• Health/ Organic produce/ Sizzling Minerals/ Toxin free products

    Natural Skincare for over 40’s

    Natural Skincare

    Research of toxin free hair and skin care products has led me to a new regime of Natural Skin Care for the over 40’s that is based on various  oils and products to stimulate the collagen that starts to be lost around this age. A detour from my normal Posts but it is all about nourishment, inside and out.

    I am not going to list all the toxins that can be found in even expensive skin and hair care products other than to say that many are petrochemical in origin, some have been shown to be cancer causing and whatever you put on your skin can be absorbed into your body. Although I am talking about over 40’s skin care here I would urge everyone to look at the ingredients contained in babies and children’s products and reduce the exposure of your children and grandchildren to toxins as much as possible because they will be exposed to many more toxins than previous generations. Read More

  • Food intolerance/ Health/ Mineral Depletion/ Nutritional Medicine/ Sizzling Minerals/ Supplements/ Toxin free products

    Dietary Supplements – Effective?

    Effective Dietary Supplements

    Can Dietary Supplements be effective? Are they even necessary?

    Over the years I have must have spent thousands on Dietary Supplements in a quest to ‘feel better’; ‘have more energy’; ‘prevent disease’ or sometimes just to try out before recommending to my clients because whenever you read what certain nutrients can do for you it appears that you really need it – and of course, you do! BUT and it really is a big but, do you need a pill or supplement or might you already be getting enough in your food? My qualification is in Nutritional Medicine – using food and supplements to improve medical conditions. I read research papers all the time and follow developments in the field of nutrition, the microbiome and epigenetics ( the way food influences our genes) and it appears that even with a healthy, varied diet we are highly unlikely to achieve optimum nutrition. The World Health Organisation, UNICEF, The Soil Association and Government Research constantly confirms this. Most of us are not in a position to grow all our own organic fruit and vegetables and buy only organic meat, fish and eggs and with mineral depleted soil and increasing amounts of processed food in our diets we fall far short of what our bodies require to cope with our children’s healthy development or our modern lifestyles. Even if we can buy a huge variety of fruits and vegetables from around the World most will have been picked before they are ripe, sprayed, irradiated or travelled for weeks before getting to us – loosing their nutrients along the way. Read More

  • Health/ Healthy Food/ Nutritional Medicine/ Organic produce/ Toxin free products

    Dramatically Different Dietary Advice

    Natural fresh healthy food Gluten Free

    Brazil has been making the headlines with their new guidelines for the nations Nutrition. The advice from the Government is dramatically different dietary advice to any other Governments  in that they tell people to ignore advertisements as that is just marketing and not sound nutritional information. They also emphasise the social aspects of eating and that cooking and eating together is a large part of our humanity and development of our culture and civilisation. They encourage people to shop in places that offer a variety of natural or minimally processed foods, to eat produce locally grown and in season and whenever possible to buy organic, ecological based foods from the producers. If you would like to read their guidelines in more detail then Brazil’s 10 Steps to a Healthy diet can be seen here.

    Their four food categories are also very different and are as follows:-

    1. Natural or minimally processed foods – freshly made dishes and meals over ultra processed foods and drinks. These should form the bulk of the daily diet.
    2. Oils, fats, salt and sugar – the guide states that as long as these are used in moderation in preparing healthy food without making them nutritionally unbalanced.  This is probably the only area that I feel needs some clarifying for a healthy diet. I personally always stress that it is important to avoid processed fats and oils and to concentrate on healthier fats like butter, coconut oil and olive oil, to buy Celtic sea salt rather than processed salt and to avoid sugar as much as possible in favour of natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
    3. Processed foods – include foods like bread, cheeses, cured meats and pickles and these can be eaten in moderation.
    4. Ultra-processed foods – to be avoided or kept to an absolute minimum.

    So this guide is advocating a return to eating freshly prepared, home cooked meals and passing on the traditions of cooking and eating as a family as opposed to grabbing fast food on the go or ordering Pizza. It is great to see a Government taking this strong stance that goes way beyond normal Governmental dietary advice and against the massive Food Production Companies.

    How do we get back to eating this way?

    There are degrees of how much you might need to change depending on how you shop and eat now but the rules for change are the same – Read More

  • Environmental/ Health/ Healthy Food/ Mineral Depletion/ Nutrition and Cancer/ Organic produce/ Toxin free products

    Does ‘Organic’ mean Healthy?

    Does ‘Organic’ mean healthy? A good question as some people may see the word Organic on a product and assume that it is automatically a healthy choice when this may not be the case.  If you are looking to buy natural produce like meat, vegetables or fruit then to buy Organic is preferable for reasons I will discuss below but is organic sugar healthy or organic soy?

    This was highlighted for me this week when I read about a Lawsuit in the USA against an Organic Infant Formula that carries the USDA Organic logo because of 26 ingredients that the prosecutors claim should not be in Organic food. The USDA Organic seal means that at least 95% of the ingredients need to be organic. The list of ingredients on the Infant Formula are Water, Organic nonfat milk, Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Sugar, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Soy Oil, Organic Coconut Oil and then less than 0.5% of the remaining ingredients that may not all be desirable but mainly are made up of Vitamins, Minerals and Amino Acids necessary for human health and brain development. I admit that if Breastfeeding is not an option it is difficult to know what formula would be best for your baby but it is necessary to look beyond the ‘Organic’ label and research what you feel would be best for your baby. I would not want to feed mine Maltodetrin because it is a highly processed grain starch with a glycemic index of 130 (as opposed to sugar at 65), Soy oil as soy bean allergy is one of the more common food allergies as well as acting as a hormone disruptor, also babies should not be fed Non-fat milk as they need the the milk fat and cholesterol and the fat soluble vitamins that it contains.

    For more information on choosing good infant formula click here.

    Processed foods labelled Organic are still frequently highly processed and may contain high levels of sugar, highly processed grains or hydrogenated fats that are definitely not healthy. I would encouraged you to read even more labels on food! Do not assume that anything from face cream to energy bars are good for you just because they are ‘Organic’. On the other hand I believe it is important to buy Organic fresh produce as much as you possibly can.

    Why you should eat Organic and support Organic farming for the good of your health and for the good of Planet Earth.

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    Farming has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Soils have become devoid of nutrients and life and crops are grown continuously for high yield with the addition of artificial fertilisers that frequently contain only 3 minerals NPK, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides the use of hybridised crops or GMO, genetically modified crops.

    Healthy soil is a living entity containing earthworms, centipedes, beetles, microbes, a good complement of the 90+ minerals, air and moisture. Researchers are increasing recognising that the health of our own human microbiome in our gut is essential to good health our health is dependant on the quality of the plants we eat and the optimization of the soil microbiome. It is the soil we need to feed and nurture not just the plants.

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    Organic Farming develops healthy soil by rotating crops, using compost, manure and green crops such as clover that are ploughed back in and have the benefit of reducing soil erosion from wind and rain and nutrient loss by secreting sugars and enzymes back into the soil.

    • Organic Farming standards differ worldwide but generally feature practices that promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity with Synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilisers not allowed.
    • Organically approved pesticides may be used under certain limited conditions.
    • A study in 2014 showed that Organically grown crops contained 17% higher polyphenols (antioxidants that work in the body to enhance health and to reduce inflammation in complex ways) 69% higher Flavanones (which have an effect in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurogenative diseases like Alzheimer’s and improving bone health).
    • Pesticide residue was found in 7% of Organic samples and 38% in non-organic samples. 4x the amount.
    • Organic meat production requires that animals should only be fed certified organic food with no animal by-products, not given hormones and that antibiotics are only used when necessary.
    • Organic chicken has higher levels of healthy Omega3 fatty acids.

    Demand for Organic products has been growing and is up by more than 170% since 2002 and is currently growing by 15-20% a year and yet you will probably be surprised to learn that only 3.8% in the UK and 3.9% of land overall in Europe is Organically farmed. Land generally has to be farmed with Organic methods for at least three years before it can be classified as Organic. In the last year there has been a Worldwide awareness and outcry against the use of chemicals and pesticides that have been shown to impact our health.

    You might like to watch this Glyphosate Is Spreading Like A Cancer Across the U.S.

    So will you make more effort

    to Buy Organic?

    Grow your own?

    Visit Farmers Markets?

    Protest against the use of dangerous chemicals in our food chain?

    Just demand better, healthier food?

    I really hope so for our health and the health of our beautiful planet.

     

  • Big Green Smile.com/ Health/ Nutritional Medicine/ Supplements/ Toxin free products

    10 WAYS TO HELP YOUR LIVER

    10 WAYS TO HELP YOUR LIVER

    1. EAT PLENTY OF COLOURFUL VEGETABLES – especially lots green vegetables; broccoli; cauliflower; cabbage; spinach; kale; bok choy and fresh herbs. Beetroot; baby beet leaves; carrots; bell peppers; & chard. All help detoxify and provide antioxidants and minerals.
    2. ENJOY GOOD, UNPROCESSED FATS and OILS – Avocados; eggs; Olive oil; Coconut oil & grass fed butter/ghee. These are clean fats not changed by chemical processing or from over heating.
    3. ENOUGH GOOD SOLUBLE FIBRE – vegetables and fruits; seeds like sunflower, chia & flax; oats and beans.
    4. HAVE HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN – in moderate amounts, fish; seafood and meat.
    5. SPICE UP YOUR FOOD – Turmeric/Curcumin can be added to foods, soups and smoothies as it is anti-inflammatory and helps the bile flow.
    6. DRINK PLENTY OF SPRING OR FILTERED WATER – especially after alcohol and if you drink alcohol stick within safe limits and have with or after food. Start the day with warm water with a slice of lemon or lime.
    7. DON’T EAT TOO LATE as the liver needs to regenerate and detox for about 10-12 hours.
    8. HELP YOUR BODY DETOX in other ways, to take the strain off the Liver. Saunas, Steam rooms, lymphatic massage, exercise and rebounding.
    9. REDUCE TOXINS entering your body. Try to buy Organic wherever possible, avoid plastic food and drink storage, use safe cleaning products and safe air-fresheners, use toxic free skin creams, shampoo, conditioner.
    10. SUPPLEMENT with good Vitamin B complex, Selenium, Vitamin C and E. If you have chronic health problems you might also need L-Glutathione, N Acetyl Cysteine and Alpha Lipoic Acid. Silymarin (Milk Thistle) helps to detoxify and heal the Liver.