Category: Vitamins

Posted on by

Food Choices for Weight Loss: What Can Work for You?

What foods work with a healthier lifestyle in Canada? Foods That Help with Weight Loss

If you want to manage your weight, consider reducing your calorie intake. However, be cautious about going too low, as it can negatively impact your health. Instead, focus on healthier foods, a more effective weight loss approach. Read on to discover some foods that can aid in your weight loss journey. If you’ve ever thought about the best food choices for weight loss, then this article will set you on the right route.

The Role of Food in Weight Loss

Certain foods can positively influence your hunger hormones. Protein, for example, can help you feel full for an extended period. If you exercise regularly, it’s essential to include ample protein in your diet to replenish and support muscle growth. Dietary fibre slows digestion, leading to a gradual increase in blood glucose levels and a slower insulin release. This results in a longer-lasting feeling of fullness, preventing overeating and reducing overall calorie intake.

On the other hand, ultra-processed foods, which lack nutrients and fibre, are quickly digested. Consuming these foods causes a rapid spike in blood glucose levels, triggering a swift insulin release. Insulin works to clear glucose from your bloodstream rapidly, causing most of the calories from these processed foods to be stored in your fat cells.

Foods that Aid in Weight Loss

Eggs 

Eggs are highly nutrient-dense and rich in protein and healthy fats, helping you stay satiated longer. They also contain nearly every essential vitamin and some minerals.

Lean Protein 

Meats like chicken, turkey, and lean beef help keep you full, reduce cravings, and stabilize blood sugar. Plant-based protein sources like beans, legumes, and lentils offer similar benefits and are fibre-rich.

Avocados 

Although avocados are calorie-dense, they are packed with nutrients and fibre that contribute to a feeling of fullness, making them a valuable addition to your diet.

Salmon

Salmon is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, a type of heart-healthy fat that can reduce inflammation and support brain health. Fish, in general, can help you stay satisfied and full longer than other proteins like eggs and beef.

Vegetables 

Vegetables are among the best foods for weight loss. Choices like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage are high in fibre and vitamins, aiding in reducing digestive issues. Dark green leafy vegetables provide protein and are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

In Summary – The right food choices for weight loss

Numerous foods can support your weight loss journey. Opting for a balanced diet that includes adequate protein and fibre is a significant step toward healthy weight loss. These foods are easy to incorporate into your daily meals. Begin by making small dietary changes and becoming more mindful of your eating habits. 

Try a food intolerance test today to identify the right food choices to begin your weight loss journey.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Turmeric For Joint Pain

Joint Pain

Turmeric in food is the most common way many are consuming the spice which can be found in India, Asia and Central America. But some take supplements in capsules, add it to massage oils, add it to smoothies, or drink tea containing Turmeric.

Joint Paint & Turmeric

The health benefits of Turmeric are widely researched, and it is predominantly used to aid the reduction in inflammation. Therefore, most sufferers of joint pain are encouraged to add Turmeric into their daily routine, with many seeing improvement after just a couple of weeks.

Other ailments have been treated with Turmeric in Ayurvedic medicine historically, such as, fatigue, breathing problems, rheumatism and pain relief. Ayurvedic medicine is over 3000 years old and is one of the oldest Indian alternative holistic healing systems.

Turmeric is part of the Zingiberaceae family, as is Ginger, and is regularly named as the most effective nutritional supplement available. This is due to its content of bioactive compounds with medicinal properties and anti-inflammatory qualities. In fact, anyone with a Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis would do well to include a Turmeric supplement into their diet. Adding it into your diet would always help, but it would be difficult to meet the recommend volume of Curcumin (the active ingredient in Turmeric) to make a difference to you. To feel significant effects, it would be best to take a supplement with high levels of Curcumin.

In fact, in several studies undertaken with patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, the Turmeric supplements were more effective than the usual anti-inflammatory drug and patients noticed a distinct improvement in their pain levels.

More Benefits

Turmeric is also fat soluble and can be better absorbed into the system when consumed with foods containing high levels of fat, like avocado, nuts and seeds.

Oxidative stress has been linked with premature ageing and lack of elasticity in the skin, involving free radicals which can be detrimental to health by reacting with fatty acids, DNA and proteins.

Turmeric and the levels of Curcumin it contains is known to boost the body’s antioxidant enzymes blocking free radicals, in turn protecting the system.

This links in with the belief that Turmeric may be used in the prevention of the development of Alzheimer’s. As Alzheimer’s is also linked to the oxidative stress put on the ageing process, it makes sense given the studies conducted to prove that Turmeric can boost the ani-oxidant ability of the body.

This is significant as there is no known cure for the disease yet, and the ability to prevent its development in the first instance could be a real breakthrough for medicine. There just has not been enough research done into this to put these ideas into practice.

As with all significant changes to your diet, you should consult a doctor before adding large amounts of Turmeric into your daily routine.

Excessive Turmeric consumption can lead to some side effects with the digestive system and can cause issues with anyone using blood thinning medication as it can interfere with it.

Ultimately, Turmeric can have some incredibly positive results for anyone with joint pain and inflammation.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Zinc & The Immune System

Zinc

Zinc is widely known to help armour our immune system, but cannot be produced by the human body, we must obtain this from what we consume.

Zinc deficiency is rare in our society but can be prevalent in developing countries. It can also affect anyone with a poor diet, gastrointestinal diseases, those with alcohol abuse, eating disorders or strict vegetarians or vegans as they are less likely to be getting the required amount of Zinc into their system.

Zinc deficiency has also been seen in pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, sufferers of sickle cell anaemia and those with chronic kidney disease. Symptoms include loss of taste and smell, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, hair loss and apathy.

The effect on the immune system can be severe and is why many people who fall under these categories have the tendency to fall ill more regularly.

Zinc is required for the following functions

  • • Protein synthesis
  • • DNA synthesis
  • • Gene expression
  • • Enzymatic reactions
  • • Cell growth and division
  • • Wound healing and skin health

In fact, Zinc is present in every cell in the body and is the second most abundant mineral, behind iron.

Zinc and Foods

Many foods do not contain significant amounts of zinc, so manufacturers add synthetic zinc to meet recommended amounts. This includes products such as, breakfast cereals, baking flour and snack bars. Naturally occurring zinc is present in whole grains, dairy products, poultry, beans, red meat, legumes, nuts, eggs, kale, asparagus, peas, mushrooms and oysters.

Due to its immune boosting qualities, Zinc has been vastly used to treat the common cold, and as a result can be found in lozenges, nasal sprays and other natural cold treatments. A combination of Zinc and Vitamin C is great for optimal aid of the immune system.

Goodness in Moderation

But taking Zinc in excessive amounts can have unpleasant side effects so it is always recommended to consult your doctor should you be considering this. It can also interfere with other medications like antibiotics and birth control.

Side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, leaky gut, excess gas, loss of appetite and stomach cramps are the most common, and high amounts of Zinc can affect your body’s ability to absorb copper and iron. The recommended daily dose of Zinc is 11mg for men and 8mg for women but no more than 40mg. Avoid Zinc Oxide as it is poorly absorbed, if taking Zinc in supplemental form, source some Zinc Citrate or Zinc Gluconate.

In fact, many products on the market combine Zinc and Magnesium as Magnesium aids your body’s ability to absorb Zinc more efficiently.

There have been several studies which have shown there are benefits of Zinc supplementation on infectious diseases in humans. In double-blind placebo-controlled trials, Zinc reduced the likelihood of experiencing diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children.

Sickle cell anaemia patients taking Zinc supplements, in a placebo-controlled trial, experienced decreased incidences of pneumonia, tonsillitis, and urinary tract infections.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Vitamin D and Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Vitamin d

Historically, Vitamin D has been great for support of immune function and protection against respiratory illnesses, so the big question is, can it prevent the contraction of the Coronavirus?

In simple terms, maybe. Not very helpful I know, but if there was even a 1% chance of it having a positive effect on your immune system, then don’t you think it’s worth a try?

We all know that the body’s first line of defence when contracting an illness is the Immune System. When trying to keep yourself healthy and virus free, Vitamin D is up there with the top minerals and vitamins for support of this very system. This is because Vitamin D enhances the functions of cells, like T-cells and macrophages which protect your body against pathogens.

In fact, it has been known that Vitamin D deficiency has led to higher susceptibility of immune related conditions, diseases, infections and decreased lung function. These include Tuberculosis, COPD, Asthma, viral and bacterial respiratory infections. Although we call it a vitamin, Vitamin D is in fact a hormone we create in our body.

Obviously, the best way to steer clear of COVID-19 is by following the government guidelines by staying home, following social distancing measures and continuing with vigorous hand washing routines, but studies have shown that an increase in your Vitamin D intake can have immune system stabilising qualities. Including recommended vitamins and minerals in your diet, be that food or supplement will ensure your defences are fighting fit should you catch the Coronavirus, and give you a much better chance of getting back to optimal health.

The best way to ensure you’re getting enough Vitamin D is to get out in the sunshine! During the autumn and winter months we may need to take a good quality supplement to absorb the correct levels, but when the opportunity arises, go and be outdoors. It comes from the ultraviolet rays from the sun, so it is important to be safe and wear sunscreen whenever you’re exposed to UV. There are many foods you can incorporate into your diet to keep your levels of Vitamin D high too, such as:

  • Oily fish like sardines, salmon, trout, herring, pilchards, eel and kippers
  • Cod liver oil supplements, but must not be taken if you are pregnant
  • Egg yolk, offal, meat and milk contain small amounts of Vitamin D
  • Some yoghurts, breakfast cereals, margarine and infant formula have added Vitamin D

To ensure calcium can be absorbed into your bones and the cells it is needed, Vitamin D must be present. This is why Vitamin D deficiency can be a contributing factor to the development of rickets and osteomalacia.

People with darker skin tones – those of Asian, African, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern descent – can find it more difficult to absorb Vitamin D from the sun, so it is advised they take the recommended daily dose of Vitamin D in supplement form as well as maintaining a mineral rich diet. This will armour your immune system against the Coronavirus.

So, though it may not boost the immune system as such, it can only have a positive impact on your health if you ensure you take the correct dose of Vitamin D during these turbulent times.