Nothing seemed to work. So she pushed on, getting a place at Loughborough University to study communications, and then a job as social media manager for a corporate company. But all the while, her condition was making her feel isolated and anxious.

I felt panicky all the time, she says today, sipping mint tea in an east London restaurant. My palms would sweat and my heart would race. I didnt want to go to work or venture far from home. Id try to envisage how every day would pan out and was always anxious if i was going out for dinner, or staying at someone elses house.

IBS is a chronic condition affecting the large colon and requiring long-term management. It affects one in seven on a daily basis and for many, like Hatcher, can be utterly debilitating. In 2013, it was the largest cause of days off work in Britain, with sufferers staying at home for 22 days of the year.

For Hatcher, things culminated when she had to call in sick from her job after a restaurant meal had kept her up all night. After suffering in silence for years, she finally felt her symptoms had reached a point where they were interfering with her life too much.

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The FODMAP diet: a recipe for a healthy gut and a happier life? - Telegraph.co.uk

Its a common misconception that all cholesterol is bad for your health. Nuffield Health Professional Head of Physiology, Justin Jones, explains not only what good cholesterol is, but also how to increase the levels of it in your system.

The good cholesterol in question is often known as high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. This does the job of carrying bad cholesterol away from your cells and back to the liver. From there, the harmful cholesterol is processed, broken down or disposed of as a waste product. A build-up of bad cholesterol is a primary contributing factor to narrowing of your blood vessels, increasing your risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases.

Think of it this way: bad cholesterol is like rubbish. It clutters up the roads, causing blockages and real problems if theres too much in one place. But good cholesterol (HDL) is like a fleet of rubbish trucks, picking up and transporting the bad stuff to a place where it can be dealt with safely. The more HDL you have, the cleaner the highways and byways of your body, and the more smoothly things run.

Cardiovascular and heart disease are known to be caused by inflammation. There are many health indicators which contribute to inflammation including high blood sugar levels, elevated blood pressure and of course, too much bad cholesterol. HDL cholesterol has been shown to have key anti-inflammatory properties.

Here are a few positive steps you can take, which can help to increase levels of HDL and in turn lower your risk of cardiovascular disease:

Aerobic exercise, like swimming, cycling or jogging can increase HDL levels. If you manage to lose weight in the process, thats an added bonus, as reducing excess weight will increase levels too. We should be aiming for at least 150 minutes of this activity per week. Find out more about achieving a healthy weight here.

Along with increasing your risk for other diseases, smoking reduces the levels of HDL in your body. Simply, stopping smoking is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your overall health and wellbeing. Check out the first steps towards giving up smoking>

Not the stuff from the chip shop, but rather oily fish like salmon and mackerel, which are full of omega-3 and can, you guessed it, help to increase HDL levels. A good place to start is pepper-crusted salmon with chickpeas.

(Note: Fish intake should be limited to two portions of oily fish per week during pregnancy.)

The more variety of vegetables and fruit in your diet the better. That stands as a general rule, but if you want to increase HDL levels then look to the most colourful options. Increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption will also help tackle those risk factors for inflammation. Explore your options, try something new and get inventive with recipe ideas.

This content is provided by Nuffield Health and was originally published on NuffieldHealth.com

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In praise of good cholesterol - Private Healthcare UK

Belleville News-Democrat

Be good to your heart and health with the Mediterranean diet Belleville News-Democrat I got a call recently from two readers, neither of whom was familiar with the Mediterranean diet. Both were interested in information about its health benefits. For anyone still not sure how to implement such a diet into his or her lifestyle, I assure ...

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Be good to your heart and health with the Mediterranean diet - Belleville News-Democrat

New year, new me is everyones favorite mantra right now, but actually living it can be pretty tough when you have no clue where to start. And especially for diets and eating, it can be a little overwhelming to keep up with whats a fad, whats realistic (see: baby food diet) and what actually works.US News and World Report used a panel of health experts toevaluate 38 of the most popular dietsto help make yourfood choices a little easier. Scroll on and let the healthy eating begin!

The panel of experts ranked the diets based on seven different factors: how easy it is to follow, short-term and long-term weight loss, nutritional completeness, safety and potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease.

1. DASH Diet:Even though it has a gimmicky name DASH is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension you can think of this diet as the common sense diet. Yeah, that means lots of fruits and veggies, along with lean proteins and whole grains. Ditch the red meat, sweets and copious amounts of salt, and youve nailed this diet, which is designed to lower blood pressure.

2.MediterraneanDiet:This ancient diet promises weight loss and disease prevention, thanks to cutting out saturated fats. Followers not only eat plenty of plant-based foods, but they also incorporate whole grains, legumes and healthy fats into their meals.

3. MIND Diet:Theres no daydreaming involved in this healthy meal plan. Instead, this diet combinesthe best of the DASH and Mediterranean diets. MIND dieters also steer clear of cheeses, fried food and butter. While this diet is a relative newbie, research suggests that it could help lower participants risk of having Alzheimers disease.

36. Paleo Diet: Everybody knows somebody whos tried the paleo diet, but that doesnt make it the best one out there. Themeal plan, which requires cutting out carbs and dairy and eating like a cave person, earned low marks for its restrictive rules and limited research proving its weight loss or health benefits.

37. Dukan Diet: When a diet promises a 10-pound weight loss in the first week (eight pounds more than any doctor advises), it deserves the side eye. In short, the Dukan Diet is a high-protein, low-carb diet that cuts out large food groups: carbs and fruit. It also has more than its fair share of bad side effects, like lethargy and constipation. Yikes! Wed rather eat fruit.

38. Whole30: Heres proof that trendy doesnt always mean healthy.Thisdiet promises to cure nearly all of your ailments, but US News and World Reports experts argue that thisrestrictive diet can actually do more harm and set up participants for failure once no-no foods are reintroduced into the diets.

US News and World Reportslist also included a few diets that made us go, HUH?! The Abs Diet, which requires six meals a day and claims to target belly fat, came in at number 25, while the Engine 2 Diet, which requires going vegan and ditching vegetable oils, came in at number 20. Check out the full list here, and dont forget to consult your doctor before embarking on any major lifestyle changes.

Looking for healthy and easy meals?Follow us on Pinterest for yummy inspo,and check out ourideas and hacks for knocking out those New Years resolutions!

(Photos via Getty)

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These Are the Best and Worst Diets, According to the Pros - Brit + Co

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) - Studied for years for its ability to improve overall physical health, a recent study found that the Mediterranean diet can help prevent brain decline in elderly people.

"The Mediterranean diet really focuses on getting back to whole foods. That's whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oils, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices," said registered dietitian, Melissa Sleight.

Animal protein in this diet comes from fish, but the study found, that wasn't a game changer to prevent brain loss.

"This specific study actually found no association between brain atrophy and fish intake, but it has been shown in other areas to be very beneficial," Sleight said.

Giving up alcohol isn't necessary. This diet actually encourages drinking red wine for its antioxidant properties.

"Including that in moderation, one drink for women and up to three drinks for men was associated with the decrease in brain loss," the dietitian explained.

Your brain isn't the only thing that can benefit from eating this way.

"It's very protective against diseases later in life, it's protective against cancers, it's protective against heart health, diabetes, chronic inflammatory conditions like joint diseases and things like that," she said.

Sleight told KMVT that anyone can follow this diet.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Dr. Joseph Rosenblum, a cardiologist with St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, will speak about the Mediterranean diet for heart health month. The seminar will take place at 801 Pole Line Road W., Oak Rooms, from 6 to 7pm. Pre-registration is recommended, so call (208) 814-0095 to RSVP.

There is also an upcoming class on the Mediterranean diet on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 4:30 to 5pm. This class is located at St. Lukes Clinic Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Twin Falls at 2550 Addison Ave. E, Suite C. Registration is not required.

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Benefits of a Mediterranean diet - KMVT

Charles Platkin 9:06 p.m. PT Feb. 12, 2017

Charles Platkin(Photo: Handout)

The other day, I noticed an interesting advertisement in a New York City subway. The ad showed an upside-down croissant with a sail inserted to make it look like a sailboat, along with the slogan, WIND IN YOUR SAILS! FREE. HEALTHY BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM.

At first glance, I thought it was an advertisement for a bakery. I certainly didnt think it was going to be an ad for schoolchildren and their parents, put out by the New York City Department of Education and Share Our Strengths No Kid Hungry campaign. Both organizations offer wonderful programs and often have a positive impact on healthy eating.

Thats why I was surprised to see this ad, and wondered if it was a mistake. If they wanted to capture childrens attention with unhealthy food, wouldnt they have been better off showing an image of a doughnut? How many little kids (in the Breakfast in the Classroom program or not) actually know what a croissant is? This is one of three posters created for the program; both of the others show healthier images.

First, lets take a peek at the term healthy. Under Merriam-Websters definition of healthy youll see phrases such as free from disease or pain or beneficial to ones physical, mental or emotional state; conducive to health. Not sure a croissant fits in here.

Its not that you cant or shouldnt have the occasional croissant, but what kind of message does it send to tell children and parents that a croissant is a healthy breakfast? It can be hard enough for parents to get their kids to eat fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. But when a croissant is defined as healthy by the New York City Department of Education, its essentially a stamp of approval saying that a croissant is OK to eat whenever. And while this particular croissant may meet NYC DOE standards, the photo doesnt tell us that. The reality is that a croissant can have as many as 500-600 calories much more than a kid should eat for breakfast.

There is a plethora of research demonstrating that images of unhealthy foods stimulate unhealthy eating. A meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews demonstrated that children exposed to unhealthy food images in marketing showed a significant increase in unhealthy food consumption. How many, for example, saw that ad and thought, Wow, I could really go for a croissant right now.

The good news is that there is also strong research demonstrating that images of healthy foods can increase the consumption of healthy foods.

We reached out to several experts to get their opinions on the poster.

Watch Out for the Nag Factor: Practice the art of saying NO to your kids when they ask for unhealthy foods at the supermarket, in restaurants or at home.

Warn Kids About Unhealthy Ads Ahead of Time: Warn your kids in advance that they may be targeted by food companies and others to eat unhealthy foods. This helps to offset the marketing impact. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976102/

Photographs and Images of Healthy Foods Help: Try hanging images of fruits and vegetables in your kitchen. Change them often.

Keep Fruits and Veggies Handy: If you have lots of fruits and vegetables visible and ready to eat, you and your family will be more likely to choose them over other, less healthy foods.

Veggies First: Always offer your kids vegetables first, when theyre hungriest.

When Introducing New Foods to Your Kids, Use the Familiar Along with the New: Try to introduce new foods along with a familiar one.

Copying Behaviors: Kids mimic the eating behaviors of their parents, teachers, siblings, peers and people they see on TV and in advertisements. If you want them to eat healthier, model healthy eating.

Dont be the Diet Police: Instead of criticizing, try showing support when family members actually eat healthier foods.

Shape Your Food: Make the food look good by presenting it in familiar, fun shapes.

Eat Healthy Meals Together: Sitting down at a table (no TV) and eating meals as a family increases the likelihood that your family will eat more fruits and vegetables and decreases the consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., soda).

Charles Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and founder of DietDetective.com.

Read or Share this story: http://on.rgj.com/2l5u8wl

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Diet Detective: What a NYC breakfast ad can teach parents - Reno Gazette Journal