Reading labels on food you buy is SUPER DUPER important!

I write this because I think that so many people buy food (and eat it) without reading the labels and knowing exactly what ingredients are in the packet. 

Some items will advertise that they are fat free, and instead they will be full of sugar! Items such as soups, crackers, drinks, chips, sauces, flour, processed foods, will all need you to read the labels so that you are aware of the types of ingredients in the food.  This way you are able to make a more informed decision about whether or not to include this particular item in your diet. 

So if you are trying a sugar free diet, then make sure you read the labels on everything, however I would highly recommend reading about everything that you put into your body, and assessing how it makes you feel, and if it is a food that gives you energy and vitality, or if it makes you feel bloated. 

Our emotions affect our internal organs, namely the digestive system and large and small intestines!

Our emotions and our mind have a great deal of impact on our gut and digestive system.  There are many studies that prove that if and when we are stressed we have a higher tendency to experience stress in our internal organs, such as our large and small intestines and our bowels.

The human gut is an amazing piece of work. Often referred to as the “second brain,” it is the only organ to boast its own independent nervous system, an intricate network of 100 million neurons embedded in the gut wall. So sophisticated is this neural network that the gut continues to function even when the primary neural conduit between it and the brain, the vagus nerve, is severed. (taken from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling.aspx).

The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut.

The brain has a direct effect on the stomach. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach’s juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That’s because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected — so intimately that they should be viewed as one system.

This is especially true in cases where a person experiences gastrointestinal upset with no obvious physical cause. For such functional GI disorders, it is difficult to try to heal a distressed gut without considering the role of stress and emotion (taken from http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-gut-brain-connection).

 

Next time your stomach is upset, consider how stressed you are, and if your mind has anything to do with it. If you are stressed, try some meditation, yoga, or some exercise, or anything that relaxes you.

Natures own digestive aid – fennel seeds!

I love fennel seeds, I usually take about teaspoon full after meals that leave me feeling a little heavy, or oily foods, or even when I feel slightly bloated.
Instead of taking medications I usually rely on fennel seeds, and it seems to work for me every single time.
I chew on them raw, however you can also put them in boiling water and make a tea.
Fennel is an excellent natural food that you can use, and because it is a simple natural food, it will digest easier in your body.
Next time you have an upset tummy, try some fennel and see how you feel about 20 minutes afterwards!

Feeling drowsy or after meals?

Have you ever felt drowsy, tired or like you have low blood pressure after eating meals?

I usually feel this way when I have a lot of carbohydrates in my meals,  and it seems that my body needs a solid amount of time to metabolise, so I get really tired and sometimes cold, since my body is using up the energy to metabolise the food. 

Things that I do to prevent this or help, are; I either try to eat less carbs in the evening, or I have a cup of peppermint tea or fennel seeds. If you find that your blood pressure drops, you could add some honey or agave to the tea. Salt also assists with low blood pressure, so another idea is to add a little more salt to your food – of course you need to check with your doctor or nutritionist if it is ok for you to use more salt in cooking. 

In general, you would also ideally drink more water and exercise more. 

Do you have low-blood pressure? How do you deal with it?

How to get a good nights sleep, especially if you normally experience insomnia

Something that I find difficult, is to sleep easily if my routine and sleep times keep changing.  There are various other things in my routine that I have also incorporated;

• Try to sleep at the same time each night
• Don’t eat after 7pm (if you do keep it light – so no heavy carbs etc)
• Have a warm cup of milk about 30 minutes before sleeping, milk aids sleep but it also fills your stomach, so that you aren’t waking from an empty and hungry stomach
• Limit your television watching, especially later at night, or any other kind of electronic equipment such as laptops/computers/ipad or music devices
• Do anything that calms you down, so you may listen to music that relaxes you mentally and physically, this may contradict with not using any electronic device, however if it calms you then it may be OK
• Do some light yoga moves, say about 5 minutes or so, or some light stretching
• Meditation also helps, anything to calm the mind and make the body feel tired enough to get a good nights sleep
• If you find that you wake around 4am, you may be waking because of hunger, I usually drink milk 30 minutes before sleeping to prevent this, you may have something else you can eat or drink that will fill you enough to sleep – yup your body needs a tiny bit of energy to cary out the function of sleeping

If you have any of your own tips to share about sleeping well throughout the night feel free to share your comments below!

Soaking almonds and walnuts in water – YUM and full of protein, great as a snack!

So today I am working on finishing an assignment, and I needed some simple and healthy snacks to bring with me to the library, so…. one of my snacks include soaked almonds (simply soaking almonds in plain water – overnight, and leaving them in the fridge). Something that I need to keep reminding myself to do, because they are sooo much tastier than unsoaked almonds. Soaking walnuts are also super tasty, and both are extremely healthy and filling as a snack. They will give you a good source of oils and proteins.

(the picture has been taken from http://ohsheglows.com/)

Have you tried these before? If yes do you have any additional tips to share, would love to hear your comments.

How much protein should you be eating for optimum health?

Protein is critical in your diet, and you will need to make sure that you get enough to keep yourself strong and healthy.  Protein can affect your energy levels, your skin and hair, it aids your body in building cells, it regulates the production of hormones, and maintains metabolic rates.  

The body typically uses protein to build and renew every type of cell, including those that make up bones, muscles, organs, and connective tissues. Adult women need, on average, 46 grams of protein a day, while adult men need about 56 grams. However if you are physically active, then I would increase protein intake, I personally try to get at least 60 grams of protein per day into my diet. 

Eating too much protein may be harmful, so check with your medical specialist or nutritionist what the right amount is for you. Symptoms of not eating enough protein can include feeling tired, and getting sore easily – of course many other things can produce these symptoms and if you not sure if you are getting enough protein, then ask your doctor for a blood test that can determine it, or again speak to a nutritionist/dietician. 

Just remember, that protein makes up the amino acids that are like the building blocks for the human body, so its super important that you get the right amount in your daily intake.

Great video – Our 24 Hour body clock and circadian rhythms that can affect our mood

Here is a great video on our body clocks, and how the circadian rhythms have the ability to control our moods, which sometimes leads to depression and other disorders.

A huge factor in feeling good and general health and wellness, is sleeping well, and keeping within our own bodies clock and rhythms. Hopefully you will find the video as interesting as I did. A quick summary about circadian rhythms: Our internal circadian biological clocks, on the other hand, regulate the timing of periods of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day. The circadian rhythm dips and rises at different times of the day, so adults’ strongest sleep drive generally occurs between 2:00-4:00 am and in the afternoon between 1:00-3:00 pm, although there is some variation depending on whether you are a “morning person” or “evening person.” The sleepiness we experience during these circadian dips will be less intense if we have had sufficient sleep, and more intense when we are sleep deprived. The circadian rhythm also causes us to feel more alert at certain points of the day, even if we have been awake for hours and our sleep/wake restorative process would otherwise make us feel more sleepy (taken from http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock).

If you travel a lot, or if you don’t sleep well at nights, research more into circadian rhythms, or even if you are tired and affected by your mood, I would suggest watching this video to gain more insight on what may be going on in your own body.

Fresh lemon juice with warm water, first thing in the morning

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half a lemon) with one cup of lukewarm water first thing in the morning, is SUPER good for your health, and I try to incorporate it into my routine as much as possible.  Sometimes I forget, or go through a phase where I stop, however I am building myself up to doing it every morning, all the time!

Here are some reasons why it is so good for you;

• It cleanses the liver – so many people have issues with their liver, and drinking lemon juice with water is one step you can take to benefit your liver
• Clear skin – lemon aids the process of clearing your skin, it is obviously not the only thing and there are many factors involved, however again, it is one step that you can take towards having healthier skin
• Balance your pH levels and possibly lose weight – outside of your body, lemon is acidic, however once consumed, it becomes alkaline, which means that it helps to create an environment inside your body that makes it easier to lose weight
• Boost your immune system – we all need something in our lifestyle and diet that boosts immune system, and this is such an easy thing to do
• Acts as a diuretic, which means that it encourages the production of urine, which means that toxins are released from your body at a faster rate, which is absolutely good news for you!

Sometimes I juice half a lemon fresh every morning, otherwise I prepare a weeks worth of lemon juice and combine it with lukewarm water in the morning right before drinking it, I would recommend that you use fresh lemon, since I really believe that everything fresh is better.

Drinking more water

As most of you know, the average person is told to drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day.  I have been brought up carrying my water bottle around with me, and am usually comfortable drinking my daily water intake.

However there are times when I exercise, or for whatever reason I feel extra dehydrated and want something more than just water to quench my thirst.  In such times, I usually add about 20ml of apple juice to my water bottle, or a touch more if I need more electrolytes. I also use cranberry juice, but have a hard time finding cranberry juice that does not have any added sugar in it.

I find that adding a juice that is 100% pure juice (and has no added sugar) is best, my favourite is cloudy apple juice, it feels so natural. The electrolytes in the juice aid hydration and make it tastier and easier to consume on a daily basis. I also find that this hydrates me more in humid weather, or when I exercise, rather than having pure water. Or even adding a slice of lemon or lime to my water is great too!

Something else useful to note, is that if you drink tea or coffee (or I guess other liquids with caffeine), or other liquids that dehydrate you, then you need to drink even more water to balance it out, so tea and coffee do not count towards your daily water intake 🙂