- Claire Baseley • Registered Nutritionist
20th February 2017
Vitamin D hit the headlines last week following the publication of a new review that revealed the supplements of the so-called sunshine vitamin can help to reduce the risk of colds and flu. While the benefits of vitamin D for bone and muscle health are indisputable, could supplements potentially ward off the winter sniffles as well? What is vitamin D? Rather than a true vitamin, vitamin D is actually a pro-hormone. When it is converted to its active form in the liver and kidney, it acts as a hormone to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body. Both these minerals are important in keeping bones healthy and calcium also plays a role in muscle contraction, so […]
10th February 2017
This week, I learned who Steve Miller is. No, not the lead guitarist in the band that spawned rock classics like ‘The Joker’ and ‘Abracadabra’. Apparently, the Steve Miller in question is a hypnotherapist, starring on Sky’s Fat Families. I’ve missed out on this incisive televised sociological experiment but his comments on obese NHS staff that hit the headlines this week succeeded in grabbing my attention. Apparently, as part of his ‘slim acceptance’ campaign, obese NHS workers should be made to publicly display a badge bearing the words “I’m fat but I’m losing it” and restaurant menus should feature warnings that fat people should avoid certain dishes. Clearly, this sort of fat shaming is utterly offensive but is it actually […]
2nd February 2017
As I’ve said in a previous post, your partner-to-be loves you for who you are and confidence can come at any shape or size. Self-love does not come from a smaller waist measurement or a lower number on the scales. It’s important that you arrive by your partner’s side still looking like yourself. Wedding planning can be stressful, especially in the last few weeks, so it’s important to keep up your energy levels and avoid crash diets. If you’ve decided to try to drop a dress size for your wedding, here are some tips to do so healthily. Step 1: Be SMART! Specific – rather than saying “I want to lose weight”, set yourself a goal in real […]
25th January 2017
This week, a funny thing happened. When the not-so-new news story broke that browned toast and crispy roast potatoes might give us cancer, the nation held up its hands and, as one, declared, “Enough is enough!” We’ve accepted that too much sugar, salt and the wrong kinds of fat are bad for us but seriously, ROAST POTATOES? That’s a step too far. Let’s look at the facts behind the headlines. In summary, as Douglas Adams advises, “Don’t panic.” The headlines stem from the publication of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) new campaign “Go for Gold” to help people minimise how much acrylamide they eat. Acrylamide is a (potentially cancer-causing – more on this later) chemical that is formed […]