Hello
My name is Andrea Cullen; I am a nutritional therapist with a background degree in pharmacy.
In a nutshell, what I do is work with athletes to help them perform better, and people that are unwell to take them to a place of full health.
How do I do this? I use a comprehensive approach that looks at what is going on, using specialist tests if needs be, and then addressing this using nutrition, diet, and other practical health strategies. This in medical terms is called functional medicine. But what matter is that what I do makes a significant difference to YOU and unlike many practitioners I aim to get to the root of the problem and not merely use supplements or extreme elimination diets as a Band-Aid.
I also use the world renowned body composition system developed by Charles Poliquin – Biosignature Modulation Assessment. This is a superb programme for supporting the achievement of optimal body composition.
So why is nutrition so important? Well every cell in our body is made from the foods (and toxins!) that we eat, and functions from the nutrients that our diets provide… the simplest way to adversely affect how we function in the short and long-term, is to eat a standard modern day diet. Such a diet is typically imbalanced regarding carbohydrates, proteins and fats; is deficient in nutrients and is full of anti-nutrients and unnecessary additives. Eating a diet insufficient in vegetables, proteins, healthy fats and antioxidant rich foods leads to an inability to achieve optimal athletic performance and worse still leads to chronic health problems.
Our modern day world exposes us to so many chemicals that it is now crucial to eat an incredibly nutrient rich diet and to supplement this diet smartly with a programme of supplements that are individually tailored to your needs. This is what I work out for you! My tip for today is regarding breakfast. Most athletes and normal folk do not set themselves up well first thing in the morning. For starters EAT breakfast.
Add protein to breakfast; this may be in the form of a protein powder, eggs, cold meats or fish. Second add vegetables in the form of home-made vegetable containing juices, salad vegetables or left over veggies; thirdly, add healthy fats, such as avocado, nuts, seeds or coconut. And finally, cut the sugar… by this I mean processed breakfast cereals, toast, breads, muffins or croissants, excess fruit or fruit juices, and the sugar added to your breakfast cereal or tea.
Start your day like this… add in some exercise and you are well on the path to improved health.
For more tips please join my A-C Health Solutions Facebook page. For more information on nutrition, functional medicine and diagnostic tests please drop me an email to achealthsolutions@eircom.net .
Good luck!
Andrea
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