Magnesium rich foods and supplements to avoid deficiency.

Today I am sharing a piece I wrote last year on magnesium with you. I entered a nutrition blog writing competition and so the topic was “Magnesium rich foods and supplements”. I thought it could be useful to share here even if it is a bit science heavy. There is quite a few references and I just want to point out that the referencing style used is not the typical Harvard style I’m used to so I do realise that the referencing is not quite on point however for the sake of my blog I feel its sufficient still to post! So yeah I am going to try and make my next post something lifestyle related and not just pure scientific nutrition! For now enjoy the read!

Nutrients Explained-Fat Soluble Vitamins

I’m bringing it back to the nutrients explained series today and  I want to focus on giving you the basic facts about  fat soluble vitamins such being vitamins A,D,E and K. Being in my third year of studying human nutrition and dietetics it is important that I am able to know the basics about most vitamins out there, which is quite challenging considering there’s so many and I find it hard not to confuse them all!  So as well as hopefully giving you some interesting background on the fat soluble vitamins this will act as a good revision for me to refresh my memory . I don’t want to over flood you with information on each vitamin so I am going to summarise the basics such as function, sources, amount we need, basics about structure and finally health conditions associated with excess/ low intakes.  I want this blog to act as an introduction to vitamins and a reference point to look back on. So I’m going to try and keep it as concise as possible. Hope you  enjoy!

The mental/ physical benefits of exercise.

Hello and welcome back to the blog! Today I am not going to be talking about nutrients (shockingly) or even food for that matter rather exercise. Today’s topic as evident in the title is about the physical and mental benefits of exercise. I thought I would change it up from the “Nutrients Explained” series I have been doing and talk about another topic I am very passionate about. I like to think I am someone who succeeds in keeping fit and staying active, but it can be so difficult when you’re busy and tight for time. Personally I find it easiest to motivate myself to exercise by choosing to do activities I actually enjoy. I think there is a misconception that going to the gym 6 days a week is the only way to keep fit which is so so far from the truth. Walking, running, playing sport, dancing, swimming, cycling, there’s so many ways to keep your body moving! To me the most important thing of all is to exercise by doing something you enjoy  and not dread, because it’s not fun, rewarding or sustainable for anyone to do something you hate every day. The point being we all like different things and it’s about finding what works for you (much like diet). In today’s post I am going to outline and discuss the UK national guidelines for physical activity, briefly discuss the negative effects of inactivity and sedentary behaviour and then focus on the benefits mentally and physically exercise has on our bodies! So I hope you enjoy this read and I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts or any comments in the feedback section. For now enjoy!

Nutrients Explained-Fats

Fat- the dreaded nutrient or so to speak although is it really? Today I am here talking to you about fat, the different types, sources, and requirements. Much like my other two “nutrients explained” on carbohydrates and protein, this is going to give a basic overview. 

Nutrients explained-Protein

Here I am writing a new nutrient’s explained- a follow up from my previous carbohydrate post. I feel as though these condensed explanations may be useful to help you understandsome of the basics about the key nutrients. So today I’m back talking about protein. Protein as a nutrient is probably the most talked about especially amongst the fitness and gym communities, its contribution to muscle growth and repair make it a magnet to those seeking to gain muscle or loose fat. Today I aim to focus on the basics of proteins, what they are, where to find them and how much we need. I won’t mention protein in the context of activity and fitness as more on this topic will come at a future date and blog post. For now enjoy this crash course on protein!

Nutrition Reset- How to avoid the “dieting” route

Naturally when we find ourselves going off track in our nutrition and exercise routine’s we try to find ways to get back on the right path. Often this right path involves finding ways to quickly achieve the goal it is were looking for, whether that be weight loss, muscle tone or just becoming aware of what’s going into our body. It’s almost like this panic hits when you realise you’re carrying a few extra pounds or you haven’t taken part in exercise for over a month. It’s the immediate quick fix solutions that are most appealing when were in this vulnerable state, by which I mean fad diets, juice cleanses and detox’s. Although we hear day in day out how fads and detox’s are harmful and don’t work it doesn’t make it any easier to ignore the crazy media attention they get.

Nutrients Explained- Carbohydrates

Most people jump at the mention of the word carbohydrate, “I try to avoid carbs, carbs make me fat right?”. We are all guilty of thinking this, including me. I remember at a stage I was afraid of eating carb heavy foods – the ones I thought consisted of carbohydrates anyway! Really though I didn’t have a clue! I was cutting out potatoes, pasta, bread – basically all the staples! For the most part I was just guessing and going off google which really was not a good idea. So today in this blog post I want to break down in a simple way what a carbohydrate is, where to find them and why our bodies need them in order to function correctly. Hopefully after reading through this you might reconsider your relationship with carbs I know I did!