Simple Healthy Cooking - Spiced lamb with pistachio pine nuts and buckwheat

In the cold winter nights, having some warming (or 'yang' in TCM terms) foods is great for balancing. The black pepper and cumin add to the warming effect.

Ingredients:

2-3 pcs lamb loin chops cut into cubes, marinated in some Himalayan salt and ½ tsp of cumin and black pepper

½ large onion chopped

2 tablespoons shelled pistachios

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons buckwheat, dry roasted

1 bowl cabbage sliced

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon nutmeg and cinnamon spice powder mix

Chicken stock (from boiling chicken frames with ginger and garlic)

Method:

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and fry chopped onion until limp and fragrant. Save half of the onions for the cabbage buckwheat mix. Add in lamb cubes.  Fry until lamb is just cooked, add in pistachios and pine nuts, stir through and dish onto serving plate.
2. Add a small amount of olive oil onto the pan and fry cabbage, dry roasted buckwheat and onions (the half saved from above).  Once cabbage turns bright green, add in chicken stock and allow it to boil, cook and soften buckwheat.  Add some nutmeg and cinnamon mix into the pan. Once the stock dries up, it is ready to be served.  Garnish with some extra pistachio and pine nuts.

How to boost your sex drive naturally

The media always reminds us that there is another pill to increase sex drive, deal with erectile dysfunction or increase our libido. Your sex drive and libido is a reflection of what you are doing to your body.  Nature typically has it that fertility and libido is appropriate when a person’s health is in a good state.

So, if you are having trouble in the bedroom, you may want to consider these factors:

1. Are you on a low fat diet, or a bad fat diet?  Hormones are fat soluble substances and having adequate good fats is important for the body to maintain a good level of hormones.  It may surprise you, but cholesterol is a precursor to the making of hormones!  Bad fats create oxidative stress in the body and can affect the body’s optimal hormone production.  So make sure you are having adequate good fats from raw seeds, nuts, cold water fish and avocado.
2. Are you not exercising enough?  We all know exercise helps to increase our output of endorphins, our feel good hormones.  Adequate endorphin is important to the making of sex hormones and manages the making of stress hormones.
3. Are you overweight? Increased abdominal fats, imbalance in blood sugar levels, diabetes and inflammation often affects peripheral circulation and will have an impact in your sex drive.
4. Are you not eating enough real food and having adequate antioxidant support?  Food as close to its naturally occurring state as possible supplies nutrients for the making of cells in the body, including those of the reproductive system.  Good, lean protein from fish, egg, chicken, lean meat, nuts and seeds help the making of good cells. Antioxidant from fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs has a protective effect on our cells and assist in making healthier cells.
5. Are you stressed?  Stress and sex typically do not go together.  In a fight or flight situation, stress requires us to “run from danger”.  In the “danger” situation, our body shuts down the reproductive system and focuses on giving energy to the muscles and pupils to “run from danger”.  If you have persistent, high levels of stress, take time out for yourself, do some yoga, meditation, prayers or your own de-stressing activity, some people de- stress by tending to the garden, play a musical instrument, play a sport, watch a comedy or do some handicraft.

If you still have trouble in the bedroom after answering “No” to all of the above questions, it is worthwhile to run a hormones test to see what is going on.  You can run a blood sex hormones test but blood is not a good indication of free hormones (the ones that matter) as it measures bound and unbound hormones.  The better choices are salivary or dried urine hormones tests.  We offer these tests at NutriActionz.

Simple Healthy Cooking - Quick tasty tofu curried vegetables in 20 minutes

1 block firm tofu, cut into 8 pieces

1 bowl cabbage

6 okra, cut into 2 inch lengths

2 sprigs fresh curry leaves

1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar

2 tsp maple syrup

Pinch of salt.

Blended ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

½ onion

1 tsp tumeric powder

2 chillies

Method

1. Prepare blended ingredients.  Blend with stick blender.  I usually prepare a few portions at a time and freeze them for future use.
2. Put a tablespoon of olive oil and pan fry tofu pieces
3. Remove from pan when golden.
4. Add a tablespoon of oil into pan and put in curry leaves.  This gives a fragrant aroma.  Add blended ingredients and fry till blended ingredients look translucent.
5. Add cabbage and okra.
6. Add water and tofu back into pan to absorb the spices.
7. Add umeboshi vinegar, salt and maple syrup.
8. Serves 2.

 I prepared this in 20 minutes, with my blended ingredients.  It is blissful to enjoy a warm lunch on such cold winter days.

Inflammation: the Cause of many illnesses and How you are Causing it

Inflammation is signified by pain, heat, redness and swelling.  We have all experienced inflammation.  When you bump your knee on that corner table, there was swelling, redness and pain.  There was inflammation, it is a response from our body to hasten up the healing process.

The problem arises when inflammation runs longer than just for an acute situation.  Long term inflammation keeps spinning up inflammatory compounds.  Chronic inflammation causes ageing, weight gain, loss of vitality, illness and disease.

These are some of the things you are doing that may cause inflammation:

1. Sugar – sugar is one of the most inflammatory foods.  By creating imbalances in blood sugar levels, sugar drives up oxidation and inflammation. 
2. Processed food – a study of the healthiest and longest living people on the planet reveals that their diet comprises fresh foods.  Processed foods are inflammatory and are packed with preservatives and additives.
3. You are not eating enough leafy greens - green leafy vegetables are anti-inflammatory, so eat more of them!
4. The wrong fats – you may be looking out for the wrong fats to consume, with so many theories out there, you could well be confused as to what fats constitute good fats.  If you are confused, I don’t blame you.  Anti-inflammatory good fats are olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and macadamia oil.
5. You are not having enough omega 3 intake – we typically do not have a shortage of omega 6, and the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in the diet gets too low.
6. You don’t have enough hydration, get that water in!  If you don’t like the taste of plain water, put in some peppermint leaves, cucumber or lemon.  Avoid artificially sweetened drinks and flavoured water.
7. You consume too many grains – depending on what your individual situation is, some people do well with whole grains, others do well with no grains!

In our clinic, Hemaview Live Blood Screening screens for inflammation.  In pathology blood testing, imbalances may show up in CRP, ESR, HbA1C, ANA, Rheumatoid Factor, etc. 

Decrease inflammation and you will decrease your risk of premature ageing, and gain back your vitality!

What does your Body Shape say about your Cravings? What can you Do about it to Lose Weight?

The Apple

The apple body tends to accumulate fats around the abdomen, may have skinny chest, arms and legs, and if they put on weight, it is around the middle, creating a “spare tyre”.  This body shape is at the highest risk of cardiovascular events, because visceral fats (fats around the abdomen) are packed close to critical organs of the heart and liver. 

The apple body typically craves carbohydrate foods, sweets and desserts, and may have a “mid-afternoon dip” in energy.  The key hormone involved in controlling these cravings is insulin which can be spiked by increased cortisol.  Cortisol is the stress hormone, and typically, the apple body reaches out for comfort foods (which tend to be sweet or carbohydrate rich) if they are stressed.

To lose weight, the apple body should keep blood sugar level and refrain from high glycemic load foods.  High glycemic load foods are carbohydrate containing foods that convert to sugar quickly, typically processed foods tend to have higher glycemic load compared to fresh food.  In the fruit kingdom, berries tend to have the lowest glycemic load and they are also rich in Vitamin C which is important for this body type.

The Pear

The pear body tends to accumulate fats around the hips, butt and thighs.  This body tends to be “heavy at the bottom”.  This type of body is heavily linked to hormonal imbalance, particularly estrogen dominance.

The pear body typically crave high fat foods and dairy rich foods.  As fats in the hips and thighs are harder to shift, fat loss can be more challenging for the pear body.

To lose weight, managing hormonal balance, working on clearance of estrogen is important.  Increase fibre in the food intake, include soluble and insoluble fibre like oat bran, psyllium, slippery elm and buckwheat.  Reduce rich, fatty food intake and swap dairy fats out for non-dairy fats and cheeses.  Increase cardio exercises 30 minutes at least 3 times a week.  Resistance and weights for the upper body can help to balance the body.

The Tube

The tube tends to accumulate fat all over and does not particularly have a shape.  It can be frustrating, as they tend to find wearing a loose T-shirt and jeans what would suit them.  Sometimes the tube has a combination of both apple and pear bodies, and when not looked after, both areas balloon so much that there is not much more distinction for the waist and hip.

The tube, when overweight, should reduce carbohydrate and startchy foods as well as high fat and dairy rich foods.  The diet should contain healthy fats like raw seeds and nuts, good quality protein and high in vegetables, both raw and cook.  Resistance and cardio exercise is important to help the tube get back into shape.

Breakfast should consist of a high quality protein like Shape Up, mixed with some LSA, blueberries, ½ an avocado and 3 brazil nuts.

Long Term Use of Paracetamol for Low Back Pain is Ineffective and can be Harmful

In a published study in the British Medical Journal, BMJ, of 31 March 2015, 12 high quality studies of the use of paracetamol and the treatment of low back pain and osteoarthritis have shown some very interesting results in terms of its efficacy and side effects.

Low back pain is a main cause of absenteeism and according to the World Health Organisation, low back pain is responsible for more than 100 million workdays lost per year in the United Kingdom and the loss of 149 million workdays or US$200 billion a year in the United States.  We do not have the numbers for New Zealand but using per capita calculation, this should approximate 2 million workdays lost here due to low back pain.

The BMJ reported that negative side effects from the use of paracetamol included liver toxicity, kidney disease, gastrointestinal problems and in some cases may even cause premature death. These negative side effects are suffered even though paracetamol has been shown to be ineffective in the treatment of low back pain.

Most people with low back pain do not have a serious problem in the lower back like fracture or nerve issues.  Low back pain is commonly caused by muscle, ligament, disc or facet problems.  Treatment with microcurrent by increasing the energy going to the specific cells to allow cellular detoxification and healing can help alleviate low back pain.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, low back pain is caused by low kidney energy.  Many patients with low back pain, especially the elderly will also have knee pain.  Acupuncture is proven to help.  These are more natural non-pharmacologic treatments without the side effects that pain killers like paracetamol has.  Weight loss to reduce the burden of carrying an overweight body, physiotherapy and pilates are all useful.

So, the next time you hear of a family, friend or workmate suffering from low back pain, suggest other therapies to them if they are reaching for paracetamol.

Sleep Hygiene to improve the Quality and Quantity of a Night’s Sleep

Sleep problems are common these days and are often worse in summer.  Whilst there can be many problems that lead to poor quality and lack of sleep, maintaining good sleep hygiene can help to alleviate some of the problems.  If pain is keeping you awake, make sure you address the problem so that you are not constantly woken up because of pain.  If frequent urination at night is a problem, investigate the possibility of benign prostate hyperplasia or chronic nocturia which should be treated.

Here are 10 tips to help you sleep better:

1. Keep a journal of the things that need to be done the next day.  You can keep the journal beside your bed so that tasks can be dumped into the journal and you will revisit them in the morning.
2. Do not have constant exposure to computer screens 2 hours prior to bedtime.
3. Exercise earlier in the day, especially vigorous aerobic type exercise.  As strenuous exercise can produce lactic acid in the muscles, this can affect your sleep quality.  Gentle exercise that helps increase endorphins are helpful in aiding sleep, but should be done at least 3 hours before bed.
4. Avoid caffeine (tea, coffee and any caffeinated beverages) after 2 p.m.
5. Do not drink massive amount of water later in the day.  Sip your water after dinner and make yourself a chamomile tea to calm down.
6. Make sure the temperature in the room and comfortable for sleeping.  Having too many sheets or inadequate sheets can wake you up unnecessarily.
7. Keep the bed to relaxation, sleep and sex.  The bed should not be associated with work and stress.
8. Obesity is a leading cause of sleep apnoea which is a common reason overweight people do not sleep well.  Reduce your weight.
9. Actively work on reducing stress or your perception of stress in your life.  Being a perfectionist often does not help with stress management, be a realist!
10. Have an aromatherapy bath before bed.  Drop some lavender and ylang ylang essential oil into your bath and relax!

If you constantly have sleep problems, it could be a sign of more serious medical condition and needs to be checked out by your health care professional.