Tag Archives: Well-being

Sleep, Well-Being Essentials

7 Sleep-Promoting Foods

7 Sleep-Promoting FoodsSleeping Beauty or Beauty Sleep?

Good-quality, restful sleep is indispensable.

I once read and always try to remember that chronic lack of sleep can’t be fully recuperated by sleeping more:  your body remembers.

During sleep our bodies rebuild, detoxify and recover from the day’s stress.

It is during the deep sleep when we re-connect to our inner being.

Sleeping in complete darkness stimulates melatonin, a hormone that promotes restful sleep.

How much sleep we need varies from person to person. While for some people seven hours of sleep may be perfectly fine, others may need nine or ten. If you are very active, most experts agree that you should aim for at least eight hours of sleep. The newest research in fact concludes that you can’t get too much sleep!  “After Stanford University basketball players spent five to seven weeks sleeping at least 10 hours a night (when they had been sleeping six to nine hours), their performance shot up like they’d doped”.

Don’t forget that it is necessary to stop eating two to three hours before sleep.

Taking a warm bath and drinking a cup of chamomile tea before going to bed especially after having had a stressful day are some of the techniques that work for me.  Do remember to switch off you phone completely and leave all electronic devices outside of your bedroom.

For those who have issues to get to sleep I found that listening to hypnotherapy CDs – I used to use Glenn Harrold’s – helps a lot.  

Otherwise you can try some the following sleep-promoting foods.

7 Sleep-Promoting Foods

1 Bananes-Sleep_Promoting FoodHerbal teas. Teas have many sleep-promoting properties. Besides chamomile tea which is my favorite, passionflower hops, lemon balm and mint teas are also good sleep inducers.

2 Honey. Honey reduces alertness so a glass of chamomile tea or milk with some honey will help you relax and prepare for sleep.

3 Cherries Sleep-Promoting FoodBananas. Bananas help promote sleep because they contain the natural muscle-relaxants.

4 Almonds. They contain contain tryptophan and magnesium which promote both sleep and muscle relaxation.

5 Cherries. A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Rochester found that cherries boosted the body’s supply of melatonin, this helping people with insomnia.

6 Miso Soup.  Miso contains some amino acids that boost the production of melatonin, so bowl of miso soup to end the day is another natural way to fight insomnia.

7 Yogurt/Dairy. Calcium helps with stress reduction and stabilization of nerve fibers, therefore foods rich in calcium may promote sleep. Some yogurt or raw warmed milk is another food that is good to be taken for dinner.

You can find around the web many tips on how to improve the sleep. Here is dr. Mercola’s take on it: Secrets To A Good Night Sleep.

 

Sources

The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players

You Can’t Get Too Much Sleep

 

Cancer Prevention, Natural Remedies & Cures

Cancer and “Modern Disease” Prevention. 6 Great Strategies.

Cancer Prevention In the world driven by profits, preventing or curing cancer is not top of mind.  Find out about some key strategies.

Cancer has grown into a worldwide epidemic and it is the biggest cause of death worldwide.

In some countries of the Western world one person out of three develop cancer.

Traditional cancer treatment is not only extremely expensive, but inefficient and detrimental for our body. Chemotherapy is deadly. It is the No. 1 cause of death for cancer patients in America.

Two out of three cancer patients die within five years after receiving the standard cancer treatment.

Despite of ever increasing body of evidence that confirm the alternative and natural strategies and protocols are very efficient, far less expensive and far less invasive, the general awareness is still not there.

It’s up to each of us to learn of many different ways to prevent and eliminate cancer without damaging the body.

Prevention Strategies

When it comes to cancer-prevention strategies almost everything that I wrote in The Food In, Love Out Guide is also about preventing cancer.

By implementing the strategies described there, not only we can significantly lower the risk of cancer but we shield ourselves from countless other “modern” diseases.

Here is the recap and links to key categories, each of them equally important

Besides them today I want to mention another 6 Cancer Prevention Strategies.

Cancer Prevention – 6 Great Strategies

1. Eat Plant Food / Cancer-Prevention Food

The ultra-processed food that we buy in supermarkets has very little resemblance to the food of our ancestors.

A diet of nutrient-rich foods is a great preventative measure for a life without cancer and many modern diseases.

Diet with plenty of organic plant foods alone can make or break the effectiveness of a cancer treatment.

The plant food contain nutrients that our body needs. Fruits, vegetables and herbs protect against cancer and at the same time cleanse and nourish the body. Whilst all plant food is great for us, the following food is considered cancer-fighting

  • Broccoli, curcuma(turmeric), red grapes (source of resveratrol), strawberries, green tea, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, parsley, garlic, maitake mushroom, artichokes, nutmeg, green leafy vegetables, other cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, etc.), sea vegetables, ginger etc.

Lactic-acid-fermented food is a great preventative measure: yoghurts both made from dairy and nut milks, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, other fermented (“cultured”) vegetables and juices etc.

Beneficial bacteria strengthen the immune system, particularly stimulating the production of immunoglobulins, cytokines and natural killer cells.

Dr. Kuhl’s protocol for reversing cancer happens to be based on the lactic-acid-fermented food.

2.  Eat Healthy Fats & Proteins

Healthy fats of particular importance for cancer prevention are omega-3 and omega-9.

Omega-3 fats: fatty fish from cold, northern waters (herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines). Plant sources include flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnuts, pumpkin seeds etc.

Ghee and coconut oil (both are good for cooking), olive oil, avocado, nuts are some of the great sources.

Animal protein (organic, grass-fed meat, poultry and eggs from free-range chickens) is very controversial, I am of the opinion that it is necessary in moderation. Red meat especially is debatable; while some preventative strategies promote high quality organic red meat as irreplaceable source of good protein, most of the cancer fighting strategies suggest exclusion mostly because meat increases body’s acidity.

When we talk about cancer prevention only, moderate amounts of organic, grass-fed beef in my opinion can’t do any harm when we include  and take care of other preventative strategies.  We should not forget that cholesterol is absolutely essential for neuron transport and the lack of it can negatively affects our brain function.

That being said, when cancer strikes, the full exclusion of animal protein may be warranted and in fact strictly required by many alternative protocols.  Acidic pH levels, promoted by consuming animal protein, lead to an environment where cancer cells tend to grow better.

3. Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods

Refined sugar feeds and strengthens cancer cells. Sugar substitutes, refined flour and trans fatty acids harm the body. The same goes for processed foods, soft drinks, coffee, alcohol, chlorine and fluoride.

While whole grains also contain important nutrients, there is disagreement on whether to avoid them as they also contain sugar and gluten.

The preventative measure can be then a reduction of grains and promotion of gluten-free varieties. Read more in Grains and Starch – How Much?

Regarding sugar, natural sweeteners such as pure raw honey, maple syrup and herb stevia are some of the healthier alternatives. Brown, raw, unrefined sugar in low quantities is still fine in “preventative” world. Read more Refined Sugar Is Far More Addictive Than Cocaine.

4. Go For Toxins-Free Deodorants and Makeup

There are hundreds of chemicals found in shampoo, deodorant, hairspray, parfume, lotions, nail varnish, eyeshadow etc. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycole to name just a few are linked to and can trigger cancer, hormonal disruptions, changes in cell structure and many other serious  health issues.

Antiperspirant for example prevents the body from purging toxins, and often contains chemicals (also aluminum) that find their way into the lymph nodes.   A natural alternative for commercial deodorant is e.g sodium bicarbonate, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

Read more about Food Additives, Environmental toxins etc. at Say No to Toxins.

5. Stay Away From Radiation and Medical Scans

We need to avoid as much as possible the radiation produced by cell phones, medical scans like X-rays, CT scans, and especially mammograms.

Read Extensive Cell Phone Use Can Triple Brain Cancer Risk.

6. Detox

Detox is extremely important as a preventative measure.  We can naturally induce detox by eating only organic fruits, veggies, and clean, filtered water.  Multiple cancer-fighting strategies are based on juicing alone or combined with other strategies. Read more about some basic technics in Detox & Cleansing.

Sources

Chemotherapy proven to cause long, agonizing, suffering death

Chemotherapy tied to worse deaths, study finds