Food can affect mood - what to look out for

It is well known, and obviously what HMHB is trying to tell people, that a healthy diet will result in a healthier body - lifestyle is obviously a key factor too.

But we all have days when we feel sluggish, tired, sad or lack motivation for seemingly no reason. That could be down to diet.  Let's look at a few factors:

Caffeine

Many people say they rely on a cup of coffee in the morning to pep them up.  And probably the same in the afternoon too.  However, caffeine does not do what we think it does, and can pose harmful effects on our brains.

If you start needing caffeine every day you no longer drink it for that occasional boost.  You are drinking it because your body now depends on it to function.  According to the Journal of Young Investigators (sounds interesting), when caffeine is absent there is a reduction of serotonin which can cause anxiety, irritability and an inability to concentrate.

Alcohol

This is a depressant.  A lot of people continue to drink without realising the repercussions.  It is also a stimulant.  It affects your thoughts, speech and movements, and the more you drink the more these effects slow you down.  Alcohol abuse does raise the levels of serotonin in the brain temporarily, however it also has many other effects on receptors that cause levels to decrease in time.

Fried Foods

When we are down we tend to try and reward ourselves with treats - sugary or fried.. We do it because we think it will make us feel better.  Does it? No only will fried foods cause weight gain, they are linked to depression.  If people are dieting, they treat themselves, feel guilty, and when feeling down they eat some more.  Fried food is obviously nice - I liked a cooked breakfast now and then - but we need to be careful what oil we use, and how much we do it.

Skipping Breakfast

There really is no excuse.  I have heard people, even on the bootcamp, say that they do not have time to eat first thing.  Yes they do!!  It's just finding an excuse.

Breakfast is the most important meal.  It will affect your sugar levels all morning if done properly, and will make sure you do not binge later..  If you skip, it will cause your brain to run low on energy, and that does not help anyone suffering stress.

There are foods that allegedly are reported to eat for a better mood:

Dark leafy greens:  Walnuts:  Avocado:  Berries:  Mushrooms:  Onions:  Tomatoes:  Beans:  Seeds:  Apples: Fatty Fish.

Can scales be misleading?

Weight loss is a tricky business.  It should be simple.  If you use up more calories in a day that you intake you should lose weight gradually over time.

However, body weight is not always the best indicator of your body transformation.  Our bodies are complex and change in many ways, often intangible and subtle.  I know myself.  I have a long and detailed struggle with losing weight - yoyoing up and down, getting success and feeling failure, reaching targets and then ballooning.  I am at the moment very focused on reaching a target.

Don't always think that just because the scales have not changed that progress has not been made. The important thing is to change habits, start a new routine, stick to it, don't expect instant results and set realistic targets - but if you don't reach them don't then collapse back into old ways.

I remember in losing weight that there are a few tricks to the trade:

1. Feel satisfied after a meal:  Find foods that you know are healthy.  As we digest food, the gut sends signals to the brain about how much energy we have consumed to trigger satiation (the feeling that we are full). Processed food, with its extreme density and intense salty / sweet / fatty / crunchy / creamy tastes, tells our brain that we have hit the calorie jackpot and we need to keep cramming it in - zero satiation and little nutrition.  Also drink some water before a meal - it will help you feel fuller.
2. You feel tired all the time:  I know that feeling - and it tricks you into snacking a lot. You feel you need a caffeine hit (plus a snack).  Maybe your brain and body are getting too much processed food and too much sugar, or even borrowing energy from the future with stimulants. I can definitely say that I have done all of that in the past.  You need to monitor your food intake, and when  you have it.  If you need a vitamin supplement take one. I will do a separate posting for different vitamins over the next couple of weeks.
3. Improve your sleep:  This is a tricky one - I have had issues with sleep for a long time, and you get the night time munchies!!! It's almost like an urge to eat and eat because you cant sleep.  Poor sleep comes about for many reasons - stress, aging, hormonal changes, energy levels, alcohol intake, drug intake.  Again, changing to a healthier diet can assist, and find ways to wind down an hour before bed - cutting out social media, putting down your phone etc.  Watch when you eat too - as this affects your sugar levels.

Scales though can be misleading.  If you are exercising you could be putting on muscle while replacing the fat.  Muscle is heavier than fat so you would actually be putting weight on.

Think about your mood - do you actually feel happier and more energised.  If so, you are improving.  Any physical change can take time.  If you lose half a stone for example, it is possible you cannot see it in the mirror.  I have got moobs, a tummy overthrow, and maybe an extra chin at the moment.  Losing half a stone will probably not change any of those.  But if I give it two or three months, I will see a difference in my body shape.  It's just a matter of staying focused.

Say things to yourself:  I feel:

• more confident
• like change will happen
• better about my choices
• clearer about my goals
• happier and more positive
• motivated
• i want to try new things

Scales can be used as a guide obviously, and will show progress.  But progress can also be made elsewhere, and be aware of that.

How can you boost your immune system?

As people know, I have had a couple of bouts of depression in my life, and I found that affected my immune system.  I also have an illness that I take a daily pill for that can make me ill.  But your immune system can be affected by other illnesses and factors.  So is there anything we can do to help it, and therefore us?

According to the http://www.health.harvard.edu/ website, "There is still much that researchers don't know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. For now, there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function."

 That is interesting - as there are also many sites that give us suggestions as to actions we can take that "may" boost our immune system.

• Naturally, incorporating a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise and routine) will help us anyway.
• Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and helps to strengthen the immune system:  it can be found in tomatoes, carrots, watermelon, pink grapefruit, asparagus amongst others.  When absorbed from the intenstine, lycopene is transported in the blood by various lipiproteins and accumulates in the blood, skin, liver, and adrenal glands.
• Protein: includes meats such as fish, beef, and chicken. You can also get it from Spinach, Avocado, Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts.
• Cut back on refined white sugar and can sugar - they are reported  to weaken the immune system.  Replace with natural sugars (our body needs sugars - although we must limit amounts).
• Focus on anti-viral foods - these have been shown to improve immune function in tests:  these include lemon, cabbage, onion, flaxseed.
• Increase vitamin a food, and vitamin B12.  I actually take a multi-vitamin every morning.  I am not saying that you should use these as replacements - the best intake for vitamins is naturally. B12 is an essential nutrient for nerve function, brain function and red blood cells.  Found in fatty fish, eggs, beef, chicken, turkey, oysters, crab. Vitamin A is in Lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, fish.
• Vitamin D is also important - get out in the sunshine as much as you can (safely of cours). But also found in salmon, tuna, orange juice, sardines and eggs.
• You need to flush out toxins - so try and drink water or green tea.
• People are also advised to not smoke, drink responsibly, get adequate sleep, monitor your weight and blood pressure, and control cholesterol (but all these are a natural choice for living better anyway).

I guess the word is live as healthily as possible - watch your diet (still have treats now and then) and stay active.  It certainly cannot hurt!!!

Sitting all day is dangerous for your health

A study led by Cambridge University says that "sitting around all day is as bad for your health as smoking".  Workers who barely move from the desks for eight hours were found to be an incredible 60 per cent more likely to die prematurely.

However, exercising for an hour a day cancels out the risk, so says Professor Ulf Ekelund, who led the study.

He said: "there is no need to go to a gym. A brisk walk is enough.  Even simple daily changes such as getting a coffee from a machine further away can help.  You do not need to do sport.  You can split it up over the day, but you need to do at least one hour."

Sedentary lifestyles now pose as great a public threat as smoking, causing deaths from heart disease and cancer

Exercise can boost your memory

A US study, run by a team led by Professor Henriette van Praag found that going for regular runs boosted the memory.  It releases a protein called Cathespin B that can be traced from the muscles to the brain in mice.

Levels of this protein increased in the blood in mice, monkeys and humans after exercise.  It was shown in tests that those with the increased protein had better memory recall.

She said:  "we have converging evidence that Cathespin B is unregulated in blood by exercise in three species - mice, monkeys and humans.  In humans who exercise consistently for four months, better performance on complex recall tasks, such as drawing from memory, is correlated with increased Cathespin B levels."

Overall, they conclude, the message is that a consistently healthy lifestyle pays off.

Anti-aging can be triggered - apparently

Research by a team at Germany's Saarland University was presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in 2016, reporting that regular exercise triggers the anti-ageing process.

Professor Sanjay Sharma, of St. George's University Hospital in London was part of the team.  He said that moderate exercise cuts heart attack risks in half of those in their 50s and 60s.  He added: "the study suggests that when people exercise regularly they may be able to retard the process of ageing.  Exercise buys you three to seven additional years of life". 

The study claimed: "a brisk walk every day can add up to seven years to your life".  It also said: "just 25 minutes aerobic exercise can reduce ageing, ward off depression and help delay dementia.

"Sleep Professionals" give advice re better sleep

As people who have followed my previous blog know, I have terrible issues with sleep.  This has gone on for a long time.  I have researched, changed patterns, even been to the doctors, but I cannot say that there is much in the way of improvement!!

However, I found a website where several "sleep professionals" have given their own advice.  Who knows? Maybe these can assist.  This is what they have said.

It sounds ridiculous, but blowing a few bubbles—like the kind that comes in a plastic bottle that you played with as a kid—right before bed can help you fall asleep faster, says Rachel Marie E. Salas, M.D., a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. It’s like a deep breathing exercise, which helps calm your body and mind, she says. And since it’s such a silly activity, it can also take your mind off of any potential sleep-thwarting thoughts.

No way you’re doing this? Try this instead: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on counting your breaths for 3 to 15 minutes. When your mind wanders (and it will), start counting your breaths from one again. Researchers from Nepal found that doing this form of meditation for just a few minutes a day can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, reducing anxiety and helping you sleep better

You may have heard that you should use your bed for only two things: sleeping and screwing. But reading at bedtime is OK, too, says Janet K. Kennedy, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in New York City. “Tossing and turning is stressful and it causes the body to release adrenaline, making it harder to fall asleep,” Kennedy says. “Distracting your mind with a good book allows the body’s fatigue to take over.”

Another option: Hypnotize yourself. Imagine sinking 50 free throws or teeing off on your favourite par 3. “Visualization reduces anxiety and lets your brain’s sleep mechanism engage,” says Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D

Listening to soft, calming music not only helps you fall asleep, but also extends the length and depth of your sleep, says James Maas, Ph.D., author of Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know about Sleep but Are Too Tired to Ask. Research shows that downtempo tunes lower your heart rate and blood pressure, helping you chill out. Listening to waves gently crashing or rain softly falling works as well.

Hitting the gym after work can help you zonk out, says Orlando Ruiz-Rodriguez, M.D., a sleep doctor at South Seminole Hospital in Orlando. One recent Swiss study suggests that completing an intense workout 90 minutes before bed may help you fall asleep faster by reducing your levels of the stress hormone cortisol

Once you turn out the lights, don’t check the time again—even if you wake up in the middle of the night, says Nathaniel F. Watson, M.D., M.Sc., president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. If you do, you’ll start thinking about how long you’ve been in bed or how much time is left until you have to wake up, Dr. Watson says. If I fall asleep right now, I can get 5 hours and 21 minutes of sleep. This just creates anxiety, which may keep you up even longer. Avoid the urge to glance at the time by using a clock that doesn’t light up or turning the digits away from your bed. If you use your phone as a watch, put it in your bedside drawer so it’s harder to reach