Love your liver this holiday!

Is that time of the year again where we start to indulge again in a lot of food, sweets and alcohol. Just a short reminder again of taking care of your liver!!.  Here is again a reminder of what your liver does and how much pressure it gets under the holiday seasons.....

The liver is quite often forgotten by people or not thought about at all. Even though the liver is the only organs that can regenerate, when it cannot cope with too much work, you can start feeling it by having spots on your face or forehead, feeling sluggish, having headaches and feeling tired and having the feeling of being spaced out. Even if you are eating healthy but loosing weight for any reason the liver is the one that will have to do a lot of the work by eliminating all the toxins freed by the fat cells or any cell. The liver also is the one that makes protein that you need for repair of cells as well as transforming excess sugar into fat for storage. It is the major detox organ for drugs, hormones, as well as being the organ where vitamin D is activated. The liver is also a storage place for some of the vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, K, and B12.  Now it is Christmas time again and time for Christmas parties and overindulgence of alcohol based drinks and overeating time. It is good to have fun but think of your liver as well. So even though you do not want to miss out on a Christmas party, take few steps to help your liver to cope with the extra work. Take some extra vitamin B, vitamin C, as well as milk thistle, dandelion root tea or tincture. Drink water between alcoholic drinks, fruits such as mandarins, and other seasonal fruits, as well as vegetables such as chicory salad, fennel, beetroots, artichokes, rockets, watercress, cabbage family and radicchio. If you drink water between the alcohol you will not drink as much and you will still have plenty of fun. Eat some food with your alcohol, which helps with reducing the effect of the alcohol. By taking the few steps above you can still have fun without the feeling that you need a month to feel good again after your parties. And most of all enjoy yourself…….. 

Heart burn suggestions

I have been quite busy lately and have not done much on writing here but just to get back to it I have something that I wrote a while back on suggestions on heart burn which is a problem for many people.

Triggers factors

• Heavy meals
• Lying down or bending after a meal
• Eating immediately prior to exercise
• Prior esophageal surgery
• Esophageal stricture (narrowing of the esophagus)
• Cigarette smoking
• Alcohol intake

Sign and symptoms

Heartburn -- a burning sensation under the sternum in the chest -- is the primary symptom of GERD. Heartburn often occurs after a meal and worsens at night, when you are lying flat. It is more likely to occur following a heavy meal, or if you bend, lift, or lie down just after eating.

Other symptoms of GERD include:

• Regurgitation of food
• Belching
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chronic cough, wheezing
• Sore throat, hoarseness or change in voice, difficulty swallowing
• Chest pain

Life style

• Avoid behavior that does not allow food to easily move down into and through the stomach. This includes bending, lying down, or participating in jarring exercises soon after a meal.
• Don't eat heavy meals
• Avoid acidic foods and drinks. These include caffeinated beverages, decaffeinated coffee, and orange juice
• Avoid alcohol, chocolate, spearmint, and peppermint. These can relax the low esophageal sphincter.
• Avoid carbonated beverages
• Avoid eating fatty foods, including full-fat milk, which also may relax the lower esophageal sphincter tone. Avoid fried foods.
• Citrus foods
• Take medication with plenty of water
• Lose weight if you are overweight
• Quit smoking
• Avoid cranberry juice

·         Avoid Italian heavy food,

·         Avoid Mexican foods

·         Avoid Tomatoes

·         Processed foods

·         Sugar

·         Drink a big glass of water when the reflux starts, - Chew well - Eat plenty of raw vegetables - Eat slowly - Do not eat 3 hours before going to bed

www.nutritionhealth.net

loosing weight, brown fat and white fat

Loosing weight, brown fat, white fat

What is the difference between white fat and brown fat? Well is better to have brown fat for thermogenesis (production of heat) if you want to lose weight and keep warm. Brown fat has got a high degree of vascularity (more blood into them). They contain more mitochondria, where the energy fuel is made. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy for the building up compounds as well as breaking them up. Babies have a lot of brown fat as they need to cool down or warm up more than adults for survival, then, once they start moving the muscles will deal with activating our brown fat. Adrenaline, which is the hormone that deals with stress activates the brown fat which is why when hunting or doing fighting might make you lose some weight (also there is a danger of exausting your adrenal glands if that carries on for too long). Thermogenesis is the dissipation of energy derived from ingested food as heat. So when you overheat or you are exposed to prolonged cold, the brain and more specifically the sympathetic division of the brain (the division that is more to do with stress activation, running, fear, etc) activates the thermogenesis. For this process also retinoic acid is also stimulated (vitamin A). Also lipoprotrein lipase and glucose transporters are enhanced to provide fuel. This means that the more heat is needed the more ATP needs to be produces which stored glucose and nutrients are then broke down to supply this. In theory this is a way to lose more weight. There is a theory regarding obesity and defective thermogenesis in obese people, which counts for the fact that they cannot loose weight. I have been to a seminar yesterday that actually confirmed this with plenty of research. According to their study, people exposed to cold baths would activate the brown fat and therefore thermogenesis. The people participated in the study lost about 38 kgs in 24 weeks without being on a restricted diet. Certain food activate or de-activate thermogenesis, capsicin and protein would activate it and carbohydrates and sugars would turn it off. Nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin D and essential fatty acid (omega 3 oils) are needed for the brown fat to be activated. Low or deficiency of these nutrients would not activate the thermogenesis. Warm clients or heating system would not activate the thermogenesis either. Also this is my thought is the eschimos have a lot more brown fat than anybody else and they do not have high incidence of heart problems. That because they eat a lot of fat from fish and because they are exposed to extreme cold.

The above is a thought for people that would like to lose weight and nothing works…… There are many more factors to losing weight though, as emotional and mental condition, allergies, and the entire body-mind integration…..

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Vitamin A for the immune system

Vitamin A has had a bad repution for a while and many people think that they have to be away from it. The most danger from vitamin A is if you eat the liver of a bear or liver everyday, which can contain a lot of the vitamin A and other nutrients. The following are facts about vitamin A:

Vitamin A is one vitamin that has a bed reputation for being bad in pregnancy. But a vast majority of pregnant women and children in the third country and some in the western world are deficient of this vitamin. This leads to many problems in the foetus and pregnancy as well as reducing the activity and function of the immune system.

Vitamin A has an important role in the mucosal surfaces of the intestinal tract (which is the first line of defence for the body) and the lining of the lungs. Deficiency of the vitamin A leads to night-blindness, xerophtalmia, retardation of growth, impaired reproductive capacity and anaemia.

There are two ways that you can get the vitamin A, directly from food via animal sources in the retinol form. These foods are egg yolk, liver, butter, cheese, whole milk and cod-liver oil. The pro-vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene is found in vegetables foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, papaya, oranges and tangerines and many others..

How vitamin A works is in the form of retinoic acid and attaches to retinoid receptors in order to make its effect on the target cell and specific target gene. Retinoic acid influences gene activation through specific receptors that are part of the thyroid and steroid receptors. Vitamin A receptors is very closely involved in the gene expression (DNA expression, where each individual body takes their instruction) and therefore involved in regulating genes.

Vitamin A is essential for the mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts and it is also essential for the lymphoid system of the mucosal tract Deficiency of vitamin A in childhood is one of the most causes of mortality in the developing world. Also vitamin A it seems to be recognized as essential for many aspects of the immune function, including components of both non-specific immunity such as phagocytosis (eating debris or bad bacteria), maintenance of mucosal surfaces and specific immunity, such as generation of antibody responses (IgA in mucosal surfaces).

Deficiency in vitamin A can lead to:

• Abnormal expression of keratins in the respiratory tract, genitourinary tract and ocular surface

• Loss of Cilia from respiratory epithelium

• Loss of microvilli from small intestine

• Decrease in goblet cells and mucin production in mucosal epithelia

• Impaired neutrophil function

• Impaired natural killer (NK) cell function and decreased number of NK cells (NK are included in the immunity as anti-viral and anti-tumour immunity)

• Neutrophils are impaired (involved in phagocytosis adhesion and generation of active oxidant molecules (retinoic acid plays a role in the normal maturation of neutrophil)

• Impaired aspects of haematopoiesis (CD4 + lymphocytes count is lower)

• Shift towards T-helper type 1-like immune responses (vitamin A balances the T-helper type 1 and T helper type 2 like response.

Measle

Some studies have shown that children with deficiency of vitamin A are more at risk of mortality from measles. Children given vitamin A, showed reduce mortality and less complication from measles. Children who received 60mg of retinoic acid had significantly higher IgG responses to measles virus and higher circulating lymphocytes counts during follow up compared with children receiveing placebo.


Diarrhoeal diseases

Diarrhoeal disease caused by rotavirus, Escherichia coli, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae Salmonella and Entamoeba histolytica have been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity from these pathogens by fortification or supplementation of the vitamin A in Tamil Nadu, Nepal, Ghana and Brazil.

Vitamin A in pregnancy and lactation might has shown to be very important for the immune system and for night blindness. Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene has shown to reduce all cause of mortality and morbidity in the developing countries and western world. Beta-carotene needs zinc to be converted into the retinoic acid.

Mucosal immunity

The way the mucosal function can be impaired by the deficiency of vitamin A is through the loss of cilia in the respiratory tract (cilia are hair like processes, they are also found in the uterine tract to move the ova towards the uterus). Loss of microvilli in the gastrointestinal tract (this are fingerlike projection that makes your nutrients being absorbed from the intestine). Loss of mucin and goblet cells in the respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts (mucin and globlet cells, make mucous which get rid of any bacteria and waste from the mucosal lining). Squamous metaplasia with abnornla keratinisation in the respiratory and genitourinary tracts. Alteration in antigen-specific secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations (this are the antibodies that fights bacteria and other pathogens in the mucosal surface). Impairment of mucosal-associated immune-cell function and lastly decreased integrity of the gut (allowing more pathogens and bigger molecule to enter the blood leading to possible allergies and intolerances reaction).

Well the above was a bit scientific but it is nice sometime to have some breakdown of what the actual nutrient do in your body and how wanderful our body is to make all these things from just a little nutrient and which we get from our healthy food!!!!!
http://www.nutritionhealht.net/

One apple a day

Almost everyone know the expression ‘one apple a day keeps the doctor away’, even in Italy when I grew up! Being lucky enough to grow up in the countryside in Italy and near the seaside I did not realize then that not everyone had the same fortune of picking up their own fruits and vegetables from their front yard. I remember just going under the tree and picking up the fruits of the season wash eat or clean it and eat it. I don’t think I have ever tasted the same fruit ever again really. Or I still do when I go back to Italy and my parents still pick up pears from the tree for our breakfast. But all fruits have really a good amount of nutrients and vitamins, so why just apples are the ones that are so important or why the expression. I am not sure where it started or when but here are some apple history and qualities:

There are about 25 types of apples and they vary in colour and texture, from green to red. Some are sweet such Red Delicious, Royal Gala (my favourite) to Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Cox Apple, etc.. It seems that the original apple tree comes from Eastern Europe and Southwester Asia. Because of the cultivations and hybridization (is the process of combining different varieties or species of trees and make a new type) there are now many more varieties of apples from the first original apple tree. In the past the apple was thought to keep people forever young. Scientifically the consumption of apples in many studies have show to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, asthma, type 2 diabetes (as it releases the blood sugar slowly). Here are some of the nutritional benefits of apples. Apples contain high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that protects the integrity of the cell membrane. Our body is formed of millions of cells and the outside of the cell can be under oxidation attack all the time. Quercetin and other antioxidant such as vitamin C, and many more flavonoids found in coloured fruits and vegetables, protect our cells from being destroyed. Quercetin also blocks the inflammatory cascade, which involves quite a lot of the inflammatory disorders such as asthma, arthritis, allergies, etc... Of course you could be allergic to the apple and so in that case you need to find the solutions for that (see my website for treatments). Pectin is another ingredient in apples; pectin can help lower cholesterol levels by improving the intestinal motility and reducing therefore the reuptake of fat and toxins (in few words good for elimination of food waste). One medium whole apple supplies 3 grams of fibres; eating about two apples a day will reduce the cholesterol up to 11 percent. Pectin is good not only to relieve constipation but also diarrhoea (Kaopectate is an over the counter medication for diarrhoea that contains pectin). Nutritionally raw apples contain vitamin C, pectin, fibres, potassium, phytochemicals such as ellagic acid (anti-oxidant) and quercetin. So really when they say that one apple a day keeps the doctor away is quite true but it is also true that many fruits also contain some sort of nutritional value, antioxidants, and fibres and therefore is worth to vary and combine our fruits to get the most of goodness from them. So hopefully the above has convinced you a bit to start keeping an apple or two in your lunch box or bag or any other fruits. Fruits salads are really good to have and enjoy!!!!

 

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Probiotics and immune system

I am still amazed at the fact that in England, most doctors still are oblivious to recommend probiotics and multivitamins after they have prescribed antibiotics or after diarrhoea infection of any kind. Doctors in Italy suggested multivitamins to children and adult 30 years ago and at least for the past 10 to 15 years they suggest probiotics to all children and adults after a rotavirus or any other intestinal. It is always amazing at the huge difference of suggestions. I am sure that quite few doctors do know about the benefit of doing so, but I wander if they do not suggest that because they assume that people cannot afford to buy them. I am sure that any person that can or cannot afford to buy the probiotics would want the option of knowing what is best for them regardless of the cost. Here I summarized some of the benefit of taking probiotics with or without infections.

Microbacteria are part of our gut ecology and depend on what type of bacteria is more prevalent which can help the immune system or cause problems with it. The lumen of the intestinal tract (the small intestine) has got the most bacteria followed by the colon. The stomach does not have many friendly bacteria as they would be killed by the stomach acid. Most friendly bacteria that are found in the intestine are the Bifido species and the Lactobacillus species. The colonization of the intestinal tract starts from birth and it depends on the health of the baby and the milk given on how much will stay and protect the intestinal tract and therefore help the immune system (some formula now include probiotics and the milk of the mother especially the first few days of life will have colostrum which protect and repair the intestinal tract. Things that would destroy the friendly bacteria includes: antibiotics, diarrhoea, viral diarrhoea, allergies reactions, alcoholic drinks and some medication. Consuming a live yogurt or actimel type yogurt is not enough to repopulate the intestinal tract with the billions of good bacteria that it needs when the intestinal tract ecology is not well balanced.

Several studies have shown the benefit of the probiotics. Some of these benefits are protecting the intestinal tract in the children diarrhoea infection by the rotavirus, some protection after a vaccination in adult volunteers, protection against recurrent inflammatory intestinal disorders (there are still many studies on their way regarding the benefit for Chron’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis). Some reduction of allergies, the IgE count goes down in elderly subject with nasal allergies, reduction in milk hypersensitive infants and adults, reduction in tumour recurrence in adult bladder and many others. The most used strains of probiotics used in the research are the Lactobacillus acidophilus, the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and the Lactobacillus casei Shirota, La1 lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus brevi. The Bifido species are found in the colon section of the intestine in the most used are Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb12, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Bifidobacterium brevisYIT4064.

The best way of getting the proper benefits of the friendly bacteria after antibiotics or for helping the elimination process is to buy one that has got all the different strains (for children there are appropriate ones either in powder of liquid). For adults the combination should be a total of billions of them to be most effective. If there are any intestinal settling when you first take the probiotics, the dosage should be reduced until the intestinal tract is settled. The good probiotics will cost a bit more than the common ones but they are worth it and YOU are worth it….

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Vitamins claims and probably food soon

From March 31st there is a directive from the EU that state that we cannot make any claim on health from supplements or probably even food. So what does this mean? We cannot say anymore that vitamin C prevents scurvy? or that eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day will prevent obesity and heart problems in later life? Eating 30 g a day of fibre will help your intestine to function well? What can we say then? And why can the pharmaceutical company claim health for their drugs? For example why can they advertise so much or publicize so much on the benefit of statins for prevention of heart problems when in reality there are no even much evidence of that. Why can they advertise on the benefit of aspirin on health when is not something that the body needs to function?

A friend of mine mention also that something is going on saying that soon there will be an elimination of all books regarding the benefit of herbs and supplements books and all information about it. "I answer well if we were in China that might happen". But I was reflecting on that later on. What if they are going to sensor all health claims so that they can make it life easy for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to take over all the power from the people? Can that be a truth on the rumour? What if I and millions of people are to naive to think that something like this might happen in Europe? What if there is enough recession and people are not going to be concerned about supplements and food claims as it would not matter? What if the government and the European committee is distracting us with other serious things and than they just pass the law without the people having any knowledge of that until is too late? Are we going towards a Chinese government style so that things will be easier for the government to keep an eye on us and our own choices? Well I hope not, I hope people are better than that and they start now enquiring and responding to the threat of our own choices..

www.nutritionhealth.net

New Year detox

Simple New Year Detox

After the big meals and drinking time is time for a month of detox to give the liver and the body some respite. The best thing to do is to start with drinking at least 1 litre and half to two litres of water a day. Eat more salads and vegetables soups. Eat fruits between meals and for breakfast. Cook stir fry, oven baked or steamed vegetables and fish or white meat. Eat more of lentils and beans, avoiding creams and cheesy foods. Eat a smaller portions of food but first of avoid drinking any alcohol if you have drunk a lot. To help the detox also you can take some milk thistles and probiotics which help the intestine. Happy New Year and best Wishes

Maria Esposito

www.nutritionhealth.net