Time to change? Why it’s never too late to make good healthy lifestyle decisions.

We owe it to ourselves and our children to make good lifestyle decisions.

Is it possible to unclog clogged arteries that have been under attack from years of poor diet and lifestyle choices made by our younger selves or is it too late?.

The answer is a bit complicated according to  Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, professor of medicine and the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. "Some studies suggest that regression of atherosclerosis is possible," she says. These include studies that looked at the effects of diet as well as intensive lifestyle modifications and use of medications.

This sounds promising but the same report also warns that making the changes needed to reverse the clogging is more demanding than most people can realistically achieve.

The best thing to do to stop or slow down the progression of atherosclerosis by making good lifestyle changes such as eating less, exercising more and stopping smoking together with medication if needed can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 80%.

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Never too late to make good lifestyle choices for you and your family.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before but the following is a reminder of what we should be doing and a few recommendations we need to be aware of regarding juicing, that could be preventing us from being as healthy as we thought we were.

• Our diet should contain: at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day (the more the better); 2 portions of fish a week, with one being oily; protein with every meal to help lower the Glycaemic Index of your meal (so prevents sugar spikes in your blood, stabilising energy and hormones) and good wholegrain carbs (Low GI forms) and a vitamin D supplement (10 micrograms), especially in the Autumn and winter as we are unable to make Vit D then as the sun is at the wrong angle.. Note we only make vitamin D from the sun when our shadow is smaller than we are!​

• People think that nutritious and healthy food is expensive and hard to prepare but you can make something quick and easy that’s tasty and still very healthy. Eating more of the right foods can reduce the need to snack unhealthily in between meals too. Aim for low GI foods, preferably with a protein, such as 2-3 brazil nuts (Added benefit of Selenium) to control hunger.
  
  
• We should aim for 8-10 glasses of fluids a day, which can include water, milk, unsweetened fruit juice, tea or coffee. It is important to limit the amount of sugar you are consuming so try to avoid too many fizzy drinks, sugar in tea or coffee, instant powdered drinks or hot chocolate.
  
  
• We should be eating at least 5 portion of fruits and vegetables a day yet we should only have 1 juice or smoothie a day. New Food Regulations are advising that people should only consume 150ml of fruit juice or smoothie a day, which is quite a small portion. This is because once fruit is liquidised the sugars become free sugars, which makes them easily absorbed by the body, causing your body to react the same as they do when you eat sugary foods. So best to think of a balanced diet and avoid the diets that promote juicing everything throughout the day.
  
  
• Milk is an amazing drink as very natural and contains calcium, protein, and other vitamins plus it doesn’t cause tooth decay. In fact milk is the best sports drink you can buy, as contains the right balance of amino acids and electrolytes for recovery and energy during and after sport, as well as the well needed rehydration. Many Olympians now using milk as their main recovery and energy drinks during competition and training. Note dairy alternatives unfortunately don’t offer the same benefits for sport.
  If you are consuming dairy free alternatives, also ensure that they are fortified with calcium at a level of 120mg/100ml, as this is in line with dairy milk, which will help your bone and dental health. Also note that organic milk alternatives are unable to add calcium as this is then deemed as non organic. Additionally, organic dairy milk has low iodine levels, unlike normal milk, and Iodine is very beneficial for many functions in the body to keep us healthy.
  

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Never too late to stop smoking,do more exercise and eat more healthily.

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It’s never too late to stop smoking, do more exercise or eat more healthily and make better lifestyle decisions for better overall health and heart health for ourselves and our families.
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If you need help to make a change with any lifestyle factors, then please get in touch as we can work together to get your mindset right for action and give you the right information to help you make the right change for you. Call Nicky on 01252 706995​

 http://www.mind-bodywellness.co.uk/nutrition--diet.html

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