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 | Dec 1, 2015 | Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management
Biologically, a certain amount of stress is a necessary for survival. If we feel in danger, our parasympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”) activates to stress our bodies and mind, so we can gather our full potential for running for our lives or for fighting like our life depends on it. Stress can impact our hormone production, which in turn can affect virtually every process in our body.
During holiday events with family gatherings, we are not in a life/death situation (for the most part)! However our stress levels increase for all of us because we are working harder than our normal routines to coordinate a larger group of people being together comfortably—from activities, to food, to conversations. My clients tell me their stress arises from a variety of family gathering related reasons, and I’m listing some of the top ones I hear more often:
- Financial issues with family collaborations
- They don’t like a family member or in-law
- They don’t want to be victimized or belittled
- Communication issues, misunderstandings, mass confusion
- Being in the same room as a family member they have repressed emotions about
- They don’t want to hear complaints or be in a negative environment
- Their schedules are not synchronized with others (time for waking, eating, sleeping); and they don’t want to constantly stress their biorhythms.
- Adults (over 18) that don’t want family knowing more than they are ready to reveal about their private lives (financials, sexuality, health, habits, & even career).
- Emotionally conflicted with a death on or near Christmas.
In order to better mediate stress from these varying issues, we need to have an awareness of what happens in our bodies, decide if we want to risk these biological issues within our bodies, and draw boundaries of what we are willing to do and not. It clearly is that simple. I empower my clients to do these things successfully. Some of my tips are:
- Communicate ahead of time on financial expectations so you can decide to participate or not. Group gift giving, Mystery santa gifts, or charitable gift giving are some courses for those concerned with directional budgets.
- Learn what stress threshold you have. Excessive stress starts to show you signs in a bio-individual way: stiff jaws, breathing difficulties, headaches, and digestive troubles. If there is not a life-death situation to justify the stress, take control over the stress by PREVENTION and planning ahead.
- When you are with a person and feel your stress increasing rapidly, give yourself another minute before you walk away. During that minute, breathe in very slowly and breathe out very slowly. Focus on your breath as proper oxygen intake can prevent stress from increasing to the point of panic or anxiety attacks. Understand that words (even if loud) cannot kill you unless you give those words power. After that minute, gently explain that you need to check in on something and walk away. Check in on yourself emotionally and try to understand what triggered your stress to see if it can be addressed for the future.
- Set a boundary of what you will share with inquisitive family members; and if someone crosses that boundary with a question, answer with a question. “What are you doing for a living these days?” “(silent pause) Why do you ask – are you doing okay?” Shift the focus back to the person asking. There may be a reason they are asking that has nothing to do with you.
- When logical communication fails, become the storyteller of the family. Tell a story that has a happy ending and some moral theme. Be suspenseful and draw everyone in with it. It can be current events, something that happened to you, or something made up. Holidays are a time of fun, entertainment, happiness, and laughter. Bring the holidays to your gathering. And this is a tip that you can prepare for with several short stories from the news, social media, your imagination.
- Communicating about expected schedules allows different groups of people to do different activities and still congregate for meals or events. The time schedule (give or take 10 minutes) resolves synchronicity with those that like to sleep in AND those that hit the gym before the sun rises!
- Grieving during the holidays can be stressful because of emotional conflicts and judgements. Take the morning of the family death anniversary to take an hour to grieve, remember, and celebrate their life. After that morning, take some time to normalize (take a walk, bath, or meditate); and then enter the holidays with a clean slate. You are alive, and were meant to experience and enjoy life!
