Coriander

Coriander is a plant that is very versatile to use in the kitchen. The leaves (referred to as Cilantro in the US) are delicious as a fresh herb, while the seeds, when freshly ground, add a beautiful aromatic flavour to savoury meals. For those on a Nutritionhelp yeast-free programme and needing to avoid hot spices, this seed is especially helpful as it provides mild seasoning, rather than the fiery taste of chilli and cayenne.

The green leaf is used in Indian cooking, being added at the last minute to increase colour and nutrient value to meals. When I was in India a few years ago I was introduced to fragrant coriander chutney (nothing like an English chutney!), which really is a zing for the taste-buds, and is great spread (thinly) on gluten-free buckwheat crackers or adding a couple of small ‘dobs’ on top of salad.

To make a quick coriander chutney wash 1 cup of fresh coriander leaves and place in a food processor with 1/2 inch of chopped fresh ginger, 1 or 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder. Recipes usually call for some salt, but add a very little Lo-Salt or Himalayan pink salt at the end if necessary. Blend all the ingredients, adding a few drops of water to make a smooth consistency. Check seasoning and add a little more lemon juice if required. Store in the fridge for a couple of days. That’s it!

Coriander contains some valuable nutrients which may benefit health. I have sometimes encouraged clients to increase coriander leaf in their diet to help support detoxification. While research on the effectiveness of this approach is not conclusive, it is an easy and tasty addition to the diet, so well worth trying. Danica Collins writes at Underground Health Reporter:

The leaves of the coriander plant possess remarkable detoxifying abilities. Studies have shown that cilantro binds to heavy metals in the bloodstream, thereby purifying tissues, organs, and blood. Cilantro is able to attach to metals due to its biochemical content, including citric acid, phytic acid, and amphoteric electrolytes. And then there are the added benefits of a cilantro cleanse: cilantro helps improve digestion and guards against the onslaught of free radicals that hasten aging and promote disease. A recent study showed that cilantro even purifies water!

Dr Mercola comments on some of the health benefits of coriander in a recent blog post – What is Coriander Good For?

Coriander Seeds Contain Powerful Antioxidants and Have Anxiety-Reducing Effects

Coriander seeds and herbs have been actively investigated for their beneficial properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anxiolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and anti-cancer activities, among others.³

In one study of eight herbs, coriander (as well as basil) contained the highest levels of beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and beneficial lutein and zeaxanthin.⁴

Coriander seed oil also contains up to 70 percent linalool, a terpenoid that has powerful cellular antioxidant properties and is responsible for coriander’s pleasant smell.⁵

Linalool also has sedative and anxiety-reducing properties, which explains why the seeds have also been valued for treating mild anxiety and insomnia.

 

Cilantro: Powerful Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

The leaves are also a treasure trove of beneficial flavonoids, polyphenols and phenolic acids. This includes antioxidant and anti-inflammatory kaempferol and quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevent histamine release — making quercetin-rich foods “natural antihistamines.”

Kaempferol, meanwhile, may help fight cancer and lower your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease. The phenolic acids and other nutrients in cilantro are equally impressive. As noted by ABC:⁸

“These secondary plant metabolites have attracted interest and study for their potential protective role against oxidative damage and its associated diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancers.

The leaves of the plant are high in vitamins A, K, and C, as well as calcium.”

Cilantro leaves may also help reduce pain in people with arthritis, a benefit attributed to the vitamins A and C, phenolic acids and polyphenols they contain. One phenolic component, ethanolic extract, was also shown to protect against liver damage in an animal study.⁹

For the full article and foot notes see this link

What are Goitrogens?!

A high intake of non-starchy vegetables in the diet is beneficial at so many levels. High in fibre, low in carbohydrates, packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, vegetables should form the largest part of our meals, covering at least half the plate at lunch and dinner and incorporating them into breakfast whenever possible. I think a future blog on veggie breakfast ideas is probably a good idea! It is a helpful to keep a large portion of our daily intake of vegetables raw, so we gain added benefits from the enzymes they contain. Opting to have salad at least once a day is a good start.

However, if you have a copy of Erica White’s Beat Candida Cookbook, you will have read that some of us need to be careful with raw cabbage, since this contains goitrogens. If someone is suffering with an under active thyroid gland,  the goitrogens in raw cabbage can inhibit the absorption of iodine, a mineral which is necessary for efficient thyroid activity. Because this vegetable is a cheap, year-round staple, it is easy to find that you are including raw cabbage regularly in the diet, making mayo-free coleslaw and European cabbage salad etc, and this may actually be unhelpful in your health journey. Simply blanching or lightly cooking the cabbage (and other goitrogen containing veg – see following) can break down the unhelpful compounds and make the goitrogen foods acceptable even for those with a struggling thyroid.

LAURENTINE TEN BOSCH, at Food Matters has written a helpful article on the goitrogen foods

Goitrogen isn’t really a common word thrown around in the health industry.

But once you’ve found out that you have an issue with your thyroid, they’re typically something you hear of pretty quickly. But what are they and should you avoid them?

Goitrogens are natural compounds found in certain foods that can interfere with your natural thyroid hormone production. This can lead to an enlargement of your thyroid gland, also known as a goiter.

What Do Goitrogens Do To Our Body?

The body’s metabolism and everyday functions are controlled largely by your thyroid. When your thyroid is healthy – they don’t do much at all. It’s only when your thyroid health is compromised. Goitrogens actually reduce the thyroid’s ability to produce the hormones your body uses to function normally by:

• Blocking iodine absorption into your thyroid,
• Interfering with a key enzyme that builds thyroid hormones,
• And reducing the amount of regulatory hormone that controls how much hormone your thyroid should make.

When your thyroid health is compromised, you can end up with difficulty controlling certain functions in your body, including:

• Body temperature
• Heart rate
• Calcium levels in your blood
• Protein production
• Absorption and utilisation of fats and carbohydrates that you eat

So if you have an autoimmune condition such as Hashimoto’s Disease, a goiter, or hypothyroidism, limiting your intake of goitrogens may be beneficial. But it’s highly unlikely that you will have to avoid them completely.

What Foods Contain Goitrogens?

The three main types of goitrogens – goitrins, thiocyanates, and flavanoids, are found in a variety of foods. The first two are released from the food when you eat them e.g. by slicing, chewing, or breaking down the food.

Goitrogen containing foods include:

• Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cauliflower, spinach, kale, horseradish etc
• Fruits: peaches, pears, strawberries
• Starchy vegetables and plants: Sweet potato, cassava, bamboo shoots, millet, linseed
• Soy: tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk

Should You Avoid These Foods?

Not necessarily. If you have a healthy functioning thyroid, then you don’t need to limit your intake of goitrogen containing foods. But if you do have trouble with your thyroid or have symptoms outlined above, then it would be a good idea to reduce your intake of these foods, or try these tips to minimise their effects:

• Eat a variety of foods: Not only will this help you reduce your exposure, you’ll also get a variety of nutrients boosting your health overall!
• Heat and eat your vegetables: While a mix of healthy raw foods and cooked foods make for a good balance. When you roast, steam or saute your veggies instead of eating them raw, the enzyme myrosinase gets broken down which helps to reduce the goitrogenic load of the food.
• Blanch your greens: Yep, even if you want to add them to your smoothies – it’s best to lightly blanch them first to help break down the compounds. Don’t like it like that? Freeze it after you blanch so that it’s icy cold for your drink!
• Consume foods rich in iodine and selenium: These nutrients are amazing for thyroid health and can help counter the effects of goitrogens. Find iodine in kelp, seaweed, nori, iodised salt. Selenium can be found in brazil nuts, fish, meat, sunflower seeds, portobello mushrooms and whole grain pasta.

So unless you have serious issues with your thyroid already and have a super slow metabolism as a result of this, goitrogen-containing foods are actually a nutritious part of a healthy diet and should not be removed from your diet or restricted.

Cholesterol in the Diet does not Increase Heart Disease Risk

There is so much research and so many articles being written about the benefits of healthy fats in the diet at the moment. No doubt  I will be revisiting this subject many times over the coming months. One particularly important piece of research helps to demonstrate that cholesterol in the diet is not responsible for increasing heart disease risk. Now, before you all think this is a licence to eat junk food, I need to remind you that processed, refined, high sugar foods are VERY MUCH linked to the heart disease problem (more on this in a later blog). No, this research applies to healthy ‘cholesterol’ foods, such as eggs and meat (preferably organic). This is good news for anyone on a Nutritionhelp ‘Yeast-Free’ programme, as eggs (as long as you don’t have an intolerance problem) can be a very quick and convenient food to enjoy, whether at home or out and about (e.g. M&S egg salad – without the vinegar dressing).

The report below from What Doctors Don’t Tell You, helpfully summarises some recent research into cholesterol and heart disease.

Just in case you’ve been living in a cave, a new study confirms that a high-cholesterol diet—such as eating an egg a day—doesn’t increase your risk of heart disease.

Eating fats, such as meat or eggs, won’t raise the amount of cholesterol in our body, Finnish researchers have confirmed. The diet doesn’t affect cholesterol levels even in people who have a genetic characteristic that metabolises cholesterol differently, as is the case with a number of Finnish people.

Researchers from the University of East Finland acknowledge that nutritionists no longer set a safe upper limit on the cholesterol we eat, but they weren’t sure if the same would apply to people who have inherited the APOE4 gene. Around one-third of Finnish people carry the gene, and it affects the way they process cholesterol.

They tracked the health of 1,032 Finnish men, aged between 42 and 60 and who didn’t have cardiovascular disease. Although 32 per cent of the men carried the APOE4 gene, their high-cholesterol diet—which typically included an egg a day—didn’t increase their cholesterol levels or raise their risk of coronary heart disease. Highest daily consumption of cholesterol was around 520 mg.

Although 230 men suffered a heart attack during the study’s 21 years of follow-up, none were associated with cholesterol or their diet.

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Fats and Fiction

The general diet recommendation at Nutritionhelp is to get sugar, in all its varying forms, out of the diet. In many cases, this is due to the effect sugars have on the balance of micro-organisms in the digestive tract, in particular, encouraging intestinal yeasts such as Candida albicans. However, avoiding sugar is only one aspect of the diet. It is also important to include in the diet as many nutrient-rich foods as possible. Fill your plate with an array of vegetables, supplying vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients – an easy way to increase your body’s supply of health protecting nutrients. Certain fats are also important in the diet, and more and more research is demonstrating that healthy fats are heart-protecting, rather than damaging, and sugars in the diet have a greater negative influence on cardiovascular health than previously thought. Dr Mark Hyman makes some helpful points in this article

1. Sugar, not fat, makes you fat. The average American eats 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour that converts to sugar every year. That’s nearly a pound of sugar and flour combined every day! More sugar means your cells become numb to insulin’s “call.” Your body pumps out more and more insulin to pull your blood sugar levels back down. You can’t burn all the sugar you eat. Inevitably, your body stores it as fat, creating insulin resistance and overall metabolic havoc among other mayhem
2. Dietary fat is more complex than sugar. There are some 257 names for sugar, but despite very minor variations, they all create the same damage. In other words, sugar is sugar is sugar; it all wreaks havoc on your health. Fat is more complex. We have saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and even trans fats, not to mention subcategories within each group. Some fats are good; others neutral; and yes, a few are bad.
3. Low-fat diets tend to be heart-unhealthy, high-sugar diets. When people eat less fat, they tend to eat more starch or sugar instead, and this actually increases their levels of the small, dense cholesterol that causes heart attacks. In fact, studies show 75 percent of people who end up in the emergency room with a heart attack have normal overall cholesterol levels. But what they do have is pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
4. Saturated fat is not your enemy. A review of all the research on saturated fat published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. As with all fats, quality becomes key here. The fats in a fast-food bacon feedlot cheeseburger will have an entirely different effect than saturated fat in coconut oil. Let’s stop classifying it all as the same.
5. Some fats are unhealthy. They include trans fat and inflammatory vegetable oils. Unfortunately, these fats have increased in our diet as they make us fatter and contribute to inflammation, which plays a role in nearly every chronic disease on the planet.
6. Everyone benefits from more omega 3s. About 99 percent of Americans are deficient in these critical fats. Ideal ways to get them include eating wild or sustainably raised cold-water fish (at least two servings weekly), buying omega-3 rich eggs (organic),
7. Eating fat can make you lean. Healthy cell walls made from high-quality fats are better able to metabolize insulin, which keeps blood sugar better regulated. Without proper blood sugar control, the body socks away fat for a rainy day. The right fats also increase fat burning, cut your hunger, and reduce fat storage.  Eating the right fats makes you lose weight, while eating excess sugar and the WRONG types of fat make you fat.
8. Good fats can heal. I have many diabetic patients whose health improves when I get them on diet that’s higher in fat. 
9. Your brain is about 60 percent fat. Of that percentage, the biggest portion comes from the omega-3 fat called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Your brain needs DHA to spark communication between cells. Easy access to high-quality fat boosts cognition, happiness, learning, and memory. In contrast, studies link a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids to depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
10. Your body gives you signs whether or not you are getting enough quality fat. The higher-quality the fat, the better your body will function. That’s because the body uses the fat you eat to build cell walls. You have more than 10 trillion cells in your body, and every single one of them needs high-quality fat. How do you know if your cells are getting the fats they need? Your body sends signals when it’s not getting enough good fats. Warning signs include:

• Dry, itchy, scaling, or flaking skin
• Soft, cracked, or brittle nails
• Hard earwax
• Tiny bumps on the backs of your arms or torso
• Achy, stiff joints

I eat fat with every meal, and I’ve never felt better. The right fats can improve your mood, skin, hair, and nails, while protecting you against Type 2 diabetes, dementia, cancer, and much more.

Among my favorite sources of fat include:

• Avocados

• Nuts—walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, but not peanuts (one study showed a handful of nuts a day reduced death from all causes by 20 percent) NB Emma’s note, if you are on a yeast-free programme, nuts should only be eaten freshly cracked from the shell, to reduce likelihood of unseen mould.

• Seeds—pumpkin, sesame, chia, hemp Store in the fridge to keep as fresh as possible

• Fatty fish, including sardines, mackerel, herring, and wild salmon that are rich in omega-3 fats

• Extra virgin olive oil 

• Grass-fed or sustainably raised animal products Organic whenever possible

• Extra virgin coconut butter, which is a great plant-based source of saturated fat that has many benefits.  It fuels your mitochondria, is anti-inflammatory, and  doesn’t cause problems with your cholesterol.  In fact, it may help resolve them. NB Emma’s note: If you have problems with intestinal yeast however, be careful with coconut oil for two reasons – firstly it contains 3 different fatty acids (Caprylic Acid, Capric Acid, Lauric Acid) each of which have been found to be effective against the Candida yeast. This means that if you regularly include coconut oil in your diet you may experience an increase in toxins, leading to an increase in symptoms, as yeast is killed off. Secondly, coconut oil encourages a state of ketosis, a normal metabolic process in which the body’s cells burn molecules called ketones to make energy, instead of relying on sugar or carbohydrate. While this may be hepful for weight loss it has been found that a state of ketosis can encourage intestinal yeast just as well as glucose! Therefore, coconut oil should be used sparingly by those on a yeast free diet.

Read Dr Hyman’s full article here

Free Movie on Vitamin Supplements – for 14 days

Orthomolecular News are presenting an incredibly informative documentary on the amazing results of vitamin therapy. Interviewing top medics, this is in no way ‘flakey’, but shows that this approach to medicine should not be side-lined. Make time to watch this 90 minute film – not only will you be wiser, but also motivated to support health nutritionally. Happy watching! Click here to view – www.ThatVitaminMovie.com

Happy Christmas from Nutritionhelp

As another year draws to a close many of us look back on the past 12 months and take stock of where we are – work, finance, family, hobbies, etc. This assessment invariably also includes our health. So often I hear people talking about various symptoms they are struggling with as though they are automatically part of the ageing process. However, if you are prepared to make some dietary changes you may well find that the New Year sees a change in your health pattern. Joint problems, skin conditions, headaches, hormonal-related issues, fatigue, muscle ache, depression, blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, can all benefit from a tailor-made nutritional programme. If you have been wondering what to do to support your health, why not make 2016 a year to take nutrition into consideration?

Nutritionhelp offers tailor-made online reports with the option of having telephone or Skype contact with me to help you apply your Nutritionhelp recommendations. Maybe you have a loved one who has been struggling with poor health – CFS/ME, an eating disorder, frequent migraines or Fibromyalgia. Why not consider a last minute Christmas gift of a Nutritionhelp report – a gift that goes on into the New Year.

Nutrition doesn’t supply a magic wand, but making changes to the way we eat and adding nutritional supplementation, such as vitamins and minerals to ensure the body is receiving what it needs, forms a good basis of support, which for many clients can be life-transforming. For others, encouraging health can take more determination, and my role as a Nutritional Therapist becomes more like that of a detective – to find what might be holding back good health, such as allergies, detoxification, or adrenal fatigue.

So, whether you are a client who has seen wonderful encouragement this past year, a client who has seen improvement but still has a away to go, or whether you are just beginning to think about supporting your health nutritionally, we all at Nutritionhelp would like to wish you a very happy Christmas, and a healthy New Year.

Christmas Gift Idea!

For those of you who are struggling to find the perfect Christmas gift for ‘Someone who has Everything’, here is an idea which I have only just come across. It is the ‘Spiralizer’! Now, I have not got one, and I don’t know how well it works, but the idea is fantastic! A Spiralizer is a hand held gadget that cuts veggies into spiral strands, making a perfect alternative to pasta, or adding interest to salads. If it is hard getting vegetables into picky eaters (and I know that this doesn’t only apply to children!) this is an easy way to disguise vegetables, along with, or in place of, spaghetti.

For those of you who are reducing weight, this is a helpful way to increase vegetable consumption. In my weight loss appointments I encourage clients to fill half the plate with veg, just over a quarter  of the plate with protein (fish, chicken, eggs, pulses) and just under a quarter of the plate with whole grains (such as quinoa, buckwheat or wholegrain rice, or the more starchy vegetables, such as parsnips, butternut squash or sweet potato). For most people this is a complete ‘about change’, moving from a predominantly carbohydrate- based meal (e.g. a plate covered with rice or spaghetti with some sauce on top) to a vegetable-based meal. Using a Spiralizer may make such a transition more helpful. Vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all helpful for supporting and maintaining health. For those of us who already feast on veggies this gadget may provide an interesting addition to the textures on the plate.

Clients who are working to support gut ecology might find the Spiralizer helps to add variety in serving vegetables – both cooked and raw, particularly benficial as you increase vegetable intake to replace fruit in the diet.

I am afraid I have no idea how well this little gadget works, but I thought the discovery of this kitchen equipment was too good not to share! Amazon has several versions, starting at £6.99, going up to £17.00. I just may be getting one with any Christmas money that comes my way! I’ll let you know how I get on!

Red Meat and Cancer? Really?

Once again the media has hit us with headlines which make us question the food we are eating. I am all for rethinking the content of our diets, we should reduce or avoid sugars, refined grains and pre-packed meals. But what should we think of this latest ‘hit’ from the media, warning us of the perils of eating red meat and processed or cured meat?

As far as Nutritionhelp recommendations are concerned, we actually need to consider red meat and cured meats separately. Cured meats should be avoided if you are on a diet to balance intestinal microbes. Cured and fermented foods can encourage an overgrowth of intestinal yeasts, such as Candida albicans, so while on the Nutritionhelp yeast-free programme these should be avoided.

Organic red meat however, is loaded with a number of essential vitamins and minerals, and has been a key food for millennia. Is it really as bad as the media would have us believe? An article by Chris Kresser helpfully pulls together research to help build a more accurate and less sensational picture of how red meat might fit into a healthy diet. He discusses the fact that it is impossible to monitor the effect of red meat consumption, since other foods are also being eaten alongside red meat – typically white bread-rolls, chips, and large fizzy drinks. Mmmmm – I wonder what the real issue is in those diets! Along with this, microbes in the gut are frequently out of balance, and this is being researched as a possible factor in the cancer link. Nutritionhelp protocols will recommend beneficial bacteria to support the gut microbiome. Not only does this help in the battle against intestinal yeast but has been shown to encourage health generally.

For some of our clients – particularly those who are working to support arthritis, red meat may increase the joint discomfort – and this is where the nutritional  approach has to be shaped for each individual. However, in general, including some organic red meat in the diet is not a problem. An extract from Chris Kresser helps explain why:

Let’s consider red meat. Regardless of whether consuming fresh and/or processed red meat is unhealthy, it has certainly been perceived that way for the past half-century in the industrialized world. What this means is that people in observational studies that eat more red meat also have a tendency to smoke and drink more, eat fewer fresh fruits and vegetables, exercise less, and engage in other unhealthy behaviors that could influence cancer risk. This isn’t just speculation; it has been shown in numerous studies.

For example, most Americans that eat red meat eat it with a huge bun made of white flour, with a serving or more of other refined carbohydrates (chips, fries, soda) cooked in rancid, industrially processed vegetable or seed oils. How do we know that it’s the red meat—and not these other foods—that is causing the increase in cancer?

The better observational studies attempt to eliminate the influence of these other factors, but in practice that is difficult if not impossible.

What’s more, there are certain factors that are likely to play a significant role in the relationship between any food that we eat and cancer, but to my knowledge, have never been adequately controlled for in any study.

One of these is the gut microbiome. Previous work has shown that the composition of the gut microbiota may directly affect the influence of dietary factors on cancer risk.

For example, Streptococcus bovis, Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, Clostridia, and Helicobacter pylori have been implicated in tumor development, whereas Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. plantarum, and Bifidobacterium longum have been shown to inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Other studies have found that certain species of bacteria were higher in populations with high colon cancer risk, while other species were higher in populations with low colon cancer risk. Finally, a recent paper compared the gut microbiota of 60 patients with colorectal cancer with that of 119 normal controls. The patients with cancer had significant elevations of Bacteroides/Prevotella (both species that are recognized as potentially harmful) when compared to the control group, and the difference was not affected by general patient characteristics (e.g., age, body mass index, family history of cancer), tumor size or location, or disease stage.

We still have a lot to learn about the influence of the microbiome on health and disease, but we know enough already to conclude that it is significant. It is possible—and I would argue likely—then, that the variability we see in studies showing an association between red meat consumption and cancer may be in part due to the status of the patient’s microbiome.

In other words, a patient with a dysbiotic (i.e., compromised) microbiome may be at increased risk for cancer if he or she consumes high amounts of either fresh or processed red meat. But a patient with a normal, healthy microbiome may not be…

To read the full article with references go to Chriskresser.com

More About Sweet Potatoes!

Last week I wrote about the benefit of including some carbohydrate foods in the diet while working to support the balance of microbes in the digestive tract.

Sweet potatoes fall into this carbohydrate category as a more starchy vegetable, and with the weather beginning to become more autumnal, it is a wonderfully warming and satisfying food. One way that I like to use sweet potato is to roast it in a little extra virgin olive oil (keeping temperatures below 180 degrees Celsius) and then tossing it into a salad. This transforms the salad into a warming meal  and adds a different flavour and texture to complement green leaves. I also like to pre-bake tomatoes – either wedges or mini tomatoes cut in halves, and then add to salad leaves, as these too add a depth of flavour to bring change to a winter salad.

Last week I posted the first half of an article by Food Matters which talked about some benefits of Sweet Potatoes. The article continues below:

7. They Won’t Spike Your Blood Sugar

Unlike refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, candy and other sweets. Sweet potatoes are low on the glycemic index, slowly releasing their natural sugars into the blood stream. So you won’t go on a sugar-induced rollercoaster. This helps to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy for the body, reducing fatigue during the day and excessive hunger pangs.

8. They’re Loaded With Antioxidants

That rich orange color is a sign that they’re high in carotenoids, a type of antioxidant, that are the precursors to vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A is essential for healthy eyes, a boosted immunity, and protects you against the effects of aging. They’re also powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer! Studies at Harvard University of more than 124,000 people showed a 32 percent reduction in risk of lung cancer in people who consumed a variety of carotenoid-rich foods as part of their regular diet. Another study of women who had completed treatment for early-stage breast cancer conducted by researchers at Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) found that women with the highest blood concentrations of carotenoids had the least likelihood of cancer recurrence. So impressive!

9.  You Can Eat Them In Many Ways

They’re one of the simplest foods to cook and incredibly versatile. You can roast them, puree them, steam, bake or grill them. Add them to stews, soups, salads, and even desserts! Regardless of how you have them, add a little fat/oil to get the most nutrients.

10. They’re Anti-Inflammatory

Anthocyanin and other color-related pigments in sweet potato are equally valuable for their anti-inflammatory health benefits.

11. They Support Healthy Wound Healing

The plant nutrients in sweet potato impact fibrinogen in the body. Fibrinogen is one of the key glycoproteins in the body that is required for successful blood clotting. With the help of a coagulation factor called thrombin, fibrinogen gets converted into fibrin during the blood clotting process. Balanced amounts of fibrinogen, thrombin and fibrin are a key part of the body’s health and its ability to close off wounds and stop loss of blood!

12. Spuds With Anti-Bacterial Properties!

In sweet potatoes, researchers have long been aware of one group of resin glycosides called batatins (including batatin I and batatin II). But only recently have researchers discovered a related group of glycosides in sweet potato called batatosides (including batatodide III, batatoside IV, and batatoside V). In lab studies, most of these sweet potato glycosides have been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Cool, right?! We’re excited to see what else this line of research discovers about this impressive yet humble root vegetable!

Sweet Potatoes and Candida

Erica White’s Beat Candida Cookbook helpfully outlines Nutritionhelp’s basic approach to working with Candida albicans with the Four-Point-Plan which she developed. In all the years of practice, we have found that it is only when these four points are fully followed that encouragement may be see. The four points consist of:

1. Starving any intestinal yeast with an appropriate diet
2. Supporting the immune system with a tailor-made supplement programme
3. Working to bring intestinal yeast under control with specific nutritional supplements
4. Encouraging beneficial bacteria with probiotics

Nutritionhelp’s dietary advice in point one will take each individual’s needs into consideration, and this is where phone-call time with me may be of benefit. Within a phone call we can talk through progress and developments and adapt dietary recommendations accordingly. How much whole grain can be consumed will vary from client to client, likewise some will do incredibly well on the diet and still consume unrefined gluten grains, where others find they are best avoiding gluten. Many people come to us having seen diets which advocate avoiding all high carbohydrate vegetables and all grains, thinking that this will starve intestinal yeast more effectively. However, this needs to be cautioned as research is showing that ketosis – the metabolic process of breaking down fats for energy that occurs when the body does not have enough glucose – is more effective at feeding Candida albicans than even glucose! For this reason it is important, at the very least, to keep some higher carbohydrate vegetables in the diet, such as carrot and sweet potato, to prevent the body going into ketosis and continuing to feed intestinal yeast.

With this in mind I have added below the first half of a recent article by Food Matters, looking at some of the benefits and uses of the sweet potato. This really is a versatile and helpful food for anyone following Nutritionhelp’s protocol to support gut ecology. Next week I will post the remainder of the article.

12 REASONS WHY SWEET POTATO IS SO GOOD FOR YOU

1.  Helps To Keep Disease At Bay

Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin B6. A vitamin which helps to reduce the chemical homocysteine in your body. High homocysteine levels have been linked to degenerative diseases including heart attacks.

2. They Are A Good Source of Vitamin C

That orange color isn’t just for show! These brightly colored spuds are packed with vitamin C, offering support for your immune system, bones and teeth, digestion and blood cell formation. It also helps to accelerate wound healing and improves the appearance of your skin by producing collagen.

3.  Supports Your Bones

It’s not something we’d typically assume, but sweet potatoes contain small amounts of Vitamin D. A nutrient that helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, as well as support the thyroid gland. 100g of sweet potato also contains 33mg of calcium, a critical component of a healthy skeletal system!

4.  Boosts Your Energy
A source of slow-releasing carbohydrates, sweet potatoes provide us with sustained energy. But they also contain iron! You may be aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper im­mune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

5.  De-Stress With These Sweet Spuds

A good source of magnesium, sweet potatoes can help you to relax and de-stress. It’s also necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function. Yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the popula­tion in North America may be deficient in this important mineral!

6.  Supports Your Heart And Kidneys

This tuber contains potassium, an essential electrolyte that helps to regulate your heartbeat and nerve signaling, whilst supporting healthy blood pressure. Potassium also helps to relax muscle contractions, reduce swelling, and protect and control the activity of your kidneys.