Why do we need sleep? Sleep is essential for healing and repair. As a result, not having enough sleep both in terms of time and quality can have important impacts on mental and physical health as well as our quality of life. Chronic sleep issues can lead to many health problems and can alter how we think, work, learn, react, deal with what life throws at us, and our interactions with others. It also affects our attention span, our ability to make or take decisions and our emotions. Studies have shown a link between sleep deficiency, anxiety, depression, suicide and ...

Are you feeling bloated? Does this drain your energies and make your feel irritable? You are not alone. A surprising number of people reports suffering from bloating on a regular basis. Bloating causes your belly to feel full and tight, and is often accompanied with gas. What causes bloating and thus affects your health? There are many causes to this but if your bloating is chronic, you could be suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or chronic constipation, and should seek medical advice. A common cause of bloating is mild constipation. Not having regular bowel movements causes more bacteria to ...

Are you feeling sluggish and struggling to do things? Are you tiring easily and wishing you could do more? Do you want to have more energy? There are solutions. Our body produces energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine 5'-triphosphate), the principal molecule that stores and transfers energy into our cells. As such, it is often called the “energy currency” of our cells. ATP is generated in bean-shaped structures within our cells called mitochondria. Mitochondrial support sustains energy production and reduces symptoms of fatigue. Low energy and fatigue are often correlated with other health issues such as muscular pain, sleep & ...

Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, low mood or brain fog? Do you feel bloated and tired? Are you struggling with your weight? Are you wondering what is going on & not knowing what to do? The answer could all be in your gut! Hippocrates, the father of medicine, stated that “all disease begins in the gut” and increasing scientific evidence is showing a clear connection between our brain and our gut. Looking after our gut and taking care of our gut bacteria (our microbiome) could THEREFORE be the key to improving not only our mental health but many other ...

In Part 1, we discussed the differences and respective benefits of juices and smoothies, and provided a few juicing tips and recipes. In this section, we will discuss smoothies. What are the best ingredients for smoothies? The best fruits to use for smoothies are softer fruits – pears are okay if they are ripe, but apples tend to give a bit too much ‘crunch’. Bananas Apricots Raspberries Strawberries Blackcurrants Blackberries Blueberries Cherries Mango Kiwi Passion fruit Plums Pears – ripe Peaches You can buy bags of frozen mixed berries in most supermarkets - using them from frozen makes the smoothie ...

Juicing or making smoothies is a good way of getting high levels of good nutrients into your body thus fuelling our body both physically and mentally and giving us more energy. Fruit and vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants, helping cellular repair, boosting our immunity and slowing the ageing process. Juicing means you remove the fibrous part which fills you up, so that the nutrients are easily digested and quickly assimilated for optimal results. Smoothies still have the fibre in them so are good for gut function & immunity. Aim for more vegetables (80%) than fruits (20%) as fruits contain ...

Have you ever noticed how you often feel grumpy or irritable when you have gut issues? Feeling bloated for example is not conducive to a happy outlook! This is because our gut and our brain are directly connected via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. What does this mean? Our gut is made of billions of bacteria but it also houses over 100 millions neurons. The nerves within our gastrointestinal tract (the enteric nervous system) connect the gut to the brain: this allows the brain to influence our gut functions and, in turn, our gut influences our mood, cognition, and mental health ...

1- OVERTHINKING Overthinking creates problems that are not there. The problems then get worse, and this increases your anxiety even more. Solutions:  allocate a specific time to overthinking and then move on. Shift your energies on other matters. Experiment with mindfulness by scheduling, if you can daily, meditation or yoga to quieten your thoughts. 2- OBSESSIVE ABOUT THINGS Obsessing and fixating on things doesn’t lead to solutions. It only leads to increased anxiety by creating additional pressure. Solutions: prioritise the things you can do something about and forget those you can’t. If you are unhappy about something, let it go or ...

Soaking & Sprouting Nuts, seeds, beans & grains Grains, seeds, tree nuts and most beans contain enzyme inhibitors. Foods with enzyme inhibitors are very difficult to digest and slow down our body’s communication pathways. Enzyme inhibitors lead to many health issues (obesity, gas, bloating, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, diabetes) and general poor wellbeing. The good news is that water frees enzyme inhibitors. Soaking & sprouting these foods in water neutralise them, increase access to nutrients (especially vitamins) & make them easier to digest. Sprouting & Soaking is easy. The method is the same for nuts, seeds, beans & ...

Movement – an essential feature of health & wellbeing For years, I went to see traditional doctors and therapists to alleviate my back pain. But I was not getting better and for years, the pain stayed with me. Until I discovered the power of movement. It took me a long time of trials and experimentation, but I discovered that by implementing a daily routine of exercises, stretching, movements and breathing, I could reduce my pain considerably. In addition, I paid attention to my nutrition, which helped me keep an optimal weight and therefore not put added pressure on my body ...