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Diet Secrets for Longevity

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Becoming Your Best Self After 65

Guest Blog by Jason Lewis at Strongwell.org

Today, people are living longer. According to the CDC, life expectancy reached a record high of 78.8 years in 2012. In addition, people aged 65 can expect to live about another 19 years. But growing older brings with it a host of health problems such as heart disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses, and more. Read the full list of these increased health concerns at Everyday Health. That should persuade you to take steps to care for your health as soon as possible. Here’s what you can do to improve your physical and mental health right now.

Improving Your Physical Health

At the top of the list is improving your physical health. Even if you are not mobile at this time or experience pain or discomfort, there are some measures you can take to help yourself. Little by little, start these steps with your doctor’s oversight.

● Use your benefits.
It’s no secret that healthcare can be confusing. For that reason, many seniors don’t know or understand what their insurance plan covers. As a result, they don’t use all of their available benefits. If you are one of the 19 million Americans who have a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have added vision, dental, prescription, and fitness benefits that will pay for services not typically covered by basic Medicare plans.
● Get your exercise.
Even if you have limited mobility, work with your doctor to find ways that you can stay active and fit. The National Institute of Health recommends that seniors train with a mix of aerobics, muscle-strengthening exercises (if allowed), and exercises that improve flexibility and mobility, such as low-impact yoga.
● Eat a balanced diet.
Always eat in line with your doctor’s directives, but if he hasn’t given you any guidance, take your own steps to improve your diet. According to Amy Campbell, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator, don’t worry about a fancy fad diet. Instead, eat a nutritionally balanced meal. Avoid processed foods and sugar and limit your outside dining since much of that food is loaded with preservatives or MSG. Begin to eat more fresh produce, fibrous foods, and legumes.
● Drink more water.
The body needs water even more than it needs food. Dehydration is a serious problem that can impact both your physical and mental health. Drinking six to eight glasses a day is often recommended, but if that’s difficult for you, try increasing your water intake little by little. Read these seven health benefits of water from Healthline, many of which may be critical for you.
● Get enough sleep.
Don’t believe the myth that seniors only need a few hours of sleep. The truth is that all adults need at least seven hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. While it’s true that sleep patterns do change for the elderly, poor sleep can also be attributed to pain, illness, or psychiatric issues. Talk to your doctor if poor sleep this has become a problem.

Addressing Your Mental Health

Depression is often a concern for elderly people. Common signs include loss of interest in activities that you would normally enjoy, loss of energy, change in appetite, and different sleeping patterns. Exercise can help improve your mental health, but you can add these activities as well:

● Take on a new hobby.
Hobbies can challenge your brain and keep you sharp. A recent study showed that seniors who learned a new skill actually had improved memory performance – and the more challenging the skill, the better the improvement. Now is the perfect time to learn something you’ve meaning to try for years.
Socialize.
Isolation can be a big challenge for seniors, especially after losing some of their mobility. Become more active in your community and seek out available transportation options for seniors. Find more places that are ideal to help you socialize at HowToBeMoreSocial.net.
Meditation.
Meditation can help calm your soul, ease your stress, and provide you a way to wind down for bed. Read more benefits of meditation in this article from the Huffington Post.

As a senior, it’s imperative for you to take control of your health to live your best life now! Focus on these steps and activities that improve your physical and mental health and you’ll start enjoying your life again.

For a Nutrition Lesson on Longevity or Cognitive Health, go here. Kelly Gibson is a Holistic Nutritionist and Personal Trainer in Chandler Arizona. She specializes in plant-based nutrition for wellness and weight loss.

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Best Oil for Dry Skin

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If you have atopic dermatitis, dry skin, or skin trauma you may want to switch to this topical oil.

Many people rely on chemical-laden lotions and medicated ointments to treat their skin problems. While these strong chemicals can work at healing the skin quickly, it can strip your skin of its natural oils. Losing natural oils and peeling away the top layer of skin can expose you to more outside irritants. This can be problematic leading to chronic inflammation or higher risk of disease.  Surprisingly, coconut oil is not the best oil for our skin (but it does come close).

And the Winner is... Sesame Oil!

Here are the top 5 health benefits of using Sesame Oil on your skin:

Fights Germs

Sesame oil acts like an antimicrobial.

Lowers Disease Risk

Its lignans are high in antioxidants.

Heals Wounds

Those with trauma experience less pain.

Protects Against UV

Protect yourself from UV ray exposure.

Chemopreventive

Protects against skin cancer with sesamol.

It is not only delicious in salad and stir fry, but sesame is the best oil for skin! Using it can help protect you from airborne irritants, in addition to being a great moisturizer.  Essential oils and dry flowers can even be added to your carrier sesame oil. I personally love the smell and effects of calendula flowers and lavender essential oils because they both aid in healing dry, cracked skin. You can infuse the flowers into the oil then add drops of lavender.

Sesame oil contains linoleic acid which has antimicrobial properties to fight germs. Lignans are a key component of sesame oil, which houses antioxidants that absorb easily into the skin. Sesame oil beats out other plant oils because it’s shown to have wound healing, anti-aging, and chemo preventive properties as well. View the reference link to compare numerous plant oils, then you’ll see why sesame is the best oil for skin. Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796020/

Sesame Carrier Oil

Start with the best topical carrier oil.

Calendula Flowers

Infuse flowers in the oil.

Lavender Essential Oil

Add this healing essential oil.

Hi, I’m Kelly Gibson. I am a Holistic Nutritionist with a focus in natural remedies for health issues, like skin rashes!  I specialize in plant-based nutrition for weight loss and wellness.  If you’re looking for a vegan nutritionist who can educate you on skin health or plant-based diets, request a consultation today!  I work with customers as an online nutritionist. I also travel local to Tempe Arizona, Chandler Arizona, Scottsdale Arizona, Phoenix Arizona, Ahwatukee Arizona, Gilbert Arizona and Mesa Arizona. As an in-home nutritionist and personal trainer, I bring the nutrition and wellness to YOU! Get started here.

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Green Tea for Cancer? See What Nutritional Science Says…

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Green Tea for Cancer? See what Nutritional Science says…

The leading cause of death in America is heart disease, followed by cancer. Cancer affects roughly 1 in 3 Americans in their lifetime. Chances have it, you or someone you know has suffered or is suffering from this horrible disease. It is terrifying for those to have to go through treatment or see their family go through it. While diet and tea is not an alternative to cancer treatment, there are many natural ways to reduce cancer risk and fight off cancer cells through nutrition! Cancer cells silence tumor-suppressing genes, which can effect someone with good genetics. Green tea has been shown to reactivate these genes by simply being dripped on certain cancer cells (1). Over 1.7 MILLION Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, and more than a third of those people are expected to die from cancer (2). Every opportunity you get to prevent cancer is another chance to extend your life. It’s amazing that something as simple as a tea plant may have the power to suppress cancer.

Three Ways to Enjoy Green Tea:

Matcha Green Tea
The Whole Food Version of Green Tea

Green Tea:
The Extracts of Green Tea Leaves

Green Tea Capsules:
Take a green tea pill with water and breakfast

Other Green Tea Benefits

Not only can you use green tea topically for benefits, but many studies show benefits on oral consumption of green tea as well!  While water is very important for hydration and my top choice, the next best drink out there is green tea! Why? Because it contains powerful antioxidants that have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, the second leading cause of death in America (3). Green tea also activates the “alpha” brain waves which triggers the relaxation feeling people get from meditating (4). With all the stress we have to deal with on a daily basis, this is a great way to wind down – especially if you are dealing with the stress of cancer!

There are known side effects to green tea, since it contains caffeine. Ease into it with half a cup or one cup then gradually build up to more cups per day to avoid getting dehydrated or headaches. Try all the little things, and incorporate green tea into your daily routine! Regular intake of green tea can slow cancer growth, and the more cups of tea per day is associated with delayed onset of cancer (by up to 7 years for women and up to 3 years for men) in patients who do have cancer (5).

Following a plant-based diet for weight loss can be enhanced with a daily dose or two of green tea. Stay healthy and fit too with these green tea benefits.

Sources:

  1. Greger, Dr. Michael. “How Not to Die.” p10 of Introduction. Copyright 2015. e-ISBN 9781250066121.
  2.  National Cancer Institute. “Cancer Statistics.” Updated April 27, 2018. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics Accessed 8/27/18.
  3. “Consumption of green tea causes rapid increase in plasma antioxidant power in humans.” I. F. Benzie, Y. T. Szeto, J. J. Strain, B. Tomlinson. Nutr Cancer. 1999; 34(1): 83-87. doi: 10.1207/S15327914NC340112. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10453446.  Accessed 8/27/18.
  4. Effects of green and black tea consumption on brain wave activities in healthy volunteers as measured by a simplified Electroencephalogram (EEG): A feasibility study. Edward J. Okello, Awatf M. Abadi, Saad A. Abadi. Nutr Neurosci. 2016 Jun; 19(5): 196–205. Published online 2015 Feb 25. doi: 10.1179/1476830515Y.0000000008. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25714035.   Accessed 8/27/18.
  5. Greger, Dr Michael. “Can Green Tea Help Prevent Cancer?” Nutritionfacts.org. volume 35. Published March 3rd, 2017. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-green-tea-help-prevent-cancer/. Accessed 8/22/18.

Kelly Athletics | Author: Kelly Gibson | Holistic Nutritionist | Holistic Nutrition and Fitness | Herbal Remedies | Nutritionist Chandler AZ | Nutritionist Tempe AZ | Nutritionist Phoenix AZ | Nutritionist Arizona | Vegan Nutritionist | Plant Based Nutritionist | Plant-Based Nutritionist | Vegan Supplements | Plant-Based Supplements | Green Tea Supplements | High-Quality Green Tea | Natural Remedies

*Disclaimer: This blog is not to be taken as medical advice. Please see a physician or health practitioner prior to making any changes to your diet, medication, or treatment plan. View our Terms.

Green Tea for Cancer | Kelly Gibson | Holistic Nutritionist | Nutritionist Chandler AZ | Holistic Nutritionist in Chandler