Action For Wellness - The naturopath's corner

Today we're talking about 9 of my favourite herbal teas, what health benefits they possess, and how to use them to elevate your well-being.
To read the full description please click here for the full blog post! 

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
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And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

I moved back to the UK from the middle east, where it's hot, and the food traditions are very different indeed!
It's  been an interesting process to try and put my finger on some of the things that happened when I got here, in terms of what habits changed and what I had to do to regain my health equilibrium.
To read the full comments please check out this blog post!  

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

In today's episode, we talk about heartburn! 
What is it, why does it happen, and how can we treat it? 

Naturopathy suggests that in situations of heartburn, we will always want to combine three main elements: diet, lifestyle, and stress management.
So today we offer some tips on how to do exactly that!
If you'd like to read the full text please click here :)

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
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And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

What most of us struggle with, in my experience, is ideas!

In this episode we look at 7 of my favourite snack options
If you'd like to read more, please visit my blog post here:

https://www.mayanaturopathy.co.uk/lifestyle-advice/the-7-healthiest-snacks-for-optimal-nutrition/

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

Anti-nutrients are substances in food that reduce the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

In this episode, we  discuss what anti-nutrients are, the effects of excessive consumption, and ways to reduce or neutralise their effects. 

What are Anti-Nutrients?

We know that all foods contain nutrients - however what's less known is that some plant foods including grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes, contain compounds which are known as anti-nutrients. They are the compounds that act as a form of defence mechanism in the plant, helping to protect it from infections or consumption by animals and insects.
Anti nutrients include phytate, lectins, tannins and oxalates (and there are a few more)

For the full information head over to: mayanaturopathy.co.uk 
Maya x 

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

I know you've heard that you can boost your immune system through healthy lifestyle changes? Probably lots of times, right? But could it really be that easy? The answer might surprise you. 

As we head into winter and a potential new variant of Covid, booster shots are being recommended - but are there more proactive ways we can protect ourselves?

A healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise and sleeping habits, can boost your immunity and keep you healthy during the winter months—without even going to the doctor’s office! Let’s take a look at some of the research. 

A healthy diet boosts immunity

Last January, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a perspective article, offering the idea that there is a dietary change which can be made to help reduce risk of infection with covid-19, as well as significantly reducing risk of severe infection. 

A plant-based diet can have an impact on your immune system

We discuss three studies which all suggest that a plant-based diet (which can be vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian, so long as they rely heavily on fruit and vegetables, whole grains and nuts, and plenty of legumes) can have a potentially large impact, significantly reducing risk of being infected with a severe form of covid. 

Why do these diets make a difference?

We know that healthy plant-based diets are rich in nutrients, especially phytochemicals (polyphenols, carotenoids), vitamins and minerals, all of which are important for a healthy immune system, and fish are an important source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have anti-inflammatory properties. So in increasing the volume of plant-based ingredients we can help ourselves get healthier (and if that helps reduce risk of severe covid infections- then that's even better news!)

What can you do to help support your immune system?

As we're approaching winter, it might be time to make some changes to your diet. Eating more grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes can help boost your immunity and keep you healthy during the coming months. 

Here's how to incorporate these foods into your diet: 

• Add a variety grains such as rice, quinoa, pearl barley and buckwheat to your main meals, don't always go for the one you're used to. 
• Add fruit whenever possible - as a snack, dessert, and whenever you're feeling peckish. 
• Eat vegetables with lunch and dinner - it doesn't matter if they are raw, cooked, steamed or air-fried - however you enjoy eating them do that
• Keep legumes such as beans in the pantry, but more importantly keep them in mind and add lentils alongside your grains, or beans into soups or casseroles. 

And of course there's lots more to do, including reducing your sugar intake, getting a good nights' sleep, getting enough exercise and spending time outside, drinking plenty of water, and using herbal medicine to support your body.

As ever, if you feel you need extra support in incorporating these changes into your life, I'm here!

Maya x

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being, but many of us struggle to get enough rest at night. If you’re having trouble getting quality sleep, there are steps you can take to get yourself into the best sleep habits possible, leading to a lifetime of better health and well-being as a result! 

Let's talk about the first line of solutions that can help you sleep better at night!

What is the first line? You can probably guess... nutrition! Well, you already know that our food affects all our health...

What is it important to eat in order to sleep well at night?

1. Make sure you eat enough protein during the day - the high-quality protein found in ingredients such as legumes - lentils and beans - nuts and seeds provides us with a large amount of tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted in the body into the hormones serotonin and melatonin, which are essential for good sleep. Plant protein (such as the examples I gave) is rich not only in tryptophan, but also in vitamin B6 and zinc, two components that help convert tryptophan into melatonin. It is recommended not to eat the protein in the evening, as protein meals can be more difficult to digest, which can disturb sleep in itself.
2. Make sure you consume enough magnesium - magnesium is found in pumpkin and sunflower seeds, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruits. Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for muscle relaxation, and it is also needed for GABA to function - a neurotransmitter with a relaxing action that helps to "turn off" the brain so that we can sleep peacefully.
3. Complex carbohydrates - such as found in whole grains, among other things - help to balance blood sugar levels by breaking down slowly in the body. Even when we sleep, the body, and especially the brain, still consume sugars to continue their activity, and if the blood sugar levels are too low, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released, which may wake us up from our sleep. A serving of whole grains at dinner can prevent this.

Apart from nutrition, there are many habits that can affect our sleep, lets go over some of these...

Here are a few habits to help improve your sleep (to read the full text go here) 

Creating a sleep schedule

Unwind before bedtime

Exercise during the day

Avoid caffeine and alcohol at night

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool

If you've tried these tips and they've not done enough to improve your sleep, I would say it's time for individual help, and you can schedule a free consult with me to see how I can help here

Maya x

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

Ischaemic heart disease is the amongst the leading causes of death in the United Kingdom in men and women.

What exactly is a heart attack?

The progression of heart disease is determined by the progression of atherosclerosis (or to put it plainly, how much plaque is built up in your blood vessels). Heart attacks result from the formation of atherosclerosis, and of sclerotic plaques which are liable to block the passage of blood in the blood vessels to the heart. Try picturing a pipe that's clogged up with muck: whilst there's just a little, water can flow through but the flow of water will get weaker and weaker as the muck gets clogged and eventually, unless we clean the pipe, no water will be flowing through. If you need a visual, watch this short video by the British Heart Foundation.

When this happens, without the supply of oxygen from the blood, the heart tissue will die. This is a heart attack.

To read more, please visit https://www.mayanaturopathy.co.uk/naturopathy/heart-attacks-reduce-risk/ 

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

Building and maintaining healthy bones is of course an issue that is important to all of us.I often see patients in my clinic who are in the early stages of osteoporosis, and who ask how the process can be slowed down or stopped...

From the moment we begin to grow until we reach our mid-twenties, we build our bone strength. After this we must maintain the strength we have built up, and slow down as much as possible the rate of bone thinning. In postmenopausal women, the rate of bone depletion increases significantly, which increases the risk of women suffering from osteoporosis.

So what can be done? Well, first keep in mind that it is essential to do weight-bearing exercise: such as walking, running, tennis, football, or any other activities that you can persevere with. Nutritionally, it is important to pay attention to eating a balanced diet that includes an abundance of bone-building components - throughout life. In childhood it helps to build bone strength, and in adulthood it helps us maintain bone health.

What are these components? Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamin C, and B vitamins. Vitamin D can be absorbed also through exposure to sunlight and not just through diet.

The average adult should aim to eat about 700 mg of calcium a day. How do you get there? Let's see!

Fruits and vegetables

Whole grains

Nuts and seeds

Protein

It is important to include the entire list above in your diet on a daily basis, depending on your needs and personal requirements of course. But that's not all. There are also things that are better to reduce or avoid:

Processed foods and beverages (which contain a high amount of sugar, fat and salt)

Oxalic acid

Smoking and caffeine and alcohol consumption 

Other than that, you should know that there is controversy regarding the consumption of animal-based products. Some argue that these are good sources of calcium, but there are others who disagree, due to the fact that animal-based products often contain high amounts of phosphorus, which impairs calcium absorption, and that high amounts of protein can lead to loss of bone mass.

For the full information, please head over to www.mayanaturopthy.co.uk! 
Maya x 

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x 

After talking a bit the other week about what a ketogenic diet is, opening the door to a pretty interesting discussion with some patients about the body's use of sugar, I thought this week it would be worth explaining about glycaemic responses.

Basically, a glycaemic response is an increase in blood glucose levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates. When we digest our food, the carbohydrates in the food break down and become glucose, which passes from the digestive tract into the bloodstream.

The glucose now present in the blood causes the secretion of insulin from the pancreas - in the amount needed to get the glucose from the blood into the cells in the body, where it is used to generate energy.

This process - a glycaemic response - begins as soon as the food starts to be broken down, and then, usually about two hours after the meal, the glucose concentration drops back to a fasting level after being absorbed into the various tissue cells. The normal range of blood glucose levels during fasting is 70-100 mg per 100 cc.

A strong response is when the blood glucose concentration rises rapidly and to a high level, while a weak response is when the blood glucose concentration rises slowly and to a relatively low level. A low glycaemic response means lower insulin secretion and better control of blood sugar levels over time.

In the past, the common assumption was that simple sugars cause a stronger glycaemic response than complex sugars, but the truth is that a glycaemic response depends on many factors, including:

Type of carbohydrate

Processing of the food

Ripeness

Dietary combinations

Differences between people

So a glycaemic response is an increase in blood sugar after eating. What is the glycaemic index?

Every food that contains carbohydrates is examined by the glycaemic index according to how fast it raises our blood glucose levels while it is being digested, compared to consuming the same amount of pure glucose. For the purpose of creating the index, pure glucose is determined to have a glycaemic index of 100. When a person is given a certain amount of pure glucose and the blood glucose level is checked every half hour for two hours, a glycaemic response curve is obtained which is considered to be 100%.

When the glycaemic index is high, food is digested quickly and raises the blood glucose level quickly and to a large degree, and the body is forced to secrete a lot of insulin to lower the sugar level. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, which have a low glycaemic index, release glucose into the bloodstream gradually.

This is important because while we do need carbohydrates for energy, we need "the right kind" of carbohydrates. 

The carbohydrates we need are those with a low glycaemic index, which encourage slow and moderate insulin secretion. These carbohydrates contribute to a longer feeling of satiation. 

For the full show notes please head to www.mayanaturopathy.co.uk 

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast!
We'd love to continue the conversation, so please follow us on social media
https://www.instagram.com/maya_naturopathy/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ActionForWellness
And of course as usual the full information discussed on the blog is available on the website
mayanaturopathy.co.uk

Maya x