Sophia's Tip of the Week: Ditch the Replacement Shakes and Protein Bars!

When you are on the go day in day out having the time to make healthy food can be difficult. Protein bars and shakes and meal replacement drinks become the ‘healthy’ alternative but soon enough the diet consists of these replacement items instead of eating real whole foods that are loaded with nutrition and fiber. Thanks to clever marketing we don’t see these shakes and bars as such a bad thing.

Some of these products are so dense and high in calories. Packed with ‘healthy’ things like nuts and dates...one bar has as many calories as a giant salad with some chicken but with loads more sugar. 

Additionally, when you drink your meals it prevents your stomach from signalling to your brain that you have actually eaten thus being more inclined to snack. The process of chewing your food is very important since it prepares your stomach for digestion. Actual food that has bulk like fibrous salads takes longer eat via chewing and longer to digest so it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. What’s the use of having a small yet calorie-packed bar or a shake (most likely filled with additives anyway) to lose weight when you’ll be hungry again in an hour or so?

Don’t get sucked into the marketing mania and think that by consuming bars and drinks is healthy and the way to lose weight. It’s exactly the opposite. If you want to be healthy fill yourself up with loads of fresh raw whole foods such as fruits, vegetables that contain enzymes, fiber and phytochemicals. Eat protein from a whole source such as eggs and fish rather than whey or soy isolates that are made in a lab. Avoid the condensed ‘health’ bars that are loaded with calories even though they may be ‘naturally sweetened.’ None of them will keep you full for long.

Here are some snack suggestions that I enjoy every day. They fill me up and they are made with real, whole foods that give you the nutrients that your body needs for optimal health.

Quick tips to keep your immune system strong!

Now more than ever we need to keep our immune systems strong. What people don’t realise that bugs such as microbes, viruses and bacteria are around us constantly. In fact, they are on every inch of our skin.  There are good bugs and bad bugs. The good bugs are the ones in our gut which keep our immune systems strong because they are the ones that fight off the bad bugs. 

What we want to do is keep our immune system strong so that if we ever encounter the virus or other bad bugs, our immune system is better prepared to fight them off. 

Below are my tips and methods that BOOST your immune system!

The food we eat is very important for immune health since our immune system starts in the gut. 

Eat loads of fruit and veggies, particularly green lady veggies that are packed with antioxidants.  Eat good quality proteins from sources where the animals are free to roam, such as eggs from pasture-raised chickens, wild-caught salmon and grass-fed meats. 

Drink loads of fresh filtered water. Personally I don’t agree with bottled water because no one knows how long the water has been sitting around in the plastic bottles and if it’s been exposed to sunlight where the BPA can leak into the water. Purchase a good filter to install at your house and aim to drink up to a gallon a day. 

Sleep is where our bodies recharge and heal. This where your body releases most of the human Growth Hormone for healing and repair. If you skimp on sleep then your entire system suffers because it hasn't been recharged. Aim to get a good 8 hours sleep a night to keep your immune system strong. 

Here are some supplements that are essential for overall health and work to boost your immune system too:

Multivitamins are packed with all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs for optimal function. The brand I recommend is juice plus because they are natural rather than synthetic so your body can readily absorb the nutrients.  Check out their products here.

 Probiotics: foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. Greek yoghurts with no added sugar is packed with probiotics. The bacteria from these fermented foods adds good bacteria to the gut. Supplementing with probiotics such as acidophilus and Bifidus is an option too. 

Fish oils reduce inflammation in the body which will help to reduce inflammation in the gut. If the gut is inflamed the internal flora is affected which can reduce the number of good bacteria and affect or immune-supporting bugs. 

Stress is a major factor in health. More and more studies are showing that stress is a factor in a myriad of health issues but also your state of mind affects your health. In a study performed by Richard J Davidson PhD, Author on The Emotional Life of Your Brain, he shares results for a test he performed whereby groups received the flu shot and those who reported they were happy and who performed specific stress-reducing practices such as focused meditation produced higher antibodies from the flu shot than those who did not practice stress-reducing activities. This indicated that the stress-reducing group had stronger immune systems responded more effectively to the flu shot.

Reduce stress by meditating daily. Results have shown that by spending as little as 10 mins a day to stop, breath and clear your mind can have powerful effects on your state of mind, your health and your immune system.