We went camping this weekend!!! Well maybe it was more like glamping because we thankfully, didn't have to erect a tent! The tents were already up, permanently erected on decks overlooking the bush and valley. The communal kitchen was perfect for the planned braai and potjie. We had a picnic on Saturday and while driving to find a picnic spot we saw a giraffe and then some eland. The pleasure of being in the bush! And the bonus: 30 minutes from home! 30 Day Fast Track to More Energy & Better Health If you are confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed by all the mixed messages out there, it's OKAY!! If you feel defeated and just about ready to give up, THEN I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS... You Are Not Alone. My new group program - 30 Day Fast Track to More Energy & Better Health - will help you to put into action - - > 6 simple habits. There's no rocket science here, just simple steps to follow. You already know the only real way to get back on track and feel incredible is by eating better and moving more. But sometimes GETTING STARTED, and staying MOTIVATED is the hardest part. That's why this group program is ideal for you. You get support, guidance and accountability from me - your health coach - and the other women who are following the program. There are tasty recipes, guided meditation, quick win exercises to follow all while you're busy being a mom/wife/ employee/employer , daughter/friend. Click here for all the details and take advantage of the Early Bird pricing. It ends on Saturday _ 9 March at 11.59pm How well our bodies are nourished depends on the passage of food through our digestive system. Without fibre to move food along it is not possible to have balanced digestion. When digestion is out of balance then nutrient absorption will be lower, a metabolism that is compromised and inadequate health protection. The risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart disease are lowest when whole plant foods are included with every meal. Fibre is made up of soluble and insoluble fibre. Insoluble fibre is from cellulose. Cellulose is what gives a plant its shape and form. In animals, bones give structure. So this is what is known as a bulking agent to assist in moving digested food through your gut. It also provides fuel to friendly bacteria living in the large intestine. Insoluble fibre helps to decrease the amount of time that digested food remains in the gut. It also helps to normalise peristalsis which is the muscle movement in your gut that moves food along. Share with a Friend Forward to Your Bestie Soluble fibre found in fruits, beans, barley, oats, rice, flaxseeds and psyllium help to bind bile acids, regulate cholesterol and blood sugar levels and keep our intestinal pH in balance. It is an interesting fact that soluble fibre helps to regulate both constipation and diarrhea. Remember having to eat grated apples when you were a child and sick with a runny tummy? It is the pectin in the apple that helps to bind and jellify the contents of your gut. The recommended amount of fibre per day is 30g. Most of us eat about 14g-15g per day!!! Only half the recommended amount. And with that comes a lot of digestive problems, like constipation, bloating, hard tummy and gas. Where can we add more fibre?
Adding more fibre to what you eat each day will help in a number of ways.
Fibre fills you up so you're less likely to overeat. It slows the release of blood sugar and so reduces the demand for insulin. It reduces high cortisol levels caused by stress. Fibre has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels by binding with triglycerides. When adding more fibre - be sure to drink More Water as the two work together. Adding fibre should be done gradually to allow time for your body to adjust. Otherwise you could experience bloating, gas and constipation. The very symptoms you are wanting to avoid!!! To get more help on your food choices; snacks and meal planning I invite you to book a FREE Strategy Session where we can come up with a plan to enhance your meals and add more fibre. “Drink more water” – It’s a statement you probably hear constantlyfrom doctors, magazine articles, advertisements, and even mom!!! But how much water are you really supposed to drink and how can you make doing so a bit easier? Frankly, water isn’t everyone’s first choice in beverages, but it should be. Water accounts for nearly 70% of your body composition and is essential for growth and regeneration of every cell in your body. Without proper hydration, your body won’t work properly. Proper hydration supports the following major health benefits:
Share with a Friend Forward to Your Bestie Using certain fruits, herbs, and flowers takes the benefits of hydration to a whole new level. Infused water benefits include:
So how much should you drink? Take your weight and multiply it by 0.035. That will give you the amount of litres you need to aim for daily. e.g. If you weight 68kg then you need to drink 2.38l which is 7 beer glasses (the tall glass that you get in most pubs) You read that right! It’s no secret that it’s difficult for many people to drink the necessary amount of water because it can be boring at times. It isn’t as de-stressing as drinking a glass of wine and it doesn’t have the flavor a colddrink or iced tea offers. And yes, fizzy drinks are fun, but it is so important that we limit the amount of sugars and artificial ingredients we put into our bodies. Thankfully, there are easy ways to make your water more interesting, flavourful, and packed full of health benefits. My favorite way to spice up my water intake is with fruit-infused water!
Fruit-infused water is a great alternative to its soda counterparts while still being FUN. The main difference is, fruit-infused water is going to leave you feeling fresh and most importantly—HYDRATED! Almost every top massage and spa place I have been to serves fruit, herb, and flower-infused water. Need some ideas on what to mix together? Try these combos -
What do you do to make your water interesting? Or do you just glug it down? Leave a comment below and let me know... These is not a lot of scientrific research around Apple Cider Vinegar - probably because it is considered a food and not a medicine. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence though and that is the fodder of legends. What Apple Cider Vinegar does do is * help your digestion, * prevent food from decaying in your digestive system, * control and adjust calcium usage within the body, * reduce the need to wee often and * balance your menstrual cycle. Apple Cider Vinegar is anti-bacterial so it can protect you from germs that cause you to get sick. It makes a great alternative as a counter or surface cleaner for your home.
You can also use it to wash your fruit and veges.
It is essential now in this day and age to clean your fruit and veg of pesticides and bacteria before you eat them to prevent your body from toxic overload. Share with a Friend Forward to Your Bestie Studies have shown that Apple Cider Vinegar can help to improve insulin sensitivity. When your body is sensitive to insulin this means that your body will respond to less insulin in your blood stream to take blood sugars out of circulation and direct them to your cells where it can be used for fuel.
This is not to say that Apple Cider Vinegar is the answer to your weight loss. When you add it to your daily diet along with other healthy lifestyle options it can make an overall difference. In a study among rats it showed that adding ACV to the rats' diet helped to lower the harmful LDL and increase the beneficial HDL. Cholesterol is a fat like substance. IIt can build up in your arteries which then puts strain on your entire vascular system as the artiers are narrowed. However, cholesterol is very necessary for the production of various hormones so it isi important to keep the HDL:LDL ration balanced. And this can be done by not eating refined and processed foods, decreasing your sugar intake, including a variety of healthy fats, eating fish a few times a week and adding movement or exercise a few times a week. Acid refulx is not a result of too much stomach acid. It is infact because you have too little! By drinking ACV before your meals you will be adding extra acid to your stomach which will help to improve digestioin. Eating fermented foods like kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut will also help to improve the state of acid reflux. ACV can help to alkalise your blood pH levels. I wrote about how important it is to keep your body in a more alkaline state a couple of weeks ago - click here to read more - When your body is more alkaline, bacteria and viruses are less likely to flourish which will mean that you will be less sick. you can also use ACV as a skin toner! It has been found to help reduce scarring. You can use it as a toner after cleansing. Here is a recipe from Dr. Axe who is well known doctor and health guru -
It is importan that the Apple Cider Vinegar you buy has the "mother". This is the build up from the fermentation process that is considered to have the MOST beneficial enzymes and proteins. The mother makes the ACV look cloudy and may even show up as strainds of sediment at the bottom. So when buying ACV look for raw, organic, unfiltered (otherwise the mother will have been removed), unpasteurised (the mother will have been killed off by the heat) and you can see the mother - the cloudy sediment. The most popular brand in the USA is Braggs. Here in South Africa try using Faithful to Natures Organic Raw ACV Share with a Friend Forward to Your Bestie Uses of ACV
You can drink it daily. Add it to your salads as part of a dressing. Use it as a hair conditioner. Use it as a skin toner after cleansing. Dilute and use it as a surface cleaner. Wash your fruit and vegetables with it. And the uses go on... Have you used ACV? I'd love to know,leave a comment below and tell me how and when. |
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