Would you like to…

 

n   Improve your energy levels?

n   Manage your weight?

n   Feel and look better?

n   Balance your mood?

n     Protect your health?

 

If you are suffering from a specific health problem or would just like to improve your general health and well-being, you will benefit from a nutritional consultation.  Simple changes to diet and lifestyle can lead to significant improvements in the way you feel. 

 

 

The myth of the well-balanced diet

 

We have been led to believe that as long as we eat a well-balanced diet, we will obtain all the nutrients we need.  Yet research shows that even those who think they eat a well-balanced diet fail to consume anything like the ideal levels of nutrients for optimum health.

 

 

Reports on the nation's health show that the UK population is suffering disproportionately from disorders such as obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, dementia, dental caries and certain types of cancer. 

 

Long-term studies by the Harvard School of Public Health have concluded that an optimally nutritious diet combined with regular exercise and not smoking can prevent 80 percent of heart disease, 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, 70 percent of stroke and some cancers, as well as substantially reduce the incidence of a host of other chronic diseases and health ailments[i,ii].

[i] "Combined Impact of Lifestyle Factors on Mortality: Prospective Cohort Study in US Women," Rob M van Dam, Tricia Li, Donna Spiegelman, Oscar H Franco, Frank B Hu, BMJ 2008;337;a1440

[ii] "Eat, Drink and be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating", Walter C. Willett M.D., The Free Press; Free Press Trade Pbk. Ed (April 2005)


 

 

Diet and the prevention of cancer

 

The World Cancer Research Fund Expert Report, published in November 2007, is the most comprehensive report on cancer prevention ever produced.  The report took six years to produce and looked at all available research on cancer prevention.  An initial 500,000 studies were screened down to 22,000, and then it was decided that 7,000 of these studies met the rigorous standards for inclusion in the report.  This literature review process was done by nine independent universities, which then presented the information to a panel of 21 world-renowned experts who reviewed the comprehensive collection of evidence and drew conclusions and made recommendations.  Their conclusion from reviewing the scientific literature is that changing what people eat could help to reduce the risk of about 30 to 40 per cent of all cancers.

 

 

Diet and the prevention of dementia

 

There is growing evidence from epidemiological studies that dietary and lifestyle factors can reduce the risk of dementia by 30 to 40 per cent [i]. 

 

 

 

There is clear evidence that Alzheimers is not an inevitable part of ageing but is a disease [ii].  There is also evidence of a correlation between coronary heart disease, homocysteine level and risk of dementia [iii, iv].  The potential role of folate and vitamin B12 in reducing homocysteine levels is under investigation by the University of Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing - OPTIMA - by the US National Institute on Aging and by the Alzheimer's Disease Co-operative Study.  Recent results suggest that high doses of B vitamins do not slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease (see Reuters news report, October 2008).  The study did not look at whether lowering homocysteine much earlier in life would prevent or delay Alzheimer's. 

 

Research published in the January 2009 edition of the journal Diabetes shows that developing type 2 diabetes before the age of 65 corresponds to a 125 per cent increased risk for Alzheimer's disease [v].  According to the authors, the results of the study implicate adult choices such as exercise, diet and smoking, as well as glycaemic control in patients with diabetes, in affecting risk for Alzheimer's disease.    

 

 

[i] Yamada, M. et al. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc, 1999, 47: 189-195; Kokmen, E. et al., Mayo Clin Proc 1996, 71: 275-282; Ogura, C. et al. International J. Epidemiol., 1995, 24: 373-380.

[ii] Jobst KA, Smith AD, Szatmari M, Esiri MM, Jaskowski A, Hindley N, McDonald B, Molyneux AJ. Rapidly progressing atrophy of medial temporal lobe in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet. 1994;343:829-30

[iii]  Clarke R, Smith AD, Jobst KA, Refsum H, Sutton L, Ueland PM. Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine levels in confirmed Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 1998;55:1449-55; Smith AD. Homocysteine, B vitamins, and cognitive deficit in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75:785-6.

[iv] Sudha Seshadri, M.D. et al.  Plasma Homocysteine as a Risk Factor for Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.  New England Jouran of Medicine, Volume 346:476-483, 2002. 

[v] Weili Xu et al. "Mid- and Late-Life Diabetes in Relation to the Risk of Dementia.  Diabetes, January 2009.

 

 

 

The consultation

 

n      A whole person approach to identify the aspects of your health and well-being you would like to improve.

n      Information on your existing diet by analysis of your 4 day food diary and comparison with recommended nutrient intakes.

n      Suggestions for dietary changes to benefit your health and help achieve your goals.

n      Practical examples of menus and food choices personally tailored to your needs.

n      Support in managing dietary change and encouragement to take pleasure in your food and its preparation.

 

 

Appointments

 

 n       The first consultation takes 1½ hours

 n       Follow-up appointments are typically at 4-6 week intervals and take  30 mins to 1 hour, depending on need.

 

 

For further information and bookings please contact Jane Philpott on email jane@cookingforhealth-uk.com or telephone  +44 (0) 1458 224606. 

Web-site: http://cookingforhealth-uk.com

 

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