Health and nutrition

Protein foods provide the backbone to our immune system.

In Guernsey we are blessed by our own eggs, milk and dairy products, and wonderful fish and shellfish rich in protein, omega 3 fish oils and zinc.

Beanjar is the ultimate in slow food and high in protein, iron and fibre.

Try low lactose milk if you find too much milk affects your tummy, but most of us in Guernsey should be fine and cows' milk can be an excellent booster when we have a poor appetite because of feeling under the weather.

Other sources for protein include: beans, peas, some nuts, seeds and soya.

For further information, please read the Diet and Nutrition Guidance document which is available in the downloads section of this page.

Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy and also our immune function.

From April to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight as the body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin.

So make the most of your exercise time and try to go outdoors for 20 minutes each day without suntan lotion.

Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods:

• oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
• red meat
• liver
• egg yolks
• fortified foods – such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals

This is particularly important for:

• The elderly
• Pregnant women.
• Those who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors
• People with dark skin – for example an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background

You should also consider taking a daily supplement of vitamin D throughout the year. For information on appropriate dosage of vitamin D, please look at our brochure in the downloads section of this page.

Resources to help us create healthy snacks and meals can be found on the Health Improvement Commission website.

For more information, please read the Diet and Nutrition Guidance document which is available in the downloads section of this page. 

Frozen vegetables are rich sources of folate and vitamin C - but did you know that potatoes often provide a very significant amount of vitamin C in peoples' diets too? 

Vitamin C is also found in a small number of foods:

• All citrus fruits e.g. oranges, tangerines & grapefruit
• Blackcurrants and blackberries, even in jam!
• Tomatoes including in sauces and juices
• Frozen peas

Growing rocket is a great activity for children and promises a rapid supply of vitamin C, folate and iron rich food.

Although not as high in vitamin C, onions, garlic, chilli, peppers, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and cumin boost the ability of the body to fight off colds and are great mood-boosters.

For more information, please read the Diet and Nutrition Guidance document which is available in the downloads section of this page. 

We need to be having about 30g fibre a day. Good sources of fibre include beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, porridge oats and dried fruit.

Fibre in the colon is fermented down by your microbiome (your body's good bacteria) to make short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, these chemicals then boost your immune system.  Having enough fibre not only makes the tummy more comfortable, it also keeps you safe.

For more information, please read the Diet and Nutrition Guidance document which is available in the downloads section of this page.

Always drink enough to keep hydrated, at least 6 good drinks of water or other sugar free drinks a day.

For more information, please read the Diet and Nutrition Guidance document which is available in the downloads section of this page.

Love Food Hate Waste has a website that is packed with handy advice and tasty recipes that can help you shop and prepare meals wiser and better. You will find some Top Tips on how to make the most of what you already have. You can also look up recipes based on what ingredients you have.

Eating healthily is much easier when it is fun and enjoyable!

Try and as many different-coloured fresh fruits and vegetables as you can every day.

There is lots of information available from The Health Improvement Commission so please go take a look.

Try and factor movement and activity into every single day

• Make the world your gym!-  use park benches, walls, steps, railings as your gym equipment and try out a range of strengthening exercises like push-ups, pull- ups, lunges, tricep dips etc.
• Walk more- at least 10 000 steps a day
• Become stronger- do some form of strength training at least 2 or 3 times a week
• Try the 5 minute kitchen workout while you boil the kettle to make your morning tea or coffee!
• Factor in some high-intensity interval training several times a week
• Take “movement snacks” as you would a food snack- go and play/kick a ball around/do an “office workout” or seated yoga exercises at your desk

If you choose to take part in open sea activities, this is at your own risk and it may be advisable to have one other person with you for safety reasons.

However, if you are self-isolating, exercise can only be undertaken in your own home. The Health Improvement Commission has compiled some resources to help you keep moving while you are staying inside.

Healthy eating means eating foods that make you healthy! It is slightly different at different life stages and for each person, but the basic principles are to have a wide variety of foods including all the food groups in the amounts that keep you at a healthy weight. A diet based on vegetables, wholegrains, and regular sources of protein (fish, seafood, eggs, meat, beans and peas, nuts, seeds, soya, low fat dairy) with fruits and healthy fats has been shown to reduce the risks of many diseases and to support a long and healthy life.

It is fine to enjoy a treat now and then, but too much sugar, salt, white carbohydrates like biscuits, cakes and white bread, saturated and trans fat from cream, pastries and fatty meats and alcohol can all reduce our well-being in the long run. Healthy food is also delicious, and should bring pleasure and enjoyment to life!

Handy links:

Food fact sheets: https://www.bda.uk.com/food-health/food-facts.html

NHS Eat Well: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well

There is actually a misunderstanding of how the immune system works. A healthy immune system likes to be in balance and it is more helpful to talk about foods that support normal or ideal functioning. An overactive immune system can lead to problems like autoimmune conditions and allergies.

However to make sure our own immune systems are working well, it is important to eat well. Make sure you have your 5 to 8 a day from a variety of vegetables and fruits of different colours, including greens, since these provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Similarly including 3 daily portions of wholegrains which are rich sources of B vitamins and fibre, as well as containing useful amounts of other minerals and electrolytes, helps our bowel to function well. Fibre is fermented in the colon to short chain fatty acids such as butyrate which then boost our immune system, and boosts a healthy microbiome. The wholegrain foods like a slice of wholemeal bread, porridge made from oats, oatcakes, brown rice and wholegrain cereals all help to fill us up too, making us less likely to snack unhealthily!

Having oily fish at least weekly or a fish oil supplement also makes sure your immune system can function effectively. 

Eating too many high sugar and fatty treats means that we are full up from foods which are low in the nutrients our body needs to function. This can lead to overeating as our bodies will still not be satisfied, or to fatigue as our bodies' need for iron, vitamin B6, vitamin c and zinc may not be met.

The limit for free sugars (added sugars excluding those eaten in a piece of fruit or from dairy) for everyone is recommended to be 30g a day. Keeping to this limit is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes, and for those who are overweight.

Excess sugars in the system of people with diabetes can cause “AGEs” or “Advanced Glycation End products” which attach to our cells and seem to make people more vulnerable to COVID-19, which seems to explain the higher incidence of serious COVID-19 in people who are overweight or who have diabetes.

So there is evidence that now is the time to take your diet very seriously if you are diabetic. The good news is that if you can lose weight, around 15% body weight or 15kg, within 6 years or so of diagnosis, insulin resistance can be reversible and the diabetes can go into remission. Keeping to 2 or 3 meals a day, following our healthy eating guidelines, is the safest way.

Studies seem to indicate taking a boost of vitamin c and zinc as soon as you see symptoms can reduce the duration of your cold. A Cochrane review indicated that this is evidence based, but varies with dosages and with the nutritional status of the individual, it would be logical to think the person with a marginal zinc status would benefit most. Zinc is found in seafood and protein rich foods.

Foods very rich in vitamin c include many fruits and vegetables such as blackcurrants, broccoli, kiwi, citrus, berries and interestingly potatoes to name a few.

Chicken soup is a great food if you are feeling under the weather, this has been tested and found helpful in respiratory tract infections since ancient times, proven in recent studies!  It hydrates, contains tryptophan to boost your serotonin levels, and carnosine, B vitamins, and vitamin c to keep your immune system working well.  Any chicken soup is helpful, so turn to this rather than to those old favourite glucose drinks in the red bottle which are very high in sugar and lack nutrients.

Casseroles and slow cooked meals based on vegetables with some meat or beans are also sensible choices and can be easy if you feel tired.

The most important thing is to look after yourself, get enough rest, keep well hydrated and follow the most recent COVID-19 self-isolation advice.

Vitamin D3 (and Vitamin K2) is the sunshine vitamin! Low levels have been linked to worse outcomes for respiratory diseases, and vitamin D plays a crucial role in many metabolic pathways in the body. The UK Government guidelines suggest everyone in the UK takes a small vitamin D supplement at 10ug (400iu)/day during the winter months from October to April when the sunlight isn’t strong enough to help our skin produce Vitamin D.

Other jurisdictions recommend 25ug (1000iu)/day, the aim is to get everyone’s vitamin D blood level over 50nmol/litre.

This is the only recommended vitamin supplement at this time - it is safest to try to get your other vitamins from a varied diet if you are normally fit and healthy. There is no evidence to take large doses of vitamin D unless you are found to be clinically deficient as this can also cause harm.

Those who have had certain types of bowel surgery or have medical conditions may be advised to take vitamins as part of their care.

Vitamin D levels can be checked by your GP, so if you know you are at risk, this is an option. However, unless you have had lots of winter sun holidays, all of us will benefit from a small daily supplement and this is recommended for everyone during the winter months. 

Avoid too large doses as these can have unintended side effects and cause weak bones and soft tissue calcification, the EFSA (European Food Safety Association) recommends upper daily limits of:  100ug/4000 IU/day for adults and for children aged 11 – 17,  50ug/day (2000 IU/day) for children aged 1 – 10 years and 25ug/day (1000 IU) for infants. There are some medical exceptions, follow the advice of your doctor for certain conditions, and single one off doses can exceed this.

It seems that if you start taking vitamin c with zinc as soon as symptoms appear, your cold will last slightly less. It will not "cure" the cold (or ‘rhinorrhoea’) unfortunately. Long term excess vitamin c will be lost in the urine and is not recommended. Doses vary.

The adage "more is always better" is not true with vitamins and minerals. If you are aware you are not eating as well, or if your doctor has picked up a vitamin deficiency such as Vitamin B12 or Folate or Iron, follow their advice. The nutrients we may be marginal in include iron, iodine, vitamin D, selenium, zinc and folate and the B vitamins as these are affected by common medications such as metformin and the contraceptive pill. The Reference Nutrient Intake has been set for all the key nutrients set by experts, so when you choose a supplement, choose one that does not exceed the RNI, bearing in mind you will have the nutrient in your daily food anyway.

Have a look at government dietary recommendations here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/618167/government_dietary_recommendations.pdf

If you are worried that you or someone you know is undernourished, first check out the patient checklist (link below) and then talk to your health care professional about getting a referral to the Dietitian. The frail are particularly at risk during the winter with all types of flu virus around.

https://www.patients-association.org.uk/patients-association-nutrition-checklist-toolkit

A vegetarian diet can include all essential nutrients if a wide range of foods are eaten.  The only supplement that might be needed is omega 3 oils which are hard to absorb from non fish sources.

A vegan diet, especially for children, may need attention regarding intake of Vitamin B12 and Omega 3 oils. It is important to ensure the diet contains adequate iron, calcium, zinc and iodine, using fortified dairy substitutes is helpful, and taking care to include plenty of nuts, beans/pulses with grains and some seeds to replace the protein component of the diet which is also often rich in essential minerals and micronutrients.

Gluten and dairy free diets are well served by alternatives which are often supplemented now. Wheat products are important sources of B Vitamins, especially Thiamine. Milk and dairy products are important sources of Vitamin B2, Calcium, iodine and other nutrients.  If you are on a gluten free diet, make sure you get enough fibre from other sources, for example from brown rice, quinoa, alternative grains.

Nuts can be useful as they are high in B vitamins and minerals, but take care again as 100g of nuts is around 500 – 600 Kilocalories! If you have Coeliac disease, where all gluten is avoided, you need an annual check-up for your iron status and if this is low, consider whether hidden sources of gluten have crept into your diet.