Category: Lifestyle

20 Reason Why Celery Needs To Be Part Of Your Diet

Celery is grown in the ground across the world and quite frankly is one of the worst tasting vegetables, however its probably the best vegetable for its mineral and nutrient content. Personally i find celery boring and very dull, but i do understand and respect the health benefits of eating and drinking it on a daily basis.

Celery is part of the Umbelliferae family of plants and typically grows across the world to a height of around 40cm. The plant has two distinct areas, the greener region at the top of the plant which contains more chlorophyll and Vitamin A and the whiter region at the bottom of the plant which is grown shaded from sunlight but contains a high concentration of B-vitamins and minerals to include potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and essential amino acids.

Health Benefits

Celery contains a high concentration of sodium which is explains it salty taste, however even for those with a low salt thresh-hold, celery is an idea choice for a fruit juice at breakfast, however typically most people will mix celery with another fruit or vegetable to slightly sweeten the taste.

Typical Health Benefits Include:

Acidity – Celery contains a low pH scale when compared to other acidic fruits such as oranges which are very acidic and therefore does a great job of effectively balancing out the bodies acidic level.

Blood Pressure – celery does contain sodium which has been linked to high blood pressure, however it also contains Phtalides which are a mineral that acts as a muscle relaxant. By drinking or eating celery every day, phtalides will dilate the muscles around the arteries and allow the blood to flow smoothly.

Constipation – Celery is a natural laxative that will help to relieve constipation and counteract against (the opposite of laxative) in your diet to ensure that your bowel movements are smooth and consistent.

Electrolytes – Celery juice contains a rich supply of minerals and therefore is a fantastic natural way of replacing those lost electrolytes from a heavy sweating session in the gym.

Inflammation – Celery contains polyacetylene and luteolin which are a natural inflammation reduction agent and will help to fight against inflammations in the body such as arthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.

Kidney Stones – Celery provides the kidneys with minerals and nutrients that it need to function correctly. Whilst eliminating toxins from the blood, it also helps to prevent kidney stone from forming.

Reduce Stress – Celery contains coumarins which help to reduce the effect of stress hormones such as cortisol which have a tendency to constrict blood vessels and can lead to hypertension.

Fighting Cancer – Whilst not scientifically proved as yet, medical research is on-going with two substances apigenin and luteolin which both have been shown to help prevent the spread of cancer and are contained within celery.

Blood Detoxing – celery juice contains a high concentration of nutrients, alkalising and hydrating minerals and diuretic minerals which all help clean the blood, remove excess water from the body whilst at the same time flush out any unwanted toxins from the body.

Skin Benefits – Celery contains a wide range of vitamins to include Vitamin K to preserve skin firmness and Vitamin A/B for health skin tone.

Sleep – Celery is well know for its effect on reducing blood pressure, hypertension, stress hormones and increasing electrolytes in the body, but it also contain magnesium which is a calming mineral and can help you relax and in-turn get to sleep at night.

Lowers Cholesterol – Celery contains a chemical called 3-N-Butylphthalide that has been proved to have a positive effect on reducing the cholesterol in the bloodstream whilst increasing the secretion of bile which can also help to combat cholesterol.

Hair Care – As mentioned above, celery contain vitamin A that is needed for healthy hair.

Follow Up

Celery is a fantastic vegetable that you should be consuming in your diet given all the benefits that it contains. Look out for celery with darker leaves as these are likely to contain the most nutrients given they have had more exposure to the sunlight.

One point, celery is a succulent plant that produces it’s own pesticide to protect itself from fungi. Whilst this is not a problem in small quantities, it’s highly recommended that you stay away from consuming celery everyday and focus on consuming celery as part of a well balance diet.

White Vs. Brown Bread – Which is Better For You?

This question is the result of the internet and so called medical experts reading a small amount of medical research, thinking they know everything and writing about it. So what’s the answer – it depends what it’s made from.

Whether its white or brown bread is not really the question that is important. It’s very easy to taken a loaf of white bread, dye it and thus make it look like brown bread even though it does not have the nutrients that brown bread comes with.

What Should You Be Eating

When your choosing a loaf of bread, you need to focus on what the bread is actually made from and not the colour of the bread. The best type of bread contains the words “WholeGrain” Or “Whole Wheat” where the outer husk of the flower seed has no been removed. With this process, the bread will contain the highest concentration of finite, protein, vitamins, folic acid and biotin.

White Bread

The process of making white bread is very similar to brown bread with the key difference being that the wheat flour is dyed white using potassium bromate, benzoyl peroxide and often chlorine gasses. Whilst white bread often contains more calcium, the chemical used to dye the wheat flower from brown to white are very dangerous in large doses. Whilst bread makers do not use large quantities medical research does not show the side effects of eating white bread over time. There is still question mark over whether the build up of these toxins over would time has an effect on the body or whether the kidneys remove these toxins from the body.

The other key problem with eating white bread is that you’re eating refined carbohydrates. The body needs to produce insulin to absorb the sugars out of the blood stream which are in turn converted into glycogen and then triglycerides which are stored in your bodies fat cells and is the cause of weight gain.

Brown Bread

So what you’re trying to say is that white bread is very bad for you and therefore we should be eating brown bread? Well this is partly true, however just because your bread is brown does not means that it’s 100% made out of whole wheat bread. Research has shown that bread manufactures have simply altered the why they produce bread and rather bleach the cheaply made wheat flow to produce white bread, the process is exactly the same with the only difference being that they colour the bread with caramel to create the brown bread that you buy on the supermarket shelf.

The other process bread manufactures like use is the “Enriched” process where rather than making brown WholeMeal Bread from scratch, they simply add back into the mix a selection synthetically manufactured vitamins and nutrients that the body will struggle to absorb and digest.

Brown Vs. White Bead

It really does not matter what colour the bread is. What’s important is what is made from. Look at the ingredients on the back on the bread and make sure the first ingredient is either Whole Wheat or Whole Meal Flour.

To make whole wheat or whole meal flour bread, the wheat germ and the bran and grounded down together to make the wheat flower. This bread making process means that the nutrients and vitamins remain in the bread and the fibre content helps to slow down the digestion process which gives the blood a greater chance to take out the healthy nutrients that it needs.

Better Still Don’t Eat Wheat Bread

If you enjoy eating bread, but are worried about the side effects there are a few options that you can consider that are better for you than wheat bread.

Rye Bread – is less refined, contains a much high concentration of fibre and due to it being digested slower will satisfy your hunger and has a lower effect on your blood sugar level. Patients with diabetes often eat rye bread rather than wheat bread because its so much easier to digest and at the same time keep blood sugar levels in the optimum scale.

Spelt Bread – is very similar to wheat bread in terms of texture and taste, but also contains a better range of nutrients. Like rye bread above, spelt bread is high in fibre, but also high in a range of minerals from Manganese to phosphorus and vitamins such as thiamine and folate.

Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water – Which is Better For You?

What’s the best selling soft drink in the UK today? You guess it, bottled water and in 2017 we drank more than three billion litres of it during the course of the year even though it cost more than one-thousand times the price of the exact same liquid that comes out of the tap at home.

Two questions arise, why do we drink so much bottled water? And secondly is bottled water any better for you that tap water? This may come to a shock to you but in 97% of locations across the UK, there is no evidence to suggest that bottle water is any better for you than tap water and therefore the

What’s the difference between Bottled and Tap Water?

In 80% of cases, both Tap and Bottled water comes from exactly the same place with the key difference being how it’s treated. Yes there are examples where bottled water comes from springs and other pristine sources, but for the majority of water on the market, the sources are the same. Two thirds of water in the UK comes from surface storage such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs with the rest from ground water that store rainwater.

Bottled Water

Once the water has been extracted from a river for example, its treated and purified before be bottled and sold to us. In the UK, bottling companies are not required by law to reveal the process or the source of their water meaning that you cannot be sure where you’re bottled water came from and what’s actually been done to it.

There are examples across the internet where spring water that has been labelled as pure spring water actually came from a public water source in Alaska.

Tap Water

Tap water typically comes from the same place that bottled water comes from with the only difference being that tap water does contain a small amount of chlorine which you usually cannot taste, but does make it more resistant to bacteria growth.

Myths About Tap Water

Tap Water Contains Oestrogen that has been passed through the kidneys of other drinker before you. This is a great example of total rubbish. Firstly water has to be treated before it’s released back into natural water systems and by the time the entire water cycle has been completed, any toxins that these treatments have missed will be taken out of the water.

Is Bottled Water Actually Safe?

Of course it is, it’s been treated, cleaned and purified to make sure to perfect for consumption – is the line that always seems to crop up when this subject comes up in conversation.

My usual response is to ask the drinker if they know this for sure since bottlers do not have to by law put their ingredients on the bottle or release the process to make their bottled water, how can you be so sure? There is also a problem with testing given that it’s not controlled by a centralise board in the UK, but by minor testing agents and I am concerned at what level they can actually test bottled water for.

Recent studies have shown that some brands of bottled water does contained both bacterial and chemical contaminants to include carcinogens and phthalates, and whilst the bottles themselves are made from polyethylene terephthalate which are generally safe, scientists have warned against storing plastic bottle in temperatures above 20 degrees as the plastic may leach chemicals in the water.

In small doses all of these chemical are not harmful to the body, but will start to build up over the years if you only drink bottled water. Exposure to high levels of phthalates for example have been linked to low sperm counts whilst carcinogens are endocrine distrupters which means they block hormones in the body.

Should You Change To Tap Water?

Whether you should change your drinking habits and only drink tap water is not for me to decide. I can only present the facts, it’s your choice to make however here are a few things that I would recommend you do.

If you’re in the habit of buying bottled water, try to carry in around in a stainless steel container. This way if you do leave it in your car for extended periods on time, it does not matter. We specifically like the stainless steel versions from Klean Kanteen and New Wave Enviro.

Dieting? 8 Myths To Help You Control Your Weight

Dieting is often a difficult process and over the years i have come across many patients that have struggled to control their weight.

Myth No. 1 – Salt Cause High Blood Pressure

The average body needs around 6 grams of salt/sodium per day to maintain the bodies fluid balance, however with processed foods becoming so common in our diets, many of us easily exceed this level. Salt does Cause blood pressure problem, but you have to nearly double this level each day for it to start to cause you problem. Medical research shows that high blood pressure is rarely linked to purely salt concentration in the diet, but rather a combination of salt and other toxins in the body.

Myth No. 2 – Carbohydrates Make You Fat

Carbohydrate-rich foods are a great source energy as they provide a lot of fibre and nutrients that our body needs on a daily basis. However they also contain a high concentration of calories and ultimately what makes us fat, is a calorie rich diet with a lack of exercise to burn off those calories.

Diets such as the Atkins diet where the body is starved of carbohydrates are famous across the internet with many users boasting about their success in losing weight, however often it’s not the carbohydrates that are the problem, but how we cook those carbohydrates. An example, potatoes are a great source of carbs and probably the best source of vitamin C across the food groups, however we often fry them with batter to make chips which increases the calorie-count substantially.

Myth No. 3 – Dairy Products Make You Fat

Again another example of where certain types of dairy products do make you fat however diary products are packed full of nutrients that the body needs on a daily basis. What makes us fat is by drinking or eating the “Full Fat” versions of many diary products such as full fat milk which is high in calories, fat and a selection of other nutrients that the body does not need.

By drinking or eating low-fat versions of diary products we’re still allowing our bodies to benefit from the protein, zinc, Vitamin B and calcium that all diary products are packed with. What’s more the low-fat versions of many of our favorite dairy products contain more nutrients that the full fat versions. Take skimmed milk which contains nearly double the calcium levels than full fat milk contains and will help prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Myth No. 4 – Red Meat Is Bad For You

The short version, another round of rubbish. Processed red meat should be avoided, however natural steaks of organic red meat are okay to eat as part of a well balance diet.

What caused this myth was that The World Cancer Organisation came out with a report that suggested that people limit their red meat intake down to around 500grams per week. As with all reports, the general public decided to change this from 500grams per week to red meat is bad for you and wipe it out of their diet. The problem with this is that red meat is a fantastic source of protein and iron which the body needs. Of the years, i have seen patients that have such low contentraion of iron in the body due to not eating protein, they are suffering from anaemia.

Myth No. 5 – Fresh Food is Better Than Frozen

I am not 100% sure where this came from but it’s total rubbish and whilst it’s not medically proven, the opposite is almost true. Low quality frozen vegetables are probably not as good for you as fresh food, but as long as the vegetable is frozen with a few hours after it’s picked, the nutrient loss will stop and those good minerals and nutrients locked into the vegetable.

In some cases, fresh fruit and vegetables can be less good for you than frozen however it does depend on where it’s come from. As an example, Apple’s are grown in South America, picked when they are not ripe, transported to the UK fresh, placed in a warehouse and stored until they are ready to be placed on the shelf and bought by you or me. During this time, the heat, air, water and time will cause a significant loss of nutrients to the fruit meaning that it’s probably better to buy frozen or even tinned.

Myth No. 6 – Soy Products Reduce Menopausal Problems

Another total rubbish myth that has no medical research to back it up, however this time I do know where it came from. Over the last half-century, it’s been noted that Asian women have less menopausal symptoms than their western counter parts due to their diet which is high in soy product such as Tofu that contain natural plant oestrogens. It’s said that these natural oestrogens help to offset Asian women’s dwindling levels as they are going through menopause.

Over the years medical research has show that this simply is not true and whilst early signs showed some benefits to soy, once the sample size started to increase in numbers, that percentage has been drastically reduced.

Myth No. 7 – Brown Bread Is Better For Your Than White Bread

Typically when choosing a loaf of bread, you need to focus on what it made from and not so much the colour of the bread. To feel the full benefits of bread, you’re looking for the words “WholeGrain” Or “Whole Wheat” as this type of bread has been made from flour where the outer husk has not be removed and therefore it contains larger concentrations of Fibre, Protein, Vitamins, Folic Acid and Biotin.

Whether its white or brown bread does not really matter as it could be white bread that has been dyed or even brown bread that has been made from milled wheat where the nutrients have already been extracted.

Myth No.8 – Crash Diets Help To Reduce Weight

Crash diets typically consist of diets involving a calorie intake of less that 1,000 calories and can be a great way to reduce weight quickly.  The problem is the effect on your body in the short-term and over the long term 71% of patients put the weight back on in the long term.

Medical research suggest the short term effects of a crash diet include slowing your metabolism which only helps to put the weight back on if you move away from your crash diet.  What’s more, a crash diet deprives your body of essential nutrients and can weaken your immune system and increase cardiac stress.