In this section I will share with you as a practitioner what I believe to be the best Nutritional Strategy to improve or normalise health. This is something that I recommend ALL patients who attend our practice to aid and assist in regaining health.

Generally patients have had declining health over a number of years, although they may not be aware of it. Some patients have had sub-optimal health for so many years they believe that a state of poor health is 'normal'.

Typically most patients have problems that relate to a number of different aeitology (or aggravating factors);

• Acute (new), sub-acute (medium term) or chronic (long term) inflammation; that drives conditions such as muscle aches, muscle pains, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal upset, chronic fatigue, respiratory problems, cardiovascular issues, heart disease, neuro-degenerative conditions of the brain (Dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, memory loss), recurrent back pain, headaches, strokes, skin conditions and cancer.
  
• Mechanical trauma; recent accident, repetitive strain, over use or repetitive work related injuries.
• Neurotransmitter problems; chronic stress, weight gain (or loss), emotional upset, fatigue, depression, anxiety and poor sleep.
  

This strategy will significantly accelerate any appropriate treatment you may be receiving for conditions such as:

• Spinal pains; including lower back pain, neck pain, disc injuries and sciatica.
• Muscular and Skeletal pains; such as shoulder, knee, hip, ankle or elbow pains that are slow to resolve.
  
• Headaches, migraines, mental lethargy, visual blurring and fatigue, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer.
• Chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, debilitating, chronic and intermittent pain that is difficult to control, metabolic syndrome and particularly diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels or insulin resistance.
  
• Gastrointestinal upset, bloating, nausea, nasal catarrh, bowel problems, trouble loosing weight or maintaing a healthy weight range, and particularly gastric reflux and hiatus hernia.
  

So What is the Secret?

Following an extensive review of the research literature, I believe a "supplemented Paleo-Mediterranean diet" is the best dietary approach. This combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the best of the Paleolithic (Pre-historic) diet.

The Basic Principle: Garbage in Garbage Out.

You will never recover or have good health eating six serves of wheat per day or 4 serves of fast food per week. It is never going to happen.

So What does this Mean in Real Terms?

You Need to Eat like a Meat Eating Vegetarian Coeliac (no wheat or gluten).

Health promoting nutrition means that you need to eat generous quantities of fruits, vegetables (good sources of carbohydrates), nuts, seeds, and berries. But they must also be combined with good sources of protein. And if you are not going to eat meat, then you are going to have to really watch what you are doing to make sure you eat enough protein from other sources.

Focus on the protein and carbohydrates tend to take care of themselves. Check the site if you need more information about carbohydrates and proteins.

Good sources of protein are lean meats such as cold water fish, chicken and turkey. I also advocate whey, soy or rice protein for their high-quality, anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and mood-enhancing benefits.

You will need to have about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. So if you weigh 80 kilos, then you need to aim for about 160 grams of protein per day. Read the label, write it down work out your protein. It is the key to your recovery, improved lean muscle mass (so you look good down the beach) and one of the primary indicators for increased longevity.

You will need to graze throughout the day. You need to have at least 5 SMALL meals evenly spaced every two to three hours, throughout the day which provide a good source of protein and some unprocessed carbohydrates (ones that don't come from a packet).

Raw foods are good because cooking denatures plant proteins. Also cooked foods have reduced 'life enzymes'; that is no phytonutrients, lipases (break down fats), proteases (break down proteins) and amylases (break down carbohydrates).

Aim for 8 to 10 serves of fruits and vegetables which will provide plenty of fibre, phytonutrients, carbohydrates, and protein, while simultaneously being low in fat, sodium, and "simple sugars."

Doing this will keep your metabolism ticking along quite nicely, you wont get hungry, your blood sugar levels will remain stable and you wont feel tired! Most importantly, your healing response will significantly accelerate.

You Mean I Can't Eat Bread?

Yup. Deal with it. Build a bridge. No good comes from eating bread. An average person needs to run 20 flights of stairs just to burn one slice of bread. Nearly every patient I treat is addicted to bread; particuarly the toxic ingredients - wheat and gluten.

We usually crave what does us the most damage.

In the months ahead, once your health conditions are resolved, your weight is stable, you have no blood sugar problems, all inflammation and acidity is resolved and you can justify the extra 'kilojules' then you might (and I say might) consider re-introducing wheat and gluten free bread. But I would not recommend it.

Remember gluten damages your DNA. It changes your book of life (your genetic material). So the less wheat and gluten you have the better. And the better you will feel.

If you don't believe me, go three months without wheat/gluten and then have a pizza. Watch what happens.

But What will I have for Breakfast?

Move up the buffet. Step away from the cereal and toast. It is junk.

Make some oats, eat last nights dinner, scramble some eggs, have an omelet, use one of our delicious protein shakes or even try the 'Hooper Shake' (although it is a bit heavy). Do some reading on the site. There are plenty of meal planners.

Focus on what you can eat. Not what you can't.

I can't do the 5 Meals!

Yes you can. Go liquid if you have to. That is what I do. It woks brilliantly. Could not live without it. Could not do the hours. Could not do the training.

Research shows that if we give you medical food (say two serves a day - mid morning and mid afternoon) then you can get where you need to go from a nutritional point of view in about 3 to 4 months as opposed to 2 years for the average patient.

There are many exceptionally high quality, medical grade, highly fortified liquid meals available on the site. And most of them taste pretty good too. Depending on your condition, your case history, presenting condition and what you require we can suggest a number of alternatives.

Get Off the Soft Drink

Take all the soft drink you have - and pour it down the sink.

No good comes from drinking soft drink. It is the primary source of 'kilo-jules' in the USA and we drink buckets of it here. It disturbs me how many kids are addicted to soft drink and sports drinks. Both are full of sugar, excess salt and neurotoxic chemicals (artificial sweeteners) they call 'diet', 'sugar free' or 'low calorie'. Don't drink them.

Soft drink leeches the mineral out of your bone (particularly calcium and magnesium), screws up your blood sugar levels, is highly acidic and one of the primary causes of obesity.

Drink enough water. You will need 20 mls per kilo of body weight. More if it's hot or you sweat.

Summary

This is a huge topic and obviously we are only at the tip of the ice berg.

Most people take two or three months to get their head around these important dietary changes.

The point of this section is just to give some very basic dietary facts that will assist in your recovery and help normalise many body functions.

Obviously it needs to be tailored to your individual nutritional requirements and normally this is done through the Baseline Nutritional Evaluation. Other tests to consider are the Optimal Nutritional Evaluation (ONE), Essential Fatty Acid Testing, or specific Food Allergy testing.

Provide your body with the best nutritional protocol for optimal health and wellbeing. Make sure you a covering the basic nutritional building blocks essential for optimal health.

If you want the basics of the program, here it is:

• Increase sources of lean protein within your diet - preferably fish, chicken, whey, soy and nuts. You will need about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. For more information about nutrition click here.
  
  
• Eat every 2 to 3 hours while you are awake. Make sure each meal has a good protein source and unprocessed carbohydrates. For more information about protein and carbohydrates click here.
  
  
• Drink enough water. You will need 20 mls per kilo of body weight. More if it's hot or you sweat. For more information about the correct amount of water to drink click here.
  
  
• If you need a sports drink, use watered down fruit juice. If you need an electrolyte replacement use one of the medical grade protein drinks we have on the site or Metagenics Endura. It works very well as sports drink and is heaps cheaper because you can mix it yourself.
  
  
• Make sure you use a comprehensive Multimineral and Multivitamin. They provide an essential platform for recovery. Think of a good Multi as 'nutritional polyfiller'. It fills in any gaps within your diet. It is impossible to get all your nutrietns from your diet, let alone if your diet is not up to scratch or you eat commercially grown food (from Coles or Woollies). It is the cheapest form of health insurance you can use. If you only take one thing - take a Multi. For the Best Multimineral and Multivitamins click here.
  
  
• Use an essential fatty acid such as Fish Oil and Flaxseed Oil. Fish oils (EPA) have very strong anti-inflammatry effects regulating the arachidonic acid cascade, reducing eicosanoid formation and can regulate mood or emotional state of people under stress.
  
  Fish Oils (DHA) significantly improve cardiovascular health, reduce trigylcerides, favourably influence blood cholesterol levels and imrove blood viscosity. DHA also plays a crucial role in the growth and development of the central nervous sytem in infants, and is essnetial to the health functioning of the adult brain and may asist in learning ability. For the best Fish Oils click here.
  
  
• If you have significant pain and inflammation, consider the use of a clinically effective anti-inflammatory that wont damage your gastrointestinal system or increase your chance of heart attacks and strokes like the drug anti-inflammatories do. You will feel more comfortable and it will speed up your recovery. For the best Anti-inflammatories click here.
  
  
• If you have any type of digestive complaint or bowel problems, consider the use of medical grade Probiotic. Probiotic restore correct bacteria to the bowel and are essential for the control of skin conditions, eczema, dermatitis, recurrent respiratory tract infections and irritable bowel syndrome.  For the best Probiotics click here.
  
  
• Consider a source of Magnesium if you have any musculoskeletal problems or heart problems. Extra Magnesium is essential for correct muscular function so it is an absolute must for people with back or neck pain, period pains, and particularly athletes or those who sweat profusely.  For the best magnesium and muscle relaxants click here.
  
  
• Increase your intake of Vitamin D. Most people have become deficient in Vitamin D, particularly as we age. Vitamin D is essential in many body functions including correct bone development (Osteoporosis prevention), regulating inflammation and assisting the mucosal lining of the intestines (to stop leaky gut).
  
  
• Consider the use of Glucosamine and MSM if you have arthritis, you are an athlete or you have "worn" joints. A combined glucosamine, MSM, chrondotin and calcium hydroxyapitite formulation has been show to be highly effective in the treatment of arthtic conditions. Nearly 2000 well done, clincal trials show the effectiveness of quality glucosamine products, that work as good as NSAID's (typical drug medications) without the very severe and dangerous side effects. For the best Glucosamine and anti-arthritic formulas click here.
  
  
• Use CoEnzyme Q10 if you are on any blood pressure medication or statin drugs. CoQ10 acts as the cellular spark plug for the mitochodria of the cells so it is essential for energy production and the production of ATP. Important for athletes, people with cardiovascular problems and those with chronic fatige, firbomyalgia or depressiion. For the best CoEnzyme Q10 products click here.

In short - Because it is NOT WORKING.

In Australia most adults are overweight (65%) and a large percentage are clinically obese.

As for our children, 40% are overweight by the time they turn 12 and about half of that 40% are clinically obese. They never had a chance!

We are now the fattest country (per capita) IN THE WORLD.

All Carbohydrates are Burnt as Cups of Sugar.

Think about that one for a moment.

Your body does not know the difference between a slice of bread (a refined carbohydrate) and a cup of sugar. It is burnt/digested/processed in EXACTLY the same manner as sugar.

Are the Foods You Eat Killing You?

Disorders such as cancer, heart disease, back pain, sensitive gut, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, headaches and migraine are all associated with an INFLAMED condition of the cells.

Your diet has a direct impact on the inflammatory levels in your body.

For patients suffering from chronic back pain it is very important to reduce the inflamed condition of your body in order to get the best from your care.

While eating 5 serves of bread and cereal every day is touted as a healthy addition to the daily diet, the effects that these grain products can have on the body are not always good. We discuss the real effect this can have on your body.

Find out what foods that your body is reacting negatively - no guessing - just facts! Learn which foods to moderate or avoid and see a dramatic improvement in your health immediately.

This is perhaps one of the most important tests that you can ever have done. An IgG Food Sensitivity Blood Test will provide a nutritional road map that you can use take control of Your health.

Summer is an ideal time for smoothies and shakes. Ice cold, healthy and refreshing, Emed's Super Smoothies and Shakes are an ideal way to get the extra protein, vitamins and minerals you need everyday.

Not only do they taste great, but they are actually good for you too.

They say "You are what you eat". If this does apply, you should be glad that these meals haven't made it to Australia just yet.

Scarily enough, one of these meals contains up to a week's worth of calories for the average person. This isn't to mention the dangers to those with cardiac disease, cholesterol issues, and weight management problems.

It's only a matter of time before these meals hit Australia. Let's just hope that your willpower is strong enough to avoid these calorie-laden meals.

Aspartame is by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.  Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names, NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure.

Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing for an anti-ulcer drug.

Coke, chips and doughnuts may taste good, but the end result creates more of a keg than a six-pack around your midsection not to mention what's happening inside your body. Our list of the five worst foods you can eat is sure to put you off fries and burgers for good.

Wondering what to have for breakfast if you can't have grains?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day in terms of getting our metabolism working and dietary requirements up to scratch to face the day, therefore it is clear that you need to make the right choices about what to have for this first meal of the day.

Here is what I eat.....

This is a great tasting recipe that includes different protein and fruit sources to give you the ultimate morning smoothie.  Experiment with the ingredients, and try to use low-fat versions to save on the fat content and calories.

Some people prefer to eat small amounts more often, and for those people, here are a few snacks and small meals ideas that fall into the 500kJ bracket.

This list of small meal ideas are tasty, and easy to make - a bonus when you're running short on time.

They're in there on that list of 150 ingredients on the bag of chips you're holding. Lurking, around, just waiting to damage your health! The signs are subtle, but if you look closely enough, you'll see them.

Hidden additives are everywhere - and in many foods that you wouldn't expect. Read our guide on the worst hidden additives and how these offenders could be affecting you and your family.

VitaminWater, Coke's new "wonder" drink is the basis for a lawsuit against the company after "deceptive and unsubstantiated claims" were made about the health benefits of the drink.

This deceit acts as yet another reminder to the Australia public to avoid high-sugar drinks at all costs. Aimed at children, teenagers and active adults, VitaminWater not only provides you with most of your daily sugar needs - it also supplies a meal's worth of calories in every bottle.