Gut Health – the importance of your Microbiome

As well as protecting ourselves from the coronavirus on the outside, we can also build up our defences from the inside by looking after our gut health.

We can achieve this by strengthening our immune system. The immune system is complex and highly responsive to the world around us, so it is not very surprising that many factors affect its functioning.

We can control the ‘health’ of the trillions of microbes living in our gut. The aforementioned microbiome, which plays an essential role in the body’s immune response to infection, and in maintaining overall health.

Microbes

As well as mounting a determined response to infectious pathogens like coronavirus, a healthy gut microbiome also helps to prevent potentially dangerous immune over-reactions that damage the lungs and maybe other vital organs.

These excessive immune responses can cause respiratory failure and death. This is also why we should talk about “supporting” rather than “boosting” the immune system. An over-active immune response can be just as risky as an under-active one.

However, rather than taking supplements that claim to ‘boost your immune system’ with no actual supporting evidence, the food you choose to eat has a big impact on the range and type of microbes in the gut.

A diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome, containing many different species that each play their part in immunity and health. Microbiome diversity will decline as you get older. This may help to explain some of the age-related changes we see in immune responses, although less than originally thought. So it’s even more necessary to maintain a healthy microbiome throughout life.

The best way to increase microbiome diversity is naturally by eating a wide range of plant-based foods, which are high in fibre, and limiting over processed foods – especially junk food. Varied Diet

Vary Your Diet

Following a Mediterranean diet has also been shown to improve gut microbiome diversity and reduce inflammation. Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains; healthy fats like high-quality extra virgin olive oil; and lean meat or fish.

Avoid too much (or all) alcohol. Limit your intake of salt, sweets and sugary drinks. Artificial sweeteners or other additives are not healthy. If you are concerned about getting hold of fresh produce – then frozen fruit, berries and vegetables are just as healthy as their fresh counterparts. And they will last much longer than the currently recommended two-week isolation period. Canned fruit, beans and pulses are another long-lasting option.

Another source of natural probiotics are bacteria and yeast-rich drinks like kefir (fermented milk) or kombucha (fermented tea).

Fermented vegetable-based foods, such as Korean kimchi (and German sauerkraut) are another good option.

So be imaginative and open-minded. Broaden your daily diet to add in this extra variety and boost the microbiome health and you.

You can always learn more by checking out my e-book on gut health.

Best Exercises at home

BREATHE NEW LIFE, ENERGY AND STRENGTH into your body by working these key muscles… the hip flexors.

There is a muscle in our body that is an indicator of the strength and health of our whole body. It’s been called the body’s most powerful hidden
survival muscle.

This is a muscle which when healthy can help to eliminate joint and back pain, anxiety and looking fat…? This “survival muscle” will boost our energy levels, immune system, sexual function, strength and athletic performance when unlocked.

If this powerful primal hip flexor muscle is healthy, we are healthy. You see, our hip flexors are the engine through which our body moves. They control balance, our ability to sit, stand, twist, reach, bend, walk and step.

If you tend sit a lot and have a belly that protrudes, you probably have tight hip flexors. Most of us do, it’s just a fact of life.

Discover the benefits of taking action today – and avoid the hidden dangers of carrying on life at home as normal. When I say normal, self-isolating normal perhaps. You can see the power by checking out this program.

Everything goes through the hips.

And when our hip flexors tighten it causes a lot of problems in ordinarily healthy and active people, like us.

Already thousands have experienced the life changing results from unlocking your hip flexors – and there is currently a special Easter promotion on this program so check it out this week.

Go to this page to if you want to check out the special offer, and get that key body engine working as it should.

Gut Health Book – Learn about your intestines

The Human Digestive System is fascinating, and I have released my new book on this topic – entitled Gut Healthy.

An easy to read introduction to the human gut, gut health tips and the digestive system explained in layman terms. What is the microbiome, and why is it such an interesting topic to know about. Our health and well-being depend critically on our gut health and what we eat every day.

If you do read the book I would really love a short review here if you have the time – drop me an email if you do post a review and can pop you a pdf related to health..!

Men’s Health Over 50

I have now revised my book on Men’s Health Over 50 – Fitness For Life. I felt it needed to be brought up to date, and I have expanded the section on food as this is so important for good health at any age. I now have to start planning my over 60 book!

It is up to you to look after yourself as you ‘get older’ – and this easy to read book contains a lot of normal advice and information that will help to motivate you and keep you focused on staying fit and healthy.

It is currently available in eReader format on Amazon, but is also now available in hard copy on CreateSpace too. Hope you enjoy, let me have any comments, or send me an email if you want more advice on any men’s health issue that is concerning you.

Working on my guts next – as this is an area I know little about, and so I am writing a new book about Gut Health, to be published by the end of the month (Nov 18)

Don’t Be Fooled – 3 Foods to Avoid for Your Health

3 Foods to Avoid in your Diet

Are you putting all your efforts into a new diet program, but feel like you’re getting no results, well there are foods to avoid in any diet.

Many people find themselves in this place – they work hard, hold on to their diet strategy like a bulldog, but fail to see the transformation they wanted. Hopes were high, but the scale just isn’t telling you what you want to see, a drop in weight.

What gives?

Often, the problem is not lack of effort or motivation. The issue is that you are incorporating certain foods in your diet plan that are actually not diet foods at all. The diet industry is big business, and unfortunately many companies market their products as healthy, even though they are in fact counter-productive for your aims.

The Diet Plan

What are these foods?

Here are three problem foods to avoid in any diet immediately.

1. Fruit Flavoured Yogurts

Fruit flavoured yogurts are a favourite with dieters, but many fail to see them for what they are: pint-sized sugar bombs. Individual yogurt packs have gotten unhealthier and unhealthier, while their reputation as a go-to diet food has regrettably survived.

Next time you’re picking out your favourite yogurt, double check the sugar content. You might be surprised to find there are 15+ grams of sugar per serving.

Of course you can purchase the sugar-free varieties, but then you’ll be consuming unwanted artificial sweeteners, which can be just as bad for you.

Instead, opt for plain ol’ Greek yogurt.

Flavour it yourself by adding a handful of fresh berries or nuts.

A perfect solution.

2. Fat-Free Products

Beware of any product marketed as ‘fat free’. These products proudly label themselves as fat-free, and that very well may be true.

But ask yourself, if the fat is removed, what has been added? Time and again, the fat content has been substituted with something just as undesirable.

Often that means heaps of sugar.

If you are trying to lose body fat, sugar is just as bad – if not worse – than fat is.

3. Protein Bars

The last problem food to be wary of is the protein bar, despite its prevalence in many diet programs and meal plans. These often seem like a great option because they contain protein, but once again you have to look a little closer.

Check that sugar content. Most protein bars have upwards of 15 grams of sugar per bar. Some contain 30 and even 40 grams.

In actuality, these are glorified chocolate bars. While you can buy a few bars with very low sugar content (five grams or less per bar), these will require a little searching.

Sadly, many dieters are blissfully unaware of these 3 foods to avoid. Are any of them in your current diet?

If you want to learn the two must-eat foods that will catapult fat loss into high gear, make sure you check out The 2 Week Diet Plan. Highly-readable and conveniently-packaged in PDF form, it has all the best advice you need to correct any lingering misinformation you’ve fallen prey to.

click here for more info

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