Here at Instructor Live, we wanted to look at this idea in a little more detail. We want to know if cholesterol is as bad as we are led to believe and if we do need to keep those levels low, how do we do it?
We all want to optimise our health as much as possible, and we can feel a little betrayed by our bodies when we get sick. Of course, sleep and appropriate exercise are also key in supporting our bodies. However, there are immune boosting foods that can be key in our health.
The short answer is yes.
First let’s take a look at what the immune system is, how it works and then our top foods to support it!
The dieting industry operates much like a minefield, most of us mooch around it, and every now and again we stand on a mine and realise we’ve perhaps not fuelled our bodies enough or have missed out on crucial nutrients.
The good thing is that we can draw on decades and decades of people trying different diets to figure out what may be best for us.
The general consensus, no matter where you look is that a diet high in plant-based foods is good for us. Some, therefore, choose to eat nothing but plant-based products opting for a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, but for others, this is a step they don’t want to make (for many reasons).
For these, the flexitarian diet may be right up their street. In a nutshell, the flexitarian diet is being vegetarian-ish. It prioritises plant-based foods but gives a little wiggle room on the inclusion of meat products.
When we look at weight loss programmes, we are often in awe at the progress photos and the numbers on the scale. We see amazing results and the person losing the weight is often incredibly proud of themselves. And so they should be.
Would you be surprised to learn that when we analyse weight loss programmes over time, we find that most people regain the weight they lost?
On average, in the two years post diet, more than half of the weight that was lost, is regained. In the five years post diet, more than 80% of the weight lost, is regained.
The real kicker? 90% of people who lose weight on a diet programme, will regain what they lost, over time. (i)
🤔 So, is there any point in dieting?
👉 Honestly, no there isn’t.
But obesity rates are growing year on year and with the range of health issues it is associated with, it’s something we need to tackle.
🧐 But how?
It’s much better to make lifestyle changes; when and how you eat and how you move becomes part of your lifestyle – how you change in shape and size continues alongside this lifestyle.
Did you know there are more than 600 muscles in the human body? We can either be impressed by that level of coordination to help us move or totally unsurprised when it feels like every last one of them is sore after a particularly challenging workout.
We’re all told to eat protein to grow our muscles, but like everything in the human body, it really isn’t that simple. As they are seemingly a large part of our body and function, it pays to look at them in a little more detail and see how do muscles grow.
If you spend any time on social media, you’ll have likely come across some top tips to optimise your digestive health, but sometimes we forget the basics. So, we thought we’d go back to school (well, not quite, no one needs those bad hair day reminders) and look at the digestive system in all its glory. We’ll also consider why we should probably pay it a little more attention than we do, and some simple changes we can make to help it run as smoothly as possible.
Every cell in every body has a job to do. And to do those jobs it needs certain compounds, or more accurately, nutrients. The skeleton is no different. The skeleton is made up of bones and joints, and it is essentially our supporting structure. If we want it to continue to support us well, and keep moving, we need to look after it, and this starts with our nutrition. So let’s take a look at how nutrition can support good bone and joint health.
You are what you eat! This phrase has dominated the media for decades and it’s true (well, if we were to get technical, you are what you digest and utilise), but each cell in the body has a particular function, for example, our muscle cells help us move and our immune cells help us fight off invading viruses. To carry out these functions, these cells need certain nutrients. Whilst some of these nutrients can be made in our bodies, others must come from our diet.
Not surprisingly we also have certain cells and chemicals that help us feel and behave and the same concept applies to them – in short, what we eat can influence how we feel and behave.
So, are there certain foods that can boost our mood? Well, yes there are, but let’s get a handle on how this happens first.
Adopting a vegan diet can be a challenge for some> Generally the switch is based on ethical or health reasons, so you know your personal reasons why, but you wouldn’t be human without wondering if you can truly fuel your lifestyle with this approach.
So, let’s take a look at body needs and what foods to include in your vegan diet.