Karen Brooks Nutrition And Wellbeing | Nutritional Therapist North Yorkshire | Nutritional therapist autoimmune | Nutritional therapy by skype

Having a healthy, balanced, microbiome is the key to good health. It has an impact on many aspects of health, not just in the gut but body-wide. When I plan meals, I always consider how what I eat will benefit my microbiome (yes, I know that is quite geeky!). So, I thought I'd share a couple…

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Selenium and the Immune system Selenium is a trace mineral (you only need a bit of it) which plays an essential role in supporting normal immune function. Studies have demonstrated an enhancement of immune responses by increasing levels…

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Today is World Thyroid Day. It is estimated that about 70% of women are affected by menopausal symptoms. Weight gain, sleep problems, fatigue, low mood, dry skin, thinning hair, joint pain these all sound like symptoms of menopause and if you're a woman in your 40's or 50's you may assume these are all…

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Most of us will have come across Vitamin D due to its association with bone health. Without vitamin D our bodies cannot effectively absorb calcium, which is essential for good bone health. More recently, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, its vital role in immune system function…

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IBS is a widespread functional digestive disorder (functional means there are symptoms but no signs of actual disease). It affects approximately 10-15% of the world population! Symptoms are usually frequent, and people often suffer over long periods of time. IBS…

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Having a healthy, well-functioning gut (gut refers to the whole digestive tract) is one of the keys to overall health. I think we all get the occasional symptom such as a bit of bloating, heartburn, a headache etc from time to time. However some people get these kinds of symptoms regularly and it becomes their "normal". They may seek help from the doctor and have medical conditions/causes ruled out, but the symptoms continue. So they put up with…

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Parsnips are a great source of vitamin C, K and folate and other immune supporting nutrients such as zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. …

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Wild garlic has been one of my recent discoveries. Now one of my highlights of spring is the appearance of this amazing plant in our local woodland. Not only does it look stunning during its short flowering period, it is also a delicious food and has properties which make it beneficial to health. Ramsons - Bear's garlic - Allium ursinum - wild garlic - has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. The old English proverb…

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The Environmental Working Group's 2019 "Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen" list of fruits and vegetables with the most/least pesticide residue was released earlier this month. The best way to avoid harmful pesticides that can act as endocrine disruptors (chemicals which can interfere with the body's hormone systems) and potentially increase cancer risk is, where possible, to opt for organic…

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), the two main forms being Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, affect more than 300,000 people in the UK. These conditions are a result of…

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It has long been assumed that the gut and the brain communicate via a slow, hormonal pathway. Now a paper that has just been published in the renowned journal 'Science' shows that there is a faster means of communication between gut and brain. By researching a mouse model, they were able to show that the gut and the brain are connected via one single synapse (the space between nerve cells). A cell in the gut (the so-called enteroendocrine cell)…

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Have you ever found that there are some nights when sleep doesn't come easily? Sleep is one of the pillars of good health. Poor sleep is associated with weight gain, poor concentration, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, depression, impaired immune function and chronic inflammation. Whilst reading around the various strategies to improve sleep I came across the consumption of sour…

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Chewing your food well is advice I often give to clients. This may sound really obvious and somewhat parental yet chewing is an important, but sometimes under-appreciated, stage of digestion. It is not uncommon for people these days to be eating in a rush, at their desk, walking around, in front of a screen - in which case the body will most likely not be in what we refer to as…

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Just recently, I've been using a wider variety of spices in my cooking, as I am aware many of them have therapeutic value as well as being delicious additions. Each time I incorporate a new ingredient I learn more about it and check out any research. So the spice of the moment is saffron,…

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"The growing evidence for nutritional psychiatry suggests that GPs and mental health professionals should now seriously consider including dietary counselling for patients who are at risk of depression." Read the full article here; THECONVERSATION

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There is no doubt that a high sugar diet is detrimental to health. Sugar occurs naturally in many foods and is added to most processed foods, under several different guises, making it difficult to avoid and to determine how much we are consuming. Excess sugar consumption has been associated with many illnesses and so reducing our intake is a crucial step in preventing ill health. In my opinion, giving up sugar is…

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