Are your Firmicutes making you fat?
How your gut microbiome may be affecting your weight. The bacteria that live in our gut (more recently termed the “gut microbiome”) are becoming linked increasingly with a number of health conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders to mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. Another condition emerging with possible links to […]
Gut microbiome and your mood. How your microbiome may be making you a misery guts.
It is now apparent that the bacteria living within our gut (the gut microbiome) are essential for our physical wellbeing. Numerous studies implicate the gut microbiome’s role in maintaining our health through important processes such as developing and modulating our immune system. Allergies, autoimmune diseases, chronic conditions and even obesity are all thought to result […]
Mud, Mud Glorious Mud! How Increasing The Gut Microbiome Diversity Can Help Reduce Your Child’s Future Risk Of Allergies.
It is now becoming apparent how important our gut bacteria (or our microbiome) is in shaping our current and future health – no more so than that of our children. Studies show that the marker of a healthy gut bacterial population is diversity – the more types of healthy bacteria that live in our gut, […]
Listen to Your Gut. It May Tell You a Few Things…
What is a gut microbiome The bacteria that live within the human colon (or large intestine) are known as the gut microbiota – more recently termed the gut microbiome. It is thought that tens of trillions of microorganisms are present in this microbiome – including at least 1000 different species of known bacteria. This complex ecosystem […]
Nutrition and Pregnancy
A pregnant woman’s nutrition influences the growth and development of her foetus and forms the foundations for the child’s health. A healthy diet is important for both mother and baby throughout pregnancy because this will help them to get the nutrients they need to stay healthy and for the baby to grow and develop. It […]
Pain in the gut? It could be fat.
I scan men and women everyday for abdominal ultrasounds. Their doctors refer them because they either have abnormal liver function tests (shown in blood test results) or they are experiencing abdominal pain that may radiate to their back, may keep them up at night or may give them heartburn. What can ultrasound imaging show? Patients […]
A Ketogenic Diet and Weight Loss. More Harm than Good?
What is a ketogenic diet A ketogenic diet (KD) is very low in carbohydrates, provides adequate protein, and supplies most of its calories in the form of fats. As fat is the main source of energy being consumed, the body must then use this (i.e. break it down) as the main source of ‘fuel’. When […]
What’s the catch with omega-3 fats?
If you type omega-3 into your search engine you will get a vast amount of information, as well as numerous companies advertising their supplements. But are these supplements recommended? And what do we need to eat to get omega-3 fats into our diets? Omega-3 is a family of fats that are important for health. Omega-3 […]
Sweeteners, are they really that bad for us?
There is a lot of controversy over the use of sweeteners and many people have an opinion over what they think about them. Below is a small summary of some of the recent evidence. Artificial sweeteners are low-calorie or calorie-free chemical substances that are used instead of sugar to sweeten food and drinks. They are […]
Wheat: Friend or Foe?
Confused by all the anti-wheat hype? Here’s the low down on the evidence behind whether or not wheat is for you. Grain-based foods, including wheat, are an important source of nutrients, such as B vitamins needed for cell metabolism and dietary fibre for gut health. In addition, any diet that unnecessarily restricts food groups can […]
