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Lettuce and almond milk smoothie please!
Nutrition - confusing? Absolutely. Eat carbs and less fats, more fats and more proteins, should I go carb free, what about paleo, can I eat a ketogenic diet? So here you go.
Eat according to your need – Good food choices and good digestion is the key to good health  – I cannot stress that enough. When your gut is fine your brain is clearer. However, most of us need to supplement at one time or another. Pregnant women, teenagers, marathon runners, all have different needs, as do for example, people missing gallbladders, those who are having surgery and everyone entering into their twilight years. Not all diets are suitable for everyone – please check first!
Eat protein – Most of us never get enough protein in our diets! We need around 1gm of protein per kilo of body weight to maintain good health. Try to vary your proteins in your diet as we tend to eat the same things day in and day out. FYI meat and eggs are not the only way you get protein into you. Think of your plant based proteins like tofu, nuts, seeds, buckwheat, quinoa and millet all have excellent protein profiles
The good, the bad and the ugly – Trans fats, common in fast food, are the worst and the most eaten by certain subsets of people such as the young (teenagers) and those who tend to be overwhelmed with life. Saturated fats (such as butter and meat) should be eaten less than we all probably do while unsaturated fat (olive oil, rice bran oil, nuts, seeds) is the healthiest. People love eating trans fats and saturated fats because, let's face it, they taste so good! This is known to make us more susceptible to liver disease, heart disease and problems with hormone disruption with the latter being common in the DP Herbals clinic. Best way to eat fats is to follow the Mediterranean approach and eat more unsaturated fats such as fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds and less red meat.
Correct your carbs – This is where people tend to go wrong. Carbohydrates come from plant based foods and dairy breaking down to the simplest sugars – fructose and glucose. The problem with the way we eat today is that we are choosing more and more foods that are refined instead of the more complex carbs. Complex carbs contain micronutrients (vitamin and minerals) and fibre. The easiest way to remember which carbs to eat is only eat foods that comes in its natural state.
Eat a rainbow – It can be easy to fall into routines but the truth is our bodies benefit from variety. For optimal health, we need a rainbow of nutrients and colours (not skittles!) The advice “eat the rainbow” is often used with children but adults should also listen up! Each colour in fruits and vegetables is caused by specific phytonutrients, which are natural chemicals that help protect plants from germs, bugs, the sun’s harmful rays, and other threats. These phytonutrients along with the variety of vitamins and minerals in the plant have enormous healing powers. Red fruits and vegetables help fight cancer and heart disease, while orange and yellow strengthen both the immune system and your eyesight. Green vegetables are most important as the body uses them to detoxify and restore energy while purple is a fantastic antioxidant as well as anticancer.
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Supplement of the month
Hayfever alert! This year allergies are back a lot earlier! In order to combat this, I suggest the following products. Effective and the best bit is that as they start to control your allergies you become desensitised. Hemaview is a very good tool to identify and monitor allergies so don’t forget to book in this season. Allergy screening panels are also available which are an effective tool for identifying allergies and intolerances. You don’t have to suffer!
Allergeze – an upgrade from the original (although I didn’t feel it needed one). At first I was devastated that my supplier wanted to do this but so far so good! This works very much like a herbal antihistamine and I think it would be good for those who have allergies to start right away to offset the hot dry summer predicted.
Luteol plus – I describe this as “super charging” the positive effects of allergeze. In itself it prevents histamine from being released and it is anti-inflammatory to the entire body.
Ultra flora LGG – This probiotic minimises the amount of allergy that the body produces in response to environmental factors and foods.
Fish oils – Anti-inflammatory and helps to improve cellular health. I see it as cooling down the system and making you less inflamed.
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Get connected
There was a 75-year-old study on adult development measuring what makes a good life. It followed male adults from their early 20’s through to their 80’s and it was discovered that all those who were most satisfied with their relationships were the healthiest at 80. Evidently,  loneliness is toxic and 1 in 5 people are lonely. However, good relationships keep us healthier and happier period. Those who were socially connected to friends and family to community are happier, physically healthier and live longer than those who aren’t. Quality matters.
Take home fact: We all want quick fixes but relationships are lifelong. They are messy, and hard work. However, the most successful and happy people in their old age leaned into relationships.
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