Tag: stress

Inflammation and the Immune system

Todays post is about Inflammation,

Last week I wrote about the Immune System and how when it is compromised, we get sick. Well, this week I am going to expand on that subject.

One of the symptoms of a compromised immune system is Inflammation.

There was an article in todays Body & Soul that focused on this issue. Finally scientists are saying that Inflammation in the body is one of the major causes of illness. Many Naturopaths and practitioners of complimentary medicine have been saying this for years.

Scott and I first heard about Inflammation in the body and its relationship to illness approximately 8 years ago.

Normally Inflammation is a good thing. It’s a sign of the body’s defense system fighting infection or repairing damage. This is all well and good when our immune system is working well. However, as I mentioned last week, many of us have a compromised immune system due to the stressors we put on it.

We often suspend the body’s process of using inflammation to deal with issues. We start to feel the aches and pains and take anti-inflammatories. Therefore the body doesn’t get to complete its healing processes.

The result being that instead of only calling on our inflammatory defences when we are injured or sick, we’re increasingly triggering the response day in, day out. This creates a situation where our body is consistently emitting small quantities of inflammatory compounds. These levels are often too low to create noticeable symptoms.

There have been recent studies linking high levels of inflammation in the body with some major health problems, such as cancers and heart disease.

 So where does the inflammation come from?

Some is produced inside the body. Excess weight is a cause as fat cells excrete inflammatory substances. We also create it by not taking care of ourselves; stress causes the response as well as lack of sleep. If we soldier on with our aches and pains, ignore allergies and if we don’t look after our teeth, our levels of inflammatory chemicals rise.

Another cause is many of the foods that are a large part of the Western diet.

Foods such as sugar, alcohol, high fat meats, fried foods and refined grains cause inflammation.

 How do we reduce our inflammation?

 The good news is diet can also be used to protect us against inflammation. There is scientific evidence to show that there are foods that reduce inflammation in the body. These are green leafy vegetables, onion, garlic, herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric and pepper. So by reducing our intake of the Pro-inflammatory foods and increasing the Anti-inflammatory foods in our diet, we are taking steps to lower the inflammation in our bodies.

This strategy along with improving our sleep, reducing our stress and getting some exercise, goes a long way to improving our immune system ability to cope.

A stronger immune system is a stronger, healthier body.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper

A Crunchy Brown Rice Salad recipe

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Hi. This weekend I was able to spend time with treasured friends up at beautiful Peregian Beach on the Queensland Sunshine Coast. The weather was lovely and we had a fabulous couple of days.

It was really great to spend some quality time, relaxing. Life is short and I think that it is essential to take the time to de-stress. It’s even better when you do it by spending time with people who are important to you.

With no research to share this week, I thought I would share another recipe.

I came across this Rice Salad recipe some time ago and adapted it to suit our tastes. I have made it several times for barbeques and parties and it always gets rave reviews.

It is really simple, quite tasty and nutritious.

 Crunchy Rice Salad – serves 4 to 6

3 cups cooked rice, cooled – I like to use a Mountain Blend as it has a nice tasty mix of rice

300 grams of Pumpkin or Sweet Potato (cooked and cut into small pieces)

½ cup chopped Parsley

2 green shallots finely sliced

½ cup finely sliced Snow Peas

½ cup Bean Shoots

1/3 cup toasted Pepitas/Pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp toasted Sunflower seeds

Dressing

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

Method

I like to cut my sweet potato or pumpkin into thick slices and cook them under the grill so it gets a bit of dark caramelisation for added flavour.

While the potato or pumpkin is cooking – put the rice into a large salad and mix the dressing ingredients together in a jug.

Chop the cooked slices into small cubes and put it into the bowl with the rice and other ingredients.

Combine the ingredients gently with a large spoon.

Pour the dressing over the salad and give the salad another mix to incorporate the dressing.

 

This is great as a side dish or you could even have it as a main meal.

Enjoy.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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Science has proven Grandma knows best!

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First of all, Happy Mothers’ Day to all the Mum’s.

Second, it seems that our Grandmothers know best! Of course.

According to a recent newspaper article, scientists are finally proving what our grandparents have known for years. Many of us have that been advocates for these lifestyle changes are often viewed with skepticism. It is great to have science backing us up.

food, garden, washing, walking

Some of the most notable changes mentioned, are things that Scott and I have been doing for some time. I thought I would share these with you, quoting from the article as I go.

Easy lifestyle changes

  • Cooking from scratch, using real food ingredients. “This will save you kilojoules and having a raft of additives in your meals.”
  • Using old recipes and cookbooks. “Cornwell University in the USA compared recipes from the 1936 and 2006 editions of ‘The Joys of Cooking’. They found that recipes in the 2006 version had an average 63% more kilojoules.”
  • Grow your own fruit and vegetables. “Helps kids to eat more and home grown tastes better. Less chemicals and gardening is great for reducing stress.”
  • Eat at the dinner table. “Helps a child’s vocabulary, develops table etiquette and creates an opportunity for family communication.”
  • Switch off screens. “Studies have shown that excessive screen-time impairs brain structure and function. Mostly in the frontal lobe, which controls our sense of empathy.”
  • Ditch the chemicals. “Research into lung function found that it was 14% worse in people who used modern household cleaning products regularly, than those that didn’t.”
  • Hang out the washing. “The suns’ rays actually help to disinfect clothes and remove stains. It is also an opportunity to get some Vitamin D.”
  • Go for walks. “Research from Harvard University shows that people who walk regularly live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. They are also more likely to have a healthy weight and stronger immune system.”
  • Get to sleep early. ‘Studies have shown that those who don’t stay up late are more optimistic, patient and productive. They also have stronger immune systems than night owls.”

We don’t have children, but for those that do…..

2 more changes.

  • Let kids be dirty. “Microbiology Professor Brett Finlay and Immunologist Marie-Claire Arrieta, authors of ‘Let Them Eat Dirt’ say – Keeping children too clean can weaken their immune systems by depriving them of valuable microbes.”
  • Play outside. “Time outdoors is beneficial for adults and kids alike as it improves concentration. Exposure to sunlight also reduces a child’s risk of developing near-sightedness.”

These are all easy changes to make that can have a long-term impact on your health and wellbeing.

We have found that ‘cooking from scratch’ has encouraged us to have a more varied diet, as we try different recipes. It actually saves us money when we plan our meals in advance as we only buy the ingredients we need for the week.

Scott has found that spending time in our small fruit and vegetable garden lowers stress. It is also great to be able to add home grown vegetables to our meals.

Finally, it is great to read that more studies are finding that constant exposure to modern chemicals is having an adverse effect on our bodies.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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