115g butter, frozen. Plus a little extra for greasing
1 egg, lightly whisked
Method
Filling
Add all of the ingredients above (other than the brandy, if using) into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir. When the butter is fully melted, turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir through a Tablespoon of brandy, and decant into sterilized glass jars. Leave to cool with the lid slightly ajar, then secure tightly and store until you’re ready to use.
Pastry
Put the ground almonds and coconut flour in a bowl with the sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the orange zest. Grate the frozen butter into the flour and mix together with your fingers till a crumb forms. Stir in the egg and bring together with your hands to form a dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap each in film and place in the fridge for 1 hour (or overnight).
Pre heat the oven to 175˚C. Grease the moulds of a muffin pan with a little butter. Remove the dough from the fridge and place between 2 sheets of baking/ greaseproof paper. Roll with a rolling pin to flatten out the dough till it is pie-crust thin. Using a cookie cutter (or an upturned jam jar – needs to be about 8cm diameter) cut out 25 circles and lightly press into the muffin pan moulds. The pastry can be tricky to work with as there is no gluten holding it together. Be patient. If the pastry splits just push it back together with your fingers and use any pastry scraps to fix it up.
Fill up each pie mould with a heaped teaspoon of the mincemeat. Using the remainder of the dough cut out 25 stars to top each pie. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Leave to cool in the tins, before gently easing them out.
Don’t be tempted to remove from the tin when they come out of the oven. They WILL fall apart!
Recipe by Nutritional Therapist Marianne Andrews
https://www.cotswoldnutrition.com/post/2019/12/13/healthier-mince-pies
Menopause and its symptoms– isn’t it great that we actually talk about it now? It is no longer taboo, it is simply another phase of life;in fact, probably another one third of a woman’s life is spent in menopause. Which means that there is another third of life to embrace and to make sure that you do everything possible to get through in the best shape that you can possibly be in – and sail through (hopefully) menopausal symptoms.
Did you know that in Japanese there is no word for hot flashes?There are parts of the world, Asia, especially Japan, that don’t even recognise it as a condition. Women of a menopausal age in these countries tend to experience less severe hot flashes, less insomnia, less night sweats or vaginal dryness, or increased heart rate. It is interesting to wonder why this is.Could it potentially be the difference in the way that we eat and fuel our bodies?
Phytoestrogens are known to be really beneficial to reducing menopausal symptoms. In most Asian cultures, the consumption of phytoestrogens is much much higher than here in the UK.Typically these women consume 50-200 mg of phytoestrogens (specifically isoflavones) daily, where as our in our diets it can be as low as 3-5 mg.
So what are Phytoestrogens, and how can we increase them? Phytoestrogens are plant foods whichas the name suggests, have their own oestrogen-like components.They don’t add oestrogens to your body – so they won’t give you an excess or make you oestrogen dominant, but what they will do is balance up the ones that are already there.
They literally act like a key and stimulate beneficial effects in the brain, bone, heart and bladder.In the breast, womb and ovaries they can help to block the stimulation of somethings called alpha receptors, which can produce cancer.All in all, they are a good thing and something that we need plenty of in our diet – every day.
There are three main types, and here are a few ideas of how to make sure that you are getting plenty.
Lignans – Flaxseeds are one of my favourite as they contain potent phytoestrogens.There’s research to suggest that they can help to reduce hot flushes and vaginal dryness.Ground flaxseeds are so simple to add into a bowl of porridge or overnight oats, or stir into a smoothie.The great thing about them is that they have a variety of plus points.
They are chock full of good oils.These are the oils that help your skin and your heart.
They are full of anti inflammatory fats and they help your body make to hormones too.
Flaxseeds are one of the ultimate soluble fibre foods. Great for bulking out those bowel movements and flushing out your system, so to speak.
Chia seeds are similar.Good for making up a chia pudding as an alternative to porridge.They have more fibre than flaxseeds and more calcium too –although less of an oestrogenic quality than flax.
You can also use the ground flax or chia as an alternative for eggs in vegan cooking.Because the oil content is so high, when it’s mixed with water it has a binding effect similar to using an egg.
Isoflavones – This second group of phytoestrogens are hopefully those that you may already use widely. Chickpeas, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, haricot, peas – all the legumes are wonderful sources of isoflavones.And what we should be aiming to do is to add some of these foods to our diet every single day.
There are over 300 foods which contain isoflavones.But what you need here is variety, because those 300 foods all contain different types of isoflavone and each has a different benefit.
It could be as hummus, or a lentil dhal, falafel or just padding out a casserole with some black beans. They are such versatile foods.Or a pea and ham soup for lunch?Or even a nice warming lentil and bacon soup?The possibilities are endless!
When we think about including them in our diet then we should think about volume.For most women, our intake of peas, lentils, chickpeas is probably just a tablespoonful here and there. In parts of South East Asia these foods are staples.
If you’re still at the perimenopausal stage, then you could benefit by starting to add in a couple of portions a day since research has shown that A diet high in legumes delayed menopause on average by one-and-a-half years!
Soya is a beneficial isoflavonebut only if it is eaten in the traditional way.Often in this country it is completely over processed with products being made from soya protein isolates.
Aim to buy organic whole soya bean products, or soya that is fermented, such as in tempeh, miso, Tofu, miso bean soy paste, and tamari.
Coumestans are the final group of phytoestrogens.You find these specifically in sprouted mung and alfalfa beans.
Sprouted seeds are always a great thing to add to your diet.If you think about what you are eating here, it’s the powerhouse of the plant.
It’s full of nutrients – including enzymes which in turn affects how the body breaks down carbohydrates.
These are just a few of a myriad of things that can help you to feel more like yourself in the next phase of your life. We are all different, and finding what works for you is where I can help you. As a Nutritional Therapist I specialise in helping mid-lifers get themselves back on track. Why not book in for a Free Better Health Chat now and take steps to make sure that this phase is the best time of your life.
As the nights draw in, daylight hours decrease and temperatures drop, it is understandable we reach for foods that help to keep us warm and comforted. Our food choices however, do not need to be laden with calories and sugar to give us what we need. In fact, for many of us, it’s essential they are not. We now know, through extensive research that the health of our gut microbiome is essential to the health of our body/mind. We now know that many diseases originate from a malfunctioning digestive system – for instance – Type 2 Diabetes. There is a revolution happening in our guts and it’s not that it has altered dramatically but our understanding of it certainly has.
The number of people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in the UK and worldwide is growing year on year. It is one of the most common long term health conditions and is estimated to cost the NHS around £12 billion a year. In the UK, more than 4.7 million people have Type 2 Diabetes and a further 13.6 million are believed to be at higher risk.
Type 2 Diabetes was formerly known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes due to its occurrence mainly in people over 40. However, Type 2 Diabetes is now becoming more common in young adults, teens and children and accounts for roughly 90% of all diabetes cases worldwide. This increase has been connected to the climbing levels of obesity.
Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results inhigh blood glucose levels, hyperglycaemia, due to:
Cells in muscle, fat and the liver becoming resistant to insulin, which means the cells don’t take in enough sugar.
The pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
Insulin is a hormone that comes from the pancreas — a gland located behind and below the stomach. Insulin controls how the body uses sugar in the following ways:
Sugar in the bloodstream triggers the pancreas to release insulin.
Insulin circulates in the bloodstream, enabling sugar to enter the cells.
The amount of sugar in the bloodstream drops.
In response to this drop, the pancreas releases less insulin.
Glucose, (a sugar) is a main source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and other tissues. The use and regulation of glucose includes the following:
Glucose comes from two major sources: food and the liver.
Glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it enters cells with the help of insulin.
The liver stores and makes glucose.
When glucose levels are low, the liver breaks down stored glycogen into glucose to keep the body’s glucose level within a healthy range.
In Type 2 Diabetes, this process doesn’t work well. Instead of moving into the cells, sugar builds up in the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas releases more insulin. Eventually the cells in the pancreas that make insulin become damaged and can’t make enough insulin to meet the body’s needs.
Type 2 Diabetes is a serious medical condition, which over time, may damage other organs of the body. It can often require the use of anti-diabetic medication, or insulin to keep blood sugar levels under control. However, the development of Type 2 Diabetes and its side effects can be reduced or prevented if detected and treated at an early stage.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes often develop slowly. In fact, you can be living with Type 2 Diabetes for years and not know it. When symptoms are present, they may include:
Frequent urination.
Increased hunger.
Unintended weight loss
Increased thirst
Fatigue.
Blurred vision.
Slow-healing sores.
Frequent infections.
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck.
Health factors that may increase the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes include:
Being overweight or obese
Having a waist size of 31.5 inches or more (women) or more than 37 inches (men)
Eating an unhealthy diet
Long term use of anti-biotics
Physical inactivity
Genetic disposition and/or having a first degree relative with Type 2 Diabetes
Having high blood pressure or raised cholesterol levels
Smoking
Type 2 Diabetes can also develop in people who are not overweight or obese. This is more common in older adults and is called Skinny Diabetes 2.
The good news is, that in recent years, it has become apparent that many people with Type 2 Diabetes are able to reverse the condition through methods including low-carb diets, low-calorie diets and exercise.
According to a study on the microbiome detailed in Dr James Kinross’s book Dark Matter, new research is starting to provide some insight between the gut and Type 2 Diabetes;
A recent analysis of more than 2,166 Dutch people, (which accounted for many of the environmental confounders of the microbiome), confirmed that those with Type 2 diabetes have less microbiome diversity and less butyrate (a major short-chain fatty acid produced during gut flora-mediated fermentation of dietary fibres) production in the gut, compared to age and sex-matched non-diabetic people.
He goes on to say,
The implications of low-level inflammatory process in the gut in obesity and Type 2 Diabetes are significant for all aspects of our health. … they are very likely to disrupt the gut-brain axis, exacerbating the addictive nature of food.
This is why people with diabetes are advised to avoid dietary sugar. For many people with Type 2 Diabetes, this is all they have to do to stay well. If you can keep your blood sugar lower by avoiding dietary sugar, it is likely you will never need long term medication.
What can I do to prevent or reduce the effects of Type 2 Diabetes?
Eat healthy foods. Avoid processed foods and choose foods lower in fat and calories and higher in fibre. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Get active. Aim for 150 or more minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity, such as a brisk walk, bicycling, running or swimming.
Lose weight. If you are overweight, losing a modest amount of weight and keeping it off may delay the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes, losing 7% to 10% of your body weight may reduce the risk of diabetes.
Avoid long stretches of inactivity. Sitting still for long periods of time can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Try to get up every 30 minutes and move around for at least a few minutes.
FOODS TO AVOID
Full fat dairy products including cow’s milk, cheese, cream, ice cream etc
Refined sugar
Packaged snacks, including biscuits, sweets, cakes, crisps, and any processed baked goods.
White carbohydrates, including white bread, pasta, sugar.
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Dried fruits, which can be high in sugar.
French Fries
Excessive alcohol
FOODS TO HAVE
Sweet potatoes
Berries
Salmon
Oatmeal
Nuts/seeds (avoid non-organic peanuts)
Yogurt. Yogurt has many benefits, but best to choose, goat/sheep/coconut, preferably with added Kefir.
Quinoa. Quinoa is a nutrient-rich seed that is often referred to as an ancient grain.
Vegetables of all shapes and sizes including, broccoli, kale, beans, cauliflower, celeriac, fennel, peas, carrots, mushrooms, spinach.
Although Colon Hydrotherapy is not recommended for people with Type 1 Diabetes, where the body is unable to produce insulin, it can be a very beneficial support for anyone with Type 2 Diabetes. It can help detox the intestinal tract from the accumulative inflammatory effect of eating unhealthy foods, especially excess processed foods. Then, following a healthy diet which includes the addition of pre-biotics and probiotics, plus infusions of high potency good bacteria directly into the colon (following a colon hydrotherapy treatment) the positive health-giving benefits of a diverse microbiome can be rebuilt. This, in turn, can help support the liver to manage its production and regulation of glucose.
There are many skin-care products that dominate shop shelves and magazine pages, but does what you eat affect your skin and how does your overall health relate to your skin health?
Your skin is the largest organ in the body. It is your protector as it acts as a barrier between your insides and the rest of the world. Your skin prevents “bad” things from getting in and allows waste products to get out through sweat, while preventing leakages of the things that need to stay in. Your skin creates its own sebum to keep it moisturised and supple and it absorbs and processes useful things such as sunlight to make vitamin D. Your internal mucosa – the skin lining from your mouth down through your body on the inside of your body – is a continuation of this durable and essential organ.
Did you know that the skin is linked to the lungs and the large intestine? Chinese Medicine groups the Lungs, Large Intestines, and the Skin together under the umbrella of the Metal element. When the Metal element is out of balance, this may manifest as allergies, bronchitis, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, a cold, sore throat, digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhoea or abdominal pain, skin rashes, hives, or psoriasis.
The pores of the skin are known as the ‘doors of Qi’’, allowing energy to flow into and out of your body. The health of your skin is a direct reflection of the strength of your Lung Qi and your body’s ability to eliminate that which should be eliminated and to absorb that which should be absorbed.
The emotion that is most often related to this system is grief, as this is the ability or the ease with which we can let go of that which cannot remain. Grief, in some form or other, may be out of balance when there is a physical imbalance in the skin, lungs or large intestines.
Eating a balanced and healthy diet and drinking plenty of water is essential for keeping your skin well maintained and in full functional health. Important and beneficial nutrition will depend on your own circumstances, diet and imbalances, and may include: Omega 3 fatty acids (think oily fish like salmon, or flaxseeds), Omega 7 (sea buckthorn oil), Vitamin C (fresh fruits and veg), Vitamin A (orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots), MSM (eggs and legumes), Silica (green beans and leafy greens), Selenium (Brazil nuts), and Biotin (eggs, almonds, sweet potatoes).
Looking after your digestive system and ensuring that you are avoiding foods that cause irritation or trigger sensitivities or allergies is also very important for the health of your skin, and this is different for every individual. The skin often deals with the fall-out of a challenged digestive system, and this can manifest as rashes, hives, shadows under the eyes or psoriasis.
Exercising to enable your skin to sweat also helps to keep your skin healthy and nourished, so get out and enjoy the summer – go for a hearty walk, do some gardening, or take a yomp. Don’t forget to cover up or apply your favourite mineral sunscreen!
As a Kinesiologist I can help to deduce what you need to do to balance your own health, test whether you have any intolerances or sensitivities, and test which supplements would be most beneficial for you. Contact me directly to book a session in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire or Ledbury, Herefordshire.
What you eat is fundamental to your overall health.
If you’re eating foods that your body doesn’t currently receive & process well, this can lead to mental as well as physical problems over time.
Some examples of food related symptoms include:
Tiredness
Brain fog
Bloating
Joint pain
Low energy/fatigue
Inability to lose weight
Low mood or anxiety
Headaches
Stomach pains
Constipation and diarrhoea
Eczema, spots or acne
Hyperactivity in children
Did you know that through Kinesiology and food sensitivity testing, you can confirm food intolerances and find out which foods your body is taking on board and absorbing and which foods you’re struggling with?
So finding out which foods may be contributing to these symptoms is key in returning you to full health and wellbeing .Food testing is simple and non-invasive. During a session, foods are placed on to the body and a muscle test is carried out. If the muscle weakens we know that particular food is draining the body of energy, or in other words, the body is intolerant to that food. Food sensitivity testing is always carried out as part of a wider & thorough digestive balancing session.
Our fully trained and qualified Kinesiologists balance the body in a holistic way, ensuring that it’s working at optimal levels to receive, digest, process and use the energy the food has provided. This means addressing any underlying emotional factors, confirming any vitamin or mineral deficiencies and finding the right supplements for your unique case, working on any structural issues and ensuring there is flow in your energy systems.
Jeni practices as a Kinesiologist at CHHC on Tuesdays and Saturdays and has a Kinesiology Foundation course commencing this September.
For more information or to book a Kinesiology appointment with Jeni, email jeni@jenihowland.com
Our identity tends to be locked in our head, where our main sense organs are located; sight, smell, hearing, taste and the command centre for the nervous system – our brain. The brain controls, thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body.
Is it any wonder that we often feel like we are walking heads? The rest of our body servile to the needs and demands of this ‘top heavy’ centre of attention?
It’s almost as though we have a disconnected relationship with the rest of our body, formed by our perceptions and experiences. As a child I remember; counting the moles on my legs and wondering, if I joined the dots, what shape might emerge? My mother saying that my arms were too long when she knitted me a jumper. Looking at my face in the mirror and studying the scar left after I had fallen downstairs.
Like most people, my connection with the rest of my body was one of its external, physical appearance. What was going on under my skin was a complete mystery.
Usually, it is only when we suffer injury or feel pain that a channel of communication is opened with that part of our body. But then, more often than not, it is a negative one;
Annoyance that it has let us down in some way
Fear that we don’t know what’s going on
Frustration that we can’t get better
Resignation that there is nothing we can do
Another way of perceiving our body is to understand that each and every part of us, internal and external has a massive and significant role to play in our total universe. Our feet, for instance, carry us every day, balance our weight and give us a sense of connection to the ground. This is truly remarkable and deserving of much praise, love and attention!
If you were to study T’ai Chi, for instance, one of the first principles you would learn would be to drop your centre of attention from your head into your Tan T’ien. Your Tan T’ien is your centre of gravity. It is located in your abdomen and is the source of your vital energy.
You would learn to move from that point, not your head. You would feel, from that point, how your weight distribution flowed through your legs into your feet and down into the ground. You would feel and become aware of tension in your feet, that inhibited the flow of that energy, making you feel disconnected and ungrounded. You would feel how when you softened and relaxed, your feet opened and you were ‘rooted’.
It is possible to shift your ‘point of view’ of reality from your head to any part of your body. All it takes is a little time and imagination. It is then, only a small step to opening up a dialogue with your internal organs. Ask your heart how it is, what it needs, listen. When we do this, we begin to understand that our brain, rather than being the director of communication, is the receptor, receiving information from every part of us and trying to make sense of it.
We now know that our long tube of gut which stretches from the esophagus to the anus is embedded with sheaths of neurons, some 100 million neurons, more than in either our spinal cord or peripheral nervous system. This mass of neurons forms the enteric nervous system and helps us to ’feel’ the inner world of our gut. Because this enteric nervous system relies on the same type of neurons and neurotransmitters that are found in the central nervous system, some medical experts call it our ‘second brain’.
Interestingly, the primary visceral nerve, the vagus, carries most of its information from the gut to the brain and not the other way round. Every day we pick up messages for our gut, that can include not only physical sensations like indigestion but also emotional feelings. Our gut can transmit to us a sense of well-being and happiness as well as stress, anxiety and even depression. Understandably, problems in our gastrointestinal tract, GI, can make us anxious and depressed but also anxiety and depression can make GI problems worse.
This ‘conversation’ between the brain and digestive system is pivotal in our understanding of health and disease. We now know that the gut and brain not only communicate through the nervous system, but also through hormones and the immune system. Microorganisms in the gut help regulate the body’s immune response.
Medical researchers exploring symptoms such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, autism, anxiety, depression and Multiple Sclerosis are also looking at what is happening in the person’s gut. They are also examining how problems such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn’s disease, for example, can affect the brain.
One of my first major body awakenings occurred when I had a colonic. Before that treatment the default for my digestive system was constant discomfort. It was so constant it was normal. Gas, indigestion, constipation, bloating, were my companions. I didn’t question it because it seemed like it had always been there. After my colonic, I felt peace in my digestive system. The turbulence dissipated. This was so remarkable it was almost miraculous. Then I realised if I ate certain foods, my stomach and gut might protest, if I ate other foods, it would be quite content. I began to learn what my gut wanted me to eat. All I needed to do was listen.
But listening to my gut, gave me information beyond my dietary needs. I began to hear what made it stressed, and how that stress also contributed to my symptoms. I began to hear just how stressed I was.
As I listened to my gut, I made changes to my diet, but also significant changes to my life and lifestyle, which included introducing a daily practice of T’ai Chi and meditation. I moved my centre of gravity from my head to my Tan T’ien.
My body then ceased to become the fearful, separate ‘other’. I realised how my thoughts and patterns of behaviour were totally interconnected. I realised how my body was trying to do its very best for me, even under the most adverse conditions! It just needed a bit of help.
We are coming to the end of Spring and entering Summer. The extra warmth these months bring is conducive to a healthier diet. Now is an excellent time to embark on a de-tox, however short and allow your body and mind to reap the benefits! Choose good quality, alkaline foods, and refresh your gut with a colonic.
From June 1st we are having to increase our prices for a Colon Hydrotherapy treatment, initial and follow-up, to £75.00. The cost of implants and infusions will stay the same. Lesley and I look forward to your next visit!
Our osteopaths, Louise Megan Owen and Stuart Wilson, are now offering a FREE 40 minute baby check. This will involve a full case history, an osteopathic assessment and recommendation as to whether a further treatment can help.
Cranial osteopathy is a gentle, effective technique which can be used to treat babies and young children. The treatment can gentle and quickly unwind tissue tensions and calm stressed nerves caused by pregnancy and birth. Many parents bring babies that are struggling with feeding, sleeping and digestive problems.Book online or 01242 584140.
We are very excited to announce that a new Qi Gong class will be starting on Tuesday 5th November at 12-1pm.
The first class is a free taster! Book by calling the centre on 01242 584140. Subsequent classes are £7 when booked as as course of 6 or £8 for a drop in.
Classical Chinese exercises which flow through a variety of graceful, strengthening postures. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
We offer a wide variety of well respected and established therapies. Each of our therapies and treatments will help you to improve your physical and emotional health and are suitable for all ages – from tiny babies to the elderly.
We have a large team of fully qualified and highly experienced practitioners, all experts in their respective field and all have professional body registration. Our aim is to provide you with the best advice, treatment and patient care.
Our studio is a beautiful, light and spacious room, which is multi-purpose and can be used for a variety of events and classes. It may be rented on an hourly, daily or weekend basis, in the daytime or evening.
