Nutritional Information

By Amanda Griggs, a leading nutritionist from Balance Clinic in London www.balancetheclinic.com

Amanda Griggs is a partner and Director of health programmes at balance Clinic and is one of the UK’s leading nutritionists and natural health practitioners. Her philosophy is based on educating clients to make fundamental dietary and lifestyle changes that not only enables them to recover their health but as importantly, to maintain balanced programmes for continued positive benefit for the future.

She graduated as a Nutritional Therapist at ION (Institute of Optimum Nutrition) and as an Iridologist at the Plaskett Institute for Nutritional Medicine. She is a member of Arch (Association and Register of Colon Hydrotherapists) a founder and lecturer at the London school of Colon Hydrotherapists.

Amanda regularly contributes and features in various health publications and has many high profile clients.

Lucy O’Donnell first came to see me about 8 years ago after the birth of the first of her three children, Columbus, Angelica and Archie. She struck me as a vibrant, busy lady who never stopped and was always looking for ways to increase her energy. She was very aware of the importance of eating for energy and balancing her blood sugar levels to keep those all important slumps at bay and her main concern was to maximise the nutrition of her family.

A few years down the line, Angelica was complaining of tummy pains. We found her to be wheat intolerant and she also had to be careful of sugary foods.

Lucy found that breakfast was a bone of contention as the children found the sugar-free, wheat-free cereals available bland, boring and tasteless. She absolutely refused to buy artificially sweetened products or any 'foods' containing additives. In fact it was the beginning of Lucy’s 'e-number war'.

Excited to discover a variety of tasty homemade granolas during a family ski-ing holiday in the Alps she decided to make her own and I am delighted to say that it is totally healthy and absolutely delicious. One of the reasons that it tastes so good, and is so good, is that Lucy created this granola without reference to cost. It was purely for her family initially and only due to popular demand that Lucy decided to make it for other people.

As a nutritionist who specialises in digestive, colon health and weight normalising, I totally endorse Lovedean Granola: it ticks all the boxes for our clients and staff at balance Clinic, a busy health and beauty clinic in London’s Kings Road Chelsea.

This granola is totally natural, contains no preservatives, additives, sugar or salt, and very importantly, no artificial sweeteners or hydrogenated fats.

Containing oats - a slow releasing, easily digestible fibre - a complete spectrum of nuts and seeds for essential fatty acids and fibre, slowly baked together with honey and unsaturated oil including pumpkin, sunflower and safflower at a low temperature to preserve the nutrients - all properties of a healthy nutritious start to the day.

Lets talk a bit about these properties:

Oats are highly stabilising to blood sugar levels, making them excellent for people with diabetes, have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels, making it the perfect breakfast for people with heart or circulatory problems.

Many digestive disorders including constipation respond to regular eating of oats as it has a demulcent (soothing) quality for the stomach and intestines, making it an ideal food for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Oats are also traditionally known for their qualities as a sedative and nerve restorative, which is not surprising when you consider how nutritious they are: rich in B complex vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium and the silica, a trace mineral, found in teeth, bones, eyes, glands, organs and is also a component of collagen which keeps skin elastic.

Essential fatty acids found in the nuts and seeds, will increase energy levels, improve athletic performance, encourage fat loss, improve cardiovascular health, enhance immune function, promote longevity, help reverse and keep degenerative conditions such as arthritis in check and many more.

The addition of linseeds has multiple benefits: they contain high quality digestible protein that contains all the amino acids, essential to health. They also contain mucilaginous fibre necessary for intestine and colon health and is the best natural laxative available. This soft water soluble kind of fibre soothes and protects the delicate stomach and intestinal lining and prevents irritation and keeps the contents moving smoothly along. The mucilage from linseeds has the ability to buffer excess acid, making it ideal for people with acid or sensitive stomachs, ulcers and inflammatory conditions of any part of the intestines. The fibre in linseeds also help stabilise blood sugar by slowing down the rate at which it is absorbed from our intestinal tract, giving a feeling of 'fullness' for longer. These Omega 3 fatty acids will increase energy levels by increasing metabolic rate. They also contain phytosterols which is hormone balancing so recommended for female health.

Also included are hemp seeds which are rich in chlorophyll magnesium, potassium, and sulphur and other key ingredients, plus a rich addition of other nutrient dense nut,seeds and oils. With the extraordinary properties of the right fats and oils which we call essential fatty acids, so called because the body cannot make it which means we have to get them from our diet, we are in essence, protecting our bodies with this delicious breakfast.

Lucy has since added some new choices all of which have their added health benefits: one with the addition of antioxidant cranberries, excellent for preventing urinary tract infections as it helps flush out the bacteria that are known to cause these conditions. Cranberries also contain quercetin, a strong anti inflammatory.

Another with apples and dates and we all know the benefits of apples, as well as being full of antioxidant vitamin C it is rich in pectin which helps protect us from the ravages of pollution by binding to toxic heavy metals in the body like mercury and lead and carrying them out. It’s tartaric and malic acid content helps the body cope with rich fatty foods or excessive protein.

Together with the astringent and intestinal cleansing power of the dates and the addition of fresh grated apple, we recommend this one to cyclists and people with rheumatic pain who often experience relief from their symptoms.

Our clients and staff at Balance Clinic all stock up on a variety of the big pots for family breakfasts and everyone has a favourite and different way of eating it. We find the little pots handy for snacking or for sending to school for children’s nibbles, being so crunchy and tasty.

The general concensus of opinion of the all the busy mothers who come to balance Clinic is that Lucy O’Donnell’s Lovedean Granola with the addition of berries or other fruit are a delicious, convenient and quick way of ensuring their families have a nutritious start to the day.

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Amanda Griggs
Balance Health and Beauty
250 Kings Road
London SW3 5UE

020 75650333
www.balancetheclinic.com
amandag@balancetheclinic.com

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Lovedean Factsheet

What is Lovedean

An award-winning premium granola made with wholly all natural ingredients including jumbo oats, nuts and seeds, sweetened only with honey. The company was founded by Lucy O’Donnell in 2005 and is named after Lucy’s former home in Hampshire where the recipe was originally created.

What is Granola?

Granola is a type of cereal made with natural ingredients such as oats and nuts that have been lightly toasted. Granola has always been popular in America and is fast becoming a breakfast trend in the UK. There are only two other types of Granola currently available in the UK and Lovedean Granola is considered superior, largely due to its long list of healthy and concentrated ingredients.

Why Lovedean Granola? Health Benefits

• Lovedean Granola has no added sugar and is only sweetened with honey.
• Not genetically modified.
• No wheat content.
• No salt. Standard breakfast cereals have been under scrutiny for having similar salt contents as one bowl to one packet of salted crisps.
• Lovedean Granola is made freshly using natural ingredients such as jumbo oats, which are high in cholesterol-lowering soluble fibres, hazelnuts rich in protein, nutrient dense Brazil nuts and a selection of pumpkin and linseeds, an excellent source of iron. The ingredients are then lightly toasted with healthy oils such as Hemp oil, very rich in Omega 3.
• No cholesterol.
• No e-numbers.
• No additives.
• No Trans fatty acids.