by dnshah | Apr 29, 2016 | Health and Wellness Tips
May is my birth-month! I especially think of my childhood and my mom making turmeric milk, “aka Golden Milk, for me and my sister when we were growing up. Turmeric milk has been used for centuries in India and other parts of Asia for strengthening immunity. Turmeric is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, antiseptic super root/spice. Back then turmeric milk was dairy-based and didn’t have any sweetness, so it was a disappointing flavor from a kid’s perspective. Today there are so many choices of milk-alternatives and natural sweeteners. I had the pleasure of tasting a Korean version of turmeric milk, which was delicious and nutritious; and it inspired this version of turmeric milk. Treat yourself and kids today to an immune building preventative remedy for whatever new illness is around the corner! It is especially good for colds and flu. Introducing my new & improved….turmeric milk! Boost your immunity, invest in your health, and savor the deliciousness!
Golden Milk
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoon of honey
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground black pepper
- pinch ground cardamom
- pinch saffron
METHOD
- In a small saucepan, heat milk, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and cardamom over medium heat until it boils.
- Turn off the heat.
- Mix in the honey.
- Pour into a mug and sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
by dnshah | Apr 28, 2016 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips
Our RESET Detox is a 7-day eating program, while our RENEW detox is a 10-day eating program designed for anyone interested in doing a gentle detox. Typically it’s a good idea to detox at least twice/year. Our world continues to become more toxic with increased contaminants in our water, air, and foods (& toiletries& beauty products…). We have a limited number of defense type responses to the unlimited number of toxins we encounter, so it is recommended to take a break from your normal routine and clear out external toxins. Boost your body’s natural function to release, recover, RESET, and RENEW! The benefits associated with regularly boosting detoxification may include:
- an energy boost
- better sleep
- improved immune response
- reduced symptoms of a chronic illness
- less aches and pains
- less eye-twitching
- less headaches
- weight loss
Sound good? Can you commit to just 7-10 days of adopting some new clean eating habits? Yes, you can!
REGISTER HERE
by dnshah | Apr 5, 2016 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity, Stress Management
I’ve been talking about the Blue Zone study in the last few months. The Blue Zones are the places where the average age of population is significantly higher. Earth’s 5 Blue Zones hold the most centenarians and their wisdom on longevity of life. Why do some live longer than others? The longest living woman resides in Italy. She just celebrated her 115th birthday. What secrets could she share with us?
The latest thoughts on the subject are that longevity can be influenced by genetics (10%), environment (50%), and diet & exercise (40%). What this means is that although we can’t control our genes, it can’t determine our fates either. The things we can control have a greater say in our longevity.
One dietary strategy promoting our longevity is to eat superfoods daily that enhance our immunity. If our immune systems remains strong and healthy, so do we. “G-BOMBS” is a powerful acronym detailing out various food types to eat daily. G-BOMBS stand for Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds.
Greens are no surprise on this list as there are so many phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in our plant-based nutrition. Also there are so many varieties and tastes to accommodate even the selective eaters. Add some kale or spinach to your meal today!
Beans are a term used to describe all plant-based proteins, including dals, legumes, pulses, and peas. They are the tiny seeds of life to a plant, and consist of good proteins. Red lentils are my favorite.
Onions are protective alliums, and when combined with garlic become ideal remedies for cold and flu infections. People who consume onions and garlic regularly can have up to 56% reduction in their risk of colorectal cancers.
Mushrooms are a category of fungus with many different varieties, shapes, sizes, and flavors. They are shown to be potent anti-cancer nutrition as women that regularly eat mushrooms have a 64% reduction with risk of breast cancer. Think about that the next time you grill a Portobello!
Berries are powerful antioxidants which protect the body from cells going rogue, not to mention a great source of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They also boost brain function and immunity. My smoothie is not complete without a handful of colorful berries.
Seeds include tasty complementary proteins and fats when combined with other plant-based foods. Seeds have great omega fatty acids which satisfy and complete proteins that aid in immune protection. I enjoy eating pumpkin seeds in cereals, salads, and even smoothies.
When G-Bombs are consciously consumed in a regular diet, one’s immune system becomes stronger and better protects against ailments. So the next time you are choosing what to eat, think G-Bombs for your health!
by dnshah | Mar 21, 2016 | Age Defying, Health and Wellness Tips
I recently started looking into ways to hide small amounts of gray hair developing right around the crown of my hair line. This is the place i first see gray in-between coloring. In the past i’ve ignored it or used a natural mascara product. It works well, but you have to wash your hair more often which gets old. Now there are new products emerging that promise great coverage and convenience with dry formulas which cover gray with your natural tint color and wash out at your next shampoo. No gloppy mess, irritation, or itching – sounds too good to be true! i purchased a product from Color Wow, which was advertised on the View recently. When i received the product, I noticed that it contained “talc”. Considering that Johnson & Johnson is being sued for billions of dollars because of their use of “talc” in some of their powders, I firmly believe it is not a good idea to use talc in close proximity to my brain…. what do you think? Today a stylist recommended another dry root cover up which contained aluminum starch. I avoid Aluminum in my deodorants, so I’m not going to liberally spray this into my scalp anytime soon either! I continue to look at the new products designed for graying men and women, and I haven’t found any that safely cover the gray while residing in the general proximity of the brain. Have you? I’d love to know!!
by dnshah | Dec 15, 2015 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
I empower my clients to successfully meet their customized health goals through information and lifestyle changes. One of the things I encourage my clients to do is to “exergame”. Movement is critical to overall physical well-being. Theoretically when buddies are striving for maximum movement each day, they can playfully compete with each other on the number of miles they walked/ran or the number of steps they took each day. Exergaming gear (Fitbit, Jawbone, wrist pedometers, etc) seems to be very current on trend, and it seems to help people measure their progress with others. That seems to be beneficial for the most part when the buddies are similarly active.
If a more sedentary person was encouraged to join their team, however, the results are not so positive. This third person would start to feel like a third wheel because they may not be able to compete effectively with the other two. When you push your body physically and mentally to compete, and you can’t ever come out on top, what does this do psychologically? It is not positive, as I know people that lost their motivation because they couldn’t fit in with their peers. The unfortunate thing is that these exergaming technological gear (Fitbits and pedometers, and jawbone, etc) was designed for people to get motivated to do more than they normally would. In actuality, there is an active subset that is being motivated to do MORE; but a sedentary subset that it may not be reaching or helping.
by dnshah | Dec 5, 2015 | Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
- What is sugar?
- Do we need sugar, and if so, why?
- What is the sugar cycle?
- What ailments excessive sugar consumption cause?
What is sugar?
“Sugar” refers to several molecules that belong to a family of carbohydrates. They are short carbohydrates. “Sugar” includes glucose & fructose (monosaccharides), and sucrose (1 glucose + 1 fructose). Ultra long carbohydrate chains (glycogen) are not considered “sugar”. Longer carbohydrate chains are unrefined fuel, and the body has to “burn” them by first breaking them down. So our bodies prefer to STORE longer chain carbohydrates and burn the more efficient shorter chain carbohydrates.
Do we need sugar, and if so, why?
Our brain is highly dependent on our blood’s sugar supply for proper brain function. That said, we don’t NEED it to be short chain, because our body can go through the extra steps of breaking down the longer chain carbohydrates and create shorter blocks for efficient fuel.
Our brains have evolved a strong appetite for sugary flavor because it needs fuel. Thousands of years ago this was a survival urge because it led us to eat fruits, and we considered it a treat! It kept our neural networks developed and kept us alive. Today however with the vast choices of foods in market, the shorter chain carbohydrates, refined sugars, we are becoming involved in a cycle of pleasure while eating this sugar. Note that I’m not referring to natural sugar found in real food.
What is the sugar cycle?
Pleasure/rewards motivate us to maintain our survival habits: eating, drinking, reproducing, movements, etc. Brain-reward stimulation studies show that we receive pleasure when our brain regions are stimulated. Our neural systems associate rewards with behaviors (gathering food, working for a living, grocery shopping, etc).
Addictions occur when people want to do activities that continually stimulate our pleasure/reward stimulating brain centers. There is now evidence that sugar consumption can also stimulate our brain’s pleasure activation. So, in a way, we can become addicted to sugar when we associate pleasure/rewards with eating sugar. If we are raised on the belief that we deserve brownies when we were good, then as adults, we will go for brownies on our “good” days. Also the amount of pleasure we receive diminishes over time with the amount of our initiating foods. So we will need more sugar to get the same “pleasure.” So this can actually create a sugar cycle, where we crave more each time we need pleasure. It is seen as an actual addiction similar to hard drugs.
What ailments can excessive sugar consumption cause?
Oral disorders with teeth and gums
Sugar cycle addictions can lead to obesity or diabetes
Acidic conditions within the body caused by excessive sugar can lead to multi-faceted symptoms from yeast infections to joint /connective tissue issues to gastric symptoms to autoimmunity to cancer. It depends upon genetic vulnerabilities, environmental conditions, and lifestyle factors.
- Yeast infections: sugar can increase the risk for candida infections. Candida is responsible for a variety of illnesses ranging from discomfort to death
- Joint / Connective tissue: sugar can cause pain and discomfort due to chronic inflammation. Can start slow and could lead to a full-blown disease that limits mobility
- GI symptoms: sugar can alter the healthy gut flora causing an imbalance which over time can lead to chronic inflammation, allergies, and in impaired immune system
- Autoimmunity: can impact not just GI issues but also neural performance contributing to (depending on genetics) issues such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and more… Currently there are over 150 autoimmune diseases listed by the AARDA, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (www.aarda.org).
- Cancer: According to the American Cancer Society, there are over 100 types of cancer that can cause pain and discomfort to death.
Bottom line is that we don’t need REFINED SUGARS. Our bodies are designed to get what is needed from real food nutrition versus processed foods. How best can you get started? Seek out a health coach that can guide you to success on your own customized health goals from clean eating, weight loss, or even managing chronic illness.
