Citydietitians

ūüźü Vitamin D ūüć≥
Foods containing Vitamin D include: Milk, fortified orange juice, mackerel, eggs, cod liver oil, mushrooms, sardines, salmon, beef and fortified cereal. Read Sophie Medlin's article written for netdoctor.com to learn why we need this vitamin in our diet, how much the body requires and what happens to us if we do not get enough from sunlight or our food ‚ėÄÔłŹ
... https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-eati‚ Ķ/‚Ķ/vitamin-d-foods/
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ūüŹÉ‚Äć‚ôÄÔłŹ Vitamin C for runners? ūüŹÉ‚Äć‚ôāÔłŹ Read Sophie Medlin's full article with Runner's World Magazine
https://www.runnersworld.co.uk/…/vitami n-c-rich-foods-for-r…

ūüćčūü•¶ VITAMIN C ūüćÖūüćä Why do we need it? How much do we need? Where can we get it? Sophie Medlin answers all your questions in this article written for netdoctor.com
... https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/…/vitamin-c -the-8-best-foods-t…/
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Does drinking lemon water have any health benefits?
Take a look at this article on net doctor.co.uk to have a read of Sophie Medlin's contribution for CityDietitians
https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/…/…/lemon -water-health-benefits/

You've probably seen the health claims that apple cider vinegar can speed up the bodies ability to burn fat and aid in weight loss but before you grab yourself a bottle take a read at this article on the netdoctor.co.uk to find out the facts
https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/…/apple-cid er-vinegar-weight-l…/

SophieDietitian contributed this week to a cover story featured in Women's Health !!
Read the truth about vegan junk food- don't forget to get your copy ūüėČ

Read SophieDietitian's article published by The Conversation and also featured on The Daily Mail on the hot topic of the Ketogenic Diet
https://theconversation.com/keto-diet-a-d ietitian-on-what-y…

Want to know how your body changes after switching to a vegan diet?
Read @Sophie Medlin article published by The Conversation
https://theconversation.com/vegan-diet-ho w-your-body-change…

CHOCOLATE
Sophie Medlin - Chocolate has long been demonised by the clean eating brigade and lots of us feel guilty about eating it. Some of my clients are even ashamed when they confess to eating chocolate! For a while, the scientific community have been aware that chocolate contains some important compounds called flavonoids. ... They help to improve the health of blood vessels and reduce inflammation. Most importantly, flavinoids can increase nitric oxide in the blood, which helps to expand blood vessels and improve circulation. We have however, been sceptical about recommending chocolate for health reasons as we know that the saturated fat and sugar content are detrimental to our health. A new study looked at 575,000 people and found that those who consume moderate amounts (3 portions per month) of chocolate have a 13% lower risk of heart failure than those who ate none at all! However, those who eat chocolate every day had a 17% increased risk of heart failure. This study concluded that chocolate is an important source of flavonoids for lots of people and that moderate consumption can offer protective effects for the heart. 3-4 portions of dark chocolate per month is thought to be the desired dose to benefit from the flavonoids but avoid the detrimental effects of excess. More research is needed but it is important to remember that no food is evil or bad, it is all about moderation. Everything can be poisonous in excess, even water.
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ALCOHOL
Alcohol has been in the headlines this week following a study published in The Lancet. They found that alcohol is the biggest risk factor for disease and preventable death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49.
The study found that regardless of the amount of alcohol you drink, even small amounts can be associated with health issues. So there is no safe level of alcohol for your health. ... In another body of research, the health benefits of some alcoholic drinks have been demonstrated. Red wine, for example contains high levels of a group of compounds called polyphenols which are really good for your blood vessel function and slow the formation of blood clots. This might, in part, explain why the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than other populations despite eating a diet high in saturated fat and drinking wine! This phenomenon is known as The French Paradox. ⠀⠀ Unfortunately, the positives are quickly outweighed by the negatives when drinking excessively. ⠀⠀ Alcohol alone is high in calories, for example: >A large glass of wine is around 165 calories (2.5 chocolate digestive biscuits) >A glass of prosecco is 108 calories (1.5 chocolate digestives) >A pint of beer is around 190 calories (3 chocolate digestives) >A pina colada can contain up to 600 calories (more than a Big Mac) >A gin and slimline tonic is 75 calories (1 chocolate digestive) ⠀⠀ Sadly, that’s not the only consequence of binge drinking on your energy intake. Alcohol makes you HUNGRY! ⠀⠀ One of the reasons that alcohol makes you so hungry is due to the direct effect on stimulating the area in the brain that provokes eating. Although not researched in humans due to ethical issues, it can lead to rapid overeating in rodents. This has been shown to last for several hours after drinking stops. One of the other things that happens is that your liver prioritises breaking down alcohol over it’s other tasks such as maintaining blood sugars. This can cause sugar levels to be lower than normal, leading to a strong drive to eat carbohydrates. Continued in comments.. citydietitiansThe other issue with alcohol is that it can have an impact on your decision making. While on a normal Wednesday at 3am, you wouldn’t think of eating a kebab and chips … after alcohol, it seems like a great idea! Alcohol also significantly affects your quality of sleep which means that you’re very tired after drinking despite having slept for 8 hours. This has a big impact on appetite which can last a few days, making you more drawn to carbohydrates (and daytime napping). Overall alcohol is commonly part of our social lives and can be both delicious (wine) and fun but can really sabotage you from reaching your goals.
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COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil has been labelled as being as good for wellbeing as ‚Äúpure poison‚ÄĚ by Karin Michels, an epidemiologist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (she knows her stuff). She also called it ‚Äúone of the worst things you can eat‚ÄĚ. Coconut oil has seen a massive rise in popularity since it was first heavily promoted online around 2014 as the new superfood. Now everyone is consuming it in vast quantities and even adding it to their coffee which is both t...errible for our health AND terrible for the poor planet. Coconut oil is often grouped together with healthy fats like nuts; avocado; olive oil and oily fish, which is inaccurate. The evidence-based nutrition community have always said that coconut oil is no better for you than butter with 90% of its fat being saturated (butter is only 55% saturated fat). There has been debate within the scientific and medical communities about whether saturated fat is actually as bad for us as we previously thought. Our current BEST evidence shows that we need to still be very careful with the quantities of saturated fat we consume. It is also important not replace fat with refined carbohydrate.
Eat coconut oil because it is delicious in curries and stir fries. Do not eat because you think it is good for you because it isn’t.
If your dinner would taste better with butter and you’re being indulgent … use butter.
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EMOTIONAL EATING
SophieDietitian - I was reminded once again in clinic last night about the importance of understanding WHY we eat as opposed to just being told WHAT to eat. ‚†Ä‚†Ä Almost everyone knows WHAT they should be eating. ... Instead of judging yourself (or your loved ones) for not being ‚Äúgood‚ÄĚ or ‚Äúhealthy‚ÄĚ, ask yourself WHY you ate something that you then feel guilty about eating (which is another issue in itself!). If you‚Äôre eating for emotional reasons, the answer might be ‚Äúbecause I had a crap day at work‚ÄĚ or ‚Äúbecause I am lonely‚ÄĚ or ‚Äúbecause I feel bad about myself‚ÄĚ. Food is a great distraction from emotions in the same way that drugs; alcohol and gambling are for some people. ‚†Ä‚†Ä It lights up the pleasure centres in our brain and gives us the serotonin we need to temporarily distract us from the other things in our lives that are making us feel bad. The problem is, this can then lead to guilt and shame and the idea that you‚Äôve failed at another diet so you just give up trying. ‚†Ä‚†Ä This is why body shaming doesn‚Äôt make people lose weight! It just makes people feel worse and therefore turn to their most reliable source of comfort even more. ‚†Ä‚†Ä Ask yourself WHY and try to unpick those reasons. ‚†Ä‚†Ä Remember that eating cake with a friend to celebrate or to catch up or to talk about your feelings is completely different to eating cake on your own because you‚Äôre sad. ‚†Ä‚†Ä The food is the same but the WHY is completely different and you get double the joy from the love and food! Bonus!
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It was a great day for #carbs and #plants recently when a study was published in The Lancet on #lowcarb diets. It demonstrated that the longest life expectancy can be enjoyed on a diet where 50% of energy comes from carbohydrate. Those following a diet low in carbs and high in animal fats had the shortest life expectancy. The researchers studied 15,428 people over 25 years. If you're thinking of reducing carbs for weight loss, make sure you replace them with fruit, vegetables and nuts and not with bacon and burgers!

SophieDietitian discussing the topic of milk in the diet at the BBC studios in London ūü•õ BBC World Service

SUPERFOODS ⠀⠀ Remember that nutritional facts must be based on proven scientific evidence, not based on someone else’s opinion

Some interesting coverage on the lack of nutrition in medicine on BBC News ‚†Ä‚†Ä SophieDietitian - ‚ÄúI often get asked to sit on panel discussions with doctors with incorrect information on diet/nutrition or have people say ‚Äúbut DOCTOR so and so says ...‚ÄĚ. Medical professionals are not trained in nutrition as standard and anyone seeking help with nutrition should see a registered dietitian

SophieDietitian - I love food ūüėćūüėć when I‚Äôm working with clients I try to support them to adopt an 80:20 ratio to healthy eating - if you focus on a healthy diet 80% of the time, enjoy the foods you love 20% of the time. Plan for them, look forward to them, enjoy them and don‚Äôt feel guilty about eating them. Balance is key! Denial leads to craving and binging. Not having cake on Tuesday because you‚Äôre meeting your friends for cake on Wednesday is self control ‚ėļÔłŹ

Should you go #vegan ? Should we all? Do you need supplements as a vegan? ⠀⠀ Have a listen to this @healthyformentom podcast for 38 minutes of @sophie_dietitian doing her best to balance sound dietary advice whilst trying not anger vegans!