by Sal Prothero | 16, May, 2018 | Blog
How the online world is affecting our health
You might think that health and well-being is all about diet. It is up to a point but our lifestyles are equally important. For us to eat well, we need to feel stable and calm. If we’re super stressed or if we’re catching up with social media all the time, we don’t have time to plan and think about what we’re eating. Planning is the key to healthy eating. Being emotionally stable is also key to healthy eating. You know that feeling when it gets to late afternoon and you eat because you’re really tired/stressed or bored. Or you’ve had a bad day at work and you reach for the block of chocolate or a couple of glasses of wine when you get home. We’re creatures of habit so we eat what we’ve always eaten because we feel good. But what if those foods aren’t serving us well? We start to feel unwell. I’ve been there. I couldn’t imagine my life without bread and pasta but I knew I felt better by reducing these foods. To make changes, we have to be ready, we have to want to make changes and we have to be less stressed.
DISTRACTION – for me, this word sums up 2018. We’re distracted with everything online – social media, emails, messaging and gaming for some. Everywhere we go, people have their heads buried in their smart phones. People are talking less and less to each other. In the UK, recent research indicates that loneliness may be the next biggest public health issue on par with obesity and substance abuse. Changes in modern society are considered to be the cause and one of the reasons is our growing reliance on social technology rather than face to face interaction. It means we feel less connected to others and our relationships are becoming more superficial and less rewarding (Dr Rebecca Harris 2015).
Nutrition
So what has all this got to do with nutrition or health? When we’re not distracted, we’re more mindful. This means sitting down at a table and focusing on what we’re actually eating. It also means focusing on chewing our food well. When we’re eating on the go or eating checking emails, we’re not nourishing our mind and body. Our digestive system doesn’t work well under these conditions. It works well when we eat slowly, when we’re not stressed, when we’re not in a rush and we’re not distracted with technology.
Going ‘screen free’
Recently, I’ve been emerging now and then from the online world and the stress of each day and practising mindfulness. ‘What am I doing?’ and ‘Who am I?’ are a few of the questions I ask myself. I finally realized that my family is driven by technology and losing the art of communication. Where there’s technology, there are wires, lights, boxes, flashing lights, iPad’s pinging, you get the idea. We can’t escape! Sometimes my 13 year old forgets to eat when he is so engrossed in a video game. I decided we had to do something about it. We now have two ‘screen free’ Sundays each month where each person chooses what we do. So far, it’s working really well and I even get to have a proper conversation with my 13 year old! I have to admit, even I found it hard at first as I had become so reliant on checking my ‘screens’.
I have a love/hate relationship with the online world. Who doesn’t like being connected, finding out information immediately and seeing what my friends are doing on the other side of the world. But there’s a dark side. A group of tech experts who used to work at companies like Facebook have founded an organization to raise awareness about what they believe are the negative effects of social media and technology on society. They starting a campaign called The Truth About Tech and are especially worried about the effects of unchecked tech use and social media on children. This is a step in the right direction.
Next time you reach for your ‘screen’, look up at the sky, observe the trees or listen to the birds. Let me know if you feel any different.
If you’d like to find out more ideas on how to have ‘screen free’ days, head over to my Facebook page (link at top of website).
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by Sal Prothero | 16, May, 2018 | Blog
Warm Immune Boosting Tea
It’s getting colder here in Melbourne and now is the time for sniffles and colds. A sore throat is a reminder to slow down and look after yourselves so why not make this tea to warm you up and at the same time, it’s packed full of anti-inflammatory foods to give you a boost.
- 375ml hot water
- 1cm ginger, grated
- 2 cloves
- 1 clove of garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ red chilli (optional)
- 1tsp raw/manuka honey
Place ginger, cloves, garlic and chilli in mug and add hot water. Leave for 5 minutes, strain, then add lemon juice and honey. Sip and feel better.
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by Sal Prothero | 16, Apr, 2018 | Blog
Living with anxiety in the family
My 16 year old daughter is a beautiful caring, articulate, creative and adventurous person. She still is that person but we don’t get to see it often because social anxiety has wrapped her up in glad wrap and she can’t escape. This stops her from going to school, making friends, attending parties, getting a part-time job. Normal activities for a teenager.
At primary school, she was happy, carefree and had friends. She was always a person who stuck by my side and over the years, became more and more anxious about little things. That was nothing compared to now.
Today, she is so gripped with anxiety that full time school is too hard for her. She attends school twice a week but even this is too challenging. She often says ‘You don’t understand’. Well, I don’t have severe anxiety and my school life was very different so I don’t fully understand but I can empathise and listen and support her and that’s all I can do. When I was at school all those years ago, it was a different world. No smart phones, no iPads, no laptops, no internet, no social media, no judgement and less pressure. I’m not the most technological person but new technology is a good thing. We can find anything we want on Google. Previously, we had to go to the library to look up research for assignments. That sounds so old fashioned now! In my opinion, social media for adolescents has ruined the idea of what ‘natural’ looks like. My daughter sees these ‘perfect’ people – perfect skin, perfect hair and a perfect life which adds fuel to the anxiety.
Being a parent of a teenager is challenging enough. Anxiety in the family feels like being on a rollercoaster you can’t get off. We have good days and bad days. The good days are fantastic where I see my real daughter for who she is. The bad days are filled with work load, acne, lack of friends, injustices in the world, lack of appetite, what to eat, low mood, etc. It can be a lonely place for all of us.
As a Nutritionist, my first response is ‘What have you eaten today?’ What we eat has a profound effect on how we feel but stress also has a negative impact on the body. As a teenager, it’s challenging to eat well most of the time. She is also a vegetarian which is a fantastic way of eating but she’s very particular about the foods she eats and lacks protein, veggies etc. I worry about her long term health as she’s still growing.
Both anxiety and her diet lacking in sufficient nutrients has affected her health. Her hormones are out of whack, her gut health is out of whack and her acne makes her more stressed. I realise that it can be challenging to eat well and take supplements daily but the benefits far outweigh the negative. It’s not a quick fix, sometimes it can take months and months but it’s definitely worth it.
I wanted to share my story, not only to highlight the challenges of mental health but to also highlight that a Nutritionist’s life is not perfect! I’m a real person going through what some of you may be going through. Self-care is so important for everyone but as a parent, the emphasis is even greater. How can we look after our kids well if we’re not well ourselves? Go out and get a massage, a facial, a long walk, read a book – whatever YOU want to do. Don’t feel guilty, just do it.
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by Sal Prothero | 17, Mar, 2018 | Recipes
Stumped for a healthy snack or breakfast option? Smoothies are a great way to get more green veggies into your diet and allows you to ‘hide’ anything extra in there too, such as chia seeds or extra spinach – especially if the kids are being fussy.
My daughter makes a delicious smoothie when she needs something easy to make. The great thing about Yasmin’s smoothie is that she limits how much fruit she adds in to it. I often find that people are putting too much fruit into their smoothies, making them over sweet and not ideal for their gut. Ideally you want to limit a smoothie to the equivalent of just one piece of fruit – Yasmin’s is half a banana and half a cup of berries.
This smoothie is also full of prebiotic and probiotic bacteria, which is amazing for your gut. Probiotics are essential for our gut health because they nourish existing healthy bacteria as well as replacing healthy bacteria that has been destroyed.
If you’re not a smoothie kind of person, you should definitely check out other probiotic full snacks.
- Apple (with skin) or banana with 2 tbsp of plain natural full fat yoghurt
- Energy ball with chia seeds
- Homemade kombucha
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
If you are a smoothie person, check out the recipe that my daughter has put together. Just chuck it all into a good blender and you are good to go!
- 200ml liquid of your choice
- ½ cup of frozen mixed berries
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (good quality)
- 2 tbsp plain natural yoghurt or kefir (coconut kefir if dairy free)
by Sal Prothero | 14, Mar, 2018 | Blog
Are you eating right for your thyroid?
Our thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate body and brain growth and development, body temperature, energy levels and metabolic functions.
Thyroid dysfunction is becoming increasingly common. Many of us don’t even know that we may have a problem with our thyroid. There are so many factors contributing to a dysfunction in thyroid health and there are also too many signs and symptoms to mention here but some signs of low thyroid (hypothyroidism) are:
- Fatigue and lethargy
- Cold intolerance
- Weight gain
- Constipation
- Muscle aches and pains
- Dry, flaky skin
- Depression
- Menstrual disorders
How nutrients from your diet play a huge role in a healthy thyroid
The ‘big’ ones
Iodine
We often overlook the importance of iodine in our diet. Without iodine, we wouldn’t be able to produce thyroid hormones. Foods include:
Shellfish (including oysters), fish, seaweed, iodised sea salt, garlic, asparagus
Selenium
Another overlooked mineral, selenium converts the hormone T4 to T3. Foods include:
Brazil nuts, eggs, fish, meat, wholegrains, seeds
Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid which produces thyroid hormones. Another reason why eating enough protein is so important. Foods include:
Meat, cheese, nuts, seeds, dairy, legumes, banana, avocado
Zinc
Zinc isn’t only important in immune health, it is an important co-factor for T4 and T3 production. Plant based diets are often low in zinc and chronic stress leads to a deficiency.
Foods include:
Meat, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, legumes, eggs
The ‘still important’ ones
Iron – meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, green leafy veggies, wheat germ
Vitamin E – almonds, hazelnuts, avocado, beef, sweet potato
Vitamin A – apricots, butter, eggs, green leafy veggies, avocado, carrots, sweet potato
Vitamin D – oily fish, eggs, mushrooms, sunshine
Vitamin B’s – meat, fish, veggies, bananas, eggs, dairy, legumes
Magnesium – nuts, seeds, green leafy veg, cacao, legumes, wholegrains
What to watch out for
Goitrogens
Goitrogens may block the uptake and utilisation of iodine. Goitrogens include veggies from the cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collards and mustard greens, radishes, kale, turnips, watercress, spinach, bok choy.
Soy
Soy has a goitrogenic effect. Soy-based infant formulas have been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune thyroid disease and diabetes when compared with breast-fed infants. Soy protein formulas have been found to increase the need for thyroxine medication. It may also cause decreased genetic expression of the enzymes needed to produce thyroid hormones. If you have hypothyroidism, it’s best to avoid.
Phytates
These are antioxidant compounds found in whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They can bind to certain dietary minerals including iron, zinc and slow their absorption.
You need to be eating a huge amount of these foods to have an effect. Soaking these foods reduces the amount of phytates.
If you’re not eating many of these foods, start now. If you think you may have hypothyroid or a thyroid condition, get it checked out.
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