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Kathryn Marsden

Nutritious, Delicious Diet Ideas That Really Work
Inspiring Healthy Eating, Encouraging Good Digestion, Balancing Bodyweight

Kathryn is a bestselling health writer and nutritionist.
She's the author of fourteen health titles including Good Gut Healing,
Good Gut Bugs, The Complete Book of Food Combining, Food Combining 2-Day Detox and Super Skin.

Hi there!
A WARM WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE
I hope you find it helpful and interesting
If you've visited before, do please look around
as there is ALWAYS something new

To navigate, click on the MAIN MENU for a complete list of contents, or choose from any of the headings in the right hand column or in the pull-down table under more . . . at the top right of this page.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN TODAY'S PAGES . . .

Plenty of seriously useful information that should inspire you to make SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE healthy changes to your existing eating Lhabits. Apart from my regular articles on a range of common health problems, you'll also find plenty of easy-to-follow dietary advice, all of it based on years of practitioner experience.

If you do nothing else while you're on this website,
I hope you can find the time to read:

1. EMERGENCY ACTION HEALTHY EATING PLAN
2. FACTS ABOUT FIBRE
3. HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
4. COLOUR YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER DIET
5. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

At the heart of my dietary approach
are some big important essentials:

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Instead of just concentrating on calories, the measures that I'm suggesting can actually help to improve the way the body digests and absorbs food. This means that the system is better nourished, immunity should be stronger, and common digestive discomforts can be a thing of the past.
It's also a dietary strategy that has an excellent track record in helping people with weight problems.
There are no extremes or difficult-to-follow rules or restrictions.
Balance is the key word and great nourishment a priority.
It’s enjoyable and easy to follow. I don't know how some people get the idea that if it tastes good it must be bad for you but if it's nutritious you're going to hate it. It's simply not true that healthy eating involves having to give up all the delicious things for a boring, hard to swallow menu.
It recognises the importance of treats and comforts and that none of us is perfect when it comes to food!
Everything is designed to fit comfortably with a modern lifestyle

WHY THIS PARTICULAR DIETARY APPROACH?
Because I see so many people trying (and often giving up on) diets that either don't work or are impossibly difficult. The whole focus and basis of my work as a nutritionist and author has been the burning desire to show not only that dieting doesn’t have to be a slog but also that getting it right can be a powerful catalyst for enhancing general health and well-being. When I use the word 'diet', by the way, I'd like to emphasise that it's always in the context of balanced and sensible healthy eating and has nothing whatever to do with very low calorie diets or any type of programme that's unnecessarily restrictive. Read on to find out more . . .

HEALTH BENEFITS
The dietary changes I recommend - and have used for more than two decades in practice - are targeted specifically at helping the body to digest food more efficiently. I've found from experience that this has many health benefits. Common problems such as food sensitivities, acidity and bloating often disappear within just a few days. And because digestion is more efficient, transit time speeds up and wastes are eliminated, instead of putrefying and jamming up the bowels. The immune system seems to respond to these improvements too, possibly because better digestion equals increased absorption of nutrients but also because these important dietary changes improve the quantity and quality of beneficial gut bacteria which, in their turn, help to strengthen the immunity.

GOOD NUTRITION, IMPROVED DIGESTION, BETTER BOWEL FUNCTION, BALANCED BODYWEIGHT . . .
Don't forget that good nutrition isn't just about health for healthy people. Improved digestion, better bowel function, balanced bodyweight, stronger immunity - all these things together are vitally important in helping to reduce the risk of disease. If properly applied, the results can be life-changing. And because the right kind of diet has, in many different situations, the capacity to relieve the symptoms of existing illness, it can also be a fantastic source of support to anyone whose general health isn't so strong.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE . . . I can speak from personal experience here. I had several good reasons for deciding to train as a nutritionist. One was because of my first husband's diabetes and cancer diagnoses (click here to read It's OK To Be A Late Starter, an article reprinted with kind permission from The Independent newspaper). The other was because I was always a sickly child and an even more poorly teenager. Several major operations helped some, but nothing could eradicate my genetic inheritance. My mum did the very best she could with her baby and, thank goodness, breast-fed me for two full years, without which I'm quite sure I would've had even more problems later on! But then I made everything a whole lot worse by having a really serious accident that nearly killed me and left me with a long list of structural defects that I live with to this day. Nutrition is one of the things that has made a massive difference, helping to reduce the severity of a lot of the symptoms. I know this because on the rare occasions I've 'slipped', my health slipped, too. Almost from the very first day of training, I realised that the idea of using diet as a therapeutic treatment made complete sense, and experience has confirmed this to me over and over again since then. Having said that, don't for a moment get the idea that I'm some kind of goody two shoes about my food. Because I'm a nutritionist, some people seem to think that I live on a diet of lettuce and lentils. I can assure you that I don’t. I eat as healthily as normal life allows (click here for my own healthy food favourites) but I also acknowledge the spirit-lifting solace of special treats including my husband's fabulous cake and delicious yeast free bread which I hope you will enjoy, too!

BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON HEALTH & DIET
On these pages, you'll find details of my books but also what will be an ever growing list of health features on subjects ranging from allergies and cholesterol to weight problems and stroke. There are separate pages on a whole range of health supplements and skin care products that I've tried and think you might like to know about, plus another on my own food favourites. I think I should, at this point though, warn you that my particular specialty has always been the digestive system so if words such as farting, bloating, belching, parasites or poo offend your sensibilities, then - please - proceed no further. On the other hand, if dodgy digestion, a temperamental bowel or resistant and persistent weight problems are your constant companions, then you could just have landed in the right place.

DIGESTION AND WEIGHT LOSS
One of the most interesting things I've noticed over the years that I've been doing this job is how a dietary strategy targeted at supporting the digestive system so often helps people to get their weight problems sorted out. While the mainstream medical and dietetic establishment still follows the line that the only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more (a tried and tested recommendation that has practical common sense and years of success behind it), unfortunately it doesn't work for every overweight person, especially if there are also hormonal (thyroid, menopausal etc.) problems, toxicity or genetic factors involved. Exercise is, of course, essential and should be a regular part of a healthy lifestyle. However, while reducing calories can be just the ticket for getting weight off the body, it's also the case that the weight often goes right back on once the diet is completed, even if exercise is continued. In cases of serious obesity, calorie cutting clearly has an important part to play but, generally, I'm not a fan of the so-called 'calorie-controlled diet' as a single route to weight loss because there are times, I think, when it can create more problems than it solves. For one thing, the body needs a certain number of calories (or, if you prefer, kilojoules) each day in order to obtain all the nourishment it needs to function properly. If calories are cut too far, or the diet restricted too often, then it's a no-brainer that vital nutrient levels are reduced as well, which means that the system is likely to suffer. Continual calorie restriction, frequent dieting or 'yo-yo' eating habits can lead to metabolic malfunction, digestive and bowel problems, and even borderline malnourishment.

SO WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
By improving the digestion and avoiding the combination of certain food types which don't digest well when eaten together, it's very often the case that bodyweight normalises over time without the need for any severe calorie cutting. Weight trickles away more gently and slowly but, once the target is achieved, it tends to stay where it should AND is less likely to go back on. This may be helped by the fact that the system I use is based on eating healthily for the long term, as opposed to the type of dieting regimes that you 'go on' and then 'come off'. I'm not making any outrageous claims here and, for sure, it's important to understand that the same results don't apply to everyone, but these are just some of the benefits I've seen in many patients over many years. That's why I think that making these changes is SO worth the effort.

If carrying too much bodyweight is your problem and everything you've tried so far hasn't worked too well, do read the article on HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS and the pages headed FACTS ABOUT FIBRE. I think you'll find the info contained there to be valuable.

This site will be updated regularly so do please come back often and make yourself at home. I shall look forward to your company.

Wishing you the best of better health.

Kathryn Marsden

THANKS FOR VISITING MY WEBSITE.
IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE WHILE YOU'RE HERE . . .
I hope you can find the time to read:
1. EMERGENCY ACTION HEALTHY EATING PLAN
2. FACTS ABOUT FIBRE
3. HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
4. COLOUR YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER DIET
5. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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Or click here to read about
Kathryn's personal favourite health supplements and skin care products

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT KATHRYN'S FAVOURITE NATURAL HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS
AND SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

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CARING FOR NAILS,
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A NOTE OF THANKS to everyone at Weebly for helping me through the learning curve of creating my own website.
May not sound scary to the computer savvy amongst you but, yikes, it put me way outside my comfort zone.
However, it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable new things I've done in years. But it just wouldn’t have happened without kind and supportive team at www.weebly.com who have, oh so patiently, answered all my questions – and continue to do so, emailing back without delay and (a big bonus, this) writing to me in understandable English instead of incomprehensible geek-speak.

AND A BIG HUG OF GRATITUDE to my team of supporters back at base camp who put together the About the Author section. I love writing about all things nutritional but I feel really uncomfortable writing about myself, so when it comes to any CV or biog info, I always ask others to do them for me. Thanks, guys, for saying such nice things.

GOOD HEALTH . . .
May it bless you
And as a drop of water
Touches
The stillness of the pool
May healing spin
From the centre
Of your being and
Completely and safely
Bring harmony to your life
To make and keep you well.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL VISITORS TO THIS WEBSITE:
This website is entirely not-for-profit and is set up and supported by Kathryn Marsden purely as a resource to provide information on matters related to health and diet. The material Kathryn has included on this website and also in her books, articles and lectures, is for information only and will have been accumulated and referenced from one or more different sources which may include published journals, meetings and discussions with a number of different practitioners, medical and surgical consultants and international experts, and from her own personal research and experience in practice over many years. From the feedback she has received, it would appear to have helped many people. However, it is important that the reader understands that these guidelines are not intended to be prescriptive, nor are they an attempt to diagnose or treat any specific condition.

If you're concerned in any way about your health, Kathryn strongly recommends that you visit your own doctor or consultant without delay. If you are suffering from any health problem, she stresses the importance of obtaining as many details about your condition as possible and asking plenty of questions about any medicines that may be prescribed to you. Always read the pack leaflet which is included with any prescription medicine and don’t stop taking any medication without first talking to your general practitioner. The article ‘An Important Note About Prescription Medicines’ may be helpful to you. Kathryn also suggests that you keep your health care provider informed of any specific diets or supplement programmes you may decide on. In the meantime, follow a varied and sensible healthy eating programme which contains plenty of fresh, unprocessed whole foods, daily fresh fruit and vegetables, and water. Take regular exercise and try to avoid cigarette smoke.

Kathryn's views are completely independent. She is not employed by any pharmaceutical company, supplement supplier or food producer nor is she persuaded in any way, financially or otherwise, to recommend particular products or services.