http://www.optimalhealthnutrition.co.uk/

Optimal Health Nutrition, Bournemouth (2025)

18/09/2025

You might have heard that Kefir is good for gut and immune health and spotted it on the supermarket shelves more and more.

HOWEVER, most of these types of kefir are mostly sweetened yogurt drinks with no real health benefits.

What you need to look out for to spot a good one is:

- no additives including sugar. Sugar actually kills some of the good bacteria in the yogurt drink

- The types of beneficial bacteria actually listed in the label ( as per the last shot of the reel)

- Real kefir has tangy, sour and often fizzy taste ( due to fermentation )

- ideally made with goat’s milk or coconut - not many people can tolerate cows milk

- ideally organic - there is so much stuff added to milk, especially cows milk these days

- Ideally some research on health benefits behind it. I like and also ( not affiliated) and both have studies behind them on multiple benefits

I just got the kefir on and keen to try it too, it checks a lot of the boxes I talk about above ( plus I love their organic feta)

P.s. always try and have real kefir on an empty stomach and never heat up or sweeten ( you can add cinnamon) for maximum health benefits.

16/09/2025

Feeling tired is a common symptom, but there are so many different types, which require different approaches. Sometimes it is a combination of those that are contributing.

So, for example:

- Tired in the morning - adrenal or thyroid issue

- Tired after eating - or feeling refreshed for that matter - blood sugar issues - with stable blood sugar you would feel neutral

- Tired but wired before bed - low GABA ( often due to gut health issues or diet low in fermented foods) or low Progesterone if you are a woman - very common in

- Constant tiredness , often with brain fog - low iron or B12 ( see my previous video on B12 testing)

- chronic fatigue - often viral or retroviral infections affecting the mitochondria ( energy producing cells) such as , or infections such as

Toxin exposure such as heavy metals or mycotoxins or by products of fungal infections such as can also contribute to chronic fatigue type of tiredness

12/09/2025

It’s ok if you take a painkiller for pain every so often, but most people are taking every day or every few days without realising about the risk of liver damage and glutathione ( master antioxidant) depletion.

Paracetamol is not in just paracetamol tablets, but also a lot of cold and flu meds.

Pain is a message your body is giving you about imbalance. Masking over it once or twice to keep going is ok, but long term you will start paying the price, and Paracetamol taken at high doses or too often can be dangerous. Most people don’t realise that, I see it with clients often.

My advice if you regularly take painkillers is:

- speak to GP for investigations of the actual issue and ask for alternative medications

- Speak to a functional medicine practitioner about what natural alternatives and strategies can be used instead

- From experience working on root cause of pain can be transformational. Joint/period pain, headaches/migraines, stomach issues - taking a painkiller won’t solve those, but working out what’s causing them and applying interventions at that level likely will

- Taking curcumin, proteolytic enzymes, micro-immunotherapy, natural anti-inflammatory compounds can work long term and are likely much safer ( when prescribed by a professional)

- I have personally lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis for the last 14 years, for 10 of those I have been completely medication free, including pain killers. I have 2 glutathione gene deletions ( genetic tests are helpful if you are dealing with complex health conditions ) and don’t tolerate medications very well, I have been avoiding them completely ( even when I had a c-section a couple of years ago - the nurses though I was bonkers!). Supplements and life style changes have helped me keep my condition medication free, and RA can be very debilitating if not managed well even with meds.

Next time you reach for the painkillers ask yourself what is the pain telling you and what you can do to get to the issue causing it.
♿️

11/09/2025

‘Lazy’ sheet pancakes. I make this often at home and the ‘lazy’ part comes from the fact that I use the brand GF mix ( I get it from Ocado), but I add extra goodness to elevate the taste and nutritional value.

Also baking is so much easier than flipping in a pan!

So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

- GF pancake mix
- 1/2 cup berries, any would do, I use frozen from either or Picard
- 3 tbs milled seeds - I use a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds ( always keep a batch in a glass jar in fridge to sneak into dishes)
- 2 organic eggs
- 250 ml coconut or almond milk
- 1 tbs inulin ( prebiotic) - can get at health good stores
- 2 tbs yogurt - goats or coconut
- 1 heaped spoon cocoa powder
- 1 tbs coconut flakes

Method:

Mix all the wet ingredients. Mix all dry ingredients apart from coconut flakes. And mix the two and pour in a lined tin, sprinkle coconut flakes on top ( blobs of nut butter on top also work well).

My partner loves these served with extra coconut yogurt and banana and my toddler also likes them when I cut them into think finger like strips.

Enjoy!

05/09/2025

One small win. The chemical which is found in gel nails ( what hardens them under UV light) has been banned in the EU and will be banned in the UK from 2027.

Concerns are over hormone disrupting and issues.

A lot of chemicals in cosmetics, beauty industry and personal care items contain a lot of ingredients which can disrupt hormones and lead to hormonal issues, infertility and even cancer.

Worst offenders are :

- formaldehyde ( contained in keratin hair straightener products) - it’s classed as a human carcinogen, but still widely used
- Coal tar - used in hair dyes
- Benzene - hair products
- Mineral oils - eye shadows and lip gloss
- Heavy metals such as lead - commonly found in lipsticks
- Parabens - widely used to preserve, rat studies show they mimic natural oestrogen so can lead to hormonal issues
+ many more

Cleaning up your personal care products is one of the best things you can do.

Make up Brands I found work for me are Ilia , Inika, and RMS beauty, which are quite clean.

For personal care items I found these work: Faith in nature and John Masters Organics ( shampoos and shower gels): Aveda ( hair dye and products), Dr Bronner toothpaste, Natracare ( sanitary towels), Origins- face masks, skincare Alumier MD - most products are parabens and Phalates free, wild deodorant and more .

Not affiliated with any of these.

I don’t use gel nails and haven’t for decades, I avoid normal nail varnish as o haven’t seen a clean enough brand.

02/09/2025

The truth is that we are so out of tune with our bodies and live in a poly pharmacy world that that we are used to pop a ‘pill for every ill ‘ forgetting that these symptoms are messages that our bodies are sending us about underlying imbalance.

Let me ask you - if you are driving on the motorway and your engine light flashes up - would you ignore it, paint over it, put up the music ? Or you will take it to a garage to get it checked? I wish most people would do the same , but also realise that the current medical model treats symptoms and not necessarily the root causes.

No headaches are not a paracetamol deficiency

No gut issues are not a Omeprazole deficiency

No thyroid issues are not an antidepressant deficiency

My advice is to listen to signals and work out root causes before they become chronic.AND also question if your Dr is just giving you a ‘sticky plaster’ medication without expiation of whether that is symptom relief or actually treating the root cause of your discomfort

27/08/2025

What prompted me to write this post is that I had two female clients with suspected Haemochromatosis in the last couple of months.

The condition can be life threatening if not managed and is not on the radar of most Drs.

It is the most common genetic disorder effecting people in the UK , if you are from Irish/Scottish/Welsh/Cornish ancestry the risk is about 1 in 100 people.

It’s basically genetic iron build up, which can have non specific symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain (especially in fingers), abdominal pain, and skin discolouration.

Labs would show raised Ferritin and iron ( usually without supplementation) and raised liver enzymes. Next step for investigation is genetic testing.

It tends to affect men earlier in life and women once they go through menopause because they stop their periods and blood loss through them.

If left untreated or you make the condition worse by taking iron without testing ( like many people do - see my previous post!) it can spill into systematic organ damage - usually the liver and even death. It is serious business.

Because iron is so damaging carriers of the gene/ condition also have increased cancer risk - especially liver cancer, but risk of other types of cancer is also significantly higher because of oxidative damage cause by the iron.

The way you manage the condition is through regular blood removal. With my cancer training hat on - anti cancer nutritional and lifestyle advice is key, too.

My advice is if you suspect you may have the condition do a full blood panel including ferritin and iron and a full liver panel - both can be done through GP or inexpensive labs such as Medichecks (not affiliated).

06/08/2025

It is my mission to spread the word about as it has personally affected me and many of my clients.

I’ve just posted a quick video on my Lyme specific account to explain why in some cases antibiotics such as Doxycycline ( first line therapy - and only therapy!) for ACUTE Lyme infection may not work.

29/07/2025

is now very common in the UK, new infections are predicted to stand at 132,000 cases per year, double the cases of the most common cancer - breast cancer.

More about this

25/07/2025

So, I’ve joined the party, and hopefully grabbed your attention.

No, I’m not going to talk about affairs , but about… well you might have guessed it by now - Testosterone! And yes, studies have found that higher levels (in men, women also have some of this hormone) might predispose you to having affairs.

I believe discussing Testosterone levels important because :

A) male s*x hormones are rarely discussed and considered by the conventional medical establishment . Thyroid hormones even less, but this is a topic for another conversation

B) testosterone levels have been declining steadily ( by over 10% across every age!!) since the 70s with Gen Z and millennials having lowest levels so far average

Symptoms of low testosterone:

- loss of stamina and s*x drive
- Depression
- Loss of muscle mass
- Low speed count/infertility
- Increased abdominal fat + more

When investigating the s*x hormonal imbalance properly, it is important to consider:

- nutritional status - zinc and vitamin D can play a huge role
- Infections - I often see this with chronic viral and Lyme Disease infections
- Thyroid issues
- Stress
- Obesity
- Some medications such as opioids
- Diets high on processed sugar
- Lifestyle
- Gut imbalances
- Exposure to EMFs- plenty of research on how exposure can tank your hormone levels
- Over exposure to xenooestrogens - found in plastics that can lead to excess oestrogen - again very common but rarely considered

Again, if you have some of those you need to address, it’s not the matter of just taking the hormone ( some crazy people at the gym flog it 😬) as if not under PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE it has been linked to increased risk of prostate cancer

23/07/2025

Lyme disease is one of the areas I specialise in and I’m pleased to share with you I will be offering a free presentation followed by Q&A next Wednesday (30th July) at 6:00 pm via zoom in partnership with my very knowledgeable colleague Dorian Soanes .

This is suitable for both people who might have the disease, are undergoing current treatment/investigation , those caring for someone with the disease as well as healthcare professionals such as nutritional therapists.

I plan to cover:

- symptoms of acute and chronic infections
- Common mis-diagnosis
- Testing and issues with it
- Co-infections such as Babesia and Bartonella
- Related and complicated conditions linked to it such as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Kryptopyrroluria, Mycotoxin Illness
- Links with autoimmune diseases
- Treatment options
- Latest research + more

Please DM me for the zoom link and share if you know of someone who might be interested in joining.

16/06/2025

I love a food festival and did not disappoint

Optimal Health Nutrition

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27/08/2025

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