Author: Scott & Rhonda

Which diet is healthier?

Todays post is about which diet is healthier for us.

This weekend I read an article in the paper about the different diets that are getting press lately. This got me thinking. There are so many different opinions and studies regarding diet and health. Many conflict each other and it gets very confusing.

I have looked at few popular diets and found research both for and against.

The Paleo diet

Promoted by several nigh profile chefs and dieticians, this emulates the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It is based on the premise that they did not suffer from the same diseases as modern humans.

This diet advocates consumption of unprocessed animals and plants, including meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

It shuns processed foods, sugar, dairy and grains, although some of the more modern “versions” of paleo do allow foods like dairy and rice.

5 human studies have been done on the paleo diet so far. All of these studies are done with humans and are published in respected, peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The results of these studies were positive in regards to health improvements and weight loss.

The Vegan diet

The vegan diet is growing in popularity. Advocates claim that it offers various health benefits, ranging from weight loss and reduced blood sugar to prevention of heart disease, cancer and premature death.

Vegetarian and vegan diets can be healthy, but they can lack certain nutrients. You may have to use a little creativity to ensure you get enough protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.

The problem, however, is that no studies exist of populations where omnivores share similar genetic profiles, similar lifestyle patterns, and similar social and environmental factors with a significant number of vegans.

Therefore, most studies on vegan diets are observational. This makes it difficult to know if the benefits observed are actually caused by the vegan diet itself. Of the 16 human based studies that have been conducted. The results of these were positive in regards to health and weigh loss.

Low carb and Low fat diets

Few things have been debated as much as “carbohydrates vs fat.”

Some believe that increased fat in the diet is a leading cause of all kinds of health problems, especially heart disease.

This is the position maintained by most mainstream health organisations. These organisations generally recommend that people restrict dietary fat to less than 30% of total calories (a low-fat diet).

However… in the past 11 years, an increasing number of studies have been challenging the low-fat dietary approach.

Many health professionals now believe that a low-carb diet (higher in fat and protein) is a much better option to treat obesity and other chronic, Western diseases.

The authority Nutrition site looks at 23 studies that compare the 2 diets.

The majority of studies achieved statistically significant differences in weight loss (always in favour of low-carb).

Keep in mind that all of these studies are randomised controlled trials, the gold standard of science. These studies are scientific evidence, as good as it gets, that low-carb is much more effective than the low-fat diet that is still being recommended all over the world.

The 5:2 diet

Then there is the 5:2 fasting diet, which is actually very simple to explain. For five days a week, you eat normally and don’t have to think about restricting calories.

Then, on the other two days, you reduce your calorie intake to a quarter of your daily needs. This is about 500 calories per day for women, and 600 for men.

There are very few studies that test the 5:2 diet specifically. However, there are plenty of studies on intermittent fasting as a whole, which show impressive health benefits.

I have just put together a small sample of the information found on 2 websites. These sites did not have any articles stating that any of these diets were ‘bad’. However, several of these diets are, at the very least, conflicting with each other, eg; Paleo & Vegan.

It is very easy to find ‘bad’ press regarding any diet. At the end of the day, each of us is different and has different constitutions. Maybe the best way to determine which diet is best for us is to listen to our bodies and take note of how we feel after eating different food groups and go from there.

We have decided some time ago, that the best basis for our diet was to restrict our intake of processed foods. We try to consume mostly whole foods and foods that have had very little processing.

We also choose to restrict our intake of wheat and sugar, as we both find we feel better without it.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper

Source – Healthline – National Library of Medicine –

Is ‘Man Flu’ a real thing?

Today’s post is about ‘Man Flu’.

One of my work colleagues was making comments about catching man flu and how bad it was, so I thought I would investigate and share.

So, about Man Flu

We have all heard of the notorious “Man Flu”. It can affect men from all walks of life and render them miserable for days. They claim that they are ‘dying’ and ‘it’s the worst flu ever’. Many women, myself included, tend to consider “Man Flu” an exaggeration of the common cold.

Are women just more resilient and able to cope with this common ailment or is there really such a thing as “Man Flu”?

What do the scientists say?

A research paper published in December 2017 explored whether men exaggerated the severity of symptoms or their immune system is actually inferior.

The researchers found that there is some evidence clearly supporting men suffering more symptoms and dying from viral respiratory illness than women. They found that men do have a less robust immune system.

Since flu symptoms are in large part due to the body’s immune reaction, a lessened immune response in women may translate to milder symptoms.

Other studies have found that an Influenza vaccination tends to cause more reactions and better antibody response in women. Testosterone may play a role, as men with the highest levels tended to have a lower antibody response. A better antibody response may lessen the severity of flu. Therefore it’s possible that vaccinated men get more severe symptoms than women because they don’t respond to vaccination as well.

Another possibility is that men actually experience respiratory viral illnesses differently than women. This is supported by scientific data for other conditions. Pain due to coronary artery disease (as with a heart attack or angina) is a good example. Men tend to have “classic” crushing chest pain, while women are more likely to have “atypical” symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath.

 There’s more…

In several studies using mice, the adult male mice displayed more symptoms of sickness than females when they were exposed to bacteria that cause an illness with symptoms similar to the flu. The males also had more fluctuations in body temperature, fever and signs of inflammation, and took longer to recover.

A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted a study in 2010. They put forward a theory that men have evolved to have weaker immune systems and lower immunity because of their tendency for risk-taking behaviours. Still other research suggests that because women more easily pass pathogens onto their children, they’ve built up more natural defences against them.

The scientific evidence for this is far from conclusive, but some research has shown that male and female immune cells do react differently to invading viruses.

 Whichever theory rings true for you, it seems that there is some scientific basis to “Man Flu” after all.

Will we ever hear the end of it now?!

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Harvard Medical Publishing – BMJ Resource Centre 

Food for the Mind

  • Todays post is about Food for the Mind.

It seems that a groups of U.S. scientists have been researching nutrition. They found that certain foods are not only good for our body; but also good for our brain.

Finally science is catching up with what naturopaths have been trying to teach us for years. The father of western medicine, Hippocrates, did say ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’ way back in 5th century BC. Even back then, Hippocrates recognised the value of eating well and the potential of certain foods for good health.

Good food lowers our risk of ALZHEIMERS!

Scientists have taken our diets in almost a full circle. Along the way they have created ‘food substances’ in laboratories and developed ways of genetically modifying food to ‘improve it’. Over the years, scientists have generally messed around with foods that were okay to start with.

Now research has shown that by eating a diet of vegetable, legumes, fish and poultry can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among ageing adults by up to 53%.

Just as there is no magic pill to prevent cognitive decline, no single almighty brain food can ensure a sharp brain as you age. Nutritionists emphasise that the most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Try to get protein from plant sources and fish and choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola, rather than saturated fats.

The MIND Diet

The MIND diet was developed by a Dr Morris from Rush University and she stated; ‘in the same way our organs need nutrients the brain is no different. This means that the more a person adheres to the MIND diet, the greater the protection and the healthier they’ll be.’

The MIND diet has ’10 brain-healthy food groups’, which cover a spectrum of nutrients, healthy fats, antioxidants, and proteins that nourish the brain.

*Green leafy vegetables

*Other vegetables

*Nuts

*Berries

*Beans

*Wholegrains

*Fish

*Poultry

*Olive oil

*Wine

Research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels.

The 5 brainpower foods

Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline.

Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties that are low in mercury, such as salmon, cod and canned light tuna. If you’re not a fan of fish, ask your doctor about taking an omega-3 supplement, or choose omega-3 sources such as flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.

Berries, as they contain flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues. Studies have found that flavonoids also help improve memory.

Tea and coffee might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function. Caffeine might also help solidify new memories, according to other research.

Nuts are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut in particular might also improve memory. Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Diets rich in ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to lower blood pressure and cleaner arteries. That’s good for both the heart and brain.

Well, it seems that we are on to a good thing with our desire to ‘live clean’ and eat ‘real, whole foods.’ Science is backing us up.

Other lifestyle choices mentioned to assist with brain health are – reduce stress, be creative, keep learning and

Get moving!

We are also making an effort to get moving and go for a daily walk, as well as monitoring our incidental movement throughout the day. This has been a bit of an eye opener; it’s really surprising some days how little we move.

There are also some mornings when I really don’t feel like going walking, but you know, once I have made the effort and I’m walking down the street, I’m really glad I did. It wakes me up, gives me time to think about my day; what I need to do and what I want to achieve. Of course it gets the metabolism up and running for the day, increasing the heart rate, burning the calories and improving lung capacity.

Till next post,

Live clean ‘n’ prosper.

(Sources – Harvard health Publishing – Premier Neurology & Wellness – Mayo Clinic