Archive for the ‘General health’ Category

 

What are your vitamin D levels?

 

 

Nutritional therapist Steve Hines tells you why you need to get your vitamin D level

checked. Getting a simple and cheap blood test can protect you from cancer,

osteoporosis, rickets, autoimmune diseases and muscle injuries.

 

 

Speak to your doctor as up to 90% of the population are deficient. If your doctor

wont test it get it done yourself, you can order a home test kit from here. It is only

£45, money well spent considering it can significantly improve your health. My only

criticism of this company is that the norms are set too low. Ideally your blood

vitamin D levels should be 80nmol/L (32ng/mL), anything less than this is deficient

regardless of what language is used (sufficient, insufficient, deficient for e.g.).

 

 

Once you know your levels you can use a supplement of 1000-5000IU per day.

You can order vitamin D from here. Call them and quote 3030003 as a reference to

order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Sneaky Hormones That Are Ruining Your Fat Burning! Much has been spoken

recently about the importance of hormones in fat burning and there are all sorts of

pills and potions that claim to be able to manipulate hormones to improve fat

burning but in this article we want to look into the four key hormones that

influence fat burning and weight loss. This will give you all the information you

need to make informed choices when it comes to food and activity. Whether you’re

on a diet or are taking part in vigorous exercise this information will be critical to

your success. The two main hormones we’ll look at first are insulin and cortisol and

we’ll show you how they synergistically work to mess up your weight loss efforts.

After that we’re going to describe the functions of two little known hormones –

leptin and grehlin.

 

Insulin

 

Many of you will have heard of the hormone insulin, perhaps some of you know a

person with type 1 diabetes who has to inject insulin many times a day to keep their

blood sugar stable, or perhaps you may be or know a person with type 2 diabetes

who has been told they have high levels of insulin or that they have insulin resistance.

But what actually is insulin and what does it do?

 

Insulin is a peptide hormone released from the pancreas in response to food being

eaten. Insulin’s job is to carry the breakdown products of carbohydrate digestion

– namely glucose – into the cells to be used for energy. Insulin also carries the

breakdown products of protein digestion – namely amino acids – into the cells for

a number of functions including protein synthesis. It seems that the breakdown

product of fats in the diet – namely free fatty acids – do not have an effect on

insulin. Insulin can communicate with all manner of cells in the body; muscle cells,

brain cells, liver cells and fat cells telling them to take in glucose and amino acids.

This mechanism works perfectly if there is a good balance of protein, fats and

carbohydrates in the diet. The problem arises when there is excess carbohydrate

in the diet, especially carbohydrates that release their glucose very quickly, which

leads to sharp rises in blood glucose levels. Once the liver and muscle cells are full

of the sugar they need insulin can no longer have an effect, however the fat cells

happily take up the remaining sugar from the blood stream and an interesting

thing happens. The glucose in the fats cells is metabolised to a substance called

glycerol 3 phosphate, which in turn can be converted to triglycerides, essentially

turning sugar in to fat.

 

When there is insulin floating around in the blood stream you body shuts off

lipolysis – the signals to burn fat. You see you can’t burn fat and store sugar at the

same time; you can only do one or the other. So keep your insulin low and your fat

burning turned on. This is vitally important for anyone who wants to reduce their

body fat to understand as without dietary modification fat loss will be futile.

Seek a nutrition consultation.

 

Cortisol

 

 
Stress is a major cause of weight gain. We tend to eat more when we are stressed

and use food as comfort, particularly sweet sugary foods. Stress comes in many

forms – food intolerances, alcohol consumption, financial stress, relationship

stress, mental emotional stress, poor blood sugar regulation etc… When you are

stressed you release the stress hormone cortisol. One job of cortisol is to raise

blood sugar by releasing fats and protein that are sent to the liver and converted to

glucose, however if this glucose is not used (as most of us are inactive when we are

stressed such as at work or sitting in traffic) it gets re-stored as fat – particularly

visceral fat that accumulates around the organs. Research has shown that stress

leads to the accumulation of fat stored on the tummy area. So if you want to lose

some weight, you are going to need to de-stress. As you can see both insulin and

cortisol work together to keep you fat particularly if you’re stressed and eat poorly.

This is why it’s vitally important to eat right, exercise and reduce the stress in your

life to get these sneaky hormones on your team.

 

Leptin and grehlin

 

 

Two hormones called leptin and grehlin are important in weight control. Leptin is

produced from white adipose tissue and from cells in the stomach. As you eat leptin

rises and tells the brain that you are full and you stop eating. However, with

conditions such as over eating and obesity leptin levels can become extremely

high leading to leptin resistance, a condition much like insulin resistance, where

lots of leptin is in the blood but your brain doesn’t respond to it any more. Therefore

you don’t feel full and carry on over eating. Increased leptin also causes increased

insulin production and can exacerbate insulin resistance, high blood sugar and the

accumulation of more fat.

Grehlin on the other hand stimulates hunger, increases food intake and increases

fat mass. It is produced in the stomach, the pancreas and hypothalamic arcuate

nucleus in the brain. We know from research that inadequate sleep is associated

with high levels of grehlin and leads to increased appetite and overeating, thus

getting adequate sleep is essential for weight control. So get plenty of sleep and

don’t over eat to control leptin and grehlin. These two hormones can in the right

environment (poor diet, insomnia and stress) team up to halt your fat loss plan.

 

In summary, to offset the downside of these very powerful hormones you need to

eat a good mixture of foods from protein, carbohydrate and fat sources. Taking up

a good fat burning exercise programme that decreases insulin resistance coupled

with good stress reduction measures should allow your body to effectively shed

body fat at a safe and sensible rate. If you’re interested in finding out precisely how

to do this check out this great online resource from our website:

www.peakxvfitness.com/products.

Get fish into your diet

Expert Nutritional Therapist Steve Hines shares how he gets fish into his diet.

As an island nation surrounded by the sea and it’s rich produce you would think we

would be a nation of seafood lovers, however the palate of the British nation doesn’t

extend much beyond fish fingers, cod and chips and tinned tuna. This may in part

be due to the lost art of preparing and cooking seafood or to the fact that people

claim they don’t like fish. But it needn’t be this way. With a little bit of imagination

you can make fish and seafood taste delicious and it takes no time at all to cook.

If you take a trip down to your local fish monger you will see a whole host of

different produce and expanding your horizons beyond cod and tuna can reignite

your interest in this delicious food.

 

Look out for oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, trout, pilchards, herring as well as

salmon. Mackerel for instance is quite cheap, and trout is a cheaper alternative to

salmon. For white fish look out for pollock, sea bass, sea bream, gurnard as well as

cod and haddock. Some other types of fish such as pangasius, snapper, tilapia are

also becoming popular and can be bought at the fish monger. Then of course there

is seafood such as mussels, prawns, crab and cockles.

 

Fresh fish is always better but eating some tinned fish now and then is also a good

way to get more of this food into your diet. For instance as well as tinned tuna

tinned mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon can also be bought quite cheaply

in the supermarket

 

If you don’t know what to do with fish just try one of these simple recipes.

 

Mackerel pate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drain then empty a tin of mackerel into a bowel; add a dash of olive oil, some

smoked paprika, salt and pepper and blend together with a hand held food

processor (or mush together with a fork). Spread over two rice cakes for a delicious

snack.

 

Baked salmon with roasted vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover the salmon fillet in sesame seeds and set aside. Chop up some Mediterranean

vegetables such as courgette, aubergine, peppers and onions and roast them in

olive oil, garlic, chilli and thyme for 30 minutes or so. For the last 12-15 minutes of

the vegetables cooking throw the salmon in the oven and serve the salmon on a bed

of the vegetables.

 

Fish parcels

 

Use Pollock, sea bream, gurnard or mackerel. For a Mediterranean flavour place

the fish on a base of fennel in tin foil, add a dash of olive oil, some thyme and oregano

and some lemon juice. Fold up the parcel and place in the oven for 15 minutes at

180 degrees Celsius. Serve with a garden salad, chopped tomatoes and olives. For an

oriental flavour add the fish to a base of chopped chillies, ginger, garlic and lemon

grass, add a dash of sesame oil and tamari sauce and cook. Serve with whole grain

rice and some steamed bok choy.

 

Fish and chips

 

Dice up some potato or sweet potato into wedges (leave the skin on) and par boil

for 10 minutes, then toss them in oil or butter and place in a hot oven for 20-30

minutes until cooked and crisp on the outside. In the mean time take some white

fish like sea bass or pangasius, season with salt and pepper, bay leaves and a sprig

of thyme and steam bake (place some water in the bottom of the baking tray and

cover with foil) for 15-20 minutes. Serve with the potatoes and some tinned mushy

peas.

 

Welsh mussels

 

Dice up an onion and a leek and sweat down in some butter. Chop up some smoked

bacon back and add to the onion and leeks. Finally throw in your mussels and cover

until the mussels open and then serve. Throw away any mussels that have not

opened.

 

Squid salad

 

Chop up some squid and fry it off in some olive oil with chilli flakes, garlic, salt and

pepper. Serve on a bed of mixed salad.

 

There you go, quick simple and delicious seafood in less than 30 minutes

(often times 15-20 minutes). See below why nutritional therapist Steve Hines believes

we should be eating more protein like fish.

 

 

 

 

Female health problems include pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, fibroids, osteoporosis, symptoms of the menopause and infertility. The aetiology of these health problems are multi layered and often complicated, however there are some common underlying causes to all of them including hormonal imbalances, stress, poor nutrition and lack of nutrients, environmental oestrogens and poor detoxification.

The symptoms of PMS are varied and effect up to 90% of all women. The cause is still unknown. Different hypotheses as to the cause of PMS include hormone imbalance, a lack of essential fatty acids, a lack of B vitamins, magnesium, chromium, zinc and poor blood sugar control. PMS has been classified into four categories described below. Unfortunately many women may not fit neatly into each category and may have a mixture of these symptoms.

1. PMS-A (anxiety) includes mood swings, irritability, tension and fits of rage. This is the most common type affecting 40-60% of women. This may be due to poor liver function, gallstones and poor gut health. Anxiety can be caused by low serotonin levels therefore eating more protein; specifically tryptophan is required (5HTP would be a good supplement). Supporting the liver and the clearance of oestrogens may also help.

2. PMS-C (cravings) including sugar cravings, headaches and fatigue. This may be due to magnesium deficiency, pancreas insufficiency or inflammation. Dark chocolate and green leafy vegetables help increase magnesium. Eating small regular meals, high in protein and healthy fats and using fenugeek, R alpha lipoic acid, B3, fish oil, cinnamon, zinc, B6 and chromium can support the pancreas and reduce inflammation.

3. PMS-D (depression) includes depression, confusion and poor coordination. This may be due to low levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine due to a lack of protein in the diet. It may also be due to an imbalance of fatty acids. Taking evening primrose oil that contains GLA and taking fish oil can help correct this.

4. PMS-H (hyperhydration) includes water retention, breast tenderness, breast enlargement, abdominal bloating, and weight gain. This may be due to poor mineral balance and increased aldosterone that causes the tubules of the kidneys to retain sodium and water. These women need to use Celtic Sea Salt and alkaline minerals such as potassium and magnesium orrotate. Diuretcis such as raspberry leaf tea, green tea and taurine may also help. Doubling the intake of a multivitamin and mineral for 5 days before your period starts may also be useful.

Many of the symptoms of PMS are also symptoms of poor blood sugar control and this may be the major contributing factor. First of all simply follow the blood sugar control advice in my book and then investigate and try some of things I suggests for water retention and bloating, headaches or depression. The supplements magnesium, B6 and evening primrose oil for GLA may be very useful to manage PMS.

To find out what foods and nutrients support your hormonal health Steve Hines Little book of nutrition tips now is available at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/little-book-nutrition-tips/dp/0956670113

Heart attacks and cardiovascular disease are one of the biggest killers in the western world. Improving your cardiovascular health by following the advice in this section could save your life.

One very well known and widely reported study called The Lyon Diet Heart Study tested the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in a group of people that had already suffered a heart attack. After 4 years those who followed the Mediterranean diet had between 50-70% decreased risk of recurrent heart attack, angina, stroke and death even though their cholesterol levels did not change. What this means is just because you have already had a heart attack it is not too late to make significant changes to your health. It might also suggest that having high cholesterol is not necessarily the problem it is made out to be, especially when you have already suffered a heart attack.

Another study introduced the concept of the “poly meal”. Seven foods that are known to reduce cardiovascular disease if consumed together on a daily basis in a “ploy meal” could reduce heart disease by 75%.

These were:

• Fish
• Garlic
• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Fruit
• Red wine
• Dark chocolate

Another thing to think about is your blood pressure. Reducing your blood pressure can also significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. One thing that is very important for blood pressure is to control your salt intake. Eat the DASH diet. This is essentially a diet low in sodium, lower in carbohydrate, higher in protein and essential fats. It is also higher in vegetables and lower in grains, fruit and dairy.

Example:

• Meat, poultry and oily fish 2-4 servings a day
• Vegetables 6-8 servings a day
• Fruits 2 servings a day
• Dried beans, seeds and nuts 1-2 servings a day
• Low fat dairy products 0-2 servings a day
• Cereals, grains and pasta 0-2 servings a day
• Fats and oils 4-5 servings a day (mainly unsaturated fats like olive oil, fish oil, however some saturated fat is allowable)
• 50 grams of fibre a day (a mix of soluble and insoluble)

To find out what foods and nutrients support your heart and to eat to prevent heart attacks and strokes Steve Hines Little book of nutrition tips now is available at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/little-book-nutrition-tips/dp/0956670113

or watch Steve talk about the book on YouTube here

The saying goes you are what you eat; well you are what you can digest, absorb and assimilate. Digestion is extremely important. It is popular to blame food intolerances for poor digestion, and this may be the case in some people, however it may be just as likely that there is a bacterial infection, low stomach acid and digestive enzymes or poor gut micro flora that is contributing to poor digestion. Respected nutritionist Jeffrey Bland came up with the axiom of the 4 R’s when trying to improve digestion.

R – Remove food sensitivities, parasites, fungus and bad bacteria.

R – Replace nutrients needed for digestion.

R – Re inoculate the bowel with friendly bacteria.

R – Repair the gut with important nutrients.

Always start by removing things from your diet and lifestyle that may be irritating the gut. Trying to heal the gut or take probiotcs will otherwise be useless. Remove common food intolerances such as wheat, dairy, soy or eggs if necessary. If you think you are sensitive to a food or several foods, remove them from your diet for 2 weeks. If your symptoms improve you may have a food intolerance, if your symptoms do not improve it could be something else that is affecting your digestion.

Something else that may need to be removed from the gut is parasites and bad bacteria. To test for and remove parasites, fungus and bacteria is beyond the scope of this article. However there are good foods, supplements and herbs that help to kill parasites, bad bacteria and fungus. It is always best to have a stool test done and establish which agents kill the parasites, bad bacteria or fungus you might be infected with, otherwise you may be shooting in the dark. Genova Diagnostics produce a good array of stool tests for parasite infection.

Stress is another major disruption for digestion. Stomach acid secretion is reduced considerably and it draws blood and energy away from the bowels and diverts it to the brain and muscles to either run away or fight. Stress comes in many forms – food intolerances, alcohol, financial stress, relationship stress, mental emotional stress, poor blood sugar regulation etc, so learning what is stressing you and how to manage those stressors is imperative.

Once you have removed all things that are damaging the GI tract it’s time to start replacing things needed for healthy digestion. One of the most important things you can do is to test your stomach acid levels and support your stomach with HCL supplements. I explain in my book exactly how to do this. Other things that need to be replaced are digestive enzymes, water, fibre and foods that help to stimulate bile secretions.

Only after you have removed and replaced should you entertain re-inoculating the bowel with healthy bacteria and use foods and nutrients that repair the gut.

To find out how to remove wheat and dairy, what foods they are found in, what brands and alternative wheat and dairy free products you can eat; to find out how to kill bad bacteria, fungus and parasites; to find out what foods, supplements and lifestyle practices best manage your stress and to find out how to properly repair the gut Steve Hines Little book of nutrition tips is now available at http://www.amazon.co.uk/little-book-nutrition-tips/dp/0956670113

or watch Steve talk about the book on YouTube here

As humans we evolved to dominate this planet through our intelligence, that intelligence was driven by the rapid expansion of our brains through nutrition, particularly from omega 3 fats (read good nutrition). However it seems we are in a very peculiar predicament, one where it seems we are starting to devolve, particularly in terms of intelligence for a large part of the human race. I say this as last week I came across two pieces of moronic idiocy that are beyond belief and one piece of corporate greed that smacks of the sentiment “I don’t care about your health as long as I make money”!

I was watching BBC breakfast earlier in the week when the presenter stated that scientists (i.e. complete fucking idiots) were suggesting that we should go back to the old age tradition of eating toast sandwiches, that’s right – two pieces of bread with a piece of toast as the filling! It was claimed that this provided us with protein and vitamins and minerals such as iron and only cost 7p per serving. Well there in lies one of the problems – our insatiable desire for cheap food. In my opinion after you have paid your tax and NI, paid your rent or mortgage and your travel expenses to go to work, food should be the next most important thing that you buy. Good quality food, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish. Organic if you can afford it. Food should not be behind nights out, alcohol, cigarettes, iphone, wi-fi and internet charges, Sky bill etc… on your list of priorities. But that is another argument for another time.

What these scientists (complete fucking idiots) don’t recognise is that eating that meal will not provide you with the protein your body needs (most vegetarians realise they need to mix grains with legumes to get a full spectrum of amino acids), there may be some vitamins and minerals that may contribute to puny RDA levels but no where near enough to promote good health, the bread is high GL which will play havoc with your blood sugar levels, there will be inadequate fibre for human dietary needs, there are no essential fats in bread and to top it off you will get a whacking great load of gluten that will damage your intestines and contribute to IBS, crohn’s, autoimmune problems and other ailments. I won’t be following their advice!

The next bit of idiocy that I saw was from the EU bureaucrats in Brussels who in their wisdom and after three years of investigation (probably at the cost of the tax payer) found no evidence to prove that drinking water prevented dehydration. Now companies are banned from claiming this on their products. Considering that we are made from 60-70% water do we really need to scientifically prove this? Whatever next, do we need to do scientific studies to prove we need oxygen as well?

The last thing I read was the story that the manufacturers of aspartame have changed the name of the product to aminosweet. It is also sold under names like NutraSweet and Canderel. It is found in over 6,000 foods including soft drinks, chewing gum, diet and diabetic foods and breakfast cereals. But there are now many adverse health effects such as neurological disorders, cancers and autoimmune disorders that may be linked to consuming aspartame. So it seems that re-branding and re-naming the product is more of a corporate charm offensive to ensure continue profits  and to hell with the people who consume it. I would urge you to read food labels and avoid the stuff in any of its forms.

The nation is getting fatter, just look around you. How many overweight people are you surrounded by? Being overweight increases your risk of heart attack, cancer and diabetes. I don’t know about you, but I want to reduce my risk of getting these diseases. Losing weight will be a big step toward reducing your risk.

Beyond the cosmetic reasons to losing weight, there are numerous health reasons.

Fat cells act as an endocrine organ that cause all sorts of things to happen in your body, the fatter you are, the worse these reactions are:

• Fat cells release PAI-1 that promotes angiogenesis, arthrogenesis and thrombosis (new blood vessel growth seen in cancers, thinning arteries and blood clots).

 

• Fat cells release adiponectin that decreases gluconeogenisis (the conversion of to protein to glucose), and increases glucose uptake. Excess adiponectin production is associated with insulin resistance and obesity.

 

• Fat cells release adipsin that increases the uptake of fatty acids, increases triglyceride synthesis and transports glucose into fat cells turning it to fat.

 

• Fat cells release renin and angiotensin, both of which increase vascular tone and increase blood pressure.

 

• Fat cells release inflammatory cytokines TNF alpha, IL-6 and resistin that promote inflammation.

 

• Fat cells release molecules that control hunger such as leptin. Leptin tells your brain you are full, but too much leptin in circulation can lead to leptin resistance.

 

• Fat cells convert testosterone to oestrogen. This is not good if you are a man, one of the side effects is you start asking your girlfriend if your butt looks big in your jeans!

 

In my book “The little book of nutrition tips” I outline 10 tips for weight management and discuss 10 foods that have fat burning potential. I will share some of these tips with you now…

• Never go on a calorie controlled diet. This affects your metabolism and puts you into a state of starvation. When you come off the diet you will store fat and energy in case your body thinks it will starve again in the future.

 

• Don’t be scared of eating healthy fats, they won’t make you fat. They will actually make you lose fat by improving insulin sensitivity and controlling chemicals in the brain that control appetite.

 

• Exercise daily. Exercise burns calories, builds muscle and increases your metabolism. For every kilo of muscle you add to your body you burn an extra 100 calories at rest.

 

3 of my top 10 fat burning foods include…

• Hot chilli peppers contain nutrients that help increase metabolism.

 

• Tea of any colour, especially green tea has been shown to increase fat loss.

 

• Tahini – sesame seed lignans enhance fat burning by increasing liver enzymes that breakdown fats.

 

To find out more about weight loss Steve Hines Little book of nutrition tips now is available at http://www.amazon.co.uk/little-book-nutrition-tips/dp/0956670113 or watch Steve talk about the book on YouTube here http://youtu.be/7z5uhvLfU_E

This would make a great Christmas present for someone you love.

Here is some great weight loss news. A Danish study has recently been published suggesting that the fibre found in flax seeds help to suppress appetite. Participants who ate the flax seeds felt more satisfied and full after eating and their body released less insulin.

Remember that insulin is the fat storage hormone – normal levels are good, but if you produce too much insulin from eating too much carbohydrate it drives the conversion of carbohydrate to fat.

What this study doesn’t say is that flax seeds help you lose weight, but you can put 2 and 2 together – if you have better appetite control and lower levels of insulin after eating this can only be good for your body composition.

Another great thing about flax seeds is that they are full of something called lignans. Now these dietary lignans are very powerful anticancer nutrients that may help to protect against breast and prostate cancer. They do this by raising something called sex hormone binding globulin otherwise known as SHBG. They may also play a role in PCOS as SHBG is often out of whack in this condition too.

Flax seeds also contain omega 3 alpha linolenic acid which is an essential omega 3. Although it doesn’t convert well to the other types of omega 3 called EPA and DHA, which are found in fish and fish oils, it’s still an important fat to eat. However I’m not a great fan of flax seed oil so stick with eating 2-3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds daily. You can mix them with cinnamon and xylitol and sprinkle over fresh berries, you can grind them with other seeds and mix into porridge or add to muesli or you can chuck them into a smoothie with some fruit and veg – you are bound by your own imagination.

Buy them whole, store them in the fridge and grind them directly before eating so the fats in the seeds don’t go rancid.

Unfortunately we live in a toxic world; there have been thousands of tons of chemicals released into our environment including heavy metals, plastics, pesticides, industrial chemicals, dioxins, phthalates, and xenoestrogens. One hundred percent of new born babies that have been tested have shown positive for traces of rocket fuel, dioxins, DDT and other chemicals in their umbilical cords. Rates of cancer are on the rise with many cancers being attributed to chemical toxicity.

Detoxification is a body wide process involving the skin, kidneys, lungs and liver. Most of this work is carried out by the liver and the liver and bowel work closely to clean and detoxify your body. Once the gut is healed, the liver needs to be supported to do its job of getting rid of all these chemicals we are exposed to.

Overview of the liver’s function

 

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body and it is often the most overworked. It weighs approximately 1.4kg and filters about 1.5 litres of blood every minute. The liver has five primary roles in maintaining health:

• Digestion

 

• Blood filtration 

 

• Detoxification

 

• Cholesterol synthesis

 

• Metabolism

 

The liver and bowel are integral to the process of detoxifying toxic compounds. There are two enzymatic pathways of detoxification in the liver – phase 1 or the P450 pathway and the phase 2 pathways.

The phase 1 pathway is a set of enzymes that reside inside the liver cells. As blood is filtered through the liver cells these enzymes chemically transform compounds to a less toxic form, making them water-soluble, or converting them into a more toxic form. Making a toxin water-soluble allows it to be directly excreted by the kidneys, whereas the more toxic compounds are ready to be processed by the phase 2 enzymes.

Phase 1 enzymes require a host of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. For each molecule of a toxin metabolised it produces a free radical, thus there is a great demand for antioxidants as a by-product of phase 1 detoxification. The main antioxidant required for phase 1 detoxification is glutathione, which itself requires support from selenium and vitamin E.

The metabolites from phase 1 are then shunted through the 6 different pathways of phase 2 detoxification. Each phase 2 pathway works best at detoxifying certain chemicals, but there is considerable overlap in activity among the enzymes. During phase 2, toxins are attached or conjugated to certain nutrients and amino acids thus enabling the liver to turn drugs, hormones and various toxins into substances that can be excreted.

The six pathways include:

1.  Glutathione conjugation accounts which accounts for approximately 60% of the phase 2 enzymatic activities. This is where toxins are bound to the antioxidant glutathione before being excreted by the kidneys.

2. Amino acid conjugation requires several amino acids including glycine, taurine, glutamine, arginine, and ornithine.

3. The sulphation pathway binds toxins to sulphurous compounds and clears the steroid hormones oestrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormones.

4. The glucuronidation pathway joins glucuronic acid to toxins.

5. Methylation involves conjugating methyl groups to toxins.

6. The Acetylation pathway joins toxins such as sulpha drugs to a molecule of acetyl-CoA.

One of the main routes of elimination for these processed toxins and hormones is through the bile. Gallstones prevent the liver eliminating bile and may be attributed to high fat, low fibre diets and alcohol consumption.

In the bowels the bile is bound up with dietary fibre and eliminated in the stool. Enzymes in the bowel called beta glucuronidase produced by unfriendly bacteria are capable of breaking the “old” or processed hormones and toxins from dietary fibre making them available to be reabsorbed or be “re-cycled” increasing toxicity.

Also consider that it is well known that alcohol and the pill depletes folic acid and, along with diuretic compounds such as caffeine or diuretic drugs, make you pass more urine. This increases the loss of water-soluble vitamins. It is also important to consider that alcohol, tannins in tea, phytates in grains and sugar also affect nutrient absorption in the gut.

To find out what foods and nutrients supper phase 1 and 2 detoxification in the liver, what foods stimulate bile flow and what foods and supplements support healthy gut bacteria and normal transit time Steve Hines Little book of nutrition tips now is available at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/little-book-nutrition-tips/dp/0956670113

or watch Steve talk about the book on YouTube here