Make olive oil, not war
I've changed; a WOW olive oil for you; a case of the palps; David Attenborough rocks; the difference between IBS and IBD; FFS; From the dog basket.
In spite of the world feeling as if it’s ending at the hands of deranged orange, Botox-d, or just downright sickening, narcissists, I decided I needed to move Nuush on a bit, while I still have time.
So May was the month I finally did it. I called-in a business coach. Me being me, and never one for planning anything, I started the whole thing with no business plan, literally just a strong hunch and a few loyal Twitter followers who liked my nutrition advice – back in the days when Twitter was actually warm and lovely (imagine that). Then I left my job of 28 years at Natural England, came home, cooked dinner, and casually announced that I’d quit and would be “starting a business from tomorrow.” If the world does seem like it’s about to end, please call me as I do handle crises very well.
I live and breathe nutrition, OMG the friends whose eyes have glazed over when I’ve been explaining the purpose of the appendix. But when it comes to marketing and all the business-y stuff, I’m utterly ridiculous. I find it so embarrassing trying to sell what we do, so I’ve relied on word of mouth and reputation. But after spending twenty grand on a degree, it’s become fairly important that I (a) make the money back so I don’t end up in prison due to being unable to pay the never-ending vet bills that are a feature of my life, and (b) far more importantly, share that knowledge far and wide, for the good of the world (though I assume they’d still let me practise in vet-debt prison).
The coach, who I love, because I get off on a bit of straight talking, is urging me to be proud of what I do; and let’s face it, how will anyone know about it if I don’t actually tell them? Do I think the plans are going to sell themselves and fly off the shelves like something out of Harry Potter? How long is it going to take if I just keep giving out free info in the hope that people build trust in me, instead of saying, “Look, this is what we do. It’s brilliant. Buy it, and you’ll feel bloody amazing.”
So if you’re noticing a slightly new me, this is why. But I’m still the same old Sally underneath; quaking in my boots at the thought of seeming a bit forward. Vanishing up the fields to hide in a badger hole the moment I post something remotely salesy.
But I believe in Nuush. Hugely. And I want to help to heal everyone, through the medium of my knowledge and care, and a Mediterranean diet. And I believe in myself; I know the time and thought that I put in to each personal nutrition case and all the plans, and the ethos of Nuush – it’s immense.
I’m fairly sure some of those deranged leaders would be a lot more rational if they just ate more vegetables, nuts, seeds and olive oil, and fewer McDs. Drafts proposal to the White House... and somewhere in Moscow…
P.S. I even have a diary now, and it’s full. If you know me, you will know that I never have a diary! Watch out world.
Talking of olive oil
I haven’t tasted one as good as this since I came back from Kefalonia in 2001. Not even joking. You can generally gauge an olive oil’s polyphenol content by how much it makes you cough when it hits the back of your throat – a ‘one cough, ‘two cough’ or ‘three cough’. This is a definite three cough.
I have to say here, that you cannot judge an olive oil by its cover. Whatever possessed them to wrap it in pink plastic I will never know. I mean pink, AND a plastic wrapper that you have to then throw away, it’s madness! I have given feedback, so live in hope that there is a re-packaging, but it won’t stop me buying it for now. I literally swig it out of the bottle like a crazed oliveoilaholic.
Positively Good for You high polyphenol olive oil
And talking of swigging olive oil
Been having some trouble with my heart for a year or two. It suddenly decides to triple its rate at random moments, rendering me motionless for fear that it’s the end. These episodes can last an hour or more and are a bit scary and in-between the long episodes my heart seems to bump randomly throughout the day, as shown on a long ECG. So off I went to the incredibly impressive Papworth hospital in Cambridge, for a spa day – also known as a CT and MRI scan, but a lovely chance to lie down and be pampered for once. While there are some prang-ups in the structure of my heart (but not too worrying for now) they found ZERO PLAQUE in the arteries. I was convinced they were going to be lined with butter, whole milk and grated cheese. I would like to remind you here that I am knocking on slightly, so this was extra shocking, in a good way.
There are of course genetic factors at play when it comes to arterial plaque - the way people’s bodies deal with cholesterol being one thing. But you can have decent genes and still prang things up by smoking, drinking, eating badly, not moving and by being stressed, and there’s only one of those that I do – it’s the stress, and I do it really well!
Inflammation plays a hand in plaque build up, because when our blood vessels are inflamed they become more attractive to it, like ‘Mmm come here and stick to me please!’. The Med diet is anti-inflammatory with all its veg, fruit, whole grains, olive oil, healthy fats and other delicious things.
By the way, I like to butter my toast, put peanut butter on top and add a bit of butter to the top of that. A bit of crumble with my double cream? Well, if I must ruin the cream, OK then. But at the same time I eat about a washing-up-bowlful of veg every day, hardly any meat, use a gallon of olive oil, and walk for miles and don’t drink or smoke. And my immune system is top class because I snog so many collies.
Don’t get me wrong, fat is very good at making us fat, most excellent in fact. And too much saturated fat is deffo not a good thing, that’s why I only have one piece of toast with my butter…. but the idea that fat, per se, gives us heart disease is being disproven by research, and by my scans as it happens.
The peanut butter/butter layer thing - don’t try this at home if you want to fit into your jeans this time next week.
Plenty more fish in the sea
But there won’t be if we carry on as we are.
I went to the pictures to watch David Attenborough’s latest film, Ocean. It’s one of those where you go in to the place all happy, and at the end of the film the whole cinema is sitting there in shocked silence. It made me very tearful.
We look at the beautiful sea and only clock what’s on the surface, but what’s happening underneath the waves is profoundly upsetting, to say the least. The film shows what was one minute a beautiful, colourful, biodiverse sea bed, alive with creatures and plants, being decimated by scallop trawlers, leaving a grey barren desert. It shows various sea creatures being caught in bits of old netting or wire, unable to escape. And it shows vast factory ships marauding through the Antarctic sucking in tonnes of krill and making it into oil that goes to feed fish in fish farms, or it gets made into supplements for humans. These tiny crustaceans are a key part of the Antarctic food web and species like whales, seals and penguins rely on them. In another scene a trawler nets what looks like millions of various species of fish, only to throw ¾ back in to the sea, dead, because they are of no use.
The footage is both stunning and shocking. One minute there is awe at the diversity and beauty of sea creatures, the next there is horror at the sight of huge machinery dragging along the bottom, destroying everything its path. As well as coverage of overfishing, pollution and the appalling effects of climate change on areas such as coral reefs, the film shows you that everything in the ocean is connected, and that we are part of this whole web of life. Without healthy oceans we cannot be healthy either.
Everyone should watch it. It’s put me right off eating fish for the time being (and I love eating fish), actually. But as David Attenborough explains, looking after the sea does not mean we can’t eat fish, but we must fish responsibly. His positive message in Ocean is one of hope and possibility. While the film shows the hideousness humans have carried out, and still are, he explains that we do have time to change direction. He talks about the resilience of nature and the ocean's ability to recover if we give it the chance. His message is that if we act now, with care and respect, we can help restore the diversity and beauty of the seas, and make a better future for everyone and everything.
We need to eat responsibly, and only take and eat as much as we physically need.
Please watch, but take a hanky.
IBS or IBD - everything explained
People get confused between IBS and IBD, and it’s easy to see why. The names sound the same-ish, they both affect the gut, and they often involve common symptoms like bloating, pain and disrupted bowel habits. But they’re completely different conditions, with different causes, treatments and outcomes, and it’s important to understand those differences, especially if you or someone close to you is living with either one.
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is a functional condition - but what does that even mean? It’s just a confusing term to say that everything looks normal and test results are fine, but the person is still suffering with symptoms. It can cause real discomfort, and have a big impact on daily life, but it doesn’t cause damage to the gut or lead to more serious disease. People are often left high and dry by their GP – told that there’s nothing serious and sent packing. That’s where people like me come in, to help manage symptoms through diet and lifestyle, and get it into remission. There is a really strong gut-brain connection element to IBS; people who are experiencing (or have experienced) high stress or anxiety tend to be those who suffer with it
IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease, on the other hand, is exactly what it sounds like – inflammation in the digestive tract, in the form of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Unlike IBS, IBD involves very clear changes to the gut lining, and needs medical diagnosis, monitoring and sometimes medication or surgery.
Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine, starting at the rectum and sometimes extending further up the colon. The inflammation is in the innermost lining of the bowel wall, unlike in Crohn’s disease where deeper layers can be involved. In UC, the gut becomes inflamed and ulcerated, often leading to symptoms like bloody diarrhoea, sometimes with mucus, abdominal cramping, an urgent need to go to the loo, and fatigue. It tends to come and go in flare-ups, with periods of remission in between. The exact cause isn’t fully understood, but it’s thought to involve a mix of genetic predisposition, an overactive immune response and possible triggers in the environment or diet. The immune system is overreacting to something (possibly gut bacteria, viruses or other triggers) and this response leads to ongoing inflammation in the colon. It’s a lifelong condition, and while it needs medical diagnosis and monitoring, lifestyle and nutrition can play a massive role in managing symptoms and supporting overall health. Given the right management, UC is very much a condition that can go into remission, sometimes for months or even years at a time, where symptoms disappear or become very mild.
Crohn’s disease is another form of inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth all the way to the anus. Unlike ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s inflammation can get through multiple layers of the gut wall, not just the lining. This deeper, patchy inflammation can cause more varied symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhoea (which may or may not be bloody), weight loss, fatigue and sometimes complications like strictures or fistulas - that’s narrowing or the formation of abnormal ‘tunnels’. Like UC, Crohn’s is thought to result from an inappropriate immune response influenced by genetics, gut bacteria and environmental factors. It tends to flare and settle unpredictably, needing ongoing medical management. While Crohn’s can be lifelong, lots of people achieve periods of remission through medication, lifestyle changes, and nutritional support. Surgery may be needed in some cases to manage complications but doesn’t cure the condition.
So IBS and IBD are pretty different!
If you’re living with any of these conditions, I can help you to manage the symptoms, alongside your medical advice and care. Book a free 15 min call with me so we can chat about how we can work together and get you feeling better.
FFS
Not a swear, but instead, For Fibre’s Sake!
Most people don’t get anywhere near enough fibre, but most people eat more protein than they actually need.
For goodness sake everyone, eat lots of fibre. It feeds your gut critters and makes them really happy. When they’re happy they make you healthy. They’re not looking for steak, they are looking for cabbage, whole grains, onions, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, apples, oats, and a vast smorgasbord of veg, fruit and grains.
That’s all I’m saying on the matter. Except - want to eat more fibre in delicious ways? Get yourself a Nuush plan!
From the dog basket
Evie has a grass seed stuck up her schnozz and has been huffing and puffing the house down with her sneezes and snorts. So off we go the V.E.T. once again to shell out a million pounds and be offered a range of unnecessary add-ons, such as an all-inclusive dog recovery holiday in Mauritius, and a £290 sequinned swimming costume for sausage dogs, and, while I’m there, a tin of special dog food for £25.99.
Lottie-Limpopo has been on the hard drugs – YuMove chews to help her arthritic old legs. They don’t seem to have made an ounce of difference, so that’s another £30-odd down the drain, alongside the £120pm Librela injections. This is why I never have nice things – except Lottie is a nice thing and I love her.
Sedge has a problem with his goolers. They don’t seem to want to come out from his tummy. This will explain why he’s such a great big huge goofy puppy and still tinkles like a girl, and gangles about the place with a big smile, demanding snogs off everyone he meets. Part of me wants them to stay in there, but my vet pal tells me they will heat up too much and can become cancerous. So please pray for Sedge’s nutties to drop. Mean time, talking of balls, he has become very good at ‘tennis’. He wakes me up of a morning by gently presenting me with one of the many dirty old tennis balls that he keeps hidden about the place (often in my slippers or cup of tea) and I have to spend at least ten mins throwing it from different directions so he can show me how clever he is at catching it. It’s better than Wimbledon. A few weeks ago my Fitbit disappeared while it was on charge. I thought this was really odd but eventually gave up looking for it and bought a new one off Facebook. About a week later there was something glinting in the flower bed, right where Sedge likes to bury his bones… spookily enough it was my Fitbit… So if anyone wants a second-hand Fitbit for £30 drop me a message!
And that’s about as exciting as it gets ‘round here.
Love and Sedgesnogz,
All of us xxx
Dogs. Sigh. Love them to bits but blimey they're costly! And at the moment not helping with my DREADFUL hayfever 😩 Another walk? In the grassy fields? Great 🙈
We thought our dogs had a hotline to our bank account. If there was ever any money in there they’d think up an excuse to go to the vets!!