Bristol Health Magazine: May/June 15 Edition

Meet Craig StevenSOwner Of wOrkOut BristOl & HealtH & fitness entrepreneur

newS & eventSstay up tO date and read up On events tO take part in, in BristOl 2015

gluten Free living in BriStolsHOuld yOu gO gluten free, and wHere are tHe Best places in BristOl tO pick up cOeliac friendly fOOds...find Out Here.

May/June 2015 | free

Nut FREE

GM FREE

All of our products are dairy, refi ned sugar and GM free and a good selection are gluten, wheat and nut free.

The Better Food Company - Wild Oats Natural Foods - Harvest - Graines Green Grocers

Scoopaway Healthfoods - Southville Deli - Arch House Deli

AVAILABLE FROM

www.clearspring.co.uk Follow us on social media:

http://www.clearspring.co.uk

CreditsEditor Eilidh MacRae

Cover Image Chris Taylor

Design Ajay Deora

With thanks to Sarah Cooper

Gareth Sanders

Craig Stevens

ProduCed and Published byEilidh MacRae Media36 King Street,Bristol,BS1 4DZ

www.eilidhmacraemedia.com

stay in touChwww.bristolhealthmag.co.uk

@BristolHealthMag

facebook.com/BristolHealthMag

e [email protected]

Welcome to the first ever edition of Bristol Health Magazine, I’m pretty pleased you’ve decided to pick up a copy!

Speeding ahead into the summer months, now seemed a better time than ever to launch our new publication. Bristol Health Magazine reports on the health and fitness community within Bristol city, keeping you up to date with the latest news, events and goings on around Bristol.

In this edition you will find a guide to gluten free living in Bristol, a delicious green smoothie recipe, our first Bristol friendly face interview and of course our cover story, featuring Craig Stevens of Work Out and Super Human Events.

As you’ll already know, there’s a lot going on in our city when the weather heats up, including lots of fitness and foodie events to get involved with. I’m especially looking forward to the various food festivals, as well as the Super Human Games in Southville, which Bristol Health Magazine will be reporting on.

I’m pretty sure it’s set to be a good summer in Bristol, meaning we can finally get out in the sun for a jog or down the park for a BBQ.

I hope you enjoy our first edition of Bristol Health Magazine, if you have any feedback or you’d like to get involved I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch at [email protected]

In the mean time make sure you give us a follow or a like over on Twitter/Facebook, and check out the website for regular updates, articles and news stories.

@BristolHealthMag


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Nut FREE

GM FREE

All of our products are dairy, refi ned sugar and GM free and a good selection are gluten, wheat and nut free.

The Better Food Company - Wild Oats Natural Foods - Harvest - Graines Green Grocers

Scoopaway Healthfoods - Southville Deli - Arch House Deli

AVAILABLE FROM

www.clearspring.co.uk Follow us on social media:

Editors NotE

B r i s t o l H e a l t H M a g a z i n e

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http://www.eilidhmacraemedia.com

http://www.bristolhealthmag.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.bristolhealthmag.co.uk

CoNtENts

On the cover 1 2 . M e e t C r a i g s t e v e n s

Bristol Health Magazine meets Craig Stevens, owner of Workout Bristol, founder of Superhuman Events, The Coach UK and the soon to be launched Crossfit Fort-ashton.

Every Issue 8 . b r i s t o l h e a lt h & f i t n e s s n e w s & e v e n t s

Stay up to date with the latest health & fitness news in the city, and read up on events to get involved with.

1 8 . s u p e r s m o o t h i e r e c i p e Find out how to make a nutritious health boosting smoothie with this recipe,

written and supplied by Wild Oats of Bristol.

2 6 . u n t i l n e x t t i m e . . . Our parting words, and our favourite Bristol health and fitness photos shared

over the last month on social media.

Features 5 . b r i s t o l f r i e n d ly f a c e i n s p i r i n g i n t e r v i e w

Editor Eilidh MacRae meets Gareth Sanders, who tells his inspiring story, and why he lives a fit and healthy lifestyle.

1 0 . h e a lt h y b i t e s Often on the go in Bristol but want to stick to a healthy diet? Find out where

you can grab a healthy meal when out and about.

2 0 . a g l u t e n f r e e l i f e Find out about gluten free living, and where to get great gluten free food in

Bristol

2 2 . C o e l i a c d i s e a s e : a p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e Sarah Cooper tells Bristol Health Magazine about her own personal

experience with being diagnosed.

2 4 . W e i g h t s V s c a r d i o Should cardio take centre stage in your exercise regime, or should you favour

weights? Find out on page 24.


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Bristol Friendly Face Interview

Editor Eilidh MacRae met with Gareth Sanders at the Park Street Boston Tea Party, on a rainy

Thursday afternoon, and found out all about his health and fitness background.

Bristol Health

Magazine

meets.. .

Gareth

sanders


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Sat slurping a mango and raspberry smoothie, I pulled up a chair opposite Gareth, ready to put my questions to him. I already knew a little of his background and that a few years ago Gareth had been very unwell, but it wasn’t until we got really stuck into the interview, that I realised how far he had really come...

Hi Gareth, so tell us a little bit about yourself...

Hi! Well what do you want to know? I’m 27, originally from Chichester in West Sussex and I work to run a cleaning company in the centre of Bristol. I’ve been here since June 2010 now, and in all honesty I did move here for a girl, but that wasn’t to be.

Well it’s nice you stuck around. How about your health and fitness background? How did you first get into fitness?

I first got into fitness when I was about 12 years old, and this was actually in response to being a victim of bullying. On one occasion I got into a fight at school, resulting in my nose being broken and a couple of cracked ribs. My Mum then decided to put me into martial arts, something I thrived at. This stemmed into endurance training like running, and then I took on rugby and anything else I could do, it helped build my confidence.

You mentioned previously that you’d been unwell in the past, can you tell us about that and how this affected your health?

Yeah course. So I started feeling unwell in mid November 2008, which initially I put down to food poisoning. I had a week off work, and then got back to things, but over Christmas I was still feeling unwell and two days later I was in an A & E unit in Chichester, and in three days I was transferred to intensive care at Kings College, London, where I stayed for six weeks, then moving to another ward for two weeks.

I was diagnosed with Secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (SHLH), which is a type of leukaemia as well as liver failure, epstein barr virus, and hepatitis. At one point I was given an 8% chance of survival.

In 2014 I was given the all clear.



Wow, so going from being fit and active to being so unwell must have been difficult, did you find it hard to regain your strength and get back into fitness when you left hospital?

My sister is actually a physio therapist, so even before I was released from intensive care she already had me on a fitness programme. At this point just walking was incredibly difficult, so she’d get me to try and walk two or three meters at a time. With in 12 months of leaving hospital, I ran a marathon in under four hours.

I actually didn’t find it a challenge to get back into exercising when I left hospital, it was my way of showing everybody that I had beaten my illness and I wouldn’t let it control my life.

Impressive! What other fitness events have you been involved in since?

Quite a few, I was inspired by a guy called David Goggins, a former US Navy seal, who was out in Iraq when his whole troop were killed, he then

decided to raise awareness for the Wounded Warier Foundation. To date I’ve run a 100 mile foot race, double century cycle rides, I’ve cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats, ran seven marathons in seven days in seven cities, done adventure races and ultra marathons (running 52 miles in one go), all done to fund raise and so far I’ve raised over £35,000.

And what training are you currently involved with?

At the moment I’m training for a boxing match, which involves a lot of circuit training and HIIT. Towards the end of the summer I’m planning on cycling through a lot of Europe, and later in the year I’m going to run from Bristol to London.

Do you follow a strict diet to support your training?

I do try to, but I do have quite a sweet tooth, which can get the better of me. Apart from that I try and eat very clean and healthy, cooking everything from scratch and using all natural ingredients when possible, with every

meal being quite protein focused, as well as lots of veg! I take quite a lot of supplements too as at the moment I’m training six times a week, so this helps support my immune system.

Is there anything you swear by when it comes to your training, and is there any advice you could give someone struggling to make progress with fitness?

During my fitness events I’ll always have a stash of Snickers bars, they’re my secret weapon! If you’re struggling with exercise just don’t give up, it can get tough sometimes, keep friends around you and motivate one another, set yourself targets, think about what people might think you can achieve and multiply that by ten, always go above and beyond peoples perceived expectations, and your perceived limits.

It’s clear to see Gareth is a true inspiration, particularly for anyone who wants to get fit and healthy. Gareth’s boxing match is set to take place on the 23rd of May, which we wish him the best of luck with.


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BuSt raise money for life saving equipment with Bristol 10kLocal charity ‘BUST’ are raising money for the Bristol Breast Cancer Centre, and are hosting a 10k run on Sunday 31 May to raise funds to buy life saving equipment for the centre.

The 10k can be run or walked, with the track being along the Bristol harbourside route. When Bristol Health Magazine went to print, BUST were still looking for people to get involved in the event.

Take part or show your support by heading down to the race track on the Sunday and cheer the runners on!

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s

Stay up to date...

The latest news, developments and goings on in health and fitness, in and

around Bristol.

CrossFit Fort-ashton Coming SoonComing soon to Bristol is the new Cross it Fort-Ashton gym. CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program consisting of constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity, and is designed to improve your capability in 10 physical skills, including balance, flexibility, speed, stamina and strength.

Due to open at the end of June, CrossFit Fort-Ashton will have 6,500 sq ft of dedicated gym space and 2,000 sq ft of private outdoor training space. Membership starts from £45.

Baynton Road, Ashton Bristol BS3 2EB

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http://www.bustbristol.co.uk

http://www.crossfitfortashton.com

vegfestuK Bristol, 23-24 MayTaking place at Llyods Amphitheatre on Bristol Harbourside, VegfestUK is back for two days, playing host to 15 globally inspired caterers, serving a mouth-watering selection of vegan street food, as well as 140 stalls offering free samples, special offers and the latest. vegan products. Alongside all this, there are activities and music, making VegfestUK unmissable.

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eVents

take part & join in...Health and fitness dates to add to your diary, get

ready to challenge yourself this summer!

run Bristol Half Marathon, 13 September 2015Following a great event in the sunshine last year, the 2015 Bristol half marathon is taking place in September. A great event to take place with, thousands head to the track for the day to cheer runners on to complete the 13 mile run.

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run Bristol 10k, 31 May 2015The Run Bristol 10k is back again for another year, taking place at the end of May. Run along side 12,000 runners in the first instalment of the various running events taking place this year in the city. You’ll have to get in quick though, as registration closes on 11 May!

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Superhuman games, 6-7 June 2015Run by our cover story star Craig Stevens, Superhuman games is taking place this year over a weekend in June at Greville Smyth Park in Southville. The weekend consists of a series of challenges, designed to push competitors to their limits. Competing in teams, each team is scored on their ability to complete each challenge, with people from all over the UK travelling to take park.

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Color Me rad 5k, 20 June 2015The Bath and West Color Me Rad 5k race is taking place this year on the 20th of June at the Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet. A fun and unique race, those who take part by the end of the race will be covered in coloured powdered paint, made from gluten free corn starch, which is thrown at the runners as they complete the course. Register online to take part!

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Bristol to Bath Marathon, 25 october 2015A new one to Bristol, the Bristol to Bath marathon takes place for the first time ever this Autumn. Starting in the city, the track takes runners through Bristol town, into the beautiful South Gloucestershire countryside and finishes in the historical city of Bath.

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http://www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk

http://www.runbristol.com

http://www.runbristol.com

http://www.superhumanevents.com

http://www.colormerad.co.uk

http://www.brisolbathmarathon.com

Bristol Healthy BitesOn the go in and around Bristol? Take inspiration for healthy food to grab when you’re out and about with our top pick of healthy bites in Bristol...

Eggs at Boston Tea Party

Which ever way you like your eggs in the morning (or afternoon), Boston Tea Party can deliver. Get them poached or scrambled, with smoked salmon, spinach, avocado or a hollandaise. Our top choice is the smoked salmon, avocado and scrambled eggs on sour dough bread, a great source of protein and healthy fats, as well as that carb hit to get you going.

Head over to BTP on Park Street, Gloucester Road, Stokes Croft, Clifton or Whiteladies.

Eggs starting from £4.50.

Mackerel at The Spotted Cow, North Street, BS3

A firm favourite amongst Southville locals, The Spotted Cow serves up pretty good fresh and home cooked food, with the menu changing regularly. For a low carb dinner option head to the cow for butterflied mackerel, served with feta and salad, a great little protein hit!

£9.50 *menu changes regularly.

Salad Box at Wise Beans, Stokes Croft, BS1

Over in Stokes Croft and in the market for a salad? Pop into Wise Beans and tuck into their salad

box, available to eat in or take away. Featuring organic raw veg, Severn project leaves, grains, pulses and topped off with a home made dressing rich in Omega 3 and toasted seeds, making this salad box the perfect light pick me up. Inject even more goodness into your meal with an organic apple, carrot and ginger juice.

Wise Beans say:

‘Our guilt free treats are really popular too such as the Raw Cocoa Bomb made with cocoa, cashew nuts and dates and the Wise Beans take on Rocky Road made with carob and packed full of tasty surprises.’

Salad box: £4.95, Juices starting at £3.25.

Boston Tea Party eggs



Light and healthy lunch at River Cottage Canteen, Whiteladies Road

If you’re running some errands or shopping on Whiteladies, a great place to pop in is the River Cottage Canteen. With a variety of fresh and nutrient rich light dishes to choose from, you can also add supper food sides to your order such as kale or Severn Project leaves.

Our top choices include the Braised Cornish squid, served with white beans & aioli, and the Red ruby beef ribs with pickled red cabbage.

Light dishes start from £3.50.

Fresh Sushi at Yume Kitchen

If you’re in the mood for sushi head to Yume Kitchen, to eat in or for a healthy take away. Choose from freshly made sushi and sashimi, donburi (rice, protein and veg), soup noodles and a variety of sides including miso soup and seaweed salad.

Find Yume on Cotham Hill and Regent Street.

Prices starting from £1.50.

Fresh and nutrient rich dishes at The Canteen, Stokes Croft

Offering up seasonal dishes, The Canteen aspires to the Slow Food

philosophy of “good, clean and fair,” providing delicious dishes free from nasties.

The regularly changing menu features fresh and seasonal produce, with gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options usually being available, and fish and meat being fresh, with the fish being able to be traced back to the boat it was caught on, and even the name of the fisherman that caught it.

At the Canteen wholesome and fresh ingredients are key, and here you’ll find nutrient rich meals to fuel your day.

See the sample menu online, with the in house menu changing regularly.

River Cottage canteen

Wise B

eans saladsB r i s t o l H e a l t H M a g a z i n e

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Workout...Found tucked on North Street, just a stones throw away from Greville Smyth Park is Workout Bristol. Stood next to Mark’s Bread, the building stands tall, painted with impressive memorials upon the brick, that are iconic of Bristol street art.

Workout has called North Street its home for the past five years, and has added a new dimension to the Southville and Bedminster areas of Bristol. North Street can now be seen regularly scattered with people in their fitness wear, heading to and from the gym, and in just five years Workout has encouraged the health and fitness community in the surrounding areas to grow, but what makes the gym so successful?

Owned by Craig Stevens, Workout is a budget gym that’s a little bit different to other models in the market. With membership options

starting at just £9.99, Workout offer similar rates to other budget gyms, but the difference between Workout and other low cost options is their approach to customer service.

Something you’ll find in many gyms today is a lack of human interaction, with no reception and key codes on doors to access the facilitates. You can be in and out in an hour, with out having to even raise a smile to anyone, or receive a smile in return. This is something Craig really didn’t want for the North Street gym, and so Workout features a large and comfortable reception area, with friendly staff, seating and often ‘Teddy,’ the resident gym dog can be found scuttling around here too.

Craig says he doesn’t like the ethos behind many gyms currently running, with membership fees being far too high, members being tied into contracts and the sheer unnecessary costs to people just

Bristol Health Magazine Meets...

Craig Stevens

Owner of Workout Bristol, Craig Stevens brings more than just a gym to the city of Bristol, and is the name behind a variety of exciting on going and up coming events in the city. Founder of Super Human Events, owner of a soon to be launched new cross fit centre and creator of new TV programme ‘The Coach UK,’ it’s clear to see that Craig is passionate about the fitness industry.

Bristol Health Magazine found out more about Craig, and the various fitness elements and events he brings to Bristol...



to get fit and healthy, all of which he wanted to steer away from.

Craig is regularly stood behind the reception desk, along with his staff, ready to greet the gym goers and often offering words of wisdom too. Members are encouraged to get involved with the gym, with there being a photo board in the reception area where you can add your own photos. Easter even saw Workout members being asked to take part in a bake off by the staff...who reaped the rewards and got to tuck in to Easter bakes and ‘judge’ what the members had produced.

The gym features four floors, including the basement level, all of which are

decked out with different pieces of equipment. On the ground floor you’ll find machines for carrying out cardio sessions, including treadmills, cross trainers, bikes and rowing machines. One floor up is the ladies gym, the weights room and the studio where fitness classes are carried out, and above this is the spin studio.

Down in the basement is the free weights room, as well as a sauna and steam room. At Workout you’ll also find the Berkeley Centre Health, an on-site clinic providing Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Pilates and sports massage.

In addition to the various floors of gym equipment, Workout also

employ several personal trainers, as well as running over 50 classes every week. Members can benefit from professional training sessions and support, as well as attend free classes such as spinning, insanity workout, kettlebells class, TRX, boxercise and more. Craig has had a handy app developed too, so that members can easily browse classes, book in, and should they need to, cancel up to two hours ahead of the class start time.

Workout has become an integral part of the community, with Craig getting really involved in the health and fitness industry in the area.

www.workoutbristol.co.uk


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http://www.workoutbristol.co.uk

Workout isn’t Craigs only business in this industry, and he brings other exciting dimensions to the Bristol health and fitness scene. In addition to Workout, Craig is also the proud owner and founder of Superhuman Events. Hosted in Greville Smyth Park in the summer, Superhuman events runs Superhuman Games, taking part this year on the 6th-7th of June.

Described as a fitness challenge like no other, Superhuman Games is an event designed to put contestants fitness and endurance to the test across a range

of disciplines. The games include five challenges, carried out across the day, which are undertaken in teams, who are marked on their performance in each challenge.

Set up in 2013, the Super Human Games event sold out the last two years running, and Craig plans to launch two new events starting in 2016, turning the Super Human Events into an events series, with ‘Super Human Race’ and ‘Super Human Throw Down’ being launched next year.

www.superhumanevents.com

Super Human

Events...



http://www.superhumanevents.com

The Coach UK...Alongside his fitness businesses, Craig also has investments in other industries, including investments in a production company. This year Craig has launched ‘The Coach UK,’ which is currently being filmed in and around Bristol.

The Coach UK has been pitched to various TV channels who want to get involved and will bid to air the programme. Craig describes the program as ‘like a MasterChef for fitness.’

The programme takes thee coaches, all from different backgrounds, including a Crossfit coach, a professional athlete and a personal trainer. Members of the public then applied to get involved, and the three coaches worked together to select who would take part.

The contestants were then split into three teams considered to be fair and equal, each with three males and three females. The coaches then must train their teams, taking them to monthly fitness events, with the final event being Super Human Games. To add a little twist, the teams must vote off their weakest link, before each event, with the winner of ‘The Coach UK’ being announced after the final event.

www.facebook.com/The-Coach-UK


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http://www.facebook.com/The-Coach-UK

Crossfit Fort-ashton...Launching at the end of June, Crossfit Fort-ashton offers a brand new Crossfit centre. Separate to the Workout gym, the centre offers membership rates starting at £30, and according to Craig, when Bristol Health Magazine went to print, is the largest centre of its kind in the South West.

Mixing gymnastics, high intensity cardio and Olympic lifting, Crossfit started in America around five years ago, and has continued to grow at a quick rate ever since.

Craig states that he likes the idea of community that’s behind Crossfit, which also reflects his attitude towards his other businesses. The new Crossfit centre aims to take away the barriers involved in Crossfit. Currently most centres require members to take a fundamentals course to use the gym, teaching them the techniques to carry out technical lifts and learn proper form. Whilst Crossfit Fort-ashton offer this and in order to use the gym alone members must carry out the course, they don’t charge a fee to do so, making Crossfit more accessible.

Crossfit Fort-ashton will require no joining fee, no fee for the fundamentals course, and will be open from 6am-10pm.

www.crossfitfortashton.com



http://www.crossfitfortashton.com

Meet Craig...Originally from Newport, Craig started his journey into health and fitness when he left school, gaining his first fitness qualification, Craig began working as a personal trainer. He then went on to study at Swansea University, studying sports leisure and activity management whilst continuing to run his own personal training business.

After graduating, Craig then went to work in Spain, managing sports facilities on holiday resorts. When he returned to the UK he went to work for Fitness First, working his way up to health and fitness manager, and then going on to open several small gyms, before he took on the project of transforming a run down building on North Street into the gym the Workout members know and love today.

Craigs love of the fitness industry started at a young age, playing a lot of football and rugby. Whilst he enjoyed rugby more, he was always better at football and from the age of nine became involved with performance sports, being regularly surrounded

by professional coaches. He signed a contract with Norwich city football club, but suffered a broken leg from playing at 15, resulting in on going issues with his knee, meaning a career as a footballer was no longer an option.

Craig pursued a career in the fitness industry though, choosing to instead become a coach himself. Today Craig trains twice a day, typically carrying out a strength work out and a cardio session, which varies depending on which stage he is on in his program, going through different phases through out the year, including an endurance phase, a strength phase and a growth phase.

When it comes to diet Craig has some obstacles to over come, but stands by the fact that you can’t out train a bad diet. As a vegetarian and suffering from Crohn's disease, Craig can find it difficult to get enough protein into his diet, but sticks to his veggie diet due to ethical reasons.

When Bristol Health Magazine asked Craig to put forward any health and fitness tips he may have, he was forthcoming on how important diet was, saying that particularly when it

comes to weight loss, diet was key, and 75% of the battle.

Craig stated that this is where many people go wrong when it comes to achieving weight goals, seeing lots of people join gyms, expecting that training is enough, and then quitting when they don’t see the results they want. Craig stated that diet should be the primary focus, with exercise being used to improve performance, agility, flexibility and strength, and that if someone isn’t seeing the results they want from the gym, it’s most likely that diet needs to be addressed.

Craig says ‘Bristol is brilliant for fitness, you’ve obviously got the two football clubs, the rugby club, the government is just about to invest 50 million pounds into cycling, there’s great running tracks and a great running scene in Bristol, with the Bristol to Bath marathon, the half and 10k’s. It’s a truly great city to invest time into exercise in, and enjoy doing it too.

Although I’m not originally from Bristol, I’d never move away now. For business it’s great, for sport it’s great, for events, socially, it’s a truly fantastic city to live in’


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Summer time nutrition...

During the summer months many of us prefer to opt for lighter meals, that offer satisfaction as well as being nutrient rich and delicious. A fantastic summer pick me up or a light breakfast is a smoothie, packed full of goodness. Wild Oats shared one of their favourite recipes with Bristol Health Magazine, perfect for a speedy but healthy summer breakfast...

Super Green SmoothieOur favourite meal of the day here at Wild Oats is definitely breakfast. For a tasty and nutrient-rich start to the day (not that you need to restrict it to breakfast time of course,) our Super Green Smoothie is a great option, just don’t be put off by the colour!

1 generous scoop of Warrior Blend Vanilla Protein

2 tsp lecithin granules

2 tsp Viridian flax oil

1 heaped tsp barleygrass powder

1 heaped tsp spirulina

Either 1 banana or 1/2 avocado

Enough water (or rice milk) to make a lovely thick

shake (around 400ml)

THE DETAILS...

The vanilla protein is raw and organic, an excellent source of energy; alkalising barleygrass contains one of the most amazing detoxifying nutrients - chlorophyll and Spirulina contains significant amounts of iron, calcium, potassium and B vitamins and of course from the banana, serotonin - a happy-mood brain neurotransmitter!

RECIPE WRITTEN AND SuPPLIED BY WILD OATS: 9-11 LOWER REDLAND ROAD, BS6 6TB

MADE WITH BANANA MADE WITH AVOCADO

Calories 90 cal Calories 161 cal

Carbs 27g Carbs 21g

Protein 17.1g Protein 20g

Fat 1.3 g Fat 15.5g



For those with Coeliac disease, a gluten free life is inevitable, but with many recently preaching about how they discovered an improved lifestyle by ditching the gluten, gluten free living has suddenly shot up on the diet radar. Is it worth going Gluten free though, and if you do, is Bristol an easy city to maintain this way of life in?

A gluten

free life...

First up, let’s establish what a gluten free diet actually entails, and why you might want to ditch the gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. For most gluten is important to the diet and part of a well balanced healthy living, but for others gluten can cause inflammation to the intestine, which is known as Coeliac disease, with one in 100 people suffering. There are approximatively 420,000 residents of Bristol, meaning there are at least 4,200 people suffering in our city.

Living gluten free means cutting out the following: cereals, bread, biscuits and cakes, pasta, processed meats, many sauces and dressings, and sadly beer too.

When you are living gluten free it does mean near enough checking everything for gluten, as it can be found in many products you might not expect it to be in.

In on a gluten free diet is: beans, seeds and nuts, fresh eggs, meat and fish, unprocessed dairy products,


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rice, quinoa and gluten free alternatives such as gluten free bread and pasta.

Not so long ago, gluten free alternatives were pretty hard to get your hands on, and eating out was tricky, but due to an increase in people opting to live gluten free, the market has seen lots of new products introduced and restaurants adding gluten free options to their menus.

The research behind whether a gluten free diet is beneficial to those of us who don’t have an intolerance is very mixed, with many professionals in the field suggesting those of us who can consume gluten, need it as part of a healthy diet, but with so many suggesting they have seen great results in terms of weight loss and a boost in energy, many of us are switching over to try gluten free living.

Whether you wanted to go gluten free or not, Bristol is a pretty good city for gluten free food, with many cafés, bars and restaurants choosing to support

those who follow a gluten free diet, what ever the reason behind it.

Spread across Bristol, are lots of places to find gluten free foods:

When in Clifton village, you’re almost spoilt for choice, and can pick up a wide variety of foods that are gluten free. For tea, cake, or a spot of lunch, pop to ‘The Farm,’ a family run café, located on Kings Road. The Farm told Bristol Health Magazine:

the restaurant a day in advance, they can arrange gluten free sausages and mash for you.

Venue 35 Cafe Bar in Westbury on Trym, is one of the best restaurants in Bristol for gluten free food, in terms of the variety and the amount of options they offer. A family run business with two Coeliacs in the family, Venue 35 say they understand the difficulty of finding good quality gluten free food.

With breakfast options, lunch and dinner, burgers, salads and desserts, when on a gluten free diet Venue 35 are able to cater for all courses, and Bristol Health Magazine were given a tip off to try the cider infused apple crumble, complete with gluten free ice cream.

Located on North Street and White Ladies Road is the increasingly popular ‘Burger Joint,’ who near enough just do burgers, but boy do they do burgers well, and thankfully they do an amazing gluten free burger, including a gluten free bun.

‘We offer a couple of gluten free options on the lunch menu. We currently have tWo salads that are both gluten free, one being our most popular dish, the ‘superfood salad’ Which consists of puy lentils, roasted sWeet potato, roast broccoli, sundried tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and feta. the second salad is a spiced chicken, chorizo and chickpea salad served With a mint yogurt dressing. We also noW offer gluten free bread so the majority of our breakfast menu can be made gluten free.

alongside the savoury options We also alWays offer at least one gluten free cake. these are constantly changing, and We are alWays aiming to try out neW recipes. some of our favourites are, lemon, almond and polenta cake; pistachio cake With a dark chocolate drizzle; rich dark chocolate and lime cake and spiced orange.’

Also in Clifton is The Clifton Sausage, well known for their fantastic local sausages, but of course, any kind of processed meat is out on a gluten free diet. That doesn’t mean avoiding this gem though, as if you contact



In the centre you’ll find a pretty good gluten free pizza at The Stable on the water front. Just let them know when you are placing your order and the staff will sort it out for you. The pizzas are nice in size and The Stable do a ‘tuck in Tuesday’ deal, where you can get a pizza, side salad and a drink for a tenner.

The famous Pieminister, founded in Bristol in 2003, have just launched their ‘pie pots,’ with the ‘cheeky chick’ pie being gluten free. These can be picked up in Sainsbury’s, and offer a low calorie, quick and easy gluten free meal. Pieminister say their pie pots are: ‘full of fine, fresh ingredients, low in calories, and ready in just four minutes, they’re all the goodness of

Pieminister’s award-winning pies, in a pot.’

If you’re cooking at home, there are a few local businesses you can visit to pick up some gluten free ingredients:

The Better Food Company, on White Ladies Road stock a wide variety of gluten free products from well known brands, including Carley’s of Cornwall, Mrs Crimbles, Doves Farm and Gourmet Raw.

Located on Lower Redland Road, Wild Oats also stock a variety of gluten free products, including a range of Kind Soba Noodles, Nairnes gluten free oat cakes and biscuits, organic gluten free muesli and Biona Organic rice and millet bread,

amongst others. Alongside this they sell a range of gluten free and wheat free cakes from their deli.

What ever reason you follow a gluten free diet for, it seems Bristol is a great city to help you stick to it, with cafés, restaurants and health food stores to help you stay gluten free and feeling great.


21

I remember the day I got the letter from the hospital confirming that I had Coeliac Disease. It was October 2010, I’d just moved to Weston-super-Mare to start a new job and was living in my friend’s sister’s house. I went straight out and bought some cookie dough ice cream to gorge myself on – a small act of rebellion which left me feeling much worse.

It had been a long battle to get a diagnosis, after years of headaches and stomach problems, it was a trip to Mexico that got the ball rolling. In Mexico everything is corn based (a Coeliac’s food haven) so my body had three weeks without gluten and it had started to heal itself. On

the flight back to the UK I ate a sandwich, unknowingly poisoning myself, causing my body to start reacting. I saw three doctors in the next few months who tested me for parasites, infections and gave my tablets for IBS – nothing helped. It was the fourth doctor I saw, exhausted and in constant pain, that I begged to test me for Coeliac Disease, after my Mum suggested this. After a blood test and a stomach biopsy, it was confirmed. Mother knows best after all! It took seven months.

Luckily I already knew what I could and couldn’t eat because my mum had been diagnosed in 2000 so I had ten years of knowledge behind

Coeliac Disease... a personal experienceOriginally from Swansea, Sarah Cooper has been living in Bristol since 2011. Inspired by our Gluten Free feature, Sarah told Bristol Health all about her own experience with Coeliac Disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2010...



me. Knowing which foods were safe didn’t

stop me from getting frustrated every

time I went to the supermarket, or almost

crying in the cereal aisle when I realised

I couldn’t eat Coco Pops any more. The

first six months was tough, but eventually

I started to forget what things tasted like

and stopped craving ‘bad’ food.

After about a year I found that my tastes

were changing, where I used to turn my

nose up at batter, pastries or bread, I

started liking them – my body had always

associated these foods with feeling

sluggish or bloated so I avoided them,

but now with no unpleasant side effects

I often find myself choosing a gluten free

pie or fish and chips if there’s the option.

In 2011 I moved to Bristol and started

discovering eating out again. Bristol is a

great city to live if you’re a Coeliac or have

a gluten intolerance, there are enough

quality chain restaurants to guarantee you

can eat in the centre and there are a lot of

independent restaurants, cafés and bars

that seem to be ahead of the gluten free

game. You’ll usually find me eating out on

North Street at The Steam Crane, The Old

Bookshop, Thali Café, The Lounge or The

Burger Joint.

When my mum was diagnosed, it was

much harder to eat out and there was an

extremely poor selection of gluten free

products available – the bread tasted like

cardboard and was solid as a rock, yet

crumbled at the slightest touch. Gluten

free food has really come a long way in the

last few years, there’s no doubt that we

can attribute that in part to more people

choosing to follow a gluten free diet and to

more people being diagnosed with Coeliac

Disease or gluten intolerance, but there’s

still work to be done.

If you’re a Coeliac in Bristol and are

looking for support, advice or to share

information about places to eat, join the

Coeliacs in Bristol Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/685489588171949 The group meets once a month for dinner

at a different venue in Bristol and is a great

way to meet other Coeliacs – sometimes

it’s just good to know you’re not alone!


23

https://www.facebook.com/

While some of us are

cardio bunnies through

and through, others

are more comfortable

pumping iron in the

weights room. What

ever your workout of

choice, many of us push

ourselves to our max

during our sessions, but

what really delivers the

best results?

Editor Eilidh MacRae investigates......

LET BaTTLE COMMEnCE

Weights vs Cardio



When we are dedicating so much time and effort to working out, we want be be sure that what we are doing will deliver the results we are aiming for. Balancing workouts can be tricky, and determining what’s right for your body is key. We are all different, and while lifting heavy may work for some, others may find it demotivating, and likewise for cardio and all other forms of exercise.

ROuND ONE Weights vs cardio for fat loss

When you’re looking to reduce body fat do you opt for weight training or cardio? While both are a great way to up your calorie burn, which really delivers the best results?

Cardio is great to torch calories during your workout, but this is where it ends, limiting your burn to your 30-60 minute session. On the flip side, weights may burn a little less calories during your session, but the burn continues long after you stop, with the metabolic rate being boosted for up to 36 hours after a workout, making your over all burn higher than that of a cardio session.

Furthermore, through weight training you build on muscle mass, and stronger muscles means a higher metabolic rate, as your body needs more energy to fuel itself day to day when muscle mass is higher.

When it comes to fat loss, it’s all about calories in vs calories out, and so through weight training calorie burn is higher than that of cardio.

ROuND TWO Weights vs cardio for strength

There’s an obvious answer here, and of course if you’re looking to become stronger the best bet is by using

weights, but do you choose to lift heavy and use low reps, or should you opt for a lighter weight and high reps?

The answer comes down to the results you are hoping to achieve. Through a high weight with low reps you will be working to gain strength, and with a low weight and high reps you will be working to increase endurance.

For strength training you’d be looking at 1-5 reps per set, and for endurance training 15+ reps should be carried out. But of course there is a middle ground, where strength and endurance meet at 6-12 reps per set. Through weight training and using varied reps you can tailor your training to meet your specific needs.

ROuND THREE Weights vs cardio for increasing fitness

Whilst you can increase endurance using weights, cardio is often the exercise option of choice when it comes to working on being able to run further or work out for longer. Where many of us go wrong through, is through carrying out cardio at the same level for a set period of time. For example, running five miles, at nine minute miles with a continuous steady pace.

Whilst this is good, there are better ways to increase your fitness level:

HIIT. HIIT, or high intensity interval

training uses short bursts of high

intensity exercise, followed by active

rest and is proven to be a great

method to get you running faster or

for longer periods of time, as well as

helping with all forms of exercise.

ROuND FOuR Weights VS cardio for over all health

The final round, and this time we’re

looking at what’s best for over all

health. The answer? A mix of weights

and cardio, tailored for your own

personal needs. Optimum health

can mean a multitude of things, but

personally for me it’s feeling fit,

energetic and strong, being able to run

a decent distance with out feeling too

short of breath and working to over

come the strength based challenges I

set myself.

So who’s the winner? Really it’s down

to you to choose which is the winner

for yourself, depending on your own

goals and needs. The outcome may

suggest weights as the forerunner,

due to their ability to build strength,

increase endurance and boost calorie

burn, but there’s a lot to be said for

a cardio session, particularly if you

favour HIIT.


25

Thanks for picking up a copy of Bristol Health Magazine. We are always keen to hear from you, the residents of the city of Bristol! Got any feedback or want to get involved with the magazine?

Drop us an email at

e [email protected]

Until next time...

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@BristolHealthMag


Until next time, we’ll now leave you with our favourite Bristol health and fitness photos from the month...

Over and out! @bristoldropouts

@snowdog82 @jamiesalvage




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Bristol Health Magazine: May/June 15 Edition