October 2008
South West London Families - October 2008
Defence Against Winter Colds and Viruses

Nothing makes as much difference to your health as a well functioning immune system. By including a variety of fresh organic foods within your daily diet you can support the whole family and help to defend against winter colds. Here are 5 immune boosting foods:

Beetroot: Absolutely loaded with goodness. Include it in your child's diet from an early age. Beetroot contains fibre, B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, antioxidants, vitamin C and beta-carotene which help to support the immune system. Recipe suggestions include baking, then use as a "side vegetable" or make Beetroot soup or grate raw and add to salads.

Cabbage: A wonderful vegetable which is versatile but under-valued. Cabbage contains an abundance of nutrients, especially if you choose the darker green or red varieties. It contains fibre which helps to prevent constipation and feeds good bacteria as well as containing high levels of vitamin C - all essential for a healthy immune system. Whether braised, stuffed, added to soups, stir-fried, or eaten raw there is such a variety of cabbages and recipes everyone should be able to find one that they like!

Garlic: Garlic is probably one of the best known healing foods. Its health advantages are wide ranging due to its anti-bacterial, anti viral and anti parasitic qualities. It is particularly effective in the digestive and respiratory tracts and supports conditions such as lung issues, stuffy noses, coughs, colds and tummy bugs. A true super-food, garlic is easily obtained and should be an essential part of everyone’s diet - in fact some people even eat it raw!

Shiitake Mushrooms: To give immunity a jolt - eat these big brown beefy mushrooms from Asia. Chinese medicine has long revered their healing powers due to their anti-viral and immune-stimulating properties. Eat raw, grill, bake or stuff, adding garlic for an extra boost!

Yoghurt: Yoghurt contains immune boosting power because it contains bacteria which support the digestive tract and boost the activity of natural killer cells, revving up the production of antibodies. Choose plain unsweetened yoghurt that has live cultures, adding fresh fruit or Manuka honey for extra support.

Richmond Upon Thames Families Magazine October 2008
Immune- Boosting the Children

5 top tips to help boost immunity:

* Provide a nutritious balanced diet: Dump the convenience food which does not support the immune system and offer an organic, natural, rainbow coloured diet, filled with whole grains such as jumbo oats, whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice. Include vegetables and fruit which are high in vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals and fibre which help to maintain immunity and protect against a whole host of illnesses and diseases. Include as many different coloured fruit and vegetables to ensure nutrient variety. Protein foods need only take up to 15% of a child’s daily intake of food. Include organic lean meat, oily fish, grains, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, soya products or veggie mince. Omega 3 and 6 helps to boost the immune system, build healthy cells and discourage allergies. Omega 3 fats are found in oily fish, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, linseeds and beans whilst omega 6 is found in sesame, sunflower, grapeseed oil, nuts and seeds. Cooking methods should include raw vegetables and fruit, steaming, stir-frying, grilling or baking.

* Fibre. Fibre plays an important role in maintaining health as 70% of the immune system is localised in the GI tract. There are 2 types, insoluble and soluble. Around 80% should be insoluble fibre, which makes bowel movement easier and supports gut health. This type is found in wholegrains, rice, root and leafy green vegetables, prunes, nuts and seeds. Soluble fibre helps balance blood sugar and is found in oats, pulses, beans, apples, pears, sweet potatoes and onions.

* Water Bodies are made up of 70% water. Encourage them to drink fresh filtered water daily to flush out toxins and hydrate the body. Did you know that tap water within the UK contains aluminium, lead, nitrates from fertilisers and trihalamethanes which include chlorine to kill bacteria?

* Outside Exercise: Vitamin D has been shown to boost immunity, whilst exercise, especially trampolining, boosts the lymphatic system.

* Manuka Honey - 1 teaspoon per day in plain live organic yoghurt provides a probiotic for digestive health and has anti-inflammatory, immune boosting properties.

Justine Evans, a Natural Health Practitioner with over 10 years experience has clinics in Twickenham and Hampton. She holds a particular interest in children’s health, pre-conception and fertility issues. She is author to "Naturally Healthy" and "Children’s Health - Naturally". Further information about Justine and her work, can be obtained from www.justineevans.co.uk or by e-mail: contact@justineevans.co.uk. Justine is affiliated to The Children’s Trust, Nourish Fertility Network and Infertility Network UK and she is registered with The Wholistic Nutritional Medicine Society and M.CThA. She advises pre-school nurseries on nutritional health and teaches cookery to children.

September 2008
Families Online Magazine

Families have teamed up with Justine Evans, Natural Health Practitioner, with clinics in Twickenham and Hampton, to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a food sensitivity and nutrient screening.

Too much sugar!

83% of children consume more sugar than the maximum level recommended for adults. Sugar, like starch, is a carbohydrate. Since 1997 childhood obesity has increased by 300%. The increased availability and consumption of "highly processed food" that includes manufacturing methods that deplete nutrient value and add salt and sugar for flavouring are a contributing factor towards these worrying statistics.

An excess intake of sugar causes tooth decay, inadequate nutritional status, poor digestive and bowel health, and increases the risk of developing Type II Diabetes - children as young as 12 are being diagnosed with this disease. A maximum of 10% of a child’s daily diet should come from sugar in any form. The following are all forms of sugar - glucose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, maltose, glucose syrup, raw, brown or Demerara sugar, lactose, hydrolysed starch, treacle, inverted sugar.

When shopping, check labels for these hidden sugars. As a rule of thumb choose foods that contain less than 2g of sugar per 100g.

Commercial Foods Containing Sugar
1 generous helping of commercially 1 teaspoon
prepared tomato ketchup
1 child serving of baked beans 2 ½ teaspoons
1 small pot of flavoured yoghurt up to 4 teaspoons
1 child serving of vanilla ice-cream 3 teaspoons
1 child serving of canned sweetcorn 2 teaspoons
1 bowl of tinned tomato soup 3 teaspoons

How to cut back
To reduce "hidden sugars" use "natural" alternatives. Try adding dried fruit to cakes or mashed bananas to natural yoghurt. Offer fresh fruit, baked, dried fruit or canned fruit in their own juices. Replace sugary drinks with water; add a slice of fresh fruit to the water for flavour or a small serving of unsweetened fruit juice diluted with still or sparkling water. Make fresh fruit smoothies and homemade juices, adding water for dilution. Swap processed breakfast cereals high in sugar for lower sugar alternatives such as whole bran and whole wheat cereals, home-made muesli and porridge oats. Keep high-sugar snacks like biscuits and fruit bars to a minimum, replacing them with home made or savoury alternatives or fresh fruit.

Justine Evans is a Natural Health Practitioner, with over 10 years experience and has clinics in Twickenham and Hampton. She holds a particular interest in children’s health, pre-conception and fertility issues, donating 10% of fees charged for child consultations to SOS!SEN, a Twickenham-based charity helpline which provides support for special educational needs. Her approach is naturopathic, her ethos "moderation is the key." She devises treatments/programmes with the use of diagnostic bio-energy machines - blending Health and Food Sensitivity Screening with Diet and Nutritional Therapy and incorporates body treatments, including therapeutic and lymphatic massage ("MLD"), reflexology and Reiki/Seichem healing. She teaches reflexology and massage workshops, and offers "Nutrition Natters." She is author of "Naturally Healthy" a booklet that offers information and recipes to encourage good health.

Further information about Justine and her work can be obtained from www.justineevans.co.uk or contact her on 07747 133170/0208 255 9666 or by e-mail: contact@justineevans.co.uk. Justine offers consultation from the Maple Leaf Clinic in Twickenham and Parkside Therapies in Hampton Hill.

Justine is affiliated to The Children’s Trust and Nourish Fertility Network, advises pre-school nurseries on nutritional health and teaches cookery to children.

This prize offers an essential health check for food sensitivities, and
vitamin and mineral deficiences. It takes less than 1 hour, and
offers results using fast, accurate, non-invasive screening technology,
providing a detailed computer printout of the results as soon as the
screening is completed.

How the System works
To screen the applicant a small probe, which looks like a pen is applied to a single acupuncture point on the finger. The machine sends the
electrical signature of, for example, the food to be tested, through the
skin. The client feels the touch of the probe but nothing else, and
the body's reaction is recorded. The system can rapidly screen hundreds of items for sensitivities under many categories, including over 100 foods and vitamin and mineral status. It can also conduct more comprehensive screening of the major body organs, and determine reactions to chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals (such as the mercury in dental amalgams), bacteria, viruses, drugs, amino acids, phenolics, hormones, alcohols, moulds, fungi, pollens, yeast, toxins and much more.

To be in with a chance of winning this food sensitivity and nutrient screening prize, simply answer the following question:

There are 15 forms of sugar, name 7 of them.

July 2008
Pregnancy and Birth Magazine - July 2008

R is for...reflexology
Natural health practitioner Justine Evans says, ‘Reflexology involves applying pressure to the hands and feet as different areas of your hands and feet (extremities) are believed to be connected to different organs. So, when treating a pregnant woman or someone in labour we’d work on the uterus and womb, pelvic floor, endocrine organs including the adrenals and spinal column as well . Justine recommends having reflexology treatments throughout the pregnancy to prepare the body for labour as well as on the day. Visit reflexology.org to find a reflexologist

Families on Thames Magazine (July/Aug 2008) :

Dear Justine

Since my mid teens (I am now 22) I have suffered from migraines intermittently. My GP has given me various drugs to control symptoms when they start (which often work by enabling me to sleep the migraine away) but I am really interested in preventing them in the first place! I think I have a relatively healthy diet, not much meat, lots of fruit and veg: I don’t consume excessive amounts of cheese and chocolate either which I know some people believe do cause migraines. Otherwise my health is really great – I don’t smoke, drink very rarely and am physically active and of normal weight. I think I have found one cause which is dehydration but keeping hydrated does not eliminate migraines completely. They can happen in times of stress but last summer I suffered for 2 to 3 days at the end of the second week of my holiday, so it’s possible a change of environment is another trigger. I can be migraine-free for up to 4 months and then suffer repeated attacks for up to a week. When this happens I have to put my life on hold which I find incredibly frustrating.

As far as natural remedies go I have tried lavender oil and would be open to any ideas you may have.

Dear Victoria
Thank you for contacting me regarding your migraines. You are correct in identifying that stress and dehydration can trigger an attack, however, blood sugar imbalances and food sensitivities may also be the cause. Phenolics, which are natural food colourings, flavourings and preservatives, are considered to be a trigger for migraine and other headaches. I would recommend that you visit a Nutritional Therapist to identify whether food sensitivities and blood sugar imbalances are causing the issue. In the mean time do not eat too many foods that contain the phenolic, tyramine during any 48-hour period. These phenolic intolerances could be the explanation for your symptoms, as they appear to have no trigger and recur randomly. It has been found that some people with migraine have a genetic deficiency of the enzyme, which metabolises tyramine, so whilst you may be able to eat these foods in moderation an excessive intake may trigger an attack. Tyramine is contained in banana, bass, Soya bean, beef, beer, cheese, cottage cheese, chicken, cocoa, chocolate, egg, oyster, pea, plum, pork, potato, sweet potato, prune, raisin, spinach, tomato, walnut, yeast. Maintain hydration by drinking 1.5-2 litres of pure water daily. Eat little and often, using organic fresh natural foods which are low on the Glycaemic index, include brown rice, oats, millet, quinoa, plenty of vegetables and a small portion (about a tablespoon) of protein within eat meal. These protein sources can come from seeds, nuts, lentils, beans, pulses, oily fish, lean poultry and help to stabilise blood sugar. Supplementation should be discussed with the nutritional advisor but 5HTP, and B complex are often recommended to support the nervous system. Explore stress management techniques, such as meditation and yoga to support stress levels. With regard to herbals, I have found ginger very effective I recommend using the fresh variety, peel and grate, and add to add to stir-fries, make ginger tea etc - my recipe book offers some recipes.