The Vintage Nutritionist

When we think of a 'superfood', we may be inclined to think of berries and plants from far away places that we should add in powdered form to our smoothies. Not a piece of liver! But in fact, this cost effective organ meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods pound for pound you could find. And providing the animal it came from is healthy, happy and fed appropriately (i.e. not grain), it can have so many health supporting properties.
Here's why I love liver...
- It's rich... in the bioavailable, useable form of Vitamin A: Retinol. No need to convert from beta carotene, I have seen a few portions of liver rid a person of Keratosis pilaris in 1 week. - It's rich in heme iron. This is the form that is highly bioavailable and it comes in a complete package with other nutrients that will help you absorb and utilise it. - It's packed with B12. Critical for numerous processes in the body and brain. - It's rich in CoQ10 - An antioxidant used to prevent damage from oxidative stress and support energy production. - It's a good source of protein.
Always buy from organic (doesn't need to be certified if you trust the farmer), pastured animals and if the taste of liver is too rich for you, make a paté or add it to bolognese.
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What changes do you need to make to your environment, your diet and your lifestyle to heal?
Look at the whole picture.

Are you eating this superfood...?
One of the cheapest 'foods' you can make and one of the most nutritious healing you can consume.
Here's a few reasons why you may want to start including it in your diet...
... - It is highly nutritious - Supports the immune system - Can alleviate diabetes and lower blood sugar; supports insulin regulation - Supports the joints - Supports bone health - It may help reduce inflammation and heal the gut - Helps normalize stomach acid, which is useful for colitis, celiac disease, ulcers, and other inflammatory gut conditions - Supports healthy skin, hair and nails - It can support weight loss
Added to all of that, it's super tasty and makes soups, risottos and stews taste amazing.
So go and grab some bones from your local organic farm and get cooking!
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Are you still using margarine?
I'm often surprised by how many people still use this butter alternative, but in truth it's hardly surprising given that we're still being sold the same old stories about fat being bad for us and fat clogging our arteries! When the truth is, these polyunsaturated oils and spreads are the culprits in making us sick.
Our bodies require saturated fats and cholesterol for hormone production, cell repair and replication, brain health and immune func...tion, to name only a few things. When we consume the 'wrong' fats, our bodies have no choice but to utilise what is available, and the wrong building blocks is what leads to inflammation, clogged arteries, cancer and obesity.
I love raw butter so that the beneficial bacteria are not killed off in the pasteurisation and if you have a local dairy farm who produce organic, raw butter from grass fed cows you're very fortunate. If you don't, the French brand, isigny ste mere, (whilst not certified organic) produce some lovely raw butter which you can easily purchase from supermarkets and online.
So, bin the butter imitators and use something that tastes exactly like butter. Butter!
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Rachel Aceso

If you’re going to eat bread, make it sourdough. . . Sourdough, for me, represents a time gone by of simple and traditional eating. A time when cooking and preparing food was something that took time, patience and skill. Why you’ll never find a genuine sourdough bread in a supermarket. ... . . So, what’s so good about sourdough? . . • It’s slowly prepared - and when I say slowly, I mean days. • Fermentation removes Phytates and Enzyme Inhibitors • Sourdough Bread aids in predigestion of Starches • Sourdough Bread aids in the breakdown of Gluten (specifically gliadin which is often responsible for causing the damage) • Sourdough acts as a Preservative so no need to add any nasty ones • Sourdough Bread creates better Blood Glucose Regulation • It’s damn tasty! . . Search out a local baker who can provide you with proper sourdough. And of course, organic is ideal. . . **Runs off to butter a slice of sourdough** 😁
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A great quote from Michael Pollan and worth keeping in mind when you’re choosing what to eat. . . Simple, whole, real foods are key to a healthy diet and life.

I’m a huge fan of bone broth and make it most weeks to add to tasty and nutritious soups. It’s a great source of protein and collagen. . . But I do also love to make these gummies with my Great Lakes gelatin. .... . I made these delicious, zesty jelly sweets this week. So tasty and so good for you. Great for adults and children, they're very easy to make and have a number of health benefits.
Gelatin (a good quality, grass fed one such as the Great Lakes brand) is a fantastic source of dietary collagen and is beneficial for:
– Skin, hair and nail growth – Joints - can aid in joint recovery – Loose skin - aids in firming – Digestion - naturally binds to water and helps food move more easily though the digestive tract
I'm sure you don't need any more reasons to start making these delicious sweets, so here's the recipe...
INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit or orange juice • ¼ cup water (optional if you’d like them to be more sour) • 1 tbsp raw honey or pure maple syrup • 1 tsp grapefruit rind (optional if you'd like a sweeter taste) • 4-5 tbsp gelatin (Great Lakes. The orange container)
INSTRUCTIONS • In a small saucepan heat grapefruit juice, water, honey, rind and gelatin, until gelatin is dissolved • Pour into chocolate moulds or an ice cube tray • Place in the fridge until solidified • Store in an sealed container in fridge
Enjoy!
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Just made an immune boosting, anti-inflammatory version of the jelly sweets ready for the season change. They're not perfect and perhaps need a little adjusting of the recipe, but here are my 'Golden Milk' inspired, 3 year old approved jelly sweets...
1 can coconut milk 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger... 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon of raw honey 4 tablespoons of Great Lakes gelatin
Heat it all up in the pan until the gelatin is fully dissolved, pour into moulds and pop in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once set, store in the fridge and consume with 1 week.
Enjoy!
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Still on the topic of vitamin A, my friend and colleague over at Wisdom Nutrition explains how anyone (including vegetarians and vegans) can improve their conversion of the pre vitamin A (the carotenoids) from non animal sources, to the body's usable form of retinol.

Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, my husband and I are thrilled to be having another baby at the beginning of November. With this in mind, I thought I'd better let you know that I will only be taking on new clients until Saturday 26th September, inclusive. This is so that I have the time to schedule a face to face follow-up appointment approximately 4 weeks later.
I plan to begin taking on new clients again in the spring/summer of 2016.
... Wishing you good health, Rachel
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Are you getting enough vitamin A?
One of the symptoms of a vitamin A deficiency is keratosis pilaris. You may know this as the small bumps on the backs of your upper arms, that no matter how much you exfoliate and moisturise, you just cannot get rid of.
Other symptoms are:
... > Frequent colds and infections > Poor and delayed wound healing > Night blindness > Dry cracked lip, mouth sores > Fatigue
We've all heard of vitamin A rich foods being vegetables such as carrots, sweet potato and peppers but are these really the best sources of vitamin A? The short answer is 'NO'.
When we are optimally healthy, it requires at least six units of carotenes to convert into 1 unit of retinol. This would mean that a person must eat 4 1/2 pounds of carrots to potentially get the amount of useable vitamin A as in 3 oz. of beef liver.
Furthermore if we are not optimally healthy and have gastrointestinal issues or hormone imbalances for example, the carotene-to-retinol conversion is greatly compromised, to the point where it becomes negligible for many individuals.
The conversion is virtually insignificant in the following people:
> Infants > Those with poor thyroid function (hypothyroidism) > Diabetics > People on a low fat diet (or have previously used this diet) > People who have reduced/compromised bile production (gallbladder and digestive issues)
The reasons above are why it is crucial to gain some daily vitamin A from sources containing the retinol version. This means the body can use it in its current state and no conversion is needed.
Try increasing your intake of the retinol form of Vitamin A and see if you see an improvement in any of your symptoms. Include foods such as egg yolk, liver paté and butter from grass-fed cows, daily.
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According to a WHO 2012 study, this generation is the first predicted to live shorter lives than their parents. This unprecedented reduction in life expectancy has not been seen since before the great depression.
The trend is strongly associated with obesity and the ill health associated with this. The Foresight report predicts that 90% of todays children will be overweight or obese by 2050!
I find this both incredibly sad and unfair and this has lead to my passion for impro...ving nutrition in the young, as well as pre-conceptually and in pregnancy. Our children deserve better than this. They deserve a fair chance to be robust and have optimum health. We are all (especially the young) designed to be this way, down to our very cells; we are designed to function optimally.
Good nutrition for infants and children is a great start in reversing this trend. Give nourishing, nutrient dense foods from the start, and limit, as much as possible, the processed junk foods. Encourage them as they get older to help you grow, purchase and cook their food. Educate them and help them make associations between what they eat and how they feel afterwards.
And most importantly, ENJOY healthy, nutritious food with them!
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Have you had bone broth recently? This is my latest batch, decanted ready for freezing after 24 hours in the slow cooker.
Bone broth is incredibly easy to make and is one of the most nourishing, healing, and not forgetting economical, foods that you can eat/drink.
I made this with 1 organic biodynamic chicken carcass (£1.50), 4 chicken feet for added collagen, filtered water to cover, 1/2 to 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and a small handful of peppercorns.
... Use it to make extra tasty soups, stews, pate and risotto. Anything you'd normally add liquid to really.
Packed with minerals and amino acids, this is a true superfood that really aids in healing the gut. Try to include some daily in your diet.
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Are you Gluten Free?
Many people now follow a gluten free diet. But if you haven't been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease (CD), isn't it just a fad diet?
A recent study says 'no'. This 2015 study shows that EVERYONE from CD patients to people with a gluten sensitivity and those with no sensitivity to gluten, ALL showed increased intestinal permeability when exposed to gliadin (the protein in gluten). What does increased intestinal permeability mean? It means particles that would... be normally prevented from getting through into the blood stream, can breach the tight junctions and cause the body to mount an immune response to everything and anything. You're gradually faced with many food intolerances, inflammation and disease, including autoimmune.
For every person who has gut related issues, 8 do not, and the gluten sensitivity is showing up somewhere else in their body. Depression, fatigue, skin problems. In fact, ANY disease can be attributed to a gluten (or other food) sensitivity. The list really is endless.
So what's the answer? A gluten free diet? Yes, but this is not the treatment. This is a prerequisite to the treatment. Working with a qualified and reputable nutritional therapist to address the damage, imbalances and inflammation is necessary to really turn your health around.
Here's a link to the study... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4377866/
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Hit hard by the latest budget but still want to eat clean? Here are the latest 'Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen +' lists from the Environmental Working Group. A handy little guide to alert you to which non-organic foods carry the most pesticides and which carry the least.
So if you can't afford to eat all organic, opt for those on the Clean list and try to avoid those on the Dirty Dozen +

I made these delicious, zesty jelly sweets this week. So tasty and so good for you. Great for adults and children, they're very easy to make and have a number of health benefits.
Gelatin (a good quality, grass fed one such as the Great Lakes brand) is a fantastic source of dietary collagen and is beneficial for:
– Skin, hair and nail growth... – Joints - can aid in joint recovery – Loose skin - aids in firming – Digestion - naturally binds to water and helps food move more easily though the digestive tract
I'm sure you don't need any more reasons to start making these delicious sweets, so here's the recipe...
INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice • ¼ cup water (optional if you’d like them to be more sour) • 1 tbsp raw honey or pure maple syrup • 1 tsp grapefruit rind (optional if you'd like a sweeter taste) • 4-5 tbsp gelatin (Great Lakes. The orange container)
INSTRUCTIONS • In a small saucepan heat grapefruit juice, water, honey, rind and gelatin, until gelatin is dissolved • Pour into chocolate moulds or an ice cube tray • Place in freezer for 1-2 hours or until solidified • To remove from moulds, gently run under warm water • Store in an sealed container in fridge
Enjoy!
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