Alimentary!

Taking a few minutes for ourselves in the morning can make all the difference to getting our day off to a good start. In this episode, Lizzie Brown talks us through how we can avoid hitting the snooze button and get more out of our morning routine. Lizzie is an entrepreneur specializing in mental wellness and consumer tech, based in Southern California. Prior to co-founding award-winning Apple "Ap...

Consuming fermented food daily is a great way to replenish our good gut bacteria and so boost our overall health. I am delighted to be joined by my guest Rose Greene from 4 Hands Food Studio, to tell us more about the fermentation process and the benefits to our gut health. Rose's journey from being a chef through to a food producer is really interesting and I am definitely keeping an eye out for...

In this episode of Alimentary! I cover the importance of prebiotics and probiotics, what they are individually and how they work together. I also explain the microbiome vs microbiota. Maintaining a healthy gut is fundamental and crucial for our overall health and well-being. Incorporating both prebiotics and probiotics into your diet is a great way to support our digestive system. Together, prebio...

In this episode of Alimentary! we delve into the topic of mental health with a trained professional. Brendan Larkin is a Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist, who is passionate about helping people to live their best lives, by dealing with their issues so that they are free to live more happily. Brendan explains the difference between the three therapies that he practices and how you sho...

We know that we should eat whole foods, get a good nights sleep, exercise and take some time to relax, right? So why don't we? Well there can be a myriad of reasons, but one of them may be that our cortisol is chronically high and we are in Fight or Flight, on high alert, most of the time. In this mode, we are just trying to survive the day, and so not thinking about investing in our future he...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting to Jenny Dillon, Yoga and Fitness Instructor, about the ancient practice of yoga. Jenny’s approach to her yoga classes, workshops and retreats aims to empower her clients. We chatted about ways in which yoga can have a transformative impact on other areas of our lives and the connection between the breath and the mind & body. This has the knock o...

Do you suffer from recurrent kidney stones or have unexplained mineral deficiencies?  Phytates & Oxalates are in many of our plant foods and can bind to minerals, thus contributing to mineral deficiencies.  However, it is worth understanding what they are, and when and if you need to be wary of them, rather than fearfully avoiding them altogether. These plants have amazing health benefits and...

So much alliteration in that title - I did myself proud!! Did you know that we share 50% of our DNA with mushrooms? Mycotherapy is the fascinating study of medicinal mushrooms. In this episode I was delighted to talk to Sophie Barrett, Medical Herbalist and Naturopath about fabulous fungi and their therapeutic values. Sophie Barrett has a thriving clinic in London, formulating bespoke botanicals u...

We know that we need calcium for our bones but it is also really important in other processes like muscle function, nerve transmission and even blood clotting. Listen in to this episode to find out more about this mineral, which is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's Crust and the MOST abundant mineral in our bodies. You can also find out how much you need and how to get enough from...

Our lymphatic system is super important for our immunity and happily, there are some simple daily habits which can enable us to optimize its function. In this episode of Alimentary! I chat with Michelle Hutton ( Body Aura Therapies ) about the lymphatic system, what it is exactly, why it is important to our overall health and how we can support it. Michelle is a therapist with many qualifications...

This short episode focusses on the nutrients needed for bone health and news flash...it's not just about calcium folks!! There are several other minerals and a few vitamins which play their vital parts in supporting our bone health, so that we can stay mobile and as strong as possible as we age. Once you have added in your bone supporting calcium foods, there is an online calculator at the lin...

In this episode, I chat to Therapist Melissa Costello. Melissa is trained in Reflexology, Kinesiology, EFT and Ancestral Healing. We focus on Kinesiology and she explains what it is, how it can benefit our health and what happens during an appointment. Topics covered include food intolerances, adrenal fatigue, trauma and remedies. Melissa is also trained to carry out Ancestral Healing which may he...

Fats had rather a bad name there for a few decades but we know better now! Some fats, i.e. "healthy fats", are beneficial for our health and essential to eat because our body can't make them. In this short episode, Lyn goes through the benefits of Omega 3, the difference between marine sources and plant sources and what food we can eat to make sure we are getting enough. If you would...

When we decide to make changes to our lifestyle, the first thing that we need to do to ensure our success is get control over our mindset. After all, our brain wants to succeed so if we feel as though we are failing at something, including nutritional changes, we tend to re-focus, fall off the wagon and forget to get back up. Can we re-train our brain to succeed to help us to make healthier lifest...

From fatigue, headaches, anger and anxiety to concentration, insomnia, restlessness and kidney stones, these are just some of the everyday symptoms that magnesium deficiency can cause.  Listen in to this short episode to discover just how vital this mineral is, how you can avoid deficiency and the store cupboard foods that contain this mighty mineral. Our store cupboard staple this week is Bu...

Vitamin B12 Deficiency can have devastating consequences for our health and there are reasons why it might currently go undiagnosed and yet be mistaken for other conditions.  I was thrilled to talk to Sally Pacholok  R.N. co-author of "Could It Be B12? An epidemic of Misdiagnosis" about all things B12.  Deficiency can occur due to a variety of root causes, and it can impact our live...

If you are following a Vegan Diet you might be interested in this episode with some tips around how to make sure you include key nutrients which might be harder to absorb from plant sources.  It's only a short one so you have time for a quick cuppa! #vegan #vegandiet #iron #b12 #vitaminb12 #calcium #zinc #omega3 #plantbased #veganfood #vegetarian #healthyfood #food  #healthy #organic #gl...

There is much debate around which diet is better for our health and for the planet - Vegan or Carnivore.  Personally, I believe that it is up to each of us individually and I don't think that there is a one size fits all.  However, in both cases I think that if we are eating whole foods produced ethically, this is a great start towards a healthier body and planet.  Obviously, we sho...

Did you know that Vitamin D is both a nutrient and a hormone?  This episode details all you need to know about this important vitamin - the importance of Vitamin D, how we can absorb it from the sun safely and which foods are the best sources.  While it is difficult to get enough of this sunshine vitamin in the winter months, it is vital to supplement safely, so some guidelines on this s...

It was such a pleasure to chat to Roisin about her business Healthtea.ie - her passion and enthusiasm (even for nettles) is contagious! Healthtea.ie was founded on sustainable principles based on everything they do being good for health and good for the planet. Her story is simply inspiring if you have a passion that you would like to turn into a business.  Listen in to find out how you can e...

Vitamin B12 is vital for optimum health and yet if we have any digestive issues at all, it is the vitamin that we are most likely to be deficient in!   If you have ever experienced fuzzy thinking, memory issues, vision changes, clumsiness to name but a few symptoms, these can indicate a B12 deficiency and if it goes unchecked over a long period, it can lead to much more scary issues. &nb...

I was delighted to chat to Airmid about her background in both Western and Chinese Medicine and why we believe that an integrated model of medicine which uses both Western (Allopathic) alongside complementary therapies and lifestyle can optimize our health.  Airmid is a Registered General Nurse and a licensed member of the Acupuncture Council Of Ireland. She trained as a General Nurse in the...

What is cholesterol and why is it "vital for life"?  How can we maintain a healthy number and what is the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterol?  So many questions!! Anyway, listen in to this episode for all your answers and also to find out how Chickpeas (among other nutrient dense food) can help to manage it. Some links which may be of interest: https://www.health.harvard.edu...

Changing daily habits can be difficult so I chatted with Nikki McGoohan from Propel2gether to learn about some tools which we can use to embed healthier habits into our daily routine.  Nikki mentioned some tools including the quadrant and Pomodoro and while these are considered to be business tools, they can absolutely be used to manage our work life balance and to support our efforts to embe...

Do you think that our brain is in charge of everything that happens in our body?  You might be surprised to find out just how much influence our gut health has on our brain health, and that it might even have been our first brain!  Listen in to find out which whole foods we should eat every day to contribute to maintaining a healthy microbiome, which not only supports our immunity but al...