Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts

Win 1 Of 5 'How To Live' Healthy Lifestyle Books And £30 To Spend On Italian Food Ends 15/12

Most of us want to live as long as possible don't we? However, there is so much information out there it can be difficult to sieve through it all and work out what we should do and what we should not do to live a healthy life. This is an ad.

How To Live

Well, one book I suggest you read is the new bestseller 'How To Live' by Professor Robert Thomas. 

'How To Live' is a guide on how to make the best nutritional and lifestyle choices to live a happy healthy life by one of the world's leading oncologists.  Whether you are in your 20s or 70s, it will help you to empower your body against ageing and degenerative disease. 


The book is divided into 4 chapters - How The Body Works, Food and Eating What To Avoid, Food and Eating What To Embrace, and Habits and Lifestyle. 

I found the book reinforced what I already knew about healthy eating, such as the benefits of a diet high in colourful fruit and vegetables and the importance of regular aerobic exercise as well as teaching me a few new things such as these takeaways below.

Did You Know?

  • That eating egg white and celery lowers blood pressure
  • That house plants can remove airborne toxins
  • That eating pomegranate can help prevent breast cancer
  • That you should swap energy drinks for beetroot juice to improve exercise performance 
  • That your choice of deodorant can affect your long term health
  • That dirty children get less cancer

The language is easy to understand and is generally free from some of the technical jargon you get in academic circles. It's a comprehensive read, and best read in sections so you can absorb the information that makes this book incredibly relevant to our modern lifestyle. There is a whole chapter on improving immunity and reducing chronic inflammation for example which is so important with many illnesses and especially to fight COVID-19. 

This book focuses on lifestyle strategies to prevent illness in the first place and is designed to be complementary to your doctor's advice and medical treatments and not an alternative to conventional medicine. 

This is all backed up with scientific research, not just anecdotal evidence, which you can follow through with the extensive citation references in the back.

Who is Professor Robert Thomas?



Professor Robert Thomas is one of the UK's leading cancer doctors and is an expert in the integration of nutrition, health and lifestyle strategies to lead a healthier way of life. He is a practising consultant oncologist with over thirty years experience in patient care and now leads chemotherapy services at the Primrose Oncology & Research Unit, Bedford as well as treating patients with radiotherapy at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.  As a clinical tutor at Cambridge University he teachers medical students in clinic and at the bedside. 

He has won numerous awards including 'Doctor Of The Year' 2000 by Hospital Doctor magazine, and 'Oncologist Of The Year 2006/7'  by The British Oncology Association. He has been featured on TV around the world including Panorama and Newsnight and his latest book 'How To Live' has been serialised in The Daily Mail. His previous book 'Keep Healthy After Cancer', aims to empower individuals with reliable information to ensure they can make the right lifestyle choices after cancer.

You can buy 'How To Live' from keephealthy.com and Amazon.  It would make a great stocking filler or gift for anyone who is looking to improve their health and immunity. 

Today on my blog you can win one of 5 'How To Live books' and the first winner will also get a £30 voucher for the Italian deli Diforti.com part of the Taste Of Sicily brand. The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are widely documented and Diforti sell a range of Mediterranean food including olive oils, olives, grilled vegetables and more.

You can enter through the Rafflecopter application below. Once you register entry is easy. Good luck! This competition is promoted at Prize finder, Loquax, Super Lucky, and Competition Database.

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Probiotics Beginners Guide

Your body is home to trillions of bacteria and microbes, many of which live in your gut. Far from being the worrisome thing they sound like, these organisms work to protect your health in several ways. One of the best ways to promote the healthy proliferation of these microorganisms is to include more probiotics in your diet.


This guide will help teach you everything you need to know to get started. For a more in-depth overview, you can read this Probiotic 101 guide written by Alicia Harper the Probiotic Review Girl.

Probiotics And Prebiotics Explained

Probiotics are live organisms that positively benefit the health of their host - you. Prebiotics are types of fibre that feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive system. 

Most probiotics are considered bacteria, though some are actually yeast. They can be found in fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, tempeh, and kefir. You can also get them from supplements. There are several strains of probiotics, with lactobacillus and bifidobacterium being the most common. Each strain plays a different role in health so an intake of a variety is best. 

The best prebiotics are foods like onions, bananas and garlic and you can also take these as supplements too. 

Probiotics For The Gut

The colony of healthy bacteria that lives in your gut is called gut flora, with many of them residing in your colon. When there aren’t enough of these microorganisms present, you may suffer from certain health conditions. On the other hand, boosting your supply can protect your health. Your gut flora plays a role in many metabolic functions, offers immune system protection, and helps with the manufacture of certain nutrients, including vitamin K and several B vitamins. An unhealthy gut flora has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, certain kinds of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

Can Probiotics Be Vegan?

Many probiotics contain dairy ingredients or are made from other ingredients that aren’t vegan. However, the number of vegan probiotics on the market is on the rise. This includes pills, gummies, and tablets. Many food sources of probiotics are vegan and plant-based.

The Best Time To Take Probiotics


Most probiotic products don’t contain recommendations about when is the best time to take them. Your stomach acid can kill many of these helpful bacteria so the best time to take them is on an empty stomach, since acid levels go up after you eat. Most experts recommend taking probiotics in the morning as soon as you wake up since your stomach has been at rest for several hours.

Probiotics For Your Digestion

In addition to those conditions mentioned above, probiotics can also alleviate symptoms of digestive complaints. Probiotics are shown to help with IBS, diarrhoea, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, constipation, and bloating. They can also rebuild the gut flora after a round of antibiotics.

Do Probiotics Work For Weight Loss?

Studies have found that people who are overweight or obese have a different gut flora than people at a healthy weight. Because the bacteria in your gut are closely linked to obesity, it makes sense that one can affect the other. Research shows that some kinds of probiotics, specifically lactobacillus gasseri supplements can lead to belly fat loss. Other research has found that probiotics may help prevent and treat obesity, though they can’t replace a healthy diet and exercise routine.

Other Potential Probiotic Benefits


The above mentioned health conditions aren’t the only ones that may benefit from adding probiotics to your diet.

  • Some evidence shows that probiotics might help lower total and LDL cholesterol levels.
  • Probiotics have been shown to result in modest reductions in blood pressure levels.
  • Since probiotics strengthen the immune system, they can help reduce the risk and severity of infections and the common cold.
  • Probiotics have been shown to help control inflammation, which reduces the risk of several diseases.
  • Dermatologists advocate probiotics for treating eczema, rosacea, acne, and a range of other skin conditions.
  • Some strains of probiotics have shown promise as a treatment for the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Probiotics continue to be studied and show promise for treating many other health conditions in addition to those mentioned.

Probiotic Side Effects


Probiotics are considered generally safe for most people, though you may notice a few mild side effects in the days after you begin taking them. The most common are gas and digestive discomfort. People who have weak or compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS, HIV, or other autoimmune conditions should avoid probiotics because they can lead to dangerous infections. Always talk to your doctor before you begin taking probiotics.

Digestive Enzyme vs. Probiotics

Digestive enzymes and probiotics aren’t the same thing, though the former is often confused with the latter. They are actually two completely different substances. Digestive enzymes aid in the digestion of the food you eat. You can’t substitute one for the other.

Prebiotic vs. Probiotic

Prebiotics are a kind of non-digestible fibre that feeds probiotics. You can get prebiotics from asparagus, bananas, acacia gum, leafy greens, legumes, onions, and garlic. Combine prebiotics with probiotics for the best results.

CFU Count Explained

Colony-forming units, or CFU, represents the number of bacteria present in a dose of probiotics. Many people assume that a higher CFU is better, though that’s not always the case. For most people, a CFU of 5 billion to 20 billion is adequate. Probiotics with more than 30 billion CFU are generally only recommended for individuals with serious digestive problems. A higher CFU can lead to more side effects, so keep that in mind when you choose a product.

Natural Methods To Boost Gut Health



In addition to adding probiotics to your routine, you can also boost your gut health by avoiding foods that are spicy, greasy, or oily, in addition to limiting junk food of any kind. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and other healthy natural foods is an easy way to boost your gut health.

Probiotic Gummies

Capsules can be hard to swallow and maybe too strong to take every day. Probiotic Gummies make a good alternative because they tend to taste better and are easier to digest. Most probiotic gummies are backed by medical science.

Final thoughts

Probiotics are essential for good overall health and are an easy way to protect yourself from a range of medical conditions. Talk to your doctor about adding probiotic supplements or foods your meal plan.
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Simple Tips For Looking After Your Heart

We all want to live longer, don't we? Well, there are certain things we can do to look after ourselves and look after our heart. Here is a roundup of advice from respected websites, research and the NHS.

 Eat Healthily


I'm a firm believer in everything in moderation but there are some things you can do to actively look after your heart. 

 Current advice is that a balanced diet should contain at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. This doesn't have to be fresh fruit, it can also be frozen, tinned or dried. You can only count fruit juice, beans and pulses once in this equation.

 Too much saturated fat and trans fat in your diet can increase the amount of cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease so try and replace them with polyunsaturated fat and monosaturated fats.

Rapeseed oil contains less saturated fat than all commonly used cooking oils so when you are looking for an oil to cook with it's a good choice. Replacing saturated fats with some unsaturated fats such as rapeseed oil, as part of a healthy balanced diet has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, which may help to lower the risk of heart disease.

 Fish oils can also be added to the diet, either by eating oily fish twice a week or as a supplement. Fish oils contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to help protect the heart.  Always check with a pharmacist or your doctor if you are considering taking fish oils or vitamin supplements and are pregnant or breastfeeding.

 Reducing salt can help your blood pressure remain low, and adults should eat less than 6g of salt a day.

 Get Active


It's well documented that an active lifestyle can reduce your risk of heart disease. Adults should do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. You need to be active enough to be out of breath, so try an aerobics class, cycling or even brisk walking.

 Simple things you can do include trying to not sit down for long periods and build more activity into your lifestyle. On lunch breaks go for a walk, on coffee breaks walk around the office. If you work from home, make sure you get outdoors a couple of times a day to get some fresh air and exercise. Exercise also helps with stress and helps lower your blood pressure.

Check out these NHS guidelines for more information. 

Quit smoking


 If you are a smoker, quitting smoking will be the best thing you can do for your heart as smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack as someone who has never smoked. If you live with smokers too this can also increase your risk of a heart attack. Many thousands of people in the UK have already quit smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There's growing evidence that they can be effective at helping you transition. If you’re serious about quitting speak to a vaping expert. They have a team of experts, many of whom have quit smoking themselves. They can discuss vape kits & introduce you to e liquids giving you more of a chance of successfully making the switch.

 For help with quitting smoking, ask your GP for advice. They can refer you to a specialist NHS stop smoking team and can prescribe treatment to help you stop. Popular stop smoking options are nicotine replacement therapy, and medication to stop the cravings. 

 Deal with stress

Stress can affect your health and your heart, according to the American Heart Association.  Be sure to deal with any stressful life events in a proactive way. If you find that stress of daily life is causing you anxiety or emotional problems try talking to your family and friends. Talking often helps to solve problems and deal with stress.

 It's not a sign of failure if you have to get professional help with your mental health. Check out this article here on online psychiatry to see how this can help deal with mental health issues.

 Be a healthy weight


People with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above are considered 'obese'. It's a hard-hitting term but simply means you are 20 percent above your ideal weight. Why it is important is because it can put you at higher risk of health problems such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and more.

Eating less and moving more in the simplest terms will help you lose weight. There is a lot of advice on there on losing weight. If you do have a lot of weight to lose, ask your practice nurse/GP for advice and support.

Social support, such as joining a weight loss group has been shown to help you lose weight. If you are trying to lose weight on your own, a slow weight loss will help you lose fat and not muscle and is more achievable. Nutritional testing can help ensure you have no deficiencies before you attempt a diet. 

Limit alcohol 

Heavy drinking can damage the heart, however, some research suggests moderate drinking, less than 14 units a week could help protect it. It's important to also spread alcohol use throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Drink alcohol with food to limit the effect on the body, and consider having a non-alcoholic drink in between your favourite glasses of wine, beer or spirits. 

 Check out this article for a round-up of research into drinking alcohol and to make up your own mind. As always pay attention to up-to-date advice from respected medical professionals as things do change. If you are pregnant check out the advice for you as the Chief Medical Officer in the UK advises the safest approach is not to drink at all to keep risks at a minimum to the baby. 

 Tell me, what do you do to look after your heart?

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