Author: Julia Keller

If you’re already pregnant or trying to conceive, you’ve probably read the research already that states that you should cut down on drinking alcohol. Well new research is coming to light suggesting that women start cutting down on their coffee addiction as well.

In fact recent research has given much more strict guidelines both on drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages and on alcohol. Alcohol as we well know has been linked to fetal alcohol syndrome, infant mortality, early termination, stillbirth, infant brain and birth defects and other serious health issues.

Now drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages, such as colas, strong black tea (and evening eating a lot of chocolate) is also being linked to many serious issues including stillbirth, miscarriage, low birth weight and gestational diabetes. Apparently the new guidelines state that women who are trying to conceive should also reduce their alcohol and caffeinated beverage intake.

How much coffee and alcohol is okay when you’re pregnant? Well apparently no coffee and no alcohol is being recommended to them according to new research. Yep that’s none at all… especially in the first trimester when the infant is the most vulnerable. Both coffee and alcohol have been linked with early miscarriage, so may be something for women who have suffered miscarriages or who have struggled to conceive to consider cutting out.

Research already exists stating that mothers should refrain from drinking especially in the first trimester. However, as women don’t always know when they’re pregnant as a nutritional therapist, I would advise woman to refrain from drinking even when they’re trying to conceive especially if they’re struggling with conception as alcohol can lead to miscarriage and other issues in becoming pregnant. New research coming to light now about caffeine maybe almost as risky as drinking alcohol and women are recommended to start quitting their coffee addiction as soon as they are considering getting pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

Both coffee and alcohol drank during the first trimester of pregnancy are especially dangerous for the new baby and can lead to many complications and potential birth defects and brain development issues later on in the child’s life.

If you’re trying to conceive and you’re hoping for a conception to happen soon, shouldn’t you be considering your body is your temple and you want to plough your fields well in order to allow that new seed to be born and to grow into a healthy child?

That ploughing and preparing of your system begins the day you think about getting pregnant. That includes making sure that you have a good diet so that you are delivering the right nutrients to your growing infant. That preparation begins before the child is in your system. It includes also ensuring that you’re taking in the right vitamins to provide nourishment to your growing fetus. It also means exercising in order to make sure that your body can carry the infant in the healthiest way possible and that you will have the best birth possible when it’s time for your child to be born. Preparing your body begins way before that child is conceived. It begins the moment that you are thinking about conception. Because there are so many intricacies of how to ensure that your child is healthy and that you conceive easily and well, it might be helpful to talk to an expert.

If you’d like to book a free call to discuss how to prepare yourself for the best conception, to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child, book a free car with me

HERE.

Last week in my interview with Ayshe and Arusha we spoke about how the pandemic has changed their lives, in a way that was unexpected. Since Ayshe, Arusha and I all studied Nutrition together a lot of our attention was given to nutrition and its‘ effects on stress and stress management. It was especially interesting to speak with them because in this time of Covid-induces isolation they underwent Ramadan: a fasting period which thrives on community interaction. If you want to listen to their stories, and hear some inspiring tips and insights, you can watch the interview here.

This week I want to pick up on the phrase that surfaced in our conversation “Food is medicine”. Hippocrates, one very well-known naturopathic doctor from centuries ago said “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. More often than not, food is associated with pleasure or with calories and weight gain, depending on where we are in the moment. Well although food can definitely be very pleasurable, it is also the basis of what can keep us well or can make us sick (think of over-indulgence and high calorie, low nutrient foods).

However, beyond the pleasure aspect, food is also our body’s natural fuel. It is our source of energy and source of wellbeing. The key, however, is to learn to naturally divert from harmful foods that simply taste good (but later make us feel bad or that cause unknown harm to our bodies) and lean towards foods that are healthy and good for us.

It is really not surprising that many of the spiritual practices have called the body our temple and have stressed the importance of loving one’s body. How you treat your body as a huge effect on your health, and a big part of treating your body well is eating well… which is, I have to admit, a life-long journey. Your body changes from day to day, from season to season, and its’ needs fluctuate. By simply accepting that food does wonders to you, by observing yourself after each meal and how you feel from one hour up to 3 days after (yes 3 days!) you will understand its’ effects. Hence food can make you, but wrong food can literarily break you. Bad eating habits very slowly but surely mess with your endocrine system, your blood circulation, your posture, your muscle consistency and your mood.

So what foods should you stay away from? Well foods that are CRAP for a start! That’s carbonated sugared beverages, refined foods and sugars, artificial foods & sweeteners and processed foods. These foods not only are normally rich in calories and low in nutrition, they actually sap your energy over time, cause addiction, are more difficult for your liver to process, cause weight gain over time, make your body feel bad and sluggish and wreck havoc on your body’s biodiversity of good vs bad bacteria as well as your mood and mental health.

So what should you be eating then? Well, for a start: whole grains, fresh unrefined unprocessed foods, particularly plant foods, healthy fats and oils (oily fish, olive oil, avocados, nuts…).The healthiest, happiest populations eat foods that include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains (that doesn’t mean most bread and pasta by the way, which is normally processed), fresh fish, lentils, beans, soy, fermented foods… Stay tuned for coming newsletters that take you further through what foods help your body and your mind keeping you healthier, happier and more youthful long term.

Can’t wait until the next newsletter? Book a free call with me here

It’s amazing how many things have changed since corona virus has become a part of our reality. Plans are constantly changing and 2 weeks is probably the maximum of time ahead we can plan ahead for, if even that. Flights are constantly being cancelled, as country regulations change constantly. We are warned about a possibility of a second wave and an abrupt return of lockdown measures wherever we are. So how do we cope in a plan-free world?

In this week’s interview, talk with two wonderful women: Aysha and Arusha, who very wisely point out that one of the positive outcomes of covid 19 has been exactly the feeling of letting go of the infinite attempts to control one’s life. Can it really be that the key to happiness in uncertain times (as this pandemic certainly has been) is just to let go? Perhaps, metaphysically speaking, my guests have a point when they say that the universe sent us this strange lesson on how to slow down and become watchers for a change, instead of active, constant, neurotic doers.

During this pandemic, both Ayshe and Arusha underwent Ramadan, maintained their careers, healthy families and positive outlooks of the future. One of the commonalities that both women share is that they have maintained strong ties to their community. On the one hand, we are unlucky to have fallen in this slither of time to experience the pandemic, but on the other hand, in no previous pandemics has the world been so connected as today, thanks to technology. Some may say over-connected even, but it is this connection that has allowed us to maintain ties to friends, family, work and community despite strict rules of no contact.

Although attending meetings online certainly comes with its own set of issues and sometimes requires great patience, it also allows us to maintain community ties while staying safe and healthy. Therefore, its seems that people who have had strong ties to the community, have managed to stay the healthiest and even benefit from the pandemic of 2020.

Watch these amazing women give you three tips each on how to keep going forward in times of crisis, which are beyond our control.

In my previous newsletter, in the interview with Dr. Priya Virmani and Dr. Bonnie Schneider, we spoke about the practices of psychologists to help with mental health. As Nutritional Therapists, we also have to consider mental health as it can have a significant effect on health overall. We also now know that nutrition has a significant effect on mental health in many ways.

In fact, in the process of my research into depression for my last paper, I discovered many research studies that demonstrate the significant effect that nutrition has on depression and mental health overall. Additionally, both exercising and spending time in nature have been linked with improved mental health. The link between physical health and mental health is becoming more and more recognised in both directions: while mental health significantly affects physical health (with those who are living with mental health disorders suffering a significant increase in mortality), how we take care of our physical body also can significantly affect mental health (ie: poor nutrition, poor sleep, poor lifestyle all being causes of mental health issues).

Unfortunately, however, not all traditional Psychiatrists are recognising the importance of lifestyle and diet changes in improving mental health. With the sad rise of mental health issues during the Coronavirus pandemic, and even overall year on year, it’s becoming more important than ever for Nutritional Therapists and mental health experts to work together to bridge the gap that still exists and leaves many just as badly off after trying different medications as they were before medicating. This is why it makes me especially happy to when I get the oportunity to work with people like Dr. Priya Virmani, Dr. Bonnie Schneider, Ruth Carter and others who focus on mental health. In fact, I started my own journey with mental health (studying Psychology in University and then Coaching many years later) before realising the importance of nutritional health to help patients who were unable to be helped by focusing on mental health alone.

So what does our gut have to do with mental health? Well with the advent of much research throughout the years, we know that the balance of microbes in our gut can have a significant affect on our mental health as well as health overall. However, this link is not something recently discovered. In fact, Egyptians used to call the gut a “second brain”, a term that recently resurfaced and has been adopted by modern day scientists and Nutritional Therapists.

An especially interesting link has been found between the levels of probiotics in your gut and your mental heath. Much research has been dedicated towards finding specific bacteria, which lives in our gut and which might be responsible for our mental health. You can read more here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190213124350.htm.

Here is a great quote from the article: “Dr. Michael Gershon, a professor of pathology and cell biology and father of neurogastroenterology, adamantly believes that we have a second brain in our gut. In fact, he states there is bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. With more than 100 million nerve cells lining our intestinal walls, it’s no wonder that when we disrupt the bacteria in this region with antibiotics, poor diet and toxic environment, it creates a neuropsychiatric effect influencing our mood and mental health.”

However science is still predominantly focused on specification of bacteria, as oposed to thinking more broadly: what might be causing this specific bacteria to appear in your gut in the first place or what might be causing probiotic depletion in a body which has been very clever over several thousands of years in reaching this stage. The attention once again is geared towards inventing a medicine – solving a problem by popping one pill, when if fact, that very same approach is the cause of many health related and especially mental problems in the first place.

Therefore, now that it has been proven that the gut has a significant effect on mental health, perhaps it is time to work on tackling mental health issues more holistically, meaning that instead of coming up with a pill to cure the gut, we should really think about the diet and lifestyle issues causing the problems in the first place. We should consider the processes that happen in our bodies when certain foods or chemicals are ingested. For example, what really happens chemically when we persistently eat from McDonald’s, drink that processed soft drink or eat that processed food that depletes the good bacteria in our gut allowing it to fill with bad bacteria instead and leading to a breakdown in both physical health (ie: immunity) and mental health.

Conversely, we should also become more aware of how more lasting positive change can occur through means of self analysis, mindfulness, meditation, exercise, adequate sleep and time spent in nature. Remember that big changes in life and health are built on little victories. Instead of setting yourself difficult to achieve goals like losing 15 kg in two months, start instead with little victories. Remember that building a fortress takes small steps first of constructing bricks, putting them on top of each other, etc: our little victories. Therefore, taking a pill, is not a victory. It’s an act that has little meaning to us – we are so detached from the process that we do not really respect it. A little victory can be simply getting up an hour earlier in the morning in order to make time to exercise, going to bed an hour earlier each night instead of staying up watching tv, giving up one particular food or a drink that’s bad for your health, taking one coffee off your daily intake etc. Once one step is achieved and practiced, the next will be greeted with much more motivation.

Small changes like adding regular exercise, eliminating processed foods and drinks, adding fruits and vegetables in ample amounts, sleeping better and longer, spending time in nature and meditating regularly can make significant differences to gut health overall thereby helping with mental and physical health and improving immunity.

Last week you were able to tune into my interview with Psychotherapist, Bonnie Schneider, who, in her very insightful manner, portrayed negative thoughts as little monsters who just really need a hug. What a great way of explaining the core of the problem! Indeed, these little monsters – the negative thoughts – often overestimated in our personal realities, in true reality are simply little parts of us which have trouble communicating with us and are trying to tell us something about ourselves but in a very unhealthy way that, rather than helping us, makes us worse.

The problem is that the negative thoughts are there for a reason, but though that reason may be valid, the negative thoughts themselves don’t serve us. There is a very fine line between negative thinking and depression. And there is also a very serious link between depression, low mood and even simply just chronic negativity and inflammation overall and reduced immunity. Unfortunately, what starts as negative thinking can often end up manifesting (maybe not right away and maybe only in many years or even decades) into physical health issues like diabetes, autoimmune disease and even cancer and heart disease. Recently, quite a lot of research on mood has even centred on the connection between the gut and the brain, called the gut-brain axis. Apparently, the way we think can affect the mix of microbes in our gut. If the mix is as it should be, the microbes in our gut help us to produce key vitamins we need, such as vitamin K and short chain fatty acids, among others. But if the mix gets out of whack, meaning too much negative bacteria allowed in and positive bacteria not keeping balance, we could end up compromising our immunity. Probiotics and prebiotic-rich foods will help of course, but there is no substitute for the effects of our thoughts and our emotions on our health.

Often our negative thoughts may reflect truisms about ourselves that we don’t like and ideally would like to change. Sometimes they are voices from our past from a critical parent, perhaps (making us feel we’re not good enough), or from friends who stopped being friends and wanted to hurt us (making us feel put down and hurt), or even from peers who made us feel badly about ourselves for who we were at the time (telling us we’re ugly or fat or stupid or worthless in some way).

Sometimes those negative thoughts drove us to proactively change who we were to become the better person we are today: maybe we were embarrassed about carrying extra weight, so we got fit. Or maybe we were ashamed of not being good enough at school, so we studied harder. Or perhaps we were embarrassed of our poor upbringing, so we worked really hard and became big successes. In this way, the negative voices were useful to empower us to improve. Hence, they should go away when we’re now the person we supposedly wanted to become. But what if they don’t?

What happens if the negative thoughts have done their job but they still stick around like little gremlins coming to bother us just when we think we can finally let ourselves enjoy the fruits of our labour? Or, worse, what if the negative thoughts are just negative thoughts that rather than forcing us to get better, instead keep us trapped in an existence where we feel not good enough, not attractive enough, not smart enough, not worthy enough for love… or whatever our personal gremlins may be. In other words, what if our negative thoughts suffocate us so much that we instead give into them and start to believe the inferior image they brew of us?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the positive effect that keeping a personal diary can have on mental health. This week I want to tackle the problem of dealing with negative thoughts. The tool, unlike a diary, but possibly in combination with one, is a mental one I call a reframe. The ability to listen to your negative thoughts and then to reframe your perspective into one of understanding and motivation, is a way to tackle them and to change negativity into proactivity and then to positivity.

Book a free 30 minute call with me here and let me here.

Many of you might have noticed the scary mental health statistics recently. Both depression and suicide rates have been creeping up during the Coronavirus pandemic and domestic violence rates are through the roof. This isn’t exactly a good thing for long-term longevity.

Mental health issues have long been correlated with physical health issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and generalised inflammation. Even cancer and autoimmune diseases are often underpinned with previous episodes of low mood, stress, anxiety and other mental health problems.

Because of the clear correlation between mental health and physical health, I’ve made it my mission for the next few months to focus on mental health and how it underpins health in general. In these next few months, I will be speaking to experts in various areas of mental health as well as with regular people who have managed to make the best of not so great situations to improve their own health and happiness.

I’ve also spoken to many people who gained weight, became depressed, are anxious every morning about what life will now bring, have lost their sex drive (in fact I was on Talk Radio last week speaking about this topic) and have generally seen a reduction in their health overall. It’s easy in times of crisis to get bogged down by the negative details of life. It’s true that we are now in very uncertain times. The economy is struggling and there are so many people on the edge of losing their jobs that it can hurt your soul to focus on it, not to mention feel you with fear, boredom, anxiety and depression. But if you give into these negative emotions for very long, unfortunately what comes next is a too rapid downward spiral that leads you to a path that can compromise both your happiness and your health.

If you have any questions on how to work towards better health during this crisis, please book a free 30 minute call with Julia here.

Whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate has been a hot debate for many years. Now with the search for a vaccine against Covid-19, and governments trying to pass laws making vaccination mandatory, this debate has grown even louder with more people taking sides.
I’m bringing you a strong voice of the anti-vaccination side now. Watch the video to see some interesting controversies around some of the more common vaccines most children are given.

Then listen for the link to more fascinating information about this debate. You can also find this week’s positive news article.

Need some help with matters of health, book a free call with me here:  https://WellnessSession.as.me/

Warmest regards,

Julia Keller 

With the advent of Corona comes also the question of how to best protect ourselves from the virus. Recently an interesting debate has been happening: the one about whether masks actually help us to stay safe or not.

Well, in order to answer that question, I decided to conduct my own research. Unfortunately with all of the answers that I found, I actually found more questions as it seems that the answer of whether masks actually protect us from Covid-19 has experts on both sides just as strongly supporting their own point of view.
One thing for sure, the countries that have responded to the pandemic with asking residents to wear masks everytime they go out are among the lowest in incidences. Some governments have now made statements suggesting that citizens wear masks when heading out into public. But even this is not conclusive as these same countries with the lowest incidences were also just quicker to respond to this new danger. There are also those who say that masks stop the spread but only because those wearing the masks aren’t spreading the disease. So that if all of the residents of that country are wearing masks then the ones who are sick unknowingly aren’t spreading the virus.

Considering the debate, I decided to interview a friend who’s on the side of pro masks in this debate. Have a watch of our live interview and also of her video of how to make your own masks from scratch (no sewing machine required). Then have a look at how I make my scarf into a temporary mask when heading to the park.

Here is a video from a wonderful KKHaris: how to make masks from scratch!

Now that the Corona virus lockdown is entering an easement phase throughout Europe and Asia, I think it’s a good time to reflect on what we have learned and what I have personally learned during this time of isolation.

The biggest lesson for me was that it is possible to have a completely different kind of life: one that is significantly more simple and not so full of going out, restaurants/cafes (though I miss them terribly) and constantly being on the go. Personally, I have never cooked so much in my life in such a short space time. And I’m happy to report that I’m not just starting to get much better at it (my own preference being Mediterranean diet style healthy cooking that’s also tasty) but I’m also starting to enjoy it. I’m still not sure that there are enough hours in a day, days a week and weeks a year to have enough time to finish all of the things that I want to do, and see all the people I want to see, but there are certainly enough to focus on the things and people that matter.
So what matters? For me personally, relationships with the important people in our lives are what matter most. Relationships between my daughters, parents, partner, friends and the world. It is given that most of us have jobs and obligations, but we should not need such extreme measures for us to realise that without each other, without helping one another and caring for one another, things would be impossible.

During this time of crisis, we have all witnessed incredible things. We have seen so many people volunteer for the NHS help scheme that there are more people wanting to help than those needing to be helped. So many who are finishing their medical studies even have volunteered to brave danger in order to help save lives. I believe that people are naturally inclined to help rather than turn a cold shoulder, that if we have enough time to actually make relations and connect with people, we will do so.
I have personally found myself getting in touch with people around the world with whom I lost contact some time ago. This was the excuse to get back in touch and it was wonderful to hear about how they’re doing now.
However, in order to find the motivation to reach out to others, we must first feel good within ourselves. If we feel depressed and demotivated, we will never find the power and energy to help, we will simply be unable. It is only when we feel stronger and better internally that kindness and helping becomes our second nature. For example, because I felt good inside, I offered help to some of my elderly neighbours who I didn’t even know well because I can imagine the difficulty that self-isolating would put them in. If, on the other hand, we are stuck in our own misery, it’s difficult to see the situation of others as anything we should participate in bettering.
With this experience that had its’ challenges of fear, loss of some comforts we took for granted and even some personal freedoms, also came so much light and opportunity. For me, personally, spending so much time at home made me realise just how important my home space really is. For the first time since we’ve moved into our new space a couple years ago, my kids and I did a huge spring clean. And I mean huge! We got rid of and gave away so many things that were crowding our space, that we finally uncovered what a beautiful, light and clean space we really had. I transformed a whole floor of my house simply by getting rid of a pile of things that was cramping it up. Now this new space has become my makeshift office while my kids use my actual office for themselves.

With all of this difficulty has come so much opportunity and beauty. It’s as if some higher power had planned it in a way that made us suffer and learn from our suffering; it made us fear only to emerge from our fears; it caused death only to leave those living with more appreciation of life. I am not diminishing the sadness and the awful circumstances, because they are absolutely awful. But I also want us to appreciate the wonder that came with the awfulness. “Where there’s darkness, there will be light”.

The world has found a way to show us, or remind us perhaps, that the disbalance between the professional income we strive for daily should be at least evened out with the balance of living life in nature and spending it with those who matter most. I have myself started running through the park regularly and have had my two kids take turns running with me. We take walks or runs on a daily basis now where we might have gone days without doing so. I have seen more people of all shapes, sizes and ages walking in the parks we’ve gone to than ever before.
In addition, in this time, the environment has improved as has the atmosphere. There is less pollution in most countries that ever reported before. People are taking this time at home without a lengthy commute as an opportunity to get healthier and to physically exercise more. And all of the research coming out supports that being healthier and fitter means being less likely to get seriously ill in a pandemic. So this situation has provided us for the opportunity to improve ourselves and our immunity for the future. Let us hold onto the lessons so that we don’t need another pandemic to remind us.

CNN: This man came home from the hospital to die. His son found a way to keep him alive. Read the article here

Could dogs be the key to quick Corona Virus testing? Read the article here

Hello everyone,

I continue my newsletter with the current focus on mental health and how your mental health affects your physical health. Last week I spoke with Ruth Carter, the Liberty Coach, who works with young people, parents, schools and the community to help them to unleash their potential, to create a vision of their lives and to motivate them.

We have been hearing a lot about the mental health issues that Covid-19 has exasperated and last week’s focus was on how it affects our kids: the little humans who will very soon be the next generation of our functional society. If you are a parent and want to know what are the common problems young people and parents are facing in these strange times, please watch the interview here:  https://youtu.be/-pX4C1DXVcg.

This week, I would like to touch upon a tool used for many generations by psychiatrists and psychologists equally to help those dealing with mental issues or just those wishing to clarify their thoughts or keep track of their budding memories: keeping a diary.

There are an infinite number of rituals we turn to, consciously or unconsciously, in order to help us to bring order in our often scattered and chaotic minds, but when are pushed out of our comfort zone and our rituals are interrupted by a pandemic, we panic. Psychologists around the world are faced with the current increasing numbers of depression and anxiety, especially in those people who are highly extroverted, love interacting with other individuals, are outgoing and highly depend on the world around them. For extroverted people, the stable pillar is the society: the work colleagues, friends, family – everything that comes from the outside. Therefore, it is not surprising that when all of a sudden a much more introverted lifestyle has been forced upon us, it is exactly those people who have to undergo the biggest adjustment. This external instability can lead to a sense of loss of control over life, one’s surroundings and even one’s mind and may cause a great disorder in a once ordered life.

“The brain cannot stand disorder. If there is disorder, all its’ activities will be contradictory, confused, miserable and it will bring about mischief in itself and around itself. This order is not the design of thought, the design of obedience to a principle, to authority, or to some form of imagined goodness. It is disorder in the brain that brings about conflict” – J. Krishnamurti

The bottom line is that we all need order! Either internally or externally. So how do we reestablish that order when the world around seems to be in a place of chaos? The good news is that we can do this for ourselves even without resorting to psychotherapy. The universal tool of writing and gathering our thoughts can work like a magic wand in bringing order back to our minds and often in restoring health.

If you’ve ever imagined yourself as one of those people with black leather cover notebooks sitting in a park writing, now is the time to begin. Or if you’re more a technology buff and prefer to record on a different kind of notebook (the kind you turn on and type on) or a tablet, or even your phone, that’s also possible. Actually, the sky’s the limit when it comes to gathering your thoughts. You can even record video diaries for yourself if that’s your preference.

There is something that happens when one sits down to gather one’s thoughts… The process is eye opening. When forced to think about how we wish to express our mind, it’s incredible what transpires. Even the process of how we jot down and gather our thoughts is changing in some way, helping towards resolution. It can be in a single word, a sentence, an experience we’ve had…. Keeping a diary is like conducting research into one’s being, one’s soul, its an archive of life.

The experience is expansive because not only do you find out more about yourself, the way you think and what thought patterns you face, but you expand your view of the world at large. You will begin to notice how the same problems and feelings reoccur. Opening your eyes to a particular problem, or to particular thoughts, you will realise that one and the same individual, or a thought or idea enters your mind frequently: meaning it needs more attention and to be seriously listened to.

Once that process of ordering one’s thoughts is activated, it transits from mind to your external world. You begin to pay attention and notice things more. Additionally, it has great effect on the sense of meaning of the day. This produces a similar feeling in one’s mind as to when one exercises and the positive feeling that brings to one’s body. So that sometimes it feels like no matter how the day goes by, it still was a good day because we exercised. The same fulfillment flushes through your mind after 15 minutes of writing. And above all, after a year, a few years or a decade, when you discover your diary stuck somewhere behind a box or a shelf, a warm excited feeling of self discovery and anticipation entails.

“One advantage in keeping a diary is that you become aware, with reassuring clarity of the changes which you constantly suffer . . .. In the diary you find proof that in situations which today would seem unbearable, you lived, looked around and wrote observations, that this right hand moved then as it does today, when we may be wiser because we are able to look back upon our former condition, and for that reason have got to admit the courage of our earlier striving in which we persisted even in sheer ignorance.” – Franz Kafka

If you are unsure of how to start a diary, and feel slightly awkward at that moment when gazing down at a fresh sheet of empty paper, try beginning with anything current that comes to mind: the night you had, what you ate the previous day, a discussion with friends or family or a persistent thought or issue: really whatever grabs you in the moment. The beautiful thing about writing a diary is that there are no rules and no limitations. Write your day’s plan and then check it the next morning to see how well you executed it. Try to remember something that touched you, something you felt immensely. Be it beauty, anger, jealousy, even hunger, lust, love… You only need to start and the rest will come.

Want more help on this path or to ensure that your mental health isn’t compromising your physical health, book a free 30 minute call with me here

Hey you!

I have to say that one of the things I love best about my job is that it puts me in the forefront of what’s out there in the wellness and longevity markets and news.

So clearly there’s something to be said about our obsession with staying young considering how the longevity-boosting market is only growing and growing year on year. There are constantly new beauty products in the market to help us to look younger longer. There are new machines, facials, fillers and surgeries to help us more radically to lose 5 to 10 years off the age that we look and there are plenty of books out there to help us stay younger longer by learning to halt ageing altogether. There are even diets that claim to help our brain and our body to remain as young as they can.

To be frank, as someone who’s main professional goal is to help learn the secrets of wellness, healthy living and longevity, I can tell you that there is SOOOO much out there! In fact, there is so much that we can do to help ourselves stay youthful both from the inside out and the outside in that really we should all be able to manage it. The main issue, however, is that there is so much out there to get through that, unless your main point in life is (like mine) to become a Wellness and Longevity Expert, you probably won’t be taking the time to pore through what works and what doesn’t.

Rather, you’ll likely be like many people out there who either when faced with everything that’s out there decide to do absolutely nothing as (and I quote) “it’s all too much and I can’t be bothered”. Or, you’ll be like others out there who, desperate to stay off the clicking clock of time, spend whatever money they could buying loads or products that may or may not work while missing out on the actual life changes that will really make the biggest life differences.

Well, lucky for you, that’s where I come in. In this coming year, my goal will be to bring to you what I find of what’s out there that sounds rather appealing. Now, just to let you know that having now worked with quite a few clients, both in my private practice and in student clinic, what works for one may be different than what works for another. That’s why you may try some kind of diet or beauty product that your friend raves about but experience completely different (or possibly no) results.

The only way to really know what works for you is to go through your issues and goals (what you want to fix or work on), your symptoms so far, your current situation (what’s happening with your mind & body & how you feel) and your diet and lifestyle, among others. There is no simple one size fits all solution. That’s why going through it with a specialist will give you the tailored way that’s best for you, that you then try out and tailor further until you find something that really works.

So below, here’s something new in the world of beauty products. But if you want something that really works for you, set up a session to go through your personal situation. Start with a free 30 minute call by booking here: https://WellnessSession.as.me/

READ THE ARTICLE HERE 

Another huge fallacy in the film is the line which rightfully has offended many watchers: “eating an egg is equivalent to smoking 5 cigarettes”.

Do you ever find yourself wondering why some people who appear to have a terrible lifestyle still manage to live a relatively long and healthy life, while others who seem to do everything right still end up becoming gravely ill. Some years back I witnessed a friend from my community pass away from Cancer at a young age and found myself questioning why.

The truth is that there are many things that play a part in illness: including genetics, general immunity, lifestyle, etc. It could be that those who manage to live relatively long lives despite poor lifestyle would have lived even longer and healthier had they taken better care of themselves, while those who seem destined for ill health despite what seems like a healthy lifestyle, may not be as healthy in some key areas that may be hurting them.

For instance, one of my uncle’s friends, who was “never sick” and was in “good health” despite drinking and smoking and having “too much fun”, until he died at 77 from a heart attack may have survived healthy and fit until 107 had he taken better care of himself. While the friend of mine who passed away from cancer despite what many would have called a “healthy lifestyle”, suffered from chronic lack of sleep and persistent anxiety and depression. Research has shown that adequate deep sleep is necessary for healing and chronic low moods have been linked with many disease states.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Having almost finished the second year of my 3 year Nutrition study, I’m starting to really understand why my clients are so confused about what to eat and what not to eat. Unfortunately, neither the media nor our communities nor even many well-meaning health professionals make it any easier to grasp what exactly IS and IS NOT healthy.
Not long ago, the National Health Service in the UK dropped the traditional food pyramid in favour of the seemingly more easy to grasp Eatwell plate.

While the idea of making what we should actually eat much more clear was definitely a good one, and the intention was in the right place, unfortunately the EatWell plate leaves much too much open for misinterpretation. For example, fruits and vegetables are lumped in together and we are told to eat just 5 (or more) of the whole bunch of them. We are then told to eat a large bunch of starchy food and to drink anything up to 1.5 liters a day (tea and coffee count) and to have some dairy (or alternatives), some beans and pulses and some fish. And yes eating less red and processed meat is actually suggested (which is good), but an allowance is made for sweets and processed snacks (though it is suggested that we eat less of these.

So, if I happened to be a particularly unhealthy person who wanted to get away with a somewhat unhealthy diet (as many people who don’t know better do), I could use the guidance of the EatWell plate to help me fall into the comfortable zone of believing that I’m actually doing the right thing for my health. It wouldn’t even be too difficult. I could simply eat some cereal with milk for breakfast (dairy & starch categories); drink 2 cups of coffee with milk in the morning with a candy bar and a banana as a snack (dairy, fruit & veg & liquid categories with that limited candy bar included); a chicken salad sandwich with an apple for lunch (bread, protein and fruit and veg categories); another coffee and builders tea with milk with an orange and some roasted nuts as a snack (fruit & veg, liquid and protein categories); and some fish and chips with pickles and strawberries for desert for dinner along with a few cups of sparkling water (fruit & veg, protein, liquid and carbs categories). Technically, I’ve fulfilled the EatWell plate requirements. However, have I actually eaten well at all?

Well, technically, I’ve had absolutely no green leafy or cruciferous vegetables, I’ve mostly eaten unhealthy carbs (there are much healthier versions which I didn’t eat) and even my fish was buttered and deep fried, as were the chips. Almost all of my “5 a day” (which should actually be closer to 10 a day) were fulfilled through fruit, rather than vegetables. I would have also drank pretty much no healthy, cleansing filtered still water and would have instead dehydrated and overly stimulated myself with too many cups of caffeine and did a number on my hormone balance with a too high intake of milk.

Too be sure, there are some healthier alternatives to milk, such as almond, coconut, oat… milk but these aren’t even shown on the EatWell plate (though are referred to) and the fact that coffee (which actually dehydrates is supposedly counted towards the 1.5 liter liquid threshold is certainly not going to help with health!

So what’s a healthier alternative? Well, I like to take my clues from the populations that have basically outlived the traditional Western diet. The Mediterranean diet, for instance offers a more healthy and still manageable version to truly eat well. Though not a vegetarian myself, I must admit that those on a vegetarian diet definitely significantly outlast those on a typical Western diet. Meat, as it happens, is highly acid forming to the body. Vegetables and actual healthy grains, beans and lentils (and I mean grains like buckwheat and quinoa and not pasta and sugary cereal or store bought processed sliced bread) are good for the body and improve health rather than taking away from it. The macrobiotic diet too has won accolades for its’ longer life potential. But the diet that wins the number of most octogenarians is the Okinawa diet, which puts its’ emphasis on vegetables and whole grains (the good ones as mentioned above), followed by calcium and flavonoid rich foods and fruit and then by omega 3 foods with very little of meat and poultry also allowed (probably less than weekly even) and a minimum of sweets (sugar being definitely not great for us and unfortunately much too addictive).
The idea behind the diet isn’t simply that it helps us to live longer. Rather it makes sure that we live healthier for a longer period of time, meaning that we stay “younger” for longer. Now that sounds pretty good to me. What about you?

If you’d like help to get your diet and lifestyle under control to ensure healthier ageing, book a free 30 minute call with me here:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12785109&appointmentType=1926282