If you want to eat a more varied diet then buy an ingredient each week that you have no idea how to cook!  Scary I know but it will help you become a lot more adventurous with your food and your palette will start to change, foods you thought you didn’t like will become more appealing.


Let me give you an example 


Have you ever cooked a romanesco cauliflower or kohlrabi?  Me either.  I try to buy ingredients I’ve not cooked before when I see them, it’s a bit of a game for me.  I have to go looking for recipes or figure out what the food might be similar too and work out how to cook it.


A few weeks ago I was buying my fruit and veg from Glasrai organic farmers in market square, castlebar.  They had romanesco and kohlrabi and I thought, why not!  Let’s see what I can do with these bad boys!


I went home and scratched my head!


Then I made a delicious pasta sauce with peppers, onions, garlic, courgette and Romanesco sweated off in the pan with some oil, then added tins of tomatoes, a little salt and a pinch of sugar and cooked it up, then blitzed it.  It was yum!


With the kohlrabi I decided it was a bit like a little cabbage so I made some of the nicest coleslaw I’ve had.  Shredded the kohlrabi, some carrots, some red onion and added some vegan mayo and a dash of apple cider vinegar.


Neither took long to make and both were highly delicious and nutritious.


So this week pick up an item in the fresh foods and see what you come up with!


To find out more, you can contact Carina at 
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, 
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922

​

One of my main areas of expertise is digestive health.  The reason for this is that in naturopathic medicine the gut is the seat of all health.  Basically if your digestion is not working optimally, nothing is.
 
One of the main complaints I see in clinic is Constipation.  The scary thing is that it has become so common place that many don’t realise they are constipated.  We have become very embarrassed to talk about our bowel movements.
 
In naturopathy we consider 3 movements a day optimal, the idea is one meal in, one meal out. 
 
So what does it mean for your health if you are constipated?

• Toxicity levels are high as you are not clearing toxins via the bowels.
• Energy is low because the body is dealing with that toxicity.
• Health issues develop due to leaky gut, candida, poor nutrient assimilation, toxic environment etc.
• Headaches, skin issues, hormone issues, food sensitivities, breathing issues, inflammation etc. are all symptoms associated with constipation.

 
Some simple solutions for constipation are:

• Increase vegetable intake
• Increase water intake
• Use foods that are mucilaginous – chia seeds, flax seeds.
• Herbal medicines – marshmallow, licorice, slippery elm, cascara, rheum (always consult a herbalist when starting on a herbal regime)
• Increase fibre
• Reduce red meat
• Reduce processed foods
• Reduce highly processed carbohydrates
• Increase omega oil

 
If dealing with a chronic constipation issue I would recommend coming to a Naturopath, for a quicker and safer approach to resolve the issue.
 
 
 
 
 
To find out more, you can contact Carina at
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922
​

The lymphatic system isn’t the popular system of our body.  Not as snazzy as the cardiovascular or as talked about as the digestive system, but it is vital for our health.
 
So what does the lymphatic system do?
 

• The lymphatic system transports the lymph, a fluid dull of infection fighting  blood cells
• Rids the body of toxins, waste and a variety of other unwanted materials
• The lymphatic system has a network  that reaches the vast majority of the body’s tissues
• It returns fluids from the tissues
• Is part of the cardiovascular and immune system

 
Our muscles helps to massage the lymphatic system, moving the lymph through the system.  So what happens when we are:

• Stressed
• Have an injury
• In chronic pain
• Suffer a chronic condition
• immobility

The simple answer is the muscles tighten and they no longer massage the lymph, preventing the function of this very important system.
 
What can this lead to?

• Lymphedema
• Cancers
• Skin issues
• Infections
• Fluid retention
• Eczema
• Chronic pain
• Chronic cystitis
• Arthritis
• Bronchitis/pneumonia

 
So what can you do?

• Movement – rebounding(mini trampoline), yoga, swimming, low impact aerobics, deep breathing, mediation.
• Massage – lymphatic drainage massage, cupping, reflexology, dry body brushing
• Herbs – this should be done with the help of a qualified herbalist.  My favourite lymphatic herbs are: red clover, cleavers, manjistha, bupleurum and rhemania

 
Some simple changes can help to keep this system healthy, prevention is always better than cure, so the next time you find yourself running around like a headless chicken, stressed, tension in your neck and shoulders, remind yourself to slow it down, take some time for self care now or you will be needing medical care in the future.
 
 
To find out more, you can contact Carina at
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922

​Okay, so it’s that time of year again,  cold and flu season is here.  The children are back at school and the bugs, bacteria’s and virus’ are rife.  Everyone is coming down with something.
 
So what if I told you that you can make a difference, reduce your chance of catching bugs, reduce the severity if you do and recover quicker?
 
Well it’s true, there is a lot you can do to improve your immune function and your bodies own natural defences and resilience.
 
There is actually more than one way:

• Nutrition
• Herbal medicines
• Lifestyle

 
NUTRITION

• Citrus - Boost your vitamin C
• Garlic – helps to fight infections
• Ginger – helps fight common cold
• Almonds – help immunity
• Spinach – immune boosting
• Carrots – high in vitamin A
• Green tea – fights germs
• Juices – mainly vegetables, some fruit, ginger, lemon or lime

 
Herbal medicines

• Elderberry – tincture, syrup or lozenge – coughs, colds, fever,lung, virus
• Echinacea – (not euthanasia as my mum likes to call it) tincture – regulates immune system – shortens lifespan of the bug
• Thyme and rosemary – tea, inhalation, tincture - lungs
• Garlic – food, capsule - infections
• Ginger – food, tea, tincture – lungs, infections, stomach
• Astragalus – tea, tincture – boosts immunity
• Cats claw – tincture – reduces fever
• Licorice – tea, syrup, tincture – coughs, sore throats, stress
• Oregano – tea, tincture – reverses virus
• Olive leaf – tincture – common cold, candida, microbes, dental bacteria.

Lifestyle

• Rest
• Warm baths –Epsom salts with herbal bag
• Early night
• Sleep
• Wrap up warm

 
The main thing to remember is if you are constantly coming down with something you need to rebalance the system, something is out of balance.  If you are on medications check with an expert like Carina first before starting on a herbal regime.
 
 
 
To find out more, you can contact Carina at
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922

With the recent reports in the press about the risk of Breast Cancer associated with HRT being double what was originally thought, many are looking for alternative ways to help them through the menopause.
 
As a Naturopath I work with many women through their menopause, using herbal medicines, nutrition and lifestyle to help bring more balance to their hormonal picture.
 
Natural medicines look more at strengthening the body to function as it should, bringing balance and harmony.  I look at what in the body is not functioning as it should and giving the appropriate herbs or dietary advice to help you strengthen the organs that are weakened.
 
For example:
 
Hot flushes:
Many women will buy Black cohosh for hot flushes or sage tea because that is what we think of when we think hot flushes.  I find Vitex Agnus castus is often a better menopause herb, but this is only advertised for younger women’s hormone issues.  To get real results with hot flushes you not only need to help the hormones find a balance, you also need to help strengthen the liver.  This is why as a herbalist I put together a formula tailored to your specific needs.  Making you a formula that looks at the hormones, the liver, the digestion, stress and whatever else needs to be addressed.

Sleep issues:
My favourite herb for menopausal sleep issues is called Zizzyphus.  This wonderful herb not only helps you to get to sleep and stay asleep, it also specifically works with night time hot flushing.

Mood change:
I just love shatavari for menopause induced mood swings.  This is because many of the mood issues are related to an absolute lack of energy and exhaustion.  Shatavari is a gorgeous female herb known in Ayurveda as the Herb of 100 husbands.  Thought to give any lady the strength to deal with a 100 husbands.
 
This is why if you have a specific issue and are looking at using natural medicines, your best option is to seek the advice.  Get the right solution quickly, rather than trying everything that anyone recommends and taking a long time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
To find out more, you can contact Carina at
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922