Did you Know ?
Weight loss. Research shows that people with lower vitamin D levels are more likely to be obese than those with higher levels. Women taking calcium plus vitamin D are more likely to lose weight and maintain their weight. However, this benefit is mainly in women who did not consume enough calcium before they started taking supplements.

Study with CNM

I completed my training as a Nutritional Therapist with CNM, who are Irelands largest and longest established training provider for Nutrition Courses, Herbal Medicine Courses and Acupuncture Courses with colleges in Dublin, Cork and Galway.  CNM has additional colleges throughout the UK, South Africa and USA.

Their goal is to offer courses with a holistic naturopathic approach and focus on practical applications. CNM courses have been carefully designed to incorporate scientific understanding of the human body with traditional, natural methods of healthcare.

The courses focus on the application of the primary principles of naturopathic medicine:

• Vis Medicatrix Naturae – The healing power of nature. There is a ‘vital force’ or ‘life force’ which given the right conditions, will self-heal or self-correct.

• Prevention is preferable to cure.

• The root (underlying cause) of dysfunction is identified and treated, not symptoms.

• The whole person is treated – physically and emotionally.

• Health is much greater than just absence of infirmity – it should be abundant vitality.

• The person is treated, not the disease, and each individual is unique and responds in a different way.

To find out more click on this link to attend one of their open evenings. 

http://www.naturopathy.ie/open-days/

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Low Serotonin and Sugar Cravings

(Raise your serotonin levels naturally)

As a nutritional therapist I know that things are never as simple as they first seem.   People who struggle with their weight are so often told to just cut down on what they are eating and stop eating sugar.  That they should just exercise more.  We are all biological different and what may work for one person may not work for another person.

For many of my clients it is not just as simple as cutting back on foods or just avoiding sugar.   A lot of my clients have unbalanced blood sugar levels and when this is addressed the cravings will go, for others it is emotional eating and once this is addressed the cravings will start to diminish.

However, there are some people for whom when you do all of the above they will still have very severe sugar cravings.  It is almost impossible for them to say “no” they just cannot resist the sugary sweet or chocolate. The urge is almost overwhelming at night time and they will raid the house in search for that sugar fix.   Research is showing that this almost unbearable craving can be mostly due to low serotonin levels.

Serotonin can affect mood and social behaviour, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory and sexual desire and function.

Signs and symptoms of serotonin deficiency are low-self-esteem, insomnia, phobias, panic attacks, eating disorders, depression, anger, anxiety, shy, and obsessive behaviours as well as cravings for sweets and chocolates, cravings for sweets at night, and binge eating. Serotonin, is made from the amino acid L-tryptophan. Because few foods contain high amounts of tryptophan, it is one of the first nutrients that you can possibly lose when you start dieting.

The good news is that you can raise your serotonin levels naturally

1. See the Light. Serotonin production increases with light so go and get some sunshine on your face and body.

2. Eat a low GL eating plan to balance your blood sugars, 3 main meals and 2 snacks eating some protein with every meal.  Avoid Sweets and simple carbs, like white rice and white bread, quickly raise blood sugar, flood you with insulin, and then drop you in a hole. Eating wisely also means watching the caffeine, which suppresses serotonin

3. Eat tryptophan rich foods  Rich sources of tryptophan, chicken, turkey, oats, dairy, kidney beans, split peas, chick peas, mung beans, bananas, strawberries, avocado, eggs ,spirulina.

In the evening eat your tryptophan rich snacks such as banana with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter or 2 oat cakes topped with a slice turkey breast and some hummus or a few almonds or walnuts

3. Be mindful of stress levels. Prolonged periods of stress can deplete serotonin levels. Start practicing Yoga, Meditation and start practicing Deep breathing exercises.

4. Get Active. Exercise is a great way to boost your serotonin levels

Research has shown that exercise causes an increase in tryptophan.  The tryptophan persists well after exercising is finished, suggesting that mood elevation may be present for hours after the exercising has finished.

Why Detox?

Most of us are vertically ill – that is , we are upright but don’t feel great. At these times, the balance between our intake of toxins and our ability to detoxify is not at its best.  Some of us become horizontially ill, and keel over when our intake of toxins exceeds our bodys capacity to detoxify.

To see if you need a tune up answer the following questions:

If you answer yes to any of them you definitely need to pay attention to detoxification:

Do you feel that you are not as healthy and vibrant as other people your age?

Do you have low energy levels?

Do you often have difficulty thinking clearly?

Do you often feel blue or depressed?

Do you get more than one or two colds a year?

Do you suffer from premenstrual syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids?

Do you have sore achy muscles for no particular reason?

Do you have bad breath or stinky stools.

Is improving detoxification really an effective solution to help all of these symptoms ? In most cases the answer is absolutely yes. Toxins can damage the body in an insidious and cumulative way. Once the body's detoxification system becomes over loaded, toxic metabolites accumulate, and we become progressively more sensitive to other chemicals, some of which are not normally toxic.

Give your body the kick start it needs; and give yourself the tools you require to kick start a healthy new you.

This event is online: 

• You will be emailed a week before with a pre detox to do list and shopping list. 
• The webinar will be available Tuesday night at 7pm from the 14th April. If you miss it don't worry as it will be recorded and emailed to you. 
• You will receive delicious, nutritious meals and plans.
• You will receive weekly motivational emails and support.
• Access to a closed facebook page.
• Most of all you will have given yourself the kick start you need to start eating well. 
• 
  
• http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-4-week-gentle-detox-programme-tickets-16075410987 

Food Intolerance and Nutritional Therapy Consultation Package

The cost of the Lorisian Food Intolerance 150 foods/drinks  including the Nutritional Therapy Consultation Package €290.

This is the Plan:

Based on your unique requirements, a protocol will be developed that suits your lifestyle and will allow you to achieve your health goals. This may include dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments and supplement recommendations. All adjustments will be discussed and agreed and you will receive a personal programme to take away with you.

Initial consultations last approx. 1-1.5 hours ( at which point I will complete the Lorisian Test) and the feedback approx. 30-45mins when the test results come in. During the initial session, I will discuss with you in more detail your health and medical history and family medical history, as well as exploring your lifestyle and eating habits and your current symptoms and concerns.

You will be asked to complete a Health Profile Questionnaire and 4 day food diary prior to the consultation. 

Please note this test can not be done on children under two years of age, pregnant or breastfeeding mums.

You can also just have the food intolerance done without a Nutritional Therapy Consultation and the prices are as follows:

Lorisian 100 100 foods tested €249

Lorisian 75    75 foods tested €199

Lorisian 50    50 foods tested €149

A Mindfulness Eating Exercise: Simple Instructions

If you’ve heard about mindful eating but aren’t sure where or how to start, here are instructions for a brief mindfulness eating exercise.

The following exercise is simple and will only take a few minutes.

Find a small piece of food, such as one raisin or nut, or a small cookie. You can use any food that you like. Eating with mindfulness is not about deprivation or rules.

Begin by exploring this little piece of food, using as many of your senses as possible.

First, look at the food. Notice its texture. Notice its colour.

Now, close your eyes, and explore the food with your sense of touch. What does this food feel like? Is it hard or soft? Grainy or sticky? Moist or dry?

Notice that you’re not being asked to think, but just to notice different aspects of your experience, using one sense at a time. This is what it means to eat mindfully.

Before you eat, explore this food with your sense of smell. What do you notice?

Now, begin eating. No matter how small the bite of food you have, take at least two bites to finish it.

Take your first bite. Please chew very slowly, noticing the actual sensory experience of chewing and tasting. Remember, you don’t need to think about your food to experience it. You might want to close your eyes for a moment to focus on the sensations of chewing and tasting, before continuing.

Notice the texture of the food; the way it feels in your mouth.

Notice if the intensity of its flavor changes, moment to moment.

Take about 20 more seconds to very slowly finish this first bite of food, being aware of the simple sensations of chewing and tasting.

It isn’t always necessary to eat slowly in order to eat with mindfulness. But it’s helpful at first to slow down, in order to be as mindful as you can.

Now, please take your second and last bite.

As before, chew very slowly, while paying close attention to the actual sensory experience of eating: the sensations and movements of chewing, the flavor of the food as it changes, and the sensations of swallowing.

Just pay attention, moment by moment.

Using a mindfulness eating exercise on a regular basis is only one part of a mindfulness approach to your diet. The liberating power of mindfulness takes deeper effect when you begin to pay mindful attention to your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, all of which lead us to eat. Mindfulness (awareness) is the foundation that many people have been missing for overcoming food cravings, addictive eating, binge eating, emotional eating, and stress eating.

Article courtesy of www.MindfulnessDiet.com.

We could not function without water. 
It helps to detoxify the body effectively and is essential for all your body's vital organs to work well. 

Water is one of the secrets of having healthy skin. However the body does not always store water in the right place. If you suffer from unexplained puffiness or bloating especially on your arms, around your eyes on your abdomen or if your fingers or ankles swell you may be suffering from water retention. Other common signs are dry skin, dandruff, sudden fluctuations in weight. How can you have dry skin and yet have water retention? The answer lies in your bodys fats. Your body is made up of 2/3 water and your body cells have a membrane made of special essential fats that keeps the right amount of water in and outside of your cells. These essential fats help eliminate water in the wrong places as well as rehydrating your skin.

The main reasons for water retention are
Lack of essential fats
Too much sugar in the body
Too much salt in the body
Allergic reactions to food