Video – Page 6

May 7, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #16 – Inflammation (Pt.1)

The best description of inflammation is that it is a normal response by your body’s immune system to help protect the body against illness and infection.

For example, if you’re stung by a bee that swelling that you see is caused by your body releasing histamine, which then sends in white blood cells to the area and increases blood flow which helps heal the wound and support your immune system.

However, some research suggests that inflammation is at the root of most diseases and may also contribute to chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, asthma, bowel disease, lupus, leaky gut and cancer.

Fortunately, there are plenty of natural ways to reduce inflammation and improve your overall health in the process. Here are some of the top Anti-Inflammatory Foods.

First, there are Blueberries boasting a good amount of antioxidants in each serving. They fight free radical formation and prevent oxidative damage to the cells to decrease inflammation.

Leafy Green Vegetables Leafy greens like spinach, kale and Swiss chard are bursting with flavonoids, that have been shown to offer protection against chronic conditions such as dementia, heart disease and even cancer.

Beets get their vibrant colour from betalain, a type of plant pigment that’s responsible for reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Salmon. This gorgeous fatty fish is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which can help soothe inflammation and optimize your health.

The humble Broccoli is well-known for its whole host of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can decrease inflammation.

Then there’s Coconut Oil with its ability to boost brain function and protect against bone loss.

Walnuts which supply a hearty dose of protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and phytonutrients in each serving

And my favourite, Ginger, which is Well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Keep watching for the best anti-inflammatory supplements next time on Tweaklets – where we bring you tiny food tweaks. Remember to Like comment and subscribe!

May 7, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #15 – Fighting Disease with an Alkaline Diet

Our western diet is considered quite acid-forming and science shows that replacing acid-forming foods with alkaline foods can improve our health.

Our ancestors mostly ate what they grew from the earth: fresh fruits, vegetables and legumes – and their diets were rich in alkaline foods.

Our current diet, however, consists predominantly of meat, sugars, caffeine, processed foods and food products with little or no nutrient content, like those from packets and jars. Eating for convenience has made it harder for our bodies to maintain its critical pH equilibrium.

When the pH in our blood is out of balance, every cell in our body suffers. All gardeners know that most plants need alkaline soil to grow and if the soil becomes too acidic, plants die. Human bodies are the same. The cells absorb minerals, vitamins, electrolytes and enzymes and utilise nutrients to produce energy. Cells that live in an unbalanced environment absorb too little or too much of certain elements, causing a range of health issues, such as obesity, early ageing, cancer, heart disease, allergies, fatigue and general low resistance and low immunity, making us further prone to bacterial and viral infections.

But when our bodies are alkaline its much more difficult for a disease or infection to take hold.

So the type of foods that are more acid-forming are things like Processed foods and refined sugar. Things like dairy, eggs, meat and most grains are too. I’m sorry to say that alcohol and coffee are in the acidic category too! But before you panic, this doesn’t mean cutting all those things out, it’s just good to be more aware and work towards a balance that suits you.

The basis of the alkaline diet is eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Eat the rainbow, as they say, to include plenty of variety. A good starting place maybe simply to get rid of any packets or jars of convenience food, cut out fast food and processed food.

Like most things, an 80/20 rule is fine – in favour of alkaline rich foods – because there will always be times when you want to indulge. And of course, like anything else we talk about on Tweaklets, check things out for yourself. Get advice, determine if this is for you and never just jump into something…..ease in.

Thanks for watching. Please like, share and subscribe to these Tiny Food Tweaks to keep them going.

May 7, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #14 – Avoid Chronic Dehydration

We’ve talked about water before and if you are getting to know me you know as it isn’t the first time it won’t be the last!

Water isn’t just good for you, water burns fat. Water also suppresses hunger. Water renews your skin. Just drinking 1 – 2 litres……or 8 to 12 ounces of pure water every day can help you drop fat, have more energy, and save your kidneys and liver from working too hard.

Why do I say that? Well, when you don’t drink enough water your kidneys have to work too hard and then your liver has to take over.

Now, listen carefully….. your liver is your number one fat-burning organ. So we want it to stay focused on that task right? So do you REALLY want it processing liquids and toxins rather than BURNING FAT? No! of course not! So work with me here….. grab a glass of water, and watch the results. If you consistently up your daily water intake within a few short weeks, there will be a noticeable change in your face – expect it to look smoother, brighter and less lined and your body should look less bloated and your skin less crepey. You’ll be feeling lighter and easier, maybe thinking clearer and sleeping better…. Pay attention and watch for all the good signs that some with better hydration.

So that’s today’s Tweaklet – tiny food tweaks that make all the difference. Remember to subscribe to the Tweaklets YouTube channel to keep watching.

May 7, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #13 – Forget Low-Fat Diets

Today we’re getting rid of low-fat diets. Many of us think low fat is the norm for maintaining better health. I won’t go into the history or where this fad, and this is all it is, took root. For now, let’s just look at where eating low fat has taken us.

Today, in the western world, we are fatter, sicker, and more addicted to sugar and carbs than any other time in history. And, we’re passing these habits to our kids.

Think about it, if you buy low-fat foods, the fat component has to be replaced with something to make it taste good and usually the replacement is sugar and lots of it and what does sugar turn to into when digested ………. You guessed it…..Fat!!! Or it’s an artificial sweetener which the body doesn’t recognise and therefore process and that creates a whole bunch of other problems.

The key thing we have lost sight of is that fats are not to be feared – they’re to be embraced. Here’s a revelation – fats do not make you fat! Healthy fats help your body regenerate. They particularly help your hormones regenerate. Testosterone, for example, which is our ‘strength’ hormone, is the direct result of cholesterol and dietary fat intake. That’s right: “Cholesterol” isn’t a dirty word! We’ll talk about cholesterol another time. But the bottom line is your body needs dietary fat and cholesterol in order to produce ALL vital hormones.

Some healthy fats you can easily include in your diet include Avocados, Cheese (if you eat dairy), dark chocolate, eggs, nuts, chia seeds, olive oil and fish. And if you’re a meat eater, then small portions of quality meat are good too.

People on low-fat diets often look drawn, gaunt, and weak. They are often sick, sometimes to the point of literally breaking down. You can’t enjoy a healthy varied diet, or even eating out when you’re trying to stick to a low-fat diet. It’s certainly not going to make you look or feel younger.

So do your homework on healthy fats everyone – that’s today’s Tweaklet! I hope you’re enjoying these tiny food tweaks. Make sure you Like comment and SUBSCRIBE.

Here is a link to my Favourite blender, it’s the one I use for all my smoothies!

May 6, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #12 – Quality Sleep and your gut health

The majority of people in the Western world are sleep deprived. Insufficient sleep is associated with a compromised immune system and with accelerated ageing and cell damage. On an everyday level what that means is that a lack of good sleep is affecting the bacteria in your gut which is what keeps us living long healthy lives.

The reason for this is that when you sleep your digestive system and other major organs rest and repair. The powerful antioxidant, melatonin is produced during sleep which helps prevent damage to cells. Getting good quality sleep means the stress hormone, cortisol, is less likely to ramp up as you won’t be as anxious during your waking hours.

To get a better nights sleep avoid caffeine, alcohol, carbs and sweets for 8 hours before bedtime.

Make sure your room is quiet, cool and dark.

Try to get on a regular schedule where you sleep and wake at the same time.

Find some soothing techniques, such as meditation, to engage in to calm and prepare yourself for sleep. Finding a routine for your morning wake up is good too to positively prepare yourself for the day.

^{I won’t sing you a lullaby but I do sincerely wish} you a peaceful and restful sleep.

This was Just another tweaklet, a tiny food tweak to help you on the road to better health. Night night angels!

May 6, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #11 – Gut health and the link to your immune system

This is really exciting folks – the fact that the scientific world is recognising and exploring the link between your gut health and your immune system. To prevent disease and live a vibrant, active life we need to get our gut happy and healthy.

Our immune system is a huge network of cells and organisms that run throughout our whole body. It isn’t relegated to just one area of the body.

However, science now knows that roughly 80% of our body’s total immune system cells reside in the upper gastrointestinal tract so it follows that when you do good things for your gut, you are also helping your immune system in a big way.

There are many broad lifestyle changes you can take that will increase your gut health and in doing some boost your immune systems. From better hydration, getting better sleep and reducing your stress levels, to eating less sugar and eating more vegetables, and increasing your vitamin and mineral intake in the foods you eat or through supplements.

Take some time to get to know your gut and find out more about how you could simply and easily introduce a few tweaks that will move you towards vibrant health.

May 6, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #10 – Super Foods!

Superfood….such a strong term isn’t it? Makes me think of a bunch of foods all lined up wearing superhero capes, and their undies on the outside!

There’s actually no official scientific definition of a superfood but it’s become widely recognised that certain foods contain high levels of much-needed vitamins and minerals. They are also a great source of antioxidents, which are substances that protect our bodies from cell damage and against disease.

The most well known superfoods are blueberries, kale and leafy greens, and salmon. But there are a bunch more – nuts, olive oil, yoghurt, whole grains and sweet potato. There are some really exotic ones too – like seeweed, cacao, chia seeds, mangosteen (I know I had to look that one up too!)

So your tweak superfood heroes, is to add a few more superfoods into your diet. Then it’s up, up and away!

May 6, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #9 – Superbugs!

We’ve talked about superfoods before but what’s a super bug? A super bug is a strain of bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics. They have come about because of the overprescribing of antiobiotics.

Just to tell you how big this problem is, a study in the US of 19 million health records, and a similar study in the UK, showed that 23.2% of all antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate.

Most commonly doctors prescribed them to fight a VIRAL infection but antibiotics only work on bacterial infections.

May 6, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #8 – Tune into your own Inner Nutritionist.

Do 2 or 3 days of consciously choosing what you are going eat for each meal. If you can do a whole week. Think about the portion sizes, the balance of the plate and then notice afterwards how you feel.

Immediately afterwards notice if you feel overfull and perhaps didn’t stop eating soon enough. Or do you still feel hungry but within half an hour you realise you’re actually quite full.

Following that, what is your concentration like and your energy levels? What are your moods like and is there any pattern to them according to what you’ve eaten? How well do you sleep? Which part of the day are you most productive?

How soon after a meal do you feel hungry again?

And particularly notice what foods you crave or are drawn to – sweet, salty, soft, crunchy?

Just notice. This is the first step to listening to your own inner nutritionist. Your body is a mine of information and you listen it will tell you everything you need to know.

May 5, 2019June 24, 2019

Tweaklet #7 – Smaller Plate Smaller Waist

There has always been a lot of debate about whether eating from a smaller plate actually makes people eat less. Studies have shown that there is some supporting psychology behind a smaller plate size helping with weight loss.

Of course the most important aspect to eating a healthy meal is getting the balance right –Half your plate should be green vegetables. A quarter of your plate protein – which is meat, if you eat it , or lentils, legumes if you don’t .An eighth of your plate is complex carbs – brown rice, quinoa, beets, sweet potato, carrot or millet. One eighth good fats – nuts, seeds, nut butter, nut oils, olive oil, avocado, flax or coconut oil.

Don’t count calories, for goodness sake! There is no need for that, just get a better awareness of the foods you are putting on the plate. We’ll talk about that in another Tweaklet but for now, maybe play with the notion of smaller plate, smaller waist!