Candida Albicans is a problem that affects an estimated 65% of the western world. When I weighed 25 stone and I traced the time line from childhood to my 30’s and 40’s it was evident that my weight problems began at the age of 11 after several courses of anti-biotics for tonsil infections and subsequent removal. Three months later I was a fat child. Candida is one of those airy fairy conditions that many doctors dismissed as being alternative mumbo jumbo and it is only really in the last ten years that it has been taken seriously. Unfortunately it is also a rather convenient label to attach to most illnesses because there are so many symptoms associated with it. You have to be careful not to use it as a convenient culprit and make sure that you take a detailed history from the client.

I have to say that having worked with over 2000 clients in the last 15 years that most of those who were suffering from persistent obesity – the kind that seems not to want to shift- also present with at least 75% of the most common symptoms.

I am finding that there is a similar story when working with clients with fertility problems, particularly if they have had eating disorders in the teen years where they have starved their bodies of nutrients.

There are over 120 symptoms connected to Candida including Arthritis, diabetic symptoms and immune system failures, reproductive and hormonal problems and obesity.

There have been a great many reports lately of increased allergies for many more people in the Western World. Whilst in my opinion it is the increased use of processed foods and therefore the increased intake of not only chemical additives but also far too much sugar I do believe that it simply produces a perfect environment for Candida to overgrow in the intestine and lead to leaky gut.

For those few of you who are not aware of Candida I am giving you a brief overview but first Leaky Gut as this is the condition which in my opinion is behind many of our increased intolerance and allergic reactions. I also believe that because Candida devours nutritional content in the food that is eaten the body is forced into nutritional deficiency and stores fat – effectively even someone who is obese can be suffering from malnutrition.

LEAKY GUT

In a normal healthy person the small intestine acts like a sieve only permitting the breakdown products of the digestion into the bloodstream. These include the obvious nutrients but also fats, proteins and starches – all of which are very well digested and the larger molecules such as bacteria and toxins are not able to pass through.

As part of this process, Villi, which are finger like projections from the wall of the intestinal tract with even smaller hair like extensions called microvilli, act as absorbtion pathways for nutrients transported through by carrier molecules.

If someone is suffering from a leaky gut the intestinal lining has become inflamed and the microvilli become damaged. They cannot then produce the necessary enzymes and secretions necessary for the absorption of nutrients. When there is inflammation and damage the larger molecles containing bacteria and other toxins are able to pass through into the bloodstream.

This of course activates the automatic response from the immune system which produces antibodies (proteins that locate and attack foreign objects as they are seen as antigens).

If this was a one off the body would cope with the invasion and the gut would return to normal but if the intestinal wall is damaged and the process is ongoing then the immune system is unable to control the leakage of toxins and they begin to leak back into the liver causeing that organ to become stressed and overburdened.

THE LIVER
The liver is the largest gland in the body and plays a really important part in detoxification as well as having many other functions including: producing bile, containing bile acids, which aid digestion, filtering out toxins, such as drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins, storing glucose as glycogen, then breaking it down about 4 hours after a meal to be converted to glucose to regulate blood sugar levels, converting ammonia to urea and removing damaged red blood cells.
Leaky Gut completely overworks the liver because it floods it with additional toxins diminishing the liver’s ability to neutralise chemical substances. When it cannot cope with the level of toxins the liver expels them back into the bloodstream. The circulatory system then pushes the toxins into the connective tissues and muscles where the body stores them to prevent major organ damage. The liver doesn’t get the time to go back and rid the body of the toxins.
You then have a build up of toxins in the tissues and major organs leading to inflammation and all the symptoms associated with allergic reactions.

In fact the person suffering from leaky gut usually test positive for a great many allergies, not because they are allergic to a specific substance or food but because their immune system is in overdrive – this leads to the chronic forms of conditions such as arthritis and asthma. The biggest problem is that therapists and doctors will begin to remove essential foods and nutrients from the diet to try and overcome this massive reaction when in fact they should be treating the root cause which is Candida.

I have seen clients who are reduced to eating a handful of foods and beginning to suffer from deficiency symptoms particularly those of Vitamin B’s, C and D.

CANDIDA ALBICANS

Candida Albicans is a yeast, which inhabits all humans, usually only in small amounts. It is also known as Monilia, Thrush, Candidiasis and Yeast Infection. In its natural, mild form it is harmless and is simply part of the soup of bacteria that inhabits our intestines.
The basic precondition for a fungal disease is an impaired immune system. This can be the result of an illness, over-use of antibiotics, intensive dieting over a long period of time and recurring infections. Latterly there has been considerable research into why women who have never had anti-biotics are developing Candida Albicans in their late 20’s and 30’s and again in their 50’s. The answer seems to be that the birth control pill and HRT both hormone altering drugs are having a similar effect as anti-biotics.
Look at antibiotics for instance. In most cases antibiotics are broad spectrum not specific. Because, without a lab test it is difficult to tell the specific strain of bacteria responsible for an infection, the use of broad spectrum drugs usually guarantees that the bacteria in question will be killed off. Unfortunately, like chemotherapy not only the bad bacteria are killed off but also the good bacteria in your body. Your intestine, which has a very fragile balance of good and bad bacteria, is vulnerable and this is where Candida Albicans can start to take over your intestinal tract.

If Candida yeast is allowed to grow unchecked, it changes from its normal yeast fungal form to a mycelial-fungal form that produces rhizoids. These long root-like components are capable of piercing the walls of the digestive tract and breaking down the protective barriers between the intestines and the blood. This breakthrough allows many allergens to enter the blood stream causing allergic reactions. A mucus is also formed around major organs and in the lining of the stomach. This prevents your digestive system from functioning efficiently. The result is poorly digested foods and wasted nutrients. Your body begins to suffer a deficiency of these nutrients and it leads to chronic fatigue.

SYMPTOMS OF CANDIDA OVERGROWTH?
The most common of the allergic reactions are – watering, tearing or dry eyes. Itchy inner ears and dry throats that come and go. A dripping and itchy nose, unexplained rashes. These symptoms are almost always accompanied by a craving for either bread or savoury snacks such as crisps or for sweets in the form of chocolate particularly. Sometimes clients tell me that they have not got a sweet tooth and don’t eat chocolate, but when I read their food diary, I soon spot the biscuits, cakes and alcohol that is eaten or drunk every day.

Let me give you an idea of some of the complaints you could be suffering from that are directly related to Candida Albicans. Fatigue – people who are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME test positive for Candida. Numbness, burning or tingling in your fingers or hands. Insomnia, abdominal pain, constipation or diahorrea, bloating and especially Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Thrush and Cystitis, sexual disfunction and loss of sexual drive. For women it can mean years of suffering from endometriosis or infertility – pre-menstrual tension and heavy and painful periods.

Depression and panic attacks are common symptoms as is shaking or getting very irritable when hungry. Some people suffer from unexplained muscle or joint pains and are often diagnosed with arthritis. You have to remember that the Candida bacteria is a parasite and like all parasites it will take the nourishment meant for you and you will then suffer from a depressed immune system. Headaches and mood swings. Chronic rashes or hives and you will be more prone to food intolerances that cause discomfort or some form of physical symptom. The most significant problem is the strain which all of the toxins place on the liver. This can result in chronic fatigue, discomfort and depression.

THE FAST APPROACH TO CALMING DOWN A CANDIDA OVERGROWTH
I have found the fastest and most effective approach is to remove all processed foods from the diet. It is important not to starve but to give you body all the nutrients it needs to boost the immune system and repair itself.

Nothing that is fresh and unprocessed is banned including fruits. Traditionally, therapists will remove fruit because of the sugar but my philosophy is that the body has evolved over the last 100,000 years eating fruit, vegetables, grains and protein and needs that mix to obtain the nutrients it needs to be healthy including the immune system which needs to be strong to counteract the candida.

Eating small meals at least 5 or 6 times a day. Keep to a low glycemic approach – small amounts of wholegrains with protein etc. I do suggest avoiding too much yeast so restrict multigrain bread – soya and linseed (lower glycemic) to one or two slices per day.

Plenty of fluids including Green Tea and water.

Take light exercise, walking in the fresh air 30 minutes a day.

Lots of sleep.

I usually find that not only do energy levels increase in a matter of days, most of the symptoms including weight stabalise in a matter of weeks.

Many of the clients that I work with are on their way to becoming diabetic and like smokers, sugar addicts blithely continue to consume many times the recommended 10 level teaspoons per day under the illusion that it will never happen to them. The problem is that we now have over two million diabetics in the UK and many more obviously than that in the United States. What is an even more worrying statistic is that there are nearly a million children who are diabetic. Type 2 Diabetes is virtually avoidable and if you suspect that sugar or even its substitutes play a large part in your diet then spend six weeks going cold turkey except for natural sugar in fruit and honey and just see where your energy levels are on a scale of one to ten. In my mind it is refined sugars and those sugars found in white carbohydrate products which are the cause of our obesity and certainly increasing diabetes. Give me a good old fashioned sirloin with a jacket potato with a small pat of butter and a bunch of vegetables and salad any day. After you have read my programme notes – think about where your weight is on your body – if you are sporting a good old beer belly you are most likely consuming too much sugar – don’t have your head in the sand – be smart. If you need help there is plenty out there.
QUESTION – What Exactly Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
Glucose is what gives you energy. Without it you would be unable to complete many every day to day tasks let alone exercise or lead any kind of active lifestyle.
The liver produces glucose from our diet. We have a number of hormones which normally regulate the level of glucose in our blood, one of which is insulin.
We have a small organ that produces insulin and other enzymes that help us digest our foods and extract the nutrients. This organ is the pancreas.
Without insulin the glucose has no access to the parts of our body that utilise fuel such as the liver, muscles and fat cells.

Type 2 diabetes has a strong genetic link and a great deal of research is currently going on to identify the exact gene. There are a number of lifestyle factors, which also increase the risk of getting Type 2 as we get older. Being overweight, not getting any exercise, taking in too much sugar in the diet, drinking too much and also ageing – the risk increases significantly over the age of 65. This is why this is more commonly called late onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common and accounts for over 90% of diabetics.
The good news is that Type 2 responds very positively to diet and lifestyle changes and following some of the diet and lifestyle changes in this post will get you started. 

There is actually a third type of diabetes which is temporary and that occurs during pregnancy. That is called Gestational diabetes and is usually associated with larger than average babies. It usually rights itself after the birth but those women are more likely in later life to develop Type 2 diabetes and need to watch their diet.

QUESTION – Who Are The People Then Who Are At Most Risk?
Some of the risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes are also common to many of the age-related problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high fat diet, being overweight and not doing any exercise. These all put enormous pressure on the body systems -the pancreas being part of that system.
We have mentioned the genetic link; my father developed late onset diabetes in his mid seventies. He had a healthy diet although he did love his puddings. We don’t know if he inherited it from his parents as his father died in his mid 50’s and his mother as a result of a car accident. The other side is that millions have a condition called pre-diabetes where they have all the markers including high blood sugar but it has not become full-blown diabetes. It is only recently that diagnosis through blood tests have determined the condition and of course in my grandparents day these were not available and they could have been suffering from diabetes and not known it. Just put their symptoms down to getting older.
Many people have elevated sugar levels, which can lead to diabetes. This is where a healthy eating programme comes in, lowering sugar levels and therefore the strain on the network of organs whose job it is to deal with the food that we take in.
A combination of processed foods, drinking too much alcohol, taking no exercise and being two or three stone overweight can over time stretch your pancreas and its efficiency to breaking point.

QUESTION – What Sort Of Symptoms Should People Be Aware Of?

Type 2 Diabetes, which is the most common, can have subtle symptoms that we can miss for years. It may not be detected until a check up for blood pressure when eye problems may be noticed etc.
The most common symptoms for anyone to look out for are the following.
Extreme fatigue. weight loss. excessive thirst. going to the loo a lot is an indication that there might be something wrong. This leads to more dehydration as of course water leaves the body as well as sugar, this sends more signals to the brain to drink more and it becomes a vicious circle.
Although a person suffering from diabetes will usually lose weight, they will find that their hunger increases and making them eat far more than they would normally.
To try and deal with the excess sugar in the blood the pancreas will secrete more insulin – excess insulin stimulates hunger.
Fluctuating blood sugar levels cause a number of depressive states. Irritability, loss of memory, confusion and extreme lethargy can occur in varying degrees. If you think that you might have any of these symptoms then a quick chat to your doctor and a blood test will put your mind at rest or get you the help you need.

QUESTION – So Where Do We Start? And Can We Prevent This Happening?
The great thing is that it is never too late. Particularly with Type 2 diabetes. Even with Type 1, following a sensible diet can make a difference to your overall health.
Firstly it is a very simple thing to go and get your blood sugar levels tested.

If you have any worries that you might be at risk, then take a test and then at least you know where you stand. Many of us have elevated sugar levels that are not causing diabetes but are a nudge for us to take a look at our lifestyle and moderate it so that the risk factors are reduced.

A healthy diet and lifestyle can help prevent the onset of diabetes. Even if you do have diabetes, once under the care of a doctor and monitored medication, then a change in lifestyle can over a period of months result in a reduction of the medication and in some cases patients have been able to stop it altogether. Having said that of course: as always you must never change any medication that you have been prescribed if you have not first consulted your doctor.

QUESTION – What Type Of Diet Should A Diabetic Person Follow?
Type 2 Diabetes is more about weight management and eating healthily. At least 85% of sufferers of this type of diabetes are overweight and so reducing to a normal weight has a dramatic effect on the diabetes.
Here are some of the key foods that can help prevent problems with blood sugar levels.

Walnuts and Salmon with their high content of Omega 3 and B vitamins. One of the properties of Omega 3 is that it helps with high cholesterol – it lowers the lipoprotein in blood that causes platelets to clot and helps prevent erratic heart rhythms. All symptoms of diabetes. The B vitamins are vital for cell health and the processes that metabolise our foods such as carbohydrates and proteins.

In addition Walnuts contain manganese which is important for glucose metabolism so help to stabilise blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates such as brown rice and porridge oats which are low glycemic and therefore do not cause blood sugar levels to rise in the first place in the same way as refined sugars or carbohydrates do. The oats are also anti-bacterial so help with wound healing.

The green tea has so many benefits – from cholesterol reduction, thinning the blood and preventing blood clots and reducing blood pressure. It has also been linked to preventing and improving diabetes.

The banana helps control blood sugar levels. All vegetables and fruits that are fresh and unprocessed should be eaten every day, particularly carrots and dark green vegetables.
Lean protein is also very important and if you like a bit of butter on your bread then have a scrape of butter which is far better for you then highly processed margarine.

So the first step in preventing Diabetes in the future is to take a long hard look at your lifestyle. Adopt a healthy eating plan and a moderate exercise regime. Walking just 45 minutes briskly a day will be beneficial – you don’t have to run a marathon or go to the gym for three hours.

Remember that 90%of diabetes sufferers are Type 2 which means that it is almost always preventable by diet and if you are suffering from the disease, it can be improved dramatically by following a healthy lifestyle.

This is also the time of year when we often make rash promises of changes that we are going to make in the New Year in the form of resolutions. That’s great but rather than make several individual resolutions, why not make a really critical one that will impact your body for years to come.

How about getting to know your body in detail and understanding what it needs to be healthy. That covers quite a few resolutions such as giving up chocolate, smoking and alcohol. Once you understand how your body works then you will know exactly what to do to keep it fit, healthy and last you a long lifetime.

The gentle detox is a gift that you can now give your body, preparing it for the year to come.

Our bodies will tolerate a certain amount of abuse but unfortunately, another by product of this modern day and age is that the sort of bingeing that we have just subjected our bodies to is repeated continuously throughout the year.

When I look at client’s food diaries over a two week period I now expect to see in excess of 21 units of alcohol per week. If a person is overweight they invariably have eaten too much or the wrong things including too many chocolate bars, cakes, sweets and biscuits. Christmas indulgence is actually a year long celebration these days and as well as following the healthy eating plan for life covered in the last few months, we also need to give our body a break from modern life from time to time.

I follow the Gentle Detox seasonally every three months. It marks the change in different eating patterns. The more stodgy, carbohydrate driven diet for the winter months to the lighter spring available food and the even lighter summer options.

To live long and healthy lives we need to nurture and sustain our body. Our organs, bones, tissues, skin and blood accumulate debris and toxins over a period of days, weeks, months and years. Under normal circumstances our body is very efficient in clearing out harmful toxins and has a number of systems in place to deal with them. Unfortunately, as I have just mentioned life is a little more toxic these days and we are bombarded through our skin, in the air we breathe and in the food we eat.

Our modern society is not just about what we eat and drink. The pollutants that are surrounding us on a daily basis attack every system in our bodies and we need to build a strong and robust immune system to cope with the age we live in.

Detox is a spring clean and a preventative measure. It will release the toxins from your body and improve your general health. For anyone already suffering the symptoms of toxic build up it should bring some relief to the symptoms and aid your recovery.

Unfortunately it would be impossible, short of living in a bubble to avoid all that modern day living throws at us, but we can cleanse and revitalise our bodies and enable them to deal better with our toxic environment.

SO WHY MIGHT YOU NEED TO UNDERGO A DETOX?

It is almost certain that unless you live on a remote pacific Island, you will be suffering from some form of general toxicity. If you look back at your life in detail you will be able to identify if there might have been specific exposure to toxins in the workplace such as heavy metals in industry, a dry cleaners or dentist surgery. You may have been a heavy smoker in which case you have certainly been exposed to over 4000 chemicals every time you inhaled tobacco smoke. You may have also used excessive stimulants such as coffee or alcohol that will not only have acidified your body but also prevented the absorption of essential nutrients it needs to be healthy.

If you are sick and in pain then it is very probable that you are suffering from an imbalance of acid/alkaline levels causing acidosis, which is an environment that toxins thrive in. More specific toxins would be ingested, inhaled or absorbed from the intestines, through the skin or into the muscle via injections. If you have undergone suppressive treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy or used medications that have driven the toxins back into the system, this will have resulted in stored poison.

You might also be suffering from either food allergies or more commonly food intolerances that are adding to the toxic overload.

An allergic reaction is immediate – it is a fast response. Intolerance is by contrast a slow reaction. Both however will lead to a build up of toxins in the body over time and they can lead to a number of diseases and certainly general fatigue.

Toxins surround us and their effects on us, as individuals, are varied. One person may have an immediate and life threatening reaction to a food such as peanuts, whilst another person can eat them everyday and not be affected in the slightest. You might be exposed to certain toxins on a daily basis but only notice the affects several years later when damage has already occurred. This is often the case in the one area of toxicity that that affects everyone negatively and that is Heavy Metal poisoning. Unfortunately we are not often aware that we have been exposed and the majority of us are storing these metals in our tissues in varying strengths. I have covered this area of toxicity in a separate article this month.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A DETOX?

To start with it is important that you get into the right frame of mind and also begin some preparations. You have to make some decisions about how you are going to tackle some of the more harmful habits you may have. For the detox to be successful you will need to give up smoking, alcohol and chocolate. Hopefully you will feel so fantastic at the end of the six weeks that you will never pick up a cigarette again, but you will not be giving up chocolate and alcohol for life. After the detox you can pick up the healthy eating plan for life and as you know you can enjoy all foods, just use moderation for those that are not as healthy as they might be.

Many people believe that going on a detox means starving their bodies into submission. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is vital that during what can be a very stressful experience for your body that it is supported throughout with nutrients and fluids to enable it to function efficiently. During the process you may well feel under the weather as the toxins are excreted firstly into the body from tissues and then out through the intestines. The last thing you need is a body that is already tired due to lack of nourishment.

There are certain foods or habits that you will need to give up for this six-week rejuvenating spring clean. If you are a heavy smoker then I am afraid you are not going to achieve great results because as I have just mentioned, you will be inhaling 4000 chemicals everytime you take a drag. You may however look upon this as an opportunity to give up smoking and clean your system at the same time.

Alcohol plays a role in most of our lives and at this time of year after all the Christmas parties and excesses we have probably drunk a great deal more than we would normally in the same period. To complete a successful detox you will need to give up alcohol for the six weeks.

The other item that you will need to give up for the time being is any processed foods including sauces, ready meals, ice cream etc. The only foods that you are going to eat are fresh, unprocessed and gently cooked vegetables, meats and of course fruit.

Caffeine does need to be taken out of the diet but I do make an exception for green tea, which of course in on our superfoods list. If you really cannot live without your morning cup of tea or coffee then that must be the only one for the day. You can then drink green or herbal teas to help your body eliminate the toxins.

Because some of us have food intolerances that we may be unaware of you will be avoiding the most common culprits and certain foods you will only eat every five days. Our bodies and our liver in particular are designed to deal with the occasional toxin that we take in. However if the toxin is present every day the body cannot deal with it and it therefore gets stored. To overcome this certain foods are only eaten irregularly and therefore do not have a chance to become toxic. You will find them highlighted on your food lists but they should be only eaten every 5 days.

Acidity in the body as I have mentioned is a contributory factor to toxic build up as it provides such a wonderful environment for them. To counteract this you will include certain foods in your diet that are ash forming rather than acid forming so that you can develop a balance throughout your system. We will take a look at the acidity and alkalinity issue at a later date.

Fibre is very important to move waste through the system and out through the intestines. We have two very important and nutritious superfoods that are perfect for the job. Porridge oats and brown rice are not only packed with nutrients, are slow burning to help you maintain energy but are also full of fibre and must be included every day of the detox. You may eat up to two slices of wholegrain bread per day; homemade would be preferable so that you are not taking in all the additives in store bought bread.

Last but not least is water. It is essential that you are drinking sufficient fluids to hydrate your body and to flush the toxins from the body as they are released. Fresh pressed juices and herbal teas also count towards the total amount of fluid you must drink every day so there is plenty of variety.

Be very careful about quick start programmes that reduce your calories levels to below 1400 calories for a woman and1800 for a man – it can cause your body to go into Starvation mode so that when you begin to eat normally again you will not only put back on the weight you have lost but extra weight as your body will be in storage mode.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6875091/Number-of-people-dying-as-a-result-of-obesity-doubles-in-10-years.html

Is it really down to the Government to police obesity? Arn’t we capable of being selective about what we put in our stomachs? Unfortunately it can be difficult to eat healthily when we don’t really know what healthy is because the idea of healthy has been hijacked by food manufacturers so they can sell us their dubious “healthy” products. Remember genuine healthy food has no need to make health claims on the packet!

1. Choice and availability. There is much more choice when it comes to fattening snack foods than there has ever been.

 2. The marketing machine behind the big businesses that promotes these products has been refined over many years so that it has now become very efficient at ensuring we buy.

 3. Big business doesn’t care about how healthy the food is or the nutritional benefit. They simply want us to buy it. That sometimes means apportioning health benefits to foods that aren’t that genuine.

So we need to ask the question: In a consumer led society, who is really leading? Us the consumers or the big business selling us what they make us beleive we want?

One of the biggest food fads in recent years is the Low Fat phenomenon. Manufacturers have been more than enthusiastic to create low fat products for us to cater for this new trend. Since the seventies we have been advised to eat a low fat diet to improve heart health and reduce our waistline. The biggest problem with this advice is that it doesn’t take into account two fundamental problems with low fat foods. The following experiment shows very clearly how low fat food is not the answer to weight control.

Low fat hype

A recent American study involved two groups of people both with free access to cookies. One group was given regular cookies the other were given low fat cookies. What happened? The people with the low fat cookies simply ate more of them. In fact they ate a whopping 40% more of the low fat version!

There are two explanations for this behaviour. One is that because they knew they were low fat they gave themselves ‘permission’ to eat more. The other explanation is that fat actually helps us recognise we have eaten enough. Either or more probably both of these reasons would be responsible for these findings.

So what does this mean for us? Well why not enjoy the full fat cookie? It will probably taste better and quite possibly it is cheaper. And for the cookie manufacturer? It means bigger profits! The low fat version is probably sold for more since it is more desirable due to the low fat hype and we will consume more of that product! Every ones a winner! Except us that is because we are still piling on the pounds and spending more money helping to inflate shareholders wallets.

What is more, the food manufacturers rely upon the fact that in an ever more stressful world, we as consumers don’t tend to question or think too deeply about the claims they make simply because we have too much going on to “think” about everything. As shoppers, we tend to act in predictable ways. One of those ways is that we don’t question too deeply the clams that the manufacturer makes about their food. So for example we have, at some level based upon information in the press or from government agencies accepted that say omega 3 improves brain function, so when we spot the fish fingers with “contains omega 3″ on the box we buy them because we then don’t have to “think” about how to get omega 3 into our kids. It was handed to us on a plate (excuse the pun). The same is true of the statement which often apears on food “low fat”. Firstly the term isn’t defined clearly and secondly there is plenty of evidence to suggest that these processed low fat products don’t help us lose weight anyway. What is more disturbing is the way they are sold, the subtle suggestions in the marketing that make people buy them.  Believe me, I know about suggestions and how they influence us often without our knowlege.  Take for example the McVities “Go Ahead” range. Is this a proiduct name or an invitation? What about Asdas “Good For You” range of low fat products. Is a cake “good for you” jusat because it is lower in fat? You can bet it is still very high in sugar and quite possibly contains artificial sweeteners some of which are now thought to be carcinogenic. These product names act as powerful suggestions that ensure we buy the product without thinking too much. Supermarkets and food manufacturers rely upon us blindly accepting the claims on the packets and for most part that is exactly what we do. I have a simple rule that I instill in everyone who comes on my weight loss course but it is not just applicable to weight loss it is impotant for us to stick to it to ensure our health in general so I will share it with you today.

If a food or drink product has a health claim on the packaging then that product probably isn’t good for you. Genuinely healthy foods don’t claim anything. You don’t see health claims on a bag of apples or on a peice of  fresh fish but you do see these claims on the same fish once it has been cut into rectangles and covered with salt and starch laden batter.

Low fat processed products are not the answer to losing weight and they may even help us gain weight.  In fact all the statistics show that we are eating less fat in our diets than in the 1970’s yet we are still getting bigger. If this worrying trend continues then we face an uncertain future. A future filled with ill health and the restrictions that carrying too much weight will bring us.

There are currently millions of Britons who are taking blood pressure medication to control a condition that is, in most cases is diet and lifestyle related. By making some simple changes in diet and exercise it is possible to reduce your blood pressure significantly in just six weeks. It you are currently on prescribed medication then it is vital that you do not stop taking this without consulting your G.P. However, you can follow the plan and after six weeks ask your doctor if he feels that it might be possible to reduce your doseage. Hypnotherapy is an integral part of the therapy involved in reducing blood pressure as stress is a critical factor.

R Reduce your salt intake. You should not have more than a level teaspoon per day or 6 grams. If you eat a lot of processed foods you will be consuming far in excess of this. Sodium is essential for our bodies to keep a correct water balance: it is also necessary for nerve impulse transmission and prevents your blood from becoming too acidic or alkaline. However, take in too much and not only will it cause weight gain it can also drive your blood pressure too high. Look at the labels on the food and your mineral water currently in your cupboard and fridge and see how much sodium is in 100gms. Multiply by 2.5 which will give you the salt equivalent. So if a Pizza has 8400 mg of sodium you would times that by 2.5 giving you 21000mg of sodium or 21gm of salt which is 3.5 teaspoons or 3 times the recommended salt intake.

E Eat whole grain bread, rice and pasta and avoid all white, starchy foods. Not only will you be consuming more fibre which is essential for clearing out arteries of fatty deposits it will also provide you with B vitamins, essential for the metabolism of the carbohydrates and proteins that you eat. It will provide you with slow release energy throughout the day without spikes in your blood sugar.

D Drink plenty of fluids. If you are dehydrated your blood pressure will be higher. Avoid too many caffeine high drinks – restrict to one cup of coffee per day – decaffeinated would be best. Tea is still caffeinated but is fine drunk in moderation. To actively lower your blood pressure drink 4 cups of Green Tea per day – use a slice of lemon or ginger to taste or a teaspoon of honey. In addition to Green tea – drink 1 litre of low sodium mineral water per day or tap water and 2 fruit juices.

U Up your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables – not only will this provide more fibre to detox your whole system it will also provide you with anti-oxidants that will prevent normal healthy cholesterol becoming harmful. Clogged arteries full of LDL (harmful cholesterol) will result in high blood pressure.

C Calm down. Stress elevates blood pressure and if you lead a busy and hectic work and family life you need to find ways to relax. Learn to breathe correctly. Take in a breath through the nose slowly to the count of ten and let out slowly through the mouth to the count of 15. Repeat several times first thing in the morning – last thing at night and any time you feel you are becoming stressed. Listen to your favourite music – switch off your phone and take a relaxing bath. Take mini-breaks to relax and make sure that you are sleeping at least 7 or 8 hours per night.

E Exercise and lose weight if you need to. Your BP will drop significantly after the loss of just one stone. You will have to carry less weight putting your body and your heart under less strain. The closer to your optimum weight the better your blood pressure is likely to be. Exercise will help clear your arteries of debris, fill your system with oxygen rich blood and improve muscle tone. Not just in your legs but in your heart and lungs too. A strong heart can work harder.

B Be proactive. Understand how your body works and how you can make positive changes to your lifestyle and diet to reduce this potential silent killer. Work with your doctor so that you do not face a lifetime on pills to control a condition that in 9 out of 10 people can be managed with diet and exercise.

P Pack in smoking. Most people believe that smoking relieves stress. In fact it increases it. The several thousand chemical compounds in each cigarette are toxic to the body. Your arteries will harden and become brittle resulting in narrowing and apart from high BP you are also at a severe risk of strokes and aneurysms.

Perhaps you are wondering just why it is that when you decide to diet you can’t think of anything but food? Even when you aren’t hungry you are thinking about it all the time. You become hyper aware of it. Watching the clock ’till you can have your next meal. It actually has very little to do with hunger it’s self. When we are otherwise occupied it is possible to become quite hungry without realising it.  And even then we sometimes end up completing our task before we stop to eat.

The problem with diets is they mean denial! You will no doubt be eating less and possibly denying yourself your usual treats completely. Because of this you will try not to think about the things that you can’t eat. You will try not to think about having to wait for another two hours before you can have your diet meal, because before this diet you would just munch on a chocolate bar whenever you wanted. This is why as a long term solution, diets don’t work. Unless you have the grit of a top athlete it is impossible to override thoughts about food forever. If you are having to consciously think about what you are and are not allowed to eat on a diet then that food is more prominent in your mind and it is only a matter of time before your resolve weakens.

Don’t think about pizza!

Unfortunately your mind can’t process a negative thought. In order to not think about it, it has to think about it first and then you just can’t help but think about it! Your conscious will says that you want to lose weight but all you can do is think about all those things that you can’t eat.

Fact!
When there is conflict between the imagination and the conscious will, then the imagination will always win the day. Here is an example. Nothing to do with losing weight but it serves to illustrate just how our imagination can ruin our best intentions!
Walking the plank. Most people could walk along a foot wide plank suspended securely a foot from the ground without too much difficulty. It doesn’t create any stress or anxiety to do so. If that same plank were thirty foot up in the air most people would fall off. But why? Because when you start to walk along the plank your conscious mind says “I can do this, I’ve just done it with the plank was a foot above the floor.” However your imagination says “yes but if you did fall you would really hurt yourself. If you start to wobble you might fall and if you fell you would really hurt yourself. Whatever you do don’t fall!

By this point there is a huge conflict between the conscious mind and the imagination and the person starts to wobble. It’s only a matter of time before they fall…Which confirms what they knew, i.e. that they just knew it would happen, that sooner or later they would fall. What is happening here is that our imagination is giving us powerful suggestions. Suggestions that if we fall we will really hurt ourselves. We become focussed on that suggestion vividly imagining what it would be like to fall.

So when your conscious mind wants to lose weight your imagination is busy filling your head with thoughts of all those foods you are not allowed to eat and how good they will taste.

How to use suggestions to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Now it’s time to do something about those things by changing our suggestions to ourselves. As a hypnotherapist I use suggestions to influence how people behave. In order foe the suggestions to be effective I have do deliver them in a certain way. The combination of the word, the context and the tonality of voice are what make these suggestions effective. But you can give yourself very powerful suggestions or affirmations that will help not only your weight loss but any other area of your life. Firstly, lets look at how we use language and how it affects us when we are giving ourself a message or suggestion. We give ourselves suggestions all the time without really being aware of it.

 
Why it’s hard to diet, language and the suggestions we give ourselves without realising!

The way we convey a message is important.

My head is killing me is much more powerful than saying I have a headache. I am starving or I could eat a horse is much more powerful than saying I could eat now. This chocolate cake tastes amazing is more powerful than this chocolate cake is nice.

When we say we are starving we are giving ourselves a very powerful suggestion that we should eat a lot. When we say the cake is amazing we will want more of it than if it were just nice.

Sigmund Freud first formulated the pleasure principal idea back in the early 1900’s. Quite simply it states that humans try to move away from pain and towards pleasure. It is easy to see how this would be a helpful behaviour in most cases.

Unfortunately many foods will move us towards pleasure because we enjoy them so much and towards pain because we feel guilty after we have eaten them, at the same time. If we tell ourselves we LOVE chocolate but on the other hand we HATE it, or hate the way we feel because of eating it, this is very confusing for your subconscious mind. Again it all comes down to the suggestions we have given ourselves. A dysfunctional cycle of behaviour results from the eating activity that triggers both responses. One state, guilt/pain, makes us feel bad and increases the desire for the other state, pleasure which then triggers guilt again.

Negative suggestions.

We often and without realising, give ourself negative suggestions:

 It won’t work for me.
I just know there’s no point even trying to lose weight.
I know its not going to happen.
Things never go right for me.
I will never find the right partner.
Men/women always treat me bad.
I’ve tried everything, I just can’t lose any weight.
I never have any time to exercise.

The main thing to notice with these examples is that they are very general. They are all encompassing in their negativity. They are very polarised.

Words such as never, always, can’t, won’t etc when applied in a negative connotation magnify it’s negative effect.

Do you really know that you can’t lose weight? If you were marooned on a desert island with nothing but a few coconuts and sand crabs to eat do you think you would still be overweight then? So it isn’t hard to see how negative thoughts could be very powerful suggestions to the subconscious mind and help us to self sabotage.

Supermarkets on the other hand have the capacity to sell us a wide variety of foods, some of which make the most outrageous health claims. How about Asda’s “Good for you” range of low fat but unfortunately high in refined carbohydrate products? They are not “good for us”  at all. You could possibly argue that they are not quite as bad as the full fat version but quite frankly that isn’t true. The refined carbs in these products are more fattening than the fat they replace because of the way carbohydrate is metabolised by the body!

So do Supermarkets need reining in? Why is it that most of the buy one get one free offers are mostly on junk food?  Why do supermarkets still place sweets at child level at the checkouts? How can we as consumers take back control?