Sea buckthorn: Building best health naturally…
The berries of sea buckthorn are a powerhouse of more than 190 micro-nutrients: antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, omega oils, plant sterols and plenty of fibre too. These nutrients all work together ensuring we get the maximum benefit for our health. Even better – there’s little waste in farming sea buckthorn as the berries, peel, pulp and seed all contain its nutrients.
Natural Prebiotic for Gut Health
British sea buckthorn is a source of Fibre, a natural prebiotic – a type of carbohydrate that can’t be digested in the small intestine. Instead, it passes to the colon (large intestine) where it’s fermented by billions of ‘good’ gut bacteria to produce many compounds essential for our best health. Read more…
Building a strong immune system
Our immune system has a great need for energy from our food – there are vast numbers of different immune cells multiplying rapidly when it needs to protect us from a ‘pathogen’, an unknown bacteria or virus. Vitamin C helps to release energy from our food and as we can’t make it ourselves, we need a lot in our diet. 100g of British sea buckthorn can provide 10 times the Vitamin C of an orange! A good intake of Vitamin C is also vital for us to make our own antioxidants which, in protecting our immune cells, help it to function well. The prebiotic effect of sea buckthorn also helps to ensure we nurture our gut bacteria – 80% of our immune system cells are in the wall of our gut and good bacteria here ensure it develops correctly. Read more…
High in Antioxidants supporting natural detox
Antioxidants are vital in ensuring that cell damage from our every-day metabolism, is kept to a minimum. Healthy cells carry out their functions to the best of their ability so antioxidants are essential for each and every system in our body to work as well as it can. From a strong immune system to protecting against ageing and chronic illness, the antioxidants in sea buckthorn are valuable for our health. Read more…
Omegas and Vitamin E for health with a natural glow
Historically, the Greeks named it Hippophae Rhamnoides, or ‘shiny horse’! Vitamin E and many different Omega oils which are present in seabuckthorn, promote healthy skin and hair as well as helping to protect us from longer term health risks like heart disease and stroke. British sea buckthorn has exceptionally high levels of Vitamin E and contains the essential Omega 3 and 6 oils in perfect balance. It’s also one of the few food sources of Omega 7, known to promote healthy mucous membranes, the delicate lining of our airways and digestive system. No surprise then that seabuckthorn can give welcome relief from gastric ulcers too. It’s also a great source of Omega 9, the same beneficial unsaturated fat in Olive Oil and one of the reasons why a Mediterranean diet is so good for our long-term health. Vitamin E is particularly important in protecting the cells lining our blood vessels. Read more…
B Vitamins
B Vitamins help us to release energy from our food in general; seabuckthorn contains B1 B2 and B6. B2, otherwise known as Riboflavin is also needed to help us absorb iron from plants so can be a great way to ensure those on vegetarian or vegan diets keep iron supplies up.
Plant Sterols
Plant sterols, also known as phytosterols, are similar in structure to cholesterol. Increasing plant sterols in our diet can reduce our LDL (unfavourable) cholesterol levels while leaving our HDL (favourable) cholesterol levels unchanged. They’re found naturally in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables and sea buckthorn is a particularly good source. If you’re in the ‘over 50s’ age bracket with a raised cholesterol level, research shows that eating foods rich in plant sterols can reduce cholesterol levels by up to 10% over a period of a couple of weeks. This is great news and the reason why many health professionals recommend foods high in plant sterols alongside cholesterol lowering medication for this reason.
Head to our blog for more info on why we’re all huge fans of British sea buckthorn!
Dr Lucy Williamson – our nutritionist
British Sea Buckthorn Company’s registered nutritionist is Dr Lucy Williamson. Lucy writes regular posts on our blog so please check that out to find out more about sea buckthorn’s nutrItional profile.
Lucy is a Registered Nutritionist with a Masters’ degree from King’s College, London, working to inform and inspire better health and wellbeing through clear and practical, evidence-based nutrition science. Previously a Vet, she is passionate to promote the link between sustainable food choices which nurture human health while supporting biodiversity. Lucy works with British food producers providing nutrition support to build customer awareness and is a Visiting Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Hertfordshire University. She is also an Ambassador for the Love British Food campaign and runs her own Nutrition consultancy, engaging with the public through schools and events to share her passion for nutrition.