Going with the Flow

This year I have made a real effort to try and learn to meditate, as it is something I often recommend to patients. And as the saying goes, practise what you preach. I have meditated in the past, and I regularly practise yoga, with meditation at the end of each session, but I felt I needed something that I could use daily and so feel the full benefits of meditation.

It hasn't been easy - with two active boys, who have after school activities daily, and establishing my business in a new location - there is always something more important to do. It's a bit like exercising, you think a lot about doing it, but find it difficult to start, which can often be the hardest part. And then when you do start, and get into a routine, you feel worse when you don't do it. 

Some of the meditation courses available can be a little 'out-there', but the real point is to take some time out of each day to quietly reflect on what is going on for you. It really is what works for you. You might find that you can zone out while walking your dog in the park, while exercising, or even while focusing fully on something you love doing. All of these activities can be like a mini meditation session in themselves.

So far this year, I have tackled 'Mindful in May', Belinda Davidson's 'Chakra Cleanse Meditation', and more recently an 'Expanding your Happiness' 21-day meditation challenge with Oprah and Deepak Chopra.

I found I got a lot out of the daily meditations that were emailed to me during Mindful in May, and the bonus is that you get to keep these meditations. I found the chakra balancing meditation the most challenging, as it can take 30 minutes or more for each meditation, a big chunk out of my day, but the rewards are worth it. The Oprah/Deepak meditation challenge is also very good - you receive a different meditation daily and I quote "(this) journey will help you spark the bliss, profound peace, and playful exhilaration that is within you".

Many studies are now showing the impact our emotions can have on our physical bodies. When you are physically or emotionally stressed, your body releases stress hormones that can affect many parts of your body. 

Studies have also shown that stress and anxiety can result in disruptions in your heart and immune function, and depression can inhibit the body's natural 

ability to heal. Research has also shown that regular meditation can help to reduce blood pressure and insulin resistance (which contributes to the development of diabetes).

I've found meditation for me has been very much worth it, given the benefits I have gotten out of it - such as feeling calmer, more able to focus on what is happening at any given moment (often referred to as 'being in the moment'), and being able to focus my time and energy on things that are important to me, (rather than be regularly distracted by all that social media has to offer).

But it is still a work in progress, and that's okay too.

So there are many very good reasons to try and incorporate a daily, or if this is too hard, maybe a bi-weekly, meditation practice into your routine. It can help you to focus a little more on your thoughts and emotions, and the impact these might be having on your health and happiness. 

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become."

Buddha

If you are interested in reading more you can go to:

https://chopracentermeditation.com  

http://schoolofthemodernmystic.com

http://www.mindfulinmay.org

michelle bryceland

essentials for health

www.essentialsforhealth.com.au

Why you need more probiotics in your diet

As a follow up to the recent article I posted about probiotics, I thought the topic of probiotics, what they are, and where best to find them, was worth talking more about.

First of all, lets talk about the article in Forbes. It outlines a study that shows there was a small reduction in blood pressure for the participants who regularly ate probiotic rich foods, for a minimum of two months. It went on to say that although there was only a small reduction in blood pressure, probiotics might help to improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammatory biomarkers, which contribute to high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

The probiotics that appeared to have the most impact were multiple strain probiotics, meaning there was more than one type consumed on a regular basis, i.e. lactobacillus strains, the most well know being lactobacillus acidophilus, and bifidobacterium strains, among others.

Now what are probiotics? Well they can be either bacteria or yeasts that are found in foods or supplements. There are over 500 such organisms found naturally in our guts, which contribute to a healthy digestive system. 

Probiotics have also been found to improve immunity, help brain function, and more recently, may help to reduce inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease.

Now why aren’t we getting enough of these in our diets or why aren’t our guts rich with these naturally occurring bacteria or yeasts that are so important to our health? Well, the modern diet high in processed, refined carbohydrates, sugar and junk food is one culprit, as are antibiotics, a stressful lifestyle, aging, and inflammatory gut diseases such as crohn’s or ulcerative colitis.

The best foods to get probiotics in good amounts are:

       •      Yoghurt ie Barambah Organics, Five AM, Jalna, Margaret River and Macro Organic.

       •      Sauerkraut – made from fermented cabbage, this food is rich in  A, C, E & B vitamins.

       •      Miso soup – made from fermented beans, rice or barley – you can add it to any soup for a probiotic boost.

       •      Tempeh – made from fermented soybeans – non-GMO is best.

       •      Pickled vegetables - vegetables that have been pickled have been shown to have more bioavailable nutrients than their fresh counterparts.

       •      Kefir – a fermented milk drink that can be made from cow, goat, sheep, coconut, rice or soy milk and kefir ‘grains’ - try Nature’s Goodness Kefir Turkish yoghurt.

Here is a recipe you might like to try to make your own pickled vegetables:

Ingredients: Your choice of vegetables i.e. cucumber, carrots, onions, olives, mushrooms, cauliflower, capsicum.

Pickling Liquid:

2½ cups distilled white vinegar

3 cups water

¾ cup organic raw sugar

5 tablespoons sea salt

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

½ teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes (optional) or other herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary etc.

Method: Cut up the vegetables the way you would like (smaller vegetables like onions, olives and mushrooms can be kept whole), and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Mix together the pickling liquid and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Leave for 30 minutes to cool. Blanch vegetables by cooking in a pot of boiling water for few minutes, then quic in ice-cold water, and pat dry. Then place the vegetables in sterilized jars and cover with the pickling liquid. If sealed well, you can keep the pickled vegetables for many months in a cool, dark cupboard, or if opened, for about a week in the fridge.