• Adrenal Fatigue/ Autoimmune diseases/ Celiac/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Energy/ Fibromyalgia/ Hashimotos Disease/ Immune system - healing/ Inflammation/ LCHF diet/ Magnesium/ Mediterranean diet/ Mineral Depletion/ Paleo Diet

    Nurturing your Mitochondria to help all Chronic Disease….

    Nurturing your Mitochondria

    Mitochondria are the ‘power houses’ of our cells. They use the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat to produce energy. ‘We are what we eat’ and what we eat has changed dramatically in my lifetime. Chronic disease is now the scourge of the developed World, it is challenging our Health and Social Services to the limits. It is limiting our quality of life but I believe that by nurturing our Mitochondria we can help prevent or even reverse chronic disease.

    I am going to be controversial here and say that I believe the the way that we live, eat and drink is damaging our Mitochondria and disrupting normal bodily functions and natural healing. I do not believe that our bodies start attacking themselves – we are designed to self heal if given the right conditions but our mitochondria can become overwhelmed with toxins, bacteria, viruses, stress and at the same time not have the basic nutritional ingredients they need to provide enough energy to function correctly or repair. Diseases like Scurvy (lack of vitamin C) and Beriberi (lack of Vitamin B1) are easily cured by addressing those individual nutrients but Mitochondrial disease/dysfunction is affected by many nutrient imbalances that affect many different cells and systems.

    These mitochondrial dysfunctions maybe at the heart(no pun intended) of most ‘Auto-immune’ disease. Weakened mitochondria are passed from Mother to child and therefore chronic disease is exacerbated with each generation unless action is taken to restore good, balanced nutrition and lessen the toxins in our environment. There are approximately 200 diseases confirmed or with strong scientific evidence for auto-immune origins. (reference Sarah Ballantyne PhD) If you have one you are known to be much more likely to get another – ever thought why?

    Damaged Mitochondria trigger an immune response much like an infection, this can induce inflammation that if untreated can further damage Mitochondria. This vicious cycle continually worsens Mitochondrial and immune function, which promotes the occurrence of chronic conditions and severe disease.

    Chronic Mitochondrial Disease

    Take Reiter’s Disease, not often referred to these days but I was aware of it because of my Ophthalmic nursing -this is an Auto-immune disease that presents as a reactive arthritis, inflammation of the eye, inflammation of the urethra and also the skin. It is thought to have a genetic predisposition (HLA-B27) and may also be connected to infection in the gut. My son had all of these plus lichen planus, a skin rash that also affects mucous membranes and Erythema nodosum, painful nodules that appear under the skin – usually on the shins. I mention this because it is one of the few cases where a pattern of inflammation affecting various sites in the body was linked to a possible infection in the gut and and also a genetic disposition. This is frequently now said of many other ‘Autoimmune’ conditions but they are not usually linked by a name or described as a syndrome.

    Look at some of the labels given to Chronic diseases that are frequently linked or progress to other parts of the body.

    CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME * FIBROMYALGIA * LUPUS * HYPOTHYROIDISM/HASHIMOTOS * GRAVES DISEASE/ HYPERTHYROIDISM * DEPRESSION/ANXIETY * INSOMNIA * HEART DISEASE/ARRYTHMIAS * DIABETES * SKIN PROBLEMS * NEUROPATHY * DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S

    What if these are all problems with Mitochondrial dysfunctions that have developed due to inherited weakness and the trigger that is infection/stress/poor nutrition/toxins that have pushed our mitochondria beyond normal recovery levels resulting mainly in inflammation and failure of systems. This is chronic mitochondrial disease.

    Acute Mitochondrial disease

    There are some diseases that present as acute and the patient quickly goes into organ failure. As an illustration lets look at a Marathon runner where even a young healthy person can induce this – training takes weeks/months and the body gradually adjusts to the extra demands but on the actual race day less is within the control of the runner. The stress levels will be much higher, maybe the day is too hot or too cold, maybe only water is drunk rather than isotonic fluids and the runner pushes themselves beyond their physical limit. I remember the photos of David Wyeth at the end of the London 2017 Marathon when another competitor virtually carried him across the line and he has said since that he regrets putting himself at risk. He was lucky, several athletes have died during or following Marathons or Triathlons and the cause is often said to be ‘not known’, ‘possibly dehydration’, ‘heat stoke’ or heart attack but what we are seeing is the mitochondria cannot supply the necessary energy demanded, cellular energy is acutely stressed and the muscles, heart and brain demand the most so collapse is imminent. In this situation, or any acute mitochondrial situation, what can be administered is nicknamed a Banana bag or rally pack that is a bag of I/V fluids containing vitamins and minerals. Typically this is a litre of normal saline with

    • Thiamine B1 100mgs,
    • Folic acid 1 mg
    • multivitamin ampule (mainly other B vitamins and Vit C)
    • Magnesium sulphate 3g

    The Magnesium helps stop spasm and cramps and is essential for Mitochondrial function. It is known that many of us are Magnesium deficient due to modern diet already so any extra stress put on the body can deplete it rapidly.

    If you are considering entering a Marathon or similar event then I would suggest taking supplements that support your mitochondrial energy and boost ATP.

    Essential nutrients for healthy Mitochondrial function.

    • Oxygen
    • B Vitamins (needed daily because water soluble and not stored)
    • Thiamine B1 is especially important, nicknamed the spark plug to energy, but often ignored!
    • Minerals – including Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Sulphur and iron
    • N-Acetyl Cysteine
    • N-Acetyl Carnitine
    • Alpha Lipoic Acid
    • Co-Enzyme Q10
    • Vitamin C
    • D-Ribose (used by the body to synthesise and support the energy pool- essential to cellular metabolism.

    Vegetarians and Vegans frequently do not get enough CoQ10, L-Carnitine or B12 plus other B vitamins because our primary source is meat.

    It is possible to nurture our Mitochondria by eating a nutrient rich diet, low in processed foods, low in toxins and inflammatory foods like sugar and processed grains. Our modern diet has drastically increased input of processed and natural carbohydrates and reduced our Omega-3 anti-inflammatory fats and natural saturated fats while increasing substantially the Omega-6 and trans-fats in cooking oils, processed foods and margarines. Oxidised Omega-6 oils (trans-fats) are known to damage DNA.

    A healthy ratio Omega-6 – Omega-3 is considered to be 1:1 – 4:1 but in a diet full of processed food, Take-outs and fried foods this can easily go to 30:1 Healthy fats for Omega-3 are oily fish, seafood and flaxseeds and then Omega-9 fats in olives, olive oil, avocados and avocado oil, walnuts and macadamia nuts that all have anti-inflammatory properties. Some Omega-6 fatty acids are also beneficial – CLA come from grass-fed meat and dairy and GLA comes from green vegetables or supplements like Evening Primrose oil or Borage oil. The conversion of Fatty acids to anti-inflammatory Prostaglandins in the body is dependant on Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamins B complex and C.

    Diet choices

    There are so many promoted diets out there that everyone gets confused (including Nutritionists).  The basic aim is, as above, to reduce inflammation by reducing Carbohydrates and especially sugar while increasing healthy high quality fats.  The Mediterranean Diet has always been considered a good starting point and certainly it contains far more good fats, fish and shell fish, and more nuts, fruit and salad than most other diets.  They tend to use the whole animal and cook on the bone more than we do, they drink more coffee, wine and use garlic a lot – all things I love! They also get plenty of Vitamin D from the sun and plenty of social interaction in a more relaxed lifestyle than many places.

    The Paleo and Paleo AIP Diets definitely convey many benefits to Mitochondrial health but I still developed new Hypothyroid symptoms while on it and certainly going too low on carbs can predispose you to this plus low B Vitamins from not eating cereals/grains.  I would advise people to supplement with certain Vitamins and avoid gravitating towards too many processed ‘gluten-free’ foods if you are avoiding gluten and dairy on any diet.

    After 6 months of intensive research and a lot of ‘Bio-hacking’ myself I came up with a diet and supplement regime that has improved most signs and symptoms and feelings of well-being. As I didn’t especially want to ‘name’ yet another new diet or join the ever expanding choice of new diet books (although royalties from a book would have been nice!) I searched for comprehensive research already out there that would support what I have found works.

    First there is The Mito Food Plan from the Institute of Functional Medicine – this is available free online and is a full guide with explanations that are easy to follow.

    Secondly, I had a Eureka moment when I discovered The Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet Phd and Shou-Ching Jaminet Phd who back it up with plenty of research and good personal testimonies. It is a low to moderate carb(20%), high healthy fats (65%) and moderate protein (15%) diet. It is available as a book with all the scientific back up or the basic principles are available free online with a fantastic ‘Apple Plate’ graphic detailing what to eat and what to avoid – print it out and pin to your fridge or kitchen cupboard! I love the fact that it includes dark chocolate(full of Magnesium), coffee, nuts and wine, in moderation. Be open to varying the portions slightly – I personally feel I need more protein – and sometimes chocolate 🙂

    Supplements to nurture mitochondria

    I started with (a) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 100mg a day

    (b) BioCare  Methyl B Complex

    (c) CoQ10 100mg

    Vitamin D3 plus Vitamin K2 (to prevent calcium deposits)

    Food state Selenium

    Krill oil with EPA and DHA 500mg

    then I found

    BioCare Mitoguard  which contains a daily dose = (2 capsules) of

    Thiamine (B1) 100mg, Riboflavin(B2) 60mg, Niacin(B3)100mg, D-Ribose 1000mg, N-Acetyl Carnitine 200mg,         N-Acetyl Cysteine 100mg, Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg, CoQ10 100mg, Korean Ginseng extract 40mg.

    so this replaced a, b and c above therefore not too many pills to take!

    I also bought some D-Ribose powder that I add to coconut milk yogurt most mornings and my energy both physical and mental has improved 10 fold.

    Summary

    My ‘Bio-hacking’ has resulted in 3 weeks on a Cruise where I actually lost 2lb despite eating plenty and drinking wine with my meal each night. My energy, mental clarity and general well-being has greatly improved. My resting pulse still drops below 45 and my blood pressure is low but my morning temperature has recovered from a dire 34C to a constant 36C – so a good indication of increased metabolism (Mitochondria) and my Peripheral Neuropathy has disappeared. The only symptoms to have not improved are pulse and Heart Arrhythmia and therefore I have an appointment with a Functional Medicine Doctor  to discuss starting on Natural Desiccated Thyroid treatment. Having been Hypothyroid for several years I know I should have sought treatment earlier but I at least know that I have optimised my thyroid production and Mitochondrial health – which I will continue to do. Hopefully other people will follow this regime to boost their Mitochondria and prevent or reverse chronic disease – whatever it’s origin.

    Taking responsibility for your own health is always a good step forward and I would love to hear from anyone in my comments section.

    I will update my progress in future posts.

    bodykind - supplements, beauty and wellbeing

     

  • Easy Salads/ Health/ Healthy Food/ Immune System/ LCHF diet

    Nutritious Comfort Food for Winter

    Nutritious Winter Food

    Quick and easy nutritious comfort food for Winter that is also cheap!

    Even in Winter I like to eat salad and this one is super tasty and gives plenty of healthy fats and nutrients to boost immune system.

    SARDINE HOT SQUASH SALAD

    Nutritious comfort Food for Winter

    Ingredients are

    • crunchy lettuce plus fresh herb leaves
    • cucumber
    • mini tomatoes
    • avocado
    • optional celery or fennel
    • tinned sardines in olive oil
    • roasted squash or pumpkin still hot and scooped out with ice- cream scoop just before serving
    • sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts
    • dress with Virgin Olive oil or avocado oil

    Stuffed Mushrooms

    I love mushrooms for boosting the immune system so here is a lovely supper treat

    Nutritious comfort food for winter

    Make the filling by frying these chopped ingredients

    • tomato
    • red pepper
    • onion
    • Pancetta  or streaky bacon
    • plus the chopped stems from the large flat mushrooms

    Fill the mushrooms. top with torn Basil leaves and soft cheese or a coconut cream cheese alternative. Bake in oven 200C for about 15-20 mins. You can also pierce some extra tomatoes and roast them in the same pan.

    I love these served with some cooked Romanesco – if you have never tried it give it a go. It is similar to cauliflower but with a firmer texture and more nutty flavour. My son, who has never liked cauliflower, loves this.

    nutrious comfort food for winter

    Slow- Cooker Hot Pot

    A Winter Staple that makes life easy.  I just add cheap cuts of meat (preferably on the bone) and whatever vegetables I have plus some good organic stock and leave it to cook for at least 4 hours. Normally one pot full will last us for two days – so I get to have a day off from cooking 🙂

    This one was lamb shank with carrots, parsnip, courgette and potatoes plus Rosemary and Bay leaves.

    Get creative and add spices, herbs, or fruit – apricots with lamb and Moroccan spice or chicken with preserved lemons…..my favourites!

  • Gluten Free/ Health/ LCHF diet/ Wheat and Dairy Intolerance

    My Quick Gluten & Dairy free Pizza

    My Quick Gluten & Dairy free Pizza

    Would you love a fresh, tasty and super-quick supper? Then here is my quick Gluten & Dairy free Pizza that you can be eating quicker than a Take-Away! Approx. 20 minutes!

    Ingredients

    One gluten free Wrap per person

    Onion – chopped

    Red Pepper – small slices

    Mushrooms – sliced

    Herbs – such as oregano, Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence

    Fresh tomato – sliced or chopped tinned tomato drained well

    Vegan Cheeses both creamy and original solid (I used ‘violife’)

    any quick cook protein – smokey bacon, pepperoni, ham, prawns, tinned tuna etc.

    Fresh Basil leaves if available

    Method

    Pre-heat Oven to 200C or preheat grill to 190C.

    Lightly grease an oven tray or grill pan. Place the wraps in position. They only take a few minutes to cook therefore put the onion, pepper and  mushrooms into a pan with a little oil and cook until soft – approx 5 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and season, then spread evenly onto wraps.

    My Quick Gluten & Dairy free Pizza

    Top with the creamy vegan cheese – this gives a good richness and texture similar to mozzarella.

    My Quick Gluten & Dairy Free Pizza

    Then top with tomatoes, chosen protein, grated vegan cheese and torn Basil.

    Cook for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melting and protein cooked through. I personally don’t mind if the tomatoes are only lightly cooked as it as another texture to the meal. If you like them more cooked than in the photo then slice them very thinly or use well-drained tinned ones or Passata but you don’t want to burn the base.

    Serve with a side salad or coleslaw.

    My Quick Gluten & Dairy Free Pizza

    Enjoy!

     

  • Ketogenic diet/ LCHF diet/ Paleo Diet/ Sugar Detox

    My positive results from Paleo and LCHF approach

    Paleo and LCHF approach

    I would like to share with you my continuing journey with improving my health with nutrition and my personal results with Paleo and LCHF approach.

    Three years ago I was suffering from a few years of high stress. I was overweight and still gaining, tired, with a myriad of symptoms including poor sleep, IBS, dry skin and eyes, hearing problems, post nasal drip, sinus problems,and joint pains, which at times were severe and debilitating.

    I started on the Paleo Approach program by first doing a full elimination diet. Sarah Ballantine PhD of www.ThePaleoMom.com. I discovered I was intolerant of gluten, dairy and soy so totally eliminated them and started to reintroduce other foods gradually while watching for return of symptoms. I then progressed to what I call a modified Paleo diet where I ate some gluten free pasta and wraps, rice, potatoes and either almond or coconut milk.

    With each week I felt better and had more energy. I started doing more exercise including walking, rebounding and a Yoga sequence called ‘The Five Tibetan Rites’.

    I suffered occasional setbacks but with attention to healing my gut with Probiotics and L-Glutamine the inflammation soon subsided.

    Having reached a reasonable level of health I started looking for ways I could protect myself from chronic illnesses like Diabetes, heart disease, Dementia and cancer – these being the main worries as we age.

    I read more and more about eating low carbs and high natural fats, LCHF, followed the research www.DietDoctor.com and everything seemed to make sense. The idea being to keep blood sugar lower and level by eating quality proteins and natural fats like Avocado, olive oil, grass fed butter (which I couldn’t have), coconut oil, oily fish and fatty cuts of meat.

    It was quite easy to adapt from Paleo Approach to LCHF and within a very short time I noticed that my blood sugar was more stable, I could go without food for longer periods without turning into Golem and I was sleeping much better.

    I really felt the benefits so I wanted to see if medical tests would reflect the improvements. Unfortunately I didn’t have any baseline testing from the past to compare but I think you will agree that they stand alone.

    I am 66 yrs old. Metabolic age 55

    Weight is 67 kg  and stable

    BMI 24

    Blood pressure 123/64

    Liver Function Good

    Fasting  blood sugar 5.0

    Triglycerides 0.7

    Cholesterol LDL/HDL ratio 2.04

    Bone mass 2.2 kg Muscle mass 40.9

    As part of eating LCHF I have been having Bulletproof XCT oil in my coffee, I bake using coconut oil and cook with it. I use coconut milk and cream a lot as I love Thai cooking. I also use olive oil each day, eat garlic, onions, plenty of salad and green vegetables, sweet potato, berries, small bananas and only occasionally other fruit like mangoes or pineapple. I buy free range and grass fed meat as much as possible and have nuts, eggs and fish 2-3 times a week.

    My indulgences are red wine and Prosecco but I don’t drink every day. I have dark chocolate and use coco powder to make desserts or Brownies and sometimes sweeten food with a little maple syrup – keeping sugar to an absolute minimum.

    I am certainly not strict with eating LCHF as I do not measure my carb intake, only relying on 1-2 small portions a day, always with protein.

    Sometimes we eat out and the meal is not low carb at all – like gluten and dairy free pizza, Red Wine and Lemon Sorbet but then I am just more aware of how many carbs I eat the next day. Sometimes I skip breakfast and just have black coffee with XCT oil and that keeps me going all morning which is something I never thought I could do. In the past, after a breakfast of toast and marmalade I would be starving by 10:30am!

    Many of you will react with horror at ‘giving up’ many of the things you think of as staples at the moment but I can assure you that the health benefits are enormous and instead of feeling deprived I actually feel indulgent, eating so many of those high fat foods that we have denied ourselves for so long. Throughout my adult life the guidelines have been to eat low-fat to prevent cardiovascular disease and throughout that time heart disease and obesity have been epidemic – time to stop. No low-fat, no artificial fats or oils, low sugar, no calorie counting and no to try to ‘burn it off ‘ at the gym!

  • LCHF diet

    Lunchtime Low Carb High healthy Fats Treat

    Low Carb High healthy Fats treat

    So don’t count Calories, don’t break out the bread, just go for a real food, Lunchtime Low Carb High healthy Fats Treat!

    Two free range eggs, asparagus spears, baby-leaf salad and olive oil mayo with celtic sea salt and black pepper.

    Yum!

    No recipe needed, just cook the eggs so that the yolks are runny and you can dip the asparagus in them.

    Cooking time approximately 5 mins so no excuse…

    I cooked the eggs gently in a little olive oil but you could use ghee, butter or coconut oil. You could also add fresh lemon juice to the mayo.

  • Healthy Food/ Immune system - healing/ Ketogenic diet/ LCHF diet/ weight loss

    Fat v Carbs

    Nutritional advice

    The debate on Fat v Carbs rages on!

    I personally and with clients, have found it works in that you get to a normal weight and then it stabilises even though you may add in a few more natural carbs like rice, gluten free grains, dark chocolate and red wine. Health markers improve, immune system improves, cravings disappear and energy is increased and because of this it is a very sustainable way to eat.

    Sustainability is key to weight-loss and keeping it off. I have known many people who have tried very low fat diets only to gain even more weight when they return to ‘normal’ eating. Low fat diets deprive you of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K that are essential for good health and a strong immune system and yet that is what Government Guidelines have been for decades.

    Here are the foods to eat on a Low Carb High Fat Diet 

    • Meat
    • Fish
    • eggs
    • Vegetables
    • A little fruit
    • Nuts and seeds
    • Dairy products (not low fat versions) if not intolerant to casein or lactose.
    • Natural fats and oils like Coconut oil, Olive oil, olives, avocados and oil, ghee and butter if tolerated.

    If the source of these foods is organic, free range, grass fed(beef) etc. then that is when I use the term ‘CLEAN’ diet as it avoids all processed food, sugar, gluten grains and keeps fruit sugar low.

    In case you missed it, here is an excellent program from the BBC – well worth watching. The results in just a 3 week trial are disclosed with weight loss, lower cholesterol and also enjoyment of eating natural foods and no hunger or bad side effects.

    Take a look on YouTube

    If you like ‘studies’ then go here.