Sugar what you need to know …
It is Sugar awareness week 18th – 24th January 2021 so I thought I would take a look at this in more detail for you as it is one of the biggest concerns my patients have when I see them at my clinics. What is sugar? The term ‘sugar’ usually refers to what we know as table or granulated sugar – the type of sugar that we add to our tea or coffee. We also are familiar to the different variations which include caster sugar, icing sugar, brown sugar, demerara sugar, these are types mostly used in baking.These, you may already know, are not the only sugars around. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy.All ‘sugars’ are carbohydrates and along with starch they one of our body’s main source of energy. Carbohydrates are required for our brains, bodies and nervous system. In fact it has been part of our diets for thousands of years. Sugar is found naturally in most foods like fruits, vegetables and milk as well as being an ingredient used in a wide range of foods and drinks. Great, so what is all the fuss about? Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is acceptable as part of a healthy intake when you have a healthy metabolism. Plant foods have high amounts of fibre, essential minerals, and antioxidants alongside smaller amounts of carbs, and dairy foods contain protein, fats and calcium which are important for the body.Because of these extra components your body digests these foods slowly allowing the sugar in them to provide a steady supply of energy to your cells. A sufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and fibre rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. So what’s the problem? Increasing technology has brought many changes to our food production. More and more convenience foods are available that taste good, are very addictive and can be eaten 24/7.Problems occur when regularly eating these processed foods leads you to consume too much “added sugar”. The food manufacturers add this to enhance the flavour or extend shelf life and this can often be hidden in foods you would never imagine.In the modern diet, the top sources of sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, biscuits, cakes, sweets and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, processed meats, and condiments like ketchup. How much sugar are we allowed? Our recommended dietary intake of sugar per day: Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 tsps/sugar cubes). What sugar we consume Adults in the UK take in 3 times the recommended amount at an average of 22 teaspoons/cubes of added sugar per day, according to the NHS website.Four to 10-year-olds are eating more than twice as much sugar as they should per day, equivalent to 13 tsps/sugar cubes (PHE 2018). “Excess sugar’s impact on obesity, Blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, fatty liver and diabetes and this is well documented, but one area that may surprise many is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health and increase risk of stroke,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Impact of sugar on your heart In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who are 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar. “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Hu. Sugar has several indirect connections to affecting heart health: 1) high amounts of sugar overload the liver. “Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol, and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat,” says Dr. Hu. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease.2) Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.3) Excess consumption of sugar, especially sugary drinks, also contributes to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system because liquid calories are not as satisfying as calories from solid foods. This is why it is easier for people to add more calories to their regular diet when consuming sugary drinks. How you can reduce your sugar intake? Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Look for the following names for added sugar and try to either avoid, or cut back on the amount or frequency of the foods where they are found: • brown sugar• corn sweetener• corn syrup• fruit juice concentrates• high-fructose corn syrup• honey• invert sugar• malt sugar• molasses Also syrup sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose). Check the total sugar of the product, which includes added sugar, this is usually listed in grams.If it says 5 grams of sugar per serving, but the normal amount you would eat is three or four servings, you will easily consume 20 grams of sugar which is way too much.Also, watch the amount of sugar or syrups you add to your food or drinks. About half of added sugar comes from
2020 with COVID 19 – How our family recovered…
2020 was a tough year for the world with the COVID 19 pandemic and 2021 continues to see no end to this virus. The vaccinations can hopefully help reduce hospital admissions however we still need to keep others safe. Reflecting over the past year we have had our ups and downs but over all I am one of the lucky ones and wake everyday thankful for what we have. We are fortunate that my husband has a secure job and really glad my kids are easy to manage as teens. We are fortunate we can sleep and eat in the safety and comfort of our warm home and we have a large park beside us to walk our dog. I am also very fortunate to be have my Dietetic nutritional consultancy business www.121dietitian.com online to continue to help and advise others. I am passionate about wholefood nutrition and this really matters with our current pandemic. Not being able to visit loved ones has been very difficult. I am especially sad about not seeing my parents. My mum has Multiple Sclerosis and dependent on hoists and wheelchair and loves company. She needs many to assist her daily needs. Sadly they are 120 miles or a 3 hour car drive away in a different country – not easy to visit, so in between the lockdowns we have hopped in the car driven and spent a few hours chatting in the window to them returning home relieved they are safe and coping. Summer 2020 was a tough time for my eldest 2 children: A-levels and GCSE’s were cancelled and they were hugely disappointed. They are now doing their best to continue focused for the future but it is damn hard. I am very proud of them. Fast forward December 20 everything was going well, life was in a routine with work and school and we were preparing for Christmas at home. We managed to enjoy Christmas day and then COVID struck (brought home from my husbands work). We began to fall ill first my husband and then me. We told no one as we were scared of what was ahead. We self isolated and were fortunate to have extra food in with Christmas. The kids also had varying symptoms. I can’t say for sure but as I write this we have got away lightly. Loss of taste and smell and fatigue being the most difficult for 2 weeks. We were dreading the worst as both myself and my husband are healthcare professionals and have seen first hand what COVID 19 is doing to people. The longer term damage of kidneys, heart, brain, stroke and lungs is all too real. I have over the past year of COVID been advising others on assisting their immunity and improving their overall health. Little did I think we would be saved by it too. I personally feel that having underlying good health, eating a varied diet, taking Vitamin D, getting restorative sleep and keeping a safe alcohol intake has been advantageous in our recovery. 2021 has been a slow start for us but when you have your health you have your wealth so it can only hopefully get better. From my experiencing with COVID 19 if you can do one thing in the next 12 months I would strongly urge you to please protect yourselves and your family from contracting COVID 19. Let 2021 be the year you make any changes you need. Optimise your diet. Have the best metabolic health you can. Take Vitamin D daily. Ensure you have the best sleep, activity, mood and gut possible. Stay well and stay safe. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
Healthy Snacks For Kids and Teens going back to school…
The kids are back to school. Now the headaches is what to feed them each day. Having 3 kids I know how challenging feeding them Healthy Snacks can be! ?Your child is going to need nutrients for brain power and the additional exercise they may not have been availing of for the last few months. ? Don’t fall for the high-fat, nutrient-poor snacks that are lining our supermarket shelves. Here is a list of a few healthy snacks with a twist: Healthy Snacks for all the family ? Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed pecans and freeze? Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or cream cheese. Top with raisins. Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with cream cheese and apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon. Take 2 oat cakes top with Greek yoghurt add some raspberries and enjoy. Put cubes of cheddar cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks. Spread peanut or almond butter on apple slices.? Take semi skimmed milk, frozen strawberries or raspberries or blueberries add some oats and seeds blend for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie. Use wholemeal thins to make tasty sandwiches fill with colourful salad and home cooked meats like gammon, chicken or prawns, egg, houmous…??? Sprinkle grated cheese over a wholemeal tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with homemade avocado guacamole, cucumber, peppers, tomato salsa.?️ Heat homemade soup: mushroom, tomato or chicken, bean and vegetable soup and enjoy with oat cakes and pate. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and smoked paprika on hot popcorn. Banana pancakes – mash 1 ripe banana, add 1 egg and some wholemeal flour and mix – cook on pan in a little butter. No need to add anything as sweet enough. Spread mayo on a wholemeal tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce. Flavour with herbs and spices. Then roll it up ? Mini Pizza: Toast the bottom of an English muffin, add some passata on the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and vegetables and grill. Fruit kebabs. Make fruit exciting by threading melon, grapes and pineapple chunks on a wooden skewer. Dark chocolate- 2 squares place in a cup add boiling water and top with milk.☕ Snacks to say “no” to: Chocolate type biscuit bars are not filling and high in sugar and saturated fat. Soft drinks. Eight to 10 teaspoons of sugar are found in the average can of soft drink. All sugar and no nutrients is not healthy and can lead to health problems like diabetes and weight gain. Read more about Sugar in our recent blog here. Sweets. Even when disguised with the word “fruit” included- avoid. A healthy snack provides good quality nutrients and protein —- something that sweets do not provide. Snack pots eg: ham, cheese, and biscuits – these are all highly processed in plastic packaging. Make your own with home made ingredients – much fresher and again less waste using a Tupperware box. Crisps are high in salt and saturated fat. Keep to a minimum. Top Healthy Snack tips: ✔️Buy some Tupperware boxes to reuse in small and large sizes tocarry food to school (reduces single use plastic waste). ✔️Use refillable water bottles for water. Try the glass ones that don’t break. ✔️Having the food at home means you are eating out lesswhich will save you money too! These are just a few of our random Healthy Snack suggestions to get you thinking. If you have any Healthy Snacks please let us know. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
Menopause Diet: The Top Nutrients You Need To Know About
Learn all about the top nutrients to help minimise the symptoms of menopause, assist with it and also maintain healthy bones. Key nutrient are important to consider if you are going through the menopause. Whichever menopausal symptoms you experience, the change in the balance of your hormones is the cause. A well-balanced menopause diet is essential because it helps the body adjust to the hormone changes. Symptoms of the menopause can include any of the following; Tiredness Depression Low libido Vaginal dryness Hot flushes Bladder weakness Dehydrated skin Hair loss Insomnia Weight gain There are a plethora of nutrients that help minimise the symptoms and even assist the passage of menopause and also help you maintain healthy bones. Menopause diet – nutrients that you can consider: B Vitamins B Vitamins are known as the “stress vitamins”. This is because symptoms of B-vitamin deficiency include tension, irritability, poor concentration and anxiety. Fatigue – a common symptom of menopause – makes women feel deeply exhausted even though they haven’t done much physical activity throughout the day. B Vitamins help reduce the amount of stress on the adrenal glands, which are required to produce oestrogen during the menopause. They can be useful if you are suffering from reduced energy levels. It is important to take a complex and a formulation that you can absorb with no nasty fillers. Vitamin C Vitamin C is essential to the manufacture of collagen. Collagen provides skin its elasticity. It helps prevent and treat vaginal dryness, a painful condition which develops when the vagina loses some of its ‘stretch’. Vitamin C can be easy to miss out on if you are watching your weight and possibly on a keto or restricted diet. Vitamin D This vitamin plays a very important role in the prevention of breast cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. We don’t get it naturally from food in sufficient amounts so the sun or a supplement is required. Again, you really need to ensure you take a balanced amount along with other key nutrients and select the active form, Vitamin D3. Vitamin E Vitamin E is also helpful for vaginal dryness and has been proven to help reduce hot flushes. It can dampen the immune system which can be beneficial for some ladies as a short term assistant for hormonal balance. Iron Iron is required to help your red blood cells transport oxygen to the rest of the body. Men store more iron compared to women and the loss of blood each month during menstruation means that women require more iron than men. A deficiency of iron will result in anaemia, which makes you feel sluggish and tired all the time. It is really important to have a blood test to check your iron and ferritin levels as you do not want to take a supplement and potential cause iron toxicity. Omega 3 Fatty Acids Symptoms of a deficiency in Omega 3 fatty acids can include dry skin, lifeless hair, cracked nails, fatigue, depression, dry eyes, aching joints, and breast pain. Omega 3 supplements have been shown to reduce the frequency of hot flushes and improve depressive symptoms in menopausal women. Magnesium Magnesium plays a vital role in 300 different enzymatic functions. It is essential in maintaining optimum bone health, which is increasingly important during the menopause. Known as “nature’s tranquiliser”, magnesium supplementation assists mood and anxiety. Picking the correct formulation for your symptoms is critical for success. Calcium Calcium is needed by the body to maintain bones, teeth, nails and hair. It is also required for healthy heart rhythm and blood pressure. To minimise the symptoms of menopause and maintain healthy bone mass, make sure to supply your body with these nutrients throughout the day. Dairy foods have become increasingly common to be eliminated from the diet of women for various reasons which can unfortunately leave ladies in deficit. Kale, spinach and tofu, are some examples of calcium rich non-dairy foods. These nuggets are just a few simple suggestions for a menopause diet. Dietary and lifestyle changes are integral in the stages of menopause. If you wish to explore this further Gillian Killiner is a dietary expert and lifestyle coach. She has helped thousands of women over her 22 years as a Dietitian. She would be delighted to help you… For more medical information on the menopause If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Revised 27th December 2022
Seven Top Tips for Gaining Weight
Here, Gillian Killiner, Director And Principal Dietitian At 121 Dietitian discusses common reasons why people lose weight and shares her top tips for gaining weight. I am 22 years in the health business and the most popular misconception I face is that all I do is advise people on weight loss! This couldn’t be further from the truth. My unique role as a Dietitian is first and foremost about increasing nutrients and ensuring health is optimal from top-to-toe. This involves fixing; cellular function, gut health, mental health, checking genetics, bloods etc. One area that gets very little press however is how to gain weight. There are lots of reasons why people lose weight such as a poor appetite, nausea, difficulty eating, eating disorders, surgery, illness or a traumatic event. Extra good quality nutrition and extra energy are important to help gain weight along with addressing lifestyle issues that may be connected. It may seem wrong but it is important to eat healthy choices when needing to gain weight as processed high sugar poor quality foods affect health negatively. When gaining weight it is essential to add muscle and replenish healthy levels of fat around the body, while not gaining unhealthy fat around the abdomen and organs. My top seven tips for gaining weight are as follows: If appetite is small have small, frequent meals and snacks during the day. Try to eat or drink something every few hours. Three meals and three snacks is a good pattern to follow. Add small amounts of olive oil/cream/cheese to your food. This is an easy way to increase the energy in your diet while volumes do not increase by much. Choose high energy from protein foods at both meals and snacks. Make every mouthful count! Don’t fill up on low energy foods like water, tea, coffee, ‘diet’ food and drinks or plain fruits and vegetables. Follow the ideas below to increase the energy and protein content of some common low energy foods. Choose full cream dairy products and use high energy milk. To make high energy milk, add one–two tbsp skim milk powder to every 250mls of full cream milk. If nausea is a problem: Cold foods and drinks may be better than hot as hot foods often have a stronger smell. Avoid eating late at night if nausea is notable in the morning. Don’t let your stomach get too full or empty as this will increase nausea. Eat and drink slowly– If the smell of cooked foods puts you off try to avoid kitchen smells until you are feeling better. 7. Avoid taking a large amount of fluid when eating a meal and snack. Drinking 20 minutes after is better. 8. Ask someone else to assist you where possible so you are not wasting the energy and weight you are trying to build. Adding high energy and protein foods (such as cream, cheese and margarine) to your meals really does make a big difference! The examples below show just how many calories/ kilojoules (KJ) you can add to a typical meal. This is an easy way to increase energy without having to eat lots of extra food! Whether you need help with weight loss, weight gain or understanding your dietary needs, get in touch with Gillian today. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
Patient review -121 dietitian fixes my health
Patient review – suffering from a major depressive disorder and gastrointestinal issues, which included a range of symptoms. Pat shares how thanks to 121 Dietitian’s expert guidance, her health has drastically improved. “My road to recovery began on January 2019 after years of chronic health problems, some of which included major depressive disorder and a malfunctioning bowel of an inability to evacuate normally, therefore having to resort to mechanical means to empty my bowel daily. I was also diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease and Metabolic Syndrome. I am 59 years old. Having done extensive research into my gastrointestinal issues and undergone many tests, investigations, and commenced on a plethora of prescribed medications over the years I discovered Dietitian Gillian Killiner at www.121dietitian.com. I was so impressed with her online portfolio that I decided to contact her and she agreed to come to see me mid-January 2019 for a home assessment, which was great as I rarely left the house. To say that I was impressed is an understatement as Gillian blew me away with her extensive knowledge and experience of the workings of the human anatomy and physiology. Having told Gillian my medical history of depression, abdominal obesity, bowel problems with associated persistent nausea, dry mouth, repeated fungal infections and abdominal pain and discomfort and poor sleeping pattern, she listened attentively and compassionately to my myriad of issues. She grasped every word that I spoke with a sincere understanding and knowledge surpassed by all professionals with whom I had come in contact over the years. Her plan of action for me was personalised and tailored specifically to my problems. My individualised care plan was put into action and included, not a diet as such, but a healthy lifestyle food plan and high-end specific supplements following the results of a series of blood tests. I met with Gillian again mid-March 2019 at my home and was excited to relate to her the changes she made to my quality of life. Gone are the nausea, dry mouth and fungal infections as well as the abdominal pain and discomfort. My bowels are functioning somewhat better and I’ve managed to scale back on some of my prescribed medications. My mood has markedly improved and I have a better quality of sleep. I’m also 14lbs lighter and continuing to lose weight at a healthy pace. To summarise I have to say that during all my years of contact with the different healthcare providers (of which before retirement I was one of them) I can say without doubt that Gillian’s extensive expertise on nutrition and general health is worthy of note and I have the utmost confidence in her abilities and talents to help people vastly improve their quality of life. Gillian’s professional, courteous, warm and affable nature affords her the highest recommendation in her chosen field of wide-ranging nutritional, health and well-being aspects of the individual.” – Pat Morgan If you feel you could benefit from the expertise of a dietitian, get in touch today. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
