The Hub Issue 14

The Hub Magazine
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The Health Kick

Nutrition and Fitness expert based in Leicestershire

Louise Mercieca is a personal nutrition expert.Through The Health Kick, she shares
her passion for nutritional, tasty food, exercise and gut health. In her book she will
guide you into making an informed choice of food for your children. She was kind
enough to answer these questions that we put to her.....

Q.With all the talk of obesity Trans Fats should be avoided yet they sugar with artificial sweeteners instead
in the media what do you think are abundant in foods aimed at children of changing the nature of the snack.
are the main issues for children’s (fried foods, processed cakes, biscuits, There’s advice to count calories, this
health? pastries, margarine). is not something I would encourage
A. Obesity is a health concern that Things that used to be a ‘treat’ are now children to get involved with as the
is growing at an alarming rate so the norm due to she sheer abundance number of calories does not determine
unsurprisingly this is going to feature and availability of processed products, the nutritional value of the food, often
a lot in headlines, obesity is also this coupled with the facts that sugar its the opposite (the food with more
associated with a number of co- still sneaks in to both sweet and savoury calories is nutritious the one with less
morbidities or health issues exacerbated items in unprecedented amounts means is nutrient devoid).
or caused by obesity. Unfortunately that recent generations of children have Nutrition can be very complex, indeed
when it comes to children, they are had far more sugar, salt, fat and artificial at a biological level food is quite
not exempt from what has perhaps ingredients than any generation before complicated with how it carries out
previously been considered ‘adult them. Hence why when people say “It many roles within the body but eating
problems’. Children can have abnormal never did me any harm when I was a doesn’t need to be complicated. I am
blood glucose levels and do get Type 2 child” we are not comparing like for like. a big advocate of real food, by that I
Diabetes, in fact recent news suggested Q.There are measures in place to mean back to basics.What does our
that the number of children in England tackle all of this though isn’t there? body need? what do our children need?
and Wales being treated for Type 2 A.There is the sugar tax which has what foods will help them concentrate
Diabetes has gone up 40% in the past 4 made large manufacturers address the at school, sleep at night, remember
years. 40%!!!! volume of sugar going into products and learn.This is where the focus of
It certainly isn’t all about being but unfortunately the answer seems nutrition should be not the number of
overweight or obese though. In my to be to replace sugar with artificial calories.
opinion, the biggest issue we have is sweeteners.  In my view there is no In my book I offer real solutions to
the significant differences in children’s place for these in a child’s diet although recipes for mealtimes, snacks and
diets today to that of 30/40 years ago. of course that is just my opinion.  These treats but also explain why some
Sugar intake has increased dramatically sweeteners can be neurologically things are good and some things are
and sugar has many damaging health confusing (still triggering a sweet not good. Nobody likes being told
concerns, not just around gaining weight craving) and can adversely affect healthy not to eat something and I don’t see
but there are links to mood, sleep, gut bacteria. that as my job, my job is to explain
behaviour even IQ. In fact there’s a There’s also several campaigns to ban the nutritional science bit so that you
whole section in my book on how foods certain adverts and remove sweets from and your children understand then
build a child’s brain and aid memory, checkouts but I feel these are sticking you are empowered to make your
sleep etc. plaster solutions and not addressing own decisions of what is fit to eat and
the real issues.  Why does a child have
We eat much more processed foods a tantrum when they see sweets at the what isn’t.
and with that comes a host of added checkout? because they are potentially
unnatural ingredients and a harmful addicted to sugar, moving the sweets
combination of an artificial fat (Trans- around the shop will not solve that
fats) and sugar, a common combination issue.
in fast-food but significantly damaging Q. Can it all seem overwhelming
to your health. According to the BHF for parents?
A.Absolutely, even I get confused
with the confusing and contradictory
information that is out in the media!
But this is where I can help, in my book
I look behind the headlines, whilst these
are scary sometimes, it’s important
to know the issues underpinning the
headlines. A lot of the advice given
is still not the healthiest, i.e. replacing

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Food and Nutrition

My name is Pip Fairhall, my company is Live Life in
Balance and I am a Nutritional Therapist and Life Coach

I feel the best people to work with are those who have had
similar problems to yours.As a previous chocoholic stress nut,
I know how difficult it is to cope with the stresses and strains
of life.As I believe, what we eat and how we think, affects
every aspect of our life and health, I studied nutrition with
the Naturopathic Healing Foundation for 3 years and stress
management through becoming an NLP Master Practitioner,
using many techniques. More recently I have trained to be a
Tai chi Qigong instructor.
1. Who would be a typical client?
As we are all wonderfully unique and so are our problems,
I have a wide range of clients from individuals to companies
offering wellness options for their staff.These vary from those
who have a variety of health issues to others who want to
have a better relationship with food. I also work with people
with confidence issues, phobias, emotional and personal
problems in private and professional areas.
2. How much time would a client need to spend with you
before he/she noticed a change or improvement?
Although this depends on the particular issue an individual
has, I would expect a client to feel happier and to notice a
difference after a couple of sessions.
3. What’s the one (main) thing you’d do that would make a
real difference to your client’s wellbeing/confidence/health?
Listen and treat everyone as an individual!

www.livelifeinbalance.co.uk

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Food and Nutrition

Authentic Indian curries & chutneys

Mums Made With Love are rich, authentic Indian cooking
sauces that are simple to use and are all gluten free with no
added sugar and made with 100% natural ingredients as well
as being suitable for vegetarians.
Supported by Heart Research UK, a spokesman said:
‘We are so impressed by the simplicity, quality and nutritional
value of the range that we wanted to get behind it to educate
the nation how to eat healthy, authentic curries.This is a
major breakthrough in Indian cuisine as for the first time
previously fat-laden dishes can be enjoyed without the risk to
the heart and your health.’
The flavours and aromas of their curry sauces, chutneys and
freshly baked, hand made naan bread take you to the exciting
core of Indian cuisine in a
healthy way. Try this easy
recipe with their sauce...

Tikka Masala

1. Marinate chicken or
paneer in a mixture of
yogurt, garlic and paprika
overnight.
2. Put Mum’s Curry Sauce
in a pan and heat.
3. Add chicken or paneer to the sauce and add salt to taste.
4. Add 2 tbsp of cream to giving your curry an orange colour.
5. Can be served with boiled rice, chapatti or naan.

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Health and Fitness

Having spent my entire adult life as an active It’s all just fabulous and joyous… until the unhelpful thinking
female, I’m filled with gratitude that I’ve been comes back. I made the decision to be ‘conscious ‘ in my
able to do so. As I approach my 39th year, I feel everyday living by focusing on 7 key principles of living:
the same as I did at 21, only now I’m wiser • Non-judging – Noticing my world
(and a few grey hairs more) I can begin to • Patience – Letting things unfold naturally
‘let go’ of all the nonsense that used to consume me. • Beginners Mind – Seeing things as brand new
I have a job I absolutely love, but I am guilty of over working. • Trust – In myself and my feelings
I suffer enormously with overwhelm, so when overload • Non-striving – I’m only aiming to be me, nothing else.
gets the better of me I am found delicately dancing like Julie • Acceptance – Seeing things for what thay are
Andrews from The Sound Of Music, even though I should • Letting go – Literally that. Not holding on to nonsense.
be doing something more productive or be somewhere Being in the present moment rather than in my head is the
important. My younger judgmental self would be like ‘this is best therapy I have ever practised. I know too well that
how I roll’ where as the older wiser me is saying ‘Stop burying finding time (that I haven’t got) to meditate each day adds
your head in the sand…again and take control of your life’. extra stress, so I had to sort out the important stuff from
This is adulthood… isn’t it? the nonsense. It takes daily practise to learn and understand
No! Becoming more mindful of the nonsense in my head was this, but by doing so I gained clarity and balance again. Having
the only way I managed to change the treadmill of life. a clear mind affects the decisions I make and the actions
I started with 5 minutes meditation each morning using the I take each day. So if you’re reading this and want to be a
timer on my phone and just becoming aware of my breath more confident person, exercise regularly, prepare and plan
entering and leaving my body. Since that I have made a nutritious meals, it all starts with your mindset and being
commitment to 30 minutes a day for at least 6 days a week. present in your own life. Once you start to show up, so
You may well be think you haven’t got time for it, but with will the results. Here at New Dimensions Fitness we make
daily practise and investing in time for me, gave me mindfulness just as important as the other components of
responsibility for myself. fitness.This way you become conscious of the life you want to
Our minds are very good at telling us things like ‘I can’t’, lead and more successful at achieving your goals.
‘I must’,‘I haven’t’. We are programmed to believe that if we To register for your free transformation session (worth
like ourselves people may ‘think we’re it’ or ‘selfish’.Truth is, £99) please complete the application form at https://
these are just thoughts. Thoughts based on feelings and not www.cognitoforms.com/NewDimensionsFitness1/
facts. Imagine for second, a life with no negative thoughts. FREEMindAndBodyTransformationSession

The Hub Magazine
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Just the two of us

Make time for Date Night

With work schedules constantly hectic and our kids’
schedules jam-packed with activities, when do we find time
to spend time with each other?  Sometimes remembering
to spend time together gets pushed on a back burner. It’s
not intentional, but it’s easy to miss each other when we’re
running around in all directions dropping Lucy at dance class,
Oliver at drama school and Morgan at football.
We should try setting up a regular date night maybe once or
twice a month and always keep that date open, with a sitter
pre-booked for the kids. It’s much easier to plan around
a pre-booked night, instead of trying to fit one into a full
schedule. And when you plan ahead, it’s much easier to make
sure you have child care reserved for your children.
Date night doesn’t have to take place at night! Maybe you can
meet up for a weekday breakfast or a weekend brunch? Or
perhaps you can find a free afternoon to spend time together. 
Money can sometimes be a concern, but it doesn’t have
to stop you spending time with each other. Dinner and a
movie is always fun and when the weather is nice, spend time
outdoors by going for a walk, even a run or bike ride and a
picnic. During the winter, you can stay in and cook together,
rent a movie, enjoy each other’s company.  Whatever you
decide do, make sure that the TV, mobile phones and laptops
are all turned off. When it’s time for date night, your focus
should be on your partner.

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Local Directory

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Local Directory

Published by Creative Media Magazines Ltd.,42 Friargate, Derby DE1 1DA Tel: 01332 987230 The Hub Magazine
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