The Nutritional Institute

Nutritional supplements are consumed by the shopping basket-full by some people and shunned as expensive urine by others. It is a topic that I discussed with co-guests Patrick Holford and Nicola Bentley on the Real Health TV programme a few weeks ago. Now-a-days, with compromised soil qualities, mass commercialisation of farming, huge road miles that produce has to travel, and the increased stress and toxicity that people face on a daily basis, I no longer believe that it is a case of “do we or don’t we”; it is more an issue of “what and how much?” 

Within the wonderful world of sports, a question that I’m asked all the time is which sports drink brand to use. My response usually has a long delay in it, simply because here in South Africa we’re not exactly spoiled for choice. If I lived in the UK or US, for example, I would be able to rhyme off a few very progressive brands. But here in S Africa, bar one or two reasonable products, we haven’t really moved on from the brightly coloured, heavily flavoured and sweetened (often with sweeteners even though the product is mostly sugar) sickly products, that require a lot of energy for the liver to metabolise and also have a high likelihood of irritating the stomach or intestines. Considering that the majority of endurance athletes, especially runners, suffer from some sort of gastrointestinal issue during competition and training, this can be a problem.

It’s not often that you have the luxury of stumbling upon a wholesome, nourishing cookbook for ‘littlies’, that covers everything from weaning to toddler-hood. Perhaps if you’ve been hanging around all the right places most of the time, a little surprise like this ends up on your lap that leaves a delightful sparkle in your eyes.

We’re now four days away from Comrades. You should very much be on a strong taper at the moment with the aim of being as fresh as you possibly can once you step on the start line. It typically takes about three weeks for a training system to become incorporated in your physiology, so make it as easy a week as you possibly can (within work and family commitments). 

I’ve been busy reading Robyn O’Brien’s book called The Unhealthy Truth, which is mostly about the increasing rate of allergies amongst our children, and as I’ve sifted through her well researched information, I have been horrified at the dangers that lurk in our foods, and really feel that we need to get this information out there. One of the foods she focuses on is genetically modified soya (or ‘soy’ in American English). Now, if you pick up a box of biscuits, a slab of chocolate, or pretty much anything processed, you will find the ingredient ‘soya’ or ‘soy’ somewhere among the list of mostly unpronounceable words. Or perhaps you have turned to soya protein bars or shakes, or tried to convert to being a vegetarian somewhere along the line and bought a stack load of ‘mock’ sausages or burgers. Or you may even fed your baby soya formula… The information you’re about to read next might be bone chilling….