New infographic - metabolism

It has been a while since I have had an involvement in the development of an infographic and I was intrigued and pleased to contribute to the infographic you see below from those nice folk at Elysium Health in New York.  

The graphic was all about health tips.  Now anyone who knows me will expect me to come up with a lot and be able to happily talk about keeping in good shape for hours, so there was no shortage of health tips from my end.  

You can see below I have mentioned post-workout nutrition. This is important and something I take care to do myself.  Even after yesterday's hilly run (7.5 miles) I made sure I had a glass of cherry juice as I went to have a shower.  So there, I do practice what I preach!  I can't resist pointing out that having something nutritious after a workout, or a run, is helpful if it is rich in antioxidants which help mop-up free radicals which can go on to cause cellular damage later on.  

Speaking of cellular damage, the graphic helpfully explores some of the science behind the metabolism; an integral process within our cells.  Elysium even provides some of their own tips for maintaining good metabolic health.  Having knowledge on these things is powerful and it is always fascinating to learn more about how our bodies work.  This page on NAD+ and cell metabolism is a good place to start.

Take a look below, does it make sense, you see what they're driving at?  Check out the other contributors as well - already I have seen the blog of Michelle Maclean which looks interesting and I think I'll be visiting again.

Fossilised brain?

I have some lovely colleagues in the Council, including some who are not inhibited in speaking their mind.  One of my colleagues who is managing to survive on a slice of cucumber for lunch (and looking increasing like a stick insect) happened to give my executive lunch box the once over.

She has my best interests at heart as she peers in, commenting on this and that.  She thinks I'm a real heathen for having peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches , let alone having three fruits each day.  Then I often have a little plastic pot with a few nuts and seeds (healthy eh?) to make sure I get some of those really good omega oils.

However it was the dried fig which caught her eye the most.  She reacted in a way like she's never seen a dried fig and asked what it was.  I explained I like to have these from time to time and they do have quite a few nutrients tucked away in them.  This includes being a useful source of magnesium, manganese, potassium and so on.  All of these minerals survive the drying process and bring their own health benefits.

"But they look revolting!  How can you possibly eat something like that?".

"Simple, it's no problem.  THey're a little chewy but actually they taste quite nice, fancy trying one?".  I offered her the little pot with a fig left in it.

"Yuck that looks disgusting! Actually it looks totally inedible, like a stone or something"

The rant continued as she ate a thin slice of cucumber.  She said she couldn't possibly contemplate eating something which looked like a cross between a rock and the brain of a dead animal.  But then, she knows of the terminology we use at home in describing some of the food I eat, so we'' just have to add figs to the list.....

• Muesli = gravel
• Watercress = pond weed
• Salad = compost
• Ground coffee = mud, soil, dirt
• Dried fig = fossilised brain

Veggie chat at the carvery

A couple of days ago we went out for an evening carvery meal with some friends.  Certainly an interesting experience as I'd not been there before.

Carvery meals are quite good value if you're a meat eater.  You get a fairly generous serving of meat, a Yorkshire pudding and then plenty of vegetables which can be re-filled any number of times, all for under £5.00.  For myself as a vegetarian there was a limited choice but seemed, on the face of it, quite good.  Knowing I was with friends, this was all good.

Without any engineering on my part, the conversation quickly got around to food and, in particular, vegetarian food.  The conversation was delightfully light-hearted and picked up on a recent Facebook post of mine where I confessed to having not enjoyed my lentil and chutney sandwich I recently found in my lunch box.  This led to great hilarity and then we got onto vegetarian food with the spot light shining on me.  Some friends were intrigued and some felt somewhat sorry for Rachel in having to prepare food with and without meat.  I did wonder if they were secretly wanting to be vegetarians themselves, perhaps I'll never know.

After a while I thought it was time to turn the tables and commented on the recent news reports where we are all advised to eat 10 portions of fruit and veg, rather than just five.

"So how many portions do you eat?  Can I ask each of you?"

David immediately jumped in as the group's witty entertainer "oh I don't have a problem with this, especially if you include potatoes, pasta and so on.  Yep I'm there easily!" Then there was a sigh with "no, probably not enough".

Gerry followed as the natural leader in the group, looking pretty prosperous these days with "hmmm there's some raisons in my muesli so that must count as at least one portion, plus look at this meal!".

"Really, you count half a dozen raisons as a portion?  Nah sorry Gerry, you need more than that".

Gerry's wife Janet came next.  She's tall, very slim and probably an ectomorph.  She turned the table on me a little by asking why I was a vegetarian and also for how long.  Now while I have no difficulty in answering this, what do you say when you're with a group of valued friends that will be disagreeing with them on this very profound point.  I also knew if I really launched into my reasoning I would be insulting my friends and spoiling the meal, so it was quite a dilemma.

So looking directly at Janet, I quietly said "I made the decision about 10 years ago because I was wanting to improve my health.  Also because I was worried about the supply chain ethics".

That could have been lighting the touch paper in such pleasant company.  Did I dum down the stance I have taken or argue my point?  I decided to leave it at that having answered the question in the most concise way I could.

Since then the conversation has been on my mind.  I feel as if I have not explained myself to someone who was genuinely wanting to know.  This was brought home to me as I found myself reading through a copy of Viva! (the vegan magazine) which was lying around in the kitchen.  Page after page is argument after argument in favour of being a vegan.  The evidence of improved health, lifespan, lower rates of cancers, heart attacks and so on is pretty powerful.  Add to that the horrors of modern production-line farming methods I feel so guilty at only being vegetarian.

This is all such a dilemma.  In my heart of hearts I know being a vegan is right for me.  Giving up all kinds of dairy, eggs and the occasional piece of fish is quite daunting.  And then I remind myself I quit smoking way back in the 20th century, along with alcohol.  Then 10 years ago I became a vegetarian and then in 2015 I quit caffeine.

So is becoming a vegan really so difficult?

Vegan restaurant in Barcelona

Vegan restaurant in Barcelona

I was beginning to despair at the limited choice of food on our recent Barcelona trip.  Most restaurant and cafe menus were dominated by meat, fish and omelettes.  A quick internet search at our hotel led us to this brilliant restaurant called the Cafe Blue Project.

We quickly got into a conversation with one of the members of staff who helpfully guided us through the menu and happily told us a little about the place.  It seemed there was such a shortage of vegan restaurants in Barcelona and this really was a good find. The Cafe Blue Project serves vegetarian and vegan food, also it was pointed out how keen they are to support the raw food movement.  The food, as you might expect, is all organic and they're making a valid statement about being able to run a sound business on ethical principles.  They're only too happy to talk about their heritage, their vision and what they're trying to do.

Javier Medvedovsky

We got to see a book by renowned chef Javier Medvedovsky (above) who has given them so much inspiration and has guided their menu planning.

One thing I always look out for in whole food restaurants is what the staff look like. Are they fat, slim, healthy looking or on their knees?  All the staff who I encountered were certainly bright, healthy looking and were enthusiastic and proud of the food they serve.

The Good Roll

I went for one of the raw food options and it was mind-glowingly good!  I had the Good Roll which cost me €12 and it was a vegan roll stuff with magic hummus (normally ground chick peas, sesame sees, olive oil, lemon, garlic), onion, olives, carrots, sprouted seeds and some salad leaves.  It was so flavoursome and, of course, utterly healthy!  I could taste so many of the different flavours individually and it all came together beautifully.   The actual flat bread appears to be a mixture of seeds which are ground and pressed together and some kind of dehydrating method is used to achieve the right structure.  Not a quick procedure it would seem; moreover one with time, care and attention to the right ingredients and flavours.

Beetroot, ginger, lemon & carrot smoothie

In terms of what I had to drink, I decided to try out a smoothie.  Not cheap but worth every cent.  I went for the Beetroot Smoothie in which ginger, carrot and lemon are carefully blended together.  This was surprisingly sweet and lovely; again I could almost taste every single flavour!  This was followed up by a coffee which, was okay, was not outstanding in anyway.

I liked the overall ambience.  As soon as you walk in through the door you are met with that certain 'whole food' aroma which is always promising.  Although the premises are quite grand on the outside, it was fairly down-to-earth inside with a nice pleasant style.  Everything was easy going and informal, which is how I prefer things if I'm on holiday.  I did like the decor which was rustic, contemporary and quite stylish.  This is such a welcome change from the rather cold, uniform decor in so many restaurant chains.  I would certainly like to have been there at different times of the day, perhaps on a summer's evening, where I think the experience would be entirely different - perhaps another time!  I could also have enjoyed chatting more extensively with the staff, alas we were there as paying guests and, as time went on, they were becoming increasingly busy and filling up with new, hungry customers (not that there was any rush at all).

If you go there and have the time, it's worth checking out the gallery which is alongside.  While we were there the exhibition was certainly interesting and thought provoking.  This reinforces some of their vision with the project not simply being a restaurant or cafe; there's far more to take in.

As mentioned earlier, we think this vegan restaurant in Barcelona was quite a find and our experience there simply adds to the memory of a near perfect February holiday in Barcelona.  Highly recommended.

Here's their website - Blue Project Foundation

Here's just a few more photos to give you the feel of the place:

Cycling, running and cramp

If you ever listen to the excellent Radio 4 programme Inside Health, presented by Dr Mark Porter MBE, you might know he sometimes invites listeners to get in touch with health queries.  Here's mine.....

Dear Dr Mark,

From time to time I get bouts of cramp, mainly in my legs and feet.  When I get cramp it is often at night and a muscle seems to go into a kind of stiff spasm and be very taught.  I can tell you, it can be dramatic waking up at night with an agonising pain in either my left or right leg.  It scares the living daylights out of my wife who will often wake up as well, very startled at me leaping and hopping around the bedroom.  

It seems to generally affect one muscle at a time, either in the upper or lower part of my leg.  It's the same with my feet but that's not quite so painful as I guess the muscles are smaller.

While I get cramp mostly at night, it sometimes happens when I cycle and believe me, this is a little disconcerting when you have both feet clipped into the pedals.  Like many other cyclists, I use a clipless pedal where your cycling shoes are locked to the pedal.  Releasing your feet is done by twisting the heel outwards and then the shoe springs out.

Me, my health

I am in my mid fifties and have no health issues.  I'm pretty active and fit with running (I average over 20 miles each week) and cycling.  My BMI is 22.5 and I'm in pretty good shape.  I'm tee total, don't smoke and I'm a vegetarian.  I reckon my diet is pretty good generally; I especially eat lots of fruit (as many different kinds as I can over the course of a week).

My own Doctor

Every year I make sure I get a health check covering the usual things such as blood pressure, cholesterol, liver and kidney function etc.  These are all fine and my Doctor says "well done, keep it up".

I did mention the issue of cramp to my Doctor.  She said that she wasn't very knowledgeable about it and flicked through my notes and said there was no obvious reason.  She felt behind my knees and then held my feet in her hands and commented they were colder than she expected, although it was a chilly day.  Other than that there was nothing to say or do apart from "I could suggest you give up running any cycling but I doubt if you'd think that was a good idea!".

Electrolytes

Some people suggest sports drinks to be a solution and yet there are many different types around.  I have tried taking some electrolyte drinks which might help but I cannot be sure, there's no regular pattern.

Any suggestions?  

Goes without saying I'm hoping you can cover this on Inside Health, I'm happy to be interviewed or provide some further information if that would be helpful.

Links:
Radio 4 Inside Health
Electrolyte drinks - do we need them?

Life without caffeine

It is now about five weeks since I decided to try life without caffeine and its been an interesting experience.  At first I was a little apprehensive and wondered how I would get on.  To be completely honest, in the first few days it was noticeable something was missing but happily things have settled down now.

I remember feeling a little different, a kind of light headiness perhaps.  I also thought my sense of balance had been affected.  Also I remember really missing a nice cuppa at different times in the day when ordinarily I would enjoy a cup of tea or a coffee.  With this in mind Rachel suggested decaf and went rummaging in the kitchen before finding a box of seldom used decaf teabags.  I tried a cup and it wasn’t bad but of course it wasn’t quite the same as the tea I was used to.  I have progressed on to having some decaf coffee too.  Mind you, I still can’t stand the thought of ‘instant’ coffee.

The strange thing about life without caffeine nowadays is people’s surprise when I decline a drink unless it’s decaf. This has occurred mostly at work as a few of us have a good system going on to ensure we’re all supplied with regular cups of tea or coffee.  There have, however, been a few times when I’ve not had decaf and the results have been interesting; this is right from the diuretic effect happening with a made dash to the toilet through to absolutely no effect at all.

I do miss a decent cup of tea or coffee but there are no real worries.  I miss how I used to enjoy it and think I can gradually have some more soon.  What either concerns, or amuses me, is thinking of how many years ago I gave up smoking and drinking.  Several years ago I gave up eating meat by becoming a vegetarian and knocking caffeine out seems a radical step, possibly a step too far to be completely caffeine free?

Running before breakfast

One of the nice things about being a runner is that I'm often asked for advice, tips and so on from friends, colleagues and occasionally through my blog.  The latest question is about running before breakfast i.e. running on an empty stomach.

My answer
Yes, it's fine to do this and I'm speaking from my own experience only here.  For new runners it makes sense to try by "trial and error" to find what's right for you as an individual.  Personally, I like to run without much in my stomach.

In the summer I like running early in the morning, before breakfast for a number of reasons and I have never had any problems in terms of fuelling myself.  I do, however, normally have a mug of tea before I set off but this is about 10 - 15 minutes before I head out.

Normally my pre-breakfast runs in the summer are between 60 and 90 minutes (i.e. 6 to 10 miles).  It's never hot so I have never needed to take any water with me.

If I run a little later in the morning, say 10 or 11am, well it makes sense to have a smallish breakfast at 8am.  That gives enough time for me to digest the food.   For these breakfasts I would normally have a little muesli, with my usual added mixture of ground flaxseeds, a little oat bran and a piece of fruit.  This is washed down with a small glass of smoothie and a coffee and our usual time reading of a passage from the Bible.

Normally I think we will have sufficient fuel stored in our bodies to go running before breakfast.  When we run initially, we use oxygen in our muscles and carbohydrates to fuel us.  As runs become longer we start to draw on fat reserves in our bodies.  Although there isn't a tap which suddenly gets turned on, we need to be running for a while before much fat is used.  When we start burning much fat depends on the individual and a number of other factors i.e. weight, body composition, fitness levels and so on.

But you can take some fuel, if you want
For longer runs or races i.e. marathons, half marathons, energy gels are a good idea for on-the-go fuel.  Click here for some examples of these which are worth trying - important not to take these for the first time on race day, in case they don't agree with you.

Energy gels are easily carried and use, also quick to digest.

Warning!
If you are diabetic, or have some other medical condition, only you will know the right approach here.  As I said, all I can do is relay my own experience.

Previous post
I have touched on this subject once or twice before, you might find this helps:

When is the best time to run?

Raspberry smoothie recipe

Raspberry smoothie

My Mother-in-Law is a bit of a hoarder at times and this applies to her stash of frozen raspberries, as well as 40 year old home made mead in her cellar.   So I'm thankful for a couple of things: firstly that she doesn't read my blog, secondly she's happy for me to work my way through her frozen raspberries.  They are now mainly of 2008 vintage, as the younger ones have now been consumed.

I do like raspberries, one of my favourite fruits and they do remind me of summer so much.   Below I will expand on their health properties along with the other fruit.  Firstly, here's my recipe for one of my favourite smoothies:

4oz Raspberries

1 Pomegranate

Quarter of a pink or red grapefruit

Apple juice and/or water for preferred consistency

Method

Couldn't be easier.  Wash or defrost the raspberries.  I normally check them over as raspberries are a soft and delicate fruit, so avoid any bruised or damaged fruit.  With the pomegranate, cut into quarters and spoon out the pink flesh, discarding the skin as best you can.  Pink or red grapefruit is best and use about one quarter, peeled and cut into small slices.

Put all of the fruit into a glass jug, add some juice or water gradually and then use a sharp hand blender to whizz them all together into a scrummy smoothie.  I don't mind having a slightly thicker, soup-like smoothie but I imagine many prefer a more liquid consistency.

Why this smoothie is so good

Above all else, this is a kind of "cleansing" smoothie and delicious.  This is why:

Rasperries contain Vitamins C and B3, folate, biotin, folate, manganese, citric acis, fibre and some sugars.  Also, according to Eating for Immunity by KirstenHartvig, raspberries activate the body's natural self cleansing ability and improve the health of the skin, hair, sweat glands, nerves, liver, bone marrow and mucous membranes.  Actually their usefulness for the body goes much further and at least this will give you an idea about their precious health-giving qualities.

Grapefruit is a very powerful detoxifying fruit, even on its own and helps to remove harmful microbes and strengthen the immune system.  It also has Vitamins A and C, potassium (helps deal with my frequent cramp) and a number of other nutrients.  Of course, grapefruit is not to everyone's taste; I will have it because I know it's good for me and it's quite nice and refreshing on its own.

Pomegranate is a funny kind of fruit that takes a bit of work to get the edible flesh out.  I think it tastes quite nice, sweet but not overly sweet or sickly.  I always had it in the back of my mind that pomegranate was a protective fruit benefitting the prostate gland.  From this NHS article it appears this might be the case but research is not viewed as conclusive at present.

Water and a dash of apple juice helps make the smoothie the right consistency and sweetens it a little.  I hope you like my raspberry smoothie recipe - let me know!

Concluding 2014...

To sum up this run, it was a truly magical, inspirational and a fantastic way of rounding 2014 off.

Bloggers, sporty types and the like will often review their year by looking back at the achievements, race wins, PBs, Strava Course Records, Strava King of the Mountains and all kinds of other indicators.  I would have to search hard to find more than one or two of those.  Instead I just wanted to reflect on a few things that occurred to me during my #ChristmasRun earlier this afternoon.

The run itself was over very familiar terrain and was a little over 10 miles and took a shade under 1.5 hours.  Soft winter sunshine lit the rolling Bedfordshire countryside around the Downs in a beautiful way.  I crunched through a few icy bits here and there, although happily the temperature has risen a few degrees today - but I'm still needing to remember how to ice skate though.  

I was greatly encouraged by:

• seeing a couple of other runners and having two cyclists greet me in a friendly way
• finishing another year in good shape
• running up a few hills and having a rush of endorphins to fuel me along as I panted my way up.    I wasn't quite at full capacity but not far off.  It's these hills I love these days, although I do just about remember avoiding them like the plague when I started running a few years back!  In fact I reckon these hills, on their own, have made a huge difference with my running ability and my cardiovascular health.  Not so sure about running down them though, that's something I don't do too well
• God's undeserved grace towards me. 
• Thoughts of doing this kind of run in my 60s and 70s

I started 2014 by cycling every day, instead of running.  That was also a brilliant thing to do and all part of trying to be in good shape for the 150 mile Coast to Coast in a Day in June.  You know, as much as I love cycling, I don't think I'm very good at it.  Sure I completed the event in 11 hours and ?20 minutes with bucket loads of satisfaction and memories and huge respect for my friends Andrew, Robin, Josh and Jeremy who did it with me.

My family.  Yes my family who continue to be so tolerant of me as I disappear for runs, bike rides and the like at all those totally inconvenient times.  Plus all those stinky HH tops and socks, not to mention the trail of muddy footprints through the house and the sight of me "resting my eyes" watching an evening TV programme (really, as if......?).

Looking to 2015....

These are some of the many thoughts whirring around in my mind and I finally feel that I'm actually on holiday and away from work.  This has taken me almost two weeks to get to this stage and I'm only just getting there (I unfortunately managed to remember my computer password for work, which means I still have a little way to go).  Amongst those thoughts were plenty of family thoughts and where our journeys may take us; this includes Hannah who has taken to kayaking really well this year.  I'm actually very impressed with her determination and grit plus the encouragement at all the coaches and members in the Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club.

With health, running and staying in good shape I am kicking around a few of these:

• Running 1000 miles in 2015
• Doing the Chiltern 100 cycle sportive in May
• I have entered the draw for the Prudential Ride London 100 cycle sportive
• Focussing more on writing health related articles for other people and increasing my income from this and rely less on my criminal justice work
• Getting my act together and getting my e-book published
• Being more proactive in giving a few more talks
• Really getting to grips with stretching, being more supple and flexible
• Let's look at doing some podcasts and YouTube pieces on healthy living
• Did I ought to do something really radical that pushes me to the absolute limit?????

Harvest Morn milled linseed (Aldi)

In our healthy diet for sometime we have had linseed, also known as flaxseed.  We normally buy the seeds whole and then grind them in a coffee grinder into a fairly fine powder in batches to keep us going for a couple of weeks.

So it seemed a worthwhile buy when Rachel spotted this packet in Aldi.  As you see, it's pre-ground, or milled as they say, linseed with added gojiberries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.  All this adds up to be a nice healthy cocktail of goodness with it being a good source of Omega 3 and plenty of fibre.

Getting it into our kids!
Easier said than done!  However, we use this in quite a few different ways, after all we need to get this into our kids somehow or other.  Ordinarily they'd turn their noses up at all this healthy stuff and inform us it is "not my favourite Daddy" thinking that if they say it politely enough they'll be let off.  This kind of good food gets into us by including it in our homemade bread: this works really well.

It's probably made it's way into all kinds of other dishes without any of us knowing - vegetarian lasagne, soups and other scrum my dishes too.  For just myself, it also features in my ultra healthy and well balanced Cyclist's Breakfast which is also affectionately  known in our house as 'gravel'.

Oh and the benefits of all this?
On the packet it says 2 tablespoons of milled linseed will help achieve the daily intake of fibre and Omega 3.  Fibre is something we all need to maintain our healthy digestive tract; in fact it's a whopping 15.7grams per 100grams.  Omega 3 helps the cardiovascular system in staying healthy.

As 41% of this is a mixture of dried gojiberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds there's a range of other nutrients in there as well.  Gojiberries are said to be another of these super foods but this is probably faddy hype.

The cost?
Sorry, can't remember but we reckon it's under £2 for the 225gram pack, so not too bad and available from Aldi.

And we think....?
Use it for it's goodness as the flavour is a bit bland.  Added to soups, casseroles, bread, cereals, muesli and even your own special blend, just like my own Cyclist's Breakfast, or gravel as it is also affectionately known as.

It's probably worth keeping it in the fridge as the oils can become rancid if it's left unused for too long.  This is why we buy the linseeds and grind relatively small quantities.

Related
Linseed / flaxseed

Visiting a nutritionist

A while ago I went to a nutritionist where said I want to live for another 50 years – this would be taking me to well over 100.   In these next 50 years I would like to be healthy and active.  The advice I had was fairly straight forward, nothing too radical and building on my existing good intake of healthy food.  Can I stress that the advice was for myself?  I am posting it as a reminder for myself and because it might be of interest with others.  However, I need to state the obvious and say it was tailored for myself – only you can decide if it is applicable to yourself.

Amongst the considerations of living another 50 years is doing what I can to avoid cancer. We all know that this disease will eventually finish many of us off and indeed it runs in my family so I want to take some preventative steps.

Below I’m outlining the advice which the nutritionist gave me:

• Continue with my vegetarian diet but make sure I get enough proteins, B12 and Omega 3.  As I do begrudgingly eat some fish (which I don’t really enjoy) the advice is to have oily fish, for example salmon and if tinned to eat the bones as well.  It was suggested once or twice a week.
• Although I don’t eat any processed meat, this was mentioned as a significant cancer risk for anyone who does.  This is apparently due to the nitrites in sausages, ham, burgers and other heavily processed foods like that.
• Animal fats in general are to be avoided wherever possible.  It was emphasised also to avoid non-organic red meat for anyone who does eat meat (aside from the ethics of growing food for animals instead of people).  Processed foods often have hydrogenated or trans fats.  These are bad news and are when liquid oils are turned into solid fats through a manufacturing process (includes the manufacture of margarines).  These foods also raise low density lipoproteins (LPL) which are the bad kinds of cholesterol.  The greatest danger of trans fats is the ability to distort cell membranes, as well as cell structures.
• Best to limit dairy products but not eliminate completely.  As an alternative to milk, it’s worth trying rice, hemp or coconut milk.  Breast and prostate cancers have been linked to dairy products.
• The biggest cancer threat is actually sugar.  I understand now how cancer cells feed on sugar (probably putting it crudely) and depress the immune system.  I guess most of us have a bit of a “sweet tooth” and so I asked about honey.  Honey is a good natural food and best taken in moderation.  Manuka honey is known to be good as are local honeys which can be helpful in dealing with hay fever.   Consuming too much sugar causes the body to use supplies of calcium, chromium and thiamin.  This is something I will need to watch as I do like some sweet things.  Besides, excess sugar leads to a whole load of other health problems.
• White flour and white pasta products are also bad news, not that I generally go anywhere near these.
• Don’t re-heat foods in plastic containers
• Fried, burnt or smoked foods contain cancer causing chemicals.  This is all to do with Heterocyclic amies (HCA) apparently.


Good foods to enjoy
• Nori flakes – a seaweed which helps eliminate metals which have accumulated in the body i.e. mercury or aluminium
• Papaya, mango and pineapple – helpful in fighting against cancer cells
• Garlic and onion – strengthens the immune system, amongst other benefits
• Soya may help protect us from cancer and it’s suggested this is taken in the fermented form of tempeh, natto (not heard of this) or miso.
• Generally eating more sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, spring greens, kale and shitake mushrooms (and these are best described as being an “acquired” taste)
• Curcumin helps reduce the risk of gastric and pancreatic cancers
• Water – to flush out the kidneys
• Organic foods wherever practical to avoid unnecessary chemicals
• Some foods are better eaten raw, others are nicer to enjoy if they are cooked.  Ideally steaming is best, then baking or boiling
• Lycopenes, carotenoid are useful and found in tomatoes, carrots, apricots, cantaloupe melons and many other fruit or vegetables.  With tomatoes the goodness is more easily used by the body once cooked
• Green or white tea as it contains a powerful antioxidant
• Aim for 7 to 10 portions a day.  I easily achieve this and it was suggested I ought to increase my vegetable intake as I tend to eat a lot of fruit (about 6 or 7 portions a day, generally all different)
• Co-enzyme Q10 is something I must find out more about
• Selenium – a powerful antioxidant and I reckon my regular scoffing of Brazil nuts is helpful for this element
I asked about post-exercise nutrition.  What, how long after and so on.  The advice is that we do need to take on some proteins and antioxidants after exercise.  This is where my liking of smoothies is useful and ideally we need to consume something within two hours of completing the cycle ride, run, work-out etc.

The Health Benefits of Red Clover Tea - guest blog

I am delighted to welcome Karin Feldinger as a guest blogger.  My first contact was in May 2012 when I reviewed Langarten Organic Snacks (click here) and more recently I invited Karin to contribute an article to my blog.   In her article below, she discusses the benefits of Red Clover Tea, something quite fascinating and completely new to me....

You may have been hearing a lot about all these different teas recently, all of which are supposed to help you lose weight, become more healthy, give you more energy and all the rest of it. No doubt you have been a bit dubious about some of them, especially the ones that make you sign up for a free trial and then charge you a fortune at the end of it. However, there is one that may catch your eye online, that is backed up by plenty of medical research. 

Red Clover Tea is made from 100% red clover, which is a wonderfully British herb. Many descriptions of this organic herbal tea will tell you that it is the perfect way to cleanse and refresh the body, as well as being caffeine free. We all know that caffeine isn't the best thing to plough into our bodies, but many of us can't help enjoy a nice warm drink in the afternoon. This is the perfect healthy alternative to a cup of tea or coffee, on occasion.

There are doctors singing the praises of this herb and for plenty good reason too. If you search for Red Clover Tea online then you'll soon find plenty of medical research, health magazines talking about the herb, and plenty of people who use the tea for medical reasons. Here are just some of the health benefits that have been discussed, about the herb and tea:

• Red clover tea is a blood cleanser – This means that it gets rid of all those nasties lurking in your blood stream. In fact, there has been research into this herb for cancer healing properties, although nothing is completely black and white just yet.
• It alleviates menopause symptoms – There are several helpful phytoestrogens in red clover that have a really positive impact on menopause symptoms. Research has been carried out into this clever stuff getting rid of hot flushes and hormonal problems.
• Antioxidant properties – Perfect if you want to completely refresh your body, after a heavy weekend or a week of eating junk food. A detox can be the perfect way to better your overall health and well being, either once every few weeks or more often if you prefer.
• Reduction of cholesterol – Another study that is not 100% conclusive yet, but the results are looking positive. Drinking red clover tea on occasion can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of related diseases. 

You will find a lot more health benefits that were being spoken about online, but these will certainly be the main topics of conversation. It seems that the blood cleansing properties of red clover tea are the most talked about, especially as they could reduce the risk of certain cancers. The general health and well being benefits of red clover tea are perfect for those who want to detox and truly refresh their body. 

What is even better is that the tea tastes incredible, as well as being healthy! You can drink it hot, cold, and with a teaspoon of honey (great for those with a sweet tooth). Even people who don't enjoy detoxing drinks agree that this has a lovely flavour to it. The fact that there are plenty of health benefits to it will make it taste even sweeter! 

A cup of red clover is a great and healthy start in the day.

If you would like to find out more about red clover have a look here: www.neuners.co.uk.

About the writer: Karin Feldinger is an amateur herbalist, passionate cook and skier. Originally from Austria she lives in the UK with her daughter since 2009. Her company imports premium organic herbal tea and supplies Health Food Shops across the UK. 

Hymalayan Salt - my cure for cramp?

Rose pink crystal salt

Earlier today we popped into Nature's Harvest, an interesting looking health food shop in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.  A quaint little local shop, alas no website to point you to.  We picked up a packet of Himalayan Rose Pink Crystal Rock Salt; Rachel had previously clocked our friend Natasha mentioning it on her blog sometime ago click here to pop over to her site.

Seems that it is salt with a difference - i.e. it is unrefined - not mucked about with, processed, jazzed up, over packaged.  It has some 84 elements within it, apparently the same as is found in the human body.  These elements are in colloidal form, meaning they are small enough to be absorbed into the body, so that's a handy thing to know.  It comes from the natural waters in the Himalayas and is harvested naturally and by hand.  There are no additives (such as anti caking agents, bleaches and so on) and this explains why it is presented in such an unusual form - small pinkish coloured crystals.

The idea of us trying this out is three-fold:

• seasoning for our food; perhaps bringing a nice, new taste
• could this be a possible cure for the cramp I seem to suffer from more these days
• it's something new for us to try

We were amused to read on the packet that the "Best Before" date is April 2018.  While that is some way off right now, it does strike us as being unnecessarily precise when you take into account the packs claim of the salt "having formed over 250 million years".  So why something that old will go off in the next 4 years and 8 months is beyond me.  Mind you, whether it is actually 250 million years old depends on where you stand on the New Earth or Old Earth theories, but although that is an interesting debate, it's not for this blog.

I mentioned about cramp.  Yep I get cramp in my toes, feet and legs quite a bit these days.  The most inconvenient time is when I'm on my bicycle with my feet locked into the pedals courtesy of SPD pedals and shoes.  I tell you, that can be pretty scary at over 30mph.  Take a look at this article for the full account.

Mind you, while I'm looking forward to trying this salt out, I'm going to be careful I don't end up taking too much salt in.  No matter how good this is, too much salt can raise blood pressure which is best avoided these days for us all.

So there you go.  Some new salt which is possibly millions of years old and costs £3.99 for 500g.  It is supplied wholesale by http://www.profusionorganic.co.uk.  Whether it cures my cramp or not - we'll wait and see!

Does running help constipation?

Amongst the many benefits of running, it is helpful for constipation when combined with getting the right balance of fibre and fluids.  You can take my word for it - running does help - and believe me, you don't want me to go into the details.

Muesli with fresh raspberries 

Many people go through periods when the balance of food, fibre and fluids in the digestive system are out of balance.  When you "slow up" or even worse become "bunged up" this can give an uncomfortable feeling of being bloated.  Our modern lifestyles in the developed world do not exactly help with extended periods of inactivity (sitting in cars, at desks, in front of TVs, computers etc) and of course processed foods which lack fibre.

Fibre is also referred to as "roughage" by some people and it means the same.  Roughage is quite often the term used by elderly folk having had it drummed into them during their school days when it was essential that every child would be required to do the necessary "poo" or "bowel movement" early in the morning.  Failing to do so was a big deal.

What causes constipation?

• Eating the wrong foods.  This includes foods stripped of their natural fibre which normally helps keep your digestion moving i.e. white bread (especially the "cotton wool" type bread many supermarkets sell as their budget range), white rice, white pasta.  Over processed foods and too many dairy foods often do not help.
• Not eating enough good foods.  We need plenty of whole grains, fruit and vegetables in our diet to provide the natural bulk to keep things moving.  The Government and Public Health peeps recommend 24g of fibre each day.  Linked to that is aiming for 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day.  Believe me, eating 5 different fruit or vegetables each day should be the minimum, not the "aim" as suggested by the namby pamby Government.  I think 24g is what they think they can get away with, without scaring people off.
• Not drinking enough fluids.  Tea and coffee don't necessarily help.  Plain clean tap water should not be under valued at all - if this is your main intake then this is a good thing.  Maintaining an intake of about 6-8 tall glasses of fluids each day is not an excise to drink more beer.  Sorry about that and besides that's not good for you, so forget it.
• Some medications can also be a reason.  The Patient Information leaflet that comes with your tablets is worth reading and looking out for constipation as a possible side effect.  Medications which may caused constipation include iron tablets, some antacids and some medications which treat depression.  There are other medical causes of constipation, such as thyroid problems but these are beyond the scope of this every-day article.
• Being inactive, loafing around being a lazy couch potato is also a contributing factor.  Now of course, out jobs and indeed getting to our jobs often involve long periods of sitting around, not moving very much.  With this in mind I think it's important we build some activity into our routine (besides running) such as deliberately walking up and down some stairs during the day.  I can't help notice some of my colleagues taking the lift from one floor to the next at work.  Almost all are perfectly capable of taking the stairs but are gradually putting on weight and becoming more sluggish.

The solution

Well, the solution is easy - just address each of the above points.  Make sure you're eating the right foods, drinking enough and moving around.  

Some good anti-constipation foods;

• prunes, figs, lentils and cabbage are all excellent at keeping your digestive tract moving.  Plus they are nutritious in their own right
• brown rice, jacket potato 
• flaxseed (aka linseed) is a natural laxative
• Smoothies (all are good, especially if they include bananas)

Naturally there are plenty of others and a good diet is one which contains a very wide variety of foods.  There are so many different fruit and vegetables for us to choose from.  Fruit and vegetables which can be eaten raw also make the most of the fibre within but it is important to take in sufficient fluids.

And running is very helpful as it does naturally get the intestines moving.  Some runners complain of the "runner's trots" which as you can imagine are the opposite of constipation.  Running is such a beneficial activity; so simple and so wonderful.  So economical as sports go and one that brings many physical and mental health benefits.

Related:

My ideal breakfast
The difference between oat bran and wheat bran
Landgarten organic high fibre snacks

Ingredients for a high fibre breakfast

Healthy raw food lunch

Landgarten high fibre snacks

Yogurts; the good and the bad

I feel as if I'm about to have a Victor Meldrew-style rant here about yoghurts and the supermarkets who sell them.

On one hand, you can buy a really nice natural yoghurt from Sainsbury's in the form of their So Organic low fat variety.  It comes in smaller pots or in the 500g version that we tend to buy (at the time of writing the 500g pot costs £1.30).  It has a pleasant taste and contains the live bacteria of:

• Bifidobcaterium
• Lactobacillius acidophilius and
• Streptoccus thermophilus

Or alternatively, you could buy a slightly cheaper yoghurt with all kind of dubious ingredients in.   Frequently these contain water, plenty of it.  It contains a thickener to presumably make up for the water that has been added.  As for the rest of the ingredients, well.... ahemmm.

Yogurts are a natural product and one which is good and wholesome.  While compatible with a vegetarian diet, it's not vegan and so I know it won't be suitable for all my readers.  Broadly yogurts are made through a fermentation process where bacteria or yeast are added to to the mix and provide the fuel for the process.  These bacteria are healthy.  Healthy in the sense of maintaining a good healthy gut with the right bacteria for breaking down food as part of the digestion process.   The benefits continue with enhancing the immune system and it has been said there are other benefits of preventing various illnesses or diseases such as the effects from poor digestion, constipation and it is suggested multiple sclerosis.

Arguably the worst part are the additives to the yogurts which can include aspartame, some food colouring which can be carcinogenic and various syrup sweeteners.

Natural yogurt; perfect with fruit and home made muesli (aka gravel)

We had a debate at home, with Rachel pointing out that although the cheaper yoghurts did have the combination of water and thickeners in, these did allow the manufacturers to achieve a more consistent product.  This means excessive 'lumpiness' or 'runniness' was taken out.

With food, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is often very true.  We have choices to either buy cheap food to fill ourselves up with and these are often laden with unnecessary additives to make them taste better, last longer on the supermarket shelf or simply to allow the manufacturers to cut their own costs.

And you? Which do you prefer?

Review - Jordans breakfast multigrain bars

Jordans Breakfast Multigrain bars

If you were expecting another positive review of a snack bar where I raved on about how delicious, how scrummy and how healthy, think again.  You see, some people might expect me to like everything I am either asked to review or maybe buy myself.  These just don't hit the mark and here's the story.....

The product
Jordans breakfast bars are available in a number of High Street shops as well as Amazon.  Amongst the multitude of garbage the supermarkets sell as snack food, these are pretty good in terms of their natural ingredients and heritage.

This breakfast bar is one of a range of 11 bars, covering a variety of tastes.  The other flavours do, however, sound tempting on the face of it: maple & pecan, luxury absolute berry bar are a couple that caught my eye.   Jordans also do a range of cereals too.  This is the only one I have tried so you could, maybe, argue I haven't given them a fair view.  Have I?   We cannot deny first impressions and it is human nature to allow these initial views to influence us.

The bars are sold in boxes of six bars.  The bars are 40g each but appear bigger because of all the packaging - the plastic covering, the cardboard box.... annoying, irritating.  Why manufacturers think they can still get away with putting their products in packaging which makes them appear bigger than they real are still puzzles me.  Jordans are not alone with this - many follow this dreadfully dishonest practice.

Nutrionally they are okay.  Each bar brings you 164 calories, 3.2g protein, 12.4g sugars and 3.4g of fibre.  Of the fat 5.1g of fat just 1.1g is saturated fats.  So on paper, they're not bad.  You won't get too fat on these and they do give you a boost of energy.

The cost
£2.23 buys you a pack of 6 bars, that's 37p each.  That's okay, I guess.

What are they like?
Remember this is my own view, you might disagree and absolutely love them.  I reckon they are sticky, a bit sickly with a bit of an "after taste" - almost as if there is some nasty sweetener mixed in.  But there isn't, at all.  They do contain plenty of sugar, glucose syrup, honey and raw cane sugar: no wonder they taste so sickly!

Also, worth noting that the bars I had contained hardly any fruit.  The ingredients list "fruit and nuts" at 27%.  So with that it's hard to know exactly how much fruit to expect, could be 26% nuts and 1% fruit. Could be that my box had a mixture that wasn't typical.  Nevertheless there was hardly any fruit at all which was disappointing.

So there you go.  If you aren't too interested in the details of the ingredients and the way they are blended together and don't mind something very sweet, these will be to your liking.  They are better than many other snack foods offered by mainstream supermarkets.  For me, I won't be buying these again, sorry.  Each to their own, as they say.

The Jordan website: https://www.jordanscereals.co.uk/products