World Microbiome Day

Thank you @whitt.dietitians for the beautiful flowers that arrived on my doorstep before 8am this morning.

I need to add, they were hand delivered along with a ‘doggie’ themed thank you card by our capable, kind & inspiring manager @rebecca.youngman.

For all student dietitians considering future Band 5 posts, please consider applying to join this highly professional yet fun team of dietitians & nutrition nurses, if a vacancy arises of course! You will get exceptionally rounded experience.

In the meantime, I am glad I could provide some support in helping reduce the Covid induced Gastro dietetic waiting list.

Will miss you all a great deal, but post Covid, am sure will see us out celebrating together again!

Thank you!

#whittingtonhospital #dietitian #dietetics #nhs #nhsheroes #nhsmillion #digestivehealth #guthealth #guthealthmatters #archwayo ...

In 2011, I was privileged to work alongside @raymondblanc and world renowned food allergy dietitian @ventercarina.

Raymond needs no introduction. His impact on the culinary landscape in UK 🇬🇧 over many years is immense. So many of our leading chefs have been taught by him. His ongoing passion for food & agricultural sustainability of which he was an early champion, is extraordinary.

Carina & I were tasked in providing nutritional analysis & reviewing the highlights of the quality ingredients for Raymond’s highly successful cookery book & @bbcfood series Kitchen Secrets.

Needless to say, we had a ball! We learned a lot & laughed a lot as well.

Our feet rarely touched the floor & thank god for email, as there was a hotline between Carina & I extending late into the evening.

We were later privileged to be invited to the book launch party, staying overnight @belmondlemanoir which lives up in every respect to its worldwide reputation of first class hospitality.

Last night, I took my copy of Kitchen Secrets down off the larder shelf & recreated Raymond’s exceptional ratatouille dish from Kitchen Secrets. I added some fresh salmon from our favourite fishmonger @lepoisson.cockfosters & beluga lentils! Perfect!

Happy memories came rushing back of those special days.

If you want the ratatouille recipe, Raymond also recreated it last weekend in his programme on ITV Simply Raymond Blanc, catch it on @itv hub.

#vegetables #highfibre #oilyfish #salmon #ratatouille #culinary #culinaryexpert #raymondblanc #allergy #begoodtoyourgut.co.uk #dietitian #londondietitian you ...

It maybe snowing (or trying to) outside, but hope everyone is having a great bank holiday weekend x

#easter #eastereggs #eastergreetings #easterbunny #dietitian #dietitiansofinstagram #londondietitian ...

Happy Easter - just enjoyed a wonderful family day within government Covid guidelines.

Spent time with my amazing family, including two of the most important people in the world, my ‘grandsons’.

We ate sausages made by our local butchers last night, chocolate cake from @holtwhitesbakery (saving their hot cross buns for breakfast) & my red velvet cupcakes from the @hummingbbakery recipe book.

The sun has been shining, families & friends are out walking in small groups. There is finally some optimism in the air.

Our exceptional neighbours have just dropped off an Easter egg on every doorstep, there are more than 40 houses in our road! How generous is that & what a great example of community spirit.

Let’s hope we are now moving forward again & the UK extensive vaccination programme will prevent a 3rd wave hitting our shores.

#easter #eastergifts #eastereggs #easterfriday #family #familytime #dietitian #londondietitian #begoodtoyourgut #begoodtoyourgut.co.Uk ...

Monday was when I finished my latest bank assignment with @whitt.dietitians. I was appointed to help address the growing waiting list which evolved as a result of the pandemic.

It’s been an action packed few months since I rejoined the team in November.

As the second wave escalated, the hospital took a very wise decision to run clinics remotely.

I have been privileged to be part of a first class team of dietitians and speak to some wonderful patients over recent weeks with a range of medical & surgical conditions, impacting on their digestion.

The range of digestive conditions was extensive and the fortitude of so many often living alone with complex conditions humbling.

I think we achieved well over a 90% clinic response rate, which in all honesty does not always occur in a ‘face to face’ clinic. This was thanks to the exceptional organisational skills of our office administrator & that so many people are WFH.

So are remote clinics going to be the way forward for the future?

Most GPs have adopted this method of consulting with patients at least initially. I can see my Consultant colleagues at The Whit and other hospitals are doing likewise, unless hands on testing such as colonoscopy, endoscopy etc are required.

It makes complete sense as patients & staff are clearly entirely socially distanced, patients can go about their work & family life until the call comes and be productive if an avoidable delay occurs.

Likewise if there is a rare patient ‘did not attend’, the practitioner can move onto their next patient.

In the NHS, it’s been telephone consultations and at other hospitals where I work, we have adopted Zoom, Teams or Skype consultations.

The later results in possibly more effective communication, as visual clues are important & sharing of resources on screen, websites etc helpful to patients. I appreciate many people are not comfortable with technology & may prefer a less intrusive telephone conversation.

So even post-Covid remote consultations are largely here to stay I believe.

In the meantime, thank you to @whitt.dietitians & keep up your excellent work.

#whittingtonhospital #dietitian #londondietitian ...

Since March 2020, life has not been easy for any of us. Far too many people in UK & around the world, have very sadly lost their lives & many others their livelihoods as well.

Social interaction in this country has been minimal for families, friends & work colleagues with a particularly negative impact I fear, on the young & elderly populations.

It was therefore with enormous pride & pleasure, that I spotted my son’s James’s name listed as a rising star alongside other very well deserving colleagues on @ackroydlegal updated website this week.

James has worked extremely hard since July 2020. That was when Rishi Sunak, announced a stamp duty holiday on the first £500000 of a house sale, which we hope has boosted the housing market. I know he is far from being alone in working extraordinarily long days, evenings & weekends as well.

He is a special young man whom I am privileged to have him in my life albeit not so much of late.

He is a talented dingy sailor, having been an RYA Senior instructor for many years on the Isle of Wight. He loves all sports & is a good skier & in recent years a snowboarder as well.

He is an excellent chef (when time permits). A caring, considerate & good humoured young man who very importantly makes his mother laugh a good deal of the time.

Covid has of course like so many families, driven us far apart. I am so looking forward to seeing him again & sitting down over a meal & enjoying his humour, intellect & balanced sense of reasoning.

In the meantime, I shall just look at his picture & think the boy is doing well.

#legal #conveyancing #conveyancer #proudmother #family #covid_19 #covid #stampduty #stampdutyholiday ...

Thank you to my husband for preparing a delicious vegetable frittata for supper this evening.

It evolved I gather from what was ‘leftover’ in the fridge & was packed full of gut loving vegetables combining leeks, baby potatoes, bellaverde broccoli & peas, with a crispy parmesan topping.

Good to see a hotelier working in the kitchen 🥰.

#guthealth #frittata #vegetablefrittata #fibre #highfibre #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #begoodtoyourgut.co.uk ...

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

We are highlighting it on begoodtoyourgut, as symptoms can be quite similar to those of IBS.

These comprise of persistent bloating (ie not coming & going), feeling full more quickly & continual abdominal or pelvic pain, accompanied by the need to wee more frequently.

Other symptoms can be a change in bowel habit (diarrhoea &/or constipation), weight loss & extreme tiredness.

Symptoms are frequent, happening more than 12 times/month & tend as mentioned, not to go away.

Some ladies may delay a discussion with their GP thinking they have IBS.

Irrespective of whether you have IBS (or think it is), it is always advisable to arrange a consultation with your GP to discuss your symptoms.

An IBS diagnosis by your GP and/or Gastroenterologist, is also very important as other digestive diseases including Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease & bowel cancer can also be associated with a similar set of symptoms.

If you are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the website https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/ has lots of helpful information & resources on it.

On May 8th there is World Ovarian Cancer Coalition https://worldovariancancercoalition.org/ a charity aiming to work towards a world where every woman with ovarian cancer has the best chance of survival & quality of life.

#ovariancancer #cancerresearchuk #cancerawareness #irritablebowelsyndrome #ibs #cancer ...

It’s National Salt Awareness Week, organised by CASSH, a group of specialists working together with government & the food industry to reduce dietary salt consumption.

It is recommended we consume no more than 6 grams day. Adults in the UK consume over 8grams!

Why is this important? Well salt is a major contributor to hypertension (high blood pressure) which the World Health Organisation estimates effects 1.13 billion of us worldwide.

Hypertension increases our risk of heart disease & stroke, the biggest causes of death & disability in UK.

Salt is also linked to other conditions including stomach cancer, osteoporosis & kidney disease.

CASSH efforts so far have resulted in a 10% reduction in the UK salt intake.

There is still however much more to be done working in partnership with the food industry to reduce salt levels added to goods, through reformulation programmes.

What can we do to reduce our own salt intake?

1️⃣ don’t add salt when cooking, season with herbs, garlic, chilli & a range of spices.
2️⃣ replace salt added at table with black pepper, lemon or lime juice
3️⃣ consider making your own sauces using ripe 🍅 & garlic 🧄
4️⃣ look at nutrition labels & choose items that are coloured ‘green’ in terms of salt content
4️⃣ limit consumption of very high salt foods - marmite, bovril, soy sauce, ketchup & BBQ sauce, salted crisps/popcorn.

Refer to:
http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/resources/ for more detail

There are also a lot more helpful tips also on @actiononsaltandsugar website.

At which point can I sign off & wish you happy Friday & a good weekend ahead.

#salt #saltawarenessweek2021 #hypertension #cardiovascular #cardiovascularhealth ...

Introducing Digby, our very energetic, but loveable new miniature schnauzer.

Everyone says the early days are testing & that is most certainly the case involving sleepless nights, ‘surprise’ gifts on the rugs & chewed slippers & toes in no particular order.

However his love of life & affection for his new parents in equal measures is totally captivating.

This dog has amazing digestion. Not sure what the Bristol Stool Chart doggie equivalent is, but he has frequent, firm poos! Even my youngest daughter, a colo-rectal surgeon is highly impressed.

His breeder advised at the first sign of a loose bowel, give him a small portion of yoghurt & also provided me with some #probiotic sachets 🤗!

So glad that gut health for Digby has been taken seriously from day one.. & I plan to keep him on track. He has a plant based diet preference established already.

Maybe I am a lockdown cliche learning another language ✅ (Greek), baking a lot during lockdown 1 ✅ & now a puppy!!

Seriously all that said, a puppy is for life, not just for lockdown & the stories of abandoned dogs purchased during Covid saddens me enormously.

There will no doubt be quite a lot on here from Digby in the coming weeks, but thought he should drop by & say 🐾.

#puppiesofinstagram #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzer #minatureschnauzer ...

Introducing Emilia Fish our talented new intern. She already has an impressive CV & many of you will know Emilia through :
@nutritionnourishment website, Instagram & her highly successful Podcast series. Do give the podcasts a go if you have not done so already?

Emilia is our fourth intern & she will not be our last. It is a reciprocal arrangement that works well for all parties.

Why does Begoodtoyourgut need an intern? Well, social media when it’s done well informs, educates, communicates & entertains. It is a serious business.

I am most certainly a mere beginner here & marvel daily at others content & ingenuity.

Younger generations who have grown up with social media are far more adept at this & I recognise that.

Our interns have helped us with evidence based blogs & we learn from one another.

I have years of dietetic Gastro other dietetic experience in the NHS & private sectors.

The interns often are at uni or are recent dietetic/nutrition graduates. They bring a wealth of uni knowledge, are amazing at literatures searches & talented social media networkers.

I am super happy to see more & more intern posts being advertised, as this allows them first hand paid practical & often business experience within their chosen fields. They get lots of ‘tasters’ of what can lie ahead.

Work opportunities for dietitians are no longer constrained to the NHS & I think unis are increasingly beginning to recognise this.

With the development of @thenutritribe on Facebook & others platforms, recently qualified dietitians & nutritionists are both giving & getting support & opportunities to expand their skills & knowledge base.

Welcome again Emilia.

#internship #intern #dieteticintern #nutrition #interns ...

Now I am setting myself up to fail here @yrokottika @kottikas @plocyn @nmmiglis etc. However just to let my dear Greek friends & family, know I am trying to improve my Greek!

Better late than never I hear you say!

Anyway, Greek classes @citylit with the amazing Maria C & a talented group of ladies, have brightened up Wednesday mornings since last September.

Some are talented linguists that put this mere ‘scientist’ to shame, but as we read, write & grapple with challenging grammar 🤨 in these dark Covid days, we also laugh a great deal.

Strangely enough my Greek dietetic friends, next week we are going to discuss, ‘what we should be including & should not be eating as much of within our diet’..

Next thing I guess Maria will want us to address a Low FODMAP diet 😉.

Anyway, much as learning another language in lockdown is somewhat a cliche, it really does improve both mood & mind. So highly recommend it or for that matter any new pleasurable skill that makes us focus our minds & socialise.

I will leave it there, as now fear when I get back to Greece (finally), everyone will expect me to be fluent which I can assure you is not the case.

In the meantime it’s super fun 🤗.

(καληνύχta και μείνετε ασφαλείς) x ...

In late 2019, a young family member experienced a totally unexpected cancer diagnosis. Fortunately what followed was surgery within weeks, then radioactive treatment. It was all completed by early 2020.

During the Covid pandemic & particularly on World Cancer day, I often reflect on about how different the outcome may have been had the cancer been diagnosed or otherwise, just a few months later.

Diagnostic & treatment delays have sadly occurred for so many through no fault of the patients or NHS who have had to care for a massive increase in admissions of Covid patients.

In lockdown 1 this was particularly prevalent. The Lancet Aug 2010 wrote : ‘ a substantial increase in avoidable cancer deaths in England were anticipated due to diagnostic delays as a result of Covid-19’.

In lockdown 4, surgeries continue to be cancelled. A blog in the BMJ (Nov 2020) referenced, ‘a 12 week surgery delay could translate into 1400 additional deaths for breast cancer alone’.

The impact of Covid on cancer care & outcomes remains unclear world wide. I have not even touched upon cancer charity shops being closed & fund raising frozen which many units, hospices & research institutions rely heavily on.

There is no clear roadmap as to how address the growing gaps at present as the pandemic rages, with the exception of vaccination. That however takes time.

World Cancer Day this year has a particular significance as countries across the globe including UK, struggle to address the emerging cancer crisis.

#worldcancerday2021 #worldcancerday #royalmarsden #covid_19 #covid #covid19 ...

How much did this amazing gentleman achieve for our country in his 100th year.

He raised £32000000 for our NHS charities.

He taught us to persevere when the going gets tough & brought a smile again to the face of a nation during a pandemic.

We all feel tonight we have lost a dear friend, a light has gone out across our nation.

RIP Sir Tom

#sirtommoore #nhs #nhsheros #nhscharitiestogether ...

It’s cold outside, so warm up on return hone with a chicken & tarragon casserole, packed full of veg. In fact any you have in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1️⃣ 500g British skinless, boneless
thigh fillets
2️⃣ 1 tablespoon of olive oil
3️⃣ 300 g peeled & chopped shallots
4️⃣ 2 leeks washed & cut into 2.5cm
chunks
5️⃣ 2 tablespoons sauce flour
6️⃣ 500mls chicken stock
7️⃣ 1/2 pkt (20g) fresh tarragon -
chopped
8️⃣ 2 carrots - chopped
9️⃣ 1 large courgette, sliced
🔟 3 turnips - peeled & chopped
into bite size chunks
11. 3 large parsnips, peeled &
chopped into bite size chunks
12. 150mls 1/2 fat creme fraiche
- optional

Serves 4

Method:

❄️ cut each thigh into 3 pieces. Heat the oil in a large saucepan & fry off the chicken for 5-10 mins until brown. Remove from the pan & set aside.

❄️ in the same saucepan, fry off the shallots, then add the & turnips, carrots for a few further minutes. Add the parsnips, courgette & leeks & cook over a high heat for 3-4 mins until they begin to brown in colour.

❄️ Add the flour, stirring & cook for 1 -2 minutes. Gradually add the stock storing, until all has been used up. Return the chicken to the pan along with the chopped tarragon. Bring to the boil & then simmer for 30 mins.

❄️ Remove from the heat & spoon into a 1.5 litre casserole dish.

❄️ place in a preheated oven (220C/ 200 fan/ gas 7) & cook for a final 45mins.

Serve with mash potatoes or basmati rice or crusty sourdough bread - enjoy 😊

#chickenrecipes #winter #winterwarmers #january2021 #lockdown #lockdown2021 ...

An inspirational young voice rung out at the US President’s inauguration last Wednesday.

Despite a star line up including Tom Hanks, Lady Gaga & ‘the Boss’, this young lady stole the show reflecting on recent unrest & the imperative now for ‘unity & togetherness’ moving forward.

#amandagorman #peace #presidentbiden #kamalaharris #movingforward #unity ...