making them tastier—it's also a clever way to sneak in some immune-boosting goodness onto your plate.

Thai-style Chicken Soup

Did you hear that chicken soup is great when you’re unwell? If you thought it was just an old wives’ tale, you’d be wrong.
Research suggests that a bowl of chicken and vegetable soup can slow the speed at which neutrophils move around your body. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and part of the immune system, protecting your body from infection.

When the neutrophils move slowly, there’s a greater chance of them becoming more concentrated in the areas of your body that need the most healing. Studies have shown chicken soup to be particularly helpful in reducing symptoms in upper respiratory system infections.

This lovely soup contains garlic and ginger (known for their antiviral qualities).

The Secret to Good Immunity? Gut Health!

Immunity
Gut health

One Pan Chicken Thighs, New Potatoes and Broccoli

Brassicas, such as broccoli, are excellent for supporting natural oestrogen detoxification. I always ask my midlife clients to include a portion of broccoli or cauliflower every day with their dinner!

And here’s an easy recipe. This is everything in one pan – super quick and not much washing up. An ideal midweek meal for a midlife woman!

My Top 5 Tips for Managing the Menopause

I work with women with menopause and perimenopause in clinic every week. Here are my top 5 Tips.

Tofu Bibimbap

Research shows that phytoestrogens, found in foods such as tofu, can be helpful in relieving menopause symptoms in some women, particularly Asian women.

So, this is my (rough) take on a Korean staple, using delicious tofu. This is a firm family favourite here, and a quick midweek meal.

Is it the menopause?

Menopause is when you’ve gone for 12 months without a period at all and signifies the end of female reproductive capabilities. However, most symptoms occur in the 2-10 years leading up this – which is known as perimenopause.

Mushroom Miso Soup

Including fermented foods in your diet is a great way to improve gut health, digestion and all round wellbeing. This is something I work on with nearly every client and can have a positive effect on their health.

Miso is an easy fermented food to add in, as it doesn’t have such a particular flavour as some other fermented foods. Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and is a staple of Japanese cooking. Go for an unpasteurised version and try not to overheat, so you avoid killing off the beneficial bacteria.

How to regain your sense of calm

Palpitations, a dry mouth, sweating, insomnia are just some of the unmistakable signs of anxiety. Everyone has experienced these symptoms at some point in their life. Who hasn't felt stage fright before a presentation, hyperventilated before an exam or spent a sleepless night before their dental appointment?

My Top 5 Tips for Building Healthy Habits

People frequently think about ‘being healthy’, without paying much detail to the specific actions that they are taking (or not) to take care of themselves.
Would you describe yourself as a healthy person?
You might say ‘I go to the gym’ but how many times have you been in the last month?
You might think you get enough fruit and veg into your diet each day, but how many portions a day did you average over the last few weeks?
Did you ever think about the extent to which you are tired, whether your hormones are balance, the amount of water you drink, and so on?

Spinach and Lentil Curry

This is a great meal to batch cook. You can make a huge pot at the weekend (with the spinach you’ve grown – see below), and then divide into portions and pop in the freezer for using at another time. This means you always have a healthy meal on hand, even if you’re super busy.

Top 10 Ingredients to Watch Out For

I'd need a lot more space to list out all the names on the naughty list but this list, while not exhaustive, is a good starting point if you want to know you are eating as well as you can for your health.

Bottom line: if you can't pronounce the ingredient, it's probably not something you want to put into your body! And if you don't recognise something as 'food', chances are your body won't either.

Making sense of food labels

Labels provide us with useful information about what packaged food contains they can be confusing (not to mention misleading). Remember the labels are also there to help sell the product - so you need to look more closely if you really want to understand what you are eating.

Olive, Mushroom and Feta Frittata

A great quick and easy lunch recipe

Top Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep

Here are my top tips for getting a better night’s sleep. See what you can put into action.

Sleep Well for Better Health

Sleep really is a gamechanger for your health and for your emotional wellbeing but even so, scientists are only just starting to begin to understand the biological role. I know that you know that everything looks better when you are well rested. It’s an essential function for everyone and lack of it can wreak havoc with all kinds of functions in the body, from your lived experience every day, to weight gain, lowered immunity, and increased risk for metabolic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.

Six Steps to Blood Sugar Balance

Blood sugar balance is something I work on with *every* client. It is the key to feeling more energised, avoiding that mid-afternoon slump and losing weight. You only feel better with it!
Following these main tips are first steps.

Blood Sugar Monitoring: What is it and how does it work?

You’ve probably seen folk online talking about continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Perhaps you’ve seen the adverts for the Zoe programme. Or else you might well have spotted people wearing a little white disk on their upper arm and wondered, what’s that all about? Then there are those devices you can blow into to measure your metabolic health, and let’s not forget the time-honoured finger-prick blood tests to check out your blood glucose or ketone levels. Want to know how all of this relates to you and, of course, whether you should invest in one? Read on.

Recipe: Barbecued Harissa Sardines

These small fish are packed with nutrients that can be beneficial in the prevention of quite a few health conditions. Some of these nutrients are known to help prevent heart disease or may protect against certain cancers.
Sardines are sometimes recommended for pregnant women and older adults. They contain calcium and omega-3 fats.

Top Tips for Men's Health

The 12th to the 18th June marks Men’s Health Week, and fortuitously end on Father’s Day. Men are notoriously bad at engaging with healthcare and wellbeing, but this seems to be changing. And it’s important that we take care of the men in our lives and ensure that they’re doing ok.

Recipe: Turkey Burgers

Today is World Burger Day! While we often think of burgers as being made of beef, turkey makes an excellent alternative. Turkey is rich in protein, low in saturated fats, and a good source of B vitamins. Turkey is not just for Christmas! This recipe is a real favourite with my clients – hope you enjoy it too.

Could Practising Gratitude Be The Answer To Your Health Problems?

Feeling grateful is more than a nice feeling. The more you feel grateful, the luckier you feel and the happier you are. You’re less stressed and your outlook, more positive. And healthier, too. Who would not want that? Let me explain how gratitude works and how you can tap into it.

Recipe: Rainbow Smoothie

'Eating the rainbow' is something my clients here me asking them to do quite frequently! And while it sounds nice, it also does us a lot of good - particularly when we're looking at gut health.

Is your IBS driving you crazy?

Bloating, gassy, cramps, heavy, uncomfortable? One minute you can’t go to the loo and the next minute you can’t get off it.
The likely cause is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It’s incredibly common. According to Guts UK, a charity set up to promote awareness of and funding for digestive problems, it affects up to a third of people at some stage or another and it is one of the main reasons people visit their doctor.

Probiotics and prebiotics. What are they and why are they important?

You’ve probably heard people talk about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria and that we want to have more ‘good’ bacteria because this has a positive effect on your health. I’ll bet you may also have a conceptual idea that probiotics will help you, and perhaps you’ve seen little bottles of probiotics advertised as the saviour of your health. Today I want to let you know why this all matters, so that you can make the best choices for your health.

Should you avoid gluten?

Should you avoid gluten? Looking at the pros and cons and the science

Food to Fix Your Hormones

How what we eat can affect our hormones - and how we feel

How to help your child cope with exam stress

The exam season is just around the corner and, whether it’s SATs, GCSEs, A Levels, or university finals, as parents we want to know we are doing everything we possibly can to help support our children through what could be a stressful period with lots of anxiety.

Eat to Improve Heart Health

Many people fear a heart attack. Think of it as the last straw. Heart disease is, in many cases, a lifestyle disease that is avoidable and, with the right focus, you can avoid it, too.

Setting goals that work

Having aspirations is a wonderful thing. We should all strive to better ourselves and realise our dreams. However, you need to keep your feet on the ground. If you set yourself the goal to learn how to play the saxophone with the aim of joining a jazz band, touring New York clubs and by next year, you may be overstretching yourself a bit – and that can be the exact opposite of empowering.

Recipe: Coconut Crusted Haddock

Haddock is currently in season, and this makes a great Friday night fish recipe. Pair along with a variety of green veggies, some roast sweet potato, and you have a filling and easy meal.

Is histamine intolerance causing your symptoms?

What you eat and your health are a fantastically complicated puzzle. For so many reasons linked to modern living, some foods can disagree with you. You may already experience this directly. People with digestive problems can often point to specific foods causing upsets and, if you think you have a food intolerance, you might already suspect wheat, dairy, yeast, eggs, or any number of foods to be the culprit lurking behind your symptoms.

Recipe: Vegan Pancit Bihon

Vegan tofu recipe with Savoy cabbage

Recipe: Sugar-Free White Christmas Bites

These are delicious little Christmas bites which make a great treat to have during the festive season.
And they look beautiful too!

6 expert ways to beat stress at Christmas and feel calm TODAY

It’s meant to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ but the pressure of the holidays can often mean a stress overload. Here’s what to do about it.

What are antioxidants and why are they important?

Want to bulletproof your immunity? You need to stockpile those natural antioxidants (and not just the packets and tins of pulses!).

How useful is the BMI?

If you read magazines, watch TV, see a doctor occasionally or have ever been on a diet, you’ll have heard of the BMI or body mass index. But how useful is it?

Recipe: Lemony Lentil and Kale Soup

Functional Foods for Menopause - These are foods that actually do stuff in the body. On one level, the food you eat can help balance your blood sugar and energy levels.

Recipe: Simple Red Lentil and Tomato Soup

Tasty and delicious - but cheap and easy to make!

Set Yourself up for Holiday Success

A little holiday gift for you!! I'm giving away my Ultimate Holiday Eating Strategy - a guide to helping you to have your best holiday and stay on track with your health goals.

Recipe: Mason-Jar Salads

You might have seen mason jar salads on social media. They’re great – and not just because they look cool in a photo. It’s easy to make a couple of day’s-worth in one go, saving you time in the kitchen.

Ways to Restore Body Confidence

How often do you look in the mirror and criticise the image reflecting back at you? Or look at a recent photo and inwardly cringe at your arms / legs / bum / tummy? It Doesn't have to be that way.

Recipe: Butternut Spicy Stew

This is a great recipe for energy balance as it includes wonderful slow-release energy from the butternut squash and chickpeas. Coupled with the anti-inflammatory spices and zesty lemon, this is a fab Summer dish.

My top tips for happy mealtimes

Top tips to make mealtimes go well. And these aren't just for kids!

Ever wondered how your relationship with food developed? (And how to fix what you don’t like)

Food is for nourishment. If you use it for any other purpose, remember the relationship you have with food developed over time and many things will impact it. But when you want to make practical changes, it can be useful to explore your formative years.

Recipe: Salmon Fishcakes

This is a super easy recipe and is suitable for all ages. And it’s a great way to use up extra mash!

Food and Mood

The link between physical health and what you eat is well understood, but did you know that what you eat has a huge impact on your mood and how you feel?

Recipe: Chicken (or Tofu) Tandoori

It’s the end of the week and you fancy some spicy food. What better than this fabulous chicken tandoori recipe? Even better, the herbs and spices in this dish lend it anti-inflammatory properties. And for vegetarians, tofu would work perfectly!

Spotlight on Asthma

Looking at what's behind asthma, and my top tips for natural solutions to symptoms

Spotlight on Long COVID

Long COVID can also present with a completely new set and a broader range of symptoms, such as fatigue, poor quality of life, joint pain, muscle pain, skin rashes, palpitations, mental health problems, and more.

Plan for the life you want to create

How often have you started following a healthy eating plan only to be forced to make unhealthy choices because you didn’t have the right foods in the fridge, you didn’t have time to eat a ‘proper’ breakfast or make the lunch you wanted to take to work?

My Top 5 Nutrition Tips for Healthy Hormone Balance

Here are a few simple rules that you can start to bring into your life right now to help balance your hormones - whichever stage of life you're in

Recipe: Tuna and Soya Bean Salad

This is a quick and easy lunch recipe that is packed with nutrients to support hormone health. Soya or edamame beans are a fantastic source of phytoestrogens, which research shows may help symptoms when our oestrogen levels are bouncing up and down! Plus, this is an excellent blood sugar balancing meal that will keep you fuller for longer.

Happy, Healthy Hormones

When you think about mental health, you’re probably thinking about your brain and how that works. The picture is often much more complex. Hormones play a big part because these chemical messengers are the background to everything that happens in your body. How you feel, therefore, is not just psychological, it’s biological.

How do you reward yourself?

How do you reward yourself? How do you comfort yourself when you are stressed? Think about that for a moment. Rewarding yourself for your successes, both large and small, is a key part of staying motivated.

Spotlight on IBS

Bloating, gassy, cramps, heavy, uncomfortable? One minute you can’t go to the loo and the next minute you can’t get off it?

My top tips for a health Veganuary

It’s the perfect opportunity to try out something different. And over the last few years, one of the most popular January dietary changes has been Veganuary, where people try out an exclusively plant-based diet for the month.

Recipe: Roast Broccoli and Tahini Hummus Bowl

This is a really quick and versatile lunch that is portable for work, or quick for a busy day.

Recipe: Raw Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake

Delicious Christmas recipe - and it's gluten and dairy free, not that you'd notice!

My Six Tips for Mindful Eating this Christmas

Recipe: Winter warming celeriac and fennel soup

One of the things I love most about winter is that it is soup season, and soup is the easiest lunch or appetiser offering ever. This one is packed with delicious wintery flavours of celeriac with just a touch of nutmeg and coriander.

Good health begins as a thought

Achieving long-term health and energy is a balancing act. Quite simply, what you put into your mind may have as much of an impact as the food and supplements you feed your body.

Are you functioning on all cylinders?

If you often feel you’re dragging yourself through the day or you've been struggling to lose weight for a long while despite eating all the right things, it might be worth considering whether your thyroid is doing the job it should.

The lowdown on Vitamin D

Everyone knows that we need to get vitamin D... but why?

Recipe: Aubergine Hash

A great way to add gorgeous dark purple aubergines to your day!

Spotlight on PCOS

September is PCOS Awareness Month - here is a spotlight on a condition which affects over 100 million women worldwide

Recipe: Power Porridge

Delicious breakfast recipe that will keep you full until lunch!

5 Easy Steps to Combat Insulin Resistance

Symptoms such as fatigue, constant hunger, inability to lose weight, sugar cravings, fatigue after meals, central weight gain and tiredness after eating. Do any of these sound familiar to you? But what can we do to battle it? Here are my top tips

Recipe: Oven-Baked Ratatouille

A quick and easy recipe for batch cooking

What's the score with vitamin C?

If there’s one vitamin most people have heard of, it’s vitamin C. Whose mum didn’t urge them to eat fruit – preferably oranges – to keep up their vitamin C levels?

What does a Nutritionist do exactly?

What I want to share with you today is that the food you eat matters more than you can possibly imagine!

Get SMARTER about your goals

How often do you reach your own goals? If the answer is ‘not very often’, you may need to revisit your goal-setting strategy.

Recipe: Baked Cod with Asparagus and Fennel

Easy mid-week dinner using delicious British asparagus!

The Microbiome - Keeping us Happy and Healthy

Talking about the gut microbiome - the tiny ecosystem that lives in our colon and is responsible for many roles in keep us happy and healthy.

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