Eat right for mental health and overall wellbeing
How and what we eat has an overarching effect on the mental health and body. We all know that, don’t we? But really have you been doing anything about it? If you are in the camp of the invincible guts of steel, or “never taken a day off in my life” type person then you are either in luck, on borrowed time or in a minority! More and more people we find are attending 121 Dietitian’s clinics with symptoms they just can’t get answers/pills or potions for, and its having a detrimental effect on their mind and body so I thought I would write a little about it and how we have been able to help. For some people it may not have been an overnight change but crept up over a few years, or for others it may have been a bolt out of the blue. Everyone and their circumstances are different, however the symptoms are often similar, or cross over with other illnesses making diagnosis vague and frustrating. But ultimately the most detrimental outcome for each person sitting beside me is that the problem is ongoing and impacting on their quality of life. Work suffers, family life is stressed, holidays become an idea of hell than heaven…. One recent example: Jen, she attended our clinic Jan 2014, a woman in her 30’s, busy life, young family and working a full-time job, full of life, shopping wasn’t always a priority and food was from ready-made meals for her and her partner. She started out in March 2012 with some episodes of feeling tired, low in mood, then progressed to feeling very low all the time coupled with some aches and pains, loss of appetite, change in bowel habits, unable to sleep well, feeling real fatigue, colder than others, weight gain, brain fog, forgetfulness, hair thinning……. She felt alone, worried and isolated. She had been for some tests and told she had fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and needed to exercise more. She didn’t get the answers she needed so attended our clinic. She had a life before this and wanted it back. We requested a series of blood tests for her re: her nutritional status, full thyroid function and antibodies, cholesterol profile, etc, we took her body composition and waist circumference. Jen also completed our questionnaire and 7 day food diary. Tests showed that Jen was in poor nutritional health, she had multiple low levels (not out of range but very low levels sub-optimal for health) of essential nutrients in her blood. She had an elevated glucose and triglyceride level. Her macro and micro vitamins intake were minimal with a high sugar/salt, sat fat intake. These problems, you may be surprised to read, however were not addressed at this stage. This was not until we got her GUT working again, if the gut isn’t absorbing then those expensive vitamins and minerals pills and potions that you are encouraged to buy (and Jen had stack loads in her bathroom cabinet) would be a waste of time. Having a poor gut function like IBS impacts on more than the GUT and as mentioned above it has a negative effect on overall health, with prescribed antidepressants, antacids, laxatives…..being common. To fix this we guided Jen through our excellent Low FODMAP elimination programme. 8 weeks later with full support she came back a changed lady her IBS symptoms had improved significantly. Next we were ready to address the diet for her mood, total health and for her life back. As Jen was carrying extra weight she decided to enrol in our Counterweight Weight management programme, a 12 month fully supported evidence based programme. Returning for the last appointment she has now lost the weight she had been so desperate to shift, she had fixed her GUT, and is now eating a nutrient rich diet. This in turn has helped her low mood, her family life, energy levels and is now looking forward to a holiday abroad with her family, something she feared greatly when we first met her. Jen is one of many we see men, women and children are all reporting problems. Mental Health – So why is this happening? Many factors can play a part here but certainly modernisation is a big one. We are living faster lives with fast foods and less down time to relax. We have over recent centuries moved from a whole foods diet to one that is based on processed and refined foods. These processed foods are leading not only to greater ill health: obesity, heart disease and inflammatory diseases, they are also leading to greater emotional distress in the form of depression, anxiety and insomnia. Eating a diet filled with chips, fast food and fizzy drinks is leading to an epidemic of “mental illness.” We also eat too quickly, chewing food has declined and food is beige, soft and gulped down, not allowing our mouth enzymes a look in. Good Nutrition is vital for your mind and body. This does not have to be difficult, so many people are confused with all the shouting and pushing of some extremes. Adhering to veganism, vegetarianism, Low carbs or paleo is not required. If the first changes you make are by concentrating on cutting out industrial based processed foods and eating more from scratch, cooking meals in the kitchen, focusing on a whole foods diet filled with wholesome prepared meals then you are doing well. Sitting and savouring food with family and friends is a part of life and its importance should not be overlooked for total happiness and health. At 121 Dietitian we look at the full person. We spend a large amount of our time building a profile of the individual’s health by using blood results, checking symptoms, assessing the diet and body composition and most importantly discussing with the patient how they feel. Our programmes are detailed but we get the results to get people’s lives back. If your GUT is down so
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS – patient’s perspective
1 year on since we commenced the Irritable bowel syndrome IBS Low FODMAP advice clinic we thought we would celebrate with some good news… This lovely lady attended clinic, miserable, frustrated and exhausted. Her Irritable bowel syndrome 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. 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] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
Gluten and Dairy free chocolate cake recipe-low FODMAP
Gluten and Dairy free chocolate cake recipe – low FODMAP Well today my eldest daughter sat the 1st of her 3 transfer exams to senior school. She came out happy in the knowledge that we had a fun day ahead planned! So all was good. It started with concocting some yummy home-made; tuna, chilli, spring onion greens, pepper, caper, cheese on corn tortilla pizza’s for lunch followed by a trip in the winter sunshine to the park for some monkeying around. We returned with a hunger for chocolate cake so we experimented with this simple recipe and I thought it was so good I should share it with you, especially as it is made with a healthy fat choice; olive oil, and it is also low FODMAP and gluten free, dairy free too…. 80g cocoa 130ml boiling water 150g ground almonds 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 200g brown/caster sugar 150ml olive oil Eggs x 3 whisked Blend thoroughly together the sugar, olive oil and 3 whisked eggs to create a creamy ‘mayo’ Mix the boiling water with the cocoa to a paste Weigh the almonds, bicarb of soda, and salt in a bowl, add the cocoa paste and the dry ingredients to the ‘mayo’ mix and blend. Pour into a cake tin. Depending on the size of the tin cook for 30 – 45 minutes till the cake is soft and squidgy on the top. dust with icing sugar. Voila. We got a photo of the last slice!! Enjoy! How we can help you…. Need help optimising the foods you eat or unsure of how to change your eating habits? We are experts in making “bad food” into healthy delicious tasty everyday alternatives. If this is what you need, 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 for specially selected choices for you. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. We are on Instgram and Facebook. 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] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2024.