How I Choose Healthy Eating Habits over Negative Ones

Do you know what foods you should be eating, but find it too difficult to choose to eat healthy foods over unhealthy ones when the time comes?

Try these two points to help fuel that discipline to eat well:

1. Prepare early so that you don’t have to depend on making in-the-moment, last-minute decisions on what to eat.
   This is the most important step. You may have heard the adage “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, and when it comes to eating, this couldn’t be more true. Pre-making your meals and stocking your kitchen with healthy foods will make it so much easier to make better food choices.
2. Limit your carb sources in the mornings to reduce cravings.
   One thing about the western diet that I find extremely detrimental, is the carbohydrate-laden “breakfast foods”. Breakfast cereals and breads are high GI and choc-a-block with added sugars - which only give you a short burst of energy, followed by a crash in blood sugar -  which then makes our bodies crave more of those sugary foods to bring our blood sugar back up! So not only are we failing to fuel our bodies with sustained energy for the day - we’re influencing our bodies to crave more of those detrimental foods!
   Instead, we should offer our bodies a breakfast rich in protein and healthy fats - it is THIS breakfast which will give us sustained energy and mental focus!
   And when you make the change to start your day with a protein and fat breakfast, it won’t take long to notice the difference in regards to cravings. You’ll find that when it comes to having your next meal, you won’t crave having an unhealthy, or carb-loaded meal!
   I can’t stress enough the difference you will feel when you start eating this way every day, you really have to try it to experience it first hand.

What to do When You're Feeling Overwhelmed

If you find you’re feeling overwhelmed because you know you have SO much to do, but you can’t seem to get a grip over what needs to be done, I recommend trying this:

🔲 Sit down with a pen and paper. TURN OFF ALL DISTRACTIONS just for the moment - that includes watching any kind of TV, putting your phone away or on silent, and even turning off music (or maybe listen to background music to drown out any loud noises in your environment).

🔲 Think about what it is you need to do - start with the biggest, most obvious things. I find once I start thinking about and writing those down, then many of the little things I need to do will come to me. Write those down as well.

🔲 For the large goals, break them down into several smaller, easier steps. Not only will this make it clearer just HOW to achieve those larger goals - which will make you feel more in control - but it will also bring you much more satisfaction when you’re able to tick off each step. If you just write down one large goal, you’ll get frustrated when you’ll be working all day and still haven’t ticked anything off - you’ll feel like you’re getting nowhere.

🔲 Next, think about which of these points need to be addressed immediately, and which aren’t so urgent. Either keep a note of this order in your head, or re-write all of your goals and steps in order. Then, as you review this list, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done next. 🙂

When You Don't Want to Talk to Anyone... →

There are some times when I feel grumpy and not in the mood to talk to people. I put on my earphones and I ignore the outside world. But this more often than not makes me feel worse. It’s actually social interaction which can pull me out of the grumps!
The next time you’re feeling unhappy, and feel like you want to cut yourself off from the world - take a chance on talking to those around you. You just might feel better for it!! 

What Causes Bloating? All about Gluten, Soy, and Dairy, and the Modern Diet!

So let’s start with a scenario: you wake up in the morning and your stomach feels glorious and flat, maybe you stand in front of the mirror and admire it, but as the day progresses that flat stomach disappears, and instead starts to extend outwards below the belly button, and by the end of the day you’re feeling really uncomfortable and feeling a lot worse about your body than you did that morning. Does this sound familiar? It’s extremely common, but not many people seem to know what causes it, or how to avoid it! So I wanted to make this video to clear some things up, give a little scientific info on what’s causing it, and to hopefully help you guys avoid the problem and feel much better physically and mentally!

Bloating usually indicates gas or inflammation within the gut - often of the small intestine. Now there are many different things that can cause bloating - from hormones, to stress, or chronic disease. But for today I’m going to talk about the most common cause for most people - food and food intolerances. Yes, I’m sure the first thing many of you are thinking is “I don’t have any food intolerances”, but intolerances can be both major and minor. Food intolerances mean that your body cannot break down certain food molecules. When large, unbroken molecules hit the small intestine, gas, bloating, and a dysfunctional immune response are the result - and lo and behold, you have your bloated belly!

It’s important to note that the modern diet has changed drastically in the past several decades, and it has not been enough time for our genetics to adapt. Our bodies are better adapted to the Palaeolithic diet, which was made up mostly of plants, protein and fat. Today however, the western diet consists of a high intake of carbohydrates, sugar, corn syrup, trans fats, preservatives, additives, dyes, and fake foods. The vast difference between what our bodies are designed to eat and what we actually eat is a major contributing factor to the astronomical rates of obesity, gastrointestinal complaints, and chronic disease that occur today.

Basically, we are missing some major types of foods that are good for our gut, and are consuming too much of the foods that are bad for our gut.

The major things that are missing are fibre, and omega-3 fatty acids (or specifically, a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids).

Fibre is important because it slows emptying of the stomach and increases feelings of satiety and satisfaction. Fibre acts as a broom, sweeping the intestines and cleaning them out. It promotes regular bowel function and reduces the risk of all major gastrointestinal diseases. Going back to that Palaeolithic diet our bodies are designed for - the average American consumes only 10-20% of what Palaeolithic people would have consumed in a day.

The balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is important because the average person today doesn’t consume enough ANTI-inflammatory omega-3 acids (such as that from fatty fish and fish oils), and too much PRO-inflammatory omega-6 acids (such as from seed and soybean oils found in virtually all processed snack foods such as crackers and chips, salad dressings, condiments, and even some oil-packed whole foods such as tuna, sardines, and sun-dried tomatoes). Palaeolithic people’s omega 3 and omega 6 consumption ratio was close to one-to-one. Today, Americans consume sixteen to forty times the amount of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats to anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

Anti-inflammatory fatty acids specifically can help reduce inflammation of the digestive system. The food group with the highest concentration of the best anti-inflammatory fats - EPA and DHA - is fatty cold-water ocean fish, like salmon, mackerel, and herring. The only vegetarian sources of EPA and DHA are a few edible algae, such as spirulina and chlorella.

EPA and DHA are a part of our cellular membranes - including the cells that line the gastrointestinal tract - and they play roles in receptor activity and also in appropriate cellular signalling and communication. They also act as lubricants for the digestive system. So not only do they aid in the movement of food through the intestines, but they also help make the trip easier. This improves the ease of bowel movements.

And as for the wrong stuff that we eat too often - well that includes gluten, soy, and dairy.

Gluten is the protein molecule that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and some other grains. Most protein molecules are straight and shaped like a pencil. Gluten, on the other hand, is spiraled and thus does not break down easily. When large, unbroken molecules hit the small intestine, gas, bloating, and a dysfunctional immune response are the result.

Something important to note is that gluten is a much different molecule than it was even forty to fifty years ago, and it has a greater impact on our health now than it did then. In an attempt to make them more protein-dense and nutritive, gluten-containing grains have been bred over the last several decades, to have ever-increasing protein content. An unforeseen consequence of this breeding is a change in the structure of the gluten molecule from its original state - making it harder to break down. Wheat contains the mega-starch amylopectin A, which is extremely inflammatory, and also causes large spikes in blood sugar, contributing to insulin resistance and obesity.

It is somewhat common to have gluten sensitivity (which is separate to coeliac disease). Gluten sensitivity means that an immune response is elicited with gluten exposure, resulting in a variety of symptoms that span from head to toe, such as headaches and migraines, and emotional changes like anxiety and irritability. A variety of skin conditions, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis can be improved with gluten elimination.

Soy can be found in many packaged or processed foods, often as soy protein, soybean oil, and soy lecithin. Soy contains protease and trypsin inhibitors, which are enzymes that split up protein molecules. So, when you eat soy, you are shutting down protein digestion. Soy also has a number of carbohydrates (called oligosaccharides) that are not recognised by the human GI tract. Ignored, they remain unbroken and create gas and bloating as they reach the small intestine. They provoke the immune system, generating an inflammatory response and antibody production, which primes the system for leaky gut, food sensitivities, and molecular mimicry. Consumption of soy also reduces the absorption of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

It should also be pointed out that the soy you’ll find in western processed foods is different to the soy eaten by the asian population. The asian population eats fermented soy. The fermentation process breaks down indigestible carbohydrates and dissolves the protease and trypsin inhibitors.

And finally - dairy. Lactose is the sugar found in milk. Lactose intolerance - which is a deficiency in the enzyme lactase - is extremely common. If the lactose molecule is not disassembled in the stomach and remains large and intact, it creates gas, bloating, pain, and indigestion by the time it hits the small intestine. Casein, a protein found in milk and milk products, can also cause a similar problem to some. By now, it should be clear that this pattern is common to all large unbroken protein and carbohydrate molecules.

So, if you experience bloating - watch for symptom patterns. Make a mental note of what you eat and how you feel afterwards. Trial removing gluten, soy and dairy - even if you THINK you can tolerate them well. Some other foods that may cause bloating and so may benefit from cutting out include beans and legumes, vegetables in the nightshade family (like white potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, and capsicum), refined white sugar and sweeteners, and alcohol. After at least a month you can try introducing those foods back into your diet gradually, and gauging how you feel. If you still experience bloating, try to avoid them for a while longer, or if the symptoms really bother you, maybe you’d feel best to eliminate them for good.

If, when cutting out those foods, you are STILL experiencing bloating after a month or two, then I recommend purchasing this book and reading through it, as it lists many more possible problem foods, and goes into much more detail about what I talked about in this video, and goes in-depth about the entire digestive process, several digestive diseases, and also contains an entire a gut-restoration program with a diet included!

What I Learnt in 2016

I uploaded a video on Youtube of what I learnt in 2016!

The amount I grew in 2016 is crazy - it’s possibly the most I’ve grown in any one year! Here’s a recap of what I talked about in the video:

• Started working full time for the first time in my life.

• Learnt how to be disciplined and how to build a schedule that works for me, and how to stick to that schedule. It actually took me a while to realise that if I didn’t draw or gym in my very limited free time during the week (mornings and evenings), then it wouldn’t happen at all, and weeks and months would pass with zero improvement!

• Finally found a diet that works for me! With limiting carbs and sweets and unhealthy foods without feeling deprived of them or feeling the need to eat them all the time and have horrible cravings!!
  I did a 12 week program with my best friend and incredibly smart Personal Trainer, Emily, and the biggest things I learnt from that is:

  • The importance in fat in a diet when limiting carbs.

  • The effect eating carbs in the morning has on your energy and cravings (you crave carbs much more throughout the day, and you also have greater peaks and troughs in your blood sugar).

  • How good having a high protein and fat breakfast can have on your blood sugar and cravings.

  • How it feels to not be tired all the time because of crazy blood sugar.

  • How to push myself.

• I learnt a tonne about the gut, inflammation, blood sugar, and the effect the pill can have on your body. I found out that my gut was very unhappy (constantly bloated), and I altered my diet by eliminating gluten and dairy, with great results. I then found out the pill was still affecting my gut horribly, and my gut improved substantially after coming off of it (I can now eat gluten and dairy with fewer issues than before). I also learnt of the many silent symptoms that I didn’t even realise I was experiencing because of the pill - constipation (from affecting liver function and the gut), weight gain and fluid retention or similar (I’m assuming from the effect on my gut), making my breasts denser, weak nails (also from unhappy gut).

• I learnt about leaky gut - where cells can leak from your intestines into your blood stream, meaning that any inflammation that you may experience in your gut from eating hard-to-digest foods (especially gluten) can result in the inflammation leaking into your bloodstream and being transported to other areas of your body! Good motivation to eat well!

• I learnt to take chances, and not worry about having to be perfect all the time, and to just focus on and enjoy the process and journey!!! Of learning new skills, and improving on old ones.

So Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope you have a good year and work hard!!! Plan your future and reach those goals! :D

A short summary of the major things I learnt in 2016! Content: 1. Started a Full Time Job (0:23) 2. Learnt Discipline (0:49) 3. Diet & Health (1:30) 4. Gut Health, Inflammation and The Pill (4:04) 5.