Sue Hardman

Nourish + Rejuvenate

anti-ageing

Wonderful Ginger – so much more than an anti-nausea remedy

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gingers healing propertiesGinger a wonder botanical medicine

Ginger, has been cultivated and used medicinally since antiquity and is used throughout the world as a medicinal agent, from the traditional medical systems of the west, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa and South America.

It’s from the same family as turmeric, which possible explains its amazing benefits. The medicinal benefits come from the pungent gingerols and shogaols, and they account for the majority of ginger’s health benefits acting as a highly potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

Gingerol, has been thoroughly evaluated clinically, and the research backs up why you should use this herb on a regular basis.

Top 8 Benefits of Ginger

Ginger is a mainstay of traditional medicine with powerful benefits for just about every system in the body. Research shows it’s effective in several health conditions and that it is a multi-faceted remedy:-

1) The best-researched use of ginger is in combating nausea, cramping and vomiting, by neutralising stomach acids and stimulating the production of digestive juices.It has powerful anti-inflammatory botanical hence it’s effectiveness in relieving digestive irritation. Use it to treat your stomach ache (especially when due to undigested food), poor appetite, dyspepsia, flatulence and nausea.

2) Heart health – It can help to lower high blood pressure and keeping the blood thin in higher doses.

3) Ginger root contains compounds called gingerols which, studies say, help calm down the inflammatory “heat” that triggers swelling and discomfort in joints, muscles and other tissues.

75% of Rheumatoid Arthritis and osteoarthritis patients experienced relief in pain and swelling, and all patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief of pain – in an uncontrolled clinical study using dried ginger.

Being a warming circulatory stimulant ginger increases circulation to the affected joints and enhances the effectiveness of other anti-inflammatory’s in a formula.

ginger2

4) Poor Immune and respiratory health – it’s an anti-viral and makes a warming cold and flu remedy. In addition, this root is a natural decongestant and antihistamine, and is often included in herbal cold and cough preparations.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is used for the immune system because it is so effective at warming the body, it can help break down the accumulation of toxins in your organs. It’s also known to cleanse the lymphatic system preventing toxins from accumulating so that your less susceptible to infections.

5) It has anti-pain properties by lowering the body’s production of prostaglandins (hormones involved in inflammation).

6) Poor digestion and malabsorption – if your body is not digesting or assimilating nutrients correctly you will end up with nutrient deficiencies.  This is why ginger is so important. As we age our digestive ‘fire’ also decreases, try some fresh ginger just before a meal to stoke your digestive fire and support a healthy gut!

7) Fungal infections are increasingly resistant to conventional medicine, of the 29 plant species evaluated in a University study, ginger won the prize for having the extract most effective at killing fungus.

8) Researchers have found that compounds in ginger interrupt the cycle of cancer cell development—in a sense, throwing a spanner into the gears of the tumour machinery. Ginger oils provide compounds that interrupt inflammatory triggers that can cause the development, growth, and spread of tumors.

How To Use Ginger For Maximum Benefit

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In India, ginger is liberally used in daily life. Ginger-infused Chai is a household favourite.

On dining tables in India, you’ll see fresh ginger that’s turned a soft pink from being soaked in lemon juice and salt: a zingy accompaniment to any cooked meal.

You can grate it up and squeeze it into a hot tea (this is my favourite), add it to juices, baked goods, smoothies and more… experiment and have fun.

For a powerful anti-fungal, mix several drops of pure ginger essential oil with tea tree oil with one teaspoon of coconut oil, and apply up to three times a day.

Herbalists frequently add ginger to herbal formulas, as it’s known to play a role in increasing the bio-availability of other substances and it’s actions – Clears Heat & Toxins.

 

 

 

 

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Broccoli and Potatoe Soup

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Broccoli Soup

 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock

400g/14oz potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped

450g/1lb broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup light sour cream (optional)

1 tablespoon store bought basil pesto / homemade

 

METHOD

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned.

Add stock and potato to the saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add broccoli and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat, add spinach and stir until wilted. Leave to cool slightly so you can blend. This might take up to 15 minutes.

In a blender add basil leaves and half of the soup mixture and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan and repeat until all the soup mixture has been blended into a smooth consistency.

Heat soup over medium heat for 2 minutes or until just before boiling point.

Combine sour cream and pesto in a bowl. Divide soup among bowls. Top with pesto cream and serve.  For vegan option, simply top with a half teaspoon of the basil pesto and omit the sour cream.

Brain Health – Use These Steps To Regenerate It

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You can regenerate you brain

We were always told once a brain cell dies, it’s gone forever. However, scientists are now proving that brain cells can be regenerated. Just like your muscles the brain needs regular use.

While many diseases and conditions have genetic predispositions to them. The truth is, you do have the power to control these genes by living healthily. All your brain wants is a little attention.

The same basic rules apply for both your brain and body when it comes to health. A well-balanced healthy diet, with a rainbow of colourful food, lots of good oil, exercise for oxygenation, and time out.

Free radicals break down the neurons in your brain causing damage. Colourful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants – the dark purples ofAntioxidants for brain health blueberries, the deep reds of pomegranates, the rich green of kale and collards, the bright orange of sweet potatoes.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who ate more dietary antioxidants had 70% less Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Food is a powerful ways to control or neutralise the major causes of all disease in your body – aim to eat 8 – 10 servings (1/2 cup = 1 serving) of fruit and vegetables everyday.

Oil and more oil, everyone of your brain cells is insulated by a layer of fat, and your brain is made up of 60 percent fat cells. So it needs oil for nourishment. Among the best nutrients are omega 3 fatty acids – the kind of fats found in salmon, tuna, mackerel, nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and green leafy vegetables.

In fact Omega 3’s have been shown to boost intelligence. Walnuts are considered a super brain food in Ayurvedic medicine and if you look at a walnut shape it looks a lot like the cerebral cortex.

Exercise is one of THE most important anti-aging medicines known. It’s a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and stress buster. It will also help you sleep better, lower your cholesterol, lower your blood sugar and insulin levels. Aim to exercise 4 times a week –whether it’s walking, running, swimming or dancing, your brain will thank you.

Some supplements to consider if you’re under a lot of stress – take a good all round combination that contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. B-Vitamins are essential for normal brain function.

Super anti-ageing herbs:

  • Rosemary, sage, rose and mint – research has shown that inhaling these essential oils when learning a new task or studying enhances your recall. Put them in an oil burner when studying or rub into your temples.
  • Gingko bilobo – very commonly used supplement to enhance cognition and memory as it helps to increase blood flow to the brain. A word of caution for those people on blood thinning medication, consult a qualified professional.
  • Gotu kola – traditionally used and renowned for it’s intellectual-promoting, nervous system soothing and general mind enhancing properties. This is one of my favourite herbs Herbs for the brainbecause it has so many benefits, to name a few – anti-ageing & wonderful skin healing benefits.
  • Rhodiola – can greatly improve concentration and memory. In Siberia where they drink Rhodiola tea regularly, many people live well past 100. It also has the ability to reduce stress hormones.

As renowned women’s health expert Dr Christine Northrup says ‘Be a life long learner’, she believes this could be one of the most important factors in maintaining and enhancing your brain function, be actively engaged in some pleasurable activity that involves growth, development and learning. Do crossword puzzles or suduko.

So why wait? Start protecting your brain now because mental decline is not inevitable, you can boost your memory and mental alertness at any age. Research shows clearly that healthy, well-nourished and well-educated people show no signs of declining mental function with age. Feed your brain, both with the right nutrients and the right information.

 

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Chocolate – Is A Superfood (so it’s good for you)

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Chocolate. Yes it is good for you and here’s why!

Cacao or raw chocolate has been used in South America for centuries for its healthy benefits and energising properties.

Cacao is the dried seed from a South American tree and which is used to make cocoa, chocolate or cocoa butter. Cacao contains many of the same health benefits of the dark green leafy vegetables, however it all depends on a few key things; like how it’s prepared, how you eat it or what you eat it with.

Why is Raw Chocolate good for you?

raw chocolate superfoodRaw cacao beans are full of flavonoids that act as natural antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from ageing and disease caused by free radicals. Raw cacao contains up to four times the antioxidants of traditional cocao powder.

Scientists from Cornell University in the US recently discovered that raw cacao contains nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine and up to three times the antioxidant content of green tea.

Benefits

These are the amazing benefits of good quality raw chocolate:

  • It’s a top food source of antioxidants.
  • Top source of magnesium – nature’s tranquilliser for helping you deal with stress.
  • Contains the compound that scientists believe is released when you’re in love (Phenylethylamine) – now we all need more of that!
  • Boosts serotonin & endorphins – improves your mood and the feel good emotions.
  • Supports good heart health, helps lower blood pressure and it reduces inflammation – i.e. stops ageing read more about that here

Avoid this chocolate!

Commercial chocolate (bars, sweets etc.) is usually roasted to high temperatures that ends up destroying all the goodness – the anti-oxidants, enzymes and nutrients whereas raw chocolate is not heated above 45°C to maintaining it’s health benefits.

Store bought chocolate bars also mostly contain a lot of sugar and milk which if you don’t know all the negative effects that sugar has on your weight, your skin and ageing then read more here.

The lower the cocoa content in the chocolate bar or sweet the lower the antioxidant level e.g. A 75% cacao bar has approx. 25% sugar.

Uses

Cacao powder is finely ground and easy to add to recipes or smoothies, homemade energy balls and raw chocolate cakes.

The cons

You can have too much of a good thing.  Raw cacao is a stimulant, contains some caffeine and can over stimulate the nervous system, especially if you are sensitive. Don’t consume more than four heaped teaspoons a day.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE RECIPES

Raw Chocolate Nut Smoothie – Energiser

raw chocolate smoothie

½ cup almonds

2 cups dairy alternative milk i.e. rice milk or coconut milk

2 medjool dates

1 teaspoon raw organic cacao powder

1 banana (frozen if desired)

Directions

Place all ingredients into your blender and mix until smooth and enjoy!

 

Chocolate & Kale Smoothie – Hormone Balancing

chocolate and kale smoothie

  • 1 cup coconut, hemp, or almond milk
    1 frozen banana
    1 cup of kale
    3 tablespoons cacao nib
    1 tablespoon raw cacao powder 5-6 ice cubes

Directions

Throw all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

 

 

Healthy Chocolate Bar Recipe

raw chocolate nut square

-2 cups of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit
– 1/2 cup of coconut oil
– 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
– 1 tablespoon raw honey

 

Directions

Chop nuts into smaller pieces.
Mix all ingredients together, flatten in a baking tray and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.
Cut into squares.
Store in a refiergate.

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Broccoli essential for hormones and your liver

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You’re Liver Will Love You If You Eat More Broccoli (and Brassicas)

What’s it with this tradition of having Brussels sprouts ( same family as broccoli) at Christmas? Love them or hate them? It seems you can’t have a traditional Christmas dinner without them, at least in many parts of the world.

There is a reason that they are a great addition to a meal – read on!

So if you’re not partial to Brussel sprouts, include other members of the Brassica family – broccoli, kale, cauliflower, rocket and cabbage (basically means cabbage) family.

So, why eat brassicas anyway?
Brassicas contain good substances (I3Cs – indole-3-carbinols, DIM and glucosinolates) which help boost the liver’s ability to eliminate and deal with unwanted toxins that we consume – including alcohol and chemicals. Even unwanted hormones!

Liver support
Your liver is your waste disposal unit – it works hard to process and metabolise toxins and hormones, thereby making them safe to be eliminated. The liver needs good quality fuel in the form of nutrients to work efficiently.

Brassicas are nearly unrivaled as a food source for activating glutathione (the mother of all antioxidants) and supporting detoxification of many chemical substances through your liver.  Also, be sure to also include plenty of antioxidants from brightly coloured, fruit and vegetables with the brassicas.

What’s The Role of Brassicas in Hormone Balance
For women the reason these veggies are so vital is that they can help do amazing things in for your body. They actually help promote healthy levels of ‘good’ oestrogens and help remove ‘bad’ oestrogens from the body.

It’s the livers critical role to keeping your hormones in balance, by eliminating the excess oestrogens. The liver uses the I3C’s and diindolylmethane (DIM) in this process.

The wrong kind of oestrogen could be the reason you’re having problems like migraines, food cravings, PMS, infertility, heavy periods, fibroids, endometriosis and other issues related to the female reproductive system.

Nutrient Rich
The brassicas are powerhouses of nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin K, all the B vitamins and carotenoids. Those in the know will say that one could hardly consume enough of these veg in one day to reap all the health benefits, with evidence in both cancer research and liver detoxification.

Brassicas are also very beneficial for the immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems due to their high volume of fibre.

Anti-ageing and Metabolism Boost [Hot off the press]
Scientists have discovered a natural compound NMN found in broccoli, cabbage (edamame, avocado, and cucumber) that has “fantastic anti-ageing effects in mice” – and  that could work on humans. (They’ve now started trialing this with humans)

So far, they’ve seen numerous positive effects on mice – their level of physical activity increased, bone density and muscles improved, the immune system and liver performed better, their eyesight improved and they even lost weight.

As animals get older, they produce less NAD which is involved in energy production in the body. They gave mice NMN to see if this would boost levels of NAD and have a rejuvenating effect.

Asked if this worked, lead researcher Professor Shin-ichiro Imai, of Washington University in St Louis, said: “The answer is basically yes. As a matter of fact, NMN has remarkable anti-ageing effects in mice.”

So watch this space and all the more reason to keep eating broccoli!

Try this delicious Red Cabbage Salad Recipe
My suggestion is to have your fill of brassica veg this Christmas and support your liver. It might be working harder than usual.

A Word For If You Have Thyroid Issues

In the past those with thyroid issues may have been told that the goitrogens, found in the brassicas, can do their body more harm than good.

A recent assessment published in Nutrition Review looked at the evidence and found – that the usual daily intake is far lower than what could ever negatively affect your thyroid.

This is especially true if you cook them, as it de-activates the goiterogen.
Many doctors, including the most renowned thyroid experts, would say that it’s nearly impossible to consume enough goitrogens to become a real problem. This is true unless the foods highest in this plant chemical ie. Russian/Siberian kale, some collards, and Brussels sprouts, turnips and rutabagas – are eaten daily, as a staple and in the presence of iodine deficiency.

In fact, you’d have to consume over one kilogram of un-cooked or raw vegetables every day for several months before you developed symptoms.

So, yes you can safely enjoy Brassica vegetables, which is good news for you as they really are associated with a wide range of health benefits.

Flax Seeds – Why You Should Use Daily

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A daily dose of Flax Seeds – provide you with Omega 3’s and help to balance your hormones

Why are flax seeds so good for everyone – in particular helping women balance their hormones?

Flax seeds are very high in lignans or phyto-oestrogens and bear a strong resemblance to the female hormone oestrogen in shape, structure, and some functionality. Phyto-eostrogens are plant compounds that have very mild oestrogenic effects that can be used to modulate the influence of the body’s excess oestrogenic hormones on body tissues. Phyto-oestrogens help with hormone imbalance and may help prevent many types of cancer, such as breast, colon and prostate cancer The flax seed plant contains a higher concentration of photo -oestrogen lignans than any other food.

Aside from the lignans flaxseds are loaded with the best source of vegetarian essential fatty acid Omega-3 (or ALA) essential to our health and wellbeing.  More than that, our bodies can’t produce these fatty acids on their own. So you have to get them as part of your diet.

Flaxseed contains a perfect balance of omega-3’s and omega-6’s which work to form the membranes of every cell in your body and play a vital role in the active tissues of your brain.

Flaxseeds can also improve the quality of your hair, nails, and skin, as well as helping you to lose weight or bulk up, and it lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and prevents arthritis and cancers.

Flax seed also really helps the digestive system creating an ease of bowel movement combatting constipation. One of the great benefits also is the help flaxseed can bring during the menopause.

What else do Flax seeds Help You With?
– Contain complete proteins  (it has all the essential amino acids your body needs)
– High in minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc and B vitamins
– Important role in the metabolism of fat
– Full of both soluble and insoluble fibre (you need both types),
– Flaxseeds contribute to an alkaline pH balance in the body

Research Backs Flax Benefits
Recent research indicates that flaxseed may have the ability to reduce blood pressure, lower level of harmful cholesterol, offer both estrogen-like and anti-estrogenic effects, and is being studied for its ability to protect against cancer.

Follow up studies show that just 2-3 tablespoons of flax daily can help up to 2/3rds of severely depressed women bounce back within eight weeks. Flax, says Udo Erasmus, PhD, has a mood boosting ingredient: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that is essential for the proper function of brain cells, yet up to 85% of women aren’t getting enough of it.

How to store flax seeds
The best way to keep a fresh supply of flaxseeds either ground or whole is to store them in an airtight container in the freezer and use them as you need them.Flax seeds

How to use flax seeds
For both hormone health and general health, it’s a good idea to have 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds a day, preferably added to other foods like breakfast cereals, soups, salads, yoghurt.

Here are some ideas:
1. Add to cereals, oats or porridge, topped with fruit and cinnamon
2. Sprinkle on salads, along with ground/whole pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds
3. Add to your soup (add at the very end, so that heat doesn’t destroy the essential fatty acids)
4. Sprinkle on baked peaches, custard, rice pudding or fruit and yoghurt just before serving
5. Add to fruit smoothies or green / vegetable smoothies

If you’re struggling with any kind of hormone imbalance, tiredness, low energy or wanting to lose your excess weight. I’ve  put together a FREE guide for you, so you can start to learn how and why specific foods, and drinks, can help you have more energy and lose weight naturally. 

You’ll find it is easy to add these ingredients into your diet on a daily basis – get your downloadable guide here

In fact, at the end, I’m going to share one simple recipe you can make in under five minutes that incorporates all of these foods.

5foods-loss-weight

Get your copy of the FREE guide:
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