November is the perfect month to get ourselves in shape and take charge of your health prior to the silly season starting. As a Nutritional Therapist I work with clients to help them feel their best. If you’d like to learn more why not book in for my FREE 15 minute consultation.
In the meantime here are a few tips to get you started:
Clean up your diet – increase water, increase good fats, protein with all meals/snacks, increase vegetables and low sugar fruits, reduce refined carbohydrates, caffeine, alcohol and sugar.
Exercise – are you doing any?
Sleep – a minimum of 8 hours per day.
Manage stress
Address any health conditions – don’t suffer in silence, ask for help. I offer a variety of packages to help you feel your best.
CLEAN UP YOUR DIET – what does that mean exactly? Clean eating seems to have been a buzz word of 2018 so here’s my take and it doesn’t mean you have to become a raw food vegan. Small, simple changes can have a really positive effect:
Hot water with lemon – squeeze half a lemon into a cup of hot water and drink as soon as you get up. Lemon is full of vitamin c and it aids the digestive system and makes the process of eliminating waste products from the system easier.
Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks- ensuring you have regular meals and snacks means the body’s blood sugar stays constant and your body doesn’t fall into using adrenaline to keep you going.
Reduce the caffeine- relying on caffeine as a source of energy puts your body under significant stress, negatively affects blood sugar and stresses the adrenal glands which can leave you totally exhausted over time (link).
Increase water intake. 1.5 litres per day as a minimum.
Reduce alcohol – this is a toxin which burdens the system and stresses the liver.
Increase fruits and vegetables – aim for 10 per day. Half of your plate for lunch and dinner should be made up of vegetables, choosing those that grow above the ground.
Protein with all meals –protein keeps your blood sugar balanced, you feel full for longer and have less cravings for carbohydrates/sugar.
Reduce meat and dairy and opt for some vegetarian sources of protein on some days such as nuts, seeds, beans, lentils.
Essential fats – such as oily fish (sardines and mackerel), nuts and seeds -flax, walnut, almond, pumpkin seeds. Do not avoid these fats with the worry of weight gain as the real culprit of weight gain is sugar/carbohydrates.
Reduce sugar – sugar is added to everything and has no nutritional benefits and wreaks havoc within the body. Despite it being very addictive if you give it up for 5 days the cravings to go and you will begin to feel so much better. Fruit has vital vitamins and minerals but also varying amounts of sugar so low sugar fruits such as berries and cherries are best.
EXERCISE
Are you doing any? The NHS recommends 150 minutes moderate exercise (such as cycling or fast walking) per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (such as running) plus weight bearing exercise on 2 or more days. These days you don’t need to join the gym if you don’t want to, a lot of exercises can be done at home. As a mum of 2 small children it is unrealistic for me to get up early and go to the gym but I can certainly do a workout for 20 minutes in the lounge before everyone gets up. I like the 7 minute workout app (link) and I combine this with 15 minutes of cardio at home (a mixture of start jumps, running on the spot and burpees). Exercise is even more important for those in desk based jobs as you spend most of the day sitting. Having a brisk walk at lunchtime (even just 15 minutes) is a great way to clear your head and get the body moving. A lot of people who don’t exercise feel too tired to exercise but give it a couple of days and you will start to see the benefits and increase in energy and wellbeing.
SLEEP
There are endless studies on the important of sleep and poor sleep is now linked with onset of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and poor mental health. The minimum is 8 hours per night. If you’re not getting enough you need to address why and what you can do to change that. With December around the corner, the more sleep you can get in right now the better. If you can’t get to sleep, you can’t stay asleep or you wake super early I can help. Book a consultation.
STRESS
Everyone is stressed these days and it has become so normal that no one bats an eyelid when someone says they are stressed out. However, long term stress can have serious implications for nearly every body system and in particular your adrenal glands which eventually burn out.
How stressed are you out of 10? (with 10 being very stressed)
What can you do to manage your stress? What makes you feel less stressed? Can you take time out of you regular routine to look after yourself such as incorporating a walk in nature/by the sea, yoga, mindfulness, meditation. Just taking 30 minutes can have a profound effect on how you feel.
MANAGING HEALTH CONDITIONS
Are you struggling with your health? Do you not feel well no matter what you do? Have you even been to the GP to discuss or has the GP said they can’t help other than medication. As a nutritionist I work with clients and help support them with all sorts of problems. Often very simple changes can make a big difference. Don’t suffer in silence, I can help you to take charge of your health and feel good. Book a consultation.
RECIPE
Here’s my favourite smoothie that will kick start your day, increase your energy and is full of vitamins, minerals, protein and good fats. An all round winner!
1 tbsp flaxseed
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
1tbsp tahini
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon
100ml Oatly oat milk with added calcium
handful of frozen berries
1 kiwi
Handful of fresh spinach
Top up with water and blend. I love Nutri Ninja Pro Blender as it works well with grinding nuts/seeds and also great for frozen fruit. Flax, pumpkin and tahini provide good protein and fats, the cinnamon for sweetening and blood sugar balancing, the cacao for the chocolate hit and antioxidants and the berries for vitamins, fibre and antioxidants. Dairy free and wheat free. If you are gluten free then add 1 tbsp almonds and omit the oat milk.
DO YOU NEED MORE SUPPORT?
You may be stressed, exhausted, managing a health condition, concerned about your weight or generally just feeling under the weather. I offer a number of packages to help - starting from a simple online food diary analysis, through to consultations, supplement recommendations and diagnostic testing.
https://www.aharanutrition.com/london-nutritionist-services
SUPPLEMENTS
Nutritional supplements should never be a replacement for a good diet and lifestyle however supplements do have a place in supporting the body at specific times.
My go to nutritional supplements are as follows:
Viridian – Multi Phytonutrient Complex - which is a great all round multi with added nutrients to help support energy production, anti-stress and cell support.
https://www.viridian-nutrition.com/Shop/Multi-PhytoNutrient-Complex-P558.aspx#
I you can’t face oily fish then this supplement will really help. I like Biocare Mega EPA (with 524mg of EPA and 375mg of DHA) as it is an excellent quality product. Always look on the back and find out what are the exact levels of EPA and DHA. Essential Fatty Acids are vital to the body and help the brain and its cognition, support mental health and linked to reduced depression and excellent for calming inflammation in the body. https://www.biocare.co.uk/mega-epa
Echinacea throat spray – got the start of a sore thoat or tickle in the throat?, then try this. Forget the lemsip which is sugared paracetamol and only temporarily blocks the pain message going to the brain. Instead try a remedy that actually helps the body fight off the infection. https://www.avogel.ie/herbal-remedies/sore-throat-spray/
CAUTION: Please note nutritional supplements should be taken with caution. If you are suffering with a chronic health condition, taking other medication, pregnant or breastfeeding then please consult a nutritional practitioner first for advice. Send me a quick email at if you need help: rosie@aharanutrition.com
PREP FOR DECEMBER
December is often the time for excess. Too many late nights, drinks and food, stress and overwork can lead your body to be put under real pressure. Your liver, digestive system, adrenal glands all take a direct hit and this can leave you exhausted and really vulnerable to all the bugs that are flying around. My next newsletter will tell you what to do when you do succumb to too many drinks and rich food to minimise the side effects. Sign up to my newsletter today. (link)
