nutritionsciencewellness

Tips to boost your radiance

1) Relax and enjoy life! We only get one shot (I think), may as well live in a relaxed and joy filled way whenever possible! 2) Treat your body as your temple- eat to nourish and fuel it, not hurt it. 3) Treat your mind as a temple too- fill it with positive words and thought’s.4) Chew your food 30-40 times a mouthful.

5) ‘Dry brush’ your body every night. This is a European favourite and is said to be the best form of exfoliation around.

6) Drink 2 L of purified or spring water a day.

7) Cut down or out your sugar.

Could a Purple Plum from Queensland beat Obesity and Dementia?

As a nutritionist I’m a huge fan of using food as medicine, and here in Queensland we’ve had a scientific breakthrough on a fruit that is showing great promise in the health arena. Professor Lindsay Brown of the University of Southern Queensland, head researcher of The Metabolic Syndrome Research Team, with Dr. Sunil Panchal, is calling their new discoveries: “Incredible” Their discovery: that a purple plum, the Queen garnet plum, was not only super high in antioxidants, but also showed massive health benefits. It’s early days but laboratory tests showed that when the Queen Garnet plum was introduced to test subjects eating a high saturated fat, high sugar diet, similar to our Western diet, and mimicking metabolic syndrome, weight loss and much more occurred. “Not only did the subjects lose weight, but heart health improved, liver function and architecture were normalized, blood pressure returned to normal, and glucose was taken up normally by the body once more”, stated Prof. Brown. It could even potentially work on dementia, and this is a plum we are talking about, not a pharmaceutical drug. What’s so special about purple foods? They contain anthocyanin’s, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound, which also give the foods their purple colour. Anthocyanin’s work by theoretically blocking NF-kB, one of the main factors responsible for the progression of the inflammation underpinning most modern diseases, including obesity.   “Anthocyanin’s are very effective anti-inflammatory agents and obesity is a chronic, low intensity inflammatory disorder” states Prof. Brown. Government funding through RND, has meant this new scientific research on medicine potentials of food has been able to come to fruition. The plum was developed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and grown at Warroo Orchard in southern Queensland. “The results are amazingly positive,” says Prof Brown. The Queen Garnet plum has up to five times the levels of anthocyanins present than normal plums. The Professor says the work has the potential to provide great benefits to the people in this region, increasing the value of the agricultural products.   “It’s great for our regional university to be involved in this collaborative project.” This is recommended as a complementary medicine, please do not stop taking any prescribed medication without consulting your doctor first.

Bacon, Avocado & Semi-Sun-dried Tomato on rye

-1 bacon slice, fried, sliced

-1/4 ripe avocado

-1/2 fresh lemon

-3 semi-sun dried tomato’s

-1 slice thick rye bread

-Rock Salt to taste

Fry bacon strip in a medium fry pan.

Meanwhile, mash up the avocado, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl.

Toast bread, spread avocado mix, then place tomato’s on top, then fried bacon strips and enjoy.

50 Shades of Grey Chocolate Muffins

My 50 shades of grey, naughty n nice chocolate muffins (my dinner the other night). I’m a bit lazy with some cooking things, so I grabbed a gluten free organic mix of banana bread, added coconut oil, cinnamon, cooked quinoa, raw cacao and eggs. This turns these simple n delicious muffins into a super food, high protein snack- great for school lunch boxs n took 10 mins.

Health through Happiness

Health isn’t all about what we put in our mouths and how fast we can run, it’s also about the thought’s we chose to think, and how we feel in ourselves.

Today I get some tips from Wellness coach, Emily Holmes, on how to get yourself back in shape in your body and mind.

Q) What’s your philosophy on health?

A) Eat real food – foods in their natural state or as close as possible to their natural state. Move your body every day – in a way that feels natural and you enjoy. Do the inner work – you can drink 10 green smoothies a day but if you’re constantly stressed or hating yourself, you will never be healthy.

Q) What change in thought process do you notice helps people most, particularly if they are struggling with adopting a healthy lifestyle?

A)I find that once they do the inner work and learn to love and respect themselves, healthy choices come naturally. They understand that nutrition isn’t about restrictions; it’s about loving yourself enough to listen to your body and fuel it with what it needs. Most importantly, they understand that fitness isn’t punishment, it’s a blessing. Everything they do then comes from a place of love, rather than fear.

Q) What are your tips on how to eat healthily?

A) Crowd out the bad stuff with good stuff by simply changing one thing each week. In time these small changes will become your way of life. After a year you will be living a completely different life.

Do not clear out your fridge, pantry and cupboards. This may feel symbolic and empowering but it will overwhelm you. When you run out of an item, simply replace it with a healthier option if available.

Q) What are your tips on exercise?

A) Move your body in a way that you enjoy for 30 minutes every day. It doesn’t matter what you do, walking is fantastic. It just matters that you find something you enjoy and you do it every day. Consistency is the key.

Q) Other than diet and exercise, what else is a healthy addition to daily practices to boost health?

A) Sleep – 8 hours each night. Sleep is the best form of meditation. Barely anyone gets enough rest these days, so sleep is critical.

Q) What tips to you give for people who struggle with depression or anxiety?

A) If you’re depressed, you’re living in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future. Take 20 deep diaphragmatic breaths each time your thoughts overwhelm you. This anchors your body in the present moment.

Q) I’m a fan of ‘paying it forward’, what are your thought’s on this lifestyle practice?

A) The world needs more random acts of kindness. This is how we change the world; one random act of kindness at a time.

Q) What started you on your health journey?

A) I got myself trapped in a vicious cycle of hating and hurting myself. I felt I had no control over my moods and I blamed everything and everyone but myself. I was deeply ashamed. My doctor taught me about using food as medicine. Imagine that! A GP prescribing nutrient rich food instead of a prescription. How lucky am !? This is at the top of my gratitude list every single day and now I tell anyone who will listen!

xox

2015 Slim Down Tips

With 2015 well and truly here, it’s time to get back into the swing of a healthy eating and fitness routine to shed some of those extra party kilos that crept on during this festive season.

1) Liver cleansing:

Our liver is the main organ that metabolizes and breaks down fats, pollutants and toxins that enter our body. It can become sluggish and dysfunctional if we over do it with junk food or alcohol; so give it a helping hand to break down fats faster by starting your day with half a freshly squeezed lemon in some room temperature water before breakfast.

2) Quick Paleo Cleanse:

You may or may not have heard about the paleo diet, but short term, it can be very successful for weight loss. For one week switch out all grain based and processed carbohydrates, such wheat, rice, barley, oats, sugar, alcohol, breads, pasta, sweets, cereals and replace them with wholefood fruit and vegetable based carbohydrates, such as banana, apple, pear, watermelon, papaya, mango, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, bok choy, and any other vegetable of your liking.

3) Thermogenic foods:

Ever wondered which foods could speed up weight loss? There are certain foods that can, and most of them are those super high in particular antioxidants or good fats. Cayenne pepper is a great addition to the diet; it contains the active ingredient capsicum. Turmeric is another newly discovered super food, which can trigger weight loss, as are chia seeds, chia seed oil, flax seeds, purple carrots, and purple plums.

4) High Fibre Foods:

Eating foods high in fibre make us feel full and more satiated, so we eat less. Recent scientific discoveries from The University of Queensland have also found that a diet high in fibre feeds our good gut bacteria. Good gut bacteria are responsible for better digestion, improved general health, less disease and many more health benefits. So use whole foods raw nuts, vegetables, cooked legumes, brown rice, Synergy Supergreens, wheatgrass, barley grass and chlorella to your diet for the boost to your good gut bacteria.

5) New Fitness Regime:

The foods we choose to eat have a 70-80% of an effect on the weight we gain or lose, but exercise is still a very valuable contributing factor to health too. Research has shown that choosing an exercise that you enjoy is vital to long-term success, while slow and steady seems to win the weight loss race. Newer research is confirming that while intense exercise can be great for muscle building and increases in cardiovascular fitness, weight loss is best achieved through longer periods of low intensity exercise, such as walking for 40-60 minutes four to seven times a week.

Find Honor on Facebook and Twitter to make a weight loss appointment.

Monster Green Protein Balls

– 1-cup walnuts

1 cup deseeded medjool dates

1-cup raisins

1 scoop Sunwarrior protein powder

1-tablespoon cacao/cocoa/carob

1-teaspoon vanilla

-1/2 tsp. spirulina powder

-Finely shredded coconut

Place ingredients (not coconut) into your blender or food processor, then roll in balls and roll on coconut, place in freezer or fridge.

Serves 12-14

Serving instructions

Eat frozen or naturally thawed.

What Are Antioxidants and how Do they Help us?

What is an Antioxidant?
An antioxidant is a molecule which gives away its electrons easily to a free radical, which then disables the free radical.
Free radicals are molecules that damage, and therefore age cells and DNA of all sorts by stealing their electrons.
One way they occur is when we eat. During the process of our body converting food particles to energy or ATP.
So, the more we eat= the more we make extra free radicals which age our cells faster.

So try never to eat till ‘full’, eat till you are no longer hungry instead.

How Your Food is Shaping Your Face

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing dentist Dr. Steven Lin, and we discussed how periodontal disease in the mouth could very possibly be triggering diseases such as obesity and diabetes, through inflammatory pathway activation. Which is a complicated way of saying: when our body has an underlying, persistent but low grade threat remaining within the body, such as the bad bacteria invasion in gum disease, or untreated cavities, the immune system releases a constant flow of low level chemicals and hormones, to try to defeat the hazard. This is part of the inflammatory response. But in these cases they are not amounting a strong enough attack to completely kill each other off, so the inflammatory chemicals remain and slowly hurt, degrade and deform the body, causing disease. We are left with a big question this week; Could everything, from weight gain, diabetes, cancers, dental health and even our bone structure be linked to the foods we eat and how our body is absorbing the nutrients? It is certainly a questions weighing on many minds, including Dr. Lin, who says: “I think one of the biggest problems facing modern healthcare is the fact that dentists and doctors are not working more closely with nutrition, as this is commonly where all the problems first originate.” And it’s not just what we eat, but the quality, where did the food come from? Is it organic, local and still full of nutrients, or has it been processed, heat treated, in long-term cold storage or genetically modified? For example, facial bone structure, how straight or crooked teeth are, impacted wisdom teeth and airways can all be greatly manipulated by available nutrients present in the diet from birth. “Why are there so many cases of impacted wisdom teeth these days, when we rarely saw it 30 or more years ago? Why are our own teeth suddenly not fitting into our mouths? Asks Dr. Lin. The greatest theory to explain this strange occurrence is the food quality we are eating simply doesn’t contain the minerals needed to support the full growth length of bones like the jaw, creating common situations now like impacted wisdom teeth, crooked teeth, sleep apnea in children which then effects their behavior, and much more, and it all comes down to diet. Food for thought. Find Dr. Lin on Facebook and Twitter

Delicious Detox Smoothies

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a number of reasons; it ‘breaks the fast’ we have had overnight, signaling our metabolism to start burning fat and calories again. And breakfast also sets the tone of the entire day.

The healthier your breakie, the more likely you will have a day full of healthy choices. While skipping breakfast or choosing a high carb, unhealthy one, encourages us to crave and eat higher sugar foods to keep our energy up.

So here are few quick and easy smoothies, which are high protein, some carbs, rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals and all natural, not just great for breakie but as snacks too.

Use your Vitamix or other blender to whip these all into a smooth consistency.

Strawberry smoothie: Milk of choice, 6 strawberries, 1 tbs. raw honey, 1 tbs. LSA, 1 scoop of Natural protein powder.

Raw Cacao Smoothie: Rice, quinoa or almond milk, 2 tsp. raw cacao, ½ tsp. Synergy super greens powder, 1 tbs. raw honey.

Banana smoothie: Milk of choice, 1 ripe banana, 1 tbs. raw honey, 1 scoop natural vanilla protein powder, ½ tbs. LSA, ½ tbs. Oat bran.

Monster Chocolate Protein shake

By Nutritionist Honor Tremain

–Use full cream milk, skim, lite, rice, soy, and quinoa or almond milk as base.

–1/2 tbs. oatmeal = slow burning carb for long lasting energy.

–1tbs. lecithin granules= Cholesterol lowering, brain function, protein.

–1 tbs. LSA powder= (Linseed, sunflower and almond meal)=Healthy fats for skin, hair and nails. Keeps you regular to the bathroom, high in protein.

–1/2 tsp. green food (chlorella, spirulina, or barley grass)=These are like having the nutritional equivalent to a big bucket of veggies, great for energy, high protein, keeps you full, slightly detoxing and analyzing. Synergy is one of my favourite brands.

–1 tbs. honey, Maple syrup or agave=to sweeten if needed, extra fuel for energy.

–1 tsp. raw cacao powder= Raw cacao is how chocolate coco is before being processed, so is still a chocolate powder but contains many more minerals, vitamins and antioxidants for boosting health, energy and much more.

–Shake and serve. Great for a quick breakfast or a snack in between meals.

-Optional=Can blend in banana, mango, and berries to make it more nutritious.

Monster Vanilla Protein shake

By Nutritionist Honor Tremain

–Use full cream milk, skim, lite, rice, soy, quinoa or almond milk as base.

–1/2 tbs. oatmeal = slow burning carb for long lasting energy.

–1tbs. lecithin granules= Cholesterol lowering, brain function, protein.

–1 tbs. LSA powder= (Linseed, sunflower and almond meal)=Healthy fats for skin, hair and nails. Keeps you regular to the bathroom, high in protein.

–1/2 tsp. green food barley grass=Great for energy, detoxing and analyzing. Synergy is one of my favourite brands.

–1 tbs. honey, Maple syrup or agave=to sweeten if needed, extra fuel for energy.

–3 drops of vanilla extract= For taste.

–Shake and serve. Great for a quick breakfast or a snack in between meals.

-Optional=Can blend in banana, mango, and berries to make it more nutritious.

Anti-inflammatory Detox tea

In a small saucepan, fill half full with water; add in 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tsp. of fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. of turmeric.

With lid on, bring to boil, and then simmer on low for 2-5 minutes. Fill half a cup full, which you then add 1 tps. of raw honey, and a squeeze of fresh lemon and drink.

Based on a traditional Indian herbal elixir, this drink combats pain conditions, can decrease weight, and help your liver and much more.