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Healthy Home, Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

House Plants For A Healthier Home

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toxic air indoors plants

Is the air in your home polluted?

When we make changes that improve our wellness, one place we often forget is in our home. We concentrate on exercise, improving out diet, balancing supplements, adopting practices like yoga or mindfulness. But often we don’t even consider that the air inside our home may be highly polluted. We often don’t realise our home may contain toxic air.

One simple way we can improve this is to grow indoor house plants for a healthy home.

Causes Of Toxic Air

Identifying the quality of the air inside our homes, schools and workplaces now falls to Building Biologists.

Building Biology is a relatively new holistic discipline which examines and identifies irritants and hazards in residential and public structures. These include building materials, the products we use, air quality, water, biological contaminants (mould) and pest control, as well as electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) radiation (EMR) and geopathic stress.

It developed in response to a growing awareness of the impact toxic components in our immediate environment are having on our health. According to Building Biologist Nicole Biljsma it “provides a holistic examination of the built environment and provides realistic solutions to create buildings that support mind, body and soul.”

When problems with the air quality within buildings are found the first line of attack is to eliminate the source of pollution. Pollution may be caused by building materials, furnishings, products used within the space, pest control, or cleaning methods.

Once the source of the pollution has been addressed the next step to achieving clean air is to install air purifiers and filters. This is where plants come in.

Natural Remedies For Indoor Pollution 

Before you buy an expensive electric air purifier for your home consider that bringing household plants is one very simple, but potent way to improve air quality in your home.

It’s said plants are the lungs and kidneys of the building. Research at NASA’s Space Center supports this and has shown that the presence of certain indoor plants actually improves indoor air quality.

The plants are able to grab and filter common pollutants found indoors and therefore purify the air.

NASA has made a list of the most beneficial plants in order of their effectiveness.

Why Our Homes Are Polluted

Many of the products that furnish our homes, schools and workplaces including carpet, fabric, wall coverings, furniture and paints contain highly toxic chemicals. These toxins are released into the air, creating indoor air pollution.

In 2009 the US Environmental Protection Agency stated, “The air within our homes can be seriously more polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities”.

Many newer homes are designed to intentionally ‘seal in’ the air. This is done to better regulate the internal environment and reduce the use of carbon fuels for heating and cooling.

Living in these sealed homes can result in a disorder known as Sick Building Syndrome.

pexels-elena-golovchenko-12548637 (1)

Sick Building Syndrome

Sick Building Syndrome is a recognised disorder which results from the build-up of toxins in our environment. One of particular concern is formaldehyde.

Simply introducing plants into the environment can greatly reduce these problems.

This disorder is becoming more widespread with the increase of energy efficient buildings. These sealed buildings allow little exchange of fresh outdoor air for the stale, polluted indoor air. This leads to the indoor air becoming ten times more polluted than the air outside. In developed societies we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Therefore, we are now spending most of our life in extremely toxic surroundings. Indoor air quality is quickly becoming a particularly concerning health problem.

Research from the Environmental Research Laboratory of John C. Stennis Space Center has shown that rooms filled with the right plants have 50-60% fewer airborne moulds and bacteria than those without plants.

We know that plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. But it appears the plants can also suck toxic chemicals out of the air by absorbing the pollutants into their leaves. They then transport them to the roots where they are transformed into food for the plant.

NASA findings show that plants are able to remove up to 87% of air toxins over 24 hours.

Indoor plants can bring a host of physical and mental health benefits.

Amazing Benefits Of House Plants

Houseplants purify the air in a number of ways.

The air in environments with ducted heating dries out quickly, causing respiratory congestion and dry skin. Plants are ideal additions in these situations as they balance humidity levels by maintaining moisture in the air at an optimum level. They maintain a level which is low enough to reduce illness and at the same time, high enough to prevent mould formation.

The Norwegian University of Agriculture found indoor plants fight certain illnesses. With indoor plants in the space the symptoms of these health problems reduced.

  • Fatigue by 20%
  • Headache by 45%
  • Sore/dry throat by30%
  • Coughs by 40%
  • Dry facial skin by 25%

Other research has shown house plants have a psychological benefit. They increase self-esteem, improve mood, reduce stress, anxiety and depression and increase feelings of calm, relaxation and optimism.

With their ability to impact stress levels and reduce blood pressure levels, the important role of indoor plants in a society with a rising incidence of Adrenal Fatigue and its related symptoms,  seems apparent.

Being surrounded by indoor plants can also make you think better. Indoor plants improve memory, concentration and attention, as well as boosting creativity. Bring one into your study or office to improve your productivity as well as reduce the EMR from your computer.

house plants kitchen-1867663__340 pixabay

Best Air-Purifying House Plants

These are the top ten air-purifying plants as classified by NASA, along with their NASA rating (out of 10):

  1. The Areca Palm   8.5
  2. The Lady Palm   8.5
  3. The Bamboo Palm   8.4
  4. The Rubber Plant   8.0
  5. The Dracaena   7.8
  6. English Ivy   7.8
  7. The Dwarf Date Palm   7.8
  8. The Ficus Alii   7.7
  9. The Boston Fern   7.5
  10. The Peace Lilly   7.5

Read more about each of the Top Ten and see what they look like here.

Some effective plants are very easy for anyone to grow. Common English Ivy (Hedera helix) which ranked sixth in the NASA list, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has positive effects on upper respiratory conditions. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is a particularly good filtering plant, removing formaldehyde, xylene and toloulene. 

A little research can help determine which of the recommended plants are better for your personal needs. Some may address your health problems better than others.

There are many other beneficial plants not included on this list.  Gerbera reduces levels of the chemical solvent benzene. Chrysanthemum, the extremely hardy Spider plant and Aloe, are others you could also find helpful.

For best results you need about 15 plants for a 15 square home or 140m² office to keep the air clean.

Make your home & workspace motto

‘MORE GREEN – LESS STRESS’

benefits of house plants


DISCLAIMER
All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

SOURCE ARTICLES

Bijlsma, N, Healthy Home Healthy Family, Joshua Books, 2010

Conscious Mindset & Stress, Holistic Health & Natural Remedies, Self Care & Sleep

Sure-Fire Strategies For Better Sleep

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Giving advice for improved sleep is a normal part of any Wholistic Health practice, and I’m used to delivering. But today I am suffering the effects of a wakeful night after not ‘Walking My Talk’. Last night I sat up on the computer until well after midnight when the cold finally drove me to bed, only to then wake repeatedly through the night.

Sleep is so important, especially now as the days have shortened and we approach winter. Sufficient sleep allows our body to recover from the day and leads to improved brain function and memory.

But sleep doesn’t always come easily.

 

These simple actions will help you create a calm sleep-friendly environment.

De-Clutter and De- Junk

Is your bedroom a soothing sanctuary or is it also a place where you work? It is vital to establish and maintain the boundary between work and rest. Your bedroom needs to be a place where you unwind and take ‘you-time’. If the boundaries are unclear, you never get a break from the pressure and stress of work.

When you keep your bed for sleeping or other fun bedtime activities, your brain comes to associate bed with only these activities rather than work, which makes it easier for you to nod off.

Clear away clutter and mess; open the windows to refresh the energy; add fresh flowers, beautiful and meaningful ornaments, a candle or Himalayan Salt Lamp.

Create an EMF-Free Zone

If you are surrounded by electronic devices while you sleep your brain waves are affected throughout the night and you will never get good sleep. 

There’s some concern that the pulsed frequencies of electronic devices interfere with the body’s own signals. These electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) affect the emotions, the organs, hormone production and the immune system. Cosequently this can then lead to poor sleep, as well as many other problems.

There are many studies that show exposure to electronic devices (even electric lights) before going to bed interferes with sleep patterns. Far from allowing you to wind-down in the evening using electronic devices actually increase your alertness and interferes with REM sleep.

Light, from any source including the low levels of light emitted by electronic devices, disrupts circadian rhythms and causes poor sleep

There have also been studies into how electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) around electronic devices affect the release of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone. In 2007 this study showed melatonin production, and therefore sleep quality, may be affected in some people.

For good sleep switch off your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop, your TV, e-reader and other devices at the source. If you need an alarm to wake, find an alternative to your phone. Sleeping close to an active smartphone (or other device) is absolutely NOT worth the wide-reaching adverse effects it has on you.

If you do need to leave any devices switched on, make sure they are well away from your body, at least two metres. Even better if they are right across the room or in the en suite.

Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields and remove the responsible devices.

mobile phone

Create Peace

If you need entertainment before sleep place some books or magazines in your room, or perhaps a journal. Not only does journaling empty your mind of annoying thoughts that keep you awake, it’s also has many health benefits. Research even shows it strengthens the immune system and reduces the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Use your journal to establish gratitude practices to build your Happiness Bank.

Check the temperature. A moderate temperature about 20 degrees Celsius, not warmer, supports undisturbed sleep.

Darkness helps you sleep and even small amounts of light interrupt the production of the neurotransmitters needed for sound sleep. Use block-out curtains if there are lights outside your window. Don’t turn lights on suddenly during the night as they disrupt the production of the sleep-inducing hormones, melatonin and serotonin. Don’t use white light as a night light. The soft pink glow of a Himalayan Salt Lamp solves this problem, if you must have light in the bedroom. If you can’t block out light wear an eye mask.

Music is a wonderful aid to help you relax. Gentle, music, white noise or relaxation recordings will all help you unwind. The rhythmic sound of the surf washing onto the beach is one way to induce sleepiness.

No TV right before bed! Stop about thirty minutes before retiring and definitely don’t watch it in bed.

Turn your bedroom into a space you look forward to spending time in.

 

Create A Scent-sual Space

 Our sense of smell plays an important role in mood, memory and emotions. It is linked to the limbic system, which is considered the old primitive part of the brain. As well as promoting relaxation, research shows that certain bedtime scents can even influence the type of dreams people have.

There are a number of essential oils that induce relaxation and are powerful sleep aids.

Lavender stimulates the release of feel-good hormones and is a well known relaxant to help insomnia. Sprinkle a few drops of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball beside your pillow or in your room.

Vanilla, rose, chamomile, sandalwood and surprisingly, coffee are some others that can also help insomnia by calming you. (Although homeopathic Coffea is known to have excellent calming properties, and so maybe it’s not such a surprise!) 

Create A Healthy Eating Plan

 Shunning caffeine should be a no-brainer. Drinking coffee, tea or hot chocolate keeps some people awake. But many other foods such as soft drinks, processed foods and even medications often contain caffeine, and you need to be wary of those.

Some foods like dairy and wheat can cause gastric disturbances that may keep you awake. Avoid them altogether or at least in the later part of the day.

L-tryptophan found in protein foods promotes the production of melatonin and serotonin to aid sleep. A small protein-rich snack such as nuts in the evening may help you sleep better.

Avoid sugar and processed grain snacks before bed to avoid the rapid spikes and drops in blood sugars that interrupt sleep.

Alcohol is a ‘no-no’ for sound sleep. Although it produces sleepiness and initially sends you to sleep, it prevents you entering the deeper, restorative, sleep cycles.  Also, alcohol’s effect is short-lived. After a few hours you are likely to wake up, completely unable to return to sleep.

Chamomile tea before bed is an excellent for promoting good sleep. It has a slight homeopathic effect to relieve anxiety and promote relaxation.

Support your body with nurturing foods to create balance

Create A Sleep-Ready Body

Exercising daily for at least thirty minutes helps you fall asleep but be sure not to do it too close to bedtime. This is because exercise stimulates the release of metabolising hormones that will keep you awake.

Create A Night-Time Ritual

Setting a bed-time ritual sends cues to your brain that it is time for it to prepare to sleep.  Just as you might read a bed-time story to a child to help them relax before they sleep, setting routines also reminds your mind it’s time to relax and sleep.

Develop your own night-time routine.  It may include a warm bath, some yoga, reading, listening to music, writing your journal, in fact anything that soothes and relaxes you.  Repeat this every evening in the thirty minutes before bed so your brain and body associate this activity with sleep.

Write down your list of whatever you need to do in the morning, earlier in the evening before.  This shuts down the ideas and thoughts that normally run around your head while you’re trying to drop off to sleep.  The same goes for any plans, worries or other thoughts that might keep you awake into the early hours of the morning.

Going to bed at the same time each night and rising at the same time each day allows your body clock to synchronise with these times, making both sleep and waking easier.

A hot shower or bath before bed increases your body temperature.  As it falls again you will relax and fall asleep. If you have cold feet warm them with socks to prevent sleep disturbance.

If noise wakes you or keeps you awake wear ear plugs.

Take time to reflect on the day passed as well as the brand-new day ahead, so you can leave stress behind and start the new day afresh.

If you can’t sleep get up and address the cause or do some quiet activity until you feel calm and ready to return to bed.

Don’t watch the clock! If you aren’t sleeping put the clock away. Watching the hours tick away will only leave you stressed

Sleep Problems of Menopause

For some women passing through menopause, insomnia becomes a real and distressing issue.  Hormonal changes causing hot flushes, palpitations, or night sweats can interrupt sleep and cause havoc.  Before taking Hormonal replacement Therapy (HRT) have a talk to a Wholistic Health Practitioner about the many natural options available to balance hormones and reduce these debilitating symptoms.

Creating an environment that nurtures and supports you allows your body to release the stress from your busy life and relax into sleep at night

What are your favourite ways to ensure you get good sleep? Tell us in the comments below.

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

  © Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health, 2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies, Uncategorized

10 Superfoods You Need Every Day

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There are many new and exotic Superfoods arriving in our shops every day. Foods with excellent health track records in their country of origin are finding their way into all manner of products. New recipes calling for these exotics appear every single day. But this week a client who is very diet conscious, always seeking out the foods that give her the most benefits for each mouthful, brought up the subject of ‘Everyday Superfoods’ – good traditional foods that are easy to find wherever you happen to be eating.

This particular client wanted to know just what some of the best plain and simple Superfoods are. Although she regularly eats a wide array of exotic Superfoods, including acai berry, spirulina, maca, edamame, and others, she wanted to know about Superfoods that she can access every day, whether she is at home, work or eating out with friends.

Superfoods is a recently coined term used to describe a group of foods that are light in kilojoules and very dense in nutrients, particularly antioxidants and other essential nutrients that we are unable to make for ourselves. Another requirement of Superfoods is that they are foods found in nature. They are thought to have many extra health benefits and are considered highly beneficial because they provide a solid dose of nutrients for each mouthful.

Superfoods fall into different food categories. Many are vegetables, particularly the green leafy types, or fruits. Many nuts are considered Superfoods because they are rich in antioxidants to clean up free radicals that cause inflammation in your body.

Free radicals are a normal part of metabolism and your body has mechanisms in place to deal with those ones. But free radicals are also produced in your body in response to environmental factors like pollution, tobacco smoke, charred food, trans fats, electrical appliances, mobile phones and can quickly cause much damage that can lead to serious chronic disease.

10 BASIC EVERYDAY SUPERFOODS

These are such common foods, now nobody has any excuse not to include as many foods from this list as they can every single day.

1 BLUEBERRIES

The deep blue colour of blueberries is the giveaway that they are rich with antioxidants, ranking highly on ORAC, which measures the antioxidant value of foods. An anti aging superstar, they are one of the best sources of flavonoids around to help preserve memory function  and slow down loss of motor coordination. High levels of the cancer fighting antioxidant, ellegic acid and studies have shown them to have greater cancer fighting capabilities than other fruits. Many recent studies have shown they slow the growth of certain tumours. Anti-inflammatory

2 SPINACH

Long before we became aware of the benefits of antioxidants Popeye was onto their awesomeness. Spinach is loaded up with antioxidants and truly a simple Superfood. It contains vitamin C, betacarotene, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin to protect your eyes, with lots of vitamin K for cardiovascular and bone health, as well as iron for strong hair and nails.

 

3. BROCCOLI

Well known as a nutrient packed vegetable with cancer fighting properties, broccoli is loaded with vitamin C, folic acid and carotenoids (vitamin A) to protect from free radical damage, improve immune function and reproductive health. Broccoli contains high levels of vitamin K to build strong bones and help blood clotting. It also contains significant amounts of fibre, vitamin B2 and potassium.

 

4. AVOCADO

Delicious avocados are an excellent source of healthy raw monosaturated fat.  They contain nearly twenty nutrients including fibre (10 to 17 grams in each fruit), high levels of potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, folic acid and lutein for healthy eyes and skin. They protect from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, eye and brain disease. They help stabilize blood sugars, are great for heart disorders and assist with tissue regeneration.  In addition, avocados help you properly absorb other fat-soluble nutrients.

 

5. ALMONDS

Raw almonds are loaded with good (monosaturated) fats and fibre to lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Rich in phytochemicals to promote heart and vascular health and a great source of minerals including magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins E and B6, they make a great afternoon snack. Munch on them in place of other less healthy options.

 

6. LENTILS & BEANS

All beans and legumes are beneficial. They are low in fat with lots of iron and B vitamins (including folate). A great complex carbohydrate, they are filling but low kilojoule. They contain magnesium and potassium for heart and circulatory health.  They are an excellent source of protein, and with a low GI they help control rises in blood sugar. Combined with complex grains like oats or barley they provide all the essential amino acids needed for a complete protein.  Perhaps the most nutritious legume is lentils. Also, they are inexpensive! Add them to your diet every week.

7. APPLES

The humble apple is often overlooked in the plethora of new Superfoods around. Apples are loaded with quercetin and catechin, both powerful antioxidants, to protect cells from free radical damage. Apple peel is where most of the nutrients lie so don’t peel them. They are also a great source of fibre. You may like to consider eating organic apples as they are one of the foods that regularly appear on the Environmental Working Committee’s DIRTY DOZEN list of the foods that are most highly sprayed with pesticides.

8. SARDINES & SALMON

Wild caught salmon is packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids to lower cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. It also contains vitamin D and selenium for healthy hair, skin, and nails. Farmed salmon on the other hand, (the only salmon available in Australia) is low in omega-3 and contains contaminants, so to get the benefit of eating salmon you need to make sure it is wild caught. Unfortunately as all salmon in Australia is farmed, the only wild caught one I have ever found is one brand of tinned salmon from Alaska. Wild caught salmon comes from Scotland, Alaska and Canada.
With just as much omega-3 as salmon, sardines are a much better choice in many ways. They are always wild caught so do not contain all the contaminants that you find in farmed salmon. Also being so small you can eat them up bones and all, and they are extra good as then you also get a hefty dose of calcium.

 

9. EGGS

Eggs are a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, especially if they are organic. They contain the highest quality nutritional protein of all foods containing about 6 grams, and loaded with nine amino acids, eleven vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin A and folate, naturally occurring vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells, choline for memory and brain development and lutein and zeanthine for protection against eye disease.
Eating eggs for breakfast gives you a great start to the day and studies show that it may lead to you eating fewer kilojoules through the day because they rank highly on the satiety list.
But forget about eating the whites only, it’s the yolk that holds all the nutrients.
By the way, the link between eating eggs and blood cholesterol is an old myth and studies  have shown there is no connection.

 

10. OATS

Whole grain oats are one of the best sources of both soluble and insoluble fibre to metabolise fats  and promote healthy digestive system. They are low glycaemic to help control blood sugar levels. As well as helping improve your skin, they are brilliant for those suffering from stress and tiredness.  No wonder we’re always been told to eat porridge for breakfast, oats are rich in niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin E and antioxidants.  Packed with protein, they are a great way to kick-start your day.

 

Check back here for Part 2 next week when I’ll give you 10 more basic Superfoods, incuding some that are newer and not quite so common, to eat everyday.

What are your favourite Superfoods? Share which you make certain you have every day in the ‘Leave a Comment’ below.

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies, Uncategorized

Hail The Pomegranate!

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hail the pomegranate

“Pomegranate is a fruit of paradise. There is one seed from Paradise in every pomegranate growing on the earth.”

Autumn has firmly established itself in Melbourne. Along with the welcome rain and cool weather comes an abundance of Autumnal produce. Mushrooms, mandarins, apples and pears in all their autumnal glory and alongside them, the luscious pomegranate.  This week I was delighted to see the first beautiful, generous pomegranates in my greengrocers shop.

Originally hailing from Persia where it has been used medicinally for thousands of years, growth of the pomegranate spread through the Middle East, Asia, the Mediteranean and today is now widely grown across the globe including here in Australia.

Throughout history the pomegranate has been regarded as a symbol of most of the fundamental beliefs and desires of humanity, with almost every part of the fruit having significance. According to Greek mythology the pomagranate even played a role in the change of season, which was said to occur because Persephone ate a pomegranate seed, dooming her to return to the underworld (or winter) for one third of the year. In Ancient Egypt the pomegranate was regarded as a symbol of prosperity and ambition and in China and many other places, of fertility.

It is very easy to understand the magic of the pomegranate given the glossy, glowing skin and the rich generous colour of the distinctive ruby red seeds when the fruit breaks open.

HEALTH BENFITS OF POMEGRANATE

Fruits and vegetables that are brightly coloured tend to be high in antioxidants. These help your body by clearing up excess oxidants, or free radicals, which if left to run wild in your body cause inflammation and lead to disease. The ORAC score of pomegranates highlights them as one of the ‘richest sources of free-radical scavenging antioxidants’. This makes them a powerful tool to prevent those diseases with a strong inflammatory basis like arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

Pomegranates are rich sources of antioxidant phytonutrients, including flavonoids and polyphenols, which protect against free radicals. They also contain a wide range of other nutrients including most of the B Vitamins (including folate), zinc, magnesium, and iron, amongst others. But they are particularly high in Vitamin C, potassium, and pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5).

Pomegranate seeds are used effectively against heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation and some cancers, including prostate cancer.

Studies have shown that pomegranate juice may protect against some cancers as well as modify heart disease risk factors. This study showed drinking pomegranate juice for two weeks lowers reduced systolic blood pressure.  And this 2006 study found that drinking a 225ml glass of pomegranate juice every day significantly slowed the progress of prostate cancer in men with recurring prostate cancer.

Ayurvedic medicine employs the healing power of the bark and rind of the pomegranate fruit to treat a wide range of disorders including diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal parasites. The seeds are used as a heart or throat tonic. The astringent qualities of the fruit are considered useful for stopping nosebleeds or bleeding gums.

 

HOW TO USE POMEGRANATE

With pomegranates now in the shops it is time to reap their benefits. Using them fresh has some health benefits over using the stored juice.

Juice

The benefits of pomegranates are so high that you don’t need much to do you good. Even a 30-50ml shot of juice is sufficient to have significant benefits. Rather than using the juice as a beverage it might be wiser to consider it as a herbal treatment and take a smaller amount. Just 50ml a day will sustain healthy heart benefits.

You can’t really overdose on the juice but many people drink more juice than they need. The problem with drinking lots of fruit juice is the high sugar content. Even if it contains no added sugar it is still high in the natural sugar fructose. Fructose causes digestive problems for many, as well as big rises in their insulin levels. Because the fruit is high in fibre the sugars are released more slowly, but nonetheless may cause problems.

While the fruits are in season eat the fresh seeds rather than drinking pomegranate juice. Otherwise drink smaller quantities of the juice, even if it is unsweetened.

Seeds

 

 

 

If you can obtain fresh pomegranates this Autumn the seeds make a tasty tart addition to many dishes. Salads, smoothies, desserts, marinades, martinis are just some dishes that benefit from added pomegranate.

Here are some tips for buying and storing pomegranates as well as a few recipes. And here are some more delicious recipes. I love the sound of the Pomegranate and Coriander Salsa on this site.

Oil

Pomegranate seed oil is made by cold pressing the seeds and is extremely nutritious and rich. Pomegranate oil is often added to skin care products for its wonderfully regenerative qualities.

HOW POMEGRANATE SEED OIL BENEFITS SKIN

  • Re-invigorates skin
  • Attacks free radicals which contribute to ageing
  • Protects against sun damage
  • Can control acne breakout on oily skin
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Calms red, irritated skin
  • Wound healing
  • Supports hormonal balance in women and men
  • Can reduce visible signs of ageing
  • Helps with collagen production to firm skin
  • Revitalises dull, dry hair
  • Stimulates blood circulation in scalp, strengthens blood vessels, increases hair growth
  • Clears dandruff and flaky skin debris from the scalp
  • Anti-pruritic, therefore soothes and fights bacteria, inflammation and itchiness
  • Contains vitamin C which is necessary for good health and growth of hair
  • Balances the pH of the scalp

With so much goodness how could you resist the glorious pomegranate? Why not get some today and enjoy all the pomegranate benefits?

“I peel a pomegranate and say to myself, Weren’t it good if one could see the seeds of people hearts. Tears come when the juice splashes in my eyes.” ~ Sohrab Sepehri

 

 

 

Disclaimer
All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

 

Source articles
http://www.naturalnews.com/031068_pomegranate_superfood.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/02/pomegranate-ranked-healthiest-fruit-juice.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate

 

Conscious Mindset & Stress, Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

Natural Cures For Indigestion

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After enjoying a wonderful meal there’s nothing worse than sitting back and minutes or even hours later suffering the discomfort of indigestion.

Acid reflux or heartburn, nausea, vomiting, burping and belching, stomach uneasiness or burning pain, flatulence (gas), abdominal pain, bloating, growling stomach are all symptoms of indigestion. All cause the sufferer much discomfort or embarrassment.

Even seemingly unrelated symptoms such as dry coughing, sour or bitter tastes, hoarseness and wheezing can be related to acid reflux.

Indigestion is very common and most people suffer from it at least occasionally. With so many lifestyle triggers leading to indigestion this is not surprising.

TREATING INDIGESTION

Drugs prescribed for indigestion are on the increase. Most people use over the counter antacids to find relief but this is one of the worst ways to treat indigestion.

Antacids give temporary relief but also have side effects such as diarrhea or constipation. Other drugs prescribed fall into two groups, H2 blockers (eg. Zantac) and Proton pump inhibitors, PPI’s (eg. Nexium).

The problem with these drugs is they reduce the amount of acid in your stomach which may seem beneficial. However, often the problem behind indigestion is that your stomach is producing insufficient stomach acid, not excess. When you don’t have enough stomach acid you can’t digest food properly and digestive problems occur.

The drugs can easily mask imbalances and lead to more serious problems. They may cause many side effects. For example, they may lower your vitamin B12 levels, cause nausea or vomiting, headache, bruising, constipation or diarrhea, increase the risk of fractures and the risk of infections. Plus, once you’ve started you need to keep taking them because they cause a rebound effect. This is where indigestion symptoms return even worse than previously if you stop taking the drug.

Chronic heartburn and indigestion are serious problems and can be part of an underlying illness. Consult your health care practitioner if symptoms persist.

CAUSES OF INDIGESTION

Acid reflux occurs when the valve between the stomach and oesophagus (LES) doesn’t close properly, allowing small amounts of stomach acid to spill over into the oesophagus.

Bloating or gas may be due to the fermentation of some trigger foods or foods that are difficult to digest. It can be due to swallowing air during eating. It may also be a symptom of a disorder such as Coeliac Disease.

There are many Lifestyle triggers for indigestion including:

  • Being overweight
  • Drinking too much alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Medications including aspirin, thyroid meds or oral contraceptives
  • Eating trigger foods and drinks
  • Eating too fast
  • High-fat foods
  • Pregnancy

 

Some common trigger foods:

  • Fatty meats
  • Deep fried foods
  • Chocolate
  • Peppermint
  • Alcohol in excess
  • Coffee
  • Cola

Stress often lies behind indigestion. Keeping a record of your moods and the times when you feel stressed, rushed, anxious, worried, overworked or even uneasy can help identify emotional triggers. Once you work out which situations trigger the problem, activities such as meditation, yoga, qi gong, tai chi or relaxation exercises can really help reduce associated stress levels and the symptoms of indigestion.

REDUCE INDIGESTION

While prevention is ideal it’s not always possible.

But there are lifestyle changes you can make that help reduce symptoms:

  • Avoid putting pressure on the stomach, avoid tight clothes.
  • Avoid carbonated drinks.
  • Eat small meals – five to six a day, and eat them slowly
  • Eat fibre, 40g a day
  • Avoid spicy foods
  • Drink tea and coffee in moderation, including decaffeinated,
  • Avoid alcohol
  • Avoid ice cold food and drinks which can deactivate digestive enzymes
  • Avoid cocoa and foods containing it
  • Avoid eating in the three hours before you go to bed
  • Undertake practices to relieve stress
  • Stop smoking, avoid tobacco
  • Lose weight
  • Reduce processed and sweet foods

Eat foods like kefir, sauerkraut and miso which contain probiotics to restore the natural balance and function of your gut. Or take a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. Not only do they restore the bowel flora, but they also help your digestion. Taking Spirulina increases healthy bacteria in your digestive tract.

Vitamin D is important for stomach health. If you are not getting adequate sunshine or normally wear sunscreen, increase your Vitamin D intake. Source it from cod liver oil which is also rich in omega 3, or take a supplement.

You can help increase your natural production of stomach acid, hydrochloric acid, by including Himalayan salt in your diet. This ensures your body gets enough chloride to make sufficient hydrochloric acid, plus it provides 83 trace minerals that are needed by your body in order to function well.

One way to identify food triggers that may be causing digestive problems is to keep a food diary over a few weeks.

bloated-green-man

NATURAL INDIGESTION RELIEF

Homeopathy Remedies for Indigestion

There are a number of Homeopathic remedies that stop the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion when selected and taken in accordance with homeopathic prescribing guidelines.

Ipecacuahna is one of the most commonly used homeopathic remedies for acute nausea and vomiting which is not relieved by vomiting. Surprisingly the tongue appears very clean. Symptoms get worse from warmth but improve a little in fresh air.

Nux-vomica is great for acute nausea especially when the result of overeating, drinking alcohol or coffee, or digestive problems which are made worse by therapeutic or recreational drugs. It’s often accompanied by constipation, flatulence or heartburn. Symptoms are made better by warmth and warm applications.

Pulsatilla can be helpful if indigestion is the result of eating pork or rich fatty foods. Symptoms include bloating and sometimes a headache. They do not feel thirsty and find some relief from cool, fresh air.

Carbo-veg gives relief from bloating with lots of offensive gas, which is sometimes released by drinking carbonated drinks.

Natrum phos is an important homeopathic remedy for indigestion with sour belching, sour tasting vomit and a yellow colour on the tongue. Good for those who get indigestion from eating fats. You can take Natrum phos as either a Homeopathic preparation or as a Cell Salt (Schuessler’s Tissue Salts).

Take Homeopathic preparations in the 6th potency, or the 30th potency if you are familiar with Homeopathic prescribing guidelines.

These are only a few of the hundreds of different Homeopahic remedies that help indigestion and give fast effective relief. If you are not familiar with the intricacies of Homeopathic prescribing consult a practitioner.

Herbs for Indigestion

There are many wonderful herbs that aid your digestion.

Ginger tea can give immediate relief for heartburn or indigestion. It can also help reduce bloating. Shred fresh ginger root and pour boiling water over. Allow to steep for ten minutes, strain and drink.

Fenugreek seeds coat the lining of your stomach to relieve symptoms. Add one to two teaspoons to your food or eat separately.

Licorice root can be an effective treatment for reflux. It stimulates the production of digestive secretions that help reduce reflux. Take one or two tablets before meals or bed, or take as a tea to stimulate saliva and prevent symptoms. Make certain it is deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) particularly if you suffer from hypertension.

Bitter herbs. Herbs such as dandelion root, caraway, fennel, yellowdock, blessed thistle and gentian, found in Swedish Bitters, are bitter herbs that promote better digestion. These herbs encourage gastric secretions including saliva, hydrochloric (stomach) acid and digestive enzymes. They can treat or even prevent reflux. Take bitters just before eating to get digestive juices flowing.

Holy Basil or Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to treat many disorders including stomach disorders, nausea and stress. Sipping a cup of Tulsi tea could help combat indigestion by reducing stomach symptoms as well as addressing the stress behind them.

Peppermint.  Many people find peppermint tea an excellent digestive soother. However, for nearly half the population it has the opposite effect, causing heartburn. If this applies to you try chamomile tea instead. Peppermint relaxes smooth muscle of your digestive tract to ease cramps, gas and nausea. It can soothe bowel disruption caused by nervousness, overeating or diet changes.

Charcoal.  If you suffer from excessive flatulence taking activated charcoal in the hour or two after eating can reduce gas. Be careful about taking it too much as it can interfere with the absorption of nutrients.

Slippery Elm Powder taken before meals helps heal irritated digestive tracts. It is mucilaginous and becomes gel-like when in contact with water to coat, protect and soothe the digestive tract. It comes as a powder to add to drinks or in capsules.

Apple Cider Vinegar.  Many people swear by apple cider vinegar. One tablespoon of ACV and one tablespoon of honey in a glass of pure water before meals can ease heartburn.

Lemons. Eating lemon or lemon juice in a glass of warm water before a meal can prevent heartburn. Lemon stimulates bile production to help break down fats and improve digestion.

What’s your favourite kitchen cure to sort out your digestive problems? Share in the Leave a Reply box below.

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

Source articles

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/06/05/natural-ways-to-relieve-heartburn-symptoms.aspx
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/indigestion-natural-remedies-for-relief_b_812458.html

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

Iodine: Do You Need This Essential Micronutrient?

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One essential trace element that not many people ever think about is iodine. Iodine is essential to many of the functions of your body, but many Australians are deficient in iodine. And not just Australians. In fact, it’s thought that up to 40% of the world population is getting insufficient iodine.

Iodine can be found throughout the organs of your body. Highest concentrations occur in the thyroid gland. It is also found in the ovaries, skin, saliva, breasts and gastric glands although it can be detected in every organ and tissue.

In the thyroid gland, iodine along with the minerals zinc and selenium is essential for the production of thyroid hormones, particularly thyroxin. These thyroid hormones directly control the body’s metabolic processes, which in turn have significant influence on many of the body’s organs and processes including heart rate and blood pressure.

When iodine levels are too low the thyroid cannot produce sufficient levels of hormones and you start to experience a range of symptoms such as lethargy, sleepiness, depression, intolerance to cold, dry skin, slow digestion, goiter, weight gain and slower mental faculties.

 

Health Benefits of Iodine

Iodine has many health benefits. It helps prevent the storage of excess calories as fat, assists in the removal of toxins and aids in the utilisation of other minerals. It strengthens the immune system and maintains healthy tissues throughout the body.

Iodine deficiency has been linked to goiter, hypothyroidism, obesity, cognitive impairment, heart disease, psychiatric disorders and cancer. It also causes impaired mental and physical development.

Addressing iodine deficiencies has been found to very effective in the treatment of goiter, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts, hypertension, obesity and diabetes.

Food Sources Of Iodine

It became apparent that more and more people were suffering from an iodine deficiency. So, in an attempt to address the growing problem selected foods were fortified with iodine, including basics like bread and milk. Since 2009 iodine has been added to bread, and prepackaged bread is required to list iodised salt as an ingredient.

Although iodine it is a fairly rare mineral it is present in a number of foods. The best sources are marine plants such as spirulina, seaweed like kelp, nori, dulse or kombu and shellfish. Make sure that any produce from the sea is harvested from uncominated waters.

While iodine is found in abundance in the sea it is not as prevalent in soil, and due to modern farming practices most soils contain extremely low levels of iodine, along with many other minerals vital for good health. This transfers to low levels of iodine in crop foods. Unfortunately, the amount of iodine found in foods is dependent on the amount there is in the soil

Baked potatoes are a great source of iodine. Some other vegetarian sources are eggs, milk, garlic, lima beans, swiss chard, sesame seeds, soybeans, turnip greens and spinach.

Before the 1970’s milk was one food that supplied most iodine to the diet. However, since the 1990’s the iodine present in milk has dropped to about half due to dairy processing changes.

Iodised salt has long provided many with their daily iodine. But with increased awareness of the relationship between high salt intake and hypertension and growing awareness of the problems with salt in all highly processed foods, consumption of this iodine source has declined significantly.

Himalayan Salt in moderation is a healthier alternative to conventional salt. Half a gram contains 250 micrograms of iodine, 150% of what the body requires each day.

To combat iodine deficiency dried seaweed is the food to head for. Just seven grams supplies 4,500 micrograms of iodine, 3000% of your daily requirement. Rather than having this much at one meal eat smaller quantities more frequently to maintain a regular supply.

Iodine Content of Specific Foods

Food                                              
(µg* per 100g)		 Iodine content
Oysters         160
Cod    99
Sushi (containing seaweed)  92
Tinned salmon    60
Bread (made with iodised salt)46
Steamed snapper     40
Prawn       35
Baked turkey breast        34
Navy beans (1/2 cup)  32
Plain yoghurt 31
Baked potato (1/2 medium)          30
Boiled eggs (2)   24
Cheddar cheese 23
Eggs  22
Ice cream    21
Chocolate milk   20
Tuna, canned   18
Canned corn   17
Flavoured yoghurt      16
Regular milk 13
Tinned tuna    10
Strawberries      10
Bread (no iodised salt)                     3
Beef, pork, lamb        <1.5
Tap water (level depends on site)  0.5-20.0
Apples, oranges, grapes, bananas  <0.5

* micrograms
Source: nutritionaustralia.org

Don’t forget that you may eat substantially less than 100grams of some of these foods. You need to consider just how much iodine there actually is in the food you are eating.

 

Effects of Low Iodine

Perhaps the most obvious, but least dangerous manifestation of iodine deficiency is goiter, a swelling of the thyroid gland which manifests as a swelling in the neck and around the larynx. Treating goiter with iodine during the first five years usually ensures that the thyroid doesn’t suffer permanent damage.

It’s well known that micronutrient deficiencies affect the development of intelligence and iodine deficiency can certainly do this. Inadequate iodine has a significant effect on cognitive function, affecting memory.

Although iodine is a major requirement for thyroid health, it also has other important functions including boosting the immune system, by increasing antioxidant activity.

Iodine is widely used to treat fibrocystic breast disease. In studies it’s been shown to shrink cancer cells when injected directly into the cells. It is essential in the prevention of thyroid cancer.

Iodine assists with flushing out chemical toxins including fluoride, lead and mercury.

Deficiency in children not only causes lower IQ but also creates issues with learning and concentration. It can be an ongoing issue when intake is too low.

Seaweed snack

 

Iodine for Reproductive Health

Iodine offers benefits to the reproductive organs. Fertility relies on sufficient levels initially as well as during pregnancy, to prevent miscarriage or stillbirth, and to prevent neurologic and cognitive conditions in the baby. Severe deficiency during pregnancy can lead to the following problems:

  • Miscarriage during the first trimester, or stillbirth
  • Gestational hytertension
  • Birth deformities
  • Neurological defects in the baby causing irreversible brain damage. These include cretinism, intellectual difficulties, hearing loss and speech difficulties, short stature, deaf mutism, dwarfism

Iodine passes into breast milk in large quantities and nursing mothers need to maintain their iodine intake to prevent iodine deficiency themselves.

 

Causes of Iodine Deficiency

There are a number of factors that can lead to iodine deficiency including:

  • Low amounts of iodine in the diet
  • Selenium deficiency
  • Pregnancy
  • Radiation exposure
  • Smoking tobacco
  • Alcohol
  • Oral contraceptives

 

Signs of Iodine Deficiency

Here are signs that could provide clues you’re not getting enough iodine. If you suffer from these symptoms consult your health care practitioner:

  • Dry mouth
  • Dry skin, reduced sweating
  • Hair loss
  • Reduced alertness, poor perception, lowered IQ
  • Fibromyalgia, pain, fibrosis
  • Scar tissue, nodules
  • Frustration
  • Depression
  • Abnormal weight gain
  • Reduced fertility
  • Constipation
  • Fatigue

Iodine Risks

 A word of caution for those living where fluoride is added to the water supply. There have been studies which question the validity of fluoridation of drinking water because there is a link between excess fluoride ingestion and thyroid disease. Thyroid disease increased where water was fluoridated as the fluoride inhibits the action of the iodine.

Iodine supplementation is one place where you can get too much of a good thing. There are potential risks to taking too much iodine. Doses over 2,000mg a day are dangerous especially if you have kidney ailments. Too much can easily lead to subclinical hypothyroidism, which is ironic when you consider that hypothyroidism is often linked to iodine deficiency. Sourcing iodine from foods may be preferable to taking supplements.

Iodine is one supplement where it’s essential to maintain a healthy balance between too little and too much.
Kelp is a rich source of iodine
Kelp is a rich source of iodine

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatments suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

Source Articles

 http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/iodine.htm
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/29/iodine-deficiency-risk.aspx
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-iodine.html
https://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2011/oct2011_The-Silent-Epidemic-of-Iodine-Deficiency_01.htm
http://bembu.com/iodine-rich-foods

 

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

Glorious Golden Health Benefits of Turmeric

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Curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric, is a very powerful antioxidant

Turmeric has enjoyed a revered status in India and China for thousands of years for its amazing healing benefits. In the Pacific the spice was also known and used by the Polynesians who carried it to Hawaii where it is still known as Olena. Recognized in the west as the yellow coloured ingredient in many curries, turmeric has long been used extensively in Asia to treat a wide range of medical conditions due to its strong anti-inflammatory effects.

The main beneficial component of turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is curcumin. Curcumin is a very powerful antioxidant, far more powerful than grape seed or pine bark extract. It can help reduce DNA and cell damage caused by dangerous free radicals in our body.

There are many who believe there’s a strong link between inflammation and chronic illness. Curcumin is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. These make it very effective for fighting heart disease, the pain of osteoarthritis and many other health problems associated with inflammation.

The effect of curcumin is particularly evident inside the colon where the result of its action is a quick turnover of cells. Damaged or mutated cells are destroyed quickly before they have the opportunity to spread through the body.

 

Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is one of the most researched natural remedies and there are numerous studies that validate its benefits. These studies have shown that turmeric may be useful to:

Prevent and Destroy Cancer Cells

Turmeric can help prevent breast, prostate, skin and colon cancer. Studies show that it can start a process of self-destruction in the cancer cells, destroying them before they have the chance to spread through the body.

Nine different studies all showed turmeric reduced the size of brain tumours. It also limits the growth of blood vessels in tumours, and can be used to ease the side effects, and boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

 Support Healthy Bones, Joints and Skeletal System

Turmeric supports healthy joint function and is a wonderfully effective remedy for arthritis, reducing the inflammation that leads to pain without side-effects. Studies show that turmeric is a natural pain-killer.

Maintain a Healthy Digestive system

Curcumin helps improve and balance your digestive system. It increases the flow of bile needed to break down dietary fat, which can relieve many gut and digestion problems.

Prevent Diabetes and Hyperglyceamia

The antioxidant agents in turmeric help reduce insulin resistance and may help prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. If blood sugar levels are already within the normal range turmeric helps maintain them.

Promote Heart Health

Turmeric supports healthy blood and your circulatory system. It reduces the risk of blood clots, and prevents buildup of plaque in the arteries, helping to reduce the risk of stroke and other blood clotting problems. It helps reduce bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol to maintain levels within the healthy range.

Slow Alzheimers and Support Memory Function

Studies have shown that the curcumin in turmeric can slow the progress of Alzheimer’s, as well as the progression of acquired brain injury.

Reduce the Symptoms of Asthma

Turmeric helps reduce the inflammation associated with asthma as well as reduce the symptoms. A teaspoon of turmeric added to warm milk before bed is a remedy for asthma you can try at home.

Depression

In Traditional Chinese Medicine turmeric is a long-standing treatment for depression.

Promote and Support the Immune System and Boost Immunity

Turmeric is an adaptogen that helps to support your body under stress and support the immune system.

Protect Against Liver Disease

Turmeric is a strong liver detoxifier, helping to remove toxins from the body and supporting and encouraging healthy blood and liver functions.

Help Promote Healthy Skin  

While neutralising free radicals that cause skin aging, turmeric also nourishes and cleanses your skin and helps maintain its elasticity.

The anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin can help heal cuts, wounds and other skin infections. Simply mix turmeric with water to form a paste and apply to the skin. It helps with restructuring the skin so may prevent scarring. When applied topically it helps the symptoms of psoriasis. It is a natural antiseptic and can also be used to treat burns.

Promote Weight loss

Turmeric helps to metabolise fats and provides a boost for the metabolism.

By reducing the activity of the cells that contribute to many diseases including insulin resistance, turmeric helps reduce the incidence of obesity-related disease and contributes to weight loss.

Slow Multiple Sclerosis

Turmeric slows the progression of Multiple Sclerosis

Other Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric supports overall eye health

It promotes a healthy female reproductive system

Turmeric assists your neurological system with a healthy response to stress

Recently it was reported that curcumin has antimalarial properties.

Research Into the Benefits of Turmeric

There are many studies into the effects of turmeric on a range of different health problems. This study from the University of Texas suggests that turmeric may halt the ability of cancer cells to grow.

Other studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin are at least equal to those of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The big difference of course is that turmeric doesn’t have the side-effects of the drugs. Nor does it leave toxic residue in the body.

Benefits of Turmeric for Arthritis

Turmeric shows an excellent ability to reduce inflammation throughout the body and thus positively affect many conditions. But perhaps the most significant impact of turmeric is in relieving symptoms of arthritic diseases, particularly Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is here it has the ability to make a significant difference.

A 2012 study comparing the efficacy of turmeric with the NSAID Voltaren showed curcumin to be more effective in relieving the symptoms of RA, including tenderness and joint swelling. The curcumin had no side effects, unlike the drug.

To gain the therapeutic effect for RA requires relatively high doses. Take it as capsules under the care of your Natural Health Practitioner to ensure you get sufficient turmeric to give you relief.

Make Turmeric Part of Your Wellness

Using unprocessed and organic powdered turmeric spice in your cooking is a simple and effective way to enhance and optimise your health. Even if you only have it sometimes your wellness will benefit.

But it can be difficult to rely on turmeric in food for therapeutic use. You need to take a significant amount every day. When you add the spice to meals it’s important to remember just how much you actually end up ingesting. Adding a teaspoon of turmeric to a dish made for a whole family means you will not be eating very much in the end.

Some of the health benefits of turmeric are lost through the cooking process. If you are in reasonable health adding the spice to food occasionally is beneficial. But if you have a health problem you need a high quality supplement on a regular basis to get enough turmeric to gain the benefit.

Don’t expect too much from turmeric selected from the spice section of your supermarket as it’s processed. Using turmeric therapeutically requires a pure, high-quality product. Buying organic herbs for therapeutic use is a better option.

Powdered Turmeric

If you prefer taking powdered turmeric it’s better to take a measured dose than rely on turmeric in meals. Here are a few guidelines.

  • Take one teaspoon twice a day (every day) with meals as a preventative for diabetes,
  • Adding one teaspoon of turmeric powder to a glass of warm milk before bed can help prevent inflammation. This is a good way to take turmeric as a treatment for asthma, colds or flu and general inflammation.
  • For arthritis you need take a turmeric supplement in order to get a sufficient quantity to relieve the symptoms.

Taking turmeric in capsule form is an easy way to ensure you are taking enough to treat your health problem. To ascertain the amount you require consult with a qualified Natural Health practitioner.

Turmeric, Nature’s Golden Gift

Turmeric is useful to improve general wellness and is impressive as an alternative natural anti-inflammatory.

But it shines most brightly as an impressive natural treatment for a wide range of specific health issues.

When cells are healthy the body is healthy. Turmeric supports and builds those healthy body cells.

Disclaimer.

All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue. 

© Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health, 2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

Conscious Mindset & Stress, Holistic Health & Natural Remedies, Self Care & Sleep

Stressed? Relax The Natural Way

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Stress has become such a permanent part of people’s lives that many stressors are now considered a normal part of everyday life or regarded as a necessary evil of modern life.

The world, and our place in it, has developed at an alarming pace. Although we’re still adapting to life on earth, it’s at a much, much slower rate than millions of years ago. Our bodies and our reactions are completely out of synch with our world. Our brains tell us stress is just part of living a modern life, but our bodies tell us the opposite. 

Stressors can be physical, such as illness or violence, extreme heat or even noisy neighbours. They can be caused by lifestyle practices, such as work stress, alcohol abuse or poor sleep habits. Or the stressors can be emotional, originating in your mind. These emotional responses can be the most complex and lead to the greatest impact on our health.

Ongoing chronic stress is now considered the number one hurdle to good health

Stress can have many widespread effects on the body. Sometimes anxiety develops as a result of ongoing stress. But the effects of even low-grade stress are significant.

These include:

  • Blood pressure increases
  • Muscles tense up
  • Breathing rate increases
  • Heart rate increases
  • Brain waves slow down

Of course these are all signs of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response kicking into action. This is fine in the short term but detrimental to your health when they are ongoing.

When stress is ongoing it leads to widespread problems through the whole body.
  • Weight Gain – Stress alters the way fat’s distributed in the body, depositing it around the midriff where it poses the most danger to health.
  • Faster Ageing – A study from the University of California found chronically stressed mothers aged faster. Another study linked prenatal exposure to the mother’s stress to accelerated ageing in the child.
  • Affects Brain Cells – A Stanford University study found brain cells shrink in the chronically stressed.
  • Serious Disease – Stress is known to increase free radicals incidence which leads to the development of serious chronic disease.

Recognising Stress

While anxiety is often the effect of stress, not everyone who’s stressed is anxious. People who suffer from stress often appear calm. So it’s important to recognise other body cues that occur when you’re stressed. If you learn to notice and recognise the signs in your body, you can take steps to reverse them.

Do you recognise or experience any of these signs that you are under stress?

  • Your neck gets tight and stiff and you develop a tension headache at the base of your skull.
  • Your shoulders and back tighten.
  • Your chest wall feels constricted. If you cross your arms to compensate it simply further constricts your breathing.
  • You get a feeling of a tight ball or knot in your belly.
  • Your jaw clenches, your forehead tightens, as do your lips.
  • Your fingers feel tight, your hands clench.
  • People looking at you can easily see your stress as your shoulders hunch, your head bows, your face is clenched and you may even seem to be wearing a defeated air.

You may even experience some more serious problems which include palpitations, stomach upsets, sleep problems, impotence, reduced sex drive, raised blood pressure or a stroke or heart attack.

Perhaps most importantly, stress has been shown to lead to an increase in free radicals throughout your body. Free radicals lead to inflammation and are now seen as the forerunner of serious chronic and autoimmune diseases such as cancer, SLE lupus, other autoimmune disorders, ageing, cataract, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Your De-Stress Tool Kit

While it can be virtually impossible to eliminate many ongoing, underlying stresses from your life, adopting some simple techniques to use in times of increased stress can help you feel better in moments.

When you actively reduce your stress response you also immediately effect the stress hormones released through your body. Having a few tools suitable for crisis control can restore your sense of wellbeing and help you cope in difficult situations.

Being able to reduce stress and anxiety without having to fall back on medications helps build your health in the long term.

Some techniques will work better for you than others so search out those that you find most effective. Try any technique you come across, even the esoteric ones, you can never be certain which will work best for you. Allow them all the benefit of the doubt and give them a fair try. It is likely you will need to combine more than one technique, so be on the watch for any improvement and don’t reject anything if it is only partially helpful, it will still be making some difference.

Learn the technique before you are caught in a difficult situation. Memorise it and practice it – you need to be able to use the skills automatically.

Most important, don’t give up – stress can make you restless and inclined to not stick it out.

There are many ways to manage the symptoms of stress. Acupressure, massage and diet are some of the better known. Flower essences and homeopathic remedies are excellent and very effective. Herbals are available in many forms. But there are also some simple techniques and practices that you can do wherever you happen to be, right in the moment you need help.

Simple Ways to Relieve Stress Naturally

Relax

When your muscles are tense you are often not even aware of it. Relaxing is a very basic and simple technique which will not only help you to release the tension but also bring you awareness of the state of your muscles.

Sit, stand or lie. Tense up one set of muscles in your leg or arms as tight as you can. You can even start with just your toe muscles to be more effective. Then let them go so they are quite limp. The contrast between the two states will show you what ‘relaxed’ actually feels like.

Concentrate on that feeling as you then tense and relax the other muscle groups in your body, your toes, feet, legs, buttocks, back, abdomen, hands, arms right through to your head. Pay particular attention to your jaw and forehead.

Breathe  

Before you begin, reassure yourself that consciously controlling your breathing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to control anxiety and stressful feelings, and to diminish the effect of stress on your body.

Find somewhere quiet, clear your mind and start breathing deeply into your abdomen. Place your hand on your belly, you should feel it rise and fall. Breathe slowly and don’t raise your shoulders.

If you struggle, breathe as you count backwards from fifty. Breathe in on ‘fifty’, out on forty-nine and so on. Keeping your mind focused on synchronising your breath with the numbers slows down your breathing and forces you to breathe deeper.

Ninety percent of people breathe inefficiently.

You can read more about the technique of deep breathing, and learn how to make effective breathing a normal, unconscious part of your life here “Breathe Deeply to Reduce Stress”.

Smile

Frowning triggers the release of stress hormones and smiling decreases them. In addition, smiling causes the release of endorphins, the chemicals that make you feel ‘oh-so-good’.

Stretch

Simple but very calming! Do it as slowly and gracefully as you can. There are three coordinated actions involved:

  • Controlling your breath
  • Raising your hands and arms
  • Stretching your whole body from toes to fingertips

Stand. Let your arms, wrist and fingers go limp. Bend your knees slightly, entwine your hands loosely and turn your palms upward.

Slowly breathe in. Raise your hands towards your mouth and start to straighten your legs.

Slowly breathe out, turn your palms outward and stretch your body. Slowly exhale totally, reach your arms up, face your palms to the ceiling. Stand on your toes.

Now reverse the action

Repeat at least five times, slowly. Take a few minutes afterwards to relax and do nothing.

Affirm

Your subconscious is a powerful force. Affirmations tap into your subconscious and are extremely effective if they are worded well and are used routinely.

Given the impact and complexity of emotional stresses, affirmations are a useful tool because your subconscious cannot tell the difference between what is real or what is not, it only ‘knows’ and directs according to what you tell it. If your thoughts are always that you can’t cope or you have no money, that’s what your subconscious believes and will direct accordingly.

The exact words you use form your affirmations are very important and can make or break the effectiveness of the affirmation. It is important that they become a regular part of your day and so the way you integrate them into your life needs to be considered.

Keep your statements in the present tense, as if they already exist. “I want to…” or “I can…” or “I will” relate to what you want to achieve and are not as powerful as “I am” or “I (do)” which relate to a state already in existence.

You will find useful guidelines to creating and using affirmations here.

It can be helpful to consult a practitioner to set up an affirmation technique that really works for you.

Visualise

If you are a visual person imagining a big screen showing a scene that you find calm can be useful.

Close your eyes and choose an image that reflects how you would like to feel, perhaps an idyllic tropical island or a peaceful waterfall.

Next imagine this image on a big screen in your mind.

Keeping your eyes closed examine the image, notice the golden sand, the gentle waves, the island in the distance.

When you see it clearly, step inside. See yourself in the scene as if you are really there. Notice what you are wearing, what you can hear, smell. Feel the sand, the breeze in your hair.

Once you feel you are really in the scene, reach for the ‘controls’ of the screen and turn up the volume and picture. As everything around you becomes brighter and louder and your physical feelings more intense, you become calm and relaxed almost immediately, as if you were really there.

Relax, keeping the calm with you.

Release

One of the most common symptoms of stress is a clenched jaw and clenched teeth. Releasing the jaw is a simple technique to release much of the tension of stress.

First become aware of the tension in your jaw. Clench tighter, then release it.

Lightly press your tongue against the roof of your mouth behind your teeth.

Part your lips slightly and feel your jaw relax.

Repeat several times a day.

Tap

The Emotional Freedom Technique, or tapping, is SO simple and SO effective. Anyone can teach themselves the basic routine and use it to create all types of changes. It can be very effective for creating calm.

It simply involves a routine of tapping on acupressure points in the body, while saying a set of statements. The process lodges any change in thinking within the subconscious. Changes occur with EFT extremely quickly.

Discover the basics of EFT, watch a demonstration and learn how to do the basic technique yourself right here. If you would like to learn more, many EFT practitioners run free information and demonstration sessions.

Eat

If all else fails eating small amounts of DARK chocolate helps calm anxiety. The theobromine in chocolate helps to elevate your mood and the tryptophan in dark chocolate improves your levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences mood and contributes to feelings of wellbeing.   Many people with anxiety are known to have low levels of serotonin.

Importantly, remember to first try out the techniques when you are feeling ok. Get to know them so you can move straight into doing them whenever you need, without having to think them through. If you struggle to remember what to do it will only add to your stress.

Do you have technique that you find really helps when you are feeling stressed? Leave a reply below and share it with us.

Stress and the inflammation that results are now seen as the forerunner of serious chronic and autoimmune diseases. It’s time to change that right now.

Disclaimer.

All information and opinions presented here are for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatment suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue. 

Source articles

Wilson, P. Instant Calm, Penguin, 1995

Hartley, A. Love The Life You Live, Hart Publishing, 2000

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies for Lactose Intolerance

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There’s an epidemic of food sensitivities surrounding us. Allergies to foods, food intolerances, or even just increased sensitivity have become more and more common right across the population. Food allergies aren’t so common, but food intolerances seem to be increasing at an alarming rate.

FOOD INTOLERANCE CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE

Unfortunately for many people, food intolerances are often misdiagnosed or even missed altogether.

Symptoms are often very diverse and can take anywhere up to days after eating to appear. This means often they’re not directly linked to the troublesome food. The delay makes it very difficult to pinpoint exactly what is the causing the problem.

In addition, the person may often be intolerant to more than one food. If it happens to be an ingredient that’s commonly found in many different foods, such as gluten or lactose, it may be near impossible to detect. Simply eliminating one food from the diet doesn’t stop the symptoms as the other problem foods still cause problems. When this happens it’s easy to assume the eliminated food is not the cause, when in fact it may be a PART of the cause.

Common allergy tests don’t detect food intolerances and the sufferer is often given a clean bill of health after testing, but continues to endure the debilitating symptoms.

Gluten sensitivity is also becoming very common and you can read about it here.

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Lactose intolerance is a condition where the person is unable to digest the sugar in milk (lactose) properly. It’s fairly common with estimates that about 65% of the world’s adult population have the condition to some extent. It’s not a dangerous condition but can be very unpleasant, even ruining the quality of life for the person.

Some people have the condition mildly only experiencing symptoms if they overload on dairy foods. Others have it severely with strong symptoms occurring with even the tiniest amount of dairy foods.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, stomach bloating, flatulence, and appear anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours, or rarely, even days after consuming the food.

The severity of symptoms depends on three things:

  • The amount of lactose consumed
  • The levels of the lactase enzyme present
  • The speed of gastric emptying – the faster the gut transit the worse the symptoms.

WHY LACTOSE INTOLERANCE OCCURS

People with lactose intolerance don’t produce enough lactase, an enzyme required for lactose metabolism.

Not everyone with lactase deficiency has lactose intolerance. The deficiency develops over a long period. Although it starts around two years of age most people don’t develop symptoms until adolescence or adulthood. It may also develop as the result of damage to the intestine through illness such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, severe diarrhea or chemotherapy.

It’s long been thought that lactose intolerance was entirely due to this enzyme lack in the gut. It’s now thought that low levels of good intestinal bacteria may also be the cause. In many instances low bacteria levels are the result of other problems or illnesses.

It is now thought that low levels of good intestinal bacteria may be the cause of lactose intolerance.

EAT RIGHT FOR LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

There are studies that show many of those with low lactase levels actually do absorb lactose in small amounts. These people don’t necessarily need to eliminate lactose entirely or to take extra foods or supplements to balance the gut to improve their symptoms. Rather they just need to cut back on the amount of dairy foods they consume.

For others the only way to get rid of symptoms for good is to adopt a dairy-free eating plan.

Dairy foods include all forms of cow’s milk, cheese, cream, ice-cream, butter, yoghurt, curds, and many foods made from these. It may include the milk products of goats, sheep and camels. It doesn’t include eggs. Here’s a comprehensive list of all dairy foods.

If the gut symptoms are due to an illness such as IBS eliminating dairy foods won’t give significant symptom relief.

Evidence shows that eating yoghurt, probiotics and kefir replaces certain gut bacteria which improves symptoms. This is certainly worthwhile but it doesn’t address the underlying cause of the problem.

LACTOSE FREE FOODS

There are many lactose-free foods now available. While soy milk previously was the standard replacment for milk there are now many others. Now coconut milk often replaces milk in a product. Rice milk, almond milk, oat milk and soy milk are others that are all lactose free.

There are many lactose-free oils to replace butter. Ghee is butter with the lactose skimmed out of it and is often an excellent substitute.

Some fruit sorbets have no added milk.

Read the labels on processed foods and you’ll find many lactose-free alternatives.

Words that indicate the presence of lactose include:  Milk, lactose, whey, curds, milk by-products, dry milk solids, non-fat milk powder, milk solids.

Lactose is also used in many prescription medicines, including birth control pills, over the counter medications and health supplements.

Some people can tolerate low-lactose foods made from goats or sheep milk. These foods have less lactose than those from cow’s milk.

Often our bodies know what’s not tolerated and let us know. When I stopped eating dairy I very quickly remembered I hated milk and cheese as a child and had only started eating them as an adult in response to peer pressure.

However, the opposite can just as easily occur. Many people who have strong cravings for creamy dairy foods or milk actually have an intolerance or allergy. If you experience either strong cravings or aversions it’s worth considering your tolerance of that food.

NATURAL WAYS TO REDUCE LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

There are a number of foods and supplements that help reduce unpleasant digestive symptoms caused by eating dairy foods.

Probiotics

Probiotic bacteria useful for lactose intolerance include Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and Streptococci. Bifidobacterium longum is very efficient at metabolizing lactose, although all three are capable of producing lactase to improve lactose digestion.

While probiotics are live strains of good bacteria, prebiotics are the nourishment these bacteria needs to stimulate growth. Taking prebiotics as well as probiotic supplements help to significantly build levels of good bacteria. Some foods containg inulin, the most common form of prebiotic, are asparagus, garlic, leek, onion, and artichoke.

Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV can be a very effective way to reduce, even eradicate, lactose intolerance. It helps to balance the body. Try one tablespoon in ½ to one full glass of water every morning. Adding ¼ teaspoon of bicarb soda (baking soda) to the ACV before adding the water seems to help. It takes several weeks to improve symptoms and you must be diligent and not skip a day.

Coconut Oil

Taking 1-2 teaspoons of virgin coconut oil daily may help reduce intolerance. Alternatively, use coconut milk as a milk replacement in many recipes.

Yoghurt

Even though yoghurt is a dairy product, a few spoonfuls of good quality, full fat yoghurt with each meal introduces beneficial bacteria to your gut. Many people with lactose intolerance can digest yoghurt because it contains live bacteria in it to help break down the lactose and improve digestion.

Fermented Products

Sauerkraut and kimchi are foods made from fermented cabbage that contain good bacteria which helps re-populate the gut and regulate the digestive system. Drink the juice of the sauerkraut as well as eating it. Kimchi is quite spicy. It takes a few weeks for the bacteria to build up to sufficient levels to reduce symptoms.

Lactase Enzyme Supplements

Lactase is an enzyme produced in the small intestine that breaks down lactose in the body. When a person doesn’t produce sufficient lactase they experience the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Lactase supplements are a small pill taken with foods containing lactose. They’re useful as a temporary measure or when you’re eating large quantities of dairy foods, but may not be so good for the long term. Some people become immune to lactase pills over time. Adding the enzymes to milk a few hours before drinking it helps break down the lactose. They’re available from health food stores

Sometimes you may not even be aware you’re eating dairy foods. I once watched a famous chef on TV divulge that the secret ingredient in his amazing clear chicken stock was cow’s milk.

One other problem with lactase supplements is that when the lactase arrives in the gut from another external source the body no longer needs to keep producing any lactase at all. You may very quickly go from producing some (if insufficient amounts) lactase to producing absolutely none.

Hard, aged cheeses have less lactose than soft cheeses.
Hard, aged cheeses have less lactose than soft cheeses.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

If you’re only slightly lactose intolerant  all you may need do is cut down the amount of dairy you eat. You may tolerate some dairy foods better than others and if you choose carefully you may feel better in ways you hadn’t really noticed were wrong before.

If your intolerance is a little more severe you could find adding fermented foods, apple cider vinegar or probiotics gives you huge improvements.

  • High fat milk is digested more easily than low-fat milk.
  • Hard, aged cheeses have less lactose than soft cheeses.
  • Butter is low in lactose.
  • Milk products containing live bacterial cultures are already partially digested and may be tolerated.
  • Eating good quality yogurt containing live culture 10-15 minutes before eating dairy products may help your symptoms.

To eliminate symptoms eating dairy-free is often the best choice. These days it’s not difficult as there are many alternatives, including soy and coconut. If you’re able to tolerate a little lactose, and most people can, add very small amounts of one of the more easily tolerated dairy foods to remind your gut to keep producing any lactase it can.

For many simply cutting back the amount of dairy products is enough to eliminate the symptoms. Drinking less milk every day, eating yoghurt instead of drinking milk, replacing cows cheese with goat’s cheese are just a few things you could do.

What have you found to be the best way to deal with your lactose intolerance?

dairy-cows-175309_640

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatments suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

Source articles

http://www.naturalnews.com/036379_food_intolerance_allergies_epidemic.html

http://www.bio-kult.com/research-technical/134/lactase-activity-of-probiotic-bacteria

http://earthclinic.com/CURES/lactose-intolerance.html

http://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-lactose-intolerance

http://natureheals.hubpages.com/hub/ways-to-cure-lactose-intolerance

http://jillgrimesmd.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/lactose-intolerance-chocolate-milkthe.html

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance

http://healing.answers.com/remedies/natural-remedy-treatments-for-lactose-intolerance

 

Holistic Health & Natural Remedies

Stevia, Kick Your Sugar Habit

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sugar

Kicking the sugar habit is easier said than done. For some people even making the decision to stop eating sugar is beyond thinking.

One of the biggest health pushes of 2013 was to encourage both us and food manufacturers to dramatically cut back the amount of sugar we consume. Suddenly it seemed that the finger was pointed squarely at sugar as the primary culprit behind one after another health problem.

We all know that too much sugar is bad for us. But most of us don’t really know why, or how much too much actually is. But it seems that many of us have now picked up on the message that it could be that ANY sugar is bad for us.

But actually removing sugar and sweet foods from your diet is another matter altogether. Only last week someone told me about their New Year resolutions and breaking their bad habits. “I really need to lose weight” she said “but I don’t think I’m quite ready to say good bye to sugar”. And therein lies the problem that the majority of Australians, and probably most other Westerners face. They love their sweet food and they know just how hard it is to say goodbye to it completely.

Add to this reluctance the fact that sugar is addictive, and the resolve to abstain dissolves.

Break the Sugar Addiction

The decision is not just about deciding to give up sugar. It is also about breaking the physical effects of sugar. As with any other addiction, sugar metabolism sets up a chemical reaction in the brain as well as the body. Within the brain, glucose from metabolised sugars causes a higher release of dopamine and opioids.

Dopamine is often called the ‘feel-good neurotransmitter’. But while it may make you feel good, the release of too much has many health consequences. Many addictive drugs including nicotine, cocaine and methamphetamine also cause increased levels of dopamine to be released in the same way that sugar does. The opioids released by sugar metabolism also make sugar hard to beat by playing a part in the withdrawal symptoms.

How Sugar Affects the Body

One health problem where sugar plays a part is ADHD. Although sugar is not thought to cause ADHD, it does raise levels of dopamine. Increased levels of dopamine have been shown to lead to high activity level and impulsive behaviour in the person. So it seems that when parents notice behavioural changes in their child after eating sugar, they may be seeing the dopamine effect.

During 2013 it was suggested that sugar should be included amongst the big three causes of high cholesterol. The other two being trans fats and stress. It was thought that saturated fat was the main cause of high cholesterol levels but the question is now whether it may be sugar instead. At present this remains a controversial topic.

Sugar and Illness

Here are some of the many illnesses that sugar is known to either cause or where it plays a significant role in aggravating the symptoms of illnesses:

  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Osteoporosis
  • Mineral depletion which interferes with the absorption of magnesium & calcium
  • Food allergies
  • Slows down your immune system
  • Increases your risk for cancer – as hypothesized by Dr Walberg
  • Heart disease
  • Behaviour problems, ADHD
  • Insulin resistance
  • Hypoglycaemia
  • Increased triglycerides
  • Reduces (HDL) high-density lipoproteins
  • Poor nutrition
  • Suppresses your immune system
  • Causes inflammation within the body
  • Causes a decline in tissue elasticity and function
  • Raises dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline levels and release
  • Leads to an acidic digestive tract
  • Arthritis
  • Learning disorders in children
  • Candida overgrowth

 For more from this impressive list of 143 Ways That Sugar Ruins Your Health check out this list from Nancy Appleton.

More Sugar Problems

Over time you become desensitised to sugar. The more you eat, the more effective your body becomes in absorbing it, and the more sugar you absorb the more damage it does. As well as becoming more sensitised to sugar you also become more sensitised to its toxic effects. But fortunately, this sensitisation to sugar can be reduced by taking a sugar holiday so you become less reactive to it. Even just two weeks off sugar can be effective.

 Sugar is an expert at masquerading and is excellent at hiding in the foods you are eating. It goes by many names but an easy way to identify many sugars is to read the ingredient panel and take note of any ingredients that end in “ose”. Dextrose, lactose, sucrose, glucose, maltose are all just different forms of sugar. When each of these is metabolised in your body they all end up as the same thing, and all have the same negative effect on your body.

Remember that natural sweeteners, although better for you than white cane sugar because they are not so processed, also all become the same thing in your body, blood sugar or glucose. If you want to cut back the amount of sugar in your blood you cannot just replace one type for the other.

How to Cut Back Sugar

The alternative is NOT to turn to artificial sweeteners. Diet soft drinks, artificially sweetened yoghurts, lo-cal, lo-joule or diet anything are definitely a poor alternative when they contain artificial chemical sweeteners.

The chemicals such as aspartame that are used to sweeten “diet” or low-sugar foods are linked to many health problems.

But there is one sweetening agent now readily available that is a good alternative to sugar, or to any other sweetener, and it is very safe.

That product is STEVIA.

Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia rebaudiuna is a herb that comes from Paraguay in South America, where it has been used for centuries as a sweetener and a health tonic by the Guarani people.

The leaves of Stevia are intensely sweet. This naturally sweet extract is in fact up to an amazing 300 times sweeter than cane sugar, so you only need to use a tiny amount of stevia.

The thing that makes the use of stevia so attractive and exciting is that it does not cause an increase in blood sugar levels, in spite of being so sweet. Stevia allows you to enjoy some sweet foods in your diet without the health or weight issues that are caused by cane sugar.

And stevia can be used in cooking.

Occasionally some people find stevia has a metallic aftertaste, but this seems to be related to the way the plant is processed. The plant leaves have no aftertaste. If you find this a problem try another brand of Stevia or use stevia liquid.

Be careful when you buy your Stevia because it is sometimes mixed with other sweeteners like aspartame. Read the label! Buy only pure Stevia. It’s just as important to read the ingredient panel on foods that are sweetened with Stevia as it is any other to make sure there are no other artificial chemical sweeteners added.

Crushed stevia leaves

Health Benefits of Stevia

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Provides sweetness without elevating blood glucose level
  • Research shows taking 1000mg a day of stevioside reduced blood sugarlevels after meals by up to 18 percent in people with type 2 diabetes.
  • Studies conducted at Mahidol University in Thailand showed stevia to have the following actions: Lowers blood pressure; anti-inflammatory; anti-tumour; anti-diarrhoeal; diuretic; immunomodulating

Currently further research is being conducted into the effects of stevia on diabetes.

So why not make the decision today to reduce your sugar and other sweetener intake and give stevia a go.

Have you tried stevia? Have you totally removed sugar and sweet food from your diet? Share your experience in the Leave a Reply section below.

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before following any of the treatments suggested on this site, particularly if you have an ongoing health issue.

© Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health, 2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

Source articles

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/stevia-the-holy-grail-of-sweeteners.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/106/4/523.full

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/october/cholesterol-myth-what-really-causes-heart-disease/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/

http://www.healthylife-healthyplanet.com/health-problems-caused-by-sugar.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2356674/Stevia-First-natural-sugar-substitute-help-fight-obesity-diabetes.html

http://owndoc.com/pdf/Stevia%20new%20rural%20industry.pdf