Welcome to the first edition of the new look Abundant Health Newsletter!
I hope you will find my new format newsletter informative and helpful with practical tips to protect and improve your health. Our goal is to help you be as healthy as possible given your age and circumstances.
There is nothing like just feeling well!
I have just had a phone call from a client who regularly uses Cell-X, Omega 3 Fish Oil and Magnesium. She uses Cell-X and Omega 3 Fish Oil for general health and well-being. The Magnesium is used specifically to help improve sleep patterns and to help relax back tissue caused by lower spine issues.
While she was thrilled at how the Magnesium had helped these specific problems. She commented that the most significant benefit was a real improvement in general health, well-being and winter immunity.
Well-being
It is hard to define well-being but we all know when we have it! For some this can be improved immune function, for others improved energy, stamina and just a feeling of being well. I am regularly asked for my top tips for well-being so here they are.
Tip 1: Everything begins with a healthy diet.
We should target a nutrient rich diet high in antioxidant dense plant foods, good fats, proteins and an appropriate amount of complex carbohydrates for your energy needs. This is in contrast to our prevailing Western diets which are the opposite!
We also need to try and expand the range of foods we eat. A good way to do this is to have meals that vary regionally and you will then eat a greater variety of foods. Prepare a Mediterranean meal one night then an Asian themed meal the next. This way you will naturally expand the variety of plant foods.
Another tip is to check that your fresh produce differs from week to week. Try and have 2-3 items that differ from the previous week. Experimentation is fun! As a general rule the deeper the colour, the higher concentration of nutrients. As an example, switching from Iceberg lettuce to Cos (Romaine) lettuce greatly increases nutrient intake with Cos having 10 times more vitamin A and 3 times for vitamin K.
Some people need personalised diets because of their health issues and age. For example people with joint inflammation need to be much more careful about foods that are inflammatory whether this is too much Omega 6 from cooking oils and spreads or too much sugar. Avoiding foods like citrus can also help calm sore joints.
Another example are people with respiratory problems. People with asthma or allergies need to focus on foods high in the antioxidants that prevent respiratory tract immune cells (mast cells) from leaking inflammatory histamine. Of special importance are OPC’s (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) from grape seeds, anthocyanins from dark berries (especially blueberries and blackcurrants) and bioflavonoids especially quercetin.
While the above are general principles please feel free to contact me for personalised advice.
Tip 2: Vitamin D.
We can only store Vitamin D for few months and we should ensure that we take Vitamin D supplements from late autumn to late spring. I recommend a minimum of 2000IU daily with double this for certain health problems.
Vitamin D is critical for our Immune system. It works by helping to organise our complex immune defence systems. It is essential for good mental health and low levels can cause make us feel flat and demotivated. I recommend that we have a vitamin D test in winter and supplement accordingly. You can walk into any medical blood testing laboratory like Pathlab and have a self-referred blood test. The cost is about $40.
Those with autoimmune problems should be extra vigilant with vitamin D. Studies have shown that most people with autoimmune disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis) have low vitamin D. Experts are not sure whether low vitamin D causes/worsens the disease or more likely the disease interferes with vitamin D metabolism.
Tip 3: A good Multi-Nutritional supplement.
I know of no other supplement type to have such a profound effect on our health. We formulated Cell-X to be a broad-spectrum Multi-Nutritional formula. While most multi-vitamin supplements have sufficient B group vitamins, what they often lack are proper amounts of the minerals and antioxidants our bodies need.
When you purchase a supplement you are paying for 2 key components. The first is the synergy of the formula. The second is the quality of the ingredients. Cell-X ingredients are sourced through one of the leading suppliers in the USA. We always choose US ingredients where possible. The only downside of US ingredients is they are expensive. For example the Californian made ActiVin grape seed extract (OPC) is ten times the price of a similar specification Chinese extract.
Go to https://www.abundant.co.nz/products/cell-x/ to read more about Cell-X
Tip 4: Increase Omega 3 especially from fish, flax seeds and fish oil supplements
The marine Omega 3 fats EPA and DHA are critical for many body systems. The main function of Omega 3 is to help balance the delicate immune system processes that govern inflammation. When these are unbalanced, our immune system will over-produce a range of inflammatory compounds. Unwanted inflammation is the cause of many health problems.
My advice to get sufficient Omega 3 is to try and increase the amount of high Omega 3 fish such as tinned or fresh sardines/salmon/mackerel. Our NZ Trevally and Kahawai are all high Omega 3.
The plant sourced Omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid) is also important. You find this in nuts and seeds commonly flax seeds. Using an electric grinder (coffee grinders work well) grind enough flax seeds for a week and store in the fridge. Add about a dessert-spoon to your breakfast, or add to a smoothie or sprinkle over a salad.
People regularly ask me whether marine or plant Omega 3 are superior; the answer is we need both! Adding high grade stable Fish oil is the easiest way to make sure you are getting sufficient EPA and DHA to reduce inflammation and for general health.
I hope you found this information helpful. If you have questions feel free to email me at john@abundant.co.nz or call on 0800 423559