January 2017 – My Healthy Life

SPIRULINA – My Favourite Superfood!

January 21, 2017January 21, 2017 by Noureen, posted in Eat Well, Super Foods

Hey Guys! I am back. 🙂 Today I am gonna talk about SPIRULINA — Natures perfect multivitamin and my favourite super food!!! I am sure you all have heard a lot about this super food and have seen it as an ingredient in green energy drinks, smoothies and natural supplements, but do you know that spirulina benefits are so amazing that if taken on a daily basis they could restore and revitalise your health.

It’s a very good source of vitamins like (B6, B1, B2, B12, Biotin, Niacin, E, Folic acid, Inositol, Pantothenic acid, Carotenoids, Beta carotene) and Minerals like (Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Magnesium, Manganese, Iron, Phosphorus, Selenium). Another good thing is spirulina will be from 65% to 71% protein, depending upon growing conditions. This protein content is said to be biologically complete. That means that all 8 essential amino acids are present in their correct ratios. Plus 10 non essential amino acids as well. How amazing is this? 🙂

20170120_111719 — Nature’s way is the best brand when it comes to superfoods!

Now I am going to share some of its health benefits with you guys:

According to the University of Maryland Medical Centre, “A number of animal and test tube studies suggest that spirulina increases production of antibodies, infection fighting proteins and other cells that improve immunity and help ward off infection and chronic illnesses such as cancer”.

I am sure you all know that foods which are high in protein promote weight loss and low fat stores because it requires more energy to metabolise. As I mentioned earlier that Spirulina is an excellent source of protein which makes it a great food to speed up weight loss.

Helps in lowering high cholestrol. A recent animal study published in The Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology took rabbits, fed them a high cholesterol diet (HCD) containing 0.5% cholesterol for four weeks, and then fed them a HCD with 1% or 5% spirulina for an additional eight weeks. After the eight-week trial was complete, LDL levels decreased by 26% in the group eating 1% of spirulina and 41% in the group eating 5% spirulina, which heavily suggests that the more we eat the more benefits we will receive! Serum triglycerides and total cholesterol were also significantly reduced.

Researchers also discovered that the spirulina supplementation lowered intimal aorta surface by 33% to 48%, which suggests that it can prevent atherosclerosis and subsequent stroke. Click here for detail study.

Spirulina lowers high blood pressure and it also boosts our energy. In short there are sooo many health benefits of spirulina. I will highly recommend you add this superfood into your daily diet. You can find this in the health section of your local grocery store or in pharmacies. You can add spirulina in your salads or fresh juices. I love to add 1-tsp of spirulina in my juices, smoothies or salad dressings. Preferably in my juices or green drinks as it has a pond like taste. And if you wanna read more about healthy drinks and how to incorporate them into our diet then check out my article here.

I am gonna share two of my favourite recipes here. I call it ‘Green Energy Drink’ as it looks sooo green and gives me energy 😀 kidding! You can create your own recipe with fruits and veggies of your choice.

‘Green Energy Drink’

Ingredients:

2 green apples

1 cucumber

1 stalk celery

2 stalks kale

2 handfuls of lettuce

Few leaves of coriander or mint

4 medium carrots

1tsp spirulina

Method:

Add everything into a blender. Blend it. So simple and easy, and way better for you than a can of energy drink.

‘Coconut Drink’

You can also add 1 tea spoon of spirulina in 2 cups of coconut water, stir it & your drink is ready. Easy peasy!

That’s all for today, Subscribe for more! Take care xx

Portion Control & Weight Loss!

January 14, 2017January 14, 2017 by Noureen, posted in Eat Well, Health Tips, My love for food, Prophetic Food

Hey friends! How are you? I am sure you all will be in the best of your health and fitness. Okay! So in the beginning let me discuss little bit about ”the stress around food” that many people have these days. Well, this is not my topic today so please bear with me while I share my thoughts on this. I see these days women have developed a very complicated relationship with food – they have this fear of eating even the healthiest foods because they will put on weight or they wanna look good, they wanna attend this wedding, or wanna fit into their old skinny jeans or wanna achieve that ‘Zero figure’ which only exists in the photos and movies (all the photoshop stuff you know) – all this agony and misery what for? To show the world how beautiful your body is? For a selfie or to take group photos and post them on social media so you can get good compliments and many likes. (I know it’s not the case with everybody but I am sure many will fall under this category) Wow! Seriously! Is it worth it? Do we really need to do this? I mean really? Losing weight and looking good should be a permanent lifestyle change to eat healthier. It should be with a purpose of achieving good health or remaining healthy or in order to improve our productivity not for some specific event or to impress somebody.

This food and stress relationship is very prevalent in our society – I don’t understand why there is so much guilt and anxiety around food when food is there to nourish our body so that we can feel satisfied, energised and be productive. All this makes me really sad and compels me to write about how we can eat mindfully and still loose weight. If you ask me then I would say being a Nutritionist my theory around food is very clear. I am a foodie, I love food, I don’t believe in diets and I don’t believe in depriving myself from food which is there for us to eat and enjoy. I believe we are meant to have a good relationship with food not the other way around. I really believe in eating small amounts of any food really. It has to be healthy food on most of the days but I have my cheat days as well and they are guilt free. Yes!!! Here comes the art of mindful eating and how we can enjoy all kinds of food by controlling our portion sizes. If we control the portion sizes of our meals and be consistent in our exercise regimen (even if its 15-20 minutes a day) then believe you me we can eat everything and still loose weight.

You can eat whatever you want to eat but don’t overdo it. Moderation is the key! As we all know eating excessively causes harm to our systems and it also makes the heart heedless. (Muslim readers you know what I am talking about here). It has been said that: “Stomach is the home of ill health” and many ailments are related to uncontrolled eating habits such as diabetes, vascular diseases and heart disease. Our religion (Islam) teaches us to eat moderately. I am sure you all have heard of this Hadith (Hadith – means the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, reported by his companions and collected by scholars who came after them in books) a ton of times which is:

“No human being has ever filled a container worse than his own stomach. The son of Adam needs ‘no more than a few morsels of food to keep his back straight’. If you must fill it, then one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air”.

Ibn Maajah

This is the teaching of our beloved Prophet PBUH. He only ate enough food so that he didn’t feel weak. So he ate enough food to keep his back straight. We should try to follow his footsteps and never eat more than our need. We should try to listen to our body, our body will tell us how much is our need. Every body has different requirements when it comes to portion control and a best way to judge how much you need is right infront of your hand. Yes a ”serving size is in your hand” ! Isn’t it cool? Take a look at your hand and use this as a measurement for portion control. This is an awesome graphic for people who say that they struggle with portion sizes. I think this can be a helpful tool. It is not, of course, a hard-and-fast rule to live by. Having said that, I think it can be of some use, therefore it’s worth explaining …

Your palm: is gonna be equal to 3 ounces. This is the ideal portion you’ll need when it comes to fish, chicken and meat.

Thumb tip: This is equal to about 1 teaspoon. You wanna use this portion size for things like peanut butter, mayonnaise and oils etc

Your Thumb: This is about a tablespoon. You wanna use this for things like cheese, sour cream etc.

A handful: is equal to 1 to 2 ounce of snack food. This portion is good for snacks like nuts, dried fruits.

A fist or a cupped hand: This is equal to 1 cup. It should be used for measuring out things like cereal, rice, pasta.

1 tennis ball is equal to 1/2 cup of fruits and vegetables, although you could definitely do more on the veggies and fruit side.

The Plate Method: You can also use ‘The Plate Method’ for your main meals. In this method, you fill 1/2 of the plate with 2 servings of non-starchy vegetables, fill 1/4 of the plate with lean meat (3 ounces cooked) or other high-protein food, fill 1/4 of the plate with a starchy vegetable or whole grain serving (amount varies depending on food selected). This figure below is the best example of a healthy Plate Method.

Note: Pork is forbidden for Muslims of course!

Lastly, I’m going to share some very useful tips for staying on track with portion control that will lead to weight loss. Here are the tips you need to know:

Be mindful when you eat, chew slowly and take smaller bites so you feel fuller more quickly.
Use a smaller plate when dishing your food. This way you won’t be able to put too much on the plate therefore reducing your portion size and of course your waistline. 😉
Eating smaller more frequent meals will increase your metabolism throughout the day, help your body more energised and in turn, burn more calories.
Include leafy greens, colourful vegetables, low GI (Glycemic Index)/complex carbohydrates and lean protein at every main meal.
Fill up on meals that are nutrient dense such as steamed vegetables, home made salads and soups.
Follow the plate method as explained above. What you do is you start eating veggie side of your plate first, this fills your stomach because of the high fibre content in veggies, you already feel full therefore you eat less of the other stuff in your plate.
Drink plenty of water and natural herbal teas to keep you satisfied and to help curb hunger throughout the day.
Drink a glass of water 15 minutes before your meals.
Get plenty of sleep. Make sure you get at least 6 to 7 hours good quality sleep to curb hunger and to reduce cravings for simple sugars.
Keep a food diary. This will help keep your eating on track and allow you to monitor exactly what is going into your mouth therefore keep you accountable of your daily food intake.

Just remember this, staying consistent is the key to portion control and weight loss. One bad meal or over indulgence won’t set you off track. You are allowed to have a cheat day once a week. Yaaayyyy! 😉 But be consistent with your portion control, it takes approximately 30 days to make or break a habit. Don’t give up, be persistent and you will see results that will last a lifetime, In’sha’Allah (If God wills)!

Nature Therapy & Our Relaxing Escape!

January 4, 2017January 5, 2017 by Noureen, posted in Mind, Body & Soul, My Love For Nature

Gazing at the most beautiful creations of nature, a feeling of wonder would come over me: Will I ever get tired of marvelling at the beauty of Allah’s (God) creations? Never, In’Sha’Allah (Arabic word for “If God wills”)! I’m a huge fan of spending time outdoors and it always makes me happy, being in nature always stir the feeling that my soul is as wide and unlimited as the sky. And I feel this overwhelming sense of freedom like a free bird flying in the sky, it makes me feel as big as the grandest sky, but this same sky also reminds me that I am a tiny soul under this vivid wide sky. So it makes me feel both large and small at once and that is something I love about being in nature.

20170102_124732 — Newcastle, Lake Macquarie

Living on the NSW north coast, we are so blessed to have so many beautiful places around. My darling hubby and I, we both love travelling so we often go outdoors to explore our relaxing escape & always feel amazing after our family getaway. But this time when we three – Hubby, I and our little Bub of course 😉 went out for some Nature therapy, I went into thinking that what is it about nature that makes me sooooooooooo much happy and alive? Is it my love for nature or is there something more? And this thought compelled me to do some research and read more about it so after coming back home I did my research on this and found out why exactly does hanging out in nature make me so happy and alive? And it turned out, it’s not just my adoration or love for nature that leaves me feeling more happy, alive and more at peace — Recently, much research has focused on the so-called “nature connection,” and how it affects our health, outlook and overall life. So, here are few more reasons why it can be beneficial other than the source of happiness for all of us?

Being outside can actually offer relief for everything from depression to negativity. The health benefits of being outdoors are countless – you will get a burst of happiness that’s guaranteed to improve your outlook on life. A study at Japan’s Nippon Medical School found women who spent six hours in the woods over the course of two days had an increase in virus and tumour-fighting white blood cells, and the boost lasted at least seven days afterwards. Being ‘at one’ with nature also gives your brain a break from over-stimulation and lets you relax.

Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

A new study in the American Chemical Society’s semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology finds that just five minutes of exercise in a green nature setting can boost mood and self-esteem. Click here for link.

A June 29 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that a small group of subjects who strolled through nature for just an hour and a half reported a significant reduction in negative thoughts. Link here.

20161023_175630 — Who doesn’t love this divine nature’s view!

Another benefit of being in nature is that it makes us more creative. According to David Strayer, Ph.D., a professor of Cognition and Neural Science at the University of Utah, “Modern multitasking overtaxes brain areas that are involved in suppressing distractions, thinking creatively, and developing a sense of identity. Strayer discovered that a mere four days backpacking in nature improved people’s creativity by 50%”. Woow, this is amazing!

In this day and age, we all are loosing our focus, aren’t we? But the good thing is we can improve our focus if we spend some quality time in nature. When I say this ‘quality time in nature’, I mean no mobile phones around, mobile Datta off, wifi off, just disconnect yourself from technology and cyber world and absorb all the love of nature. According to a study published in Psychological Science, interacting with nature gives your brain a break from everyday overstimulation, which can have a restorative effect on your attention levels. It could improve your focus.

Furthermore, A study from Glasgow University showed that people who walked, biked, or ran in nature had a lower risk of poor mental health than people who worked out indoors. Link here. So, If your are planning of spending another workout chained to the treadmill, move your run outdoors for a quick burst of happiness.

In conclusion, there are so many studies out there on the internet to prove that spending time in nature not only makes you happy but it provides many other health benefits as well. These were enough reasons to increase my love for nature, what about you guys? 😉

Here are some of the fabulous places we’ve recently visited and spent a quality time as a family, Allhamdullilah (Arabic word for ‘Praise be to God’)!

This place is truly divine – there’s something so magical about being in here.

20170102_124749 — Newcastle, Lake Macquarie

20170102_121939 — This place is one of my most favourites for some reason, a very memorable and special one!

Life is always better at the beach! I truly believe being on the beach is the best escape anybody can have – this is the perfect place to unwind and to detach yourself from the world. This is a divine beach. You can either walk on the jetty or run along the sand – Harrington has it all!

20161217_170320-2 — That’s my darling hubby showing nature to our little baby love! #MakingMemories

I have shared few pics, now tell me about you guys … How often do you get away? Once a year, once a month or every weekend? Make some plan for your next scheduled break, take vacations in beautiful places, visit a state or national park or go to a beautiful beach — whatever landscape speaks to you. Even if it’s a quick trip to your nearest city or a drive down to your local landscapes, make it a lifestyle choice to travel often. Also, if you have the opportunity to get outside of your home for a brisk walk or a workout, take the chance to soak in that ‘Mother Nature’.

Go, free yourself, love and explore Nature – you will definitely feel good! 🙂