Integral Wellness Nutrition & Health Clinic

Integral Wellness Nutrition & Health Clinic Helping you regain your energy, control your cravings and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes

Your cholesterol number is almost useless without context…Here's what to actually look at 👇🏼If you've ever been handed a...
18/06/2026

Your cholesterol number is almost useless without context…

Here's what to actually look at 👇🏼

If you've ever been handed a cholesterol result with no explanation…or been told it's ‘a bit high’ or 'watch your diet', then this one is for you.

Because total cholesterol is just one number, and it doesn’t tell you what’s driving your risk.

We always look at the full lipid picture, not just the headline number.

Understanding the following markers - that often aren’t tested as standard - can completely change the interpretation, and the action you take.

👉🏼 Oxidised LDL
👉🏼 sdLDL
👉🏼 VLDL
👉🏼 Lp(a)
👉🏼 APO-B
👉🏼 Homocysteine
👉🏼 CRP-HS
👉🏼 Insulin
👉🏼 Cystatin C
👉🏼 PLAC
👉🏼 and more…

As well as the standard markers - HDL, Triglycerides, Non-HDL, LDL.

This detail matters two people can have the same cholesterol result, and very different levels of risk!

What does your cholesterol result actually mean?

To find out more you can book a free 20 minute call via the bio link, or comment CALL and we’ll send the link your way.

15/06/2026

What your cholesterol test isn’t telling you 🤔

Your total cholesterol number is a sum - it adds together every particle in your blood (the protective ones and the potentially problematic ones) and gives you a single figure.

On its own, it tells you almost nothing useful.

What actually matters is what’s inside that number…

👉🏼 The type of LDL you have.
👉🏼 Your triglyceride:HDL ratio, which acts as a proxy for insulin resistance.
👉🏼 Markers like ApoB, which counts the total number of potentially harmful particles in your blood, not just how much cholesterol they’re carrying.

Two people can have the same LDL reading with completely different cardiovascular risk profiles.

And guess what? A standard GP test won’t show you the difference.

Markers like sdLDL, fasting insulin and hsCRP tell a far more accurate story - but most people have never had them tested, and many don’t even know they exist.

We’ve put together a free guide that explains every marker in easy to understand language.

What it measures, what it means…and what your standard test is likely missing.

Comment TEST and we’ll send it across!

15/06/2026

What your cholesterol test isn't telling you 🤔

Your total cholesterol number is a sum - it adds together every particle in your blood (the protective ones and the potentially problematic ones) and gives you a single figure.

On its own, it tells you almost nothing useful.

What actually matters is what's inside that number…

👉🏼 The type of LDL you have.
👉🏼 Your triglyceride:HDL ratio, which acts as a proxy for insulin resistance.
👉🏼 Markers like ApoB, which counts the total number of potentially harmful particles in your blood, not just how much cholesterol they're carrying.

Two people can have the same LDL reading with completely different cardiovascular risk profiles.

And guess what? A standard GP test won't show you the difference.

Markers like sdLDL, fasting insulin and hsCRP tell a far more accurate story - but most people have never had them tested, and many don't even know they exist.

We've put together a free guide that explains every marker in easy to understand language.

What it measures, what it means…and what your standard test is likely missing.

Comment TEST and we’ll send it across!

When someone comes to us with a family history of cardiovascular disease, the question we always ask is: what's actually...
12/06/2026

When someone comes to us with a family history of cardiovascular disease, the question we always ask is: what's actually driving this?

In this case, genetics testing gave us the answer 👇🏼

Understanding the specific variants affecting how this client makes, clears and responds to cholesterol meant we could stop guessing…and start addressing the real underlying picture.

A targeted, personalised plan then followed.

And the result?

Cholesterol levels that had been concerningly high are now coming down - not through generic advice, but through a strategy built around their biology.

This is the difference between managing a number, and understanding what's behind it 💡

If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease and want to understand your own risk more clearly, booking a free call with us is a great place to start.

Comment CALL below and we'll send the booking link across.

OR alternative CTA:

If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease and want to understand your own risk more clearly, our free guide is a good place to start.

Comment TEST below and we'll send it across.

Same number. Different risk.The LDL figure on your blood test gives you an indication of how much cholesterol is being c...
10/06/2026

Same number. Different risk.

The LDL figure on your blood test gives you an indication of how much cholesterol is being carried through your bloodstream.

It doesn’t tell you about the particles doing the carrying… how large, oxidised or atherosclerotic they are.

Large, buoyant LDL particles behave very differently to small, dense ones.

Small, dense LDL penetrates artery walls more easily, stays in circulation longer, and oxidises more readily.

And it’s the oxidised version thats prone to trigger the inflammatory process behind plaque formation.

What drives the more dangerous pattern?

Often it’s insulin resistance.

It can also be genetics.

This is why we don’t just look at the headline cholesterol number.

Total cholesterol and LDL tell you very little about your risk or what to do next.

Triglycerides, HDL, fasting insulin, ApoB, sdLDL - these are just some the markers that build a more complete picture.

Our free guide explains all of it, including what to ask your GP and what’s worth considering testing privately.

Comment TEST and we’ll send it across.

June is relentless. My diary is 🤪 so non-negotiable need to come into place. I’ll always be honest that stress is my big...
08/06/2026

June is relentless. My diary is 🤪 so non-negotiable need to come into place.

I’ll always be honest that stress is my biggest Achilles heel and it’s also one of the most damaging things for cardio-metabolic health.

So during busy periods I don’t drop my standards, I just make sure I focus on core elements that do heavy lifting for my health.

Sleep 🛌 bedtime and wake time protected above everything. Circadian rhythm regulates cortisol, insulin and blood pressure.

Hydration with electrolytes and B vitamins 💧stress burns through all three faster than normal and I feel it every time. The first sign is a very dry mouth.

High protein breakfast 🥚 blood sugar stability, satiety and the amino acids my brain needs to function for the day.

Early dinner, eaten slowly 🍽️ stress reduces stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Eat earlier. Chew properly. Leave a gap before bed to digest properly.

Time outside 🌳 screens off, natural light, green things. The simplest way to regulate cortisol, support melatonin and reduce blood pressure.

Daily detox 💩 going to the bathroom daily is a primary detoxification route. Slower bowels can lead to note inflammation, higher cholesterol and an impact on insulin sensitivity. Keep the fibre up. Keep bowels moving.

The foundations don’t become less important when life gets harder.

They actually become more important to help you get through a tough period.

Save this for when you need the reminder and share it with someone who’s busy and needs to support themselves during this time. 💚

“Your cholesterol is a little high” 😒It’s one of the most common things people hear at a GP appointment, and one of the ...
07/06/2026

“Your cholesterol is a little high” 😒

It’s one of the most common things people hear at a GP appointment, and one of the least well explained.

Most people walk away with a number, a suggestion to cut back on saturated fat and adopt a “cholesterol-lowering diet” (whatever that is?!) ... but very little else.

If they do look at their results, they’re faced with acronyms and reference ranges that don’t tell them what’s actually going on.

Here’s what we want you to understand 👉🏼 total cholesterol is a sum.

It includes the more protective particles, alongside the potentially problematic ones.

On its own it doesn’t tell you whether there’s a problem (or what’s driving it.)

What matters is the distribution:�👉🏼 The type of LDL.�👉🏼 The triglyceride:HDL ratio.�👉🏼 Markers like ApoB, which gives a direct count of atherogenic particles.

These are the numbers that build a real picture.

The standard GP test is a starting point but it’s not the whole story.

We’ve written a free guide that explains every marker: what it measures, what it means and what your test is likely missing.

Comment TEST and we’ll send it across.

“Why am I never hungry in the mornings?” 🤔This was a question posed in clinic recently by a perimenopausal client who wa...
28/05/2026

“Why am I never hungry in the mornings?” 🤔

This was a question posed in clinic recently by a perimenopausal client who was working on blood sugar regulation with our nutritionist, Holly.

And it’s such a good (and common) one.👇🏼

Because not feeling hungry in the morning is often dismissed as personal preference… but it’s usually a signal.

Holly identified six things that can suppress morning hunger:
1️⃣ What you ate (and when) the night before
2️⃣ Elevated or disrupted cortisol
3️⃣ A dysregulated body clock
4️⃣ Blood sugar patterns overnight
5️⃣ Poor or broken sleep
6️⃣ Digestive issues affecting appetite signals

In perimenopause, these factors rarely work in isolation.

Blood sugar, sleep, stress and digestion are all interconnected - and all shifting at the same time.

So if breakfast feels like a chore, or you genuinely can’t face food before midday, that’s worth paying attention to 👀

If this sounds familiar and you’d like to understand what might be driving it for you, comment CALL and Holly will drop you a message.

Your body may feel different in this heat, and that’s completely normal.If you’re feeling:🫪 puffier🥴 more bloated🫨 heavi...
26/05/2026

Your body may feel different in this heat, and that’s completely normal.

If you’re feeling:

🫪 puffier
🥴 more bloated
🫨 heavier after meals
🫣 like your rings and clothes feel tighter

You are not imagining it.

Here’s what’s happening...

Heat causes the body to retain more sodium and, therefore, more water.

That can lead to:
👉🏼 swollen ankles
👉🏼 bloating
👉🏼 fluid retention
👉🏼 that uncomfortable “puffy” feeling

But this is important to know...

IT IS NOT BODY FAT! ❌

Your body cannot suddenly gain body fat overnight because of hot weather.

This is your body responding normally to heat.

And when we’re wearing less clothing in warmer weather…

…it’s understandable if body image feels a little harder right now.

Please be kind to yourself and rationalise this.

What can help?

💚 Keeping blood sugar balanced can also help minimise fluid retention.

✅ protein-rich meals
✅ fibre
✅ fewer sugary drinks/snacks
✅ reducing ultra-processed “beige” foods
✅ gentle movement where you can

💧 Staying hydrated actually helps your body release retained fluid.

If you’ve ever wondered about electrolytes, now, in this heat, can be a great time to use them.

Or make your own: cucumber, lime, salt, water.

Most importantly, your body is doing exactly what bodies do in this heat.

This will pass.

Send it to someone who needs this reminder.

Feeling thirsty is not a simple request💧🥵By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already mildly dehydrated and your body is...
25/05/2026

Feeling thirsty is not a simple request💧🥵

By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already mildly dehydrated and your body is having to work harder to tell you what it needed an hour ago.

In the heat this becomes more urgent.

Dehydration raises blood sugar because your blood becomes more concentrated, pushing glucose levels up.

It raises blood pressure as your body constricts blood vessels and retains sodium to compensate for lower fluid volume.

And it puts direct stress on your heart, which now has to work harder to pump thicker, less fluid blood around your body.

Hydration is not a nice-to-have or something you hope to remember.

It is part of the prevention protocol.

👉🏼 Don’t wait to be thirsty.
👉🏼 Drink water consistently throughout the day. (Set frequent alarms if you forget and carry water bottles.)
👉🏼 Add electrolytes in the heat or if you’re exercising.
👉🏼 Filter it if the taste puts you off.
👉🏼 Squeeze some lime in if that helps. (Other citrus fruits are available.)

And finally, just get on with it because you’re a responsible adult. 😅

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