Health Tips

The festive holidays are generally a time when over eating and excess alcohol drinking occurs. If like me you feel like you need to kick start 2017 with a new healthy you then read on. You can actually put these health tips in place right now and feel the health benefits.

The impact that toxicity has on the body’s ability to lose body fat is two fold:

Firstly, toxins are a threat to our survival so as a way of ‘protecting’ itself the body stores the toxins in our fat cells. Therefore, the more toxicity you have in your body, the more body fat you will need to store for protection.

Secondly, the more toxins within your body fat stores, the less willing your body will be to burn or shed that stored fat as energy.

One of the simplest ways of supporting a cleansing process in the body is to drink a cup of hot water with half a lemon juice squeezed into it first thing in the morning.

Cut out the CRAP. Caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods reduce the impact that insulin and cortisol have on the body’s ability to lose weight.

Caffeine. Caffeine is a stress to the system and will cause the adrenal glands to release adrenalin into the system. This causes the body to release sugars into the blood stream (this is the flight or fight syndrome) and releases a rush of energy. In hunter gatherer societies this energy would have been used to catch dinner! With stress from coffee or sitting in traffic the sugars needed for the energy in relation to stress are no longer used, and so the body releases insulin to take the sugar out of the blood stream. It takes the sugars to the fat cells, where they are mixed with fatty acids and fixed as fats. Plus at the same time the body releases cortisol to reduce the adrenalin in the system.

The presence of cortisol and insulin together means that fat is laid down around the middle more readily than any other area of the body.   This fat around the mid-section of the body is a form of inflammation that releases its own hormones. The hormones released interfere with the production of leptin, the hormone that tells us we are full. Sadly the more fat around the middle the bigger the appetite! Plus these hormones can also disrupt insulin levels, leading to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and in some cases heart disease.

Refined Sugars. With all sugars comes the release of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that makes us fat. It fixes sugars in the fat cells, plus it stops the production of lipase, the fat burning hormone. By cutting out refined sugars the aim is to push insulin levels as low as possible. This will allow blood sugars to be more balanced and therefore maximise the fat burning opportunity.

Alcohol and Processed Foods. The majority of processed food has no value to the system at all. It is so over produced that there is little nutritional value. Plus the processing and storage phase often leaves the food full of extra toxins, putting a further stress on the system. Alcohol is a form of sugar, often full of toxins too. In addition, the cartons in which processed foods are stored have chemical coatings that are hormone disruptors and can increase hormonal problems such as PMT and menopause in females.

Start the day with protein to balance blood sugars

First thing in the morning the stomach is full of hydrochloric acid. HCA will break down protein molecules much more slowly than it breaks down carbohydrate molecules. By eating protein first thing in the morning the release of blood sugars into the system will be slow and sustained, thus keeping hunger feelings at bay throughout the morning.

A weetabix first thing in the morning often leads to a biscuit with coffee, because sugars are released too quickly into the blood stream first thing in the morning. This leads to peaks and troughs of blood sugars and snacking. If the first meal of the day is right, this will have a knock on effect to all the other choices that are made throughout the rest of the day, allowing blood sugars to be balanced and the right food choices made.

Everyone has a different metabolism and everyone responds to foods in different ways in terms of release of sugars into the blood stream. Becoming a food detective is key and working out the foods that work for each individual is key to balancing blood sugars.

Couple of things you should do regarding nutrition for effective fat loss. Liver health is very important. The liver performs over 500 vital functions.

Liver Functions:

• Processing digested food
• Controls fats, glucose, amino acids
• Combats infection and clear bacteria from blood
• Neutralises and destroys drugs/toxins
• Manufactures bile
• Stores iron, vitamins and other minerals
• Breaks down food to energy
• Regulates the sex hormones
• Makes enzymes and proteins

 

Causes of liver Issues:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• HRT
• Trans and Hydrogenated Fats
• Steroids
• Fertilisers
• Antibiotics

Symptoms:

• Constipation/bloating
• Asthma
• Nausea
• Headaches behind eyes
• Groggy in morning/chronic fatigue
• Sleeping issues
• Mood swings/PMT/Sex hormones
• Skin problems – eczema
• Weight loss issues

Important foods for the liver:

• Omega 3s – salmon, tuna, avocados
• Cabbage and broccoli
• Walnuts
• Lemons and limes
• Grains – not gluten
• Oils – flax, coconut, hemp
• Apples
• Green tea (decaf)
• Grapefruit
• Garlic