Why Artificial Sweeteners Are BAD For You

Posted on July 22, 2016 by admin

Sugar is Bad but Artificial Sweeteners are WORSE

sweeteners

Animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may be addictive.  A 2007 paper reports that, in studies of rats exposed to cocaine and then given a choice between intravenous cocaine or oral saccharine, most chose saccharin.

A 2008 paper in Obesity showed that those who used artificial sweeteners gained more weight over a seven- to eight-year period than those who did not.

A large study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2013 which involved almost 70,000 women over 14 years found that subjects consuming sugar sweetened beverages were at an increased risk for becoming type 2 diabetics. Their risk was increased by around 34%. This was as expected and similar increases had been seen mostly in US populations for a while. What was interesting and perhaps unexpected was the finding that those women who chose to drink sugar-free, artificially-sweetened beverages experienced double an increase in risk for diabetes compared to the sugar group!

A 2014 study then showed that that the reason people become less glucose tolerant when drinking artificially sweetened beverages is because consumption of artificial sweeteners causes profound changes in the gut bacteria (microbiota).

Certainly, drinking sugar-free beverages is good advice. You just need to NOT to add artificial sweeteners to them!

REFERENCES

2007:
Intense sweetness surpasses cocaine reward
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17668074

2008:
Fueling the Obesity Epidemic? Artificially Sweetened Beverage Use and Long-term Weight Gain
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2008.284/abstract;jsessionid=4FD5565601D88142CEFE6EE9822DA2C5.f04t02

2013:

Consumption of artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages and incident type 2 diabetes in the Etude Epidémiologique auprès des femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l’Education Nationale–European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/3/517.long

2014:
Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13793.html

Worrisome Diabetes Advice From Reader’s Digest

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GRATITUDE – June 2016

Posted on July 1, 2016 by admin

1 – I am grateful I managed to do everything I needed to do today without feeling rushed

2 – I am grateful I managed to write and send out the newsletter having had just one hour sleep at night

3 – I am grateful for a dry Friday at the park

4 – I am grateful for a lovely and colourful, healthy dinner

5 – I am grateful for the first sunny & hot day of summer (and a Sunday too)!

6 – I am grateful for a lovely walk around the park

7 – I am grateful the postman got here just as I was leaving the house

8 – I am grateful I met my daily activity targets yesterday

9 – I am grateful for my cozy, sunny garden today

10 – I am grateful for today’s perfect (not hot, not cold, just right!) morning
to go to the park

11 – I am grateful I achieved 150% of my required exercise quota today

12 – I am grateful for my new heart rate monitor: it really motivates me to move more, do 15,000+ steps/day

13 – I am grateful I managed to sort out some arrangements today

14 – I am grateful everything went smoothly today

15 – I am grateful I easily found a parking space at lunchtime today

16 – I am grateful that today my HRV reading is perfect 🙂

17 – I am grateful & happy to see players like Buffon & Ibrahimovic joking together before the Euro‬ game

18 – I am grateful for having stuff I can give away
to people who hopefully need it more than me

19 – I am grateful for a lovely walk in the park

20 – I am grateful for a headache-free Sunday

21 – I am grateful for Victor’s visit today

22 – I am grateful for Ashton Applewhite’s refreshing view on health, aging and ageism
http://agelesssummit.com/ashton-applewhite/

23 – I am grateful so many of my contacts signed the petition against glyphosate
https://goo.gl/d39cLD

24 – I am grateful Cameron is to resign or already has

25 – I am grateful for a refreshing post-workout afternoon nap

26 – I am grateful my coconut chocolate jelly came out really enticing

CoconutChocJelly_small

27 – I am grateful for Italy’s convincing victory against Spain today

28 – I am grateful my morning walk was sunny today

29 – I am grateful for the lovely cherries I have been snacking on today

cherries

30 – I am grateful for turmeric hot drinks, especially when fighting a cold

Turmeric

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Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Posted on June 19, 2016 by admin

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid but also the whole body.

Healing Hashimoto’s Summit 2016

Enjoy!

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Fibromyalgia

Posted on June 18, 2016 by admin

Fibromyalgia Summit – 20-27 June 2016

Fibro-Fix-Big

Fibromyalgia Summit Are you one of the millions diagnosed with fibromyalgia who may actually have some other reason for your symptoms? Get the facts and learn about recovery today!

* register for free talks (while available) OR

* purchase the whole summit (currently at reduced price)

The summit runs 20th to 27th June 2016. Several talks are available each day for free for 24 hours.

FibroFix_LogoOnly

Really great info, whether you suffer from fibro or not.

The talks describe many healthy ways to tackle lots of health symptoms often reported by people diagnosed with fibro.

If you miss several talks or you really enjoy the info and want to keep it or you get to this page after the event, YOU CAN STILL BENEFIT from this event: simply purchase the summit here.

 

DISCLAIMER: Shared with permission

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GRATITUDE – May 2016

Posted on June 2, 2016 by admin

May 1 – I am grateful my homemade tea tree-based cleaning spray
turned out to be effective

TeaTreeCleaningSpray

May 2 – Birds are chirping and tweeting in Leicester this morning
Do they know?!?! Are they Leicester City fans?

May 3 – I am grateful for making it back to Leicester before my reserve fuel was out,
in spite of a 52-minute delay due to congestion on M69

May 4 – I am grateful for getting home a bit earlier than usual this evening

May 5 – I am grateful for a lovely sunny afternoon of effective tree pruning

pruning_tree

May 6 – I am grateful for a warm and sunny Friday

May 7 – I am grateful for my (nearly twin) sister 🙂

May 8 – I am grateful for my heart beating

heartdiagram

May 9 – I am grateful for lovely, unexpected flowers

Flowers_8May16_small

May 10 – I am grateful today’s motorway drive in wet conditions went smoothly
(no accidents, no congestion)

May 11 – I am grateful I was able to easily do my 10-sprint spin workout in just 15 minutes

May 12 – I am grateful for all the work I managed to do today

May 13 – I am grateful for a nice afternoon nap today

May 14 – I am grateful for a really informative book I am currently reading

May 15 – I am grateful I have managed to organise my Pilates class around LCFC’s parade tomorrow

May 16 – I am grateful the @lcfc parade was so successful and everyone was so happy

Gratitude_LCFC_Parade_600_piconly

May 17 – I am grateful I made it home earlier than usual today

May 18 – I am grateful I got back in time for the parcel delivery today

May 19 – I am grateful today’s trip to the dentist’s went very well

May 20 – I am grateful for a quiet Friday

May 21 – I am grateful for the lovely Korean shop crowd helping out
accepting parcels for me

May 22 – I am grateful my neighbours went to sleep before 2am

May 23 – I am grateful I was able to get some orange recycling bags today

May 24 – I am grateful I got to Hinckley in time,
in spite of ominous speed restrictions on the motorway

May 25 – I am grateful I really enjoyed teaching yoga today

May 26 – I am grateful for not having run out of patience yet…

May 27 – I am grateful I was woken up by the sun shining brightly this morning

sun_shining_through_window_new

May 28 – I am grateful for this Bank Holiday weekend:
welcome TLC, rest & relaxation + some gardening

May 29 – I am grateful for the invention of the neti pot

neti-pot

May 30 – I am grateful for a lovely and healthy brunch

May 31 – I am grateful for much less traffic on the roads this Bank Holiday Tuesday

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GRATITUDE – April 2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by admin

April 1 – I am grateful to have seen no April Fools jokes today

April 2 – I am grateful Saturday turned from grey and drizzly to sunny and warm

April 3 – I am grateful for bluebells unexpectedly blossoming in our garden

bluebell

April 4 – I am grateful for things mysteriously working out for the best

April 5 – I am grateful for a productive lunchtime walk in sunny Hinckley today

April 6 – I am grateful for a lovely sauna after spin

April 7 – I am grateful to see a client return to Friday vitality circuit

April 8 – I am grateful for SpaceX ‘s first vertical landing of Falcon9 rocket on drone ship

Spacex_falcon9_landing

April 9 – I am grateful I am ok after being hit in the head with the metal bar by a careless bodypumper (not quite whacked + not hit in the eye!)

April 10 – I am grateful the drive to Glossop+back went smoothly
in spite of little sleep + long day + roadworks

April 11 – I am grateful for Sunday’s Barre Pilates course + offering Barre Pilates soon ‪

BarrePilatesMethod

April 12 – I am grateful my body felt really well aligned after Barre Pilates on Sunday

April 13 – I am grateful for a really lovely sunny day

April 14 – I am grateful for a relaxing day catching up after weekend course

April 15 – I am grateful we had a great time at circuits today

April 16 – I am grateful the weather stayed dry long enough for us to safely jumpstart the car (one hour!!!)

April 17 – I am grateful my satnav allowed me to avoid heavy traffic

April 18 –  I am grateful for feeling fine (not tired) today,
in spite of two course weekends in a row

April 19 – I am grateful my credit card turned up
just when I thought it had been lost

credit-card

April 20 – I am grateful for marigolds and specifically calendula tea

marigold

April 21 – I am grateful I gave my friend good advice,
she might dislike it but it may save her life

Life-Saver

April 22 – I am grateful for marshmallow root, althaea officinalis,
great for stomach ache

marshmallowplant

April 23 – I am grateful for the ‪#‎SeedsForBees‬ RT 38 Degrees https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/surveys/418

SeedsForBees

April 24 – I am grateful for the AMAZING info in ‪#‎TruthAboutCancer‬
https://goo.gl/tQ345g

April 25 – I am grateful the right homeopathic remedy was in my first aid kit today

April 26 – I am grateful the blackberries I bought at the greengrocer’s in Hinckley were delicious

dewberry; object on a white background

blackberry

April 27 – I am grateful the spin bike I used on Wednesday did not have excessive resistance

April 28 – I am grateful for vapour rub

April 29 – I am grateful for dark and thick, Italian-style hot chocolate on a cold day

Italian-Hot-Chocolate

April 30 – I am grateful I have found a great homeopathic remedy for painful, right-sided sinus headaches

 

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March 2016 Gratitude

Posted on March 31, 2016 by admin

March 1 – I am grateful I managed to find a temporary parking space, three blocks away, when I got home at night

March 2 – I am grateful the rain stopped just as I was about to get out of my car this morning

March 3 – I am grateful for a tasty post-spin veggie-packed spinach omelette breakfast

spinach_omelette

March 4 – I am grateful to find my clothes are mud-free after an outing to the park this morning

March 5 – I am grateful for a dry (even sunny) morning when I was out and about, with rain only in the late afternoon! – in spite of a weather forecast saying the opposite

March 6 – I am grateful for a relaxing Sunday

March 7 – I am grateful for finishing my newsletter on time

March 8 – I am grateful the OS reinstall went smoothly

March 9 – I am grateful I found a parking space when I got back this lunchtime

March 10 – I am grateful I feel great after clocking 20Km at spin yesterday

March 11 – I am grateful it got warmer + spring started while I was at the park earlier

spring_flowers

March 12 – I am grateful that today I felt good lifting heavier weights than last week

weight_rack

March 13 – I am grateful for feeling good, and happy
(for no particular reason)

March 14 – I am grateful our post(wo}man arrived at the best possible time this morning

March 15 – I am grateful for a nice bowl of hot dahl with organic spinach this evening

March 16 – I am grateful for a dry and sunny Wednesday afternoon

March 17 – I am grateful for making a decision today

March 18 – I am grateful I managed to run a decent circuit session
with just 3 pieces of equipment

March 19 – I am grateful my pre-breakfast (unexpectedly 3-fitness-classes-long) Saturday morning felt easy peasy

March 20 – I am grateful my coconut cookies came out great

March 21 – I am grateful I have managed to find something I have been looking for

March 22 – I am grateful for finding lots of bananas on sale today
(great for cakes 🙂

Bunch of bananas isolated on white background

Bunch of bananas – I got lots of these!

March 23 – I am grateful for friendly and helpful strangers

March 24 – I am grateful for an outstandingly sunny Good Friday

March 25 – I am grateful for a lovely breakfast

March 26 – I am grateful for clear roads and easy driving today

March 27 – I am grateful for spending time with friends and family this Easter

March 28 – I am grateful our email sending issue seems finally fixed

I am grateful I was able to give great feedback for great customer service

I am grateful for the opportunity to do a random act of kindness today
and create “positive ripples” in the world

March 29 – I am grateful for finding a lot of blueberries on sale last night

blueberries

March 30 – I am grateful for a lovely and refreshing afternoon nap
before my evening gym sessions

March 31 – I am grateful for a lovely walk outdoors on a mild, sunny afternoon

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Sunbathing Good for Longevity

Posted on March 26, 2016 by admin

Avoiding the sun could be as dangerous as smoking…

Although they have an increased risk of skin cancer, sunbathers are less likely to die from heart disease, or pretty much any other disease. In fact, avoiding the sun could be as bad for us as smoking, say researchers.

The vitamin D from the sun’s rays is essential for the healthy functioning of our body and immune system, and staying in the shade all the time could be a recipe for a premature death, researchers from the Karolinksa University Hospital in Sweden have discovered.

Based on the review of 29,518 Swedish women, aged 24-64, whose levels of sun-exposure were tracked for 20 years, they offered these conclusions/predictions:

* people who regularly sunbathe will live just over two years longer than someone who always avoids the sun.

* Frequent sunbathers had a lower risk of developing heart disease or dying from any disease prematurely compared to those who avoided the sun.

* Non-smokers who avoided the sun had a similar life expectancy to smokers who had the highest exposure to the sun, suggesting that sun avoidance has a similar risk factor as smoking.

Just sunbathe responsibly, 20 minutes a day are generally enough! Protect sensitive areas.

Tags: sunlight, mortality, vitamin D, cardiovascular disease, smoking,

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Reverse DIABETES for life

Posted on March 24, 2016 by admin

ProfTaylor - ReverseDiabetes-LongTerm

overweight-diabetics

It IS possible to reverse diabetes: this works even for people who have had diabetes for 10 years before changing their diets, say researchers from Newcastle University.

Lead researcher Roy Taylor [1] of Newcastle University showed in an earlier study that diabetes could be reversed with a low-calorie diet, but the study was over a short period and it was not clear if the condition would return.

In his new research, Prof Taylor recruited 30 people how have had diabetes from 8 to 23 years. They were put on the same low-calorie diet (maximum 700 calories a day). They lost an average of 14 kilograms (nearly 2 stone), over eight weeks. None regained weight in the following 6 months.

12 of the 30 who had diabetes for less than 10 years successfully reversed the condition, and were still free of the problem six months later. During that six-month period, another participant also reversed his diabetes.

In spite of losing weight, participants were still obese or at least overweight. Yet, Prof Taylor conjectured that they had lost enough weight to remove fat from their pancreas, which allows for normal insulin production to resume.

Prof Roy Taylor - DiabetesReversal

So it is not simply being a question of being obese, says Prof Taylor. “This supports our theory of a personal fat threshold. If a person gains more weight than they personally can tolerate, then diabetes is triggered, but if they then lose that amount of weight, then they go back to normal”.

The fact that 70% of obese people do not have diabetes seems to support his theory.

It may also somehow explain the strange finding last year that “overweight diabetics are 13 per cent less likely to die prematurely than those of a normal weight or those who are obese” [2]. How? Well… my guess would be that:

* This “counter-intuitive” result was obtained because BMI was used as a measure of “overweight”. This would place a really muscular bodybuilder (with very low body fat %) in the overweight or obese category! This is obviously not correct.

* On the other hand, the study did not seem to use a measure of deep abdominal fat (including fat around pancreas) such as direct measurements (scans) or even indirect measurement, such as waist circumference.

waist-measurement-obese

* It is likely that, had they used a measure of deep abdominal fat quantity, even just waist measurement, the results would have been very different.

The great news is that diabetes need not be a life sentence. It IS possible to reverse the condition. Start acting now!!!

For more help reversing diabetes or preventing it, contact Emanuela at www.pilatesfitness.co.uk. Emanuela is a Personal Trainer who has specifically studied nutrition and exercise protocols most suited for obesity and diabetes.

 

References

[1] http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/news/2016/03/profroytaylordiabetesresearch/

[2] http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/05May/Pages/Overweight-diabetics-live-longer-than-slimmer-diabetics.aspx

 

Tags: diabetes, pancreas, personal fat threshold, weight loss, waist measurement, deep abdominal fat,

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Sleep On It – The Importance of Sleep for Your Brain

Posted on March 19, 2016 by admin
Person Sleeping

Sleep is Important for the Brain

Want to know why we all need to SLEEP ON IT?

During sleep, the brain “replays” events to consolidate memory.

Researchers at the University of Bristol tell us that during sleep our brains replay daytime events at fast-forward speed. This ‘brain replay’ strengthens the microscopic connections between brain cells that are active, helping us retain important information and consolidate memories.

“Major” Brain Restructuring

I also believe these replays play a role in major “brain restructuring”.

* When I changed field of study, I found myself having weird long dreams where stuff from my childhood, my previous university learning and people from my past and present were merged with new concepts in totally irrational ad seemingly random clusters (e.g. home staircase, then current classmates either by Prague’s river Vltava or at my secondary school in Italy, plus database design entities in garden structures).

* It is my belief that my brain was trying to make sense of new concepts and could not quite do that withing the existing brain structuring and so had to undertake a kind of “spring cleaning” and reorganising effort.

* I also found that, when these crazy long dreams “normalised”, I found my course easier. It is my belief that – by then – my brain had finished performing a “major restructuring” over many nights of “replays”. This restructuring allowed it to accommodate  new experiences and concepts with past/stored memories within newly formed and more effective structures (for the tasks at hand).

How can we use take advantage of this in practice?

* Ever tried having lots of naps while studying? Just a few minutes after a key point should be sufficient. (Do this during the day)

* For best longer-term “data storage” and “effective learning”, make sure you sleep well and sufficiently at night too

Let me know what you think!

* Do you have any more tips? Let me know below (comments)
* Have you ever experienced some major brain restructuring?
* Do you use sleep strategically when studying?

I look forward to your comments!

Reference:

Best to sleep on it: brain activity patterns during sleep consolidate memory
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/february/brain-sleep-learning.html

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