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Winter blues....

5/28/2017

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Winter is here.  The changing seasons are a natural progression and are often beautiful to behold.  However, it takes some adapting to - the shorter days and longer nights, the drop in temperature, the inclement and changeable weather.  Many of us go into hibernation mode and wait out the time until the first buds of spring appear.  We naturally veer towards warm, cooked food, possibly more carbohydrate and fat rich, comforting and wholesome.  For many of us its a time to slow down and keep warm and cosy.
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However, sometimes we can feel quite low, unfocused and unmotivated during the winter months and there are good reasons for why that happens.  So here are some tips to help lift you out of that space and keep you sharp and perky.
​Sunshine gives us a good quota of our daily Vitamin D intake which amongst other things is important for mood, sleep, immunity, absorption of other nutrients and motivation.  There are some interesting studies around how vital it is to keep your Vitamin D levels optimum to prevent dementia and cognitive decline in later years.  Its common for levels to drop during winter due to lack of sunshine so I often recommend a Vitamin D supplement to keep levels optimum. 
  • Good quality fats in our diet are also important.   Omega 3 fats are highly concentrated in the brain and are vital for mood, memory and good cognition.  Great sources of Omega 3’s are fish, shellfish and good quality fish oil or,  if you're a vegetarian,  walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, coconut and hemp seeds. I love Make Me Feel Smarter from Humanature.  It contains Enzogenol, the natural antioxidant rich extract from pine bark combined with fish oil to boost the circulation of blood to the brain to get those Omega 3 oils to where it really matters.
 
  • Magnesium and zinc are two minerals that really help improve both mood and energy.  Making sure that we eat a really good quota of vegetables, particularly leafy greens, nuts, seeds and wholegrains will keep our levels good.  Magnesium also relaxes muscles in preparation for good sleep, another factor that is vital for keeping on top of good brain function.
 
  • Zinc combined with Vitamin B6 make good mood hormones.  Vitamin B1, B3 and B6 have all been shown to regulate mood and improve focus and concentration.  I often recommend a good B Complex through the winter to keep up energy and focus.  Incidentally keeping your gut bacteria really healthy helps you make B Vitamins as well as making serotonin, a natural antidepressant in the gut and boosting immunity.  Eat plenty of fermented and cultured foods or take a good probiotic.
 
  • Specific foods that lift mood are berries and chocolate - what a combination!   The deep red/purple colours in berries are exceptionally high in antioxidants that protect your brain cells and improving cognition, whilst dark chocolate reduces stress hormones, releases chemicals called endorphins which make you feel happy and boosts serotonin to balance mood.
 
  • Regular exercise to increase your heart rate releases endorphins.  It also improves blood supply to the brain, stimulating nerve connections and protecting them from damage, thereby improving cognition and protecting against age related dementia.  A brisk jog or cycle before work will keep you focused throughout the day.
 
  • Finally, sleep.  Nothing restores brain function and improves mood like a really good nights sleep.  Turn off your computer and phone early in the evening,  have some Magnesium or a hot Epsom Salts bath and aim to get 8 hours.  Then you will power out of bed in the morning ready to start the day!
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How to slow down the ageing process

4/25/2017

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Think of each strand of your DNA as being like a long shoelace.  At the end of each shoelace is a cap or tip that prevents the shoelace from fraying, therefore protecting the DNA strand.  This clever protective cap is called a Telomere. Without these guys protecting the ends, the shoelace begins to fray causing the DNA strands to disintegrate or get tangled and fused together and thats confusing to our cells and may cause malfunctions, cell death and premature ageing.
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These small but very important components of DNA are vital to keep our bodies well and really functioning properly.  Every single one of the cells in our bodies have telomeres and DNA, the genetic code that makes us who we are.  Throughout our lives as our cells divide and replenish, the bits on the end, the Telomeres get shorter and shorter and eventually too short to do their job.  This is part of the process of ageing.
So simply put:

Shorter telomeres = ageing
Longer telomeres = better, stronger, slows ageing
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So we all naturally age but other factors of ageing come from lifestyle - stress has a major impact on shortening telomeres as does smoking, drinking and a poor diet.  Over exercise can be a contributing factor.  Interestingly skin and hair are more susceptible as those cells replenish more often and we can see that effect in greying hair and sagging skin.  
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Many studies indicate that the ageing of individual cells is central in the general decline of muscle function, our immune system, blood flow and metabolism when we grow older.A lot of research is being done around Telomerase, an enzyme responsible for lengthening telomeres.  However a word of caution around Telomerase supplements - too much can be as bad as too little, causing adverse effects in certain conditions.

​Understanding “healthy”ageing makes us more aware of ways to prevent age associated diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancers and so incorporating lifestyle methods can certainly help slow down this process.​

  • Reduce stress.  Stress can dramatically shorten telomere length causing cells to age and die prematurely; most people don't realise how damaging stress is at a cellular level.
  • Moderate exercise - 3 times a week for 45 minutes will keep those telomeres as long as those of a marathon runner.
  • Diet - antioxidant rich foods and bioflavonoid “superfoods (including coconuts) give better protection to telomeres and maintenance from Omega 3 foods particularly fish oil and flaxseeds.

I love the way that nature, particularly from anti oxidant rich foods can slow down this ageing process and support your body at a cellular level.  I have recently been reading a study around Enzogenol, an antioxidant rich natural extract from the bark of pine trees, which specifically shows that it protects Telomeres from the age related shortening process.

Needless to say, making good choices and caring for your body through a wholesome diet, regular exercise and stress reductions is the key to slowing down the ageing process.
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Growing your own greens

11/21/2015

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Im not a gardener.  Like most of us Im sure, Ive always dreamed of that house with a beautiful garden full of lovely flowers and fruit trees and a majestic veggie patch which fed us all year from the abundance of produce.  But to be truthful, its not something that I really enjoy - I don’t know if its because I'm inherently lazy or whether its just because its backbreakingly hard dirty work.  So probably at this stage the dream will probably stay a dream.  Im hoping that one day I will see the light and become a green fingered enthusiast.

However, it doesn't mean to say that I don’t grow anything.  For the last 6 months or so, we have been completely self sufficient when it comes to salad.  I buy the small plants - $3.50 for a tray of 6 well established seedlings,  which consists of perhaps lettuce, rocket, mizuna, mustard greens, bok choi, beets amongst many other seedlings - from Murray and Rob from Heirloom Organix at the Parnell Farmers Market.  They have an amazing array of the healthiest looking plants, seedlings and micro greens that you will ever see and are totally dedicated to their work and getting good organic produce out there.  They do all the hard work for you so you literally just pop them in the soil and watch them grow.  Because they are such good quality and with the temperate climate in Auckland most of the time the seedlings just pop up and you can harvest them in about 6 weeks.  The pleasure of being able to pick your own homegrown food every day is worth the little bit of hard work to plant - even I can manage that.  All I need to do is to keep replenishing the plants so that I have a continuous supply on the go. They also sell great organic fertilisers so that you can feed your crop and keep the soil healthy.


I was lucky enough to have a friend who made us some raised beds which we have just by our front door.  They are lined with polythene and then filled with bags of organic soil from a good garden centre.  We have a couple of those and also a wonderful green planting box called Green Smart which came from the Ecostore.  You can plant herbs or salad and rather than watering straight on to the plant it has a clever water refill tube that keeps it well watered from underneath, which means that if you fill to the maximum level it will retain enough water if you are away for up to a week in peak summer.  You can grow a huge amount in pots too, especially herbs which are such a good base for a salad or to use in cooking.  We have a good selection up and running now - basil, thyme, oregano, coriander, parsley, rosemary


All the Farmers Markets that I have been to around the city and in the country have growers with seedlings ready to plant.  It really is as simple as getting some pots together or a small patch of garden to plop in your plants.  And such an economical way of having your own freshly picked organic salad and herbs.  The nutrient quality is so much greater than buying produce from the shops which could have been transported for days before reaching their destination and therefore losing most of their nutrient value.  I discussed all of the importance of supporting your local Farmers Markets for this very reason in my last blog.  


If you can’t get to a Farmers Market you can always buy seedlings on line or from store suppliers.  Have a look at Heirloom Organix website  www.organicseedlings.co.nz  Happy growing!!






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Farmers Market - London

9/1/2015

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I was recently in the UK visiting family and checking out the whole food industry over there.  Since I was last there has been a definite increase in awareness of raw foods and particularly fermented foods - jars of sauerkraut, kefir and all things live.  I spent time wandering around the aisles in Wholefoods, other health food shops and food outlets and was excited to see ranges of new products particularly around coconuts which are so topical right now.  I would say that New Zealand has the upper hand on all things gluten free, particularly around breads which are hard to find in the UK.
The one thing though that the UK does especially well are Farmers Markets.  I was staying in London within an easy walk of 3 different markets - they weren't huge but there was a great variety of things on offer - organic and spray free fruit and vegetables, raw milk and unpasteurised cheeses, fish stalls, free range and organic meat, wonderful breads, homemade foods, all variety of different things. There are 37 different markets in London under the official Farmers Market banner alone and many more unofficial and hundreds of others around the countryside.
Dukes Farmers Market
Dukes Farmers Market
 It seems that wherever you are there will be one close by on a Saturday or a Sunday either in a car park, a school playground or in town centres.   They are very well attended, create communities and allow people to build up a rapport with the stallholders.  It’s great to find out the source of the food that you are eating, where it was grown or reared, how it is produced.  The other thing is that you know it has been freshly prepared or picked - none of the packaging that you get in supermarkets with long sell by dates and no idea of when it was actually packaged.  It may sometimes be a little more expensive but that feels justified when you meet the people who are proudly supplying the produce and their dedication to the cause by being there every weekend, rain or shine to provide to their customers.   It also allows a lot of these farmers to be able to cut out the middlemen such as supermarkets and to establish links with restaurants and other food outlets, selling to them directly.
Finally, it gives us access to regionally grown food - to fit the criteria in the UK you have to be within 100 miles of the market.  It makes sense to be able to buy an apple from a local orchardist rather than one that has been shipped to a central distribution point and then transported back to your local retail outlet.
New Zealand Farmers Markets are growing in numbers and expanding in size year by year.  They are held in regional communities and create a vibrant, colourful and communal hub which is always in danger of disappearing with the ever-growing domination of supermarkets everywhere.  It is a delightful start to a weekend morning to shop, commune, sample and then bring home the spoils for you to create delicious meals from the freshest produce.  Whenever I am able I go to Parnell on a Saturday and Takapuna on a Sunday - both wonderful markets.  I urge you to check them out if we want to be able to keep our small independent growers and producers in business. They need our support through markets like these - links below.

http://www.farmersmarket.co.nz
http://www.local-farmers-market.co.uk
www.lfm.org.uk

Parnell Farmers Market
Nellie at the Parnell Farmers Market
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Things you may not know about coconuts

5/25/2015

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I love coconuts!!  I love the taste, the smell and the different ways you can use coconut. They have had a bad rap for far too long due to their saturated fat content yet for years they have been eaten all over the world with only good effects.  But now, with the change in thinking around saturated fats, coconuts have once again become one of the topical "superfoods" which is well justified - they are a fantastic form of healthly fats. 
Coconuts contain a different type of saturated fat to those found in animal products and these are Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCT's) which are used for energy.  50% of these fatty acids are Lauric Acid and published research shows that they are very helpful for killing off harmful pathogens from bacteria, fungal infections and viruses.
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  Other studies show that coconut oil speeds metabolism and encourages weight loss, the fat content can leave you feeling fuller longer therefore suppressing appetite, it can supply energy to the brain cells of those with Alzheimer’s and poor cognition, it can improve blood cholesterol levels protecting against heart disease, reduce seizures in epileptic patients and benefit moisture levels of both hair and skin. The water straight from a fresh coconut is sterile and a perfect mix of electrolytes and has been used successfully in place of a saline drip for serious dehydration.

Due to coconuts resurgence in popularity there are a variety of great products being produced - coconut yoghurt, coconut milks, coconut kefir, a great alternative for those who are dairy free and a delicious alternative for those who are not. 
I was lucky enough recently to visit the Pacific Island of Niue where, in the morning market I came across something that I'd never seen before - a sprouted coconut. Apparently these are the crème de la crème of coconuts and coveted by Pacific Islanders and other coconut producing countries.  It seems that coconuts contain a small seed like ball that floats around in the coconut water inside the shell.  When the coconut falls off the tree, this seed starts to absorb the water which turns into a spongy mass and fills the entire inside of the coconut as it sprouts.  The texture is slightly spongy, slightly crispy and tastes to me like an appley, coconuty, chestnut!  Thoroughly delicious and super nutritious due to the fact that it’s a seed and sprouted so concentrated nutrition.  In Niue it’s known as "Coconut marshmallow"!  Look out for it when in coconut country!
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    Nellie is a passionate foodie who loves sharing her knowledge of nutrition & naturopathy.

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  • Home
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