In these days of factory farming and the chemical treatment of food it is increasingly difficult to eat a healthy diet. With the advent of GM crops, even “organically grown” vegetables and grains are being compromised. News stories of the latest “food scare” are so commonplace that we do not know what is safe to eat any more.
A wide variety of common health problems can be alleviated by making simple dietary changes. At The Logos Centre the individual dietary needs and preferences are established for each client.
When people hear the word “diet” they often assume that weight loss is involved, whilst we offer several different weight loss programmes, the majority of our work involves designing diets for specific problems, for example: anti-fungal diets for candidiasis; anti-inflammatory diets for arthritis, diets for lactose intolerance, rejuvenating diets for increased energy, wrinkle and cellulite reduction, and diets for relief of menopausal symptoms.
Our aim for all our clients is to establish a healthy eating plan for life which will provide all the necessary nutrients at the optimum concentration, keep energy high and weight at a stable and healthy level. One of the most important factors is absorption of foods and of supplements. This is one of the reasons that self-medication is often unsuccessful. It does not matter how good the diet is or how potent the supplement, if it is not absorbed by the body it will not have the desired effect.
There are many factors governing the best choice of foods, we all know that fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably organically produced) are good for us, but how many of us understand the difference that the Glycemic Index value of a particular food makes to our metabolism? The Glycemic Index is the rate at which blood glucose is raised, with glucose being 100 and water 0. Suprisingly, rice which is a starchy (complex) carbohydrate has a high GI value (72), which means it raises blood glucose rapidly and fructose, fruit sugar, has a low GI value (20) which means it raises blood glucose more slowly. Generally speaking GI values of 55 and below are low and 56 to 69 medium and 70 or more high. This, however, is only part of the story, eating protein before the other food can lower the GI value. Confused? We have only just begun. Next there is the quality of protein (i. e. how usable it is) in isolation or combined with other foods, not to mention the quantity of protein in a particular food. Fats are also under the microscope, how much Omega 3 to Omega 6 are you getting, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated or saturated, cis or trans? The situation is made even worse by the differences of opinion of different nutritionists and the change in thinking brought about by new discoveries. At The Logos Centre we aim to unravel the complexities for you and provide a sensible, healthy diet which fits in with your lifestyle and enables you to enjoy life without becoming stressed by worrying about diet. Next time you are out in public, listen to the conversations, food and weight issues are becoming the new national obsession (after the weather, of course) everyone is talking about food these days and yet as a nation we have never been so overweight.
CHILDREN‘S NUTRITION
It is particularly important to ensure that the dietary needs of children are met. When treating children the greatest care must be taken to include the daily requirements for growth minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. There is so much “junk” food available now, high in sugar, salt and saturated fat and low in vitamins and minerals that children are in danger of becoming obese and suffering from associated diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease, strokes, joint problems and psychological difficulties in their teens and early twenties. These diseases were previously associated with middle-age but are now occurring earlier and earlier as our diets deteriorate.
Young children filled with sugar and food colourings are often thought to be hyperactive, dietary changes can bring about startling improvements. in well-being and behaviour. The most rewarding aspect of this is seeing the relief, for both child and parent, when a calmer, happier state is achieved.
Although healthy eating has been widely promoted for several years, 50% of women and 60% of men in the UK are overweight or obese, and the numbers are rising (www.eufic.org). The latest figures indicate that every stone overweight an individual is, is the equivalent of smoking ten cigarettes daily in terms of increased risk of heart disease and strokes.
The advice and support available at The Logos Centre is designed to maximise the physical and mental well-being of our clients. The opportunity exists for weight loss clients to have a combined programme of psychological and dietary treatment to ensure that long-term weight management is successful.
The charts on the right show easy methods of estimating your ideal weight. The BMI chart (Reproduced by permission of the copyright holder, © Health Education Authority) takes your weight in kilos and divides it by your height in metres squared, this gives you your Body Mass Index (BMI) which then shows you whether you are underweight, overweight or OK. This is a rough guide and does not take into account body shape, for example a very muscular man who is short in stature would come out as obese on the BMI chart as muscle weighs more than fat and so he would have a relatively high weight for his height. A more effective measure is the Ashwell Shape Chart (Reproduced by permission of the copyright holder, © Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE) which measures your waist to height ratio. Dr Ashwell found that excess fat around the waist is often associated with risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers.
Excess fat around the bottom, hips and thighs is less harmful to health
For further information on Nutritional Therapy contact the RNT website: www.nutritionalmed.co.uk
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