Advice from our Nutritionist

Nutrition can be confusing. The one thing we all agree on however, is that Ultraprocessed Foods, UPFs, are ruining our health. There is now also a thirst for a reconnect - to nature, to self and to others. This is fabulous news for our British farmers and food producers! The tide is turning - farmers are being appreciated for what they are - no longer seen as merely commodity producers, but the guardians of our land (as are all of us) and the food-makers that they have always been for us. I work in an exciting, albeit niche space! That interface between what goes on in the soil in which our food grows, the animals which provide some of our food and how this impacts our health with our gut microbiome at the core. I’m immensely proud to support our farmers with communications on this - spreading awareness and sharing the real-life stories behind our food! From my perspective, I’m seeing this knowledge and the thirst for it becoming more and more widespread - in schools, the workplace, slowly within our food system, families teaching their children - this year’s Open Farm Sunday seeing 257 farms across the nation welcome nearly 180,000 visitors! This gradual change combined with an ever-increasing search by many for a new approach to ‘whole’ health (for people and planet) is something I find much hope in. Love British Food is a precious part of this hope, ensuring that gradually, our high quality British produce is embedded in communities, reaching industry and the public sector - schools, hospitals, universities, prisons and, not least, our own shopping baskets. When we reconnect - we discover a beautiful story of nature and our health - there’s an uncanny similarity between what goes on in our gut and what happens in healthy soils. Just as our precious and diverse gut microbes release nutrients from our food and also help our biology to thrive, soil microbes do the same for the crops that grow in it, and grazing animals have a vital role to play in restoring diversity to our soils. This system is an ancient one! Thankfully, the turning tide on prioritising biodiversity in nature and a quest for healthier food will allow this ‘ancient way’ to thrive once more. So this Love British Food Fortnight, let’s strive to continue our journey towards sourcing quality British, seasonal food, with animal welfare standards among the highest in the world. With our support, our farmers can achieve the climate-friendly goals they’re striving for. We just need to place real value on our food.

... it nourishes community, our health and our land!

Consumers have a rapidly increasing interest in a ‘plant-based’ diet. And so they should. Its abundance of fibre and antioxidants protect us from illness associated with ageing, like heart disease and cancer as well as reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, with much of this protective effect being linked to its role nurturing our ‘Gut Health’. But what do health professionals actually mean by recommending a ‘plant-based’ diet?

With our growing appreciation for food provenance, how do our very British foods keep us healthy through the winter?”

With our lovable British spirit now steadfast on the journey towards better health, there’s no better time to celebrate our countryside and its guardians - our farmers. In providing our fabulous food, they understand better than all of us the importance of working with nature as far as possible for the health of our ecosystem – soils which allow biodiversity to thrive, crops, animals and ultimately, ourselves. The country-loving Vet in me knows that our animal welfare standards are among the highest in the world. The Nutritionist in me understands the kind of foods which drive good health – a balance of Dairy, Fish, Grains, Eggs, Meat and more novel crops too. But our health is so much more than just the food we eat. It’s about taking time out to escape the pressures of daily life whether at school, work or home, getting regular exercise, equipping ourselves with healthy minds to make good choices, away from the temptations of our ever-present ‘convenient’ lifestyles. Our British countryside provides all this and more and together with our food they make our greatest asset. So, it seems fitting to celebrate them as we approach another British Food Fortnight! It’s been especially good to see our Dairy Industry so well supported by Love British Food over the last few months. We all know its benefits for healthy bones and teeth but we don’t often hear about the myth busting facts that even whole milk is only about 3% fat and contains valuable Vitamin A, vital for a strong immunity, its intake is linked with protecting against obesity, its calcium is more easily absorbed than any other food source and it’s a rare source of Iodine, essential for growth and healthy reproduction and now on the World Health Organisation (WHO) list as a leading nutrient deficiency worldwide. I’ve been supporting the national British Trout campaign recently to build awareness of this sustainable oily fish, which, similar to Scottish salmon and mackerel provide a low fat, high quality protein with types of Omega 3, unique to marine products, known to protect our long-term heart health. Trout in a watercress salad with hard boiled eggs is a firm family favourite! Our British Beef remains a key component of a healthy diet, not least because the iron it contains is extremely easy to absorb. Iron of course is vital during growth and pregnancy and currently nearly 50% of teenage girls in Britain have intakes below the recommended minimum amount. I waved to Macbeth’s the Butchers in Morayshire recently while on our summer family escape to Scotland – I remember visiting their farm as one of the first female Vets in Moray nearly 30 years ago and it’s great to see their ‘farming with nature’ approach being embraced, like many other pasture-fed systems. Welcome as new members, to Love British Food! We’re all advised to increase our plant-based eating. This extra fibre in our diet nurtures our billions of friendly gut bacteria which, having evolved together, our health and digestion are extremely dependent on, then of course there are all the vitamins and antioxidants to reduce the effects of ageing too. So, our good old British fruit and veg is of course to be celebrated around harvest time! But let’s not forget the farmers who have diversified along with climate change perhaps, so that we can now buy home-grown quinoa, chia seed and other seeds and pulses… and have you tried British Seabuckthorn berries yet?! So, as we come out of lockdown, now more than ever, I heartily thank Love British Food for encouraging our schools, hospitals and other establishments to source from our British larder. Britain provides it all - wonderful food and valuable countryside for our long-term health. But there’s always room for improvement. It’s not just farmers who are the guardians of our countryside. We all have a responsibility to do our bit through the choices we make. Let’s embrace all we have, support British producers and move forward together!

Yet, in the UK, 75% of the adult population fall short of eating the recommended amount of 1 lean and 1 oily portion of fish each week. Here I give some answers to commonly asked questions about fish. Why is FISH so important in our diet? The unsaturated fat in fish is Omega 3 of which EPA and DHA are the most important types. Fish, particularly oily fish like trout, salmon, sardines and mackerel are our onlydirect source. EPA is crucial for the development of an unborn baby, particularly vision, for optimal growth in children and for long-term health, especially to reduce the risk of heart disease. Although our bodies can make EPA from plant-based food, it’s a complicated process producing far less overall than found naturally in fish. But there’s a lot more to fish than Omega 3! Pink fish like trout and salmon have high levels of antioxidants and all fish are a great source of highly digestible, complete protein (meaning they contain all the essential building blocks of protein that we need). Vitamin D is also present in oily fish. In the UK, our levels tend to be low, so fish provides an excellent additional source. Why is EPA Omega 3 so crucial? EPA unsaturated fat is an essential part of our body’s cell walls, so it ensures the cell performs its function correctly. This is especially important for the specialised cells of our immune system and those lining our blood vessels. Excellent research has shown a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke for those with a higher oily fish intake in their diet. Even better, those patients who have already suffered a heart incident or stroke due to a blood clot have been shown to have much better long-term recovery after increasing fish in their diet. Both EPA and DHA have important anti-inflammatory functions too. What about pregnancy? Public Health England currently recommends 1 portion of lean fish and 1 portion of oily fish each week during pregnancy to provide enough DHA for healthy eye and brain development in the unborn baby. This amount is still considered to be safe and disproves concerns about higher levels of mercury in oily fish, higher up the food chain. Also, a recent investigation called The Salmon in Pregnancy Study has shown a reduced level of asthma in children over 2 1/2 years old, born to mothers with a good intake of fish EPA – passed on to the baby via breastfeeding. Why is FISH still such a good choice into senior years? As fish is such a good source of high quality protein it’s particularly handy later in life when it becomes hard to maintain muscle strength, and when smaller appetites may prevent adequate protein intake. A little bit of fish goes a long way in providing this vital nutrient. What should I look for when buying FISH? Take time to check where the fish has come from – much of what we eat in the UK is fished from across the globe. Try to choose sustainably farmed fish, and British when possible! The chalk rivers of Hampshire for example being shallow, fast flowing and highly oxygenated provide perfect conditions for our British Trout. You can read more about this at Chalk Stream Foods , suppliers of local, sustainably farmed Rainbow Trout, known for its high levels of Omega 3 and antioxidants. The Celtic Coast Fish Companytake advice from the Marine Conservation Society on sourcing responsibly caught fish. The Marine Conservation Society even have an app to download that tells you how at risk the types of fish you can find in a supermarket are, and where they may have come from. It’s really worth a look and helps you to play your part in ensuring a better future for our seas! Frankyln’s Fish Farm is a family-run British Trout company in Hampshire and supporters of The Hampshire Fare . Franklyn’s have been producing Rainbow and Brown Trout responsibly and sustainably since 1978 to re-stock lakes, rivers and reservoirs, and to supply their local customers. They even offer fun fishing lessons for children! Trout can be enjoyed in so many ways – try with a quick and easy watercress and egg salad in this glorious British Summer! What about supplements? Research suggests the function of EPA to be far better when in its natural food source, fish. Indeed, a recently published study shows no beneficial effects on heart health from taking Omega 3 supplements. Buying fresh or frozen fish gives all the other beneficial nutrients too! Be Brain-healthy with FISH! I mentioned another type of Omega 3 in fish called DHA. It’s vital for the development of the brain – not surprising as the human brain is about 60% fat. Incidentally, a lot of this is DHA. Current research suggests a link between slowing the progression of Dementia and higher levels of DHA in the diet from fish. Follow me on Instagram @lucywilliamsonnutrition for regular updates on easy ways to enjoy fish and other fabulous British food! Reference: Calder PC (2017) Omega 3: The Good Oil. Nutrition Bulletin 42 132-140

British food producers are of course working hard year-round, but our harvest is at its most bountiful at this time of year and I for one am always relieved to make it to September when we start to see British apples on our shelves again, if only to combine them with the many blackberries in our hedgerows, into the glorious British crumble!

As I’ve travelled around various conferences and been hosted by some pioneering British food producers this last month, I’ve been inspired by a move to reconnect our nation, particularly young people, with our land, our Agrifood industry and ultimately an appreciation of its role in our future health.