We all like our ‘comfort’ foods, especially when we are feeling stressed. You know the kind I mean - fast food, big meals, takeout, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we all find some comfort in a tasty meal and a bottle of beer or glass of wine when we stress out or get upset about something.
There is nothing wrong with that in moderation; however, it’s not a good permanent solution.
When you are turning to what you regard as unhealthy foods you can feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse. If your body is not getting the right nutrition, you will feel less energetic, more lethargic, and sometimes unable to concentrate and focus. What does that lead to? YES - even more stress.

Stress-less foods
If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s important to know which foods to choose and which to avoid when it comes to redressing stress and helping you to deal with feelings of anxiety.
With food and nutrition, the best way to stress-less is to have a healthy, balanced diet, which includes each of the different food groups.
Filling up on foods such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins as the basic staples of your diet is the best way to ensure your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When choosing the foods to eat, remember many have a range of magnificent properties that help the body redress stress. Choosing stress-less foods will help to heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.
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Some of the best stress-less foods include:

• Avocado – Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit that you can eat in a range of different ways whether you enjoy it raw, made into sauces, dressings and dips, or in a smoothie. These nutrient-dense fruits have the properties to stress-proof your body, thanks to their high glutathione content, which specifically blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage. Avocados also contain higher levels of vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene than any other fruit, which boosts their stress-less properties. 
• Blueberries – If you’re feeling stressed out and reaching for the snacks, swapping chocolate or chips for one of the best superfoods is a great way to help you deal with your stress levels and achieve a higher level of calm. Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanin. This berry has links to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind – all of which can help you stress-less.
• Chamomile Tea – Of course, it’s not all about what you’re eating, what you’re drinking can also ease or increase the stress you’re feeling. Drinking liquids high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks or soda, can increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. Chamomile tea is a natural bedtime soother, and clinical trials have determined that chamomile is effective in reducing the symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder.
• Chocolate – Although it’s usually seen as an unhealthy treat, there is an undeniable link between chocolate and our mood. Studies have shown that eating chocolate can actually make you happier. However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every time you’re stressed out – chocolate helps you stress-less when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Dark chocolate particularly is best for you, as it contains more flavonols and polyphenols, two hugely important antioxidants that can help redress stress, more than many fruit juices.
• Beef – Grass-fed beef is not only kinder to the planet and to animals; it is good for people too. Grass-fed beef has a huge range of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vitamin C and E, which can help your body to stress-less. If you are looking for more reasons to spend a little more money on organic, grass-fed beef, it is also lower in fat than grain-fed beef whilst being higher in omega-3.
• Oatmeal – Oatmeal can be a filling comfort food, but also has many healthy properties to make you feel better from the inside out. A complex carbohydrate, oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and stress-less. Studies have shown that kids who choose oatmeal for breakfast have a tendency to be much sharper throughout the morning in school compared to kids who had alternative breakfasts.
• Walnuts – If you are looking for a healthy snacking option that will help you stay in control of your stress levels, walnuts are a superb choice. Walnuts have a sweet, pleasant flavour and are a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part of a desert. A versatile nut, walnuts are great for salads, or add them to a sweet treat such as coffee and walnut cake.
• Pistachios – another great snacking food that helps to redress stress and anxiety in the long term is pistachios. Did you know, simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular constriction during stress, which puts less pressure on your heart by dilating your arteries. Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act of shelling pistachios can actually be quite therapeutic.
• Green Leafy Vegetables – leafy, green vegetables should be a pivotal part of everyone´s diet. Along with helping you to stress-less, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants, which help to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energised. Dark leafy greens, for example spinach, are especially good for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin - a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making leafy greens a part of your diet will help you feel happier and stress-less.
• Fermented foods – eating fermented foods like yogurt can help to keep your gut healthy, improve your mental health, and reduce stress levels. The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods have a direct effect on your brain chemistry and transmit positive mood and behaviour regulating signals to your brain via the vagus nerve.

Plan to stress-less
Planning your meals wisely is the key to  staying physically fit and healthy, mentally strong, and being able to stress-less. It really helps to know the foods to avoid and the foods that are best to reach for as snacks when you are feeling worried and anxious. 
During stress it can be tempting to eat classic ‘comfort foods’ – these are usually foods high in sugar, very starchy, or greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel temporarily better, they will  make you feel worse in the long run.
Stress-less snacks include:

• fresh berries
• dark chocolate
• yogurt
• walnuts
• pistachios
• fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways to stress-less.
When you are dealing with worry or anxiety leading to stress, it is a good idea to make sure you have a selection of stress-less foods in your kitchen. Making sure that your meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables will not only make you feel healthier overall, it will improve your mental health and stress levels, too.

An example of a healthy, stress-less menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries / fruit smoothie with avocado and berries
Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit /handful of pistachio nuts
Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy greens
Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate
Dinner: Grass-fed beef with vegetables
Before bed: Chamomile tea
 
There is a saying – “you are what you eat”.
Make sure you are filling yourself up with foods that are good for your mental health.
Everything in moderation - and balance is the key! Stress-less!

Find out how to Redress Stress in 5 easy steps here....

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​So you feel sick and / or have no appetite. Why?
What is your body telling you and are you listening?
When we understand why we feel like this it makes it easier to deal with.
It is very simple. 
There are 2 main processes that use a huge amount of energy in the body.... self-healing / regeneration and digestion.
When we are un-well or have an injury or are pregnant (ladies) our body requires all the energy that it can get to get back to balance. While we still need nutrition, this comes second to the need to heal or regenerate. This explains why the nausea / loss of appetite generally comes in waves, to give us the opportunity to provide the nutrition required while not interfering with the body's most urgent needs.

So what can you do to help and feel better?
Find out the cause and treat if needed.
Drink plenty of water...stay hydrated.
Eat food that is easily digestible and when your body signals that it needs it. i.e. in between the waves of nausea or when you feel hungry. 

Here are some suggestions to consider -
Avoid pre-prepared / packaged processed foods. 
Eat fresh foods and organic when possible. 

​Steamed Vegetables - Most vegetables are rich in fiber, but steaming them until they become soft will reduce the amount of indigestible fiber in them. The good thing is that steaming will not affect the mineral and vitamin content of vegetables. 

Juicing - You can process vegetables and fruits in a juicing machine to get rid of fiber and feed your body with all the nutrients. Blended smoothies will make your vegetables and fruits even more digestible, but they may still contain fiber. 

Nuts - Most all types of seeds and nuts are great for easy digestion. The reason for this is that these foods contain lots of omega 3 fatty acids as well as natural types of oils that also give the digestive system a boost. Nuts and seeds are considered to be in the top 10 of easy to digest foods.
Smoothies
Bananas
Avocados
Oatmeal
Eggs
Yogurt
Chicken breast
Salmon

FOODS TO AVOID OR EAT IN MODERATION.

1. Raw vegetables and fruits
2. Beef
3. Greasy foods
4. Spicy foods
5. High fat foods
6. Sodas, coffee, tea

Depending on the cause of the nausea / loss of appetite your body will require different nutrition please seek advice from a nutritional adviser if you can.  

​​If you would like further information please feel free  to contact me here...

More info http://everyhomeremedy.com/easy-to-digest-foods/

Calling all dieters....hear ye! hear ye! 
So you want to lose weight.

You have tried all the diets, starved yourself exercised until you ache all over and it´s just not working.

or...

You managed the diet , exercised, looking great however struggling to keep to what you feel is your ideal weight.

The reason?

What you believe about dieting and how to lose weight is arse about face as we say in Scotland.
​
​Successful dieting is not about losing the excess fat, it´s about keeping it off. 
Diets, no matter what kind, don´t work. As soon as you come off the diet the weight starts piling on again, and it´s harder to shift this time around. That´s why most diets are referred to as the yo-yo diet. 

This is the BIGGY - diets are NOT a long term solution to weight control.

                  As always I like to KISS - Keep It Super Simple 

In order to lose weight and keep your ideal weight you need to first of all 

• hydrate your body
• oxygenate your body
• RELAX!

All of the above will balance the body´s intrinsic nutrition which is essential to be able to process what we put into it.
Then and this is what we need to look at arse about face.......

• maintain a balanced blood sugar
• eat a balanced diet ( that word balance again)
• do not skip meals
• light exercise

By balancing your blood sugar and stabilizing it you will  impact your body on a level most diets don’t even consider
In general the only people that think about their blood sugar are people who have been diagnosed as diabetic, however, this is the key to successful weight loss and control.

Your body is constantly striving for balance, when any system is out of balance it results in dis - ease and your health suffers. Every illness and disease is simply an imbalance in the body. Find the imbalance, correct it and we restore health.
Excess weight is an imbalance in the body. 

Your blood sugar level is the amount of glucose, from what you eat, that’s circulating in your bloodstream to provide energy to cells immediately or be stored for future use. 
When we eat, our body converts carbohydrates into glucose, this is how we get our energy. When our blood sugar levels rise the body produces a hormone called insulin in order to allow the glucose to enter your cells and give you energy. 
Interestingly stress causes glucose to be released and insulin to be suppressed.
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Insulin and weight gain​
When  glucose is able to enter your cells then glucose levels in your blood drop. The higher your blood sugar , the more insulin you produce.  Glucose that your body cells do not  use accumulates as fat. If you have too much insulin circulating it will also hinder the body´s ability to break down fat. So as you can see increased blood sugar leads to increased insulin production.
Ironically, not getting enough sugar can also lead to putting on extra pounds! 
Eating too little glucose can lead to a low blood sugar level, causing your body to go into “starvation mode” and then it will burn your lean muscle instead of the fat .  

So how do we do this using the KISS method?

1. Make sure you drink enough good water daily.
Are you hungry or thirsty? Quite often when we feel hungry the body is actually thirsty.
Water helps the body metabolize stored fat, rid the body of waste (as in unwanted fat and toxins), and is a natural diuretic and a natural laxative.
The way to tell if you are hydrated enough is how often you have to pee and whether your urine is clear with no strong smell. If you do not have to pee every 1 - 1.5 hours during the day and your urine is concentrated and smells then you need to drink more water. What simpler way could the body have to tell us we are dehydrated. How many of us listen!

2. Maintain a healthy acid/alkaline balance in the body.
This can be done with diet. 

3. Get to know your body and how your eating and stress levels affect your blood glucose. 
Avoid eating white flour products , eat more fruit, vegetables, nuts and berries.( these all help to burn fat and maintain blood glucose levels) Avoid drinking soda, replace with carbonated water if you need the bubbles!

4. MOVE
​You do not have to suddenly become the most frequent visitor at the gym. Take a walk, stretch and bend, whatever you are doing do it consciously and exaggerate the movement a little. 

5. Relax!
The biggest hurdle people face when they are focusing on their weight is , they are focusing on losing weight which "stresses" them and makes it more difficult. Change the focus = lose the weight!

The above is meant to give you an oversight into how easy it can be to maintain your natural body weight. It does not have to be difficult and it is not about depriving yourself. If you would like more details contact me for a chat!

Since the beginning of time the wise ones have known that food is medicine. 
Many people today do not think about what they eat in this way.

Our body cannot thrive or survive without balance. Our body will do whatever it takes to maintain balance, it will take whatever nutrients it requires from the body´s own stores, it will oxygenate the vital organs before the hair, nails and skin and it will compensate for physical imbalance of the skeleton. 

The most vital balance in the body is the acid / alkaline balance also known as PH balance. 
Our blood PH has a very small range of between 7.35 - 7.45.  

                        OUR BODY PH BALANCE IS VITAL TO OUR LIFE and OUR HEALTH !

An imbalance in the body´s PH may lead to serious health issues such as:
Heart problems
Weight gain / loss
Chronic fatigue
Cancer
Arthritis
Diabetes
Immune problems
Colds
and many more 
........and, if left unchecked eventually death. 

Research has proven that disease CANNOT SURVIVE in an alkaline environment, however it THRIVES in an acidic environment. 
We all have different nutritional requirements, however if out blood is not alkaline, we will become unwell. 

There are 2 types of nutrition that we have to look at : 

• Intrinsic nutrition - this is how our cells receive and process nutrition and release toxins.
• Extrinsic nutrition  - this is what we eat and drink. 

If our intrinsic nutrition is not working efficiently our diet is ineffective. You can eat and drink a "healthy" diet however if the body is unable to get the nutrients to the cells and the cells are unable to process it you are wasting your time. 


In order for our intrinsic nutrition to function it requires :

• Oxygenation of the cells
  
• Hydration of the body
• Body PH balance
• Relaxation of the cells 
• Skeletal balance

                                          ALL of the above are easy to achieve.


      If you are interested in reaching and maintaining your optimum health contact me NOW!