Tag Archives: workshop

Leaky Gut

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Have you heard of Leaky Gut? It sounds gross, but it’s a real thing. The medical term is Increased Intestinal Permeability. In short, it means that there are little holes in your gut. Substances that are normally not allowed through, like toxins, bacteria or undigested foods, are now entering the blood stream and causing inflammation inside your body.

As hippocrates said “All disease starts in the gut” more and more studies have shown that Leaky Gut is the root cause of allergies, thyroid issues, skin problems, mental diseases, weight gain and many many more.

Dr Axe seems to be the leading man when it comes to Leaky Gut. His book is called “Eat Dirt”. It is really fascinating. If what he says is true, then virtually every disease can be prevented and even reversed by healing the gut! In his book he also explains how to heal your gut, which is basically to remove the toxins that wreak havoc, replace them with healing foods, repair with supplements and rebalance with probiotics and lifestyle change. Please read more here.

The most common symptoms are:

  • Bloating
  • Food sensitivities
  • Thyroid conditions
  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain
  • Headaches
  • Skin issues
  • Digestive problems
  • Weight gain

Many people have leaky gut and don’t even know it. Most of us don’t even know we have “ailments” because we have been living with them forever and have never known a different way.

If you find out you do suffer from Leaky Gut I would advise you to seek treatment with your normal physician or find someone who knows more about it. Studies on Leaky Gut are very recent so not all physicians may be up to date, so don’t be surprised if your doctor has never heard of it.

Listen to your body and trust yourself! You know your body and mind best!

5 Surprising Facts About Your Gut

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very-mild-first-trimester-symptomsWe have all heard about our gut and the microbes living inside us. Here are 5 facts that you may not know about your gut:

1. Your body has more microbes than human cells

Bacteria are everywhere!! There are more bacteria on your hand than there are people in the world! But before you rush off to wash you hands – not that that would do any good – know that most bacteria are good for us. After 1000s of years of evolution we have found a way to co-exist. The bacteria that reside in your gut cannot live without us and we cannot live without them. It is estimated that there are 100 trillion bacteria residing in your large intestine. That is 10 times more than human cells. Think about it, we have 10 times more bacterial DNA than human DNA. Hopefully this makes you realise how important it is to keep them as friends and not as enemies.

2. Bacteria can be good and bad for you

You are probably aware that germs can make you sick. What you may not know is that many bacteria are very important to keep you healthy and to help you fight off infection. The bacteria in our gut can either be our friends and protect us from harm or our enemies that make us sick. Whether or not we are healthy highly depends on the type of bacteria that reside in our gut.

Your gut can only hold a specific number of bacteria and everyone is fighting to get a spot in your gut. However, the bacteria need to eat, so it is important what you feed them. If you feed the bad bacteria, they will become strong and take up residence in your gut, but if you feed the good bacteria, they will become stronger and take up the place of the bad ones. I’ll let you guess which ones eat at your local farmers market and which ones eat at McDonald’s.

3. Diversity is important

To give your gut the best chance for good health it is important that there are many different types of bacteria in your gut. Having many different species of bacteria in your gut will act as a buffer against collapse. If one species disappear then there are still others present to avoid total collapse. However, imagine if you only have a few different species, then when one disappears there are more chances for bad ones to take up residence and to dominate.

Here are some numbers to relate to: The average American hosts about 1200 different species and the average American Indian living in the Amazonas in Venezuela hosts about 1600 different species. I am going to let you guess which one suffers from more lifestyle related diseases that originate in the gut.

4. Our microbiota is as unique to us as our fingerprints.

Your gut microbiota reacts to the world around and within you, and as a result, your microbiota is unique and distinct, like a fingerprint. Even identical twins that have identical DNA have a different microbiota. Siblings or children growing up very closely tend to have more similar microbiota. This is probably due to having a similar lifestyle and eating similar foods.

5. Our microbiota has the capacity to change over time

Our microbiota goes through a dynamic journey from birth, through childhood, to adulthood, old age and death. Our microbiota changes over time and is very closely related to what we eat, how we live and what we expose ourselves to. This means that by changing our microbiota, we can change our health.

5 secrets to healthy living and weight loss

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Did you know that being overweight or living unhealthily increases your risk of many lifestyle related diseases, like autoimmune diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, and obesity.

Did you know that there are things you can do that would really help you lose weight and hence decrease the risk of getting sick.

Here are 5 of them:

  1. Mindful eating.

Most of us eat too fast and do not really appreciate what we are eating. We often eat while doing something else like working on the computer or watching TV.

The pleasure in eating lies in slowing down! Chew your food and really taste it! Look at the food you’re eating, smell it and notice what you are thinking. Chew each bite at least 30 times and breathe! Turn off the phone, computer or TV. Really be present! Appreciate what you are nourishing your body with.

  1. hara hachi bu

This is a Japanese proverb that means “eat until you are 80% full”. This makes so much sense, as it takes the brain approximately 20 minutes to receive the signal from the stomach that it is full and it’s ok to stop eating. Most of us have lost our ability to listen to our bodies. It takes practice, but you can learn to listen to it again. Try to eat until you are 80% full. I promise you that your body does not need more!

  1. Drink more water

Did you know that your body is made up of between 60-75% water? It’s no surprise that how much you drink can affect your health. Too much water could result in mineral imbalances, while too little could cause dehydration, headaches, or fatigue.

Everywhere you read about water, there is a different recommendation for how much water to drink. Listen to your body and always have water with you! Start your day with water and keep drinking throughout the day. Drink less in the evenings to avoid toilet breaks during the night!

Find your own rhythm, but do drink more water!

  1. Distribute your food

Let’s say you need to eat about 100 units per day (don’t bother worrying about what a unit is or why we need 100, it is just an example). Think about distributing these units throughout the day.

If you used 30 on breakfast, 5 on a midmorning snack and then have a big lunch of 40 units, then you are only left with 25 units for afternoon snack and dinner. In other words, if you have a big lunch, then have a smaller dinner. If you want dessert then only have it once day. Don’t have it after lunch AND after dinner. Choose one and be happy about it. There is always tomorrow. It’s about finding a healthy balance.

  1. Limit your alcohol consumption

If you are going out and you want to drink alcohol, then be smart about it. Firstly, hydrate throughout the day so you don’t mess up your system too much in the evening. Then, eat lightly throughout the day, so you still have a few units to spare when drinking. Finally, choose your alcohol right. Wine has the fewest calories and you don’t need to drink too much before feeling it. Liquor is even better, but watch what you mix it with. Enjoy a gin without the tonic or rum without the coke. If you have to have beer, especially in football season, then have ONE! Enjoy it and then drink wine or liquor the rest of the evening.

I hope this makes sense. I promise you that if you follow these guidelines that you will feel better!

Weight loss doesn’t have to be hard! You need to be smart about it and take one step at a time! If you need more support or guidance, then book a free coaching session with me. Click here to book your session!

Please let me know if you have comments or questions.

 

 

 

Health Expert Series 1

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Everyone has a different opinion about health and what it means to them. I am starting this monthly series to open up the discussion about what health means to you and maybe to learn from other people and their point of views.

This month I am starting with myself. I have interviewed myself and you can find the answers below. Every month I will interview a new person that I think has something interesting to say about health and what it means to them.

I hope you will enjoy this series and will participate in the discussion. Health affects us all, also you! This is a subject you should have an opinion on 😊

Here we go:

 

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Name, age, occupation: Anne Louise, 35, Holistic Health Coach & Boxercise Instructor

What does health mean to you?

Health, to me, means being happy and feeling good about all areas in my life. Everything from eating the right foods and exercising, to having healthy relationships and the right career needs to be in balance before I would call someone truly healthy. I need to be happy with myself on the inside and on the outside

How do you achieve this level of healthy?

I try to eat healthy and exercise regularly. But this is not enough. I constantly work on self-development and try to improve areas in my life that I am not happy about. I clean up my toxic relationships. I find ways to handle stress and to get a good night sleep! If I find that a job or project is draining my energy, then I need to find a way to change it. When you come home from work, you should feel happy and energised! If you feel down and drained, then maybe the job you’re doing is not right for you!

Why is it important to be and live healthily?

I think it’s important to feel good in your body and to be able to live life to its fullest every day. I think too many people settle in life and don’t know that life could be so much better if they changed a few things. I don’t ever want to settle in life. What’s the point of living, if its not going to be a good and happy life?

Finally, I think it’s important to live healthy to prevent disease and aches in the future. We are getting older, and older, but what about quality of life? When I get old I still wish to take care of myself and to be active. In old age, I want to be self-sufficient and I believe by living healthy now I up my chances of that happening.

Why are you an expert?

I started my student career in nursing school and though I quickly found out that this was not my calling, I still learnt a lot about health and disease-care. Thereafter, I studied biotechnology engineering, where my main focus was how nutrition affects the body. In other words, I studied what happens in the body when we eat and when we change what we eat. Finally, I studied Health Coaching, where I learnt over 100 dietary theories and studied the world’s top health and wellness experts. My education has equipped me with extensive, cutting-edge knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and prevention.

I now work as a Health Coach, where I help my clients find balance in their life and teach about how nutrition and lifestyle affects health and overall wellbeing.

What is your top health tip?

Health can mean so many things and the important thing is to find out what it means to you. How do you feel good in your body and what needs to happen so you become truly happy and well balanced in your life? You are important! Remember that and always be kind to yourself and others!

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Do you want to be part of my Health Series? Please email me. I would love to hear from you!