Recently, Reuters Health released a short note on a research in America which seems to show that diets lower in carbohydrates and relative high in fat could increase LDL cholesterol.

The study investigated the effects of two different diets on 32 obese participants over a six week period. Both groups achieved an average weight loss of 6kg but the group which consumed only 20g carbohydrate or less a day was found to have significantly increased LDL cholesterol levels. The group consuming a high carbohydrate diet with about 55% calories coming from carbohydrates on the other hand decreased their LDL cholesterol levels significantly and most importantly had cholesterol levels within the healthy range after the intervention.

Having had a particular busy working week and moreover noticing my scale has moved towards the wrong side of the screen made me wonder: Could it be that increased workloads and job related stress actually hinder weight loss and increase my body fat?

My diet hasn’t been too bad this week although I must admit I felt less able to decide consciously which foods would be good for me and when to stop eating. Moreover as I have been so very busy and literately ran from A to B, I thought I should have rather lost weight than gaining it. Additionally not sleeping long enough should have also kept my metabolism running on higher levels for longer and avoid any weight gains from extra treats I felt more inclined to deserve. Yet the end of the week tells a different story, but feeling and acting this way is no real clue that job stress could really increase your waistline. So I thought I must investigate this and indeed I found a study I read a while ago which did an investigation on this topic.

Breakfast is for some people the greatest meal of the day and for others a daunting early morning experience. Research over the last decades mostly on children has underpinned what our grandmothers told us back in the days.

Breakfast might the most important meal of the day. People skipping breakfast rarely meet their recommended intakes of complex carbohydrates, fibre and fruit and vegetables. Their overall micronutrient intake is also significantly lower than the micronutrient intake of breakfast eaters. So people enjoying breakfast on most days do much better on meeting government recommendations for fibre, fruit and vegetable and micronutrient intakes and are commonly found to have lower average BMI’s.

After years of protein rich Atkins type diets advertised by the media and diet doctors, many nutritionists seem to focus their advice onto carbohydrate rich diets. Yet they are not talking about increasing the amount of sugar which belongs to the group of carbohydrates they are advising us to increase fibre intakes and ever more food companies create cereals, breads and other products which claim to be high in fibre or to be whole grain.

Fibre is part of the large group of carbohydrates and is a complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are starches and fibres, whereas sugars such as sucrose (white sugar) or fructose are simple carbohydrates. The major difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is that simple carbohydrates are easily digested and broken down by your body whereas complex carbohydrates are more difficult to be digested and some cannot be digested at all.

The NHS advocates that making positive changes to your diet during menopause can be beneficial and help you cope with the changes you are facing during this time of hormonal transition.

Menopause is a normal physiological process that occurs when the women’s body progressively stops producing oestrogen in the ovaries usually after the age of 40. It takes about 10-15 years until periods cease and no more egg follicles are produced. Such a prolonged physical change would in theory not cause major problems however many women face serious side effects which interrupt their lives. Common side effects are hot flushes, mood swings and depression, loss of memory, increased frequency of headaches and migraines, vaginal dryness and reduced libido as well as struggle to maintain weight.

Most people will generally agree that exercise will aid a great deal if you are set to shed pounds. Yet only about 39% of men and 29% of women achieve the recommended exercise levels according to self reports in the UK. Hence in some way it might not matter as much what type of exercise [...]

Cholesterol is probably the one nutrient in the media which is most commonly mentioned in respect to heart disease. Many of us have relatives who suffered from heart disease and therefore many people worry about too high cholesterol levels in their blood.

Cholesterol however is an important fat in our body which has many functions and is found in all cells of the body. Cholesterol for example is a building block for many hormones, helps to produce certain vitamins and takes an important role in bile production. Although cholesterol is found in foods such as egg yolks, butter, fatty meat products, seafood (especially shellfish) and dairy products, food is not the major source of cholesterol in our body.

The last taste discovered by scientists umami is still relatively unknown to most Western people and that although its chicken stock like taste is rather common to us. ‘Umami’ means deliciousness and people eating products flavoured with ‘umami’ often describe their feeling while biting into the particular food mouth watering and meaty. This taste is closely connected to particular amino acids such as glutamic acid and has been used as a flavour enhancer in form of MSG (mono sodium glutamate) for several decades now.

For many people eating foods rich in fats such as cream, cheese, chocolate or minced meat, the sensation of mouth watering also describes best how they feel about enjoying these foods. Looking into the current Western diet it becomes obvious that people enjoy eating fatty foods. In addition to that most chefs know that fats are particular useful in enhancing and transporting flavours in their dishes.

My goals were weight loss and to improve overall general fitness – after 6 months with Graciella I achieved this and so much more.

Having a personal trainer was very convenient and flexible around times and days. By training at home I could focus my time and energy on my goals with no travelling to or from the gym (at the mercy of public transport) with a heavy bag and the issue of when and where to shower.

The added benefit of having ongoing nutrition consultation meant that I could make workable long-term changes to my diet. I hadn’t appreciated how much a role diet, frequency of eating and portion size can play in maintaining energy levels throughout the day.

You often hear that people tend to give up exercising after the first session of their planned fitness programme. The main reason behind this is due to the excruciating pain or injury experienced after exercising.
Most injuries are often traced back to bad workout habits which are common mistakes associated with common exercise. It [...]