Nutrition

Here are some useful lifestyle and nutrition tips that I recommend you apply to your day to day life to keep your keep your bowels regular, prevent bloating, maintain a healthy digestive system and keep your immune system boosted.

What should I do following my treatment?

  • Drink 2 litres of water every day
  • Do not eat and drink at the same time as this causes bloating and indigestion.
  • You can drink 30 minutes before or after eating.
  • Take 1-2 probiotic capsules every morning (you can purchase these at the clinic and they should be kept in the fridge) with cold/room temperature water on an empty stomach.,
  • Soak 1 tablespoon of Chia Seeds or Golden Linseeds in a glass of water overnight and drink the water and chew and eat the seeds the following morning.
  • Lunch and Dinner should be 70% vegetables or salad with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and always include something Green, eg: courgette, asparagus, chicory, kale, chard, okra, watercress, avocado, garden peas, mangetout, brocolli, lettuce, rocket, parsley, fennel, celery, cucumber.
  • Always sit on the toilet with your feet up on a bin/stool as the modern toilet is too high. Raising your knees above your hips encourages a more complete bowel movement.
  • Put your fork down between every mouthful and chew 20 times so that you release enzymes to fully break down your food to prevent bloating and ensure you absorb your nutrients.

The Problem with Wheat

vegatables-fork

The problem with wheat is that the modern strains of wheat have been altered to contain more and more gluten over the years to make it cheaper to produce more bread more cheaply.

So if you are eating wheat cereals or toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner and perhaps snacking on biscuits, cake and pizza, you may be consuming wheat that is high in gluten 3 to 5 times every day.

Consuming this much wheat can lead to a food intolerance which can include excessive wind, bloating, constipation, skin conditions and mood swings and a stabbing pain on your right hand side where your ileo caecal valve lies.

To prevent developing an intolerance to wheat, try eating it only every 3rd or 4th day.

If you suspect you already have a food intolerance to wheat, avoid it for 12 weeks to allow the gut to heal, then you can reintroduce it, eating it only every 3rd or 4th day.

Carbohydrate alternatives to Wheat

Bread and Dairy products may be part of your everyday diet but are they really that good for you and what are the alternatives?

  • Root vegetables such as Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash and Baby potatoes
  • Quinoa
  • Buckwheat
  • Millet
  • Amaranth seeds
  • Brown Rice
  • Teff
  • Oats
  • Rye
  • Barley
  • Spelt, an ancient form of wheat which contains low amounts of gluten
  • Kamut, this also contains low amounts of gluten
  • Oats, Rye, Barley, Spelt and Kamut do contain gluten so they should still be eaten in rotation, every 3-4 days, to avoid developing a food intolerance to gluten.

Variety is the spice of life!

The Problem with Milk

Goat and Sheep instead of Cow's Milk

Goat and Sheep's milk is less likely to contain synthetic hormones and additives as they are not so intensively farmed liked cow's milk.

Goat and Sheep milk is the easiest to digest as their milk proteins are the most similar to the protein found in human milk.

For this reason they are less likely to give you problems caused by cow's milk such as diarrhoea, gas, acne and eczema.

So choose Goat and Sheeps products (including goat and sheep yoghurt and kefir) instead of cow's products

Rice, Almond or Coconut milk instead of Soya Milk

Some people do not have the enzymes present in their bodies to digest any dairy at all and in these cases I recommend rice milk, coconut milk or almond milk as a dairy free option.

I do not recommend Soya milk as unfermented Soya is linked to breast cancer, thyroid disorders, food allergies and reduced fertility.

Almond milk is very nutritious if you make it yourself as it also contains protein. However Almond milk in the shops is often full of sugar.

How to make Almond milk at home.

So choose home made Almond milk instead of Soya milk