Education and articles based on ‘Natural Hygiene’ and the ‘Raw Living Foods’ movement for Cellular Detoxification, healing and health for the whole family…

Carbs carbs carbs . . . good, bad and how many is right for you?

Carbohydrates are an essential building blocks for health and healing but getting the right ones is the key. The key is choosing them wisely, and timing them properly. Used optimally, carbs can enhance your fitness regimen. Settle your hormones and promote sleep or derail it all and cause sickness and disease.

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Since I was 16 I’ve heard all the “rules’ about carbs, I remember my old hairdressing clients when I was 18 on the Atkins Diet which was strictly no carbs and the no carbs after 5pm . . . you have seen them all right? But are you confused as I was?

Well I went on a research rampage over the last few years and through my nutrition training this is my take and personal experience with carbohydrates.

From being a vegetarian fruit, vegetable, grain and whole food eater. I went on the ‘low-carb’ bandwagon and I even tried Ketosis (extremely high fat, high protein and very low too NO carbs) and it was the sickest I’ve ever been although I was sick before, but it made me much worst. It has a great effect on obesity as you can loose weight dramatically but not correctly, or on very sick epileptic children who need a high fat diet for the brain to cope . . . being ‘low carb’ can work for some and can be stepping stone to get you where you need to go in short time but it is my belief and through my research that a prolonged time of ‘low-carb’ is not good for the brained can do more harm. I have seen when people cut out all fruit and go low carb the body can not cope and goes into shut down mode, the more I was trying to clear by body and loose weight the worst I got as it was starved of all glucose which is essential for the brain to function for the glands to produce a healthy balance of hormones and for my body to thrive. The Paleo way of eating is still ‘low-carb’ as is the Gaps Diet which promote real foods and healthy living so again can be a stepping stone in your healing journey, so this information below can still be used in conjunction to that way of eating. I still stand by my body feeling so much better without soy, grains, legumes and sugar but it did not go so well with the much needed simple healthy carbohydrate.

So now I eat an abundance of healthy simple carbohydrates in the form of fruit and vegetables each day, at each meal and I have not gained any weight and I’m slowly building the much needed muscles I lost through my Adrenal Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, as simple carbohydrates release energy slowly in to the cells I have energy! Yay to that fellow Chronic Fatigue suffers- you can have it too.  I can now exercise without crashing back to bed for days and my hormones are balanced. This has taken a year of trailing how much carbs my individual body needs and slowly slowly introducing the right type of exercise for my body and it’s needs-blocking out the latest fads in exercise and ways of eating and listening to my body and what it needs each day- not comparing my body to any one else body and loving the ride.

So let’s break this information down . . . when you work out, have a busy life you need energy or in my case having Fibromyalgia meant each night as I slept my body switch on the muscles like I was running a marathon; thus waking me up with exhaustion and achy muscles. This is because the muscle needs an energy source or they will start breaking down the muscle for energy. If your food source is low in natural glucose and fructose from fruits the body can not sustain energy and then that effects your endocrine system and your whole body. In others words your body is starving or thinks it’s in starvation/famine so it eat’s the muscles and keeps the fat  . . . oh gosh the opposite of what we want huh? By feeding your cells and brain with good healthy complex carbohydrates the body uses what it needs and you get energy stored in a healthy way.

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So what’s the good carbs and the bad carbs?

All “Complex Carbohydrates” are nutrients that break down into glucose, your body’s primary source of energy and essential for the brain, and most foods contain them. Fruits and Vegetables!

But not all carbs are created equal and we know not all calories are created equally. Sugars that are added to foods, baked goods, pastas, cakes, crackers, muffins and refined grains (even gluten free products) such as white rice are broken down quickly by your body as these are a simple chains of 2 sugar molecules “Simple Carbohydrates”. That means they provide almost-instant energy, but it doesn’t last and spikes insulin to be released which then has to be stored outside the cells and this kind of sugar can not be used within the cells, the body then sends in hormones to cope and candida to mop up the excess sugar. This unbalances the bacteria and the whole body goes out of balance this is the onset of diabetes and fatigue, all while not fuelling the cells and feeding the brain so you crave more sugar and you are on a roller coaster of energy and emotions. When you eat a complex carbohydrate (fruit or vegetables) in a whole food state that fruit or vegetable is a complete package of fibre, minerals, fructose that can be converted to glucose-remember the brains food. FRUIT DOES NOT SPIKE INSULIN. Other carbs, such as those found in whole grains, vegetables and legumes, take longer to digest, so you get a steadier supply of energy but that can come at a price if you are not combining them properly or our body is backed up with waste.

Simple carbohydrate rich foods like bread can be very high in calories. But many foods that contain complex carbs, such as fruits and vegetables, are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals so you can eat them in abundance without gaining weight. Others fall somewhere in between: Whole grains contain a lot of nutrients and calories, while white bread has no nutrients and still a lot of calories. Neither are good options for digestion and brain health and especially Autism or behavioural issues.

What does this mean? Remove simple carbs like added refined sugar and refined grains like breads, biscuits, cookies, pastas, pastries, sweets, lollies and crackers (even gluten free) and consider all other healthy none processed carbohydrates to be a productive food to fuel your body and can be eaten in abundance like all fruit and vegetables.

What carbs when?

“Complex Carbohydrates” or “Natural sugars” are essential for the brain and if they are lacking in the body the gut can not produce the hormones it needs for proper function i.e. Serotonin and Gaba. So by increasing your healthy none processed carbs you slowly over time balance your energy, brain function and hormones. Loosing symptoms like brain fog, low energy, skin conditions and low mood and low libido. But don’t be fooled to thinking refined sugars “Simple Carbohydrates” will do this as they will cause the symptoms I have just listed . . . so NO lollies, sweets, chocolates and biscuits and trying to justify it’s good energy for the body, you know it’s not even in moderation!

Eating your fruit in the morning to wake up your digestion and allow your body to exercise or work hard is important. If you eat breakfast of fats and proteins your body will have to work hard to convert that into glucose for the brain. Unless you plan to rest for 1-3 hours after each meal, this will not digest and you will then be adding more food on top throughout the day and feel tired and have brain fog. By eating fruit as your first meal to break your fast (sleep) this is easily digestable food and the body will not need to use as much energy to digest it and that energy will go to you for your work or exercise. Then lunch could be a light meal as well like a salad or fruit without fats or proteins so you fuel your brain without loading your body with heavy to digest foods. Dinner can be a light steamed cooked meal with  fats if you wish for that as you have 12-18 hours after say dinner at 7pm to digest it. You can of course continue with a light meal of fruit or a salad to aid digestion further and give your body chance to heal. Remember no fruit after proteins, fats and starches!

Team this information up with learning about fruit and how it can heal your body and give you sustained energy and feed your brain; The truth about fruit . . .

So in conclusion Carbohydrates are a great essential food for your brain and cells but you must choose nature offerings not man kinds to get these benefits.

 

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The Truth About Sugar and Fruit . . .

So is fruit good or bad for you? It makes you fat right?

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Well here is the truth about fruit and why it’s got such a bad wrap over the years.

Fruit is a whole food containing an abundance of antioxidants and healthful nutrients, and the cellular scaffolding to fuel the body, it’s packed with protein and they hold enzymes and nutrients for your body and is instant energy for your cells and brain.

In the modern word it’s a super food! So why the bad wrap? I’m glad you asked . . . it is because most of us was eating it at the wrong time, with the wrong foods and out of season old or unripe fruits.

You see fruit digested very quickly so it must be eating on it’s own, preferable on an empty stomach to not cause fermentation in the gut . . . for example watermelon digest in 15 minutes and if you combine that with an apple that takes around 45-55 minutes this will cause gasses to be produced in the gut. Then the poor apple get’s the blame. Or mixing fruit with meat which takes 24-48 hrs to digest . . . you see it’s not the fruit it’s the combination of food. If you are following a GAPS Diet or strict Paleo Diet then you must keep your fruit consumption low as your meat and fats are so high and the combination is very bad for the body causing candida to thrive candida grows from fats and starches not complex sugars. Once you move away from the strict gut protocols after healing has take place and you have more freedom then follow the rules below. or just fill up on fruits and vegetables and your don’t have to worry as much about mixing foods.

Now later I will explain how to get the optimum out of your fruit by eaten certain fruits with others or avoiding certain combinations this will take your health to the next level. But if you take anything away from this article, the rule is to have fruit on it’s own without nuts or any other foods and have it at least 1 hour away from other meals. This goes for water too ( I can see your eyes rolling) without getting distracted, drinking water is great for the body but no animal or human is designed to drink gallons of water and especially with food it then just washes out the nutrients and stops the stomach producing the bile it needs to break it down. Drink water only when you are thirsty (listen to your body health seekers, listen!) more on hot day and drink water away from food as it will stop the digestion process completely.

How much water is good for you, and why you should never take it with food?

fruitBack to FRUIT!

All sugars are NOT the same. Don’t be afraid of fruit sugar. There is a big difference between a simple sugar and a complex sugar.

Every cell in the body requires sugar!!!! 

Sugar = carbon. That is why we call foods high in sugar, carbo-hy-drates, carbon chained constituents.
Carbon is essential, over fats and proteins (amino acids). They are essential to creating ATP, what we call cell ENERGY. We are charging the battery of the cell.

Our body is made of carbon cells that feed and eliminate, just as every living thing on the planet does.

“The magnetic electrical research field will come to prove that the human body is an electrical being and our health (strength and endurance) depends on the ENERGY currents which run through the body.” – Dr. George S. White, M.D.

Each cell must have sufficient oxygen and fructose/glucose to convert the simple sugar into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is pure ENERGY for the life processes of the cell, through aerobic oxidation.
A delicately balanced distribution of sodium and potassium in and around the cells must be maintained at all times.

Fruits are higher in antioxidants and astringents and will move your lymphatic system far better than vegetables. This is why we see a lymphatic response when a fruit is consumed, and that is what we WANT to see.

Fruits, also being a simple sugar, are even superior for diabetics, pancreatitis, hepatitis, and all other gastric and intestinal conditions. Fructose does not require insulin or extensive digestive enzymes. It needs no conversion.

Fructose is not broken down into glucose; it absorbs directly into the bloodstream ready to be used. It enters the cell by diffusion. Fruits’ magnetic (electrical) ENERGY is the highest of all foods, making them the superior brain and nerve foods. They will bring ENERGY to the body, where most other foods take it away.

Our body is not meant for complex sugars (starches), complex carbohydrates, processed foods full of chemicals, toxins, refined and processed sugars (like corn syrup, which in no way resembles a simple sugar). It has been so processed and concentrated it is poison and unrecognizable to the body.

Simplicity in digestion and absorption is key. Simple sugars such as fructose and glucose found in fruits, berries, melons, greens, and vegetables are what the body requires to thrive.

Simplicity…

Sugars of the highest quality.

How do you now what fruit goes with what?

Well there’s a few simple rules and using charts like the one below can help. Until I learnt this I had it on fridge to always check the combinations.

The rule is: sweet fruit never with acid fruit –  so banana and pineapple is a no go! But a sub-acid fruit like a plum can go with a sweet fruit like a banana. BINGO!

Then there’s melons ALL melons should be eaten on there own away from all other fruits and foods, so that’s the 80’s parma ham melon dish is out!

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We start our day with watermelon or have it late in the afternoon at least 1 hour after a salad and at least 1 hour before dinner. Watermelon digest very fast in 15-20 minute and as I know far too well if you eat it after a meal you get a very bloated gassy stomach as it is fermenting on top of grains, meat, starchy vegetables and causes a whole heap of trouble for your poor system. We need to go back to simple eating, mono foods (one food at a time) and simple combinations as our guts aren’t designed to have 10-15 ingredients at each meal and then a meal every 2-3 hours with a new 10-15 ingredients. Without being another person saying to look back to primal eating . . . but look at monkeys they eat 1-5 foods without combining them, when they do eat meat they eat it on it’s own. When we used to farm the lands we ate grains as meals without loads of combinations and cooked them well after soaking. often starches for boring and proteins for dinner only eating 1-2 meals a day. We now eat many meals on top of each other without digesting the last and with bad combinations, and the result is disease and sickness.

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So leave the meats, fats, nuts, legumes away from fruit but these can be paired with starchy vegetables and non starchy vegetables.  Food combining and why is it essential for health!-chart.

Grains and starches should also be away from fruit so no porridge and fruit or paleo granola and fruit, but also away from proteins like meat, nuts and legumes as this is also a bad combination on the digestive system. Non starchy vegetables are fine with grains. So,  Why no grains you ask?

Grains and greens yes! Fruits and greens yes! Protein and greens yes! Starches and greens yes! Greens and fats yes! Acid fruits and fats yes!

Starches and fats no! Proteins and fats no! Starches and proteins no! Grains and starches no!

Fruits and anything but greens . . . no way!

Food-combining

I share this information not to get you into a panic about fruit but to show you fruit is a super food and should be in all of your diets as it is turned in to glucose which is what our brains and cells feed off. Often candida is caused by fruits and fats not being combined properly not the natural sugar in fruit. Those who have done candida cleanses and still find they have problems will agree with me. As they don’t address the food combinations, they just remove most fruits which helps for a while but then when they come off the cleanse or elimination diet the issues return back again.

In regards to ‘fruit is just sugar and will make me fat’ I will address that here briefly but I explain in more detail in this blog about good and bad carbohydrates and how to eat the right types and when to eat for your body:  https://nourishtohealth.com.au/2016/01/26/carbs-carbs-crabs-good-bad-and-how-many-is-right-for-you/

Fruit has sugar in it, your right but it is not a refined sugar that switches on receptors in the brain and makes you addicted like refined flour products (even gluten free), nor does it damage cells and cause insulin resistance (diabetes) like simple refined sugars do. Fruit has fibre which makes us feel full and provides other metabolic benefits. When you bite into an apple, for example, the fruit’s fiber helps slow your absorption of fructose (fruit sugar). Which is why fruit juices and dried fruit are causing issues with blood sugars and insulin as there is not the fibre to stabilise it in the blood and move the energy to the cells, so it just spikes and then your adrenals kick in to contract it. As long as you eat it away from other foods so it can digest and not ferment in the gut it will not make you fat but fuel your body and feed your brain with the much needed glucose it needs to function. You see any fat monkey’s and chimps in the wild? No, but you do see it in zoo’s where they feed fruit with nuts, grains and soy products to bulk their diet’s out! Don’t mess with nature human kind . . . it’s on it already and we survive for umpteen years before man come in trying to cook, change and create unnatural foods. Unnaturafying foods. I am sure that is not a word but I am rolling with it!

Studies have found that introducing fruit daily, eaten at the right times as per above have helped heal diabetes and obesity. (Again I will mention this in my Carbohydrate blog) diabetes can be healed very very quickly with the removing all unnatural foods and replaced with a high fruit and vegetable lifestyle with low healthy fats from nuts, avocado and seeds.

So what are you waiting for grab an apple and start eating fruit again and feel the life force return to your body!

 

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Here is my food digestion chart to show you why foods can not be combined like the do on most peoples plates without causing gut rot and purification-gas, bloating, pain and wind.

DIGESTION TIME OF VARIOUS FOODS: This is approximately the time spent in the stomach before emptying into the intestines and bowels.

Pure Distilled Filtered Water is Alkaline.

When the stomach is empty, it leaves immediately and goes into intestines.
Cold Pressed Juices is Alkaline

Fruit, vegetables, vegetable broth – 15 to 20 minutes.
Semi-liquid is Alkaline.

Blended smoothies and salads, vegetables or fruits – 20 to 30 minutes.
Fruits is Alkaline.

Watermelon – 20 minutes.
Other melons – cantaloupe, honeydew etc. – 30 minutes.
Apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, persimmons, papaya, pawpaw, grapes, cherries, berries etc.- 40 minutes.
Fruits is Acidic

Orange, lemons, limes, strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit – 30 minutes.
Raw Vegetables is Alkaline.

Raw salads and vegetables – tomato, lettuces, cucumber, celery, red or green pepper, other succulent vegetables – 30 to 40 minutes.
Steamed or cooked vegetables without oil is Alkaline.

Leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, greens etc.- 40 minutes.
Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, yellow squash, corn on cob – 45 minutes.
Steamed or cooked vegetables with oil is Acidic.
Leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, greens etc. – 65 minutes.
Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, yellow squash, corn on cob – 70 minutes.
Cooked root vegetables without oil Alkaline.

Not recommended to roast in oil (Oil slows digestion).

Carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips etc. – 50 minutes.
Cooked root vegetables with oil is Acidic.

Not recommended to roast in oil (Oil slows digestion).
Carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips etc. – 1hr 15 minutes.
Semi-Concentrated Carbohydrates (Starches) is Alkaline.

Not recommended to roast in oil (Oil slows digestion).

Artichokes, butternut squashes, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, chestnuts – 60 minutes.
Concentrated Carbohydrates – Grains is Acidic.

Really not recommended for good digestion.
Brown rice, millet, buckwheat, cornmeal, oats – 90 minutes.
Legumes & Beans is Acidic

Not recommended for good digestion, but in moderation in good combinations can be tolerated especially when sprouted.
Lentils, lima beans, chickpeas, yellow peas, kidney beans, etc. – 90 minutes.
Soy beans – 120 minutes.
Seeds & Nuts is Alkaline.

In moderation in good combinations.
Seeds, sunflower, hemp seeds, pumpkin, pepitas, sesame – 2 hours.
Nuts, Almonds, macadamias, peanuts (raw), cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans etc. – 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Raw Fats is Alkaline

In moderation in good combinations.
Avocado, coconut, nut butters – 3 hours.
Cooked or extracted fats is Acidic.

Really not recommended for good digestion
Trans fats, olive oils, coconut oil, butter, canola oil, rice bran oil, rapeseed oil etc. – 6 hours.
Dairy Acidic

Really not recommended for good digestion
Skim milk, soft cheese, low fat pot cheese or ricotta – 90 minutes.
Whole milk soft cheese – 120 min.
Whole milk hard cheese – 4 to 5 hours.
Animal proteins is Acidic.

Really not recommended for good digestion
Whole egg – 45 min.
Fish, cod, snapper, flounder, sole, seafood ect. – 30 minutes.
Fish – salmon, salmon trout, herring, (more fatty fish) – 45 to 60 minutes.
Chicken – 11/2 to 2 hours (without skin).
Turkey – 2 to 2 1/4 hours (without skin).
Beef, lamb – 3 to 4 hours.
Pork – 41/2 to 5 hours.
Animal proteins is Alkaline when eaten alone.

Egg yolk – 30 minutes.
Remember this is leaving your stomach. These foods can sit in your colon for up to 4 days if your digestion is not good or you have poor food combinations, especially meat. For the best digestion choose easy to digest foods and in the right combinations.

Happy food combining!

What does “Mindful Eating” really mean and how can it help your food intolerance?

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What does “Mindful Eating” really mean and how can it help your food intolerance?

For years I put everything into what I was eating and the quality of the food without ever thinking about the words I used around food and the way I spoke to my self when I ate that food or even prepared my food. Now I truly know the power of words and thoughts and how they can effect everything you eat and how your body responds to the food on a cellular level and if it will react to it or not.

So how the hell does a word effect if you react to tomatoes or not? Well in one way it doesn’t . . . but in another way it does. By using positive words, mindful eating and affirmations daily you raise the vibration of your body and when you are vibrating at a higher frequency your body heals it self. Your cells rejuvenate faster, repair more efficiently and cope with foods better as it’s not in a state of inflammation.

So what is “Mindful Eating” it’s banded around so often in blogs, but what does it really mean?

 

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What it means is to slow down when eating and take some care over what you fuel your body with. When you are busy and running around at work or with kids or shopping, your in fight or flight mode, most of us live in this state 90% of the time. We are at a very anxious level all day and can not switch off. Then when we eat we inhale our food throwing it in our mouths. So not only do we not digest in fight or flight but also as we have eaten to fast it puts an added burden on our bodies. To digest our food we must switch back into our parasympathetic nervous system ‘repair and digest” or there is not point eating at all, as all it does is laden the body with a burden you don’t get the minerals and benefits from eating food.

wen you cook your food think about how much it went through to get to you. Thank the farmers, the animal that sacrificed it’s life, or the earth, sea or tree for providing it to you. When you have it in front of you touch, taste and smell it to start appreciating it. When you eat it, smell it to start the saliva in your mouth, which tells the brain to start activating the juices in your stomach, and prepare your body to start the digestion process. An example of the reverse of this is inhaling a burger in a few bites and that burger sitting in your stomach unable to be digested, as the body has had no warning signs it was coming. But if you cut ripe water melon and smell it and lick your fingers, your body is aware of what your about to eat and it gets excited as it pulls up that memory of eating it. You feel grateful for this watermelon and say to yourself ‘this will replenish my body and hydrate me, this is exactly what I need right now’ your body will digest this very easily.

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How you talk to yourself and feel makes a big affect on your digestion system and how the body takes nutrients to the cells too. An example of this is: ‘This food will heal me’ ‘This food is nourishing my body’ or ‘I’m so grateful for this food’.

The opposite to this is: ‘This isn’t very good for me’ ‘I shouldn’t really eat this’ or ‘I’ll have to pay for this tomorrow and have to go to the gym for 2 hours’

One is telling your body this is great food to eat and the other is saying don’t digest this it will harm you and the body will send out white blood cells to eradicate it. Now this doesn’t mean you can eat junk food with positive affirmations, as junk food is junk food at it serves no purpose in your body and causes inflammation . . . but it means not to beat yourself up when you have an indulgent healthy treat as that will be worst than the treat on the body and your everyday food should be eaten with appreciation and in a slow mindful manner. CHEW CHEW CHEW!! Oh and CHEW!

Your posture can play a part in this too up right strong and happy or slumped tired and unhappy? Choosing a positive mindset

Another level of this is: choosing the right “diet” or way of eating for your body. There are so many celebrities out there who indorse their way of life. But we have all got different bodies and our bodies all react differently to food, environment have certain genes are switched on or not. Just because it worked for that celebrity it may not be right for you. So how do you know what “diet” I hate that word . . . is right for you?

Well if you eat meat and your body feels heavy, sluggish and you feel guilt for eating an animal, then maybe that’s not right for you no matter what fade “diet” is in at the time. Or maybe you eat meat and it gives you so much energy and makes you fit and lean and you have no issue eating an animal, then maybe it is right for you.

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Your mindset when going into a new way of eating is so important. If you believe in it and feel it is right than it most likely will be right, as your mindset is in alignment. If you go into a new fade diet and you say to yourself ‘this will be a hassle’ or ‘it will be hard and I wont be able to stick to it.’ Or something I hear all the time ‘my kids wont eat that!” . . then you guessed it, it will be hard and not work as you have set your self up for failing before you started you are sending out that vibration and you and your kids will pick up on that. Go in to any thing in life with the right mindset and alignment and things will fall into place and work for you.

The food it self is vibrational and a plant just picked or a fruit just picked will have a high vibration that will help to keep your body vibrating at a high level and running efficiently. If you choose food that is void of vibrations and a dead food like an over cooked burger which hold no life force in it at all. All it will do is dull your body’s energy and flow of life force, over time this plays its price on your body and inflammation and disease.

So is it mambo jumbo or scientific fact? Try it and see! Think about the way you talk to your body and how you feel when you eat a food and they way you talk to your self after eating a food and see if you can twist it positively and see any changes. I used this to overcome my fear of food as so many foods I used to react to. I just kept saying before I ate a food ‘oh I will react to this’ and low and behold I did! When I started to say ‘I love this food and I’m going to eat it and have fun and be relaxed’ suddenly foods I couldn’t eat caused me no problem. Even some foods I eat everyday might cause a reaction if I’m in the wrong mindset as my conscious ego pops up and says ‘oh don’t eat that your eyes will come up’ NO NO NO they won’t hahahah!

Positively and positive words raise Serotonin and reduces Histamine in the body. Help regulate the glands and lowers the white blood count. I.e. inflammation!

So how do you actually eat mindfully?

You need to prepare your body for food. Shovelling food into the body and not chewing properly stops digestion and if the body is working hard on digestion it will take energy away from other functions and you will feel sluggish and tired and bloated after you eat . . . (Christmas dinner anyone?). You are supposed to feel energised and light after food. If you are not re think the food you are eating!

So do the following before you eat always!

  • Take 10 deep belly breaths
  • Be grateful for the food
  • Smell your food
  • Touch your food
  • Thank the farmers or who ever made it for you

By this stage your mouth will be watering sending signals to the gut to start the digestive juices and the enzymes that are needed to break down the food. Digestion starts in the mouth!

CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW 30 times each mouthful!

  • Savour each mouthful
  • Thank your body for digesting this food.
  • Be grateful for how lucky you are for having great food and the time to eat it-if you have not got time to eat re think your priorities and work on the balance in your life like what we spoke about earlier.

The other side to mindful eating is knowing where your food comes from and looking after the planet.

  • How was it raised and killed?
  • What part of the world did it come from?
  • What has it been through to get here?
  • What the life force or vibration of this food?
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Hannah’s Gut Healing Protocol.

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Remove

Removing is the first step: by removing harmful foods, toxins and stresses on the body you give it the best chance to heal. If you imagine your body as a large cooking pot and each toxin, junk food, chemical, truama or stressful day goes into fill up that pot, eventualy that pot will over flow and you can try to put a lid on it (medication) but you are just supressing the inevitable of it exploding and spilling over (disease and illness). Foods like spices, cooked foods, meats and flesh, alcohol, packaged foods, coffee and chocolate are stimulants to the body and will stop it healing. The body can only heal when it has no pressures on the system and is getting adequate sleep.

Below is what you need to remove without cheating or using as a “treat food”

Things in moderation does not apply to good nutrition and healing the body. A small amount of harmful unnatural foods are still damaging for the body. Large amounts are more damaging!

  • alcohol, coffee, cacao, chocolate
  • soda and canned drinks, fruit juices and cartoon drinks, UHT milks and juices and nut milks
  • cooked foods
  • sweets, lollies, candies, pop corn and packaged treats and biscuits
  • chocolate (even raw if you have Adreanal or Chronic Fatigue)
  • spices and spicy foods
  • sugars and natural sugars like agave, maple, honey, coconut sugar
  • trans fat, crisps, chips, fried foods and packaged and canned foods
  • jared, tinned and pre-made foods
  • wheat, gluten and grains (some grains and seeds like quinoa, buckwheat and millet can be added back in once the healing has been done)
  • canned beans, legumes, meats, broths and dairy
  • stress and toxic relationships
  • work pressures
  • the need to be right
  • the need to be perfect
  • badly combined foods
  • eating late meals
  • reducing nightshades like tomatoes, eggplants, capsicum and starchy vegetables like parsnips, carrots, beets and white potatoes some may need to remove completely but can be returned after the skin has healed
  • remove all parastite and yeast over growths by doing cleanses or probiotic protocols
  • tap water and bottled water and drinking when you are not thirsty
  • chemicals, toxins from your skin care and home cleaning products-supermarket supplements
  • moulds from your home
  • stresses and environmental stresses including work and relationships
  • antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication – ibuprofen, Oral contraceptive pill and thrush medication-all mediation safely.
  • chiropractic adjustments, saunas, vigorous rough massage, excessive exercise that exhausts you and anything else that stimulates the nervous system
  • salt and pepper

This list may seem overwhelming and too much to remove but you will not achive healing if you are still using chemicals on your skin or toxins in your home or having weekend treats of raw deserts, chips, cakes and chocolate or eating foods that are cooked to often in your diet. You must go through a strict removing stage to allow your body to expel the inflammation and re-program itself to start the healing process. It’s not to say if you do slip up (we are all human and life happens) that you have undone all you have worked hard on so far. It’s about getting back on the horse and trying again. Each time you do this your body will recover faster and eventualy it will signal you don’t need those foods anymore and it will show you how to get what you need from natural healthy foods and your environment.

HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU TO GET BETTER? 

For example I used to suffer from migrains and as soon as I felt one coming on I would reach for my migraine tablets and have a chocolate craving. Well what my body was telling me is that I needed magnesium and it was trying to detoxify my system. So now when I feel a mild headache come on I have some almonds or a banana and take double dose of my magnesium powder, or I fast to allow my body to remove the toxins efficiently, I listen to my body instead of supressing the signals it’s telling me.

Your body is very clever, it’s equipt with everything it needs and signals to you what it wants or needs to function. We have become so far removed from our bodies and we are used to suppressing or stimulating it with junk foods or medication we have lost the abilty to read it and understand what it needs. ‘You don’t eat for hunger but to fuel your cells’.

Repair

Repairing is the second but most important step: once you have removed these foods and environmental toxins, it allows the pressure to come off the sympathetic nervous systems which primary process is to stimulate the body’s fight-or-flight response and return to the Parasympathetic nervous system which primary process is to calm and relax the body and allow healing to happen. Healing will not be able to happen if you are in the fight-or-flight response your body does not digest from this state and it can not heal from this state. Eating mindfully is important and eating mono (one food meals) at first will help your digestion repair faster. Having a meal of just one fruit can really help kick the digestion back in.

 How do you repair you body?

These foods below you should be eating daily if possible and be incorporated into your weekly nutrition where possible, try to eat a large amount of organic or low spray greens and vegetables daily and get most of your nutrients and calories from ripe in season fruits. which is our primary source of energy. Nuts and seeds can be added in the right food combinations and depending on your level of leaky gut. Nuts and seeds and the truth about digesting them . . .

“Coffee to a healthy strong body can be productive in small doses sparingly, coffee to a person with leaky gut, stress, hormone unbalances and adrenal fatigue can be a killer and is not a health food.”

Healing healthy foods are essential as is the right environment for healing and repairing cells.

  • bio-individual probiotics if needed until the gut is healed
  • prebiotics rich foods like sweet potato, papaya and lemon
  • bio-individual natural supplements like zinc, magnesium, iodine, glutamine, B vitamins, D vitamins and trace minerals, adaptogens.
  • organic essential oils
  • large amounts of green leafy vegetables daily
  • aloe vera and beetroot juice – for constipation
  • barley grass powder for minerals
  • liquid chlorophyll
  • ripe fruits in abundance
  • sunshine daily on bare skin
  • grounding into the earth bare footed
  • ocean, forest or mountain air regularly
  • silica (diatomaceous earth) -for diarrhoea
  •  activated charcoal – for food allergies or reactions
  

 

  • mesquite powder -zinc, magnesium
  • zinc rich foods like – brazil nuts figs and pumpkin seeds.
  • vitamin A/beta carotene rich foods like- orange root vegetables
  • good natural saturated fats like avocado, walnuts and whole coconuts in small amounts
  • balancing hormones with diet and supplements like maca powder
  • iodine rich foods like seaweed
  • magnesium baths with sea salt and bi-carb to pull out toxins
  • correct food combining is essential to gut health
  • love and friendship
  • mediation daily
  • green juice on a empty stomach
  • only drink when you are thirsty
  • try to stay as raw as possible and only have cooked foods for dinner

The truth about fruit . . . and Carbs carbs carbs . . . good, bad and how many is right for you? may help you too . . .

Renew

This step is the third step: but one of the most important as it seals your new healthy life change and keeps your body able to protect itself and keep growing and healing the cells promoting anti-ageing and high energy levels.

You have done the hard part by removing the foods and making the lifestyle changes. By now you should be used to eating a healthy diet and learning to listen to your body’s signals.

These practices below will help you stick to this lifestyle and allow your body to cope with the everyday stresses that arise:

  • a healthy diet balanced in small amounts of good omega 3 fats, high amounts of natural complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) iodine rich foods like green leafy vegetables and seaweed, nuts, seeds and an abundance of colour from natures foods, and clean filtered distilled water eaten away from food.
  • a daily practice of 10 minutes meditation twice a day will keep your anxiety down and help you think clearly and make decisions in every day life.
  • essential oils to help bring your into your body and relax you.
  • regular soft massage will help remove toxins and help relax your body.
  • Qi-gong or Ti chi or Yoga daily or at least 3 times a week will balance hormones, remove toxins, help with weight loss and distress your mind.
  • walking in nature as often as possible helps ground you (bare foot if you can).
  • practicing mindful-living will help keep you in the present moment and not living in the future or past thus keeping anxiety and worry down
  • setting values up around you and making sure you lifestyle choices are always in keep with these values will allow you to stay on your path.
  • boundaries and communication is vital to your health, if your body feels hard done by or stressed because of others it will show up in physical symptoms. By having open communication to those close to you and always putting yourself first and not over stepping your boundaries you will keep your body feeling safe.
  • chew chew chew your food slowly and spend time appreciating your food. It is fueling your body -do not just throw I down your throat. What does “Mindful Eating” really mean and how can it help your food intolerance?
  • breathing this is the most important thing we can learn as humans and the one thing we all do so badly at because of course we breath or we would be dead right? Well most of us don’t breath deeply enough and shallow breath can cause stress on the body. Take the time to deep breath in for 3 seconds hold for 5 seconds and out for 5 seconds at least 5 minutes of each hour every day. I do this every time I stop at a red light or sit on the toilet. Find a place and time that suits you and make it a daily practice. Mediation and Breathing techniques for beginners!

Regrow

The final step to healing your body:

Once you are at this stage you would have changed as a person, your body will be thanking you with clear skin, sleeping well, no aches and pains and no inflamation, an alert mind and clear thinking – sounds blissfull right!

The final step is to address any of lifes hurts. This stage is the most difficult to overcome and most of us are still on this journey even the most enlightened guru’s have their past hurts or backage to overcome.

Through Coaching or Mickel Therpay or CBT or Theta Healing or your chosen way, I suggest dealing with any pain you have been caused or any pain you cuurently have in your life. This can unblock years of trauma you have pushed down causing your body physical symptoms. This is something I can help you with at a one to one coaching session. What is ‘Theta Healing’ and how can it help you?

Each persons story will be different and at first you might not want to open up about painfull past issues, but if you can make the connection beween you constant neck pain and your issue with your mother then you start to see the importance of doing so.

Have you ever returned from a family lunch with a headche or shoulder pain that you didn’t have before? Or met a friend for lunch and not felt listen to or he/she didn’t ask about your life or how you are and you come away feeling down and then go to the shops or eat something to make yourself feel better and just push that emotion down?

Do you see the connection between supressing emotions and physical pain and do you see that suppressing your body with food will cause more symptoms. Even if you have overcome this as an adult and you no longer let others effect. And you and you don’t absorb their pain or issues as your own (well done you) dealing with your past hurts can be prodcutive for your physical body. A simple guide to understanding Nutrition and the part it plays on your body, and how to heal your own body!

I recommend these books to help with this and to find a counselor or therpist you feel comfortable with:

‘You Were Not Born To Suffer’ -by Blake D Bauer

‘Your Can Heal Your Life’ -Louise Hay

‘Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway’ – Susan Jeffers

 

I leave you with this point that healing the body isn’t just about food or supplements, but about a whole body-mind approach and that the balance of life has to be right to achieve total happiness.

Please contact me if you need more support and guidance through your Gut-healing Protocol as doing it alone can be hard.

What is a ‘Health Coach’ and how can they help you achieve your goals?

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Understanding The Gut-Brain Connection and Behaviours.

Each food you eat either fuels your body and benefits your cells healing and reproducing new healthy cells. Or it harms your body causing inflammation and deficiencies and thus behavioral issues like Depression, Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Bi-Polar Disorder, or inflammation illness like; Arthritis, Diabetes, ME, MS, Heart Conditions, Crohn’s, Eczema, psoriasis, Asthma, Epilepsy and Auto-immune diseases. It’s vital to understand eating the right foods and living in the right environment for your body so it can heal itself and do what it is designed to do without medication and intervention.

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The “Mind-Gut Connection”

The trillions of microbes that inhabit the human body, collectively called the microbiome, are estimated to weigh two to six pounds. Up to twice the weight of the average human brain (No wonder we call the Gut the second Brain) Most of them live in the gut and intestines, where they help us to digest food, synthesize vitamins and ward off infection. Studies have linked the gut microbiome to a range of complex behaviours, such as mood and emotion, appetite, and even learning and memory. Not only does the gut microbiome appear to help maintain brain function, but it may also influence the risk of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including anxiety, depression and autism.

  • Gut microbiota help break down certain nutrients.
  • Gut microbiota produce brain chemicals such as,
  • GABA, tryptophan, serotonin, histamine and
  • Dopamine (all needed to function and stay happy and balanced)
  • 70-80% of your brain chemicals are made in the gut!

Disruption of the gut barrier:

  • Dysbiosis “leaky gut” – toxicity
  • Parasites and over-growths of yeast
  • Inflammatory bowel disorders

Microbiota Disturbance

There are many things that can upset this delicate balance, from family genes passed on from blood lines, to environment, toxins and of course most important is the food you nourish your body with.

  • Environment – pesticides, herbicides, synthetic hormones and pollutions.
  • Foods – intolerances, processed foods, white sugar, trans fat, wheat, gluten and food chemicals, preservatives and additives. (Gluten can cause opening of the cell junctions, open it up to toxins and bacteria entering the blood stream causing Leaky Gut)
  • Under-active digestion (low stomach acid)
  • Stress and emotional trauma. (Causing diarrhoea or constipation, bloating, wind, reflux, low stomach acid, ulcers in the digestive tract, disruption in motility, bacterial imbalance, when stressed there are tendencies to eat more sugar and refined carbohydrates when under pressure)
  • Medication -painkillers, sleeping tablets, thrush treatments, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory e.g. Nurofen, Cortisone, Voltaren.

Many factors come in to play to stop our cells from talking to each other and growing healthily or reproducing:

  • Inflammation
  • Food sensitivities – e.g. gluten intolerance
  • Oxidative Stress (toxicity of cells)
  • Hormones – e.g. Cortisol (stress)
  • Leaky gut

What is “Leaky Gut”?

The lining of our digestive tract acts as a barrier with tiny holes that should only allow small, harmless particles to pass through while preventing waste particles and undigested food from escaping. However, if this lining becomes compromised or more porous than normal, undigested food particles and waste products can get through and enter the bloodstream. When undigested food particles and waste seep into the bloodstream, the immune system responds with inflammation throughout the body, leading to leaky gut syndrome (coined my Naturopaths). Inflammation can then lead to symptoms like bloating, cramps, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, rashes, achy joints, allergies, and more. These symptoms, in addition to chemicals produced during this immune response, are contributing factors for kids who struggle with behavior, focus, and learning difficulties. Kids with leaky gut syndrome may also experience vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to poor absorption, which can further exacerbate learning or behavioral struggles. While it is widely accepted that people with Crohn’s Disease, Celiac Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) often experience leaky gut syndrome, the idea that kids with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Autism and Dyslexia and other neuro-developmental disorders may also be affected is gaining traction thanks to Dr Natasha Mc Bride ‘The GAPS Diet’.

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Hannah’s Gut Healing Protocol.

Hormones

Hormones play such an important role in your body and its healing ability, if one is out or low or too high it can cause many long-term health issues. If your lacking in any of these hormones or your body is imbalanced you can get symptoms of depression, learning difficulties or leaky gut. Here I break down each one and the importance of them:

Neurotransmitters

These act as messengers for the brain and nervous system:

  • They either “excite” or “inhibit”
  • Keep you in a “fight or flight response”

Noradrenaline

Helps with:

  • Alertness, concentration, memory and mood:
  • Overproduction can result in high stress – panic attacks or anxiety and not being able to switch off at night

Acetyl Choline

Helps with memory and learning, signs and symptoms of a deficiency include:

  • Poor concentration
  • Light sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Highly reactive to stress

Serotonin

Helps with regulating sleep, mood and eating behaviours. Signs and symptoms of a deficiency include:

  • 95% of serotonin in the body is in the GUT! – Gluten effects serotonin production
  • Aggressiveness
  • Bad temper
  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks

(so if your guts not right your not going to feel happy)

Dopamine

Helps with motivation, mood regulation, memory and movement. Signs and symptoms of a deficiency include:

  • Restless legs (Fibromyalgia)
  • Low libido
  • Depression/low mood
  • Dull boring dreams or no memory of dreams

GABA

Helps with sleep maintenance and our main inhibitory brain chemical “stops excitatory brain chemicals” signs and symptoms of deficiency include:

  • Anxiety/panic attacks
  • Alcohol cravings
  • Insomnia or struggles to fall asleep/waking during the night with a rushing mind

Cortisol.

Too much elevated Cortisol levels can interfere with every aspect of your health. Signs and symptoms include:

  • Learning and memory difficulties
  • Lowered immune function
  • Bone density
  • Increase weight gain or unable to loose weight even when under eating and exercising
  • Blood pressure issues
  • Cholesterol
  • Heart disease
  • Keeps you in chronic stress
  • Increase risk for depression
  • Mental illness
  • Lower life expectancy
  • Inflammation in the body
  • Burn out your Adrenal Glands

Histamine

Helps with your immune system, proper digestion, and your central nervous system. As a neurotransmitter, it communicates important messages from your body to your brain. It is also a component of stomach acid, which is what helps you break down food in your stomach. Too much Histamine can cause:

  • Leaky Gut
  • DEO deficiencies
  • GI bleeding

Too little Histamine can cause:

  •       Arousal and wakefulness
  •       Loss of appetite
  •       Low stomach acid
  •       Food allergies
  •       Binge eating and cravings
  •       Dry skin allergies
  •       Tissue swelling
  •       Difficulty regulating temperature
  •       Fatigue
  •       Cramping around menstruation
  •       Anxiety
  •       Nasal congestion, sneezing,          difficulty breathing
  •     Vertigo or dizziness
  •       Arrhythmia, or accelerated heart rate

Parasites

Parasites can cause many issues when untreated and stop the healing process. The body becomes Malnutritioned and they can cause Leaky Gut and Fat Malabsorption, meaning the body doesn’t get the nutrients from the food you are eating as they take it all first. This then affects the Gut Flora and Microbiome and other deficiencies accrue. We all have parasites to some level but some are able to expel them natural without it causing them harm whilst others need medical help. Parasite can be picked up through:

  • Travel to other countries – e.g. “Bali Belly”
  • Weakened immune system
  • Pets and animals
  • Lack of hygiene

Signs and symptoms of them include:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Wind
  • Bloating
  • Indigestion
  • Pain
  • Nausea
  • Weight gain or weight loss

Parasites can be passed through salvia and bodily fluids and from changing nappies so if one family member has them you all have them. Testing can be hard but worth persisting to find out which ones you have and the right treatment for them. Treatment can take up to 1 year and there are foods to help with expelling them as well as natural cleansers.

Candidia Yeast Overgrowths and Sibo

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (or SIBO) is a chronic bacterial (and/or yeast) infection of the small intestine, where excessive number and/or abnormal type of bacteria (and yeasts) growing in a part of the gastrointestinal tract that normal contains relatively few microorganisms.  These bacteria can cause a variety of problems by interfering with digestion and absorption of nutrients and by damaging the lining of the gut, causing a “Leaky Gut” Symptoms of bacterial overgrowth include abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, gas, belching, flatulence, chronic diarrhoea, and chronic constipation.  These symptoms are due to the large volume of bacteria the digestive tract (alive and dead, as they read the end of their lifecycle) and the large amount of gas and metabolic waste that they produce.  Many more symptoms of SIBO are a direct effect of nutrient mal-absorption (the body being starved even though you are eating). This arises either from the bacteria metabolizing those nutrients before we can absorb them or by the bacteria causing enough inflammation in the lining of the gut that it the gut can’t work properly anymore. The bacteria preferentially consume iron and vitamin B12, causing anemia.  The bacteria decrease fat absorption by de-conjugating bile, leading to deficiencies of vitamins A & D and causing fatty floating pale stools.  As the gut lining becomes increasingly inflamed and leaky, larger and not fully digested food particles enter the body, causing an immune reaction, which leads to food allergies and food sensitivities.  Bacteria themselves can enter the blood stream causing systemic inflammation and immune reactions that can lead to autoantibody formation and autoimmune diseases. The truth about fruit . . .

Read about my gut healing protocol here; Hannah’s Gut Healing Protocol.

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Understanding food intolerance symptoms and how to get tested.

Food intolerances and allergies is a bit like the old ‘chicken and egg’ scenario trying to work out why you have reactions to certain foods, environmental variables and toxins. Is it because you have a leaky gut or has the food caused the leaky gut? Do you have parasites causing the issues or is it your nervous system out of balance? And do any of those things make you unwell or are they all connected? or is it your mindset and how you look at food and how you talk to your body? or is it that the foods you keep eating are causing your body harm?

Well you can go around the bend trying to work it out on your own. I highly recommend seeing a Bio-medical Doctor or Allergy Specialist to help you find of what your triggers are.  And working with myself to find your bottom beliefs and work on a Bio-individual eating plan low in irritant foods and high in natural healing foods.

As although the carrot or pecan on its own is not the reason your unwell it may be causing you more harm if you continue to eat it. Once your immune system is weak your leaky gut will start to form holes and allow food particle that are to big to get into the blood stream. Causing the body to attack that healthy carrot as if it was a bad bacteria and cause the body to be inflammed. If this continues for a long time without being healed, the body will continue attacking its own good cells not just the bad which is called an Auto-immune condition. Once this starts unless you are sealing and healing the gut, the holes will get bigger and the food you react to will grow and grow until your down to a few “safe foods” and then because your eating them daily the immune style gets weaker and attacks its self more causing more symptoms and more health issues. So really its not about what the food is, but how to heal your gut so you can enjoy all healthy foods again. Working with a good Doctor versed in food intolerance’s to heal your body whilst avoiding the high trigger foods is the key. Although through experience I recommend not removing all of your trigger foods, but to use the rotation method, as if you remove all those foods and only eat a few your body will become immune to those too. I not suggesting you eat foods causing you problems daily but if tomatoes are a really high allergen for you, just have then once a month or so to keep your body used to them and to keep the variety and colour and vitamins in your diet. Often on elimination diets you get very malnutrition and lack the nutrients your body need to heal it self and the brain is starved. But I do believe that if you have ‘leaky gut’ and those with any of the symptoms below have a ‘leaky gut’ of some degree, then limiting dairy to raw or organic and occasionally, only and if you can tolerate it without more symptoms. And strictly NO grains, dairy, sugars of any kind even “natural”, caffeine including chocolate and alcohol till your gut is healed as these foods will keep you from healing and set you back each time you indulge. To help you understand I have compiled a list of food reactions:

  • heart palpitations
  • increased heart rate
  • low blood pressure
  • high blood pressure
  • wheezing
  • allergic asthma
  • acne
  • weight gain and loss
  • excessive sweating
  • rashes
  • hives and welts
  • ADHD and behavioural issues
  • sensitivities to mossy bites
  • eczema
  • psoriasis
  • joint ache and swelling
  • fibromyalgia (muscle pain)
  • water retention-edema
  • week nails
  • hair loss and low growth
  • eye brow and lash loss
  • ear infections
  • mucous in nose ears and throat
  • blurred vision
  • spots and flickers in front of your eyes
  • swelling of eye lids
  • red sore scratchy dye eyes
  • sensitive to light
  • sneezing after food but do not have a cold
  • head aches
  • migraines
  • neck pain
  • smelly discharge and sweat
  • bumps on the back of your arms
  • runny nose
  • frequent colds (more than 1x a year)
  • frequent infections (more than 1x a year)
  • blocked nose
  • brain fog
  • body chills
  • body aches
  • stomach cramps
  • colic in babies (knees up to chest and screaming)
  • bloating
  • constipation- stools green, clay coloured, dry balls, floating or sinking away.
  • diarrhoea
  • undigested food
  • moody
  • depressed
  • anxious
  • mouth ulcers
  • cold-sores
  • vertigo
  • red around the nose and mouth and sore
  • red cheeks in children
  • vomiting and nausea
  • light headedness
  • fainting after food

I recommend the following way to test your child or yourself for allergies and food intolerance’s under supervision of an expert you will get a good list of foods to eat and the ones to have on rotation. And those ones like dairy, grains and sugars to avoid.

A raw food high fruit cleanse based on “80 10 10”- this is  fast way to restore balance in the microbiome and cleanse the body from candida. being high in fruit during the day then a raw said meal at night you allow easy digestion and health carbohydrates to fuel glucose to the brain. This has helped me over come many food intolerance and being variety back in to my diet.once you have done the cleanse you can re introduce foods with a positive mindset and belief work.

Water Fasting under a supervised practitioner– Read Dr Herbet Sheltons books first please or contact me.

Low Dose Immunotherapy- This method of testing will help you to quickly identify and potentially treat your allergies and intolerances so a nutritionally well-balanced diet becomes a more realistic option for you. Over a 3-4 day period in the clinic at ‘Your Health’ Brighton Melbourne you will be tested for 25 plus foods to see how your body reacts. Then reach your bodies level where those symptoms start to switch off. Once the testing is complete you will have your own personalised cocktail with a histamine in it to inject daily. so you can eat those 25 plus foods safely without your immune system switching on to attack them. This gives your body the chance to eat healing nutritious foods to heal your gut. I strongly recommended this treatment for those of you eating just a few foods and reacting to your home and environmental toxins, but it’s expensive at $500 a day and it works along side working with a Doctor to heal your gut and a supplementary plan to work on the bodies deficiencies. For children they use a saline dropper on the tongue so no needles needed. It’s a pain fee easy way of testing your children with true accuracy. http://allergyintolerancetreatment.com

A word about other testing mehtods: Blood test-  Although this gives you up to 80 foods quickly and with little pain and cost, the issue is the blood test will only show what the body is reacting to at the time of the blood test i.e. the foods you eat the most. This does not show a true indication of the body, as the carrot could not be the issue but as its been eaten with the cheese, and the cheese the culprit then your body all attack this food too. Also as I have mentioned if your gut is damaged you will be reacting to most foods. They also promotes avoiding that high food completely and as I have also mentioned that makes the body react to the small amounts of food you are eating. You are better to remove only the big food groups that cause issues like soy, grains, sugars and chemicals and rotate your health’s foods to lessen the load.

Kinesiology Muscle Testing and Vaga Testing – Both of these methods are controversial and you will find people that swear by them and others who knock them down. In my opinion I believe they can work well, but you have to have a great relationship with your therapist as they can sway the results. You also have to be calm and focussed so this can be hard for children and often the results can be varied. I had good results with Vaga testing to help me when I started The Elimination diet but on experience I would have just gone straight to The Gaps Diet. I believe Kinesiology holds many great benefits for releasing energy and helping balance the body but is to varied for food intolerance testing.

My conclusion is to not demonise a particular healthy food but to avoid the worst food groups, soy, grains, sugars and dairy for some and rotate the healthy foods like vegetables, proteins, fruit, nuts and seeds and good fats so your body doesn’t not get used to them and can cope with them in small doses. Whilst and this has to be the most important thing you do . . . work on healing the gut lining and repairing the holes. Taking digestive enzymes can help as will a good probiotic and eating prebiotic foods, raw real foods, fruits and good fats help restore the gut lining too.

An example of this is bananas used to make me angry so I stop eating them completely. Once my gut had healed I added them in again, but now I find blueberries have that effect on me . . why because all I ate was blueberries. Now I have blueberries occasionally and banana occasional with little effect. I try to rotate my foods and always continuer to strengthen my gut and heal my body.

The alternative is you will keep getting more and more intolerant to foods and environments and your body will think its safer to shut down. And as someone who has been there it is not nice and you do not want the T-shirt!

On this blog I hope to show you there are always alternatives to your favourite foods and swapping one for another means you can still enjoy your favourite snack without all the pain and discomfort.

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Good fats and bad fats and how to use them in your detoxing…

Fats are good for you . . . yes you heard right fat fat fat!!

But are you eating good fats like avocados, coconut, some nuts and seeds, or bad fats that harm your body?

Good fat does not make you fat alone, simple carbohydrates like pasta and breads, bad fats like oils, chemicals and refined sugars, flours and bad food combining makes you fat. Good saturated fat is nourishing and gives you energy and keeps you fuller for longer . . .when eaten in the right food combination away from fruit and proteins. Fats also slow down detoxification as they put stress on your kidneys, so if you are trying to move your lymphatic system I do suggest limiting your fats to below 5 % of your nutrition plan or temporally avoiding them.

Good fats and are essential for the brain and body. Without good fats your body starts to break down and health issues arise. Fat is essential for growing children’s brains and they need more as they grow and then can even out later on. Fats are essential in preventing ageing concerns like Dementia and Alzheimer’s and Depression. The increase in health issues has arisen through low-fat chemical foods and getting away from traditional nourishing foods. But the amount of fat to eat is often over exaggerated. We do not need spoonfuls daily, or the amount we find is raw desserts and nut laden treats.  And we do not need for each meal to have fat in it. All whole foods have protein and fats in them alone side carbohydrates like a banana. Each person will need a different amount of fat depending on the individual and on how toxic they are and how much thy need to detoxify.

  • if they are a child before 7 years old they will need more for there growing brain so let them eat avocados and coconut galore.
  • a teenager going through puberty will need more to cope with neurone changes.
  • if your are ill you will need less until your body has cleansed out the virus, disease or build up of waste as fats slow down detoxification.
  • if your are pregnant you again will need an adequate about to support you and baby in the second and third trimesters.
  • if you are old you may need a small daily amount of fats but be guided by you digestion.
  • if you have candida which will show up in psoriasis or eczema you will need to go 0-3% fat until your body has cleansed the waste out then you can slowly add in a small amounts again.

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I can’t stress strongly enough about good fats and children on the spectrum as it’s been proven that a good levels of omega 3 fatty acids can improve the brains function and repair neural pathways. Supporting depression and anxiety and healing the gut.

So start to increase your good fats daily starting small and building up to about a 1/4-1/2 avocado daily or 1–2 raw coconuts a week or 1 glass of raw nut or seed milk daily depending on your bio-individual needs and weight, if you are trying to loose weight do not eat too many fats and always in the right food combinations. I do not recommend cooking with ANY oils as when you heat them, they change and become more volatile and carcinogenic rendering them toxic and unable to be digested by the body. Nuts and seeds should be eaten raw to get the good saturated fats from them and to keep them as a rich nutrient dense food. NEVER COOK/ HEAT NUTS!

Of course avoiding all the bad poly- unsaturated and trans-fats that cause many health concerns and are toxic and rancid like:

  • Borage oil, Canola oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Evening primrose oil, Rapeseed, Safflower oil, Peanut oil, Sunflower seed oil, Vegetable oil, Olive oils, Avocado oil, Coconut oil, Sesame oil, Nut and Seed oils.

These are not fresh and become rancid within hours. They are not in there whole food state and can not be digested and used by the body!

When you make an oil from a plant or whole food is no longer is a whole food and looses all its nutrients and life force even organic. 

  • And that means processed and home cooked food that these oils are in too:
    ALL– crisps, crackers, chips and frozen foods and meals, corn chips, biscuits, lollies and sweets, chocolate, Processed meals, sauces and jarred products, pastas and noodles, bakery products, veggie burgers, patties, meats and deli meats , hams and sausages ect

Eat fats in the right food combinations so they can digest efficiently and send that goodness to the brain, so its not stored as waste in the body!

If you are new to increasing fruits for detoxification and health, you may feel a little tired if you have lots of fat in your system then you eat fast digesting fruits. I suggest as you increase your fruit you reduce your fats for optimal digestion and energy…

Check out the truth about fruits here: The truth about fruit . . .

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Understanding Food Intolerances and Allergies.

Understanding why yourself or your child has started to react to a food you have eaten for along time and out of the blue can be frustrating and confusing.

Over the years and through lots of experience I have leant not to demonise that one food like the tomato or strawberry to name 2 of the worst culprits. But to indentify why you or your child is having that reaction.

I like to imagine the nervous system like a pot a big shiny pot. Once that pot is full it starts to overflow. Bubble and spit and boil over. What’s it over flowing with? Toxins, chemicals in the home and personal beauty products, processed foods, sugar, alcohol, gluten, additives, E-numbers, preservatives, stress, lack of sleep, over exercising or lack of exercise . . . If you remove some ingredients, the pot will calm down and simmer along nicely again.

We went down the path of eliminating most foods on the RPAH Elimination Diet and running around like head less chickens panicking about if the kids had eaten a carrot, which was medium on the RPAH Salicylates list. This panic in it’s self was not helping. So learn from my experience. Yes you have to eliminate a few food groups and temporally remove trigger foods and toxins but the most important thing to do is to learn why it’s happening and to remove those items but then repair the body. All food intolerances, out of character behavioural issues and skin reactions are a symptom of the gut. Repair the gut and the symptom will calm down. Remove the foods, limit your triggers but faller to repair the gut or underlying problem will mean you are chasing your tail for many years blaming eggs, nuts or nigh shades. For me I blamed dark raw chocolate, when really it was the stress that leads me to eat chocolate as when I eat chocolate without stress my body copes with it just fine. With my son he can cope with nuts but only when life is calm for him. If there is stress from a new school term, or daddy is away for a while then his pot rises and his body reacts to more things and I can’t give him as many foods as his nervous system is heightened. So instead we steer clear of his trigger foods until he is calm. Then he copes just fine as his pot is very low. What comes first the reaction or the food or both we will never know. Stress plays a big part in gut damage and why you may be reacting. Practice mindful eating. Chew your food. Turn your TV off and focus on sitting straight and enjoy your food that is nourishing your body. Example. I can’t eat nightshades very often. So if I make a 5 minutes tomato and capsicum omelette, eat fast then rush to get out the door whilst screaming at the kids to hurry up we are late . . .and not digest it properly I will react. But If I’m out to dinner with friends and I have nightshades on my plate, as I am calm and happy my body copes with it better. Again how full is your pot depends on what you can cope with.

bowlmind

REMOVE-REPAIR-RE-TRY

So where to start?

Firstly before I go on to show you the best paths to take and how to tackle what must seem like mind field too most.

I must explain the damage Antihistamines, pain killers, Steroids and Anti-fungal or Antibiotics can do on an already weakened under attack Immune system and a nervous system that is over flowing (remember the pot). These are suppressing the symptoms so putting a big lid on that pot that is boiling over. Well we have all done that whilst cooking and what happens? it still over flows and splits worst, often making more mess and not fixing the issue. You have to turn down the heat to stop it and remove some ingredients. By using antihistamines and steroid creams you are pushing it down and it will come out another way and worst. So what was a skin rash might come back as a chest infection or earache. Keep suppressing that with more medication without looking at the cause, it will come out in an asthma attack lets say or a headache because you body is no longer getting the minerals it needs because of holes in the gut lining and food particles are being attacked in the blood stream and your brain is being starved. Keep going with more medication and it comes out as something worst and so on till you get a really nasty problems. So please don’t use a short-term fix, look at the real reason and repair the gut.

There are natural herbs and foods that are antihistamines that work brilliantly to calm your body’s reactions whilst you fix your body. Also you could use Homeopathy, but not synthetic drugs.

An allergy is something your often born with an your reaction is acute or deadly an Intolerance is something you can calm and change with diet and lifestyle. Although I have seen many people over come lifelong Allergies to nuts and pollen through healing their gut that they were born with. But most doctors will tell you that is impossible.

Healing and repairing diets to work towards adapting in your family would be:

A 100%raw food diet low in fats high in carbohydrates and fruits, melons, berries and nuts and seeds and free from anything else.

These are not quick fixes but lifestyle changes that will mean you can change your outcome and stop a life of needing creams, medication and avoiding foods.

No sugar coating: You must eliminate all (MSG), preservatives, additives, flavour enhancers, gums, vegetable proteins (TVP) E-numbers, food acids, thickening agents, sugars and fake processed foods including soy bi-products like dairy milks, soy lecithin in chocolate, chocolate, caffeine , alcohol ect and trans fats and all oils. (Real food only not from a packet)

food-not-food

Understanding the main chemical and allergy food groups:

Salicylates: this big word is a plant chemical found naturally organic or non organic fruit like strawberries and vegetables like tomatoes and eggplant, honey, spices, teas, coffee, yeast and products which use them like laundry powder, aspirin, perfumes, toothpaste, cleaning products.

Amines: this is from the breakdown of proteins. Amines levels increase in meats and fish and cheese that is char grilled, aged or matured and in fruits and vegetables that are very ripe like bananas, olives, and avocado. Or concentrated sauces like tomatoes sauce, fruit juices, chocolate, flavoured spreads, jams and fermented foods.

Glutamate: this is an amino acid that is an essential building block of all proteins and is found in most naturally foods. In its natural state away from protein it is used to enhance flavour in foods like cheese, tomato, stock cubes, spreads, soy sauce, yeast extract. Like amines they naturally accrue in ripe fruits, so as the proteins in the fruit break down they appear.

Fructose: this is simple sugar found in fruits and vegetables and natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. Fructose when eating as a whole piece of fruit can be absorbed well because it has the fibre to go with it. When you have it as a fruit syrup or juice without the fibre or as dried fruit, which is concentrated. It can ferment in the large bowel causing gas and an over production of bad bacteria. Fructose is not a problem for most if it’s eaten as a whole fruit and in small amounts of local organic in season fruit. The problem arises when a cold climate person eats lots of tropical fruits, juices and dried fruits. (Example 1 box of sultans contain up to 50 grapes or 1 roll up contains 7 serves of fruit and often sulphur and sugar is added) fruit juice is pure sugar to the body and it spikes your hormones gives you short term energy without any of the goodness to feed your body. Eat fruit as a whole piece of fruit.

Lactose: this is the natural sugar found in milk. Its a compound sugar made up of glucose and galactose and can not be absorbed until its been digested by the enzyme Lactase in the small bowel. Which if you don’t have that enzyme you cannot digest it.

Gluten: if you have reaction to gluten you might have Coeliac Disease and before removing it you should be tested. For others it may be an intolerance and once others food have been removed and replaced with organic, unprocessed grains that have been stored properly, soaked and prepared properly you may be able to cope with it. But that does not mean shop brought cookies, cakes and breads that means homemade fermented grains or homemade sourdough using traditional methods. For me I cannot cope with grains yet as I still have gut healing to do. This should be one of the last foods to replace.

Histamines: is a chemical, which occurs naturally in certain foods. This is also one of the chemicals that is released in the body as part of an allergic reaction, causing the typical itching, sneezing, wheezing and swelling allergy symptoms. We all have an enzyme which breaks down any histamine that we absorb from a histamine-containing food. When we eat a food, which contains histamine, it does not affect us. However, some people have a low level of this enzyme. When they eat too many histamine-rich foods they may suffer ‘allergy-like’ symptoms such as headaches, rashes, itching, diarrhoea, and vomiting or abdominal pain. This is called histamine intolerance. Foods that are high are. Champagne, wine, beer, cider and other fermented drinks and spirits, sauerkraut and other pickled foods., tofu and soya sauce, aged foods like cheese and meats, mushrooms, tinned fish, sausages and other processed meats (ham, salami, gammon, bacon) mushrooms, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, yeast extract, yeast, chocolate, cocoa, cola.

Check out more information on:

http://fedup.com.au

This is a chart I used back when I was working out what we were reacting too. It may help you too. Fill it in with your symptoms and your triggers.

Symptoms Gluten Dairy Soy Corn Eggs Nuts Citrus Chocolate Sugar High Salicylates High Amine
Bloating
Headache
Joint pain
Rash
Hot flush
Mood changes
Anxiety
Depression
Your symptom

 Change the column names to suit your symptoms and foods.

Getting started.

I recommend eliminating all trigger foods like dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, gluten, and sugar for 3 weeks to allow your pot to empty. Drinking water away from food and also removing toxins from your home and turning to natural products to clean and wash clothes and avoiding as many outside toxins as you can. As I said earlier ‘No Sugar coating!’

Once you have made it through the 3 weeks without any slip-ups reintroduce one food at a time eating that food at least twice a day for two days using the chart to observe your symptoms.

If you have symptoms like a rash, brain fog, fatigue or a digestive reaction remove it again and write it on the chart. If you are fine with the food you can keep eating it.

Once the reaction has past what a day and start on the next food.

A note about Gluten if you react to it in any way bloating, headache, rash, bowel changes you may need to keep it out until your gut heals.

You can’t be part time gluten free as it takes up to 3 weeks and in some cases 3 months to remove the particles from the intestinal tract. So no cheating on the weekends if you want to be symptom free!

Be patient, as it will take time to reintroduce the foods back watching for reacting and not adding the ones you react to until you have done the gut repairing.

REMOVE-REPAIR-RE-TRY

Look at my Gut healing protocol or contact me to take you through the process of healing.

 Good luck finding your triggers guys!

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Why no GRAINS you ask?

There is a lot of talk about grains and why we should or should not eat them. So what’s the truth?

Well the truth is some people can cope with them when they eat fermented, well soaked and properly cooked grains and sprouted beans to the tractional methods of cooking. But the majority of people do not eat there grains like that. When I was a vegetarian my diet was 60% grains, legumes and beans and I know I didn’t prepare them correctly like eating canned beans, processed crackers and lots of breads, cakes and biscuits and it caused me a lot of damage in my gut. Grains should be eaten away from fats and starches only be eaten on there own and need lots of digestion time. Food combining and why is it essential for health!-chart.

Most peoples grain consumption is very processed and grown with pesticides, herbisides and a host of other harmful chemicals. This makes them an inflammatory food that causes damage to the gut and can reak havoc with weigh gain, low energy, IB, fertility, mental illness and thyroid function. Not to mention those grains containing gluten and we know most people can’t tolerate gluten. Grains, seeds, and beans contain anti-nutrients such as protease inhabiters, saponins, lectins and prytoetrogens which can cause ‘leaky-gut syndrome’ and physic acid which blocks absorption of minerals like iron, zinc and copper which are essential for the body to be strong.

Seeds like quiona and some beans and legumes when cooked properly can be highly nutritious and full of protein, but again if you have any digestive symptoms like bloating gas or pain avoiding all grains and grain like seeds and beans is advised till your gut is healed. And there are more easily absorbed foods that give you just as much protein and minerals-Like Fruit and Greens!

By soaking or sprouting grains, seeds and legumes your body can break down this process and make them easier to digest and absorb the nutrients. So once your gut is healed and you have had along period without inflamitory foods you maybe be able to digest small amounts of grains, beans and legumes prepared properly and in the right food combination. But they should not make up more than 5% of your diet and not from processed foods like shop brought crackers and breads. And ideally be young sprouted legumes and beans not dried, cooked or canned.

Nora Gedgaudas is the worlds leading expert on why grains should be avoided for most of us. She goes in to the history of our eating and how mass agriculture only came in to our history 200 years ago  and only 100 years ago chemicals started arising in our farming practices changing us from sometimes nutritious foods to a food thats in every product we buy and eat. We feed it to the animals and we costume max amounts of it daily. Did our ancestors eat that much? Has our bodies involved enough to cope with the speed of the agriculture?  . . . she answers all of that below.

http://www.primalbody-primalmind.com/what-is-gluten-and-why-should-we-care/

Using activated nut flours, seeds and coconut flours you can make breads, crackers, wraps, cakes, biscuits and most food you love but these are still not ideal for digestion and lacking in nutrients as they have been cooked and processed. Many restaurants serve grain-free foods now too. Once you learn not to add rice or pasta with everything you start adding more vegetables to your plate and the aim is to have 80% or more of your diet from plants!

It may seem a long way off but start with removing one grain meal a day and in 2 weeks you would have halved your grain consumption. Then in month most grains would be slowly out of your diet. Swap your bread for a lettuce wrap or seed wrap. Swap your biscuits for homemade walnut meal ones. Swap your cereal for a smoothie, your pasta for zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. See you can do it!!

It will take you about 3 months for all the gluten to rid it self from your body theres a phrase gong around that says you can’t be a little bit pregnant . . . and so you can’t be a little bit gluten-free or a little bit grain-free, once you have removed it from your diet stay off it for at least 28 days to see the real benefits.

Let me know how your feel . . .

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Constipation and relieving it with natural remedies.

Do you suffer from constipation or bloating? This is a horrible painful problem for so many. Your body is being backed up with toxins that cause havoc on your body. So many people live with this for years trying every product from the pharmacy shelf. But have you looked in to your diet and added natural remedies?

We should all be going twice to three times daily with a perfect formed smooth stool that does not float or sink fast below the bowl and with no cracks or as rabbit droppings. These tips could help you.

FullSizeRender copy 12

A little cheeky image from the NGV!

The best thing you can do is buy a stool or squatty potty stool. By crouching down with your knees up you are in the correct position. Using the toilet without a stool does not open your bowls properly leaving stools trapped. It may seem silly but just by raising you legs up you will notice it will help you empty your bowls.

103076866_large_squatty_potty_footer

The higher your diet is in ripe in season fruit, greens and vegetables and the lower in drying hard to digest grains, dehydrating packaged foods, salts, and alcohol the healthier your bowels will be. Try adding these foods into your daily diet to see if it helps too:

Aloe Vera juice 10-50 ml daily on an empty stomach.

Organic celery and cucumber juice each morning before food.

Beetroot juice in the afternoon away from foods.

Barley Grass juice powder in your smoothies and green juices.

Orange juice.

1 litre of fresh coconut water each day for 3-4 days.

Magnesium spray on your legs before bed, or magnesium flake baths.

 

Food combining and why is it essential for health!-chart.

Tips that might help your bloating, flatulence and ease horrid tummy pain.

Herbal teas can help like: ginger, fennel seed, liquorice, tulsi and peppermint tea.

 

‘Oil Of Oregano‘ diluted in water 

Eucalyptus, ginger, peppermint essential oils either rubbed on the stomach or diluted in water upon waking or before bed on an empty stomach.

Activated Charcoal tablets are a must in your ‘healing first aid box’ to stop tummy bugs or food reactions and help with bloating and flatulence.

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Hannah’s Gut Healing Protocol.

And remember look into why you are constipated. . .

Is it a Leaky Gut?

Not enough green fibrous fruit, greens and vegetables?

Not enough water or too much water or water eaten with food?

Food intolerances?

Are you living in a highly stressed state, environment or lifestyle?

Do you have gluten, grains, sugar, and trans-fat in your diet?

bowlmind

The two are connected work on mindset along side these foods, herbs and supplements to heal your body.

Choosing a positive mindset

You can take back your own health!

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