November Newsletter

As the nights draw in and the days get shorter, we all start our own personal hibernations – either sleeping more, finding it harder to get up in the mornings or turn to carbohydrates more. For some it is a real issue with the shorter days, having less sunshine and at this time of year Vitamin D levels can drop substantially.

So on any sunny day during winter, leave your desk at lunchtime and step outside into the sunshine and le it onto your skin – up to 15 minutes will help to increase your Vitamin D levels. However, it may still be necessary to take supplementary Vitamin D – get your doctor to check your Vitamin D levels to see whether you are deficient.

Vitamin D levels are important for a lot more than just the prevention of rickets. It is needed for normal muscle function and immune system function, cell division and normal utilisation of calcium and phosphorous.

Have your levels checked now, before the days get shorter and see how your Vitamin D levels are doing.

Focus on Coconuts: With advertising shouting from the rooftops that coconut water is the new water, is all the hype justified?

Coconut water has few calories, is low in fat and contains some important vitamins and minerals and natural sugars as opposed to refined ones. With its high potassium levels and higher levels of sodium, magnesium and calcium than most juices. coconut water has been marketed as a sports drink but if you have a heavy workout, it is lacking in carbohydrates and protein that is needed after a workout. So if you like the taste, one glass a day is fine, but a balanced diet and water works better.

Coconut oil is great for cooking, as it has a high temperature level before it changes structure, becoming a trans fat (smoking and the black bits you see in the pan), which the body doesn’t recognise and cannot process easily. So for frying and roasting it is the best oil to use. Reputed to have anti-microbial, antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties, as well as helping with the absorption of vitamins and minerals, coconut oil is a great option for cooking. Try it a few times in small amounts to see how you find it, as some people find I hard to digest at first. My favourite is Viridian’s Coconut Oil – perfect on crackers or at cakes as well!

Recipe of the month:

Spicy Mushroom Squash Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 onion chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp turmeric 85g button mushrooms, halved ½ small butternut squash 200g tinned chopped tomatoes 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed A little ground pepper A handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Directions: Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, garlic, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric. Cook over a moderate heat for 3 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the mushrooms and squash and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and butter beans. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with pepper and stir in the fresh coriander just before serving. Good with brown rice or quinoa.

Charlie’s chat: Can your job affect your mental ability? According to a report published on the British Medical Journal’s website, yes it can … if you do shift work. The research shows that 10 years of shift work aged the brain by more than 6 years. Stopping shift work will help the brain to recover but it will take 5 years to return to normal. Working antisocial hours and going against your body’s natural body clock also can impact on other areas of health – increased risk of heart attacks, obesity, strokes and breast cancer.

The fact that the brain effects can be reversed is exciting news as scientists believe it may have important consequences for dementia, which is known to damage sleeping patterns in a similar way to shift work.

Prof Charles Czeisler, from Harvard University said exposure, especially short wavelength blue-ish light in the evening, will reset our circadian rhythms to a later hour, postponing the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin and making it more difficult for us to get up in the morning.

"It's a big concern that we're being exposed to much more light, sleeping less and, as a consequence, may suffer from many chronic diseases."

The key is to try and keep your sleep/wake cycle as stable as you can.