Help for Migraine Sufferers

A study on Co-Enzyme Q10 found that more than half of migraine sufferers who took a CoQ10 supplement reduced their migraine episodes by almost 50%. Even those who still suffered, saw the duration of their migraine drop by half. The dosage level for CoQ10 was 100mg three times a day.

An additional tactic is to get more magnesium-rich foods such as spinach, chard, avocados, almonds and cashews into your diet as research indicates that migraine sufferers are very often deficient in this mineral.

And... very dark chocolate is another good source of magnesium so when a snack-attack threatens, have one of those mini bars with a handful of nuts and a mug of green tea!

Veganuary, Vegan Diets and Weight Loss

A record number of people have apparently signed up for Veganuary this year and are plotting to body swerve meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and dairy for a month, assess how they look and feel (both physically and emotionally) and determine whether they wish to continue with a vegan diet and lifestyle or indeed, stick with the major changes required to ensure that their diet offers the very best of nourishment on a daily basis to gain and/or maintain good health.

I have noted increasingly, that on the back of a great many articles featured in the media, people quite often ‘head down the vegan road’ in a bid to lose weight and that's what I am going to address here

Unless you understand the importance of a healthy balance of the ‘big 6’ (carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals and water), improved health and successful weight loss may not result on a vegan diet so you have to ask yourself some important questions....

1. Are you eating too many starchy carbohydrates (potatoes, bread, pasta, rice and other grains) to fill you up and keep hunger at bay? Starch is sugar, too many sugars prompt blood glucose disruption, blood sugar disruption prompts the pancreas to release insulin on an all-too-regular basis, the continued release of insulin may cause a resistance to its effects and fat storage rather than fat burning may result. 
2. Do you regularly opt for processed foods and drinks with ‘vegan-friendly’ labelling? A great many offer just as much sugar, processed fats and excess calories as many non-vegan, off-the-shelf products. Do yourself a favour - buy fresh produce and do your own thing as often as possible. 
3. Do you snack on nuts and regularly add them to dishes in a bid to ensure you are getting sufficient protein into your diet? Nuts are real oscar-winners when it comes to protein content but if you are trying to lose weight, a little goes a long way - 2 or 3 handfuls of fresh nuts per day is plenty! 
4. Have soya products become your daily alternative to meat and dairy? Excess soya protein can disrupt the intricate balance of hormones - particularly the sex hormones (oestrogen and progesterone in women, testosterone and oestrogenin men) and make weight loss frustratingly difficult. Little and once a day is the way to go with soya. 
5. Are you including greens and other colourful vegetables in every meal and most snacks? Vegan diets must be super-rich in vegetables to ensure an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals which not only protect us from disease but also do a sterling job in encouraging fat loss.
6. Do fruit smoothies, non-dairy fruit shakes and fruit juices feature regularly in your day? There is no argument that fruit offers way more than just sweetness to your world but because they are rich in fructose, a ‘sugar combo molecule’ that can quickly raise blood sugar levels and possibly prompt fat storage, all fruits should be eaten with a little protein or fat to slow the process (a handful of seeds or seed oils added to smoothies and shakes works well).
7. And most importantly… do you shy away from fats because you have been hood-winked into believing they will pile on the pounds and prompt heart disease? Happily, this thinking has now been well and truly quashed and fats are back on the menu!

No matter which type of diet you follow you simply must get fats into your life on a daily basis. They don’t make you fat, they boost the health of your brain, heart, bones, nervous system and hormones, they satisfy your appetite, they super-fuel you with energy and if you are trying to lose weight, a little fat in every meal and snack throughout the day keeps hunger at bay and controls cravings. 

Click on the image below to see a short presentation on why fats are so important not only in a vegan diet but in all diets...

Bare All with Confidence - Bone Broth

Bone Broth is Fabulous for Fat Loss!

And... it needn’t involve hours in the kitchen! Not only are animal bones super-rich in collagen - an essential protein which is vital for healthy bones and muscles and wrinkle-free skin but in combination with a few vegetables, herbs and spices, a good bone broth helps to keep inflammation (one of our major weight loss adversaries) at bay. It is also extremely nourishing whilst providing loads of energy-generating rather than waistline-expanding calories to our day.

My quickest and easiest bone broth involves putting 8 chicken wings (and a couple of chicken feet if you can get them!) into an oven-proof pot with an onion, a carrot, a couple of celery stalks, a few garlic cloves, a bouquet garni (or a bunch of fresh thyme, some parsley and a bay leaf), half a dozen black peppercorns, a teaspoon of sea salt crystals and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, covering the whole lot with water, bringing slowly to the boil then transferring the pot to the oven on its lowest setting for as many hours as you can (overnight works well).

Next day, strain the broth into a bowl through a fine sieve, transfer to the fridge and leave until very cold (this results in the fat and any scum rising to the top, becoming hard and therefore super-simple to remove with a slotted spoon). Simply return the broth to a soup pot and simmer over a medium heat to reduce (the more reduced, the tastier), check the seasoning then bag in portions (small soup bags are great), refrigerate or freeze and heat one through thoroughly in a microwave or on the hob before devouring mid morning, mid afternoon or whenever you need a nourishing pick-me-up.

View all my Bare All This Summer Top Tips here.

Liquid Indulgence

Why your morning cup of coffee, your afternoon cup of tea and your evening alcoholic pick me up can offer a hefty health boost!

Research continues to uncover the power of phytonutrients (plant chemicals) in not only helping to protect us from disease but also in boosting our defences. Coffee, tea and alcohol, once deemed our evil indulgences are right up there alongside broccoli and berries - as long as we choose carefully! Here’s a rundown on the best of the best, what makes them great and how and when to fit them into a health-enhancing diet and reap the benefits. As our great grannies were wont to say “a little of what you fancy does you good” and who would have thought that after so many years of being told to swap our morning cuppa for a fruit smoothie and our stress-relieving glass of wine in the evening for a large glass of sparkling water we may have been doing ourselves more good than harm before we got caught up in the possible frenzy of abstinence! 

• COFFEE - make it dark, make it rich, make it Fairtrade, make it freshly-ground, buy the best you can afford and make the addition of milk and/or sugar an occasional treat. The less-processed the coffee, the more antioxidant-rich and protective plant chemicals you get and the smaller the cup, the greater the punch. If your usual coffee habit is a milky, frothy, sugary concoction, start the process by adopting the Italian habit of having a small, dark, single espresso with a large glass of water on the side early doors and to benefit from the now-well-documented fat-busting properties of top-quality coffee beans, wait at least 30 minutes before having your first meal of the day
• TEA - make it black, green, white or red, buy loose leaves and infuse your own tea whenever possible or spend a little extra to make sure your tea bags are either organically-grown or sympathetically-processed. If milk is required, add a splash of full-fat from pasture-raised cows (makes a way better cup of tea and adds nourishment to your cuppa) and if a dash of sweetness is required, stir in a little Manuka honey

• ALCOHOL - red wines (particularly the Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties) get the vote for their richness in the protective plant chemical, resveratrol but the white, rosé and fizzy varieties don't do a too-shabby job either as long as you keep it dry - the drier the wine, the more antioxidant-rich it is and the less health-disrupting sugar is involved. Discerningly-produced beers also offer respectable amounts of protective plant chemicals and are increasingly being flagged up for their possible health benefits as do spirits but sadly, many prefer to enjoy their spirits with all manner of super-sugary, fizzy extras which do little other than upset blood sugar levels, prompt the need for another 'hit' and add inches to waistlines. On the rocks or with soda is the way to go with spirits if you are looking for possible health benefits and most important of all - make sure you adopt a responsible stance where alcohol is concerned and stay within the recommended daily levels.