STRESS BUSTING NUTRIENTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM.

Food can be medicine in so many ways. If your body is out of whack, oftentimes the physiological issue at hand can be boiled down to a nutritional deficiency. Are you tired? Try eating more spinach and loading up on iron. Is your stomach irritated? Introducing good bacteria via probiotics could be a quick, drug-free fix to a healthier gut.

The same thing goes for stress and anxiety. But when talking about the delicate line between traditional and naturopathic medicine, we thought it best to consult women who are experts in both fields. We talked to a New York-based registered nurse with an emphasis in holistic medicine and a doctor with an MD and an ND (Naturopathic Doctorate), Rebecca Lee, RN and founder of RemediesForMe.com, and Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, a stress management expert and author of The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women's Health.

Through our talks with these experts, we boiled it down to three nutrients your diet needs to naturally fight anxiety and stress.

EAT THESE FOODS TO LIVE TO 100

                                


Check out this video with some great examples of foods that boost your immune system, fight off disease and have anti ageing properties. Let us know what you think?

11 FOODS TO AVOID FOR ANTI - INFLAMMATORY EATING.

The one type of diet most systems of medicine agree on is an anti-inflammatory diet. Part of activating your full potential requires altering your eating to reduce and eliminate foods that cause inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response that happens when there is a perceived threat in the body.

 Often this shows up as joint pain and swelling, but many other symptoms including brain fog, depression, and anxiety can also be caused by inflammation.

Some people are more sensitive to gluten, while others need to be careful to avoid sugar and red meats. Every recommendation you'll find in the book, Super Woman Rx, is designed to reduce inflammation so your unique potential will be set free. The list below includes the main inflammation-causing culprits.

Gluten

A protein found in wheat, gluten can trigger an immune reaction that damages the surface of the small intestine and can cause a variety of problems including interference with the absorption of nutrients, bloating, diarrhea, and sometimes constipation. People with sensitivity to gluten can experience anxiety, depression, mood swings, brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, migraine headaches, swelling or pain in joints. 

9 WAYS TO A HEALTHIER GUT

Two thousand years ago, Hippocrates is said to have noted, “All disease begins in the gut.” As I see it, he was right: Our intestines contain trillions of microbes of many species that metabolize food and make vitamins accessible to us. Adding up to about 4 pounds of body weight, these good bugs protect us against “bad” microbes like tetanus and E. coli, the culprit behind traveler’s diarrhea. They are central to our health.

“Probably one of the most important services your microbes provide is immunity,” says Martin Blaser, director of the Human Microbiome Program at NYU Medical Center and chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. But for decades, researchers say, we’ve been inadvertently annihilating microbes through various behaviors: excessive use of antibiotics, scrubbing ourselves with antibacterial soap, and more. The microbes that live inside us amount to a vast community, Blaser explains, and when its balance is disrupted, the bad guys can flourish.

What can we do to support our beneficial bacteria? The single quickest way to change gut microbes for the better is to be selective about the foods we eat. Certified organic, high-fiber, and fermented ingredients show promise in helping to bolster gut health. But so does plenty of exposure to dirt, like you get through gardening. Conversely, processed foods and products like hand sanitizers include chemicals that harm good bacteria.

WHAT ARE TRANS FATS?

Really informative video about trans fats in our diet. Let us know what you think.

OMEGA 6 BENEFITS.

Omega 6 fatty acids are essential for our health. But they are healthy only in moderation. More important than to ask the question “What are the health benefits of omega 6”, is to ask “What is a beneficial quantity of omega 6 to consume”?

Omega 6 has without question major benefits: omega 6 deficiency will result in serious health problems. It must be stressed, however, that omega 6 deficiency is extremely rare, because the typical Western foods contain an abundance of omega 6 from corn oil, soybean oil, safflower and sunflower oil, as well as from animal fats. The Western diet is rich in omega 6, because the oils are cheap and stable. They prolong the shelf life of processed foods, and the food industry therefore replaces more healthy fats and oils with omega 6. Having said that, the benefits of adequate consumption of omega 6 fall into three categories.

Omega 6 is essential for three critical health benefits:

Benefits manifest on a cellular level, because omega 6 plays an important role as a messenger. 

TOP 6 FOODS TO IMPROVE YOUR DIGESTION

Have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” It’s true—and you are what you digest and absorb, too. You could be eating the healthiest food in the world, but if you are not able to break down your food efficiently and absorb the nutrients, then you are missing out on a big opportunity for nourishment.

The first place that many people look for digestive assistance is in the pharmacy or supplement section of a grocery store. But it hasn’t always been that way. Throughout history, different cultures have used various healing foods to aid digestion and other health ailments. If you are someone who experiences digestive discomfort such as bloating, gas, heartburn, acid reflux, constipation, loose stool,or diarrhea, it’s time to start using food as medicine to support a healthy intestinal tract.

Here are the top six foods that can aid with digestion.

ANTIOXIDANTS IN FOODS.

Check out this handy videos showing antioxidant rich foods. Let us know if you found it useful.

Related: Polyphenols? What are they and what are the best foods to eat.

ESSENTIAL TIPS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE TAKING PROBIOTICS.

There are foods with health halos. And then there are probiotics, which have practically been canonized. The word itself means—no big whoop—"to give life." 

Probiotics are now a nearly $37 billion industry in the U.S. Sales of probiotic-rich yogurt and kefir surged nearly 30 percent in the past three years. And just slapping "contains probiotics" on a product helps it sell better, says San Diego attorney Tim Blood, who specializes in consumer protection in advertising. Not too shabby for bacteria, right?

Indeed, their initial claim to fame was hardly sexy: soothing digestive disorders such as diarrhea, constipation, and acid reflux, which plague 70 million people (mostly women). But that take on pro-b's now feels as dated as a Jamie Lee Curtis Activia ad.

10 TOP CANCER EXPERTS REVEAL WHAT THEY DO TO AVOID THE DEADLY DISEASE.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. And while there have been lots of medical advancements towards treating some kinds and boosting survival, there is still lots of work to be done.

That's why your best bet is to play the preventive game: Work on ways to reduce your risk of getting cancer in the first place.

We asked physicians and researchers how they dodge this deadly disease. One answer is obvious: don't smoke. Here are 10 more ways these experts protect themselves from cancer.

CANCER PREVENTION TIP #1: MIST YOUR MUG

Your skin wins your body's prize for "most likely to get cancer." Every morning, dermatologist Joseph Sobanko, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, uses generic broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen with either zinc or titanium dioxide. He shuts his eyes and sprays an even coat on his face after he brushes his teeth and combs his hair.

TOP 13 PROBIOTIC FOODS

Really good video about probiotic foods that can boost your gut microbiome. Let us know if you found it useful.

Related: What Are Probiotics And Why Are They So Good For You.

WHAT ARE ADAPTOGENS - 6 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFOREHAND.

Adaptogens are a whole new level of superfood. Members of this unique class of herbs and roots have been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, lauded for their ability to reduce the effects that stress hormones can have on the body. But before you head for the supplements aisle, here are 6 things you should know about adaptogens, and what they do–and what they don’t do. 

Adaptogens don’t cure stress

Though some health gurus claim that adaptogens “cure” stress, let’s get one thing straight: adaptogens’ power doesn’t lie in reducing feelings of anxiety, but rather in decreasing the effects of hormones and other compounds that are released into the body in times of stress, such as kinase, nitric oxide, and cortisol. Adaptogens’ adeptness at reducing the presence and harmful effects of these compounds has been observed in clinical studies, such as a 2007 report from Drug Target Insights or another 2010 paper in Pharmaceuticals. 

TENDONITIS. WHAT IS IT AND HELPFUL SUPPLEMENTS.

Tendonitis (which is also sometimes spelled tendinitis) is a form of painful inflammation in the tendons, which are the chord-like parts of the body that connect muscles to bones. Usually caused by repetitive movements (like exercise or sitting in the same position for many hours), injuries or built-up inflammation over time, tendonitis can cause a lot of pain.

People who are over 40 years old tend to get tendonitis more than younger people, but really anyone can development symptoms depending on how damaged versus elastic tendons become. It’s true that as we age, our ligaments, bones and tendons slowly weaken with everyday wear and tear, so we’re more likely to experience things like muscle or joint pain. 

Tendonitis comes down to experiencing inflamed tendons that are more susceptible to stress, strain, movement and tears. Despite what most people assume, this can affect people of all ages, sizes and physical activity levels, not just serious athletes or the elderly.