Category Archives: Diet

September 17, 2018

BRAIN FOOD.

There’s some promising evidence that suggests a heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diet could cut your risk of developing problems with memory and thinking.

The diet is balanced with an emphasis on fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish, with limited consumption of meat, sugar and saturated fat.

Try the MIND way of eating. This diet, developed to help brain function, combines the Mediterranean diet and the blood pressure-lowering DASH diet. It’s packed with vitamin E, which may protect against plaques in the brain; omega 3, which could improve brain cells’ ability to communicate; and vitamin B, to help prevent memory loss.

Base your meals on these to give your brain the nutrients it needs:

  • Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale
  • Other veg, such as red peppers, squash, carrots and broccoli
  • Nuts
  • Berries
  • Beans, lentils and soybeans
  • Wholegrains
  • Seafood
  • Poultry
  • Olive oil – in fact studies have suggested that the antioxidant found in olive oil could reduce plaque formation that is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
August 17, 2018

FIVE THINGS EVERYONE OVER 40 SHOULD DO.

Have an MOT
Early detection of any health condition increases the chance of a cure, so have a health check for ‘hidden’ problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and glucose intolerance that don’t produce obvious symptoms.

Watch the booze
Alcohol contributes to anxiety and depression, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, weight gain and liver disease. You can assess if you are drinking too much at drinkaware.co.uk.

Cut back on salt
Salt contributes to the age-related increase in blood pressure. Avoid salty foods, don’t add salt at the table, and check labels to select products that have low salt/sodium content.

Cut back on sugar
Excessive sugar intakes are linked with weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, stroke, dementia and some cancers. Public Health England suggests adults should have no more than 30g free sugars (7 sugar cubes) per day. Wean yourself off of sweet foods, and check labels to find products with the lowest sugar content.

Track yourself
The amount of physical activity carried out by middle-aged men in particular, is worrying low. Only 20% do light-to-moderate exercise, and 60% are totally inactive. Use an activity tracker or pedometer to monitor how much exercise you’re doing.

June 18, 2018

AMAZING BRAZIL NUTS.

Research has shown that a single serving of 4 brazil nuts almost immediately improved cholesterol levels compared with people who ate no nuts at all.

Levels of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol were 20 points lower just 9 hours after a meal containing brazil nuts. But beware, these nuts can be high in selenium, don’t regularly eat more than 1 or 2 on a daily basis.

June 4, 2018

HEALTH MYTH #6: GLUTEN IS BAD FOR YOU.

Although this is a common belief, for most people there’s no evidence to suggest gluten does them harm.

People who eat gluten-free may feel better due to other changes in their diet. They often eat more veg and adopt a more varied diet.

Try switching up your carbs, rather than ban them completely. For example have oats for breakfast, have a sandwich for lunch then quinoa or rice for dinner.

May 21, 2018

CUT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE – WITH FLAXSEEDS.

High blood pressure is the number-one risk factor for death and disability worldwide. It puts strain on your heart, can damage sensitive blood vessels in the eyes and kidneys and can cause bleeding in the brain.

It is now widely accepted that increased blood pressure isn’t just a natural result of ageing, but rather it can remain stable throughout life, or even decrease after middle-age.

Commonly prescribed medication can reduce the risk of heart attack by 15% and the risk of stroke by about 25%. But in a recent study, three portions of whole grains a day were shown to help people achieve the same benefit without taking pills.

People who consumed a few spoonfuls of flaxseeds every day for six months lowered their blood pressure to a degree that could be expected to result in 46% fewer strokes and 29% fewer instances of heart disease over time. It is 2-3 times more effective at lowering blood pressure than exercise (not that you shouldn’t do both).

Sprinkle a spoonful over cereal, soups, salads and stews everyday.

May 4, 2018

HEALTH MYTH #5: RAW IS BEST.

The theory of raw eating is that cooking destroys enzymes and nutrients in food. In fact, some foods actually release more nutrients when they are cooked.

Therefore it is best to eat a good mix of both cooked and raw foods.

April 16, 2018

CAFFEINE – THE TRUTH.

Filtering out the biggest caffeine-related myths:

  1. Caffeine doesn’t cause dehydration. It’s a mild diuretic and can make you need to urinate but the fluid content tends to offset the effects of losses.
  2. Caffeine isn’t bad for your health…in moderation. Sticking to 400mg a day has no lasting damage on the body.
  3. Caffeine does not aid weight loss. The only way to increase your metabolism is by building more muscle and exercising.
  4. Caffeine is not addictive. Like shopping or watching tv, it is habit-forming rather than addictive.
  5. Caffeine does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or raise cholesterol levels. You may notice a slight raise in blood pressure if you are sensitive to caffeine, though.
April 2, 2018

HEALTH MYTH #4: FRESH JUICE BEATS FRUIT.

Juice and smoothies are seen as a good way to get a lot of nutrients in one go. However, when you juice a fruit, you remove the fibre.

Juices also have a lot of free sugars, which are high in calories.

You don’t need to ban juice, but just stick to the recommended daily intake of 150ml. Get the rest of your nutrients from whole fruit and veg.

March 5, 2018

HEALTH MYTH #3: FAT MAKES YOU FAT.

Ounce for ounce, fat has more calories than any other nutrient, so it has been long shunned by dieters. But we just need to know which fats to eat.

Try to eat sources of unsaturated fat, which don’t raise cholesterol – such as oily fish, avocados and nuts – and keep portions small.

February 2, 2018

HEALTH MYTH #2: AVOID EGGS.

 

When it was discovered that cholesterol raised the risk of heart disease, it was thought that eating foods high in cholesterol would increase the levels in our body.

Over the years science has disproved this notion and has in fact found that people who eat two eggs a day as part of a 12-week calorie-controlled diet actually saw their cholesterol levels fall.

So, if you like eggs, eat them!