Health: Friendly Bacteria and ProVen Probiotic Review

Having a doctor as a husband and being interested in science and health myself new research is always a welcome topic in my household!

After years of tummy pains (all my friends will confirm how much fun I can be to travel with) I was tested for allergies and intolerances and subsequently have tried to reduce certain foods in my diet that I have been deemed intolerant to (mainly dairy and gluten/grains). I have written before about my success with the Paleo lifestyle, but honestly it’s not something that I can keep up 100% of the time. If I was able to work from home and prepare all my own meals I think it would be much easier, but alas with work, travel and inevitably socialising it becomes very difficult to be restrictive. Most of the time I just hate being a pain or sounding rude so will eat things I know I really shouldn’t as I don’t want to offend… though other times it is just because I’m in a bad mood and want ice cream!

Recently I have seen a lot of articles popping up about gut health and ‘friendly bacteria’ in the mainstream press. There’s a lot of differing evidence (which my husband would be very happy for me to cite, but I know most people would skip over), but ultimately imbalances in gut flora have been linked to all manner of complications from serious illness following prolonged antibiotic use to acne (see this month’s issue of Women’s Health), weight gain and even shyness!

Being a stickler for rigorous trials my husband is more sceptical about probiotics. However, I personally believe as I have been reducing some foods in my diet due to limiting my dairy intake (eg. yoghurt) it is worth trying to restore balance and aid my poor tummy in any way I can. Along with increasing my consumption of fermented foods such as kefir (I have been trying a coconut milk based one sold in Whole Foods) and Kombucha (fermented tea) I have also started taking ProVen Probiotics.

ProVen Adult Acidophilus and Bifidus 25 Billion* contains Lab4, the most comprehensively studied group of friendly bacteria of any product in the U.K. These studies conducted in Cambridge, Sheffield, Swansea, Southampton and Cardiff suggest that ProVen Adult Acidophilus and Bifidus 25 Billion provides real benefits in supporting digestive and immune health. As well as 12.5 billion viable cells per capsule they also contain Vitamin D3, C, Calcium, Zinc and Selenium.

So far they have been really easy to take (some vitamins make me feel a bit queasy). I have been taking one or two capsules after my breakfast each morning and even if it is just a placebo effect feel like my tummy is happier already! Either way I am very happy to undertake this experiment on myself and see if I feel a difference!

Have you ever tried taking Probiotics? What are your thoughts on them?

Health: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles? Why I Switched to Glass...

One of the health mantras hailed as the cure of all ailments is drinking plenty of water. We hear this advice over and over from health experts to celebrities bestowing their tips for glowing skin. Personally, I have always been someone who drinks a lot of water and while I try to be conscious of waste I have to admit that I often buy bottles of water while I am on the go. I know that these are bad for the environment so I do try to reuse them whenever I can and often keep them on my desk at work and refill a few times a day. However, after 2 rounds of stomach flu followed by a cold all within one month I was determined to do a little overhaul of my habits, as something was definitely not right!

As my husband is a doctor he is usually very dismissive of my (albeit non life threatening) ailments, but even he agreed that being ill so often given the fact I eat well, exercise and generally try to look after myself was not normal. As I read science at university we often discuss new articles at home so when he mentioned some studies on plastic water bottles it prompted me to think that I had really been trying to drink even more water to flush all the toxins out after being sick for most of the month. So I decided to have a quick look to see if any of this could be contributing…

First off I have to mention that there have been a number of hoax stories floating around the internet about water bottles giving you cancer, but these have no scientific basis – as summarised on the Cancer ResearchUK website.

There has been some concern regarding Bisphenol A (BPA) in bottles made of polycarbonate as it has been linked to numerous health problems. There is disagreement regarding BPA’s safety as some studies have shown correlation of higher levels of BPA and miscarriages, but this does not necessarily show causation. If you've noticed the little arrows stamped on plastic items with numbers inside, the number to look for here is 7. Although not all plastics labelled "7" contain BPA, it's still a good identifier, as are the letters "PC." Either way, I would prefer not to take the chance, especially as it’s easy to make the switch to naturally BPA free glass!

Other than the plastic itself I found out that bacteria multiply super fast in plastic water bottles, especially as their shapes (narrow spouts) make them hard to clean effectively. This isn’t necessarily because of the plastic, but as most water bottles are designed for single use their shape tends to make them perfect for bacteria to grow quickly.

I have therefore decided to switch to glass water bottles and have recently purchased an Apana glass bottle with a silicone mesh (from Tk Maxx ) that works perfectly! It looks great, is super easy to clean and holds a lot of water so I can stay safely hydrated. Let’s hope it helps!


What are your thoughts on plastics? Are you conscious of reusing plastic water bottles? I would love to hear you thoughts on this topic!!

Paleo (gluten/grain/sugar free) Carrot Cake Recipe

Since adopting the Paleo lifestyle (80/20) and paying more attention to my food intolerances I have found it pretty easy to adapt most aspects of my everyday diet, but it has been far from simple when it comes to desserts. I have an extremely sweet tooth and find that most 'healthier' dessert options simply lack flavour so have let many decadent treats slip back into my meals. Often, I feel that after a healthy day of nutritious meals I undo much of my good work with a dairy and sugar laden dessert in the evening. So, last week I decided that I was going to make one of my favourite cakes in a paleo(ish) way – no grains, gluten, sugar (but I couldn’t resist a little dairy). I surprised myself (and especially my hubby) with how well it turned out. He is incredibly suspicious of any healthy versions of traditional recipes, but he loved this one as it simply tasted like a delicious carrot cake! Success!!

I am not terribly competent in the kitchen so I have made this recipe super easy to follow.  You can easily substitute various things and I have put in links for more tricky ingredients that I wasn’t able to purchase in my local supermarket.

Serves 6-8

• 3 raw carrots (peeled and grated)
• 12 tablespoons Dark Agave Syrup (you can also use Maple Syrup or Coconut Nectar)     
• 6 tablespoons (sifted) Coconut Flour
• ½ tablespoon of ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon of Sea Salt (or ground pink Himalayan salt)
• 5 Eggs
• 6 Dates (I love Medjool dates and these are my absolute favourite)
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 100ml (melted) Organic Coconut Oil
• 150g Cream Cheese
• 50g Creamed Coconut
• 1 tablespoon (grated) Ginger Root
• Handful of Walnuts

Here we go:  

1. Peel and grate 3 carrots.

 2. Place carrots into a ziplock bag and add 8 tablespoons of agave syrup  

3. Leave this to marinate in the fridge for an hour  

4. In a small mixing bowl mix sifted coconut flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

 5. Put pitted dates into microwaveable bowl and add 3 tablespoons of water.  

6. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds, mash mixture with a fork.  

7. Add another tablespoon of water to the mixture, microwave, mash and stir until mixture is an even consistency.

 8. Turn on your oven (I have a fan oven and set it at 150C).  

9. In a mixing bowl combine eggs, 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and date mixture.  

10. Add the dry ingredients in small sections to the mixing bowl with wet ingredients.

 11. Be careful at this stage as the coconut oil may start to solidify forming lumps (especially if the room is cool). Mix vigorously, but if it’s still lumpy you can pop the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds to help the oil melt.  

12. Take the carrots from the ziplock bag in the fridge and drain excess liquid.  

13. Stir carrots into cake batter.

14. Grease a baking tray with coconut oil (I also use paper for easy removal).

15. Pour the batter into the baking tray and place into your preheated oven. 

 16. Leave to bake for 40 mins (but this is very much subject to your oven so I would recommend checking it at 30 mins and then every 5mins thereafter).  

17. Once baked remove cake from oven and let it cool.

 18. For the cream cheese frosting it is best to use soft cheese at room temperature. 

19. Combine the cheese and creamed coconut through a metal sieve into a bowl (this is the best way to get both ingredients to fuse and ensure there are no lumps while giving it a smooth, slightly whipped texture). If you are intolerant to dairy use the creamed coconut with a little Stevia or alter the cream cheese to creamed coconut ratio.

 20. Add the remainder of the agave syrup, vanilla and grated ginger to the bowl and mix well.

21. Once your cake is cool ice cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with walnuts!

22. Enjoy with a cup of tea and relax!

I hope that you find this recipe useful and please do let me know if you try it out!!

Your Skin... and Sugar

Following on from my last post on nutrition I just wanted to share a little bit more information with regards to sugar. Yes, we have all heard how it's bad for us, but why and (given this is a beauty blog) how can it affect your skin?

The Good

We all know it tastes pretty spectacular. I have a huge sweet tooth and pretty much nothing can come close to giving me that happy, warm, fuzzy feeling other than a belly full of ice cream. I never met a dessert I didn't like... well maybe apart from liquorice!

The Bad

With that being said, there’s not a single one of us who doesn’t know that sugar, especially in excess, is bad for us. It’s terrible for our teeth, destroys our mood, makes us gain weight and severely alters our overall blood chemistry. We have to admit that sugar simply ruins our health. However, we (myself very much included) continue to indulge our sugar obsession, despite the detrimental consequences. We can all agree life is too short not to enjoy our favourite dessert, right?

The Ugly

Not only can sugar lead to weight gain it can also make us look older! In fact, excess sugar in our bodies is now being revealed as one of the most damaging elements to our appearance. As it turns out these sweet little sugar molecules are leading a double life. After they pass over our taste buds and give us that amazing sugar buzz they change their personalities and go on a seek-and-destroy mission. In a process called glycation excess sugar in our blood stream binds to proteins in our bodies. Once bonding happens, that particular protein becomes glycated, which means it loses its shape, hardens and fails to function correctly while excreting exotoxins that affect surrounding proteins. After the glycation process has run its course, the protein is referred to as an Advanced Glycation End Product, or A.G.E. for short (a rather appropriate acronym).

This is where the ugly part comes in. Most people are aware that the main protein in human skin is collagen, the proteins of which are very long lasting with a natural half-life of approximately 15 years. Sadly they are not immune to the effects of glycation, becoming misshapen, hardened, brittle and excreting exotoxins. It is therefore not difficult to see the link between visible signs of ageing in the skin – wrinkles, fine lines, discoloration, sagging, uneven skin tones, stress, loss of elasticity, etc. - to the process of glycation.

Glycation becomes more evident in your appearance when sugar molecules attack the surface proteins on the fine capillaries of your skin. This process causes your capillaries to leak, causing what we recognize as spider veins. The same process can happen in the under-eye area, which we recognize as dark circles.

The most demoralizing aspect of glycation is the fact that once a protein has become glycated, or is now considered an A.G.E., the damage is permanent. Glycation is an additive effect and probably begins as soon as we’re born, affecting us throughout our lifetime.


As research advances I am sure that soon we will have a whole new category of anti-glycation treatments. However, until that is the case I am going to try to make a concerted effort to reduce my sugar intake. The easiest way for me to do this is to concentrate on whole foods. There are so many added sugars in prepared foods, even those that are savoury, but as long as you know what you are eating you can at least control your consumption at some level. Honestly I would be far too scared to add up the number if I was living on cereals, energy drinks and ready meals (which I did during uni)! There are so many easy recipes on the internet for those of us striving for a healthier life. One of my favourites is Madeleine Shaw, who advocates a low sugar lifestyle, without giving up all treats.


Maybe I can have my cake and eat it too after all?


What are your thoughts on sugar? Did you know that it could affect your outward appearance, as well as your internal health and weight? Do you have any tips or advice to share on cutting down?