FIBRE - TO SUMMARISE!

• Aim to have a some fibre with every meal.
• Remember fibre soaks up water, this is how it is 'bulked' up in the colon / large bowel - triggering peristalis and enabling a smooth and comfortable elimination.
• So as you increase your fibre intake increase your water intake aswell.
• If your not used to eating a lot of fibre ie.vegetables and fruits, wholemeal produce, porridge oats, legumes etc, then increase fibre slowly - let your bowel muscle build up the strength gradually.
• A diet rich in fibre can prevent constipation, haemorrhoids, rectal prolapses, diverticular disease, and can help prevent certain cancers (mouth, stomach and bowel).
• A healthy high-fibre, low-fat diet reduces the likelihood of weight-gain and lessens the risk of developing many diseases associated with getting older.
• High fibre diets increase the number of vital 'friendly' bacteria that inhabit our bowel. (recent research is now highlighting the wonderful effects pro-biotics have on our systems as a whole - I will elaborate on this massive and exciting subject soon, but for now everybody should consider taking a pro-biotic supplement such as acidophillis.)

How can I get more fibre?

Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pulses are all good sources of fibre. But with cereal-based foods such as breakfast cereals, pasta, rice and bread, the amount of fibre depends on how much of the outer layer of the grain has been stripped away in the milling and refining process. The more processing a cereal has been through, the lower its fibre content will be so this means white bread, rice, pasta and cereals has much less fibre content. It’s not just fibre that’s lost during this processing other vitamins and minerals which are also found in the outer layers of the grain are also stripped out. As a golden rule, always choose brown over white. When it comes to shopping, this means bagels, croissants, cornflakes and white rice should stay safely on the supermarket shelf, while wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, branflakes and brown rice can go happily into the trolley.

Tips:-

• If you can follow this rule most of the time and then you have the occasional treats of white bread or pasta. (With children you should aim that they get about two thirds wholegrain produce and a third white products - I will explain this a little more later on.) I'm sure as time goes on though when you have white bread or pasta as a treat you will feel that sluggish and stodgy that you will actually prefer wholemeal produce!
• Another good tip is that if you are making a meal which contains pasta or rice you can have half and half just mix it up for a while, so your body and bowel can get used to the changes in your diet gradually.

The following foods are all good sources of fibre…

• Wholemeal, granary and softgrain varieties of bread
• Jacket potatoes, new potatoes in their skins and baked potato skins - remember cooked and cooled potatoes are particulary good for you.
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals, such as porridge oats (this should always be your first choice) weetabix, unsweetened muesli, shreddies.
• Wholemeal pasta and brown rice.
• Beans (any type), lentils and peas, sweetcorn - remember to chew thoroughly!
• Fresh and dried fruits – particularly if the skins are eaten - again chew carefully!
• Vegetables – particularly if the skins are eaten - do i need to say?!
• Nuts and seeds - grind them up, keep in an airtight container and sprinke on salads or cereals whenever you like.
• Wholemeal flour.
  

THE POWER OF ROUGHAGE!!

Fibre sometimes known as 'roughage,' aids and speeds up the excretion of waste and toxins from the body, therefore preventing them from hanging around too long in the bowel, which would cause a build-up (constipation). Constipation can lead to several other bowel diseases such as diverticular disease and cancer of the bowel. Diverticular disease is common in people over 40 in the developed world namely the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

What I find very interesting is that in third world countries diverticular disease is very rare - where people are very active and eat a lot of unprocessed foods such as brown rice. Diverticular disease is small pouches that 'bulge' out of weakened areas of the mucosa and sub-mucosal layers of the colon wall, this is thought to be caused by increased pressure in the colon when we strain excessively , which usually occurs when a person is chronically constipated. Also if the bowel wall/muscle is weakened through a poor diet low in fibre you are more susceptible to diverticulitis, constipation and other bowel problems. If one or more of these pouches become inflamed or infected (diverticulitis) this can be extremely painful, can warrant hospital admission and treatment with intravenous antibiotics, and can, in some cases proove fatal.

FIBRE CAN REDUCE BOWEL DISEASE - ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!

We all know the benefits fibre has on keeping our digestive systems healthy, but not everyone knows that how much more a high-fibre diet has to offer. A diet rich in fibre helps control cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and weight fluctuations. A fibre rich diet also reduces your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers and bowel diseases.

So why in the western world do we still have a problem with a high-fibre diet? High-fat and heavily processed foods still form the main part of many thousands of peoples diets in this country. In fact as I have stated earlier some so called 'diet plans' even advocate such ready meals and convenience foods. No wonder obesity is steadily increasing and people are turning to more radical solutions to weight loss such as gastric bands and slimming pills.

High fibre diets are powerful, coupled with excercise and increased water, it is simply the best way to lose weight - unbeatable!

Recent studies have shown that a high intake of fibre can not only reduce the risk of cancer but also help to prevent constipation, haemorrhoids, diverticular disease and fissures. These can often be signs of an unhealthy bowel and can pre-dispose you to further problems in the future.

Look out for more information on what fibre is and the different types and how to get it in the right amounts xxxx

I LOVE EASTER!!!

Hi everybody,

Seems ages since i wrote anything on here!! Well it has been easter and i've had a lot to do you know like baking cakes, eating chocolate (and i'm afraid to say it hasn't all been of the dark, bitter, organic variety -please have mercy on my soul!), going out for family meals, catching up with friends etc etc.

It seems to be a very busy time in the world of colonics aswell. A lot of people have been detoxing for lent and are now having colonics like there's no tomorrow. So it is very busy at the health clinic at the moment. I am so happy about the positive emails and texts I have received from satisfied customers lately - thank you all very, very much.

Hope my weight loss tips have been useful, I have many, many more to come!!!!

So I hope you all had a lovely holiday and got chance to do what makes you feel happy. By the way if you have indulged (like me) in a tad too much chocolate over the past week or so, the Shiatsu Practitioner at the Sanctuary has assured me that 'chocolate keeps you grounded.' So I'm taking this on board whole-heartedly and feel immediately re-assured!!!

I am having a full-body shiatsu massage next week and a colonic at some point. So hopefully I will feel invigorated and completely refreshed - I'l shall let you all know how it goes.
Take care xxx

MORE WEIGHT LOSS TIPS..........

11. Eat for what you are about to do, not for what you have done!



12. Beans and pulses (baked beans/sweetcorn/lentils/peas etc) all have high fibre contents and are a very valuable part of your diet - especially if you have cut down your intake of red meats. If you are not used to eating them introduce them into your diet carefully and slowly to avoid excess gas. Soak you beans overnight and discard soak water before cooking.



13. You will have heard this before! But do try as much as you can to buy locally and in season. This will ensure you get nutrient-rich fresh food and are also contributing to the survival of farming in Britain. Try to imagine the life your fruit/veg/meat had before it arrived on the supermarket shelf. If its been shipped half way accross the world in some plastic container and sprayed and re-sprayed, then sat on the shelf for a few days, by the time you get it home and into your stomach the nutrients will be fairly reduced to say the least!! I know with things like bananas this is impossible but at least think about the person who picked them and buy fairtrade where you can afford. The more you consciously start to think about where your food comes from and not just randomly shoving things into your body, the more weight you will lose. As your awareness starts to increase!

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS CONTINUED

8. Cut out all fizzy drinks and energy drinks and all low-fat products containing artifical sugars - ASAP! What can I say? Most of these products are high-glycaemic, leach your body of much needed B vitamins, create gas and bloatedness in the digestive system and they are addictive. Need I go on? We do not know what the full effects of artificial sugars are yet as studies are still inconclusive, but Aspartame has been linked to cancer and has been banned in certain states of America -so thats enough for me! Check the labels on all your low-fat yogurts and no added sugar diet drinks and fruit juices - they could be doing you more harm than good.

Please note if you have been drinking fizzy / energy drinks for a long time cut down slowly as you may experience headaches as your body detoxifies itself. The same applies to coffee and tea - also try to limit your intake of these and replace with herbal teas or room temperature water, but do it slowly. You may feel malaise or headahcy for a couple of days but after this you will feel 100 times better than before.

9. Have lots of fibrous filling salads and green vegetables on an evening, even if you do have to have them between two slices of wholemeal bread -this is a start. The salads and green vegetables are very satisfying and the fibre will gently work overnight mopping, up insoluble fats, gaining momentum and hopefully forming a nice poo for the morning! Keep your fridge stocked up with chopped ready to eat salads and veg with houmous and guacamole to snack on any time.

10. Cut down as much as you can on dairy products. Dairy products are pasteurised and are very difficult for the body to break down and digest. They are mucous and acid-forming, so people with inflammatory problems such as asthma, excema, sinus problems etc should really steer well clear. From my experience as a nurse and colonic hydrotherapist people find it very difficult to lose weight while consuming lots of dairy.

11. Try not to look at the piles of cadbury's creme eggs next to every checkout!!! Mmmmmm!

Coming soon easy meal planner for the month with guaranteed results. More weight loss tips continued next time.

Remember spring is time to give your body an MOT so book in for a colonic and get yourself in shape for the summer. XX