part0021

Of course, there are many more essential micronutrients than the ‘Big 4’ but I’ve deliberately split them up so that you can better decide what’s best for you. If you are curious about what I’m saying in this book and want to dip your toe in the water to see how you feel, then focus on ensuring an adequate daily intake of the ‘Big 4’. If you are flat out committed to healing yourself, then you may also want to consider the various other additional supplements you could take.

Ideally, what you take or how you alter your diet to incorporate more micronutrients will be led by the results of your micronutrient tests. If not, then pay close attention to the symptoms of deficiency to help determine what may be missing in your diet.

Vitamin A was the very first vitamin to be officially named – hence it being awarded the first letter of the alphabet. Like vitamins C and E, vitamin A is an antioxidant and it is widely recognised for improving eye health, boosting the immune system, treating acne, preventing flu and treating other acute infections. It protects the body from the effects of toxic chemicals like those lurking in our household products and it has also been shown to help prevent the development of cancer – especially skin and lung cancer. Needless to say, it’s an absolute must for smokers and sun worshippers to supplement their diet with vitamin A.

I’ve included vitamin A here because many of us are deficient in this micronutrient, not just because of the reduction in our food supply but because of a previously undiscovered genetic variation. Scientists at Newcastle University, led by Dr Lietz, have discovered that nearly 50 per cent of British women have a genetic variation which reduces their ability to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin A from beta-carotene (a precursor to retinol or vitamin A). The research also showed that all of the study volunteers consumed only about a third of their recommended daily intake of ‘preformed’ vitamin A – the form found in dairy, eggs and milk. As a result, Dr Lietz suggests that younger women are at particular risk because, ‘Older generations tend to eat more eggs, milk and liver which are naturally rich in vitamin A whereas the health conscious youngsters on low-fat diets are relying heavily on the beta-carotene form of the nutrient.’ In other words, we are not consuming enough of the right vitamin A and almost half of us have a genetic mutation which stops us from absorbing what we do get.

The news gets worse if you are overweight as further studies have shown that obesity causes a vitamin A deficiency. A Cornell University study published in Scientific Reports showed that obesity impairs the body’s ability to use vitamin A appropriately and leads to deficiencies of the vitamin in major organs – even with adequate intake. The study also showed that when the weight was shed vitamin A levels returned to normal. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to chronic eye problems, diabetes, respiratory issues and abnormal immune response.

So, if you live in the UK there is a very good chance you are deficient in vitamin A. If you are carrying extra weight the organs in your body may be starved of this vital nutrient. Foods rich in vitamin A include: sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, lettuce, apricots, bell peppers, fish, liver and tropical fruits.

If vitamins were the Mafia then vitamin C would be the Don as it’s the godfather of all antioxidants. It gobbles up those pesky free radicals we discussed in chapter 6. It increases the absorption of iron and chromium (an essential mineral found in various foods). In fact – as a side note – scientists have began testing chromium in large-scale trials as a treatment for mood disorders because small studies have shown it to be extremely effective in treating depression. I haven’t listed chromium as a recommended supplement to take because if you are eating a regular diet and taking enough vitamin C then there should be no need for it. Just make sure you are eating enough broccoli, grape juice, whole grains and cereals, lean meat, organ meats, cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, potatoes, prunes, bananas, nuts, orange juice and even red wine – result! Some herbs and spices, such as black pepper and thyme, also add chromium to the diet, so when the cute waiter arrives at your table with the oversized pepper mill in restaurants, always say yes!

As for vitamin C, I can’t stress enough how vital this antioxidant is for optimal physical and mental well-being. It plays an important role in producing collagen, carnitine and catecholamines. Collagen is the stuff that keeps our skin looking young. Carnitine helps our body turn fat into energy. Catecholamines are the hormones made by our adrenal glands, including dopamine, which is one of the hormones that regulates our mood and behaviour. Vitamin C is a powerhouse vitamin and we simply can’t live without it.

Did you know that humans, monkeys and guinea pigs are the only mammals that can’t produce their own vitamin C – every other animal on the planet can biologically whip up ascorbic acid in their bodies. Unfortunately for us (and monkeys and guinea pigs), a genetic mutation occurred that stopped us from producing it ourselves. Scientists have studied this extensively and shown that during times of stress animals produce up to 13 times the normal level of ascorbic acid to counteract the inflammation caused by the stress hormone cortisol pumping through their bodies. This helps explain why animals, unless they become injured, tend to remain pretty healthy until they reach old age, and non-vitamin C producing animals (like us) are more susceptible to disease. That in itself should be a pretty good indication of the value of taking a regular dose of vitamin C . . . but there is more.

Linus Pauling was an expert in quantum chemistry and biochemistry, and the only man in history to win the Nobel Prizetwice. Widely regarded as one of the brightest minds of the twentieth century, the New Scientist magazine ranked him as one of the 20 greatest scientists to ever live! Pauling coined the term ‘orthomo-lecular medicine’ and certainly I owe him a huge debt of grati-tude. It was my online discovery of orthomolecular medicine during my darkest days that sparked the beginning of my own recovery. His hypothesis appeared in 1969, stating that mental illness and disease are related to biochemical errors in the bodyand that vitamin therapy is a means of compensating for sucherrors. During his scientific career, alongside Scottish cancer expert Dr Ewan Cameron, Pauling cured terminal cancer patients using very high doses of vitamin C at ‘The Vale of Leven Experiments’. He also wrote many books on vitamin C and advocated everyone should be taking high doses of this antioxidant – far higher than the recommended daily allowance set by governments.

Pauling himself took 12 000mg per day and lived until he was 93 years old, travelling internationally giving talks, lectures and interviews until his late 80s. To be honest, my son and I don’t take that amount unless we feel a cold coming on – which is very rare. I also take more during periods of work stress and when travelling on long-haul flights, as this puts additional strain on the body. We safely take around 4000mg per day on top of what we consume in our diet. This is still significantly higher than the government RDA for vitamin C of just 60mg and probably goes some way in explaining why 30 per cent of the population are deficient in this vital antioxidant. Plus, of course, the fruits and vegetables we should get our vitamin C from have far lower quantities of the antioxidant today than just a few decades ago, so we need to compensate for the shortfall via supplements.

Vitamin C supplements are very safe to take as the body simply excretes what it doesn’t use. One thing to bear in mind is that taken orally only 20 per cent is absorbed so if you take a 1000mg tablet you will only actually get 200mg. This is because most of it gets burned up in stomach acids and doesn’t reach the liver. This is why my son and I take 4000mg – 20 per cent absorption still gives us 800mg to supplement our dietary intake.

There are other options, such as liposomal vitamin C sachets, which have very high absorption rates, but unless you are chronically ill regular ascorbic acid in high enough doses will do the job. Also, liposomal vitamin C is very expensive – currently only produced by a handful of labs who charge a fortune for their little sachets.

Serious deficiency in vitamin C is rare but many people are struggling to get by on very low levels. The elderly need more vitamin C as ageing inhibits absorption. Smokers also require more due to the oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoke. For everyone else there are some key signs that show you may not be consuming enough vitamin C – these include: dry and splitting hair, bruising easily, dry skin, gingivitis or bleeding gums and inability to ward off infections. Also, vitamin C is needed to heal wounds, so if you cut yourself and it’s taking a while to heal it may be because you don’t have enough vitamin C in your body. Instead of going to the shops to buy a mouthwash, expensive hair conditioner or more plasters to deal with these symptoms, buy some vitamin C instead.

Vitamin C is an essential supplement we all need to take to overcome the mad fat epidemic! It’s cheap to buy and available in most supermarkets – although avoid the effervescent or chewable versions as they often contain aspartame and other nasty ingredients.

Consider taking: 4000mg per day. Everyone’s tolerance is different so it is often a case of trial and error until you find the amount that is right for you but 4000mg per day is a reasonable starting point. Even at 4000mg it is still far less than the 13 000mg produced naturally every day by many mammals or the 12 000mg taken by Pauling. Besides, if you take more than your body can tolerate the worst-case scenario is a short bout of diarrhoea, an upset stomach or a warm feeling on the skin (flushing) which quickly passes. Your urine might also turn orange for a day as your body flushes out the excess.

Vitamin D didn’t quite make it into the ‘Big 4’ but it was close. My goal is to ensure that you start to take action in regaining your mental health and waistline, so I’ve deliberately kept to the ‘Big 4’ as a manageable starting point. That said, vitamin D is also very important – especially for mental health. In the West vitamin D deficiency is soaring, with anywhere between 40 and 60 per cent of us not getting enough and in certain populations that rises to as much as 75 per cent!

Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and it is made by our body. When sunshine hits our skin it synthesises vitamin D from the cholesterol in our skin and is transported to the liver where it is converted into the hormone form. Unfortunately, climate change and our fear of skin cancer have meant that we don’t get access to enough sunshine to keep our levels of vitamin D topped up.

Increased cloud cover in the northern hemisphere is definitely having an impact on our vitamin D levels. In parts of Scotland could cover has increased by 16 per cent in recent years, so we simply don’t get the amount of sunlight we used to. Plus, when one sun does appear we immediately slap on sunscreen which prevents the synthesis of vitamin D in the body.

When I was a toddler growing up in Scotland in the early 1970s, summertime was so fleeting we spent every moment we could outside playing with friends. When it got too hot we made tents out of old blankets for shade, played in the close, or my dad would cool us down with the garden hose. I still have so many happy memories of squealing with delight as we played our own version of ‘It’s a Knockout’ splashing around in the paddling pool and being chased by Dad with the hose. Our parents weren’t out every five minutes lathering us up in Ambre Solaire factor 50 or P20. When we got a bit older we swam in the river and played in the forest for shade. Today we are so conscious of skin cancer many of us won’t set foot outside in summer without some skin protection.

The problem is if we are low on cholesterol or sunshine then we don’t get enough vitamin D. Plus to add insult to injury, we are no longer eating foods that are rich in vitamin D – like organ meat, eggs or full-fat milk. Effectively, it’s a double whammy – we are not consuming enough or getting enough sunshine to allow our body to make it. As a result, we are seeing diseases like rickets, which virtually disappeared in the early twentieth century, becoming a public health concern in the UK.

But it’s not just rickets; lack of vitamin D has a knock-on effect on how our body absorbs calcium and magnesium – one of our ‘Big 4’. Vitamin D also activates genes that regulate the immune system and neurotransmitters – like serotonin, the happy hormone that affects brain function. This is why some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the darker months – low vitamin D due to lack of sunshine interferes with serotonin levels in our brains. And with heavy sunscreen usage and a micronutrient-deficient diet some of us are turning summer into winter.

There are various studies linking low vitamin D levels to mental health problems (see references). If we don’t get enough many of us get depressed – even those who do not normally suffer from mental health issues.

Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with obesity. Italian researchers at the University of Milan conducted a study on 400 overweight and obese people who were put on a low-calorie diet and then divided into three groups. One group took no vitamin D supplements, while the other two groups took either 25 000IU per month, or 100 000IU per month. After six months participants in both vitamin D groups had lost more weight than those who hadn’t taken the supplements.

Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2014 showed that healthy levels of vitamin D were associated with weight loss in overweight women. In fact, the link between vitamin D and weight loss is slowly starting to gain interest in the scientific community with many more studies currently underway.

Foods high in vitamin D include oily fish, beef liver, cheese, mushrooms and egg yolks, so it is a good idea to eat more of these foods – especially in the winter months. Plus, when the sun comes out – get outside and soak some up! Obviously it’s important to protect your skin but before you slather on your sunscreen spend a few minutes enjoying the midday sun on your bare skin before covering up or applying sunscreen. If you have darker skin, then you can enjoy a couple of hours without sunscreen.

Consider taking: 50 micrograms (2000IU) of vitamin D3 supplement per day. When taking vitamin D supplements it is absolutely essential to take the right kind. They come in two forms – D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). If you don’t get much sun exposure or tend to slap on the sunscreen in summer, then it is vitamin D3 you should be taking as this is the type produced in the body when exposed to sunlight.

In the UK the RDA for vitamin D is just 5 micrograms (200IU) and 15 micrograms (600IU) per day in the US and Canada, but research shows this is grossly inadequate. A study published in 2014 titled ‘A Statistical Error in the Estimation of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Vitamin D’ has created shock waves in the scientific community as researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have evidence to prove government guidelines are wrong by a factor of 10! We should be getting closer to 150 micrograms (6000IU) of vitamin D every day, not 15 micrograms (600IU). Taking an additional 50 micrograms (2000IU) as a daily supplement will help to top up your vitamin D level to ensure you get closer to the levels now recommended by scientists.

Easy Step: In the UK you can have your vitamin D tested inexpensively by the Birmingham NHS Trust. Visit http://www.vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html for more details. At the time of writing a single test costs £28 (discounts are available for multiple tests) and will be posted to you; simply follow the blood spot instructions and post back and you will have the results within seven days. This test is available to anyone in the UK.

Most of us usually associate vitamin E with haircare and skin health as this antioxidant is widely promoted on personal care and cosmetic products. In fact, you will often find advice in the beauty tips section of glossy magazines recommending adding vitamin E capsules to your nightly moisturising regime. I snip the end off a capsule from time to time, adding it to coconut oil and moisturising around my eyes when I’m suffering from jet lag and look exhausted after a long-haul flight.

But vitamin E also plays a vital role in brain function and is an important nutrient for those struggling with their weight. A study from Oregon State University published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2015 showed that obese people need more vitamin E than those who are not overweight. The double-blind study showed that the tissue from obese people reject intake of vitamin E because they already have enough fat. This is because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin; in other words, it’s stored by the body in fat so the body is tricked into thinking it has enough vitamin E because of the excess fat. If you are carrying extra weight you need to consume more vitamin E to ensure your body is getting enough.

As well as those carrying too much weight, people with decreased mental function and Alzheimer’s disease are also more likely to have low levels of vitamin E. An international team of researchers published a study in Neurobiology of Aging which showed that Alzheimer’s patients were 85 per cent less likely to have enough vitamin E and the findings suggested a direct link between oxidative stress in cognitive impairment and low levels of vitamin E.

As the name suggests, an antioxidant helps prevent oxidative stress in the brain and other parts of the body and, like vitamin C, vitamin E helps gobble up free radicals which cause cell damage. Vitamin E also boosts the immune system and helps to widen blood vessels and prevent blood from clotting.

Studies have also found that vitamin E helps to relieve period pain (dysmenorrhoea) and reduce PMS symptoms including anxiety, cravings and depression. In fact, one study showed that participants who took 500IU of vitamin E for two days before and three days after the start of their period experienced less symptoms than those who took the placebo. Every little helps if you tend to turn from Dr Jekyll into Ms Hyde every month!

A recent USDA study showed that 90 per cent of people eating a typical Western diet did not consume enough vitamin E, which is found in a range of foods including: dark leafy greens (spinach), broccoli, legumes, eggs, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains and olive oil.

Consider taking: vitamin E supplements from a natural source. Dr Evan Shute, a physician recognised for over 30 years of work with vitamin E, suggests women should take 400IU per day. This is despite the fact that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK has set the recommended daily allowance at just 6IU.

Vitamin E exists in eight different types but the ‘alpha’ form is best as it is the preferred form of vitamin E transported and used by the liver. Also, if you do not get enough vitamin E from your food you must ensure you are taking a natural supplement. Synthetic vitamin E does not come from natural food sources and is usually made from petroleum products! Studies show that synthetic vitamin E is not as bioavailable as the natural form – meaning you need to take more pills. Also, many studies have shown that taking too much vitamin E can be bad for you – however, these studies often used synthetic vitamin E, not the natural alpha form. It’s fairly obvious that consuming a by-product of the petrochemical industry is not going to be good for your health!

That said, by far the best way of getting more vitamin E is through eating more foods rich in this vital nutrient. Snack on a few almonds now and again – they are also a great source of calcium as well as vitamin E (ideally organic).

Remember back in chapter 1 I asked the question ‘So what happened in the 1980s?’ in relation to the rise in obesity and mental illness? Well, another piece of the puzzle is that during the 1980s the selenium content in our food began to drop.

Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil and food. It is used by the body to regulate thyroid function and helps to make antioxidant enzymes which prevent cell damage. Like the other antioxidants we’ve covered (vitamins A, C and E), it keeps those nasty free radicals at bay. Some studies show that selenium can help prevent certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. It also protects the body from the poisonous effects of heavy metals and other toxins – like the ‘bad halogens’ and mercury vapour release from amalgam fillings when we chew.

As we covered in chapter 5, the thyroid assists in weight management by releasing hormones that control our metabolism. Therefore, nutrients that help our thyroid function properly, such as iodine and selenium, are essential for maintaining healthy weight. So if you’re currently struggling with the fat part of the mad fat epidemic then you need to ensure you have enough selenium in your diet.

People who live in areas where there is very little selenium in the soil have a higher risk of becoming deficient. In the UK levels are very low as melting ice caps washed selenium from British soils 10,000 years ago and what little was left has been further depleted by intensive farming. Right up until the 1980s, most of the bread in the UK, a big part of our diet, was made with US wheat grown in soil naturally high in selenium. But when a major change in land use occurred during the 1980s many British farmers switched from growing barley to growing wheat (which was more profitable and had wider uses), so our selenium levels started to plummet. As a result, the British diet now only contains 50 per cent of the RDA of selenium which should be around 70 micrograms per day. Remember if the nutrient, in this case selenium, is not in the soil, it won’t be in our wheat, fruits and vegetables, meat or milk we consume.

In fact, agricultural expert Professor Steve McGrath of Rothamsted Research (one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world) has called for small amounts of selenium to be added to fertiliser treating British wheat farms to increase our consumption of this important mineral.

Another key factor in British selenium deficiency is that by the end of the 1980s we were no longer eating offal, which is especially high in selenium.

But it’s not just the fat part of the mad fat epidemic that selenium impacts. There are many studies linking selenium deficiency to mental health problems. A study conducted by the University of Otago and published in the prestigious Journal of Nutrition in 2014 showed a strong link between selenium concentration and depressive symptoms and negative mood. Co-author and study lead Dr Tamlin Conner is noted as saying, ‘Our strongest finding was that those with the lowest selenium concentrations reported the most depressive symptoms. Although we did not test the physiological mechanisms, other research shows that oxidative damage to the brain and nervous system contributes to the development of depression. Adequate selenium intake is required for optimal antioxidant defences to protect body tissues from oxidative damage through glutathione peroxidise, which is a key antioxidant enzyme.’

Another review of five studies published in Nutritional Neuroscience showed that low-dietary selenium was clearly linked to poor mood and depression. And other studies have shown that selenium supplementation has proven effective for treating postnatal depression.

If you live in the US and are eating a lot of locally produced wheat-based products, you may not need a supplement as certain states in the US have reasonably high levels (although you may have GM to worry about instead). It’s always a good idea to check your selenium levels just to be on the safe side – as even the smallest deficiency is enough to impact brain and thyroid function.

Foods naturally high in selenium include: Brazil nuts – with a whopping 1917 micrograms per 100 grams – just a small handful of Brazil nuts is more than plenty to ensure you get your daily allowance. Offal meat is also high in selenium. Oysters, tuna, wholewheat bread (if the wheat is grown in selenium-rich soil), fish and organic poultry are also good sources of this trace mineral.

If you are unsure about how much selenium you are consuming then ask your GP for a test. However, if you live in the UK it’s highly likely you will be deficient. A report compiled by Dr Alan Sneddon at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen in 2012 states that the current average selenium intake in the UK is around 29–39 micrograms per day – half of the recommended daily allowance. The Rowett Institute report also states that, ‘The human body can tolerate quite high levels of selenium without adverse effects on health. However high doses of over 900 micrograms per day can elicit toxic effects.’

Health store selenium supplements usually come in 200 microgram (µg) capsules, so unless you are going crazy on the Brazil nuts, or eating liver and kidneys for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is safe to say a supplement of 200 micrograms is well below the upper tolerance level and safe to take. This is true despite it being higher than the RDA. Remember there is a growing body of evidence to suggest many of the accepted RDAs are set too low – sometimes far too low.

Iodine was first discovered by the French chemist Bernard Courtois in 1811 when he was extracting sodium and potassium compounds from seaweed, which is chock-full of iodine. Like many scientific breakthroughs, Courtois came across iodine by accident when he added too much acid to his solution and a violet-coloured cloud emerged from his experiment. Iodine comes from the Greek word ‘iodes’ which means violet.

As covered earlier in chapter 5, iodine is a good halogen that is essential for thyroid function and also for general physical and mental health. Unfortunately, the bad halogens (fluoride, chlorine, bromine) are much more common. They are in our food supply, drinking water and environment, and they displace iodine in the body, effectively neutralising iodine’s positive impact. As a result, most of us who eat a Western diet are now deficient. The scary part is that iodine deficiency is now accepted as the most common cause of preventable brain damage in the world!

Seaweed and sea vegetables have been used by the Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Polynesians and Celts for millennia as both food and medicine. The minerals and oils present in seaweed have long been used to recuperate from illness and ancient mariners called it ‘sailor’s cure’ due to its high concentration of vitamins and vital nutrients.

Seaweed was a regular part of our diet right up until the Victorian era when it fell out of fashion due to the exciting new foods being brought back to the UK from around the world during the expansion of the British Empire. The invention of the steam engine also allowed greater distribution of these new foods.

Once again, giving up the old traditions for new foods maybe wasn’t such a smart move. Seaweed and sea vegetables contain more vitamins, minerals and nutrients pound for pound than land plants and they are a cheap and healthy source of iodine. A study from the University of Glasgow published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2014 not only highlighted that a lack of iodine in the UK population is now a prominent health issue, but the problem could be solved by taking Scottish seaweed in the form of a supplement. Study lead Dr Emilie Combet reported, ‘This study shows that seaweed offers a way of addressing iodine insufficiency in a healthy, palatable way. Seaweed could easily be added to staple food groups with no adverse effects on taste. However, caution must be exercised – not all seaweeds are the same, with some containing too much iodine or heavy metals.’

The type of Scottish seaweed used in the study was Ascophyllum nodosum , part of the Fucaceae family of sea plants. This is the same type that is widely used in sea kelp supplements in health food stores which has relatively low iodine levels. The women in the study took 0.5g of seaweed supplement per day – that’s 350 micrograms of iodine.

Seaweed could also be the secret ingredient to losing weight too! Scientists at Newcastle University reported a compound found in common seaweed stops the body absorbing fat and that alginate found in sea kelp suppresses the digestion of fat in the gut. The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Chemistry showed that alginate found in seaweed reduced fat absorption by up to 75 per cent.

Crispy seaweed is sold in health food stores and many supermarkets but the taste is not to everyone’s liking. Again, my son is not a big fan. Baked potatoes with their skin on, turkey, navy beans, tuna canned in oil, seafood and eggs are also good sources of iodine.

Consider taking: 350 micrograms of iodine. Look for seaweed or kelp supplements that are clearly labelled with the amount of iodine in each capsule. The easiest way to top up on your iodine without the fuss of cooking with seaweed is to take a supplement. However, buying seaweed or kelp supplements can be just as precarious as buying food. There’s absolutely no point in taking a supplement each day if it is mass-produced and made from seaweed or kelp from polluted water.

There are some fantastic natural Scottish and Irish seaweed products available today, ranging from seaweed salt and seasoning (which we often use at home instead of table salt – it tastes great on home-made chips!), to skincare ranges, shampoos and soaps. These products are particularly good because our coastal waters are clean and the sea lochs boast a unique blend of minerals which the seaweed and kelp absorb. These products are now shipped all over the world.

Although required in minute amounts, hence the term ‘trace mineral’, zinc is vital for human health. Even the slightest deficiency is potentially disastrous. This powerful antioxidant is found in every tissue in the body. As well as fighting destructive free radicals it helps to regulate our thyroid hormones (critical if you are trying to lose weight), supports our immune system and is essential for mental health. In fact, it has now been well established that zinc deficiency is common in several psychiatric disorders including depression.

Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) both result in zinc deficiencies and as zinc is required by the thyroid to convert T4 hormones into T3 hormones, when we are running low it can cause no end of problems. The way thyroid hormones work is pretty complicated but in simple terms T4 is a precursor to T3 and without adequate levels of T3 we start to feel fatigued, experience mood problems, suffer from depression or anxiety and struggle to lose weight. Too much T3 can result in heart palpitations, muscle weakness, insomnia and anxiety. The ideal balance of T4 to T3 should be around 17:1 and when this gets out of kilter we start to experience problems. If we are also deficient in iodine then it’s a double whammy that can quickly lead to thyroid dysfunction and hormonal imbalance – making weight loss even harder. The balance of zinc and iodine intake is essential for thyroid function and, like so many of the micronutrients covered in this book, a deficiency in one can create a knock-on effect in our body’s ability to produce or absorb another.

Obesity also often goes hand in hand with low zinc levels, so if you are carrying more than a few extra pounds you really need to be topping up. This is especially true if you enjoy a glass or two of wine or a few gin and tonics – alcohol further depletes zinc in the body.

Interestingly, zinc deficiency has also been linked to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia – conditions that were previously thought to be ‘all in the mind’. But like so many of these so-called psychological disorders, the root cause often lies in physiological problems – and in particular what we are eating and micronutrient deficiencies.

Dr William Gull first identified anorexia in 1873 and at the time patients were treated by force-feeding and surrounding them with people who could ‘take control of their mental problems’. Today treatment is much the same, feed them, drug them and send them to see a shrink.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists began to spot the symptom similarities between those deficient in zinc and those suffering from eating disorders – a growing affliction which now affects millions of people living in the West. In fact, a recent National Eating Disorder report says about 30 million Americans are struggling with an eating disorder which they might not even be aware of! Claire Mysko, CEO of National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), said, ‘Countless individuals do not meet the clinical criteria to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, but are still struggling nonetheless. Not all symptoms are immediately apparent, especially if the cases have not had obvious physical effects.’

Today, progressive medics are successfully treating those suffering from eating disorders by increasing their zinc intake. If only this information had got into the hands of doctors treating Karen Carpenter and Lena Zavaroni then maybe these talented vocalists would still be with us today.

The highest concentration of zinc is found in meat and seafood. Needless to say, vegetarians and vegans are more likely to be deficient in zinc. The liver and onions, steak and kidney pie, and Cullen skink my grandparents ate were great sources of zinc and very different from the processed food we eat today. In fact, studies now show our zinc intake has declined over the past 60 years and a report from Professor John H. Beattie, Head of Micronutrients Group at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, states we are consuming less zinc today than we were during rationing in the Second World War!

Like vitamin C, our bodies can’t produce zinc so we need to get it from food or by taking supplements. Foods rich in zinc include: oysters with a whopping 74mg per serving, crab, lobster, beef, lamb, beans, whole grains and nuts. Dark cooking chocolate is also a great source of zinc so it’s always good to add plenty when baking! The RDA for zinc varies from country to country but on average it is around 11mg. The upper safe limit is 25mg and studies show taking 25mg of zinc daily improves the immune system and helps minimise the symptoms of everyday colds and flu.

Consider taking: 25mg of zinc citrate which is 61 per cent bioavailable. Remember, the dosage stated on the label doesn’t usually equate to what your body will actually absorb. A 25mg supplement capsule will therefore deliver around 15mg of zinc which should be enough to keep you topped up and healthy.

Over two billion people suffer from mild zinc deficiencies and symptoms include lack of concentration and poor neurological function, weak immunity (always catching colds and infections), diarrhoea, allergies (runny nose, sneezing, hives etc.), poor night vision, acne, skin rashes or breakouts. In fact, I always know when I’m low on zinc as the skin on my fingers start, to peel slightly. If you are unsure about your zinc levels or recognise any of the symptoms, then it’s best to ask your GP to run a test. If you are low then simply incorporate more zinc-rich foods into your diet or take a supplement.

We live in a world drowning in toxins. Our endless consumerism, technological advancement and pursuit of greater convenience, efficiency and speed means that toxins are everywhere – in the air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat. Air traffic, car exhausts, pesticides, herbicides, as well as the beauty creams, shampoos, washing powder, detergents, scented candles, mobile phones, cosmetics, even microwave radiation . . . the list is almost endless.

Companies manufacture trillions of pounds of chemicals each year and these are released into our atmosphere, our water and our environment. Arsenic, copper sulphates, lead and mercury are all found in inorganic pesticides and we are eating small amounts of these every single day if we don’t buy organic food. But even if we do eat an all-organic diet, just breathing the air as we walk down the street exposes us to toxins. And, of course, let’s not forget those amalgam fillings in our mouth releasing mercury vapours every time we chew.

Unless you live in an underground ice cavern in Antarctica or an untouched island in the Pacific you will definitely have ingested these toxins. If we don’t keep them in check and find a way to neutralise them, they lodge themselves in our cells, soft tissues and muscles, and overwhelm our entire immune system. And if you’re carrying extra weight your risks from these environmental toxins are even higher because there can be up to 100 times more toxins stored in our fat than in our blood. Over time these poisons lead to inflammation (the precursor to most diseases) and immune dysfunction.

A recent study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found the average person has over 91 toxic chemicals in their body. Most of these are known to be damaging to the brain and nervous system and some of them have already been linked to cancer.

Even pesticides such as organochlorides, which were banned in Western countries decades ago, still remain in the human body because they accumulate in the food chain and studies show that low levels of these chemicals are still found in the population today – especially in the West.

A study published in the journal Environmental International showed that individuals subjected to even low doses of organochloride pesticides over time are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems and weight gain compared to those not exposed to the chemicals. Other studies have also linked low dosage pesticide exposure to diabetes and heart problems.

But don’t panic – a quick and easy way to get these toxins out of our bodies is to take chlorella and spirulina supplements.

Chlorella and spirulina are microalgae. Their molecular structure allows them to bond to heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides in your body, allowing them to be excreted naturally. They are powerful chelating agents that amazingly target the toxins while leaving other vital minerals intact. For example, chlorella does not bind with magnesium (one of our ‘Big 4’), zinc and calcium, but it will bind to the likes of mercury, lead and arsenic. These smart little green pills are known as ‘green foods’ – and have been used as a food source and medicine for centuries.

Chlorella has existed on our planet for over 2.5 billion years; however, its powerful healing properties were not discovered until the late 1800s when it was first grown in Holland. In the 1950s the Japanese commercialised chlorella to boost food and nutrition and today it is the most popular food supplement in Japan with millions of people consuming it on a daily basis. Spirulina was a primary source of food for Aztecs and Mayans who used it to heal a variety of illnesses. It also has 12 times more protein than beef, making it a perfect dietary addition for vegetarians.

While chlorella and spirulina are biologically quite different they are both jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and high levels of chlorophyll – the green pigment in plants that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesise carbohydrates from CO2 and water. As you may remember from high school biology, this process is known as photosynthesis and forms the basis of almost all life on earth. Chlorella and spirulina are powerhouse nutrient-rich ‘superfoods’ that provide us with antioxidants and vital minerals, cleanse our bodies, help us to lose weight and fight diabetes. Studies have also shown that spirulina significantly increases the tumour-killing ability of natural killer cells in our body. Yes, these ancient green algae can kill cancer cells too!

In 2004 Phytotherapy Research published a study showing that chlorella suppressed weight gain in rats. Another study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2008 showed that over a period of 16 weeks chlorella caused a noticeable loss in body fat, lowered LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and blood sugar levels.

Chlorella has also been proven effective in reducing pain associated with fibromyalgia – a condition which is connected to both depression and obesity. One in fifty people living in the West now suffer from fibromyalgia and women are seven times more likely to get this disorder than men.

Detoxing our bodies is no longer the preserve of yummy mummy yoga types or New Age hippie vegans that live on juiced vegetables for a month at a time. It is something we all need to be doing – especially if we are mad and fat. Everyday toxins are stored in our fat and mess with our brain and immune system if we don’t get rid of them.

I don’t know about you but I struggle to do these January detox diets which always do the rounds on social media, and like most of us I usually cave in before the end of the month. Sipping hot water for weeks on end and swigging wheatgrass shots for breakfast is not my idea of fun – even if it is doing my body a power of good. The easiest way to tackle the toxin problem is to minimise exposure. That means eating organic food, especially for those foods that are laden with toxins (remember the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ from chapter 6), and using chemical-free products in the home. Switch off your Wi-Fi at night, minimise your microwave use, and don’t sleep with your mobile phone near your bed.

Beyond that, take ‘green food’ supplements in the form of chlorella and spirulina to filter out the rest.

You can buy these supplements in powdered form but when you add them to soups and drinks they don’t taste fabulous. Tablets are a much more convenient option and cost just pennies a day – a tiny price to pay to rid your body of the harmful toxins we just can’t avoid in the twenty-first century.

Anyone who grows plants is probably aware of the health benefits of having some greenery around the house and flowers in the garden. They are great for producing oxygen and creating ambience. But did you know that plants can reduce stress, fight colds, cleanse your environment and even stop headaches? The humble houseplant can help us in so many ways but herbs can do so much more. Everyday culinary herbs can boost our mental health, fight depression, help us lose weight, reduce anxiety and even kill cancer cells! As Charlemagne once said, ‘Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks.’

My granny grew herbs on her windowsill and in the allotment. When I think of her I can still smell the geraniums and other plants and herbs she had around the house. Herbs should be a regular part of everyone’s diet and no home, whether a studio flat in a high-rise apartment block or a mansion, should be without them as they are a cheap and easy way of adding vital nutrients to our diet.

You can buy the dried or fresh potted ones in the supermarkets but if you need a variety of herbs and eat them on a regular basis then the cost soon mounts up. Plus, just like the bags of salad, or pre-prepared fruits and vegetables in supermarkets, they will almost certainly be sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. As their leaves are so soft and permeable it is impossible to remove these toxins before adding them to your meals – even if you wash them. Also the dried ones can often be adulterated. A food study in 2015 revealed that 25 per cent of oregano tested in a range of shops in the UK and Ireland contained other ingredients. Food fraud is widespread with dried herbs – especially ones with a pungent odour where other ingredients can be added without affecting the look, smell or taste of the product.

Easy Step: Grow your own. You know they will be fresh without any nasty toxins. Growing herbs is easy, quick and the seeds cost pennies providing 30 plants for the same price of one plant bought in a shop. Sure, you will need some plant pots, trays and compost – but it still works out far cheaper and you get the pleasure of growing them yourself and the assurance they are clean and pesticide-free! Even if you can’t be bothered planting seeds or don’t have the time to wait for herbs to grow from scratch, you can buy store-bought culinary herbs and take cuttings – they will take root very quickly and speed up the growing process. Growing from cuttings is really simple and you can see a whole bunch of videos on YouTube showing you how to do it. Seriously, this is not rocket science!

Certain herbs will grow really quickly; others take up to 12 weeks until they are a good size. But once ready you can take as much or as little as you need and the plants will just keep growing. We use herbs every day at home, adding them to most meals, and I put them in my son’s sandwiches for his school lunches. The powerful healing properties of eating just a few leaves each day can have a significant impact on our health.

All these herbs are really easy to grow on a windowsill. Even if you don’t have a garden they can be grown indoors as long as they get sunshine and water. They will naturally fill a room with fragrance and add a splash of colour. Once ready, they can be added to just about any meal – from stir-fries, curries, soups, potatoes, rice, Italian tomato sauces, omelettes, sandwiches and much more. Even on that odd occasion when we do buy something pre-prepared in store, adding a sprinkling of fresh herbs can make something ordinary look and taste quite special and add a little home-made magic!

In India basil is known as the queen of herbs and for good reason. It fights inflammation (the precursor to most illnesses), protects cells and much more. Also known as ‘holy basil’ it has anti-anxiety effects and studies have found that the phytochemicals in basil play a role in lowering cortisol (the stress hormone). It has been used in India as a medicine for over 5,000 years and is a culinary staple in many traditional Indian dishes.

Studies show that increased cortisol levels and abdominal weight gain go hand in hand. This stress hormone has been shown to increase appetite and cause blood sugar abnormalities.

This amazing little herb is chock-full of magnesium and a great way of topping up one of the ‘Big 4’ in our diet. One hundred grams of basil also provides 105 per cent of our daily vitamin A needs, 30 per cent of our daily vitamin C and is packed with iron and vitamin B6. Basil is full of antioxidants which help keep those free radicals at bay.

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow at home. It grows like wildfire with hardly any care and attention. When I first started growing my own herbs I started with basil and planted the seeds in a few pots. Within just a few weeks I had so much of it I ended up giving bunches away to friends and making pesto so it wouldn’t go to waste.

Easy Step: If you do find you have too much then a great way of preserving basil is in pesto which you can easily freeze and use later. Simply whizz up the basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, parmesan cheese and pine nuts in the food processor and pop the mixture into an ice cube tray and store in the freezer. When you need a basil hit in your meals you can just take a cube or two from the freezer and add to your dish.

The smell of fresh basil growing in the house is wonderful and the luscious green leaves from growing your own surpass anything you can buy in the supermarket. It is a staple ingredient in tomato soups and sauces and can literally be added to just about anything – adding flavour and boosting those vital nutrients.

Coriander (or cilantro) was a major part of ancient medicine. It was widely used by the Egyptians – coriander seeds were even found in the tomb of Ramses II at the famous Valley of the Kings site near Luxor. The Romans were also big fans of coriander and it was a key ingredient in one of their most popular drinks – posca. Posca was drunk by civilians and the Roman army to fend off disease. It contained a mix of sour wine, honey, coriander and water. In India coriander, known as dhaniya, meaning ‘the rich one’, was a staple of Ayurvedic medicine. It was also a firm favourite in ancient Greece where Hippocrates, the father of medicine, regularly used coriander in his medical practice.

Coriander contains chelating agents which bind to heavy metals (like mercury) and remove them from the body – in fact, studies show if it is taken with chlorella these two combined can remove up to 80 per cent of heavy metals from the body within just six weeks. If you still have metal amalgam fillings in your mouth then be sure to eat plenty of coriander (and chlorella).

Coriander is packed full of nutrients including vitamin B6, vitamin C, folates, vitamin A, vitamin K, iron and manganese.

Most overweight people struggle with digestive problems which can prevent weight loss. The volatile essential oils in coriander aid digestion and help us remove toxins from the body. Coriander has also been shown effective in treating Alzheimer’s as it prevents neuron damage. Other studies show the volatile essential oil amyloid has cognitive-enhancing properties and improves memory! Coriander is known as the ‘anti-diabetic plant’ as it helps stimulate the secretion of insulin and lowers blood sugar. And it also helps to control the destructive free radicals we discussed earlier.

Next time you make soup, curry or a stir-fry add plenty of coriander – seeds, leaves or chopped-up stalks. Never underestimate how much of a positive impact this humble herb has on your brain and body. Plus, it’s really tasty.

Rosemary is another amazing herb which has been quoted throughout history for its extraordinary properties. Tudors believed rosemary had hidden powers which enhanced memory, and in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Ophelia states ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance’, and modern studies show the Bard’s knowledge of this herb hundreds of years ago was remarkably astute. Researchers at Northumbria University have discovered that smelling rosemary can increase memory by up to 75 per cent. The magic ingredient in rosemary is called 1,8-cineole – not exactly a catchy name but this natural chemical has been shown to underpin memory.

But rosemary does more than boost our memory, it can improve mood, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, protect the immune system, stimulate circulation, detoxify the liver, help prevent premature ageing and heal skin conditions. It can also help us to lose weight!

A study conducted at the Nestlé Research Center – the food giant’s study facility in Switzerland – showed that rosemary extract was able to inhibit weight gain and liver steatosis (fatty liver disease) in mice fed a high-fat diet. Researchers found that rosemary affects lipase in the body – an enzyme which breaks down fats. They discovered that rosemary extract may make you feel fuller by delaying the digestion of fats.

Nutritionally, rosemary is rich in dietary fibre which probably explains why we feel fuller when we eat this herb. It is also rich in vitamin A; just a few leaves of rosemary a day would almost meet the nutritional requirement for optimal vision. Fresh rosemary is also a good source of vitamin C and is very rich in B vitamins (part of your ‘Big 4’).

So if you want to remember everything you have read in this book, grow some rosemary, allow the aroma to permeate your home, and add it to your meals to help you feel fuller and aid weight loss.

Oregano is a powerhouse herb for mental health and weight loss and helps with many other health issues. It supports the immune system, helps prevent and fight yeast infections, supports balanced blood sugar levels, fights swelling and promotes normal lipid levels (cholesterol). It has also been shown to clean as effectively as chlorine and is used by organic growers as an effective antimicrobial for disinfecting grapes and tomatoes. It has also shown interesting results in fighting cancer – killing breast, prostate and lung cancer cells in various studies.

The active ingredient in oregano is carvacrol, a chemical which can help us to lose weight. Animal studies have shown that carvacrol can prevent diet-induced obesity by modulating genes and reducing inflammation in fat tissues.

Oregano also stops fungal and yeast overgrowth (like candida) in the body. This is potentially important because a whole bunch of studies have linked weight gain to yeast overgrowth. Candida can cause stubborn fat deposits that are almost impossible to shake off – no matter how little we eat or how much exercise we do. Research conducted at Rice University in Texas shows that 70 per cent of all people are affected by candida, a systemic fungal infection that causes, among other things, sugar cravings. Like most fungi, candida feeds on sugar. When candida processes the sugar we eat, it lowers blood sugar levels and triggers the brain to tell us to eat more. So if you have a candida problem it may not be the psychological addiction to sugar that’s the issue – it may be the candida itself as it feeds on the sugar and tells your brain to send it some more – thereby prompting us to gorge on carbohydrates and sugary treats.

Oregano is a powerful antifungal which kicks candida into touch before it can wreak havoc on our metabolism and waistlines. It has an impressive micronutrient profile – rich in dietary fibre, vitamin K, iron, vitamin A and manganese. It is also a good source of folates, B vitamins and vitamin C, so add it to your cooking. You can easily add oregano to most Mediterranean-style soups and sauces. It works well with tomatoes and even as a garnish on salads. I regularly use dried oregano in the same way most people use salt – this miraculous plant packs a punch and adds a huge amount of flavour from even the tiniest amount. Growing it on the kitchen windowsill fills the room with the smell of Tuscany, which sometimes tempts me into pouring a cheeky wee glass of Chianti while drying the herbs.

Easy Step: If you have too many herbs, and this applies to all the herbs listed here, consider drying some. It’s really easy to do – just cut a bunch and hang it up in a warm room until the leaves have dried. Then blitz them in the food processor and pop into an airtight jar.

Chives are members of the onion family and are a good source of allicin. Allicin reduces levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases levels of HDL (good cholesterol). Allicin also helps to reduce blood pressure – high blood pressure is a common symptom when we overeat, are stressed, or suffering from depression.

Chives also help to increase nutrient uptake in our gut – so we can absorb more of the vital vitamins and minerals we need to lose weight and fight depression. They are packed with micronutrient goodies – rich in vitamin C and vitamin A, both of which are powerful antioxidants.

You can easily add chives to mashed potatoes with a hint of garlic, or sprinkle a few chopped fresh chives on top of home-made soup or egg-fried basmati rice cooked in coconut oil, egg mayonnaise, or over the top of salads for a softer onion taste.

Easy Step: Chives take longer to germinate from seeds so don’t panic if they don’t thrive like your basil. Don’t give up; just keep them in a cool part of the house when germinating and they will emerge in their own good time!

Sage, also known as salvia, has been used for thousands of years as a powerful healing medicine. In medieval times it was known as ‘toute bonne’ meaning ‘all is well’. In fact, the word salvia is derived from the Latin word salvere which means ‘to be saved’. Stories of sage being used in religious ceremonies, mythology and witchcraft are also well known as it was classed as a sacred herb in ancient times.

Nowadays, it is a useful herb for physical and mental health due to its excellent antioxidant properties. It also helps prevent diabetes, reduces inflammation and protects brain cells. It helps to protect against the depletion of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter in the brain. You will remember we mentioned acetylcholine in the eggs section and that it was a neurotransmitter responsible for memory, mental clarity and connections between neurons. Just like the choline in eggs, sage helps to enhance acetylcholine levels in our brain, keeping us sharp and mentally balanced.

Nutritionally speaking, sage is packed with magnesium – one of our ‘Big 4’ – and just 100g provides 107 per cent of our RDA. It is also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C (hence its powerful antioxidant properties) as well as iron and calcium.

A meta-analysis of 43 previous studies published in The Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in 2014 showed that the chemistry and medicinal property of sage can be used to help prevent and cure illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, depression, dementia, lupus, autism, heart disease and cancer.

Sage really is one of those ‘all-rounders’ we should always have in our kitchens. While most of us only use it for stuffing the Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey, it can easily be added to regular meals like meatballs and sausage meat. My granny used it all the time – adding it to gravy and bread for a bit of zing. I regularly add it to butternut squash soup or mashed potatoes, onions and a hint of garlic. It’s yummy and super easy to grow.

Parsley is the most popular herb on the planet. Charlemagne, the king who united most of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, was a huge fan of parsley and insisted it was planted in all royal estates. It has been used medicinally and religiously for thousands of years. Interestingly, the ancient Greeks believed parsley was too sacred to eat and the Romans adopted this custom only using it as a garnish. Maybe that’s why parsley is still a popular garnish used in restaurants and food displays today.

But it’s a waste just to use parsley to spruce up your presentation. It contains a plant compound called apigenin, a flavonoid which scientists now believe has the potential to treat depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A study conducted at the D’Or Institute for Research and Education in Brazil and published in the Advances in Regenerative Biology journal showed that apigenin found in parsley, camomile and red peppers improves neuron formation and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Other studies have shown the volatile oils found in parsley – particularly myristicin – inhibits tumour formation in animals and helps prevent lung cancer. The healing properties of parsley’s volatile oils are classified as a ‘chemoprotective food’ that can neutralise carcinogens. Another study published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine showed that parsley has been effectively used as a treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, cardiac disease and diabetes.

Parsley is packed with vitamin K – in fact, just half a cup of parsley provides a whopping 554 per cent of your recommended daily allowance. It is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. It is easy to grow at home but, like the chives, may take a few weeks before it germinates from seed. Once sprouted the seeds will soon grow leaves and before you know it you will have plenty of fresh parsley to add to potatoes, fish dishes, salads, dips and soups. It is great mixed with garlic and butter over roast vegetables. Don’t be like the ancient Greeks and Romans: parsley is not just for decoration – it has powerful brain-boosting qualities and is great for detoxing the body.

My granny always kept a wee pouch of dried lavender under her pillow as she said it helped her fall asleep. Again she was right as lavender is a mild sedative and the oil of lavender is used to make many different medicines.

Various studies have shown the powerful effect lavender has on brain activity – including nerve and mood responses. Inhaling lavender increases theta and alpha electrical signals in the brain and study participants who inhaled lavender were more active, relaxed and felt fresher than subjects who didn’t. There are a number of studies showing lavender as an effective treatment for insomnia, anxiety, depression and fatigue.

A 2010 study published in the International Clinical Pharmacology compared lavender to lorazepam, a benzodiazepine (a type of psychoactive tranquilliser), and found for most of the test subjects lavender worked just as well as the drug.

While lavender has not been scientifically linked to weight loss, getting adequate sleep has. In fact, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2011 showed that getting enough sleep radically improves the treatment of obesity and that when we don’t get enough we are more likely to put on weight. With this in mind, using lavender to help us relax and get a better night’s sleep is just as important as the antidepressant properties of this plant.

Lavender can be grown on a windowsill and then planted in the garden or potted in a window box or patio. Seeds will germinate in around two weeks but may take a while before the plant starts to look like lavender and flowers appear. Lavender prefers a poor soil and is perfect for dry rugged places in the garden.

If you grow or buy food-grade lavender then it can easily be added to meals. Most of us don’t consider lavender as a foodstuff but it is regularly added to dishes in upscale restaurants and artisan food products. It’s actually a member of the mint family and is also related to rosemary and sage. Why not try rubbing lavender on to lamb or duck, or even grinding it with sea salt to create lavender salt which can be added to butter for roasting potatoes and vegetables. It also tastes great in ice cream!

Even if you don’t fancy cooking with lavender having it around the house and garden will fill your home with its relaxing aroma and you can dry the leaves and petals to use in the bath or for stuffing into your pillow just like my granny used to do.

I’ve included these three everyday food ingredients together because they really pack a punch in terms of nutrition, health and natural medicine. Garlic, ginger and turmeric are all powerful anti-inflammatories, antimicrobials and antibacterials that most of us have in our kitchen or can easily grow at home. Remember almost all disease starts with inflammation, so consuming more natural anti-inflammatories helps to protect our cells from damage. Antimicrobials prevent the spread of bacteria, fungi (like candida) and some viruses in our bodies. And, antibacterial substances can stop the development of bad bacteria in our gut. All three are incredibly useful when trying to fend off disease or the ‘lurgy’ as we say in Scotland. But these common foods don’t just keep bugs away – they have been shown to improve our mental health and can even help us to lose weight!

The word comes from the old English word garleac , meaning ‘spear leek’, and just as the name suggests it cuts through disease and protects us from illness. In fact, garlic is one of the earliest documented plants used by humans for treating disease and maintaining health. It has been found in Egyptian pyramids and mentioned several times in the Bible. Ancient medical texts from Greece, Rome, China and India describe how it was used to treat a wide variety of illnesses – from lung disorders, parasites, flu, disinfecting wounds, joint disease and arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and much more. Our ancestors have used garlic for thousands of years to heal themselves and it’s high time we did too.

It is packed with vitamin C and B6, manganese, selenium and a whole bunch of other antioxidants including allicin which is the source of garlic’s antibacterial properties. Scientific research now proves our ancestors were right as garlic is effective for reducing blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, bad cholesterol (LDL), colds, flu and some cancers. It also improves our mental health by lowering homocysteine levels in the body. We’ve discussed this waste by-product several times (produced when we digest protein) and when levels get too high it creates problems in the blood supply to the brain, causes a drop in serotonin (the happy hormone) and increases depression. Garlic helps to keep homocysteine levels in check. Compounds in garlic also protect brain neurons from dying and increase circulation to the brain.

A 2006 study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that, along with heart health, garlic can also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The research indicated that garlic can not only curb the production of LDL cholesterol but lowers the production of a compound called ® -amyloid, which is seen in the development of Alzheimer’s. By lowering ® -amyloid levels we lower the risk of Alzheimer’s too.

Garlic has also been shown to help with weight loss – specifically because of the allicin. Laboratory tests have shown that rats given a high-sugar diet put on less weight if they were also given allicin – the compound found in garlic. Allicin is nature’s way of protecting garlic from insects, fungi, bacteria and other pests which endanger the plant. It is also the compound that gives garlic such a pungent smell. Pretty useful if you want to chase away vampires or evil diseases!

Again, there are a bunch of peer-reviewed studies at the back of the book if you fancy some further reading on the healing properties of garlic. It should not be used just now and again in the odd pasta sauce or garlic bread side dish, we really must be using it as often as we can in the kitchen. I add it to just about everything – in varying amounts depending on the dish. It’s great in soups, sauces, curries, stir-fries, pasta, salsa, pesto, mashed potatoes, roasted or sauteed with meat and fish, and it tastes yummy mixed into some soft cheese on top of oatcakes for a wee snack.

On those days when you are running about with no time to cook you could take a garlic oil supplement, and for those who hate the taste of garlic there are odourless versions in most health food stores. Setting aside the weight loss and mental health benefits, if you are prone to catching colds and flu during the winter season then adding more garlic to your diet is a must.

Ginger originated in Asia. The Chinese and Indians used the root of the plant as a tonic to treat many common ailments. Apparently Confucius was never without ginger when he ate. It has been used for more than 5,000 years as a medicine and was first brought to the Mediterranean by traders in the first century. It was widely prescribed in ancient Greece and a famous Greek physician, working as a medic in the Roman army, wrote, ‘Ginger warms and softens the stomach’.

Throughout history ginger has been used as an aphrodisiac, digestive aid and ‘spiritual beverage’ – which nowadays would be better known as a cocktail or alcoholic drink. It was also a pain reliever and the Japanese and Chinese have used it for millennia to ease joint and spinal pain as well as toothache. Thousands of years ago ginger was viewed as a healing gift from the gods and in the Quran ginger is described as a beverage of the holiest heavenly spirits.

In days gone by ginger was viewed as sacred and with good reason. The ‘spiritual’ qualities of this plant may have something to do with the benefits it has to memory, attention, neurotransmitter balance, brain ageing and inflammation, not to mention its curative impact on diabetes and obesity. Again, if you are in any doubt I have listed many studies at the back of the book.

Setting aside all the old folklore, ginger really packs a punch, not only in flavour and heat but in healing qualities. Ginger helps to stabilise our blood sugar, which is crucial if we are overweight, and it also fights the negative impact MSG has on our brain, helping to mitigate the effects of fast and processed foods.

Ginger tastes great in stir-fries, curries, desserts, home baking and in tea. If you are feeling bloated, tired, or are having an ‘off day’, infuse some fresh ginger in hot water for a refreshing pick-me-up.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with turmeric (also known as curcumin). It makes our chicken satay taste great but if you spill any on a light-coloured surface or clothing – it’s a devil to get out. But it’s the yellow pigments in turmeric that make it such a powerful medicine. Curcumin is one of nature’s treasures and has been proven to fight cancer, obesity, mental health issues and much more. The yellow powder lurking in the back of your cupboard, used only for the occasional curry, has numerous hidden medicinal properties.

I first came across the healing power of turmeric when I visited India. It was my very own Eat, Pray, Love revelation and a holiday which changed my life for ever, prompting me to return to India time and time again. I was suffering from menstrual cramps and initially went to the spa for a massage but the girl mentioned pranic healing (more on that in chapter 10) and how it may be more effective at easing the pain – it was! We got talking and I explained that I worked in the food industry, so after she had finished the treatment she took me to the spa kitchen and introduced me to the chef who told me all about the healing ingredients he put in the meals. To traditional Indian chefs food is medicine (just like Hippocrates and the Greeks believed) and although didn’t give me the exact recipes to his dishes (no chef worth his salt ever would), he did explain the curative properties of the spices he used. When I got home I researched it for myself and it turns out turmeric (or curcumin) has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to cure a myriad of diseases.

There are literally hundreds of modern scientific studies on curcumin but I have cherry-picked a few for you to review at the back of the book. Seriously, turmeric is like fairy dust when it comes to fighting disease. I couldn’t quite believe it until I checked it out for myself.

It is a very powerful antioxidant and natural anti-inflammatory and one we should all be eating if we are mad, fat or both. Obesity creates a low-grade inflammation in the body that puts us at risk of developing other more serious diseases, like Type 2 diabetes, depression, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Turmeric can stop insulin resistance, high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels and other metabolic conditions caused by being overweight. It also reduces fat tissue growth in mice.

A study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research in 2013 proved to be a breakthrough as it showed remarkable outcomes in depressed individuals using curcumin. It was shown to target depression by promoting neurogenesis (the growth of nerve tissue), increasing levels of key neurotransmitters – serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine (all important happy hormones) – and inhibiting inflammation. In fact, the study showed that curcumin was just as effective as taking Prozac!

We don’t need to just use turmeric in curries and oriental dishes. I regularly add it to soup and sauces – even bread! It does make everything turn yellow but when you consider the healing power of turmeric it’s a small price to pay for such medicinal properties. Just make sure you don’t drop any on your white top!

You can also buy turmeric capsules in health food stores – but traditional Indian medics and holistic chefs swear that heating it first activates it further, so cooking with it is always best. It’s also extra potent when mixed with ground coriander and/or cinnamon.

1. You need to rethink how you think about food. Instead of just eating because you are hungry or in a hurry, start to consider the quality of the food you buy and eat. Is what you are about to eat feeding your brain, bones and body or just your boredom and your belly?

2. Make a conscious choice about the quality of the food you eat. Ideally you should know where your food comes from and how it’s grown or produced. If you can, source locally produced, traditionally grown or farmed products that are higher in nutrients. If you can’t or don’t have the time or inclination, consider moving to products that are labelled organic – especially for fruits and vegetables that are highly contaminated as identified by the EWG’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ shopping guides (or equivalent lists). Pay a little more for good-quality meat and cut down, or stop buying, cheap factory-farmed meat. By paying closer attention to what you buy you can ensure that the food you eat has significantly fewer toxins, chemical residues and higher animal welfare standards.

3. Visit your doctor and explain that you are unhappy with the state of your physical and mental health and well-being. You believe that part of the problem is a lack of micronutrients in your diet and would like to have some blood tests to establish if you are correct.

4. Based on the results of your tests increase your dietary intake of the micronutrients you are deficient in or consider taking vitamin and mineral supplements to cover the shortfall between what you need and the micronutrients in the food you eat.

5. If you can’t convince your doctor to give you the tests you require and don’t want to pay for those tests privately, then at the very least consider supplementing your diet with the ‘Big 4’: magnesium in citrate form for easy absorption, omega-3, vitamin B complex, as well as daily probiotics.

7. If you are also battling mental illness and want to come off your antidepressants, once you start to feel better as a result of the dietary changes and increase in your micronutrient levels, make another appointment with your doctor to discuss weaning yourself off antidepressants.