Jim asked: I’m interested to know what the latest health and nutrition research into coffee is.  I’ve read so many mixed reports.  Is it good or bad for you?  How many cups should I have a day?  Is it better to have decaff?

Answer…

When looking at research it’s always helpful to know who asked the question, all the positive research I’ve found about coffee drinking (there may be others I’ve missed which I’d certainly be interested in reading) has come from Vanderbilt University Institute of Coffee Studies.

This organisation states quite clearly on the home page of their website that their job is to look for benefits of coffee.  They are funded by coffee producing countries and grants from the corporate sector including such companies as Nestle and Starbucks.  Their website is www.vanderbilt.edu/ics/ if you want to find a reason to keep drinking the coffee!

On the flip side most independent research finds the exact opposite.  Research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry studied 1500 psychology students and found that moderate and high consumers of coffee were found to have higher levels of anxiety and depression than abstainers, and that the highest consumers had the greatest incidence of stress related medical problems, as well as lower academic performance.  A number of studies have shown that the ability to remember lists of words is made worse by caffeine so drinking coffee before work is likely to cause a poorer start to the day than otherwise.

Coffee makes you feel more energised and alert in the morning which is why most people get hooked on it. But does it really?  Dr Peter Rogers of Bristol University wondered if caffeine really did energise or whether it simply relieved the symptoms of withdrawal. When he did his research he found that coffee drinkers after drinking coffee don’t feel any better than non coffee drinkers they simply feel better than after they’ve woken up.

Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine free and unless it is organic you are also subjecting your body to the chemicals used to leach the caffeine from the beans.

Caffeine is an addictive drug that can cause physical withdrawal symptoms for a few days if you stop suddenly.  However, drinking water can relieve this but if symptoms are particularly bad then a few drops under the tongue can relieve the symptoms without subjecting your digestive system to any negative effects.

How much, if any, to drink comes down to personal choice.  My recommendation generally, particularly in those with health issues, is to cut right down and maybe have the occasional cup as a treat after a meal out rather than a daily fix and to make sure they “pay” for it by drinking extra water. Personally I prefer any food substance to as least “mucked about” with as possible but if you do go for decaffeinated ensure it is organic.

Carole Batchelor has diplomas in Holistic Nutritional Therapy and Allergy Intolerance Therapy and  is qualified to Diagnostix level in Callahan Techniques Thought Field Therapy.  She is also a Grief Recovery Specialist.

Ask Carole about: Food Intolerance, Thought Field Therapy, Bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fatigue, Gall Bladder Problems, Grief, Anxiety, Stress.

Got a fitness, nutrition or weight loss question? Ask it here!

Lisa asked: Recently I’ve been experiencing some awful reactions when I eat certain foods. The strange thing is that there doesn’t seem to be a link between the foods: hot chocolate, fizzy drinks, fruit juices, some spicy foods, casseroles, porridge. I get really bad tummy ache, hot flushes and need to go to the loo after eating them, sometimes within just minutes. Do I have a food allergy or could it be something else that is causing it?

Answer…

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been suffering.  From what you’ve told me it sounds like you may well have several food intolerances. There are several key differences between intolerances and allergies, notably speed of reaction as allergies tend to be instant whereas it can take your body anywhere between 15 minutes and 4 days to give you a symptom to a food intolerance. Food allergies, often, though not always, will result in a rash or swelling of the mouth.

To understand why some foods which have been ok up until now suddenly become a problem I use the analogy of a barrel. If your body is a barrel into which we load substances which are toxins to us gradually over time the barrel will fill up. Environmental and lifestyle factors such as stress can make the barrel fill up more quickly. Once the barrel gets full foods that otherwise wouldn’t be a problem suddenly cause it to overflow giving us very unpleasant symptoms. This means that it isn’t the orange juice that made the barrel overflow that is necessarily the biggest problem it’s simply (switching metaphors for a moment) the last straw.

The link between the foods you’ve listed might well be that they are acid forming in the body but without knowing more – for example what was in the casserole, which spices on which foods and whether the porridge was made with cows milk and what if anything it was sweetened with I can’t be more specific. For now I suggest you avoid the foods mentioned, increase your intake of alkaline foods such as vegetables and brown rice and recommend you see a food intolerance/nutritional therapist to help you get to the bottom of the problem.

Carole Batchelor has diplomas in Holistic Nutritional Therapy and Allergy Intolerance Therapy and  is qualified to Diagnostix level in Callahan Techniques Thought Field Therapy.  She is also a Grief Recovery Specialist.

Ask Carole about: Food Intolerance, Thought Field Therapy, Bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fatigue, Gall Bladder Problems, Grief, Anxiety, Stress.

Got a fitness, nutrition or weight loss question? Ask it here!

Guest Blog Post: Carole Batchelor from Healthy Results in Bedford explains why New Year isn’t the best time to detox…

You’ve wandered on to this page because it’s that time of year again, the time when you decide that you really will get fit/thin/both in time for Spring or maybe in search of the latest thinking about detoxing after the party season. On average people in this country put on 5lb over Christmas and it’s the one time when none of us want to be above average!

But here we are feeling tired despite not doing as much, heavier despite saying no to that last bit of chocolate and more than a bit keen just to get rid of it all again!  The temptation is to reject all that sensible stuff about losing weight gradually and do some dramatic detox programme to just get rid of it NOW! 

Here’s the good news.  Much of that rapid weight gain isn’t fat, it’s likely to be water.  When we pump our bodies full of substances that are toxic it can result in the elimination processes not being able to cope and the backlog is bound with water and stored in our fat cells (cellulite).  This can be a result of eating foods that we are intolerant to on an ongoing basis or over indulging in a short space of time.  The reason that it’s good news is that by simply stopping the toxic intake the body can begin to deal with the back log, the toxins and the water are released and the excess weight goes again relatively quickly.  The most effective action to help this process along is to make sure you’re hydrated and that means drinking plenty of fresh water and naturally caffeine free drinks.

There are many schools of thought on whether or not tea and coffee really do dehydrate but in my clinic I’ve seen people achieve astonishing results merely by swapping their morning coffee for hot water.  So how much should you drink? Well clearly everyone is different and the bigger you are the more water you need but here are my basic guidelines:

1.5 – 2 litres water per day assuming no extra sweating through exertion/exercise.  That’s about 8 big glasses or mugs of water a day.  Clearly if you do exercise then you need to drink to replace the lost fluids.

Remember warm water is a natural relaxant and cold water is a stimulant – think about jumping into a warm or chilled bath of water – what will your muscles do?  This will happen to your stomach and intestines when you drink which is why especially at this time of year I tend to stick to warm or hot water.

1 average cup of instant coffee is equal to -4 cups of water due to the dehydrating effect of the caffeine.  So if you want that cup of coffee have it but remember to pay for it with 4 extra cups of water.  Still want it?

1 average cup of tea is equal to -1 cup of water.  Herbal and fruit teas, Roibosh etc are all naturally caffeine free and count towards improving your hydration.  If it helps remember that water is the fuel of your metabolism and you can’t “burn” food without enough of it.

If you’re a long way from 8 glasses at the moment then don’t attempt to get there all in one day, work upwards.  If you only manage to make one small change make it water instead of tea or coffee as the first thing you drink in the morning – you’ll be astonished just how much better you’ll feel.

So why does the headline urge you to STOP!… 

Physically we are at our weakest in midwinter.  In evolutionary terms we’re designed to be in our caves, keeping warm, and not being very active to conserve our energy and our fat stores in order to keep warm.  In naturopathic terms we’re governed by the cycles of nature and at our weakest in the run up and just after the solstice – this year on the 21st December.  Many people have heard of the impact of the full moon on both animals and people but are unaware that the moon affects us in all it’s cycles.  In Chinese medicine terms we are currently in the season of the Water element and we should nourish ourselves with warming foods (Fire) to counteract the cold and damp outside so therefore a juice or grape fast would be the completely wrong thing to do!

In fact it doesn’t matter which natural tradition you look at January is absolutely the worst time to create any major or dramatic physical changes, but you can start gently to bring the body back to balance. And even if you’re going to ignore all the natural therapy advice conventional weight loss advice will always tell you that slowly and gradually is the healthiest way to lose weight and get in shape!

Don’t get me wrong I’m a big believer in the power of detoxing, in fact I specialised in detox methodologies for my diploma but I don’t advocate it until Spring when the body is much stronger – Spring Cleaning isn’t just for the house!  Even then I make sure that the person’s blood sugar levels are stable and that there are no other contra-indications before proceeding.  So for now, enjoy a nice cup of ginger tea to warm and heal your digestive system, and plan your shopping list of whole foods to make sure that you don’t run out of quick tasty healthy meals in the coming week while you decide which form of exercise will the most fun way to get moving again without overdoing it. 

Good Luck!

(please remember this advice is generic for specific advice please consult a qualified professional)

Carole Batchelor has diplomas in Holistic Nutritional Therapy and Allergy Intolerance Therapy and  is qualified to Diagnostix level in Callahan Techniques Thought Field Therapy.  She is also a Grief Recovery Specialist.

Ask Carole about: Food Intolerance, Thought Field Therapy, Bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fatigue, Gall Bladder Problems, Grief, Anxiety, Stress.

Guest Blog Post:  Carole Batchelor from Healthy Results in Bedford offers up some great advice for those running a health and wellbeing business…

With the amount of people suffering from stress, and the myriad of related health issues it’s not surprising that the business of health is big business indeed. As a nation we have a split personality – record levels of obesity and diabetes but also massive spend on health.

It could be you’re reading this site because you work in the health field as a personal trainer, a nutritional therapist or you offer one of the many hundreds of complementary therapies out there, if so then you’ll know it’s true that even more people need your help than ever before.

But you’re not doing as well as you’d like financially.

Am I right?

I’m not psychic I’m a Nutritional Therapist so why am I talking to you?

Until 3 years ago I worked very successfully in marketing, for 20 years I made sure that the right people heard the right message at the right time. Then everything changed. My wonderful husband Kevin died of skin cancer. As I began the process of picking up the pieces I realised that I was no longer interested in marketing, I decided to retrain.

After a while I had to acknowledge I wasn’t making enough to sustain myself. Then I realised I’d fallen into the trap of thinking like a therapist not a marketer. I took a hard look at what I was doing then put it right.  The fact is I hadn’t left business I’d simply changed business. Now my practice is thriving.

The good news is you don’t need years of experience to market yourself.  A few fundamental changes will make all the difference.  I was so disturbed when I heard about the number of healers having to give in and get jobs I needed to do something.  I’ve put together a 1 day seminar that will run in Milton Keynes, January 23rd 2010 aimed specifically at personal trainers, healers and therapists who want to increase their business.  I’ve kept the ticket price as low as possible, to make the event accessible.  But I thought I’d give you three ideas now. If as a result you get a client or more then you’ve already got your seminar ticket money!  To make it even more accessible I’ve agreed to give EverythingZing readers £30 off the ticket price – simply quote ZING at checkout.

1) Accept the money – literally and spiritually.

Many of us have limiting beliefs around accepting payment for the work that we do. To be successful we need to address those feelings and realise that if we are telling the universe we don’t want the money, it will oblige by keeping it away. When we offer anyone anything no matter how small, it is ingrained in us to want to repay that gift. So much so that it becomes very uncomfortable if we’re denied that opportunity. When we work with someone and they get better they have a deep need to repay us with something of equal value. Denying them the opportunity by saying “oh pay me later” or not being comfortable with accepting their gift (money) in return is disrespectful to them and works against what you’ve just achieved with your healing. Asking for payment at the start of the session rather than the end, switches the reciprocity so you’re thanking them by providing healing in return for their gift and results in the final memory of the session being your positive work.

2) Get listed!

There are lots of free listing web sites out there.  You already know about www.EverythingZing.com another is www.freeindex.com which brings me a customer every month – completely free!  Think laterally – get your listing in as many categories as possible.  For example top of the list of Spiritual healers in Bedford is a Reiki practitioner. If I was looking for Reiki I wouldn’t have looked there but if I was looking for healing I might now consider her.

3) Get noticed!

Have a sign on your door or gate announcing how you can help. Professional signage lets customers know they’ve found the right place and reassures them you’re professional.  It lets people walking past know you’re there. I work from home, in a cul-de-sac yet my sign brings me 12 -15 people a year. It’s not just my neighbours, it’s their cleaners, their friends, dog walkers and so on. 70% houses are sold from the estate agents board alone. I’m not saying you need a huge brightly coloured board, you might choose a discrete brass plaque but if you don’t have anything you will miss out. For most residential situations as long as you don’t exceed 1 metre square you shouldn’t need planning permission. If you’re unsure a make quick call to your local planning office.  All sign companies are happy to give you ideas on how to use even a tiny budget but I’ve persuaded Jonathan Ward of Metrosigns in Bedford (01234 351207) to give you a great deal when you mention this article.

If you’d like more information about the seminar and details on how to implement these and dozens more ideas then follow this link to request a FREE report with 25 ideas to grow your business. Don’t forget to quote ZING at checkout to get £30 off the ticket price.

Carole Batchelor – Healthy Results