Tag: health

Yoga and it’s Health Benefits

Today’s post is about Yoga and it’s many health benefits.

I started attending Yoga classes just once a week, several years ago. Unfortunately, due to my work commitments, I stopped attending after 2 years.

Though I only attended for a short period of time, I found that yoga helped with several things.

I learnt to breath better, the relaxation exercises helped my sleep and the yoga poses helped my joint mobility. You would think that with these benefits I would have been a committed ‘yogi’, practicing every day. However, like many of us, my life got busy and I practiced less and eventually not at all.

Earlier this year I read an article in the paper about yoga and it reignited my interest. I downloaded a yoga app. and try to complete a session a couple of times a week.

A bit about yoga.

The purpose of yoga is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body.

There are 8 major styles of yoga. They range from physically demanding to easy, relaxing and meditative. With each style a bit different from the others, you’ll find many variations on these depending on the teacher.

A yoga session, or workout, typically includes breathing exercises, meditation, and assuming postures (sometimes called asana or poses) that stretch and flex various muscle groups.

The health benefits

The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome.

There have been many scientific studies conducted regarding the health benefits of yoga. These have shown that the practice of yoga does improve overall health.

The most well known benefits are –

  • Lowering blood pressure and heart rate
  • Improved coordination
  • Reduce stress
  • Improved concentration
  • Better sleep
  • Improved respiratory function
  • Develops relaxation techniques
  • Improved digestion
  • Balancing metabolism
  • Increased muscle strength and tone
  • Flexibility and balance
  • Improved joint mobility

Lesser know benefits

More recent studies have found other positive effects from regular practice of yoga.

These include –

  • A positive effect on learning rate
  • Improved sensory awareness
  • Increased pain tolerance and decreased anxiety and distress associated with pain.
  • Plays a role in weight loss and management
  • Promotes healthy eating habits
  • Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes by reducing the contributing factors associated with the condition
  • Decreased secretion of cortisol

Yoga has also been found to help with many neurological disorders, as strokes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s. It can also assist with other mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

Yoga is also often utilised as part of therapy programs for people recovering from serious health conditions or major trauma events.

It seems that just 15 minutes of yoga practice a day can start changing your brain chemistry and improving your mood. At the same time improving our overall health.

Until next time,

Live clean n prosper

A bit about Coconut & Coconut Flour

Todays post is all about Coconut and Coconut flour.

Coconut is such a versatile food and available in several different forms. It is becoming increasingly popular in many different diets due to its many health benefits. I use it in many of the recipes shared on this blog – Choc-Orange Slice, Orange & Coconut Cake, Spiced Pumpkin Muffins, Brownies,

First, what is Coconut?

Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe. However, when using loose definitions, the coconut can be all three: a fruit, a nut, and a seed.

Coconut is a seed because it is the reproductive part of the tree. However, coconut is also a fruit because it is a fibrous one-seeded drupe. Finally, coconut is a nut because a loose definition of a nut is nothing but a one-seeded ‘fruit’.

It’s all a bit botanically confusing I think.

It’s very versatile.

Coconuts are used for many things ranging from food to cosmetics.  Coconuts are distinct from other fruits because of the large quantity of clear liquid, “coconut water” or “coconut juice” contained inside.

The coconut flesh can be eaten straight from the shell. It is also dried and shredded, toasted or not. The oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking as well as in soaps and cosmetics.

It has many health benefits

As a food, as it’s incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

Lauric acid is the most important saturated fat provided by coconuts. It lowers the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and helps keep your arteries clean and healthy.

The liquid or water is not only a delicious and refreshing drink, it is also rich in electrolytes, enzymes, and minerals. Cytokinin, one of the elements found in coconut water, possesses potent anti-carcinogenic and anti-aging properties.

What is Coconut flour?

Dehydrating and finely grinding the coconut flesh after the oil has been extracted, creates the flour. With a slightly sweet, coconut flavour, coconut flour has a fine texture and can be used to substitute plain flour.

Coconut flour can be used to replace up to 1/3 of plain wheat flour in baking recipes, however about an equal amount of extra liquid will also be needed.

Coconut flour provides medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and plant-based iron.

MCTs are a type of fat linked to several benefits, such as weight loss, protection against bacteria and viruses, and enhanced brain and heart health.

Coconut flour also contains high levels of fibre, which may help keep blood sugar levels in check. Foods rich in fiber help regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the speed at which sugar enters your bloodstream.

Additionally, coconut flour contains small amounts of soluble and other fermentable fibres, which feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. The combination of fibre may also benefit your digestion. (Sources – http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/, https://www.healthline.com, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com )

So, try adding a bit of coconut to your cooking. Whether it is desiccated, milk, oil or flour, will have some form of health benefit.

It also tastes nice.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper.

All about Soda and Mineral waters

Today I’m writing about Soda and Mineral waters.

I was recently asked if I had read anything about carbonated water being bad for our teeth. I hadn’t, so I thought that this would make a good topic to research and write about.

There are very few scientific studies or research articles on this topic, however I will share what I found.

First, what is soda water?

Soda water or carbonated water (also known as sparkling water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas. This is either artificially injected under pressure or occurring naturally due to geological processes. Carbonation causes small bubbles to form, giving the water an effervescent quality.

What is mineral water?

Mineral water can be flat or sparkling and contains dissolved minerals such as potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, or potassium sulphate. These occur naturally in some mineral waters but are also commonly added to some manufactured waters.

Do the bubbles affect our teeth?

The School of Dentistry at University of Birmingham, conducted an investigation of mineral waters and soft drinks in relation to dental erosion.

The results concluded that the carbonation of drinks is not an important factor in regards to dental erosion. The main cause of dental erosion is the added sugars found in many carbonated drinks. Unsweetened mineral and soda waters are safe for our teeth.

The carbon dioxide and water actually react chemically to produce carbonic acid. This very weak acid stimulates the same nerve receptors in our mouth activated by spicy condiments, like mustard and horseradish. These nerve receptors create the burning, prickly sensation.

There are in fact some health benefits in drinking soda and mineral waters.

The health benefits
  • Studies suggest that sparkling water may improve swallowing ability by stimulating the nerves responsible for swallowing.
  • Carbonated water can trigger a greater sensation of fullness, which may help you to eat less.
  • The minerals that are in mineral water can be quite beneficial to our health. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, all of which promote blood circulation. Magnesium and calcium also help with building and maintaining strong bones.
  • Soda or mineral water hydrates you just as well as still water. This makes sense, considering that these are just regular waters infused with bubbly carbon gas.
What about Tonic water?

Tonic water is also a carbonated water that contains minerals. However, tonic water also contains quinine, which gives tonic water a bitter taste. However, tonic water is also commonly sweetened with either high-fructose corn syrup or sugar to improve the taste. This makes it the least healthy of the carbonated waters.

(Sources: https://www.healthline.com/, https://science.sciencemag.org/, https://www.sciencedirect.com/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/, https://www.webmd.com/)

Well, I hope that this post answers any questions you may have had about carbonated waters.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper