Optimum Nutrition - Spring 2022 - PREVIEW

IN THIS ISSUE
08
FERTILITY MATTERS
Louise Wates looks at how a functional nutrition approach can help to support hopeful couples
12 FRESH MINDS
16 INTERVIEW
20
Catherine Morgan reflects on ways to
spring clean our mood to create a glass
half full
22
A MATTER OF TASTE
After recovering from covid-19 without
a sense of smell, Catherine Morgan
looks for ways to get it back
30
TESTING TIMES
Catherine Jeans proposes practical,
food-first ways to deal with exam stress
— from childhood to adulthood
38
DIFFERENT STROKES
How the power of placebos and
knowingly fooling ourselves may help us
to achieve what we want in life
Sharron Davies MBE, Olympian and
former ‘gladiator’, talks to Louise Wates
about a plan to give the gift of exercise
ALL ABOUT ACNE
Catherine Jeans on the causes of
acne, and how addressing nutrition and
lifestyle can help
ON YOUR PLATE
Three recipes to try from the Climate
Change Cook Book by Peter Taylor and
Peter Moulam
KITCHEN CHEMISTRY
It is undeniable that you cannot have
an omelette without breaking eggs. But
how do you make a really good one?
44 WORLD CUISINE
48 MOVE IT
50
Pam and Rob Marsden, authors of
OliveOlive Mediterranean Cookbook, on
the food of Cyprus
24
32
40
When Woody O’Rourke, who has Down
syndrome, was rejected from playing
football, his story went premier league
04 COMMENT & NEWS | 26 KIDS’ PAGES | 36 FROM ION | 42 BOOK THERAPY | 47 QUIZ
COUNTING FAILURE?
Why some experts believe a directive
to put calories on menus will sideline
nutrition. Hatty Willmoth writes
28
LITTLE LIVES
Catherine Morgan finds out how
energy drinks and children may prove to
be an unhealthy mix
35
STORECUPBOARD HERO
Judith Orrick tells us why a simple jar
of beetroot can be a great addition to
our kitchen cupboards
41
IN SEASON
Forager and nutrition expert Belinda
Blake tells us why wild garlic is a
precious find this time of year
GRADUATE STORY
Olga Preston tells how a liver diagnosis
led to a new career, and what inspired
her to specialise in mental health
OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022
3

Feature
USING A
FUNCTIONAL
APPROACH TO
SUPPORT FERTILITY
Image: Deniskot © www.123rf.com
Louise Wates finds out how providing dietary and lifestyle guidance, through functional
nutrition, can be a pathway to supporting prospective parents on their journey to pregnancy
A
ccording to the NHS, around
one in seven couples may have
difficulty conceiving. For those
who have been trying to have a baby for
more than three years without success,
the likelihood of conceiving naturally
within the next year is one in four; and
whilst there can be a range of possible
causes of infertility, roughly a quarter
of cases may never be explained, with
nothing ever being obviously ‘wrong’. 1
For anyone who experiences this,
it can be a painful and distressing
time, and one that can often lead to
a long process of intrusive medical
investigations.
Anyone experiencing fertility
problems should speak with their GP,
but there is growing evidence that
lifestyle changes — from addressing
nutrition, to taking up exercise or
managing stress — may all potentially
make a difference in some cases.
Weybridge-based registered
nutritional therapy practitioner Julia
Young specialises in working with
people who are trying to conceive
naturally or who are planning on
taking IVF. Having struggled with her
own fertility — her own children were
conceived through IVF — it’s a topic
about which she is passionate, and is
now the primary focus of her clinical
practice.
IN BRIEF
• Diet and lifestyle changes can be
used to bring down inflammation
markers in conditions such as
PCOS and endometriosis that
reduce the chances of natural
conception.
• Stress has a ‘double whammy’
effect on male and female fertility.
• Nutritional status may influence
the health of both sperm and egg.
PCOS and endometriosis
Although a variety of factors can
contribute to fertility issues, a condition
Young often sees in clinic is polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS). A common
hormonal disorder, it affects many
women of childbearing years, disrupting
their cycle so that they don’t experience
a period every 28 days, as is the average.
“Women with PCOS may have
a longer cycle…or they may not be
ovulating. And, obviously, if you’re
not ovulating, you’re not going to be
conceiving, so natural conception can
be a lot harder,” says Young.
Along with irregular periods, PCOS
comes with a range of unwanted
symptoms including weight gain,
facial hair, thinning hair on the head,
acne and mood swings. It is also often
Having struggled with her own fertility — her own children were
conceived through IVF — it’s a topic about which she is passionate,
with it becoming the primary focus of her clinical practice
associated with insulin resistance, which
is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
Diet and lifestyle, however, can be
“really effective” in supporting women
with PCOS, she says, improving
hormone balance, the menstrual cycle,
and getting women closer to a 28-day
cycle. But the problem with obesity,
which often accompanies PCOS, is
that it doesn’t just affect the chances
of conceiving. “It’s an inflammatory
condition, so it can affect the quality of
our egg,” says Young.
Endometriosis, another inflammatory
condition Young sees in clinic, can also
make it harder to conceive. However,
as with PCOS, she says, nutrition
and lifestyle can help to reduce
inflammation in the body.
Weight loss
Often people will want a quick fix, she
says. But there isn’t one.
“I have to explain it’s really about
focusing on health first,” she says. “The
main goal is to have a healthy pregnancy
and a healthy baby. So we need to focus
on health. [The weight is] not going
to just drop off in two weeks’ time. It’s
about making small changes that are
sustainable, that are effective. It’s about
moving away from…fad diets.”
Young mentions the keto diet,
which has grown in popularity
because of the rapid weight loss
it can bring. “It involves quite a
restriction on carbohydrates which
are really important for fibre, in terms
of supporting the gut bacteria and
8 OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022

Feature
Image: Normaals © www.123rf.com
important for supporting ovulation. If
they’re cutting out a whole food group,
it’s going to affect them in other ways.”
A functional nutrition approach aims
to add in nutrition rather than take it
out. “We’re not restricting [foods] and
taking lots away, but putting in all the
nourishing foods they need; and they
hopefully, naturally, see the weight come
o ff .”
She doesn’t recommend crash dieting
either, explaining that with rapid
weight loss, toxins stored in fat cells
are released more quickly, potentially
affecting egg and sperm health.
“We don’t want to be losing fat very
quickly...it needs to take time with the
weight loss. Hopefully it will come off
slowly and sustainably. We don’t want it
coming back on.”
Rollercoaster blood sugars, when
people experience energy highs and
slumps, or frequently feel hungry,
are often a factor in inflammation
and weight gain. Young says it’s not
uncommon for the clients she sees in
clinic to habitually snack throughout the
day, exacerbating the problem. In such
cases, she says, the aim is to get them to
the stage of eating three satisfying meals
a day, “so we’re not having that insulin
increase throughout the day, which may
well have been encouraging fat storage”.
Male factor infertility
Stabilising imbalanced blood sugars
and bringing down weight gain — both
of which contribute to inflammation
MICROBIOMES
Whereas diet may help to look after the bacteria in our gut (gut microbiome) the
vaginal microbiome is also a growing area of interest, says Young, and one that
she thinks is important.
“Probably nine times out of 10, I will encourage the woman to do a vaginal
microbiome test.” She says this makes it possible to identify whether there are
any pathogenic bacteria or microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis that
may affect the ability to conceive or that are associated with complications in
pregnancy. It may also be possible to see if there are pathogenic bacteria that are
being transferred to the partner, and which will also need to be addressed.
For concerns about sexually transmitted diseases, you should consult your GP
or your local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic.
Stress is known to directly impact fertility by lowering levels of the
main sex hormone, called gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)
in the body — is also beneficial for
prospective fathers. “We know in 30 to
40% of cases, the reason for infertility
is the male factor,” says Young. “With
men, working on diet and lifestyle is
particularly effective in helping improve
their sperm quality.”
Young says tests may show whether
there is structural damage to sperm. If
damage is high, she says there are key
areas to address, such as whether there
are varicose veins on the testicles; in
which case, the client would need to
consult a urologist.
“But the other main reason [for poor
quality sperm] is down to diet and
lifestyle,” she says.
Not just nutrition
Although being told to relax can feel
unhelpful, evidence shows that lowering
stress is important for fertility. As a
side note, according to the Office for
National Statistics, more babies in the
UK are conceived in the weeks leading
up to and after Christmas. Could
having a bit of time off work or being in
the party mood make a difference?
Research shows that stress directly
impacts fertility by lowering levels of the
main sex hormone (called gonadotropin
releasing hormone (GnRH)). And in
one study, in what researchers described
as a “double whammy”, 2 another
hormone (GnIH) was found to also
suppress GnRH levels, leading to lower
testosterone and sperm levels. 2,3
We might not like to compare
ourselves to the rest of the natural
world, but the negative effect of stress
on fertility is a phenomenon seen in
many animals — such as when heat
stress causes chickens to lay fewer eggs
or cattle to produce fewer calves. From
an evolutionary perspective offspring
need the right environment to thrive,
and stress potentially signals to the body
that the time for reproduction isn’t
quite right.
When the body is stressed, Young
points out, “reproduction is seen as an
unnecessary system and would more
or less shut down”. Lack of food —
another physical stressor — also causes
the reproductive cycle to shut down, as
can happen with severe weight loss.
Yet, in a vicious cycle, struggling to
conceive is stressful. “The stress of
infertility is huge whether they’re going
through treatment or trying naturally,”
says Young. “It’s a huge stressor on
both partners, it’s a huge strain on
their relationship and on them as
individuals.
“Personally, I think stress is one
of the hardest [obstacles].” And,
she says, it is also one that needs to
be understood and addressed as a
priority.
OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022
9

Interview
WHY OLYMPIAN
SHARRON DAVIES
IS GIVING THE GIFT
OF EXERCISE
For Olympic medallist Sharron Davies MBE, exercise has been a part of her life since she was a
child. She explains to Louise Wates why she now wants others to experience its benefits
16 OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022

Interview
A
ccording to her website,
Sharron Davies MBE is on a
one-woman mission to get the
country healthier. So when we meet
online to chat, I wish her the best of
luck.
“Yeah, I know, I’m running uphill
with that one, aren’t I?” she says in a
slightly wistful tone. At this point I can’t
help noticing that she is standing at her
computer whilst I am sitting at mine. I
had been standing all morning but she
doesn’t know that, and I suddenly feel
as if I have been caught slacking during
PE.
Yet any feelings of guilt say more
about me than her (I remain sitting).
Davies might ooze strength and
determination, but she is also warm and
direct. And she wants to use her skills
to help others. Had she been a chef,
perhaps she would have found herself
teaching others how to cook, but she’s
an athlete so she wants to teach people
how to move.
An ex-international swimmer,
Olympic medallist, former ‘gladiator’
(under the name ‘Amazon’ in the days
before it meant online shopping), TV
presenter, qualified personal trainer,
mum of three, and now a grandmother,
Davies has recently launched a workout
programme. The difference, though, is
she wants it to reach people who can’t
afford it as well as those who can. Whilst
paying subscribers can sign up to a
three-month package for “less than a
weekly cup of coffee out with friends”,
a gift option for a bit more coffee
money means they can also donate a
subscription. Or, if they take out a year’s
subscription, Davies will add a gift
subscription to the pot.
Giving the gift of exercise
“I wanted to help by creating a
programme that I thought everyone
could do at home — with no equipment
required, very, very cheaply,” she says.
“And then I thought, well, then there’s
a lot of people out there that might not
even be able to afford the [cost of] one
cup of coffee a week. So can I help them
or can I get other people to help them?”
The workouts, she explains, don’t need
a lot of space and have been kept “super
simple”. Donated subscriptions will go
to “people in transition…maybe leaving
a battered home situation, in shelter, in
women’s aid, women’s refuge”.
She hopes that it will become a tool
that people “can use forever to help
them to feel better”.
The aim is “to be able to say to them
here’s a workout you can do — even if
it’s just in a room for 15 minutes a day,
four times a week — which will help you
mentally feel better about yourself…
at a time when you probably are really
lacking in confidence.”
She is “very, very proud” of the
initiative and hopes big corporates
will also get on board to donate lots of
subscriptions to the scheme.
But it isn’t just about fitness, she says.
It’s also about mental health. Despite
having been an athlete since she was a
child and cutting a glamorous figure as
an adult, she knows what it is like to not
always feel good about herself.
“When I first retired, I rebelled”
“I had little phases where I’ve fallen off
the wagon, like so many people,” she
says. “When I first retired, I rebelled
and carried on with this crazy appetite.”
She says she understands what it’s like
to eat “loads” and get “terribly fat”, and
to have phases when “you lose sight of
yourself”. She also knows why exercise
can help. In addition to a healthier body
and mind, she says, exercise brings
“confidence and resilience”.
“If I [do not] have exercise in my
life, it will be the mental side which
will probably struggle — more than the
physical side.
“I just think the advantages that you
get from the endorphin release into your
system is so underrated in how that
makes us feel about ourselves.”
Swimming with broken arms
Davies cannot remember a time when
there wasn’t sport and physical activity
in her life. She is, obviously, also
exceptionally good at it. After starting
her swimming training around the age
of eight, she was a junior international
at 11 and went to the Olympics at the
age of 13. At the age of 17 she won
silver in the 400m individual medley at
the 1980 Moscow Olympics — although
it may now be upgraded to gold after
it was revealed that the gold medallist
Donated subscriptions will go to “people in transition…maybe
leaving a battered home situation, in shelter, in women’s aid,
women’s refuge…”
The aim is “to be able to say to them here’s a workout you can
do — even if it’s just in a room for 15 minutes a day, four times a
week — which will help you mentally feel better about yourself…”
had been involved in a systemic doping
programme. (In the meantime, Davies’
family has had her silver medal gold
plated.)
She has also kept going after several
injuries and accidents. Because of
sports-related accidents, she’s broken
several bones, had teeth bashed out,
and once even swam for a couple of
weeks with two broken arms in plaster,
packaged in shopping bags.
She explains: “Two days after I had
broken my arms [and had them set in
plaster] my fingers went blue.”
A couple of days after having the casts
re-set, someone at the hospital realised
she hadn’t had her arms x-rayed, so she
was called back in. One arm had to be
broken and re-set yet again.
“After two weeks of all this coming
and going my dad said, ‘You’ve missed
training for two weeks’ and I went ‘I
know!’. We were on our way home, so
we went into Tesco’s, picked up all these
bags and just sellotaped them around
my arms.”
Once in the water, Davies says she
put her plastic-wrapped, plaster-cast
arms on a float and “off I went — I was
never in pain”. It did, however, stop
her from biting her nails because she
couldn’t get her fingertips to her mouth.
It’s a great story but one, I suggest,
that might make Davies seem even
more of an example that’s hard to
live up to. What about those who
(without the difficulty of a pre-existing
medical condition) sometimes feel too
knackered to even get off the sofa?
Summoning motivation
“It’s a bit of a vicious circle,” she
says, “because half the reason you’re
feeling knackered is because you’re
not exercising. It’s that situation where
you’ve got to find the motivation
somewhere to start.
“It takes about three months to break
a bad habit and three months, maybe,
to create a new one. So, you know it is
going to be quite hard work for the first
three months. But…once you’ve created
that habit, after three months you are
hopefully going to miss not exercising
because of the adrenaline and the
endorphin rush. It gives you so much
pride in yourself after you’ve done your
workout.”
And it’s never too late, she says.
“It doesn’t really matter what position
OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022
17

On Your Plate
TASTES OF NATURE
Try these vibrant recipes from The Climate Change Cook Book. Written by Peter Taylor,
with recipes by Peter Moulam, it tackles the question of global warming whilst looking at
ways we might eat for future sustainability
Extracted from The Climate Change
Cookbook by Peter Taylor. Recipes
by Peter Moulam
Extracted with permission from
Meze Publishing
SMOKED TOFU & NOODLE SALAD
Prep: 10 mins, plus 1 hour marinating
Cook: 10 mins | Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the marinated tofu
• 1 stick of lemongrass
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Knob of root ginger
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 200g smoked or plain tofu, cubed
For the salad
• 200g wheat-free noodles
• 2 carrots
• 2 courgettes
• 1 red pepper
• ½ a cucumber
• Small bunch of coriander, chopped
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 50g unsalted peanuts, toasted
Method
For the marinated tofu
Trim away the harder green parts of
the lemongrass, then finely chop the
softer white parts. Peel and crush the
garlic and finely slice the ginger. Mix
them all together with the brown sugar,
lime juice, soy sauce and olive oil, then
coat the cubed tofu with the marinade.
Leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
For the salad
Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling
salted water until tender, then drain
and run them under the cold tap before
draining again to dry. Use a spiralizer
or finely chop the carrots, courgettes,
red pepper and cucumber then add
to a large bowl along with most of the
chopped coriander (leave some for the
garnish).
Take the tofu out of the fridge
and place it in a sieve over a bowl
containing the salad, so that the
marinade drains through and acts as a
dressing. Add the noodles to the salad
and mix well.
To serve
Pile the salad into four largish bowls, top
with the marinated tofu cubes and pour
over any remaining marinade. Top with
the chopped chilli, toasted peanuts and
remaining coriander.
32 OPTIMUM NUTRITION | SPRING 2022