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 Hi <<First Name>>,
 
Welcome to Autumn in Australia! In this dietitians e-newsletter, we bring you eating tips so you can live your best life:

  • Mediterranean diet improves pregnancy outcomes
  • Why you should boost your beans
  • Telehealth appointments
  • Tomato Power: the everyday superfood
  • Recipe video: Black-eyed Bean Salad with Lemon & Shallots
  • Do you need to get away? Cedarvale health retreat review

P.S. we’ve moved to bi-monthly newsletters so you won’t hear from us next month but we’ll still be here at the Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic any time you need us.

Mediterranean Diet Improves Health in Pregnancy

Do you know anyone who’d like to get pregnant this year? Maybe they are already a mum-to-be. This could be you or your granddaughter. What a woman eats before and after conception really matters for their pregnancy wellbeing. In this article we share how adopting elements of the Mediterranean diet could improve health during pregnancy, according to research recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Best Diet in the World

For several years now, the Mediterranean diet has been voted the best diet in the world – not just for its flavour profile but a myriad of health benefits when it comes to chronic disease. It, therefore, came as no surprised when it was recently chosen as number 1 in the world again in the “Best Diets Overall” category for 2023 by a panel of leading medical and nutrition experts. These experts are convened by the US News & World Report and asked to rank best and worst diets for healthiness, safety, ease of following and promoting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Benefits for Pregnancy

We now have evidence that such a plant based eating pattern could also bring benefits to the table during pregnancy – something less well studied in the past.

A study of 7,798 pregnant women in the US found that those with high adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern around the time when they got pregnant had a 21% lower risk of any adverse pregnancy outcomes – particularly if they were 35 years or older going into the pregnancy! Common adverse pregnancy conditions were reduced in women who reported incorporating more plant based foods in their diet, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and legumes, and eating more fish but much less red/processed meat.

Women with high versus low adherence to Mediterranean diet principles had a 28% lower risk of preeclampsia (onset of high blood pressure) and eclampsia (where the high blood pressure results in seizures during pregnancy) and a 37% reduced risk of gestational diabetes.

Results Likely to Apply to Women Broadly

Two additional things also stand out in this study. These women were geographically, racially, and ethnically diverse – think Hispanic, black, Asian, Caucasian - so the findings are likely to hold true for women from other countries too. Second, the women studied were not actually eating a Mediterranean diet but the researchers used a score to rate how much or how little of what they were eating was in concordance with the principles of the plant rich Mediterranean diet. This suggests you don’t even have to live in the Mediterranean or adopt the full Mediterranean diet to profit. 

While clinical trials are now needed to investigate these results further, there is no harm in already promoting a healthy plant based or Mediterranean style diet around the time of conception and during pregnancy – especially for women with advanced maternal age, who are known to have higher risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

We will be running another Mediterranean diet cookshop later this year – it’s always super popular so stay tuned. For now, you or your loved one who is keen to optimise their pregnancy can try some delicious Mediterranean recipes from Dr Sue Radd’s Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health cookbook. You can start with ‘Succulent Eggplant and Tomato Bake’, ‘Moroccan Tagine with Vegetables and Chickpeas’ and ‘Greek-style Beetroot with Lemon and Olive Oil’.
Quote

“The heart of what we now consider the Mediterranean diet is mainly vegetarian: pasta in many forms, leaves sprinkled with olive oil, all kinds of vegetables in season, and often with cheese, all finished off with fruit…” – Dr Ancel Keys, 1995
 

What's Cooking - Anti-inflammatory Eating to Fight Chronic Disease with Every Mouthful - meet Dr Sue Radd


Do you want to disease proof your lifestyle?
You can make this happen! Research shows phytonutrients and the breakdown products of dietary fibre from vegetables, legumes and wholegrains can talk to your genes to dampen inflammation and reduce your disease risk. Have you heard of fermented foods? These, too, can help improve your gut microbiome diversity and lower inflammatory markers in your body. At this exciting cookshop you will learn delicious ways to use such foods more in your kitchen and take home tips to avoid pro-inflammatory foods. 

The best part? You will get to taste easy meals that you can dish up at home. This cookshop is ideal if you want to avoid or better control diabetes, blood cholesterol, obesity, arthritis, gout, inflammatory bowel diseases and the cancer process. Small changes can make a big difference!  

 
Date: Tues, 2nd May 2023
Time: 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
RSVP: ASAP before tickets sell out (9 tickets left)
Cost: $140 (includes tasting plates, recipes and more)

Call our friendly receptionists NOW on 9899 5208 to book in. Leave a message if the clinic is unattended and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Bring your partner for a date night!
 
Food Matters – Boost Your Beans

Did you know that legumes feature prominently in various longevity diets around the world? Legumes (dried beans, peas and lentils) have been the “meat” of the poor throughout history. This is why you will find them in traditional recipes and diets, such as from the Mediterranean. It turns out, legumes provide a much healthier and disease busting protein compared to meat and chicken. Everyone just needs to learn how to cook with them more.
https://nwbc.com.au/columns/6%20Boost%20Your%20Beans.pdf

 

Telehealth Appointments

Ever wondered if you could continue with those telehealth appointments via Zoom like we had during COVID? You can. Our senior dietitian Sophie Skalkos has pivoted to doing telehealth consultations exclusively. These could save you time driving to and from the clinic. You could have your consultation at work during your lunch break or stay at home in your pyjamas – we don’t mind!

Of course, you are still welcome to pop into the clinic any time we are open to have your free body composition analysis. In the event you’d prefer face-to-face consultations, these are still available with Dr Sue Radd.

Food In Focus – Tomato Power: the Everyday Superfood

Are you eating enough of this superfood? Watch this short TV segment with Dr Radd and learn what tomatoes can do for you.
https://vimeo.com/70532363

Recipe Video – Black-eyed Bean Salad with Lemon & Shallots

If you haven’t already tried it, this is an easy salad to enjoy while the weather is still warm. We also love it on bread for a simple meal – think bruschetta with a difference. And…it’s inspired from the Mediterranean!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR-RZMfcW0o

 
Health Retreat Review – Cedarvale

If you still haven’t been able to get yourself back on track in 2023, you might benefit from an immersive stay at a health retreat that promotes plant based nutrition.

We can recommend Cedarvale in the Southern Highlands of NSW (for those in Australia). It’s homely and personal, without too many guests staying at the same time. Dr Radd attended as in invited guest a few years ago and we’ve been informed that Cedarvale has recently renovated its accomodation.
Read our review here: https://nwbc.com.au/retreat_cedarvale.html
Copyright © 2023 Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic, All rights reserved.


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