Could Candida be the reason you are not losing weight?
What do antibiotics, a high-sugar diet, chronic stress and too little sleep have in common? They all play havoc with our gut flora and, therefore, our state of health. An imbalance between the good and bad bugs in the gut creates a very welcoming environment for opportunistic pathogens such as Candida Albicans to multiply to a problematic level. Candida is a fungus, which is a form of yeast. These microbes (in the right quantities) are actually helpful to our digestive system and we all harbour some in our gastrointestinal tract. Our good bacteria is what usually keeps the yeast in check. Read the rest of this entry
Insulin resistance and what to do about it
Do you often feel tired?
How about hungry all the time?
Cravings a little out of control?
Brain fog becoming an issue at work?
Read on to find out why you might be experiencing these symptoms and what to do about it.
Insulin resistance is a condition that, over time, has the potential of becoming a very serious health issue. It is the pre-cursor to type 2 diabetes ,which is a chronic condition that necessitates ongoing medication to control blood sugar levels and in many cases the regular injection of insulin to substitute for a pancreas that no longer functions correctly. It is also not uncommon for type 2 diabetics to have to undergo limb amputations. Despite the long term consequences of untreated insulin resistance, it often goes undiagnosed due to the “stealth mode” under which it operates.
In other words, you could be insulin resistant and just not know it.
Is buttered coffee a good breakfast option?
Bulletproof or buttered coffee is a meal replacement drink that many keto and low carb enthusiasts have for breakfast. It consists of a blend of quality filtered coffee, butter and MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil.
The original recipe was developed by Dave Asprey, an American entrepreneur, bio-hacker, lifestyle guru and author of The Bulletproof Diet. He recommends the use of his special brand of mould and mycotoxin free coffee beans, his “brain octane” MCT oil and unsalted butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows. He claims that this creamy, high fat coffee will improve mental focus, provide energy and keep you feeling full for hours. He even suggests it can assist with fat loss due largely to the addition of MCT oil. Read the rest of this entry
Lets talk about portion size
A real food Banting (LCHF) diet is a wonderful way to eat. It provides all the nutrients your body requires for good health and vitality. It can help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar. Many people even experience improvements with regards to their allergies, arthritis, auto-immune conditions and skin issues. BUT, if your goal is weight loss, Banting doesn’t offer an automatic guarantee. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a great option for weight loss as it most definitely is. It just means that you need to be aware of a few potential pitfalls that can prevent you from losing the flab or, heaven forbid, gaining even more weight. Read the rest of this entry
Should women be fasting?
Intermittent fasting (IF) has become a very popular method for losing weight and improving health. Advocates of intermittent fasting claim that it lowers diabetes risk by decreasing insulin resistance, enhances growth hormone production, which is good for anti-ageing and improves cognition through the release of dopamine.
Intermittent fasting is a way of eating that focuses on WHEN you eat and not so much on WHAT you eat. It involves going without food for a determined period of time. Popular approaches are the 16:8, where you fast for 16 hours (say between the hours of 7pm and 11am), and then eat within an 8-hour window or the 5:2 method where you restrict calories to about 500 calories for two days a week and eat normally the other five days. Others prefer a 24-hour fast once or twice a week and there are a few other variations. As trendy as fasting has become, is fasting beneficial for everyone and more specifically, should women be fasting? It seems the answer is a little more complicated than a simple “Yes” or “No”.
How many grams of carbs can I eat in a day?
All carbohydrates, from bread, pasta and chocolate to the more healthy ones like fruit and butternut, convert to glucose in the bloodstream. Since the body doesn’t like having too much glucose floating around, the pancreas releases a surge of insulin to deal with it. The more carbs one eats, the more insulin that is released. The downside of too much insulin is fat storage. So, if you want to lose weight, the key is to keep the amount of insulin in your body as low as possible. The only way to do this is to be careful with carbs. But, what does “be careful” with carbs really mean?
What is a “fasting mimicking diet”?
Fasting is very “on-trend” at the moment. It’s cheap to do, no special meal preparation is required and there is ample evidence highlighting its benefits for anti-aging, weight loss and combatting chronic disease. Fasting is not a new idea. Various religions and cultures have been practicing fasting for centuries. Even our cavemen ancestors had to fast, as there was often no food available for days on end. If fasting is such an amazing longevity and fat loss hack, why isn’t everyone doing it? One reason is because our relationship to food is complex and being ravenous for any length of time can be very unpleasant. Read the rest of this entry
Low carb diets and your thyroid
Are low carb diets good or bad for your thyroid? It’s certainly a controversial issue with many well-respected practitioners and nutritionists not always agreeing. Some claim that low carb is the holy graille of weight loss and the path to optimal health, while others condemn the diet for wrecking their thyroid and causing hormonal chaos. Who is right? The issue is a nuanced one with a few factors at play. Read the rest of this entry
Are you doing low carb the right way for YOU?
Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole will only end in frustration, and failure is almost guaranteed. But, shaving off the edges of the peg a little might just make it fit. Once the peg is altered to fit the hole, there is a good chance it will stay there for good. So it is with low carb diets. For ultimate long-term success, the diet needs to be tweaked to fit YOUR unique needs and goals. Here are some factors to consider. Read the rest of this entry
Beyond the scale
Let’s assume for a moment that you have over-hauled your diet in a concerted effort to lose weight. No more expeditions to the junk food drive thru’s, alcohol consumption is at an all-time low and sugar is something you enjoy only in your dreams. Food is being cooked from scratch and your relationship with veggies is back on track. But still the scale is moving very slowly or just won’t budge and you are beginning to wonder if all this hard work is actually worth it. Before you throw in the towel, know this – the scale doesn’t tell the whole story and shouldn’t be your only measure of success. In fact, being hyper-focused on the bathroom scale can do a lot of damage to your self-esteem and confidence.
What’s the solution?
Look for signs of progress elsewhere and forget about the scale for a moment. It isn’t that important to know how much force your body exerts upon the earth. Having less wobbly bits and feeling good is the main goal, right? The following list of questions could reveal that you are totally rocking your new and healthier diet and provide the motivation you need to keep going. Read the rest of this entry
Primal Perks 