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Nutrition for Stroke Survivors
I, as the owner and founder of At Nature's Pace PMQ, have started a study for young stroke survivors to help others who may in the future encounter the same situation that I have found myself in Fortunately the study includes a tailored nutrition plan for stroke survivors which combines the Mediterranean diet (a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, and olive oil traditionally followed by those countries that border the Mediterranean region, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Morocco) with the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which is rich in salads, vegetables, nuts and berries. The name for this dietary approach is called the MIND diet. Studies have found that adherence to the MIND diet has a protective effect on the brain and cognitive health due to the neuroprotective effects of the phytonutrients found in foods such as leafy green vegetables, berries and healthy fats.Also diets high in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain support a healthy gut microbiome that has been found to be associated with better physiological functioning and brain health. I am super excited to share this dietary journey with you as eating healthy has always been my passion and I hope to learn even more about dietary needs for stroke survivors during this 12 week study. I will share the recipes and menus that I prepare along the way as they will be healthy for most anyone seeking to live a long and healthy life!
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Healthy Kale Pesto - An Add in for nearly everything!
I discovered an amazing way to use up the extra kale in my crisper for an easy boost to most meals - Kale Pesto. All you need is 1/2 cup dry roasted almonds ( which can help lower blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels), 1 small garlic clove (protection against the common cold and the ability to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels), 2 cups baby or regular kale (supporting the immune system, regulating blood pressure and potentially reducing the risk of various types of cancer), 1/3 cup olive oil (healthy monosaturated fats and antioxidants. It also has anti-inflammatory properties), 1 & 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar antimicrobial and antioxidant effects), and a 1/4 cup of parmesan (just tastes good!).
To make the pesto, all you need to do is pulse the almonds, garlic, kale oil and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Add a bit of water if necessary. I keep the pesto thick so I can add stock or water to it later depending on what I am using it for. Divide the pesto into half cup servings and keep in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for three months.
Ideas for use: Breakfast salad with Poached Eggs, baby salad leaves, shaved Brussel spouts, julienned carrot and toasted sunflower seeds; over poached eggs on toast, on toasted bread with cheese, over pasta or zucchini noodles, or tossed with roasted or steamed vegetables.
Easy, versatile, and healthy!
Newbies & Exercise
How to Start Exercising
Everyone should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Moderate-intensity physical activity is an activity that is energetic and raises your heart rate, but doesn't make you too breathless, such as fast walking.
If you are pregnant, have been previously inactive, or suffer from any medical conditions, it is recommended that you seek medical advice before commencing vigorous physical activity.
For best results in achieving a healthier lifestyle and reducing your risk of developing a chronic disease, combine physical activity with healthy eating.
Build up slowly
Some physical activity is better than none, and more is better than a little. But you don’t have to exercise to the point of being in pain to get a health benefit. If you don’t do any physical activity at all, start by just doing some. You can build up gradually. It can be a good idea to set short-term and long-term goals. Make your goals specific, measurable and achievable. Rather than a vague goal like 'I will get fit', try 'I will walk every day for 10 minutes after meals' or 'I will get on and off the bus/train 2 stops away from my usual stop'
Build physical activity into your everyday life
Try to look for opportunities to build as much physical activity into everyday activities as you can. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Buy yourself a pedometer — a wearable gadget that counts how many steps you take. Use this to motivate you to keep increasing your daily steps. 10,000 steps is a website dedicated to motivating people to build up to 10,000 steps a day.
- Walk or cycle instead of using the car for short trips.
- If you have to drive, park further away from your destination or get off the bus, train or tram one stop early.
- Rather than spend 5 minutes circling a car park looking for that 'perfect space' near the entrance to the shops, park 5 minutes away and spend that time walking instead.
- Walk on escalators — it’s quicker so you’ll actually save time. Or better still, use the stairs.
- Work in the garden — get into some energetic gardening activities like digging, shifting soil, and mowing the lawn to raise your heart rate.
- Clean the house! Activities like vacuuming, cleaning windows and scrubbing floors that raise your heart rate are all good examples of moderate activity.
Get active with your family
- Play actively with your children — kick a footy around, skip, jump on the trampoline.
- Go on a family bike ride.
- Take your dog (or the neighbour’s dog) for a walk.
- If possible, walk to school with your children or park further from the school and walk part of the way.
- Buy a fitness DVD and get the whole family to join in — a great way to have a laugh and be active.
Source: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/tips-for-getting-active
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Coffee is Actually good for you!
9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee Is Good for You
Good news: According to John Hopkins Medical Center int he US, the case for coffee is stronger than ever. Study after study indicates you could be getting more from your favorite morning beverage than you thought: Coffee is chock full of substances that may help guard against conditions more common in women, including Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.Your brew gives you benefits beyond an energy boost. Just don't drink more than one or two cups a day and avoid sugar or high fat additions to your brew!
Here are the top ways coffee can positively impact your health:
- You could live longer.
Recent studies found that coffee drinkers are less likely to die from some of the leading causes of death in women: coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. - Your body may process glucose (or sugar) better.
That’s the theory behind studies that found that people who drink more coffee are less likely to get type 2 diabetes. - You're less likely to develop heart failure.
Drinking one to two cups of coffee a day may help ward off heart failure, when a weakened heart has difficulty pumping enough blood to the body. - You are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
Caffeine is not only linked to a lower chance of developing Parkinson’s disease, but it may also help those with the condition better control their movements. - Your liver will thank you.
Both regular and decaf coffee seem to have a protective effect on your liver. Research shows that coffee drinkers are more likely to have liver enzyme levels within a healthy range than people who don’t drink coffee. - Your DNA will be stronger.
Dark roast coffee decreases breakage in DNA strands, which occur naturally but can lead to cancer or tumors if not repaired by your cells. - Your odds of getting colon cancer will go way down.
One in 23 women develop colon cancer. But researchers found that coffee drinkers — decaf or regular — were 26 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer. - You may decrease your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.
Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease are women. But the caffeine in two cups of coffee may provide significant protection against developing the condition. In fact, researchers found that women age 65 and older who drank two to three cups of coffee a day were less likely to develop dementia in general. - You're not as likely to suffer a stroke.
For women, drinking at least one cup of coffee a day is associated with lowered stroke risk, which is the fourth leading cause of death in women.
Gut Health
Good Gut Health helps Promote Good Mental Health
Understanding the brain-gut connection is vital to helping improve one's mental health. According to Harvard University, the gut-brain connection can link anxiety to stomach problems and vice versa. For example, people have "gut-wrenching" experience, have certain situations that make them "feel nauseous", or have felt "butterflies" in their stomach. These expressions developed for a reason - gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, elation.
While it is important to use mental health tools such as mindfulness and meditation to help the brain deal with gastrointestinal tract issues, this connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
As a result, it is very important to use nutritional tools to help keep our guts happy to help keep our mind health and a healthy digestive system is an absolute cornerstone of overall health, wellbeing and vitality. Some tools to help support your digestive system is to eat foods with high fibre and foods that contain probiotics and prebiotics.
The recommended daily intake for dietary fibre is 25g/day for adult women and 30g/day for adult men, however national surveys consistently show the average consumption is less than 20g/day. The best way to increase your fibre intake is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal but supplements can help support one's fibre intake on a daily basis. I use the Modere Fibre Support Plus Prebotic daily to support my gut health. I take it each morning as part of a supplementary nutritional regime to ensure I start the day off on the right foot. I supplement this with the Modere Probiotic Support to stimulate the growth of good bacteria and minimise the growth of bad bacteria. This is especially important because I need to take certain. medications which may increase the level of bad bacteria in my system.
Therefore, while exercise, mindfulness and meditation can all support your mental health, it is very important to focus on your gut health as well. For more information on how At Nature's Pace PMQ can assist you with your gut health from both a physical and mental perspective, please send us an email at atnaturespacepmq@yahoo.com or message us here or via our Facebook Page.
Easy & Healthy Egg Cups
Recipe
So many good veggies are in season right now - kale, cauliflower, mushrooms.... As they are so cheap in our local green grocer, we had extra in the crisper that needed to be used up. So we made easy egg cups with the veggies before they went off.
Super easy - chop about a cup of cauliflower into small pieces and microwave for three minutes. Roast about a cup and a half of kale in the oven and dice (roasting or air frying kale takes the bitterness away and gives it a mellow earth flavour). Chop about three mushrooms. Get a muffin tin out and divide the veggies into the cups. Add cheese or chopped meat if you want. I also added dried chives for flavour. Mix four eggs and about a 1/2 a cup low fat milk and divided into the muffin cups. Cook at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Limited dishes to wash and a week's worth of snacks or brekky for well under a total of 5 dollars for the whole batch. Can't go wrong with that!