Latest news with #ClaireLynch
Condé Nast Traveler
2 days ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Family Travel through Norway's Arctic Circle
For writer and professor Claire Lynch, her wife, Bethan, and their three children—twin seven-year-olds and a four-year-old—a snowy adventure in Tromsø, Norway, was the ultimate test of what kind of travel their family could really handle. They weren't interested in the typical santa-in-Lapland vacation, Claire, who recently published her debut novel 'A Family Matter,' says: 'We wanted something real. Something beautiful and a bit adventurous, but also manageable with small children.' Writer Claire Lynch, wife Bethan, and their three children—twin seven-year-olds and a four-year-old. Claire Lynch What they got: six wintry days in the Arctic Circle that combined snow play, reindeer encounters, Northern Lights boat tours, and museums with hot chocolate cafés and board games. There were surprises, detours, and even a lightning strike on the plane—but the trip delivered something more than just a postcard-perfect holiday. It gave them proof that travel with young kids doesn't have to be limited to theme parks or short-haul escapes. Snow covered Tromso during the polar night. Getty Why they chose Tromsø The family was looking for something beyond their usual European beach or city holidays—something that felt like an adventure without being overwhelming. 'The kids had never seen proper snow,' Claire explains. 'Just the kind that melts before you've even found your rain boots. We wanted to show them something entirely new.' The trip was timed to the February school holidays, and planning was extensive—though Claire credits Bethan with handling the details. 'She did all the research … seeing that other families had pulled it off gave us the confidence to try it.' They booked the Scandinavian Ishavshotel hotel in Tromsø's city center with half-board included, meaning breakfast and dinner were always sorted. 'When you've been out all day in the cold, not having to figure out meals with three kids is such a relief,' Claire says. 'That setup really worked for us.' Balancing adventure and downtime The family took a deliberate approach to balancing bold outings with moments of recovery. Their itinerary included snowy outdoor experiences, such as feeding reindeer, sledding, and searching for the Northern Lights, as well as indoor stops like a children's science museum, an observatory, and a polar explorer exhibit.
Medscape
19-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
The Role of Primary Care in Plant-Based Nutrition
BIRMINGHAM — Plant-rich diets offer well-established health benefits, and primary care professionals are perfectly placed to help patients make better nutritional choices, experts said last week at the Primary Care Show 2025. Daisy Lund, a general practitioner (GP) and medical educator with 20 years working in the NHS, and Claire Lynch, a registered dietitian and education lead for Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, shared strategies for how to help people incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet. Tackling a Health Crisis 'We are in a little bit of a health crisis,' Lund stated. 'I think we will know this in primary care: we look after a lot of people in chronic ill health, and often these can be lifestyle-related conditions'. Dr Daisy Lund Lund noted an alarming trend: 'I'm diagnosing people with chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers, at a younger and younger age.' She added that 'because of the prevalence of these chronic conditions, we are living the last decade, or sometimes two or three decades, in poor health'. According to the 2019 Global Burden of disease report, the average life expectancy is 83 years for women and 79 years for men, but the respective healthy lifestyle expectancy is 64 and 63 years. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of the estimated 43 million deaths worldwide from non-communicable diseases could be prevented through risk factor modification. 'Unbalanced diets are actually responsible for 26% of deaths globally, and then in Europe, that's 35% of premature deaths' Lund said, citing the 2022 Global Nutrition Report. Research, including the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) and the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC )-Oxford, have shown that vegan or vegetarian diets lead to greater reductions in body mass index (BMI), hypertension, and total cholesterol compared to diets including red meat and poultry. Talk About Lifestyle Lund encouraged healthcare professionals to address at least one of the six lifestyle pillars—nutrition, exercise, tobacco and alcohol use, stress management, sleep, and healthy relationships—during appropriate consultations. 'Just add one sentence about lifestyle, not forgetting that general practice is a series of small encounters over time; plant the seed and then come back and water it every so often when you see your patient again', she said. Lund advocated knowing where to 'signpost your patients' towards resources that could guide them to make healthy plant-based nutritional choices. 'Ask your patient: 'what have you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday?' I think that gets a lot better answers than just saying, 'Do you eat fruit, vegetables?',' Lund said. What is a Healthy Plant-based Diet? The Eatwell Guide is a well-established and well-known tool for promoting healthy eating and a balanced diet. It recommends at least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, more beans and pulses than animal protein, and wholegrain or high-fibre foods while limiting dairy and sugary foods. A plant-based adaptation of the Eatwell guide is also available. 'If people followed what we currently have, we would be in a better position than we currently are,' Lund said. Similar guidelines from countries such as Canada and Denmark suggest that two-thirds to half of a plate should consist of vegetables, with the remainder divided between protein and carbohydrate sources. Quality matters, cautioned Lund, who noted that plant foods can be healthy and unhealthy; think fruit juice and refined grains for the latter. 'My top thing would be suggesting [patients] eliminate processed meat and that they reduce their red meats as a first step.' Consider the Whole Food Package Claire Lynch Lynch emphasised the importance of the total food 'package'. 'The nutrients that you get in whole plant foods come wrapped in fibre, complex carbohydrates, healthy unsaturated fats, and many other nutrients that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.' By contrast, ultra-processed plant foods 'tend to be nutrient poor, but they're high in energy from added sugars and added fats', she added. As for animal foods, they 'come in a package with saturated fats, which raises our cholesterol' and 'pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant compounds, such as heme iron, bacteria in meat, toxins like heavy metals and PCBs in fish, and of course, there's no fibre at all in meat, fish, and dairy.' Concerns about plant proteins being less complete than animal proteins are unfounded, Lynch noted. 'All plants contain all nine essential amino acids'. Protein deficiency only arises from inadequate calorie intake or reliance on a single food source. Good plant protein sources include beans, lentils, peas, soya, seitan, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Key Nutrients Diets, whether plant-based or not, must include key nutrients, Lynch stated. These include iron, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids. Plant-based sources of iron include tofu, lentils, beans, seeds, dark leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale, oats, dried fruit, and nuts. Pairing vitamin C with iron-rich food can help to increase iron uptake, she advised. Moreover, soaking, fermenting, and sprouting can help to increase the absorption of iron and other micronutrients such as zinc. Calcium sources include fortified plant milks and yoghurts, calcium-set tofu, beans, low oxalate vegetables, such as rocket, broccoli, bok choy and kale, and dried fruit such as figs, as well as certain nuts (almond) and seeds (sesame). Vitamin B12supplementation is essential for plant-based diets, especially for older adults and those on certain medications. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for everyone, especially those with limited sun exposure, Lynch said. Practical Tips for Plant-Based Eating 'Most of us only eat a handful of meals on repeat', Lynch observed. 'Try plant-based versions of them. Try a few different recipes. Find the ones that you like, the ones that are simple and easy to cook, and get them onto your repeating meal plan', she suggested. Lynch suggested simple meals like baked potatoes with various fillings and preparing enough food for leftovers to avoid unhealthy choices when tired. Aim for 'progress over perfection', she said. Build meals around wholegrain foods or starchy vegetables, add more vegetables or salad, and include a plant-based protein. Also, consider 'easy swaps', such as 'beans over beef, chickpeas over chicken, tofu over eggs'. Lynch also encouraged adding more plants to meals, whether it be some rocket leaves or seeds, or a slice of tomato on the side. 'Try and throw more plants in where you can'. She suggested a goal of consuming at least 30 plants per week. 'You can gamify that.' A 21-day plant-based food challenge is available on the Plant-based Healthcare Professionals website, offering daily emails with recipes to help people get started with a more plant-rich diet. Lund and Lynch reported no relevant financial relationships. Lynch is the founder of Plant Life Nutrition .
