New Year, New Beginnings

Today is the last day of the decade. Tomorrow, a whole new decade opens up. This is so exciting.

Let it be the same where your health is concerned. Whatever is in the past, let's leave it there. Let the present be a present to yourself. You are important, don't take your life lightly anymore. You should not have to bear with aches and pains, poor health, constant visits to the doctors, and worse still, getting in and out of the hospitals.

You are the only want who is responsible for your own health and well-being. Don't delegate this responsibility to anyone else. Not to the doctor, or to your spouse, or even to your kids. I've heard countless times from some of my clients - "I can eat healthy when I'm alone, but when I'm with my family, I have to eat what everybody likes." What B*S@#t is that! Don't blame everyone else. If no one in the family listens to you, you just take a firm stand to eat what you know is good for your body. Because at the end of the day, you will be the one feeling the pain. You will also be causing them pain - emotional pain.

Sorry for ranting, but I really feel so impatient with people who can't even take the responsibility for what they are doing to their bodies. If you tell me, "I don't care," or even, "I don't believe what I eat or do is going to affect my health," well and good. But to blame others, that is a BIG No-No.

So what do I propose - take the time to invest wisely in your health NOW. Or you can save all your money and give it to the doctor a few years down the road. And face it, it's not a case of seeing if you get "lucky" or not. Statistics given by the Singapore Ministry of Health, Burden of Disease Report 2017 gives the sobering truth:

1. Chronic diseases account for 83% of all deaths.
2. 1 in 3 people are diagnosed with cancer.
3. 1 in 9 aged 18 to 69 years has diabetes – 440,000 in 2014, and expected to touch 1 million by 2050.
4. 1 in 3 aged 18 to 69 years are overweight, with 1 in 11 being obese in 2017.
5. Everyday, 15 people die from cardiovascular disease.
6. By 2020, number of dementia patients is expected to double to 45,000, where Alzheimer’s is the most common cause (50 -60%).

So yes, if you want to stay healthy for life, you have to be in the minority not the majority. You have to be willing to do what most other people don't want or can't be bothered to do.

So for me and my husband, we choose to stay healthy for life. Please allow me to share with you what we do for ourselves:
1. Take as least 5-7 servings of vegetables already. That's the minimum found in the PowerCocktail we drink every morning without fail, whether we are at home or travelling. Besides that my husband also starts the day with a salad, which he loves.
2. Take our Omega3 and Q10 every morning with our PowerCocktail.
3. Every night, take our Restorate (with all the essential minerals and vitamin D) with our Beauty drink of collagen peptides.
4. Once every 6 months, we take the D-Drink for detox and heavy metal chelation.
5. We don't smoke or drink a lot, only the occasional glass of wine or beer for Patrick.
6. We exercise.

And, yes, we enjoy LIFE. Now do you wonder why no one can believe us when we tell them our age? Write to me today if you want to share your story or your challenges or have questions.

So have a great 2020 and may you stay Healthy for Life!

Good Food for Good Mood

Recent research looking at multiple studies suggest that there is an undeniable link between what one eats and our risk of depression.

One analysis concluded: “A dietary pattern characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and low intakes of animal foods was apparently associated with a decreased risk of depression. A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and high-fat gravy, and low intakes of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression.”

Another recent groundbreaking study posted to BMC Medicine demonstrated that a group of people with moderate to severe depression improved their mood and signs of depression by eating a more healthful diet. The study was the first to prove that diet alone could reduce depression symptoms. The dieters followed a specific program for 12 weeks that included one-on-one counselling with a dietitian. The treatment diet encouraged eating whole foods while discouraging things such as refined foods, sweets, and fried food.

Results? Dieters showed greatly reduced symptoms when compared to other groups. In addition, more than 32 percent of participants experienced remission, so were no longer considered depressed.

'Certainly good news for people suffering from depression. The fact that simply changing your diet could possibly reverse the condition, gives great hope to those fighting the condition, with absolutely no downside. No negative side effects to eating more healthfully, that’s for sure!

If you want to know more about what are the foods you need to take more of to keep depression at bay, write to me at coach@health-coach-international.com, or if you are living in Singapore, come and talk to me!

The China Study

One of my favourite books on nutrition (and one most often quoted from by me) is The China Study by Colin Campbell, PhD and his son Thomas Campbell, MD. It was indeed a groundbreaking book as it was based on one of the largest comprehensive studies of human nutrition ever conducted, launched via a partnership between Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine, with data collected over a span of 20 years.

The study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed questionnaires, blood tests, etc.).

Here is a summary of some findings from the research:

1. Milk promotes the growth of cancer. The book’s author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, grew up on a dairy farm, so he regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. Dr. Campbell says that in multiple, peer-reviewed studies, researchers discovered that they could actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.

Milk from cows has been touted as making our bones stronger, and preventing conditions like osteoporosis. It turns out that it's the complete opposite, that milk causes bone degeneration by leeching calcium from the bone.

2. The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens, making them more or less dangerous. In other words, we should be more worried about what nutrients are getting into our body rather than the amount of pesticides. “The results of these, and many other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen,” they state.

3. Carbs are not (always) the enemy. Highly-processed, refined carbohydrates are bad for you, but not the healthy carbs found in plant foods. Research shows that diets like Atkins or South Beach can have dangerous side effects. While they may result in short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.

4. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition. Using data gathered from the work of other respected physicians, they concluded that heart disease (and many other chronic conditions) can indeed be reversed with a plant based diet. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, a physician and researcher at the best cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18 patients with established coronary disease using a whole food, plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed a similar study with consistent results.

It’s not just heart disease that respond to a whole food, plant-based diet, the research showed it may also help protect you from cancer, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases.

This makes total sense. As I always tell my clients and those who attend my health talks, your body is making new cells all the time as the old cells die. If you take in good nutrients to build your new cells, you have a good chance of reversing any chronic conditions. And the downside? None.

The takeaway is simple: Make sure you have at least 5-7 servings of vegetables everyday to stay healthy for life.  

I myself have been consuming FitLine PowerCocktail daily for more than 6 years now. I find it's such an easy and tasty way to keep my immune system strong and healthy. Email me at asiafitline@gmail.com for more information.