There are some foods that make us sleepy, while others give us energy to burn.
It’s only in recent years, however, that scientists have begun to understand why.
The answer, as it often does, begins in the brain.

To a large extent our feeling, moods, and energy levels are controlled by neurons
nerve cells in the brain that communicate with the help of chemical messengers
called neurotransmitters. Studies have shown that changes in the levels of
neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine can dramatically affect
energy levels, which is why they are sometimes called wake-up chemicals.

Studies show that people tend to think more quickly and feel more motivated
and energetic when their brains are producing large amounts of theses chemicals.
Our diet provide the raw materials needed for the production of these neurotransmitters.

What we eat – or don’t – can play a large role in how we feel.
“We’re talking about a whole symphony of brain chemicals that ebb and flow
throughout the day,” says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food and Mood and
Nutrition for Women.

The building block for dopamine and norepinephrine, for example, is the amino acid
tyrosine. Tyrosine levels are elevated when you eat high protein foods, such as fish,
chicken, or low-fat yogurt.

“Make sure to eat some protein along with carbohydrates at each meal or snack,”
says Molly Kimball, RD, a sports and lifestyle nutritionist at the Ochner Health
System’s Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans.

For instance, instead of having whole-wheat toast with jelly or fruit with juice
for breakfast, have whole-wheat toast with peanut butter or fruit with cottage cheese.
The carbohydrates alone cause a rapid release of blood sugar and a rapid drop in
energy, but the protein helps even that out.”

You don’t have to eat huge amounts of protein to get the energizing effects.
Eating just 3 to 4 ounces of protein-rich food, like a broiled chicken breast or
a hard-boiled egg “feeds” your brain enough tyrosine to get the dopanine and
norepinephrine flowing.

Even though protein-rich foods can help boost energy, the fats that often come
with them can drag you down. Digesting fats diverts blood from the brain,
which can make you feel sluggish. So don’t overload a turkey sandwich with
igh-fat cheese and mayonnaise; dress it with mustard, lettuce, and tomatoes
instead, recommends Somer.

Dietary blood sugar control
When we eat foods that contain carbohydrates, the carbohydrates are digested in the stomach and intestines and are absorbed into the bloodstream, generally in the form of glucose. The glucose in the blood stimulates the pancreas to excrete a hormone – insulin – into the blood. Insulin helps the body’s cells to absorb the glucose and to use it for energy; insulin levels rise and fall with the levels of blood glucose.

When the carbohydrates we eat cause the blood sugar to quickly rise to high levels, excess insulin can cause too much sugar to be absorbed by the cells. This results in a condition of low blood sugar. The subsequent stress on the body stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete hormones into the blood.Metabolism rises, glucose is manufactured from stores in the liver, and the entire body may be activated in what is called “fight-or-flight response.”

The glycemic index is a classification of carbohydrates based on their potential for raising
blood glucose levels. Those foods that result in rapid rise in blood sugar and therefore, in insulin, have a high glycemic index. Carbohydrates that are broken down slowly and cause only a moderate increase in blood sugar have a low glycemic index. Some carbohydrates fall in between.

A study from the New york Obesity Research Center shows that after eating a breakfast of oatmeal, a food with a low glycemic index, subjects were not as hungry at lunch time as those who had a breakfast of sugared cornflakes. The sugared cornflakes breakfast, equal in calorie content to the oatmeal, left subjects as hungry as a control group that had only water for breakfast.

These groups tended to eat more at lunch compared to those who ate an oatmeal breakfast. Oatmeal , of course, also provides benefits due to its high fiber content.

The primary goal – for not only diabetics, but for everyone – is to maintain a relatively stable blood glucose level, and thereby to prevent the “rebound” effect of insulin spikes.Chronically high or very low levels of blood glucose can be dangerous to anyone. High glycemic foods have also been shown to increase appetite and to indirectly effect cholesterol levels. In addition, a high level of insulin signals the cells of the body to absorb the extra blood sugar and to store some of it as carbohydrate in your liver and muscle cells
(in the form of glycogen) and the rest in your fat cells ( on  buttocks, hips, abdomen etc.)

Becoming familiar with the glycemic index of the foods you eat can help you plan your diet.
Tables of the glycemic index are available for most common foods, including in the LEAN section of the USANA internet site. As always, informing yourself is key to providing your body with optimal nutrition.

The statements of this publication have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

     Edition #24

 Drink This to Stop Breast Cancer Tumors Naturally

If  you’re a woman of child-bearing age, then you’re probably concerned about getting cancer–even more so if you have a family history. And statistics show breast cancer is still one of the leading causes of death for women over 30, despite it being on the decline since 2000. read it all…..

LOHAS
Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability
www.lohas.com

Mindful Eating for Balance

How would you define the term balanced living? For some people, it may mean that all the necessary “pieces” of their life are in place. Perhaps they are healthy and live with minimal stress, worry, or sadness. Perhaps they have mastered the art of mindful eating and that has positively impacted other areas of their lives.read it all….

Recipe of the Day – Gennaro’s butternut squash
www.jamieolivers.net

More Health & Nutrition by Nutrobalance
The Importance of Glycemic Control
How to fuel your brain for energy

Stress is all around us, and food provides a welcome, if momentary break.
Unfortunately, the foods we often turn to in times of stress, like coffee and sweets,
have a way of making us feel even more frazzled later on.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Research has shown that eating more of some foods
and less of others can cause stress hormones in the body to decline.
Making slight changes in your diet will produce physical changes in the brain that
can make the world’s problems just a little bit easier to handle.

Researchers have found that food high in carbohydrates produce changes in the brain
that can take the edge of stress.

During emotionally trying times, our brain uses up its supply of serotonin, a chemical
that imparts feelings of well-being. When serotonin levels fall, negative feelings
tend to rise.

Eating foods that are high in carbohydrates, like pasta, bagels or baked potatoes,
can quickly rise low serotonin levels, making you feel less stresses and more relaxed.
As serotonin levels rise, appetite usually decreases, which means that you are
less likely to eat your way through hard times.

Research found that foods high in vitamin B6, such as bananas, potatoes and prunes,
can relieve irritability and stress, making you feel just a little bit better.

In one study, Dr. Tecce and his colleagues at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition
Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston lowered vitamin B6 levels
in a group of volunteers. The people became increasingly irritable and tense.

Vitamin B6 improves mood by raising levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain
that is related to feeling good. When you don’t get enough vitamin B6 in your diet, dopamine levels fall, and you can experience negative feelings.

In addition, people who don’t get enough vitamin B6, may produce to little serotonin,which make them feel even worse.

It’s not yet clear how much vitamin B6 you might need to help stress levels down,
says Dr. Tecce. It seems likely, however, that the daily value (DV) of 2 milligrams is
probably enough. It’s very easy to get this much vitamin B6 in your diet.

One banana, for example, has 0.7 milligram, or 35% of the DV, a half-cup of chickpeas
has 0.6 milligram, or 30% of the DV and a baked potato has 0.4 milligram, or 20%
of thee DV. The USANA Essentials contains 8 milligram of vitamin 6.

The Caffeine Crash
In a study of almost 30 people, researchers at the University of Minnesota in Morris
found that more of them drank more coffee or caffeine-containing soft drinks during
high-pressure times.

Caffeine produces a quick zing that can momentarily make you feel more relaxed
and confident. Fairly quickly, however, it stimulates the production of cortisol,
a stress hormone that raises blood pressure and heart rate. This can make you feel
more stressed than yo did before, says William Lovallo, PhD, professor of psychiatry
and behavioral sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

It doesn’t take potfuls of coffee to rev up your stress levels, Dr. Lovallo adds.
In a study of 48 men, Dr. Lovallo and his colleagues found that those drinking just
2 to 3 cups had a significant increase in blood pressure.

This doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite drinks, Dr. Lovallo adds.
But when the pressure’s on, switching to drinks without caffeine will help keep you
calmer and more in control .

And while you’re filling your cup, put the lid back on the sugar. Within minutes
after eating sweets, blood sugar levels start to fall. “When your blood sugar is going
up and down, you are more susceptible to moodiness and irritability,” says
Peter Miller, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at theMedical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Maintaining your health is much easier than trying to regain it.
When you are in good health, your goal should be  to support
your good health and to protect yourself against degenerative
diseases, by combining a healthy diet and exercise with nutritional supplementation.

For those who are struggling with their health,they can empower
their body to fight and even reverse chronic diseases.

By providing the necessary nutrients at optimal levels, your LDL
cholesterol is more resistant to oxidation, your eyes have greater
antioxidant protection from sunlight, you provide optimal protection
for your lungs. You increase your immune system  and antioxidant
defense system.

You decrease the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancer,
arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson disease and more.

Bear in mind that our toxic environment and stressful lifestyle
make it necessary for our immune system and our antioxidant
defense system to work flat out.

If someone is suffering from lasting fatigue or a chronic
degenerative disease, he or she is under greater oxidative stress
than normal. In this case optimizers are used to support any
existing nutritional supplement program.

A very strong antioxidant is found in grape-seed extract, which
belongs to a group of antioxidants called bioflavanoids.
When used in synergy with other multiminerals and antioxidants,
they are fifty times more potent than vitamin E and twenty times
more potent than vitamin C.

One of the most important characteristics of grape seed extract
is, that it gets easily across the blood brain barrier.
In other words, it gets into the fluid around the brain, spinal cord
and nerves most readily.

It usually takes four to six weeks before you notice significant
improvement and start to feel normal again.

People who are already suffering from a degenerative disease,
like heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s etc. are
already in serious trouble.
In this condition, everyday production of free radicals can cause
severe oxidative damage to fats, proteins and the DNA of the cell.

These people need significantly more potent antioxidants if
they want to have any change of beating their disease and
regaining their health.

Next to grape-seed extract,other optimizers are used,like CoQ10,
which is important to create energy within the cell and support
our immune system,
glucosamine sulfate,which is used for cartilages in the joints,
lutein,niacin, magnesium and calcium.

For people suffering from heart disease, 100mg grape-seed
extract, CoQ10 and about 200 – 300 mg magnesium per day,
in addition to a basic vitamin E mixture.

Cardiomyopathy patients need 300-600 mg of CoQ10 with
some magnesium and 100 mg grape-seed extract.
They will see a recovery within 4 months.

For cancer patients it is hard to give a general formula, but
if there is no prove of cancer spreading, 200 mg each of
grape-seed extract and CoQ10 is recommended.
If the cancer is spreading, 300 mg of grape-seed extract and
500 – 600 mg CoQ10  is recommended.

In case of Macular Degeneration, 300 mg of grape-seed extract
and 6 -12 mg  lutein should be added to the basic regime.
Improving will happen within the first 4 months.

Multiple Sclerosis patients need at least 400 mg of grape-seed
extract, 200 – 300mg CoQ10 and even some additional 500 –
1000 mg Vitamin C. It can take up to 6 months before any
significant improvement can be experienced.

People suffering from osteoarthritis need 1,500 – 2,000 mg of
glucosamine sulfate and about 100 – 200 mg grape-seed extract.
They can also add 400 – 600 mg chondroitin sulfate or even
100 mg of MSM if they feel it helps them.

Rheumatoid Arthritis can also be conquered with the same
amount of glucosamine sulfate, 300 mg of CoQ10, 400 mg
grape-seed extract and 200 mg additional magnesium and
calcium. Adding 3 to 4 fish oil capsules or two teaspoons of
cold-pressed flax seed daily.

For Osteoporosis patients it is important to get the right levels
of vitamin D, calcium and magnesium with their meals.
They also need a serious weight-bearing exercise program
for the upper body.

If Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is in an early stage,
400 mg of grape-seed extract can slow down the progression.

In case of Diabetes, 100 – 200 mg grape-seed exract can be
added to the basic program.

Chronic  Fatigue/ Fibromyalgia patients need 200 – 300 mg
grape-seed extract along with 100 – 200 mg of CoQ10.
Sometimes it is necessary to increase the dose of grape-
seed extract to 400 or even 500 mg daily in order to conquer
this disease.   When improvements are noticed, this amount
can be reduced to a lower maintenance level.

It is crucial to protect your health with high- quality  supplements,
which are complete and balanced,if you want to be assured of
getting any significant results.

Look at nutritional supplements as your health insurance.
Once you have lost it,it is very difficult to regain your health,
no matter how much money you are willing and be able to spend.

I would recommend the USANA  nutritionals for supplementation.
You can find them by clicking here!

Without  science and technology, our lifespan would not have been
increased as much as we experience it today.
However, they were not be able to secure for us our long-term health.
As Dr. Myron Wentz, founder of USANA Health Sciences likes to phrase it:
“We are living  too short and dying too long.”

Healthy living means:keeping a balanced, healthy diet, avoiding smoking,
excessive use of alcohol and toxic chemicals,taking regular exercise and
supplementing our diet with high quality nutritional supplements.

The nutrients have to be in a form that the cells of our body can
except them and the cells have to be in optimum condition to be able to
absorb the nutrients.These are the keys to successful nutrition and two
often overlooked facts.

Maintaining your health is much easier than trying to regain it.
When you are struggling with your health, you can empower your body
to fight and even reverse chronic diseases.

By providing the necessary nutrients at optimal levels, your LDL cholesterol
is more resistant to oxidation, your eyes have greater antioxidant protection
from sunlight and you provide optimal protection for your lungs.
You increase your immune system and antioxidant defense system.

You decrease the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancer, arthritis,
diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson disease and more.

People who are suffering from a chronic degenerative disease are under
greater oxidative stress than normal.In this case, optimizers are important
to use in order to support any existing nutritional program.

It’s been scientifically proven that there are substantial health benefits in
taking nutritional supplements. The benefits of nutritional supplements
are scientifically verified over the past two years.
Hundreds of scientific studies have proved that nutritional supplements
can significantly reduce the risk of degenerative diseases.

The American Medical Association (AMA) now encourages all adults
to supplement daily with a multiple vitamin. Based on a landmark review
of 38 years of scientific evidence by Harvard researchers, Dr Robert Fletcher
and Dr Kathleen Fairfield, the conservative Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) has rewritten its policy guidelines regarding the use of
vitamin supplements. In a striking departure from its previous anti-vitamin
rhetoric, JAMA (June19,2002) now recommends that, given our nutrient-poor
modern diet, supplementation each day with a multiple vitamin is a prudent
preventive measure against chronic disease.

The researchers point out that more than 80% of the American population
does not consume anywhere near the five to eight servings of fruits and
vegetables required each day for optimal health.

Dr Robert Fletcher, co-author of the groundbreaking JAMA studies, states:
All of us grew up believing that if we ate a reasonable diet, that would take
care of our vitamin needs. But the new evidence, much of it in the last couple
of years, is that vitamins also prevent the usual diseases we deal with every
day – heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and birth defects.

Most people simply accept the onset of arthritis, heart disease and
diabetes as inevitable results of the aging process — the truth is, these
conditions are largely preventable.

Health is a matter of CHOICE.
If we chose to make good nutrition – including supplementation –
and an active lifestyle a daily habit, we could add 5 to 15 healthy
years to our lives.
Apart from the future benefits, eating well and exercising regularly
also enable us to enjoy life so much more right now!

I would recommend the USANA  nutritionals for supplementation.
You can find them by clicking here!

   Edition #23

What is HEALTH?
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In humans it is the ability of individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental or social challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO)

Combination of stroke, diabetes and heart attack ‘significantly reduces life expectancy’

Having a history of diabetes, stroke or heart attack can lower life expectancy significantly, according to new research, while a combination of two or more of these conditions – defined as cardiometabolic multimorbidity – can reduce it even further.
read it all…

Healthy Body, Strong Foundaton

The human foot is one of the most amazing of all physical phenomena.
Composed of 26 main bones, the average foot takes over 5000 steps a day.
Over the years that naturally leads to a lot of wear and tear.

The study of biomechanics, the physical laws governing the way our body moves,
has revealed a direct relationship between abnormal foot function and
problems higher in the body. read it al…

Recipe of the Day- Superfood Salad
click here

More Health & Nutrition from Nutrobalace

How to Cope with Stress

Stress is all around us, and food provides a welcome,
if momentary break.
Unfortunately, the foods we often turn to in times of stress,
like coffee and sweets,have a way of making us feel even more frazzled later on.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Research has shown that eating more of some foods and less of others can cause stress hormones in the body to decline.
Making slight changes in your diet will produce physical changes in the brain that can make the world’s problems just a little bit easier to handle. read it all…     

Protect Your Health 
Maintaining your health is much easier than trying to regain it.When you are in good health, your goal should be  to support your good health and to protect yourself against degenerative
diseases , by combining a healthy diet and exercise with nutritional supplementation. . read it all…

Nutritional Supplementation

 Without  science and technology, our lifespan would not have been
increased as much as we experience it today.
However, they were not be able to secure for us our long-term health.
As Dr. Myron Wentz, founder of USANA Health Sciences likes to phrase it:
“We are living  too short and dying too long.”

Healthy living means:keeping a balanced, healthy diet, avoiding smoking,
excessive use of alcohol and toxic chemicals,taking regular exercise and
supplementing our diet with high quality nutritional supplements.
read it all..

The human foot is one of the most amazing of all physical phenomena.
Composed of 26 main bones, the average foot takes over 5000 steps a day.
Over the years that naturally leads to a lot of wear and tear.

The study of biomechanics, the physical laws governing the way our body moves,
has revealed a direct relationship between abnormal foot function and
problems higher in the body.

Unbeknown to many people, problems with the  feet can result in lower back trouble,
knee pain, hip-pain and a variety of other physical problems.

The philosophy behind “Footwork”, a North Fremantle business, is:”Healthy Body,
Strong Foundation.” It believes that for the human body to reach its full potential,
it needs a  healthy base. Footwork looks at correcting structural problems with
the body so that it does has a strong foundation.

Biomechanics has been around a long time. It is a scientific approach to the diagnoses
and treatment of the many problems caused as a result of sports and daily activities.
Several techniques are available to help find out what is causing pain,from simple
visual assessment of posture and leg configurations and leg length measurements to
muscle strength and length assessment, joint range of motion measurements and even
video gait analysis during walking.

When this information has been collated, correction and compensation for abnormalities
can then be made using a treatment plan. On hand to do this are podiatrists who
analyze the view taken of a patient on a treadmill, where every aspect of the
walking process is studied. A treatment plan may incorporate shoe modifications,
stretching/strengthening exercise programs or orthotic therapy.

Footwork has attracted patients from a broad background, including those with
sports injuries, young children and the elderly.

   Edition 22

• Nutrition >
• The Better Breakfast Guide >
• You should eat breakfast everyday

More in The Better Breakfast Guide

Why skipping breakfast is a mistake

BY Nadia Stennett

It’s just one little meal, could it really be that bad?

Nod if this sounds like you.

It’s 6am and the alarm goes off, signaling the start of your working day, but you’re in dire need of one more minute’s sleep… Only now the alarm’s going again and it’s 8:30am. The kids are late for school and you’re throwing on yesterday’s crumpled shirt and vowing you’ll make time for breakfast another day.

We’re all guilty of putting our morning meals at the bottom of the priority list, typically somewhere between realizing we have a Monday morning meeting and dashing for the train.

But dietician Imogen Hooper says while the odd missed breakfast might seem innocent enough, it’s anything but.  Read it all….

Getting children to embrace healthy food.
June 23, 2015 — If the packaging has an appealing design, primary school children also reach for healthy foods, a study shows. The method developed in the study can be used, the researchers say, to investigate how … read more

Recipe of the Day – Green  Chilli
click here!

More Health & Nutrition from Nutrobalance.
Facts about Our Skin
Fluoride in Drinking Water
Guide to Healthy Living