The connection between what we eat, what our microbiome (gut bacteria) are doing with it, and what neurochemicals (chemicals which influence our brain and nervous system) are making from the foods supplied, is currently being investigated, but it’s complex. We’ve only scratched the surface, but there’s a massive connection.

“The human intestinal microbiota comprising of bacteria, viruses, fungi, multicellular parasites, and archaea, represents one of the most complex eco-systems on earth, coevolving over millions of years to help shape and influence human development and in particular; immune defences.” Mukhopadhya .I.

I will give you a personal story to illustrate this. Recently, my husband, who works and lives away most weeks, eating a very different diet to myself and our two children, came home very ill and tested positive for COVID. He had no choice but to isolate at home with myself and our children. After 2 weeks looking after him, myself and the children were unaffected by the virus and didn’t catch it yet were in close contact with him most days. Was that because of the difference in our diets? Our gut bacteria and therefore immune systems? Perhaps.

But let’s see what science has discovered.

If we eat low fibre, processed, fast foods, the bad bacteria thrive, and there’s more room for illness or disease to set up.

If we eat fibre and antioxidant-rich foods, the good bacteria flourish and there’s less chance of illness or disease to establish itself.

The Good and The Bad

Our microbiome are very loosely bandied into ‘good and bad’ that are in constant communication with our human cells via many pathways of transmission, including the more recent discovery of the virome (collections of viruses we house, that live with us for life.)

We class the ‘good’ bacteria as those who have positive impacts on our body and mind, while we class ‘bad bacteria’ as those which are pathogenic or have a negative impact.

Whichever microbe exceedingly prospers, their clan becomes overlord of the kingdom, and begins restructuring the human to suit their needs to proliferate further.
They maintain their stronghold via chemical signalling, hormonal, inflammatory and neural influence.
It’s suggested they introduce food cravings, new metabolic pathways and brain signalling engineered by the microbial magnate in power.

It’s a bit like a house guest who likes things a particular way and rearranges all your furniture, air con setting’s, lighting, music and so on, to suit their desires.

The Mind:

And guess what also influences your immune system?

How we think and feel? So, boosting positive feelings boosts your immune system, and vice versus. And right now, facing an epidemic that we need our immune system for as well as an epidemic of mental health issues, why not positively influence both through our gut bacteria?

Be At One with your Microbiome:

Probiotics:

Studies demonstrate probiotics boost good gut bacteria and overall mood and cognition in those who take them.
Practitioner brands such as Bioceuticals Ultrabiotic 45 and Orthoplex Multiflora are high quality, multi-strained and very effective.

Prebiotics: Fibre

Professor Matt Cooper confirms high fibre foods feed good gut bacteria, suggesting to make: raw veggies, carrot and celery sticks, apples, legumes, brown rice and fibrous whole grains a part of your regular diet.

Acetate Mimic: Vinegar

Good quality vinegar mimics the by-product good gut bacteria releases: acetate, which lowers inflammation significantly.

Avoid: overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial products.

Because science now understands mood disorders and depression are linked to inflammatory responses, here’s some proven inflammation busters/mood lifters:

Antioxidants to consume more of.
– Green tea
– Berries (blue, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries.)
– Purple carrots
– Red onions
– Turmeric
– Ginger
– Colourful fresh veggies
– Dark Chocolate, cocoa, and raw cacao
– Good quality brewed Coffee

Omega 3 Fatty Acids Boost Brain Function and mood:

-Chia seeds/Flax seeds and their oils.
-Sardines, salmon, herring, mackerel and tuna.

Exercise

There is very strong evidence indicating those who exercise regularly have far lower rates of depression and anxiety than those who do not.

It’s a New Day

So even though there are times you may feel down or isolated right now, remember you are not alone; literally. You house a complex universe of other living organisms within your gut that benefit from, and add to, your happiness and strength. So, be their friend and work together.

The power is yours once more.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be carrying on from this, focussing on immunity and health, along with interviews from US based Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pathology from Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical Physician and former President of the Association for Molecular Pathology Iris Schrijver, who specializes in clinical pathology, molecular genetics and Health.

Chocolate has always been a fairly miraculous and seductive treat. The wealthy in some ancient civilisations, such as the Mayas, Incas and Aztec, used chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Later, The Greeks called the coca tree Theo Broma, or God Drink, and later still, it was introduced to Europe around the 16th century. Since then, chocolate has become arguably the most highly craved food in the world. But is it a medicine?

Some science writers have heralded chocolate as a complete food, containing everything in the right amounts from fats, protein, carbs to the extensive amounts of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals it contains such as, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, potassium and phosphorus. While the delicious food also contains nitrogenous compounds that stimulate the central nervous system and acts as a smooth muscle relaxant.

Investigations into chocolate being a potent medicine were initially explored on the Kuna Indian culture situated on the islands of Panama, who had a very low prevalence of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Their secret was discovered to be a homemade raw cacao drink, they drank daily. Not like Milo or today’s version of hot chocolate, but based on raw cacao powder.

Since then, many studies have supported the findings of dark chocolate, cacao and coco lowering blood pressure, heart disease, aspirin like effects, anti-cancer effects, higher neuronal activity- improving brain activity, anti-inflammatory influences a Swiss study discovered its anti-stress effects, there’s been findings about lower obesity rates, and eaten before athletic events, chocolate seems to help recovery.

So, what’s the take home message? The darker the better, and the more raw, organic and unprocessed and higher quality you can find, along with the more bitter the taste is key, as these factors show the valuable polyphenols still remain, meaning far better health effects. So, find some great chocolate, eat it and enjoy it! And remember moderation of all things, is often key to health.

https://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?t=i&id=156#page=14

A lot of my article ideas come up when I’m talking with friends. This one is no exception. Someone recently wanted to know what were some great ways to protect against viruses, particularly COVID, and was iron a good supplement to boost herself with?

What feels like a million years ago when first studying nutrition and Anatomy and Physiology at college and Uni, one of my holistic lecturers said; “Starve a Cold, Feed a Fever.” Meaning, when you have a cold or flu and naturally don’t feel like eating, do just that, starve that bug. Drink heaps of water, herbal teas, maybe some fresh vegetable juices with ginger, beta carotene and other natural antimicrobial and flush that sucker out. And particularly, she said “Avoid meats or high protein/iron foods.”

What does feed a fever mean? To tell you the truth, I never found out. I’ll come back to that in another article.

But guess what science has found? There’s wisdom in that saying, at least the first half.
Viruses, including COVID need our iron laden enzymes in order to replicate themselves.
They get into our body via whatever means they can, invade our human cells and set up shop, basically unpacking themselves, like a guest unpacking their suitcase, and then they use what’s available to them to make copies of themselves, over and over and over again.
As you can imagine, the more they replicate themselves, the more virus cells there are released into our system, the more this is happening on a larger scale and the sicker we become.

And guess what viruses love using for this copy-replicating factory they’ve got going inside our cells? Iron. Yep, that’s right, they’re using your own iron against you. Your iron is like their favourite ink in the copy machine they use in order to replicate their virus DNA/RNA. Yikes.

Now particularly women, who regularly lose iron on a monthly basis, can become low in this energy, oxygen carrying commodity, causing fatigue and heavier menstrual cycles, which long term, should be treated, but short term, science is saying that if you want to beat viruses, including COVID, low iron levels is preferable.
“a Sufficient intracellular iron levels support coronavirus replication, whereas b iron deficiency undermines its replication process by interfering with viral transcription, translation, assembly, and exocytosis.”

References: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40588-020-00140-w#citeas
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro1930
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1738320

Well, it’s that time of year and cherries are in! But did you know that they are not only a super delicious, sweet treat, but cherries are also super healthy too, combatting conditions such as chronic inflammation, which we reviewed last week, and are also hailed as the next athlete’s super food.

Cherries are high in polyphenols, one of the main antioxidants found in foods, as well as vitamin C, both of which can act as anti-inflammatories, due to their high antioxidant levels. And that colour they hold in themselves, that bright red/purple/blue is anthocyanin, another mega potent antioxidant/anit-inflammatory. So, for a number of reasons, these little guys are a great addition to your Christmas holiday festivities.

If you know what to look for, and if we’re all being honest, the Christmas period is a time of enjoying foods and drinks, most of which trigger inflammation, weight gain, gout, over acidity, pain conditions, skin issues and more. I mean, it’s totally fun! We’re only human; The rich foods and presence of too many alcoholic beverages is great, but it triggers all our inflammatory markers.

But guess what a nice little reverser of this is? Cherries. Not only did eating cherries see a great reduction in inflammation of all kinds, it also saw a decrease in inflammatory triggered weight gain, skin issues, ageing, and even DOMs or muscle soreness in athletes.

Some studies have seen that ingestion of cherries or cherry juice 5 days leading up to, the day of, and the day after a marathon race, or before high level athletic performance, decreases muscle damage, weakness, uric acid markers and overall inflammation to the same degree as if over the counter Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had been taken, but without the side effects or lingering chemical effects on the body.

So, weather you want weight loss, anti-ageing, pain relief, better recovery after exercise or just straight-out anti-inflammation, cherries can be enjoyed merely for taste and also, very much for medicinal benefit.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.12085
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/3/368

I have a question. What’s up with the health star rating system? Does it make sense to you? As a nutritionist, a find it curious, but what are your thoughts on it?
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be looking further into it, showing you foods and asking your opinion on how many stars you think these foods should have, and playing a guessing game later on.
Let’s start with these two descriptions on two common foods. I’m calling one (A) and the other (B) How many stars would you give these two descriptions based on your opinion?

A) This is a whole food (which means it hasn’t been processed or changed much from its point of harvest), it is high in protein, which gives you energy, better muscle mass and keeps you full longer. It contains good fats for brain function, weight loss and to lower cholesterol, it is high in fibre for gut health, it has vitamin E for heart health, skin healing and anti-aging, it contains calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and Vitamin K (Yes, there is such a thing) for bone health, it is also organic- so contains no pesticides in it. It can regulate your blood sugar levels. Multiple scientific studies have linked eating this food to lower cancer rates, lower heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower weight, more stable blood sugars, to name a few.
B) This is a processed whole wheat product. It contains wheat, which has been processed. It is therefore high in carbohydrates which is good for quick energy. It is not organic (although there is an organic version I would recommend), it may contain traces of pesticides and chemical residue. It has added sugar, added salt, barley malt extract, and added in is niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, folate and iron, which are good for energy and nervous system function. Certain studies (many carried out by the company making this food), have found this food to be beneficial to certain people who require high, quick access energy. I would agree with this also.

What would you give (A) and (B) a health star rating out of 5, based on what you know about food?

 

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