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01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree
NHS Smokefree
Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.
01 Aug - 01 Oct
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NHS Summer Health
Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more
01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life
Change for Life
Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

Life Style

Essentials of a healthy diet
  • Start with a basis of plenty of fruit and vegetables 5 portions should just be the beginning! Aim to have a variety and include green leafy vegetables, broccoli, onions, garlic and leeks, berries (the darker the better!), not too much as fruit juice and not too many bananas. Potatoes should not be one of your portions!
  • Keep your blood sugar levels as constant as possible. This can be done by eating small frequent meals and by choosing to eat more ‘complex’ carbohydrates. You will feel better, have more energy and loose weight! Look for low Glycaemic (GI) or low Glycaemic load (GL) foods.
  • This means more oats, whole grains, pulses (beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas) brown rice rather than white. Wholemeal bread not white.
  • Make sure you have enough essential fatty acids in your diet by eating oily fish 2 - 3 x a week or supplementing with fish oil capsules 1,000mg DHA/EPA a day.
  • Use healthy oils for salad dressings eg olive oil or as an additional source of omega 3 cold pressed flax oil but keep this in the fridge and out of direct light.
  • Have sufficient phospholipids. These are found in eggs, virgin oils, and organ meats such as liver. Phosphatidyl choline and serine are the two most important. Another good source is lecithin (5g a day)
  • Try to eat seeds and nuts regularly, again a variety. You can use these for snacks, mix them in with yoghurts and salads and even add them to your cooking.
  • Ensure you drink your 2 litres (8 glasses) of water a day, probably worth filtering if you can.

What you should try to reduce 
  • Saturated fats. These are fats that are solid or almost so at room temperature. Full fat cheeses, butter, cream, lard, fat on meat and margerine.
  • Be careful how you use oils and fats in cooking. If you are frying do not overheat the oil and try to use olive or rapeseed oil and never re-use the oil. 
  • Try to cut down on refined carbohydrates particularly sugar and products made with white flour eg white bread, cakes, biscuits. Again check labels for hidden ingredients. 
  • White rice should also be switched to brown or wild rice, you will gain vitamins and minerals and digest these more slowly keeping your sugar levels more constant. 
  • If you eat a lot of meat try to cut this down in particular processed meats such as bacon, salami and smoked meats. 
  • Tea, coffee and other stimulant drinks, just don’t overdo it! 
 
What to avoid 
  • Artificial sweeteners and flavourings such as Aspartame and Monosodium Glutamate there are a lot of concerns about the possible effects of these with links to behaviour problems and learning difficulties in children, Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease to mention only a few. (Aspartame breaks down to Methanol, Formic Acid and Formaldehyde in the body!) These substances are a particular problem for the young and elderly.
  • Trans fats or hydrolysed fats. These are fats altered by cooking and are used to add shelf life and flavour to foods but are seriously bad for our health. High levels often in biscuits and cakes, many margarines and lots of processed foods.
 
Useful Books
  •     Health Defense Dr Paul Clayton
  •     After Atkins Dr Paul Clayton
  •     New Optimum Nutrition Bible Patrick Holford
  •     Beating Cancer with Nutrition Patrick Quillin

Usefull Life Style Links