Is eating at night actually dangerous?

Well, even I have to say that is a worrying headline.  Who doesn't like a little snack at night?  I know it is something I need to control - but can it really hurt you?

A study by the Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey said that it "almost triples the risk of developing a deadly form of high blood pressure."

They claim that late night food binges trigger the release of hormones that raise blood pressure and affect our internal body clock.  High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major trigger for heart attacks and strokes.

During sleep our blood pressure drops - even among severe sufferers of high blood pressure.  It is a natural occurrence.  But the study found that late eaters were 2.8 times more likely to be "non-dippers" whose blood pressure did not fall.

The lead researcher - a Doctor Ebru Ozpelit - says: "if blood pressure does not drop by more than ten per cent this increases cardiovascular risk - and these patients have more heart attacks, strokes and chronic disease.  How we eat may be as important as what we eat."

The study concluded that adults should avoid scoffing two hours before bedtime and ideally not after 7pm, and this was reported to the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Rome.

So next time you reach for that snack, bowl of cereal, tub of ice cream - think about your body!!!

Should your shower be hot or cold?

There is a lot of talk about showering - and the benefits of it being hot or cold.

My local gym has one shower head that is cold - I admit that I prefer the hot ones though.

Bur which is better - or do they both have their uses:  This comes from a website, but I am not too sure about a couple of the claims - in particular the cold.

A Hot Shower

Relaxes the muscles

Lowers Body tension

Can help alleviate migraines

Reduces swelling

Reduces anxiety - through relaxation

Acts as a nasal decongestant

Removes toxins from the skin

Opens pores while cleaning

Good to do at night

A Cold Shower

Stimulates the immune system

Increases alertness (well it would certainly wake me up)

Can help prevent colds (I thought a cold was down to germs)

Anti-depression hormones

Accelerates metabolism

Frees up the mind

Tightens the skin

Reduce hair loss (this is a strange one)

Good to do in the morning

I guess in the end it all comes down to personal taste. In the James Bond books he often will have a cold shower, mixed with a hot shower, as it keeps him alert. Who knows??  

Can porridge help to save your life?

my fave way to eat porridge - with sliced banana

Well, there is a heading from you.  A wild claim?  Not according to Dr Qi Sun or Harvard University.

They say:

"A bowl of porridge every day could slash your risk of dying from cancer.  And three daily wholegrain servings lower the risk of death by any cause by 20 per cent.

Porridge oats, brown rice and even Weetabix are said to cut the likelihood of dying from cancer by 14 per cent and heart disease by 25 per cent.  Four portions reduce premature death risk by 22 per cent."

Harvard University researchers analysed 12 studies of 800,000 people and believe grains help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure.

Dr Sun concluded: "Healthcare providers should unanimously recommend wholegrains to the general population and patients."

It's an interesting study.  I do like a bowl of porridge - of course we should be careful of what we have with it.  I know as a child I was taught to put sugar on all my cereals - something I did right up to the age of 16, but have stopped since (although I do occasionally add it to porridge or hot Weetabix).  I have been getting out of that habit.  Fruit on top is okay, and if you do want to sweeten it you could always add honey.

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