Finding digestive comfort this Christmas

It is the season of extravagance – mulled wine, parties and feasts! This time of year is a lovely time to socialise and share happy memories with family and friends over fine food and drink. However, for most of us, this does come at a cost. The feeling of fullness, bloating, gas and nausea. How can we negate these unwanted symptoms during this time?

• Keep to the same eating times. The body really likes eating at regular times. Even if we are eating a mix of rich foods, our gut will appreciate having these foods when it is ready to digest it.

• Avoid late eating. Leaving at least a 3 hour gap between dinner or your last food intake and going to bed/sleep. Otherwise your meal just sits there and can cause unpleasant symptoms during the night.

• Using bitter foods. Foods like watercress, dill, kale or rocket can help aid your digestive ‘fire’. Including these foods alongside the richer pies and meats at eating times can make a difference.

• Avoid snacking. Giving your digestive system a break can prevent many unwanted digestive symptoms. Sticking to 3 meals per day rather than grazing throughout the day. (Perhaps hide the chocolate tins away!).

• Limit alcohol. Okay, maybe this one is a bit tricky but setting some rules for yourself can help. Perhaps choosing some alcohol free days. Or limiting yourself at a party. Remembering to alternate alcohol and water at parties.

• Get moving. It doesn’t need to be anything intense. Going for a moderate 30-40 minute walk 2-3x per week has been shown to have cardiovascular benefits

• Consider consuming fruits that can aid digestion such as pineapples and papaya.

• Consider a probiotic, which can help to support digestive health

 Written by Rosie Rayner, ND.

Welcoming Autumn

We have just passed Autumn Equinox and I think we are all feeling the nights starting to draw in and a slight nip in the air. Cue the roll necks, big knits and gillets.

I think most people enjoy Autumn with the cosy nights, crunchy leaves and the (hopefully) exciting lead up to Christmas. Importantly, as a nutritional therapist, I think this season is the most crucial for health. The change of temperatures and the social changes that occur does increase the risk of seasonal sickness, colds and infection.

Autumn is the time to truly nourish the body, and what’s best is that nature knows this - she provides us with all the nutritious wholefoods we need at this time of year.

Anyone who has an allotment or works on a farm will know that September is abundant with food. It is the busiest time of year, and many cultures celebrate this harvest season.

Foods which are naturally high in antioxidants, polyphenols and carotenoids are abundant, such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage), blueberries, blackberries, carrots, leeks, rocket. Traditionally it would be a time to ferment vegetables to have throughout the winter when there is a lack of food.

Traditional Chinese and Indian medicine would look to move away from raw foods, which would be eaten during the summer months, and move toward warming cooked foods. Consuming foods which have been cooked allow the food to become almost ‘predigested’, which makes it easier for the digestive system to break down and therefore conserves much needed energy during the colder months of the year.

Micronutrients to focus on going into winter is vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. Elderberry can be very supportive too. If you are lucky to have an elder tree nearby, you can take the berries and cook them up into a tonic over the winter. Make sure you do not eat them raw.

Some of my favourite go-to meals in the Autumn are slow-cooked hot pots, stir fries using a variety of vegetables, soups and the hearty Sunday Roast. See an Autumn recipe below.

Tomato Jungle Curry (Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 400-500g passata

• 1 large red onion, chopped

• 2-4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1/2 fennel bulb

• 1 large sweet potato or 2-3 white potatoes

• 1 whole cauliflower head

• 3 medium/large carrots

• 750ml -1L veg stock

• Spices: 1-2 tsps paprika, 1 tbsp mild/medium curry powder, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, black pepper & sea salt (1/4 tsp)

  -In a large cast iron, oven proof pot. Fry the onions, then add passata, garlic and stock.

  -Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a blender

  -Add the spices

  -Chop the veggies to a bite-size and add to sauce

  -Cook until reduced and the veg are cooked. The sauce should be creamy.

  -Serve with millet, quinoa or rice

  -You can add a dollop of hummus or plain coconut yogurt if desired

Rosie Rayner, ND, mBANT, mANP

Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday and beyond!

How did pancake day come about? Shrove Tuesday, or pancake day, is the day before Ash Wednesday - which is the start of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, or more specifically 47 days before Easter Sunday.

It started in Anglo-Saxon times where Christians would take the opportunity to use up their left over eggs, fats and flours, ready for their fasting before Easter.

Traditional pancakes are very thin and quick to cook, with just flour, eggs and milk.

I think pancakes are a delicious quick, easy, inexpensive and nutritious meal to have, if you pack them with added goodness. However, dairy, wheat and eggs can be a tricky thing for some people to digest. So what are the alternatives?

You can make simple swaps when it comes to making pancakes…

• Dairy milk = any milk alternative eg. Oat, hemp, coconut, almond

• Wheat flour = spelt flour. Or if you need gluten-free (GF) you can use buckwheat flour or a premade GF mix like ‘Dove’s Farm GF Plain Flour’.

• Eggs = soaked ground flaxseed. 1 egg = 1 tbsp ground flax, soaked in 3 tbsp water. This takes 5 mins.

Often just finding a normal recipe online, whether a traditional thin pancake or an American style, is a great way to follow quantities and you can just swap the ingredients, as above.

Toppings and fillers are always a good idea to both increase protein (which is very important for stable energy and metabolic balance) and antioxidant load. Here are some examples:

Fillers – for putting into the pancake mix

• Blended spinach, grated courgette, grated carrot (especially with apple and cinnamon)

• Grated apple, grated pear, blueberries, blended banana

• cinnamon, turmeric, ginger (see www.aquasol.co.uk)

Toppings – for putting on top of cooked pancakes

• Organic yogurt, kefir, goats/sheeps cheese for savoury pancakes

• Almond, cashew, peanut butters

• Ground seeds, cacao nibs

• Berries, sliced apple, pear or banana

Have a little fun with trying out different recipes, especially if you have kids, it is a great way to get them involved and experimenting with new food. One of my kids favourite recipes are spinach ones which we call them ‘hulk’ pancakes. They can be made savoury or sweet.

Written by Rosie Rayner, ND.

How to navigate Veganuary

January marks a month where many choose to stay away from animal products. It is a movement that started almost 10 years ago in 2014 and has grown in popularity.

I think that most would agree that as a worldwide society, we consume too many animals. Looking to reduce this intake can be a step in a healthier direction for both yourself and the world.

If you are considering or already are trying out veganism – how are you getting on?

There are so many vegan products out there now that it can be quite overwhelming. My advice for veganism is similar to any other dietary advice – which is to cook from scratch.

Homemade cooking is always the healthier option as you know what is going into your meal. You’ll avoid any additives, chemicals, and other strange and highly processed ingredients which we know isn’t friendly to our gut microbes or the rest of our digestive system. Sadly, many of the ready-made vegan meals are very processed, which is no different to the animal-containing ready-meals.

My top tips for getting the most out of Veganuary:

• Cook from scratch – as above, you can avoid unhealthy additives and poor quality ingredients.

• Adequate protein – when going vegan, it is extra important to choose protein-dense foods, at each mealtime. Some good sources are: fermented soy (tempeh, miso), edamame, lentils, beans, pulses, peanuts, sesame, almonds, quinoa, green peas, artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, Brussel sprouts.

• Variety – having different types of plants is great for our gut microbes as it aids a good diversity but it also ensures we get the range of proteins that our bodies need.

• Supplements – consider B12 and iron as they can be tricky to absorb in plant-form. It is best to get personalised advice from a fully qualified nutritional practitioner.

• Opt for warmer foods. At this time of year it is cold, at least here in the UK. Colder foods are harder for the digestive system to break down. So for winter time opting for soups, roasted veg over cold salads and smoothies is optimal. Using warming spices like garlic, cinnamon and cardamon is helpful too.

Written by Rosie Rayner, ND, DipCNM