Food Allergy Protection

Food allergies can be defined as an antibody (immune system) response to a food antigen (irritant) leading to symptoms. That is, the immune system attacks food as if it was a foreign invader. Allergy symptoms can range in severity from barely perceptible to life-threatening depending on how the immune system reacts.



To protect the body against the irritating nature of food, the alimentary canal lining must be not damaged to allow digestion and absorption. If food is not broken down correctly, large particles of food can be interpreted by the body as foreign invaders.


The digestive tract is the barrier that blocks these particles from entering into the blood so it must be healthy (i.e. no holes or leaks).

Certain foods are more irritating than others hence why more people are allergic to these than others, eg. peanuts, shellfish, strawberries, chocolate, wheat, eggs and dairy.

To help prevent food allergies, you need to firstly break down your food correctly and secondly have an intact digestive tract.

The follow protocol of supplements can help you achieve both these goals:-

• Food enzymes which break down food compounds for assimilation into the bloodstream. Proactazynme is a fantastic general purpose enzyme supplement from plant sources containing, protease, amylase, glucoamylase, lipase, pectinase and cellulase. It helps the body digest all food types and helps break down difficult to digest foods.
• Bowel Build contains betaine HCl, pepsin and pancreatin to help break down food particles; psyllium hulls, kelp plant and chlorophyll to provide needed bulk, encourage proper flow of waste and detoxify the digestive system; vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin C and vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), zinc (gluconate) and selenium (amino acid chelate) to provide anti-oxidants and to help the production of antibodies; marshmallow root and parthenium root to soothe the mucosal tissue and help create sufficient mucus as a protective barrier; and ginger root serves as an anti-inflammatory. See your health care provider prior to use if you are pregnant or nursing. May cause a reaction in persons allergic to inhaled or ingested psyllium.
• Marshmallow & Chamomile Combination contains both marshmallow root and slippery elm which nourishes the mucosal tissue allowing the lower bowl to function properly.
• Una De Gato (Cat's Claw) is considered equal, if not superior, to the world’s foremost immune fortifying herbs, echinacea, golden seal, pau d’arco, garlic and siberian ginseng, as well as helping mucous production in the digestive tract.

The above protcol will help you digest all your food and prevent allergic reactions.

Fat Loss Don’ts: Skipping Meals and Starvation

A good summary of some of my previous blogs/post, and some supplement recommedations for those who's goal is Fat Loss

Fat Loss Don’ts: Skipping Meals and Starvation

General Natural Support for Menopausal Women

If you read my last blog and want some extra support with your peri-menopause, during menopause and post-menopause, the following herbs can help:

• Skeletal Strength is a comprehensive supplement which provides Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D which supports bone health and prevents osteoporosis.
• Black Cohosh & Licorice Combination is designed to nourish the adrenal glands and support the glandular system.Black Cohosh with Dong Quai. Widely known for its ability to help support the mature woman’s body as she encounters normal glandular imbalances and physical changes. Particularly good at controlling hot flushes.
• Flaxseed Oil provides support to the cadiovascular and glandular systems.
• Nutri-Calm. Almost everyone should be taking this.  Full of Vitamin Bs and C to feed the nervous system and help de-stress you.
• Phyto-Soy. Evidence continues to mount supporting the benefits of high levels of genistein, a particular isoflavonoid in soy that helps protect the body. Soy can help regulate the levels of oestrogen in your body.

Great Advice For Post Menopausal Woman

I recently read a great interview between Tom Venuto and David Grisaffi.  David had some particularly great advice for post-menopausal women:

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  Focus on health, especially heart health, and the fat will come off.

  
  

  
  

  Get you blood work done and know your numbers.

  
  

  • Be advised that a Statin drug causes a dramatic decrease in Co Enzyme Q 10 or CoQ10. This naturally occurring antioxidant is needed for cellular energy in the heart and brain.

  
  

  Exercise is a great way to deal with menopause. It increases the blood flow in and around the heart. Walk if you can’t do anything else.

  
  

  
  

  Monitor blood sugar. When that is too high, it oxidizes in your blood vessels. With high blood sugar, increased insulin is released to normalize your blood sugar and that takes the extra sugar to FAT STORES.

  
  

  
  

  All chronic diseases are associated with insulin dysfunction and glycemic stress? The cluster of symptoms is known as Syndrome X and on your road to syndrome X you may also experience problems with nighttime eating, insomnia, fluid retention, aches and pains, PMS, and much more. When you have syndrome X, your risk for heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, hypertension obesity, high cholesterol, and lack of ovulation all go up quickly.

  
  

  
  

  Excess body fat also produces it own chemicals that contribute to heart disease. Balancing your hormones in middle age is easier than you think.

  
  

  
  

  Most problems can be managed with proper diet and exercise.

  
  

Ideal Before, During and After Workout Stacks For General Weight Maintenance and Fitness

 Regardless of your exercise goal but particularly if you wish to lose excess fat, you could not go far wrong with the following supplementation protocol to maximise your results.

Pre-Workout Stack
The goal of the peri-workout protcol is to increase the intensity of your workout, which translates into faster and greater gains.

45 minutes before your exercise session, consume

•  Solstic Energy sachet mixed with water,
• Vitamin B Complex 1 tablet
  
  Involved in the release of energy and sysnthesis of protein.
• Gingko Biloba 1 tablet

A powerful free radical scavenger, ginkgo helps protect blood vessels and optimises the amount of oxygen supplied to brain cells.

During Workout Stack
The goal of during workout supplementation is to keep energy and training drive and minimize catabolism

• Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
• Nitro-Fusion

 Different sized people will need differnt amounts of these supplements

Post-Workout Stack
 In a shaker I add 500ml of milk then top it up with water, to which I add:-

•  2 scoops of chocolate SynerProtein
• 2 Omega 3 EPA capsules

http://www.inspiringfitness.co.uk/;news;item/3/79/t/Five+Fat+Loss+Myths/

http://www.inspiringfitness.co.uk/;news;item/3/79/t/Five+Fat+Loss+Myths/

Central Asia Trip

I had a request to post some pics from my trip to Mongolia and Korea so here they are.

That is just some of them but you get the idea of what Mongolian country side and living is like.  Ulanbutaar was much more built up and much more of a city.
When I get a sec, I may upload some more and some of Korea.

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that NOT all supplements are created equal

A lot of people are supplementing their diet these days, either because they know why we need to supplement or they are blindly taking the latest fad pill.  Either way, you need to know that what you are taking is actually giving you the nutrients that you seek, and that comes down to one word: quality.  Quality ingredients and quality manufacturing processes.
For some products, you can save and skimp on quality.  For example, you could buy a cheap mp3 player.  It won't have all the cool features, will have less storage space, run slower and probably fall apart or stop working sooner than the more expensive versions.  But initially, the function will be the same.  You will be able to listen to your music files.
With nutrition, it is a whole other story.  If your products are made from low quality ingredients or produced through less than the best quality procedures, they will not work at all.  Then you will literally be pissing your money down the drain.
The supplements industry is not regulated like the food and drug industry.  If you buy an over the counter pain killer, like paracetamol or ibuprofen, in the name brand and the generic brand, the active ingredients are going to be the same.
An interesting example, given in a recent blog, is Black Cohosh, an excellent supplement for menopausal women.  The article highlighted that though the label might say black cohosh, it might not be the right genus nor extracted from the root instead of the leaves nor standardised for triterpene glycosides (the key active constituent).  Studies have only been done on the former of all these conditions.  Natures Sunshine Black Cohosh products (both with Licorice Combination and with Dong Quai) fulfill all these standards. 
Another consideration when it comes to quality must be what is in the bottle, as well as the active ingredient that it states on the label.  This means that there should not be a heap of garbage and filler in the product.  A lot of supplements on the market are synthetic and filled with sugar and other starchy fillers.
The product should also only contain what it is suppose to and no other active ingredients- some 'herbal' formulas were recently found in North America to contain pharmaceutical drugs!
Also, is there the correct ingredients in the product to facilitate the active ingredient working.  For example, some calcium supplements may contain just pure calcium carbonate, but the body needs both calcium and magnesium along with Vitamin D and other minerals to build bones.  Pure calcium carbonate will only succeed in neutralising your stomach acid, leading to reduced absorption of other nutrients and digestive problems.

So, unlike people, not all supplements were created equal.  That is why I recommend Natures Sunshine products.  They use over 300 tests and procedures to ensure the premium quality of their products and are backed by a 100 percent premium quality guarantee.  They test for purity and potency of ingredients and finished products are also tested to assure that all label claims are met.  Raw materials, including herbs, are tested for unwanted contamination such as arsenic, lead, aluminum and cadmium, as well as bacterial infestation.