fbpx

121 Dietitian

Face to face consultation - your health is your wealth

diet

Hashimoto’s and me – part 4…

by

I was reflecting this morning and realized wow, what a year 2019 has been. My best health year for the past 10!

Clinical work has grown and has become immensely intense with more and more patients attending with multiple and complex issues. With my good health these challenges are no longer draining and so I continue to train in new services and collaborate with excellent health professionals and institutions to offer my expertise.

My niche is certainly assisting people who have nutritional issues that may also affect their health negatively in ways they did not realise: Eating disorders,  mental health and well-being, resistant weight, metabolic syndrome, gut health, fatigue, auto-immune conditions, hormonal issues, fertility, allergies, nutrigenomics, optimization of the workplace…..

I personally continue to follow my health programme to ensure that I remain optimised to keeps me tip-top. In addition I run with a running club and have completed several cross-country races and love Park run when I can ever get to it. (kids activities seem to dictate!)

Chronic illness is, I believe, like a jigsaw puzzle. Illness is complex and often can’t be completed/fixed in one go. In relation to chronic ill health, it can take several years for some people to manage this jigsaw – often following unscientific or expensive paths in desperation. The illness is often still there but the medications assists in just getting through the day. This way of living masks the underlying problems. Fixing the cause is King, and working with the body through its ups and downs is the only way out.

At 121 Dietitian,  availing of a full assessment allows a a complete evaluation of you diet, lifestyle, sleep, inflammation, blood results. A bespoke detailed written programme is then provided – and a follow up to check how all is progressing. Positive results can be achieved in a few weeks. Fantastic for the client and the reason I love to go to work.

I look forward to every day and hope that I can help you too feel the same. If you need some advice or direction please email or call +44 (0) 7717392306.

Top health tips for 2019

by

At 121 Dietitian, we firmly believe that small steps can always be taken to greatly improve our health.

Looking at the key areas of mental health, kids’ health and weight loss, here we share our top health tips for 2019….

Health tips

Mental health

If you want instant improvements a few simple suggestions include:

  • Stay well hydrated: fluids, notably water and not caffeinated drinks allow the brain and body to function. If dehydrated you will become sluggish and metabolism slows down adding to a depressed state.
  • Avoid processed meals and snacks: Artificial, chemical laden foods will cause your body to build insulin resistance over time. High fructose syrups and sugars affect metabolism and cause low level inflammation, affecting Vitamin A and D levels, magnesium, copper and iron to name a few. This downward spiral negatively affects mental health and causes additional chronic illness.
  • Get adequate sleep: This is essential for brain health. Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Sleep allows the brain to shrink and eliminate toxins that can build up and lead to Alzheimer’s. It also allows to repair and consolidation of memories.

health tips

Kids’ health

Nutrition and lifestyles are ever changing as kids grow. Peer pressure, advertising and increasing independence all contribute to choices made. To optimise growth, development and good mental stability, we recommend the following:

  • Encourage your kids to eat all together and most importantly with an adult – the more the merrier! A meal with family and friends allows a relaxed, enjoyable experience. It encourages children to eat more variety and not scoff!
  • Each week or month try a new healthy food, especially with vegetables and fruits. Make it fun, research the food chosen and rate different recipes.
  • When eating, turn the gadgets, phones and TV off. This will reduce the risk of mindless eating and thus obesity.
  • If your kids are eating many unhealthy snacks, try to reduce these over time. Use tasty protein/fat alternatives like nut butters, avocados, cheeses, eggs, seeds, greek yoghurt topped with a little natural sugars such as dark chocolate or berries, plenty of vegetables including peppers, celery, carrots, cucumber and make flaxseed wraps or oat buns.

Health tips

Weight loss

  • Do not get caught up in kcal counting! The quality of your food is vital for providing satiety and happiness, better than any sugarless, fatless, processed biscuit.
  • Make sure you are not battling with a hormonal or nutritional imbalance. These can thwart your best efforts and really damage your confidence.
  • Always chew your food well and take time to enjoy what you eat. Getting the enzymes in your mouth involved will assist metabolism and send the correct signals from the gut to the brain to indicate fullness.
  • Avoid low fat/sugar processed foods where possible.
  • Eat a rainbow at each meal for nutrient density.
  • Alcohol provides liquid energy so be careful of how much you consume. It can negatively affect your weight loss goals.

If you have any concerns about how to get healthier please get in touch. We are experts in nutrition and able to assist you with all health issues. To book an appointment, click here. 

Information checked & correct on 12th December 2018.

What to eat for a good night’s sleep

by

Good night's sleep

Do you struggle to nod off at night? Did you know that diet actually plays a key role in contributing to a good night’s sleep? Here, we discuss how what you eat affects your sleep, the foods to avoid and those which will help you welcome those zzzs.

Incorporating certain foods into your food plan that are known for aiding relaxation and calming frayed nerves may help aid you for a good night’s sleep.

What you eat affects how you sleep. How many times have you gone to bed after a late dinner or a midnight snack, tossed and turned and had the most ferocious dreams all because of that late feast?

Good night's sleep

Become a tryptophan fan

Some foods actively contribute to a good night’s sleep because they contain tryptophan, an amino acid that the body uses to make serotonin.

Simply put, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic so your brain isn’t revved up and raring to go.

By adding more foods containing tryptophan, a natural sedative, you are giving yourself a better chance of undisturbed rest.

Carbohydrates are particularly rich in this calming ingredient and many meal options can be planned that not only fit into your food plan but can also ensure you enjoy a safe passage to the land of nod.

Good night's sleep

Foods such as potatoes, gluten free pasta and bread, rice, eggs, seafood, chicken, turkey, gluten free cereals, buckwheat, seeds and nuts are high in tryptophan and are perfect snooze boosters.

Try to have little snacks of these during the day or incorporate them into your evening meal to ensure you benefit from their in-built snooze facilities.

Of course going to bed hungry is a sure-fire way to ensure you’ll be counting sheep all night. So make sure your evening meal is satisfying and not heavy in proteins, which will lay heavy on the stomach and could keep you awake.

If you do find you are hungry at bedtime, then great bedtime snacks could include:

  • Houmous (homemade with garlic oil) with wholemeal gluten free pitta bread
  • Wholegrain gluten free cereal with a little skimmed milk (lactofree)
  • Porridge (GF) made with skimmed milk (LF) and raisins
  • Peanut butter spread on (GF) crisp breads

Good night's sleep

Foods to avoid

If you don’t want to be tossing and turning all night, avoid the following:

  • Caffeine-rich drinks such as tea, coffee and colas at bedtime
  • Late night curries
  • Alcohol
  • High protein foods late, such as large portions of red meat or full fat cheese
  • Sugary drinks
  • Cakes, chocolate and biscuits – these can play havoc with your blood sugar levels
  • Some people sensitive to garlic may find that too much of this ingredient in their meals can upset their sleep pattern

Good night's sleep

Perfect snooze foods

And lastly before you drift off, meals that are high in carbohydrates and low to medium in protein will help you relax in the evening and could ensure you have the best chance of a good night’s sleep.

Try the following dinners for new ideas in the best in snooze food:

  • Wholemeal GF pasta served with chicken, white sauce made from cornflour and LF milk, sprinkled with parmesan cheese
  • Scrambled eggs with parsley
  • Tofu/vegetable stir fry
  • Houmous, (homemade) raw vegetables with wholemeal GF pitta
  • Seafood/ GF pasta and salad
  • Tuna salad / chicken sandwich
  • Chilli with beans (not too spicy)

Herbal teas such as camomile or valerian have been found to be useful as night-time relaxants and many supermarkets and health food stores now stock a delicious range of bedtime teas that are worth exploring.

Good night's sleep

Remember…

Eat regular meals and snacks of a wide variety of colours and flavours to achieve a range of essential nutrients.

If you have any concerns about how to get healthier please get in touch. We are experts in nutrition and able to assist you with all health issues. To book an appointment, click here. 

Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.

Have you heard about our mini assessment sessions?

by Leave a Comment

We all know everyone likes to receive helpful advice, especially in terms of improving our diet, health and lifestyle.Tuesday Morning Clinic sessions

Here at 121 Dietitian we provide this at various levels daily; to many clients who maybe in need of a little dietary direction, to business’ wishing to improve productivity and health in the workplace, to patients who have debilitating medical conditions, or to our media associates, food companies, nursing homes….

We realise however that even when interested, not everyone knows what they may need or has the time, money or medical condition to feel they require a visit to a Dietitian. We are now able to help with this dilemma …

121 Dietitian have set up a service just for this reason and we have been delighted with its success.

At  £65 for a specialist assessment these sessions have gone from strength to strength, and it couldn’t be simpler.

STEPS TO TAKE:

    • Download and complete the food diary and questionnaire found on the contact us page.
    • Use the contact us page and request a mini Clinic appointment.
    • When your appointment date and time  is confirmed bring your food diary and questionnaire with you to the appointment.
    • A Dietitian will assess your details, take some body composition measurements and then identify key positive changes that you may require.
    • The clinic chat takes 20 minutes with a follow up email bringing the total time spent to 1 hour.
    • The changes for you to consider making will be life long.

If during the consultation you are suspected to have a undiagnosed medical condition or require blood tests we will direct you to your GP for these and review you. The cost of this consultation will be deducted from further appointments if required to attend for further personalised advice.

 

Life long healthy dietary advice

Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.

 

Christmas Dietary Dilemas

by Leave a Comment

Many of us will gain unwanted extra weight this Christmas. Whether it is due to decreased exercise, attending more social occasions or an increased craving for comfort foods during the long, cold nights, weight gain is not inevitable. Here at 121 Dietitian we would like to share with you some tips for the festive season and hopefully save you making “must lose weight” resolutions as we enter the New Year.

Why do we gain weight during the festive period? 

Christmas is a time of celebration which can span from the 2 -3 weeks prior to the big day with Christmas parties followed by New Year celebrations and then continue into January with finishing the leftovers. This amounts to nearly a month of celebrating and for some of us who might normally resist temptation telling ourselves ‘it’s alright it’s a special occasion.’ These special occasions can easily mount up. Even something you consider to be a little treat can have a larger effect than you would realise.

If you consume  over 200 – 300 kcal ( mince pie or some buffet sausages, large glass of wine) or more each day over the course of 1 month you can expect to gain 4-8lb minimum if you are not actively exercising over and above your normal activity or having days where you keep control.

Weight gain over the festive period is easy but it is not inevitable.

You can be very clever with your food/kcal intake and still have fun. The right state of mind is often the major hurdle to compliance.

A pre-party tip

People live busy lives and are on the go the whole time. However take a little extra time to have a pre party planning stage for what you are going to wear, how you will travel and what you will eat during the day, and then at the party. This will see you through with a big smile and smaller bum, tum or hips!!

Some good advice

  • If going to a buffet eat well during the day.
  • High fibre regular meals are good.
  • Have a snack before you go out e.g. banana and wholemeal toast if in a rush, or some lean meat /fish and pasta/potato and vegetables.
  • At the buffet try and fill most of your plate with raw vegetable sticks and fruit.

What not to do instead of what not to eat!

Avoidance is never the best long term plan. Usually it makes you want something more! It is better to teach ourselves to moderate rather than avoid. Often avoided foods will creep back into the diet and if you can’t control this then a yo-yo weight gain can occur. When out celebrating here are some don’ts.

  • Don’t go hungry.
  • Don’t stand near the food table as you will be tempted.
  • Don’t get too tipsy early as this will reduce your willpower and the results could be bad!
  • Watch the dips, go for the salad options, then you can add a few of the other items like goujons and crisps, enough variety to see you through.
  • The worst high fat offenders are the sausage roll, vol au vents and depending on the quality deep fried chicken in breadcrumbs can be processed and fatty.

Being clever can save you calories!

Your choice at the buffet table can mean you can make a difference of  a clever 350 kcal intake for the night (not including alcohol) instead of 1200 kcal, almost a full extra days intake of junk and saturated fat.

One last more sobering thought: Think ahead: how you are going to feel come January with a substantial food and drinks bill, clothes that are too tight and potential blood pressure, cholesterol, health  problems. Do these treats seem so appealing?

Enjoy, but have pride in resisting some temptation too!

Happy Healthy Christmas, we look forward to hearing your success stories….

Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.

IBS – A patient’s perspective

by Leave a Comment

1 year on since we commenced the IBS Low FODMAP advice clinic we thought we would celebrate with some good news…

This lovely lady attended clinic, miserable, frustrated and exhausted. Her IBS symptoms were severe, affecting her family, her work, going out… It had truly taken over and ruled their lives. She was worried that her symptoms meant something more sinister and really was in need of help and support. After Nutritional assessment and dietary analysis she commenced a personalised FODMAP elimination dietary programme designed by Gillian Killiner @ 121 Dietitian.

Dear Gillian

I am pleased to report all is going well from the IBS side of things. I appear to have it well under control from a diet point of view – I am eating well, sleeping well and bar the occasional flare up have stomach and bowels well under control. I had my scope back in June and the Consultant who did the procedure was happy that all was looking well. I wasn’t in any rush to see them as I was continuing to increase my intake of wheat and gluten without any difficulties.

Gillian – I continue to steer completely clear of onions and garlic. I allow myself milk in tea and coffee but otherwise continue to enjoy the lacto free milk. Yes my diet is restricted but is healthy and varied and I am very happy with what I am eating. You have got me enjoying porridge – which is nothing short of a miracle. My Scottish father is delighted!!!

Gillian I cannot thank you enough for all your advice – I continue to discuss the FODMAPS approach and your in-depth knowledge with other professional staff whenever I can……

A new beginning for this lady and for many more of our clients this year.

If you suffer from IBS or know of someone who does give us a call so we can arrange to help you too.

Low FODMAP programme - 121 Dietitian

Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.

Subscribe for news and updates
We respect your privacy. You have the option to unsubscribe anytime.