 I'm SOoo excited to finally tell you about the BBC TV series I’ve been involved in called Laid Bare. What's the TV show 'Laid Bare' about? The series follows the lives of Scottish people struggling with their health due to diet and lifestyle choices. The participants are people who are leading very complex, busy lives, like most of us today! On the face of it, these people look healthy but actually when we dig deeper we find that the health choices they are making are actually brewing long term health problems. My role as the BBC Laid Bare Nutritionist... My role as the Laid Bare Nutritionist was to create personalised nutrition plans for each participant so they could get clear on what foods to eat to optimise their health. We covered so much, I'm not sure which portions made it into the show! You’ll need to tune in to find out exactly how we used nutrition and dietary changes to improve their health. It’s all ‘Laid Bare’ on the doctor’s table in a post-mortem style expose as Dr. Punam Krishan reveals the before and after. Here's how to catch me on the Laid Bare tv programme. In the UK, you can watch it live on BBC One Scotland. There are three episodes in total and they are all available on the BBC iPlayer to watch again, for a limited time. Remember you’ll need to change your BBC settings to "Scotland" if you are elsewhere in the UK. Do you wish you could get expert nutrition and lifestyle advice? Just like we see on these TV programmes...? Work with me one-to-one for 30-days and you too can make similar transformations to your health and wellbeing, without telling the nation! Imagine...
You'll receive weekly calls, meal plans and check-ins, just like the participants I worked with on this TV show! Are you ready to be... Laid Bare? Book a call now and we can discuss how you too can get the results you want.
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  This morning I appeared on the Kaye Adams Show on BBC Radio Scotland along with the Food Medic to discuss the possible health benefits of probiotics and if we need to take them. Here is a summary of our conversation in case you missed it! You can listen back here on the BBC iPlayer What are probiotics? Probiotics are ‘friendly’ bacteria that support our gut health (digestive system) and help our natural bacteria flourish. They also support a healthy balance of bacteria in our vagina, on our skin and in our bladder. What do probiotics do? Probiotics help to do the following:
How effective are probiotics? To really understand how effective probiotics are, it’s helpful to look at all the data (meta-analysis*) and ask ourselves is there a trend in the data? It is clear there are benefits to probiotics but we must be careful not to make overreaching claims. They can be useful in context! For example, to improve mood. But is it a standalone treatment for depression? Absolutely not. *Meta-analysis (weighs all the evidence from all the small individual studies, and calculates whether or not the evidence is actually relevant). What happens when we take a probiotic? When we take probiotics, we are providing a barrier along the gut cells. This helps prevent pathogens damaging the gut lining and entering the bloodstream and setting off an inflammatory cascade (also known as leaky gut). Should I take a daily probiotic supplement to maintain general health? There is not enough evidence to advise taking a probiotic supplement daily but if you have digestive disturbances, or chronic inflammation it may be helpful along with other dietary adjustments to rebalance your gut. Taking a probiotic daily is considered safe but not always essential. Consult a nutritional therapist first. What about eating fermented foods daily? Probiotic rich foods such as raw kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi can be eaten daily to support general health, gut health, immunity, skin health and mood. Living with Cancer Specifically, dairy has shown to be protective to the gut in colorectal cancer. One of the best studies to support this is the EPIC study. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study looks at the relationships between diet and cancer, across Europe. The study shows lower colorectal cancer risks have been associated with higher intakes of total dairy products, total milk and dietary calcium. Adding natural yoghurt (a cultured dairy product) is a simple cost-effective way to incorporate probiotics to your diet safely and naturally without the need for supplements, which are often contraindicated during cancer therapy. Interestingly, it points to the calcium content specifically in dairy produce that is linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer.   Are you a breakfast lover or a breakfast hater?
Breakfast was certainly the most contentious meal of the day last Tuesday, 7th November, when I was live-on-air again with Kaye Adams on BBC Radio Scotland, discussing the importance of breakfast. You can listen back to our big breakfast debate on the BBC iPlayer. Fast forward to 2:35:22 to hear my interview with Kaye Adams. Some radio listeners felt very strongly that skipping breakfast helps them lose weight. Trust me, it really doesn't! Read the science behind what actually happens below. I've also written a few words on how you can lose weight naturally The breakfast challenge For me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. There is no greater feeling than waking up hungry and tucking into a hearty breakfast such as pimped up porridge or high protein banana bread. I also get excited by breakfast out on the weekends but I realise not everyone shares my enthusiasm... I'm here to challenge that! Shake up your wake up! Try having one week of my favourite healthy breakfasts and see how much more energised you feel! Here's five negative things that happen when you skip breakfast 1. Low energy You’ve fasted all night so your blood sugar is low and so is your energy. You will feel fatigued and find it harder to concentrate at work, be prone to headaches and possibly light-headedness. Try a having one week of healthy breakfasts and experience how much more energised you could feel! 2. Stimulants Low energy means we may be tempted to turn to stimulants such as tea and coffee for an energy boost to tie us over until lunch. This triggers 'fight or flight' mode (a temporary increase in energy, heart rate, blood pressure and a surge of glucose in the bloodstream). This artificially disrupts blood sugar balance, triggers the release of cortisol (the stress hormone) and creates symptoms of anxiety, stress (when you are probably already stressed) and can even disrupt your sleep later that night. 3. Mood swings Mood swings due to an imbalance in hormones like adrenalin and cortisol. This increases risk of anxiety and in the long run, can lead to panic attacks 4. Concentration levels Difficulty concentrating because your brain is not receiving the glucose it needs to function optimally 5. Office Feeders Ah yes, we are all familiar with the office 'feeder'. The work colleague who feels the need to 'share' their snacks (junk-food) on a daily basis with the team when you really wished they wouldn't bother. When we skip breakfast, the office sweeties, biscuits, doughnuts and pastries at elevenses become far more inviting when we have fasted all morning and we more easily succumb to ‘filling the gap’ until lunch… If you are wondering how to lose weight and still eat breakfast, while skilfully boycotting the office feeder, read my blog post: How to lose weight (naturally) without compromising your health and happiness. Importantly... Importantly you are skipping an ‘eating opportunity’ to provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function optimally. The focus is far too often on weight loss and not enough on health and wellbeing. Are you a breakfast lover or a breakfast hater? Let me know your thoughts on this hot topic in the comments below and maybe we can settle this age-old debate, for once and for all?!... Are you prepared to shake up your wakeup and try by high protein banana bread or pimped up porridge? Maybe you're just not hungry in the morning in which case read this! Finally, please join me over on Instagram @stellar_health_mary for more health food inspiration. Discover how to lose weight (naturally) without compromising your health and happiness here  Here I am on The Kaye Adams show this morning, on BBC Radio Scotland.
We were talking about children’s food and nutrition education in the midst of Scotland’s obesity crisis. Also joining us in the discussion was Edinburgh based French chef, Fred Berkmiller (L’escargot Bleu and L’escargot Blanc). Listen back now on the BBC iPlayer Fast forward to: 2:25:46 (for the full story). I join the conversation at: 2:33:25 Scotland's obesity crisis Two-thirds of Scottish adults are overweight or obese – the highest in the UK and amongst the highest in the world!!! About one third of children are at risk of becoming overweight or obese... We’re discussing the possibility of forming healthier habits in children starting from grass-roots in order to make Scotland a 'good-food' nation. Too often, we are being mollycoddled by the food industry and duped into thinking we have no time and that junk food is a convenient answer. Let me hear your thoughts below once you listen back. Some of the main points raised during the conversation include:
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