Are You Eating Properly?

Small changes may make a big difference! 

 

With rising levels of national obesity and associated medical conditions such as
coronary heart disease, much focus has been placed on the nation’s diet in recent years.
Yet despite this, the average Briton’s indifference to our most important bodily function – eating properly – is extraordinary.

Modern Britain is more affluent than ever and has greater access to fresh food. In theory, having a healthy and balanced diet should be achievable, yet this is not always the case. By placing more focus on diet, it is possible to achieve some substantial benefits for health.

Nutrition is a new, complex and fast developing science. Only in the last few years has a powerful link between what we eat and how we look and feel been systematically examined. Each of us is different at a biochemical level, so it’s hardly surprising that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to healthy nutrition does not exist. Only personalised treatment programmes are truly effective.

Nutritional therapy

Nutritional therapists are increasingly playing a prominent role in helping individuals with their wellbeing. These professionals are trained to fully understand an individual’s life, diet and health, and to develop tailored action-plans to improve their quality of life.
Nutritional therapists call on the latest developments in nutritional thinking and technology to achieve this. Typical symptoms that nutritional therapists help their patients address are:

• Weight loss and weight management

• Fatigue

• Stress

• Food intolerances

• Headaches and migraines

• Stomach bloating

• Digestive disorders

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Hormonal imbalance

• Insomnia

• Mood swings

• Low libido

• High cholesterol

• Skin problems

• Candida (yeast infection)

• Under-active thyroid

• Insomnia

• Frequent colds and infections

These types of conditions are often called sub-clinical conditions, as they are not necessarily things for which a GP will have a ‘ready-to-go’ solution. Certain nutritional centres, such as the National Nutrition Clinic, are set up to treat these sub-clinical conditions by using effective screening technology, consultations with highly-trained nutritional therapists and by providing appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements.

Food intolerance

One of the most popular services at the National Nutrition Clinic is food intolerance screening, which uses a non-invasive technique to identify problems that may have plagued individuals for months or even years. Symptoms of this condition range from the stomach feeling bloated to headaches, IBS symptoms, skin problems and weight gain.
Unlike an allergy, which causes reaction as soon as you touch or consume a type of food, intolerance can occur whilst you are digesting the food and the symptoms are noticed between one hour and two days after a meal.

A food intolerance is often caused by the body’s failure to absorb normally. The culprit food aggravates the gut's mucous membranes, allowing particles of part-digested food into the bloodstream. The immune system reacts and as result, negative symptoms are experienced.

Osteoporosis

As we move into later life one of the most important aspects of wellbeing is the health of our bones. Osteoporosis is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ as no obvious symptoms are experienced until bones break. Certain nutrition clinics use ultrasound bone-density scanning technology to provide a fast and painless way of finding out whether an individual may be at risk of developing osteoporosis. Special eating and supplement plans can be provided if an ultrasound scan suggests an elevated level of risk.

A handy tip for improving bone health is to eat foods that supply bone with nutrients – not only calcium, but also magnesium, boron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin K and the B vitamins. Increasing intake of green leafy vegetables and fruits, sprouted beans and seeds and reducing salt, sugar, coffee and alcohol intake may help.

As we steam forward through the 21st century, it is likely that junk food, processed food and ‘eating-on-the-go’ will become an even more common or acceptable option for our society. As working lives become more complex, people are likely to be financially rich but time-poor – having little opportunity to eat properly.

As the power of food manufacturers grows, so will advertising budgets and the special offers that they can offer to encourage people to try their products. In such a climate, the growing importance and prevalence of nutritional therapy is timely.

National Nutrition Clinic will surely play an important role in helping all of us understand our health, and how this is greatly affected by the food we consume, in this changing dietary environment. Laterlife visitors can receive a free report on the Ten Secrets of Healthy Eating by registering at www.NationalNutritionClinic.com 
 

laterlife interest

The above article is part of the features section of laterlife.com called laterlife interest. laterlife interest contains a variety of articles of interest for visitors to laterlife.com written by a number of experienced and new journalists.

It includes both one off articles and also associated regular columns of a more specialist nature such as Healthwise, Talkback, Gardener's Diary, and a beauty section called Looking good in later life.

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