The Sun - Friend or Foe?
For years we have been told by the medical establishment, the cosmetic industry and now by the climate change aficionados that the sun is dangerous, that exposure to it causes skin cancer and we should wear sunscreen all day every day, no matter what.
How Our Beliefs Shape Our Behaviour
It will come as no surprise that a good health span depends on our developing healthy habits throughout our lives. When it comes to changing our habits, an area of focus for coaches in general and health coaches in particular, we come up against the conflict between knowledge and beliefs. Dr. Chestnut uses the example of the doughnut and the apple. People know the doughnut is bad and they know the apple is better, but in their subconscious belief systems, they believe it’s better to have the doughnut, often for reasons of pleasure, reward and early life conditioning.
The Fats We Eat
There is almost no topic that has caused more controversy over the last 50 odd years than the topic of dietary fat. There are the low-fat proponents, the high-fat proponents and those in between.
Inflammatory Food
Some of the biggest health problems the developed world faces today are obesity, coronary heart disease and auto-immune diseases. We may be living longer lives, but we appear to be getting sicker. There are many reasons for this, one of the obvious ones is the food we consume. Never before in human history have we eaten so much nutrient-poor, calorie-dense, highly inflammatory food as we ingest today. Two of the biggest culprits are industrial seed oils the so-called “vegetable oils” and refined carbohydrates in the form of various types of flour, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juices, soda drinks, etc. These two offenders are often packaged together in the plethora of processed and convenience foods available to the average consumer.
Nitric Oxide - Why Is It Important?
In a time when we are living in the shadow of a virulent viral illness, we all need as much help as we can get to strengthen our immunity and fortify our bodies. In comes Nitric Oxide (NO) - a molecule that is produced in the endothelial lining of our blood vessels including the paranasal sinuses, and radically reduces cardio-vascular disease. It tells the cardio-vascular system how to operate and communicates with other organ tissue.
Is Juicing Good for Weight Loss?
Go to any trendy hub these days and you will find plenty of cold-pressed juices to tempt you. The question is what role, if any, does a glass of fruit and vegetable juice have in a weight loss or weight maintenance diet?
Salt of the Earth
Many languages have words and expressions that indicate how much we treasure salt. Good people are called “salt of the earth”, a person who works hard is “worth his salt”, even the word salad (salata = salted) comes from “herba salata” indicating that raw vegetables were traditionally served with a salty dressing.
Nourishment in Pregnancy
However, it is not only excessive weight gain that should concern us, because eating in pregnancy is no different from eating at other times in our lives, it should always be about good nutrition for you and your baby. If you are planning a pregnancy or find out that you are pregnant already, here are a few guidelines to ensure that by the end of your pregnancy both you and your child are well-nourished and thriving.
Know your onions (and garlic)!
My three months on a low-FODMAP diet to combat SIBO taught me that it is possible to live without onions and garlic, but only just!
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food (Hippocrates)
You only have to look at the face of a baby who is introduced to a bitter food to know that it is an acquired taste!
As we grow and mature, we lose taste buds and are able to tolerate bitter plants safely in small quantities. Yet in today’s industrialised food scene, even adults baulk at bitter flavours and prefer the ubiquitous sweet and salty foods that have been designed to stimulate our palettes and make us eat more. We put sugar and milk in our coffee, we eat low cacao, high sugar and milk chocolate, we eschew grapefruit and citrus peel, and hate radicchio, radish and endive. Many even dislike the bitterness of olive oil. Somehow beer, although bitter, seems to be well tolerated, possibly because of its alcoholic side effects.
Is Counting Calories the Answer to Weight Loss?
A while ago I was talking with a medical doctor friend of mine about my approach to food. He admitted that he had a weakness for ice-cream and cake. He also mentioned that he is always hungry. I said that I wasn’t surprised, given that he was eating a great deal of sugar. He retorted that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie! In other words, the body is a kind of combustion engine. Put fuel in (i.e. calories - any calories), expend enough energy (calories out) and voilà - you reach the perfect equilibrium.
The benefits of soaking grains
One Friday night dinner my daughter-in-law told me that she had terrible stomach pains when she last ate quinoa. I asked her whether she had soaked it before cooking, as I too had suffered when I ate unsoaked quinoa. As she had not, she was willing to give it another try. The happy face that greeted me the next morning meant that she did not suffer stabbing pains this time round.
Live to eat or eat to live?
Have you ever pondered that question? I have! And I know without a doubt that my answer is the former… I live to eat. Eating is one of the greatest passions of my life.
An Ode to Olive Oil
It is no surprise that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is known as the queen of oils and liquid gold. I am in love with it. If there is an essential ingredient in the kitchen, it ranks as number one. Why is olive oil so wonderful?