Simply Nutrition

The Power of Food on Performance...

I found out about Lucy-Ann through my cycling coach Helen Carter of www.pbscience.com.  This season I have been trying to make improvements in lots of areas to maximise my performance both on the bike (I'm a serious time triallist) and in my general health and well being.   I have also been experiencing problems with my digestion, feeling congested and lethargic for a number of years so thought it was time to do something about it rather than accept that it wasn't my diet, and my diet was good enough.

I initially met Lucy-Ann for a consultation where she asked questions about my diet, lifestyle, training and sport.   I then had to keep a food diary for a week recording the types of food, weights, times, training, my mood and my digestion.  This was then followed by another consultation to understand why certain foods were causing me problems and the interaction between the brain and the digestion.

Lucy-Ann's so easy to get on with, very encouraging, enthusiastic and her knowledge of nutrition is vast.  I've learned so much from her and have been making lots of changes to my diet which in some cases means excluding certain "problem" foods which were causing me problems.  Other changes have included cutting out processed foods, high GI foods and eating simple natural foods.

Since making these adjustments my congestion has all but cleared, my digestion is almost 100% and I've become much leaner.  On the bike I have noticed an increase in power (probably because I can breathe more freely).  1 week ago I managed to come 11th in the National 50 mile TT champs (way better than previous results) which just goes to show that lots of small improvements can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Jeremy Ponting,
Chiddingfold, Surrey, UK

A completely refreshed approach to food and healthy eating...

Hi Lucy-Ann.

Just a quick update. I am feeling a lot better! I'm now eating lots more green and fresh raw food. My quality of sleep has improved by at least 50%, my energy levels are up and my jeans are now a baggy fit! Ian is also enjoying trying new meals and eating better. He has improved all his PB's 10,25,50,100 mile distances on the bike. We have now completely refreshed our whole approach to food and healthy eating. Thank you!

Sarah Sutton,

Endurance Cyclist
Maidstone, Kent, UK

Why not e-mail me at [email protected], for your own individual nutritional support!

Interview & "life" conversation with leading performance coach...

I have a brand new podcast for you all to listen to. I am in interview & "life" conversation with leading performance coach, author and counsellor Julia Armstrong - www.juliaarmstrong.com.

Julia has over thirty years experience helping others find happiness and fulfilment in their lives. She is renowned for working at the core level, helping many people unravel areas of their lives where they feel stuck or unable to move on, or move forward in life. She helps them gain awareness in all aspects of their lives. Julia brings many skills to her work, and provides other with the necessary skills themselves, to manage life during times of difficulty. Julia is also an x-international runner, and celebrated her 50th birthday recently by completing a 100km run! She talks here of this amazing achievement, and together we have a very enlightening conversation about our work, health, food, nutrition and life in general.

Just click on this link to listent to the full podcast.

As many of my regular readers know, I have a "sister" site called www.dailybread365.com, which is a fantastic resource full of articles, audios, and forum discussions on all four aspects of human health - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual... which is why it's described as "Body and Soul" Nutrition". Full members to DailyBread365 also benefit from my 365-day e-mail journey into good diet, nutrition, inner and outer well-being! There are free resources too, such as the fantastic range of informative Monday Minute Audio Postcards, that you can listen to and forward to friends and family. There are plenty of useful tips and topics to choose from such as Healthy Aging Secrets, Cardamom and Coffee, Coping with Common Yeast Infections, Love Your 'Self', Staying Healthy in Our Toxic World, DIY Food Sensitivity Test, and much more! To sign up for the Minute Minute each week simply go to the homepage and fill in the box on the right!

The Mandala - A metaphor for life!

Reading the article below by Lissa Coffey, it reminded me of my own experience in seeing a mandala for the first time - whilst I was India. I was staying in a hotel, and one morning whilst heading for the outdoor dining area for breakfast, I quickly had to side-step, in fact almost jump to avoid the most beautiful creation I think I'd ever seen! The hotel staff had designed and laid a "flower mandala", a perfect circular pattern and display of beautiful flower petals, with symmetrical shapes and colours. As you will read below... there is a very spiritual meaning and purpose of displaying a mandala...

Willing on Will Maybanks to London 2012 Olympics

I am sponsoring Table Tennis player William Maybanks with nutritional support, and part of a team helping him to fulfill his dream of competing at the London 2012 Olympics. Currently ranked No 5 in the UK, Will has played for England since he was 13 years old. He turns 18 in June this year. Table Tennis, unfortunately has had it's funding for 2012 drastically reduced, so if Will is to realise his dream and compete on the world stage at London 2012, he will have to raise the necessary £300k himself. So... a talented group of individuals from both the business, and sporting worlds, have got together, and created WillMeOn - a campaign to help raise support, funding and sponsorship to help Will on his journey. Of course, I am thrilled to have been asked to get on board! Will is a young man with great determination, and of course a wonderful talent too. We've already begun working to improve his day-to-day diet and nutrition. Some key dietary changes, such as starting the day with a high-energy breakfast, focusing on energy-boosting snacks, good protein and carbohydrate foods, with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits have made an immediate difference to Will's energy for training, and recovery. He is enjoying some new foods too, which is great. It is not easy for him either, as he's travelling a lot, and training mostly in Hungary, so access to certain foods has been a challenge! But we have come up with some workable strategies, so all in all, it is great start on the nutrition front!

 

You can read more about Will, and all his achievements to date at Willmeon.com. Why not consider making a donation, and/or help promote Will's cause by placing a supporter's badge on your blog? Every little helps.

If you would like to consult a Nutritionist like myself for one-to-one nutritional support, why not e-mail me to discuss?

Hazelnut Granola and Avocado and Chocolate Mousse

I have been working on, and experimenting with some new recipes lately, mainly for work, but also to enjoy at home! AND... on a completely different subject, I had a sudden inspirational "urge" to start a brand new blog! Check out "The Loves and Life of Lucy-Ann". Now, back to the recipes...

I made a gorgeous Hazelnut Granola yesterday, and made some fresh hemp milk this morning to enjoy it with! This week I am also going to do the recipe below - Avocado and Chocolate Mousse. Avocados are my absolute favourite food! Here are both these recipes for you...

Hazelnut Granola
This delicious sweet granola that is grain and gluten-free takes minutes to make and can be eaten hot or cold. It is full of protein, essential fats and minerals, and served best with chopped fresh fruit, or simply by the handful for a quick snack!

6 servings
100g hazelnuts (soaked overnight in water)
100g raisins
50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon of Xylitol

Thinking about losing weight?

If so... you have much in common with this lovely lady, whose blog is, in fact called "Thinking About Losing Weight"! However, she's no longer just thinking about it, she is actually doing something about it - and doing great things too. One of these "great things" is making the decision to JOIN DailyBread365... my on-line health community, that is building fast! She is blogging about her experiences as she progresses through the daily guidance, teachings and support from myself, towards what will be, I am sure, her having more knowledge, self-motivation, confidence and understanding in how she can live and be a healthier, happier, and slimmer individual! If you also want to benefit from this fabulous on-line health program, simply CLICK HERE and I'll see you on the site!

There is another great review of DailyBread365 here.

I do work on a one-to-one basis with many individuals, so if YOU would like to consult a Nutritionist like myself, full details are right here. Why not e-mail to discuss your requirements?

Pete Cohen, Weight Loss Guru interviews Lucy-Ann Prideaux

I am not often in the situation of being "interviewed", but when someone like Life Coach Pete Cohen is in the driver's seat, the whole experience is no different than having an enlightening, interesting and often humorous conversation with a good friend! You may know Pete from his TV roles on GMTV, and ITV with Fern Britton, so might have seen Pete in action. He has helped literally thousands of people lose weight, overcome fears and phobias, and generally live a happier life! He has a wonderful gift, a great personality, and so it was a great privelage for me to share some time with him!

So why not take some of your time and listen to our great conversation right here http://rurl.org/1bi7. You'll pick up some great tips, as well as key tools and techniques to control your weight, your appetite and help you overcome any challenges with weight loss, or food control. Find out too why "My sweetness is your weakness"!

You can watch Pete in his brilliant coaching and TV role here - http://www.petecohen.com/go/pete-cohen-on-TV-clips/

Life in the "Blue Zone"...

It might be a bit of a tall order to convert the UK into a "Blue Zone", at least not in the immediate future, BUT we could all work steadily towards it, and create our own little "Blue Zones"...

So what is a "Blue Zone"?

According to Dan Buettner, author of the New York Time's bestseller "The Blue Zones" (www.bluezones.com), a "Blue Zone" is one of five "pockets" around the world where some of the happiest, and healthiest people live! Many live past the 100 year old mark! For the past 5 years, he has taken groups of scientists to these areas to research the lifestyles of those people who live the longest, healthiest lives. Places such as Sardinia (where centenarians walk a minimum of 6 miles a day and where they actually celebrate old age!), an area in northern Costa Rica (where adults have the longest life expectancy in the world), Okinawa (an island off mainland Japan), as well as the small town of Loma Linda in California (home of the community of Seventh Day Adventists) all qualify as "Blue Zones". The happiest place on earth happens to be in Mexico! What is very interesting is that 40% of Mexicans live in extreme poverty. The FIVE KEYS to happiness were identified as follows:

Put family first - Mexican people count on each other for security, emotional and financial support.
Religion - over 80% of Mexicans believe in God, with the Church providing a good social network, as well as security when times get tough.
Human interaction, networking and socialising!
A Sense of humour and laughter - which incidentally helps them deal with the injustices of the Mexican government and legal system! They say that the ability to laugh helps them cope, AND enjoy their lives.
HOPE and living in the moment - they say that in Mexico, "HOPE" is the poor man's commodity, and it is in abundant supply.

Working towards a "Blue Life"