It’s a small gland with big responsibilities, yet the thyroid—a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck—often suffers due to excess stress and nutrient-deficient food, with almost 500,000 Australians dealing with long-term thyroid disorders. Diagnosis can either be hyperthyroidism (too much) or hypothyroidism (too little) hormone production, leading to symptoms including, but not limited to, exhaustion, constipation, depression, hair loss and, in women, heavy menstruation. While relatively rare, thyroid cancer can also develop, with 3,435 Australians expected to be diagnosed in 2020. It’s a disorder that manifests due to a variety of factors—many preventable—says naturopath, nutritionist and Lifestream wholefoods ambassador Janella Purcell. “Our thyroids have been really affected in recent times thanks to lack of iodine and selenium in the soil, nutrient-deficient, highly processed foods, manmade chemicals and stress,” she says. “The thyroid gland is located below the larynx in our throat and secretes hormones to regulate many metabolic processes, including growth and energy expenditure. When it is not functioning properly, our overall health sufferers—but there are steps we can take to help foster healthy, balanced thyroid function.” For those who suffer from a thyroid condition, there are some simple healthy habits that can be adopted, says Janella, under the supervision of a health professional. Janella’s Top Tips for Thyroid Health 1. TOP UP WITH SELENIUM The main food sources of selenium in Australia are meat, poultry and game products; cereal products, fish and seafood(3). However soil concentration of selenium varies widely and affects levels in plant food. Australian soils are known to be selenium deficient, therefore our food is often lacking this essential trace element. Selenium is necessary for antioxidant protection and optimum immune and thyroid metabolism. I recommend Lifestream Natural Selenium, a wholefood source, cultured from selenium rich yeast that is 100% organically bound. High selenium yeast has emerged in recent times as the preferred option for selenium supplementation because it is natural and contains a wide range or organically bound selenium-rich proteins. According to a 2014 Australian Health Survey, 3% of males and 6% of females aged two years and over did not meet their requirements for selenium intake. Amongst those 71 years and over, approximately one in 10 had inadequate selenium intakes (12% of males and 10% of females). It’s important to note that selenium may be toxic in high doses. Adults should take no more than 150mcg of selenium supplementation daily. Check with your health practitioner if you’re unsure. 2. SUPPLEMENT WITH A WHOLEFOOD IODINE SOURCE Iodine is an essential nutrient required for the production of thyroid hormones, which is important for normal growth and development—especially the brain. Add Lifestream Bioactive Spirulina, sea veggies, Himalayan salt, cranberries, organic yoghurt, navy beans, potatoes and strawberries to your daily diet under the guidance of a health professional if on thyroid medication. 3. DRINK LOTS OF CLEAN, ALKALINE WATER DAILY
Water helps your metabolism function more efficiently, and can help reduce your appetite, reduce water retention and bloating, improve your digestion and elimination, and combat constipation. If the taste of plain water doesn’t appeal, add a squeeze of cleansing, Vitamin C-rich lemon. 4. CHOOSE ORGANIC, FERMENTED SOY OVER PROCESSED SOY Limit overconsumption of soy, especially processed and high-phytoestrogen forms of soy, like shakes, powders, soy milk and bars. Soy both acts as a goitrogen, and inhibits thyroid hormone absorption. You can either eliminate soy altogether, or limit it to organic fermented forms, like tempeh, in small quantities and not as a primary protein replacement. Non-organic soy is likely to be grown from genetically modified seed and sprayed with pesticides. 5. LIMITED GOITROGEN FOODS (particularly for hyperthyroidism) These are naturally occurring substances in certain foods that can cause the thyroid gland to enlarge, which is called a goiter. Goitrogenic foods can also function like an antithyroid drug and actually slow down the thyroid and make it underactive (hypothyroidism). If you are hypothyroid, you don't need to avoid goitrogenic foods entirely. The enzymes involved in the formation of goitrogenic materials in plants can be at least partially destroyed by heat, allowing you to enjoy these foods in moderation if they are steamed or cooked. These are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohl rabi, turnip, kale and soy. #worldthyroidday #lifestreamwholefoods #janellapurcell ABOUT LIFESTREAM Before spirulina and aloe vera were household names, Lifestream produced these two highest quality, best-selling natural vegan supplements—and as a result, cemented its reputation as market leaders and innovators. Since then, Lifestream’s entire product range has followed suit, with an extensive range offering consumers a choice above synthetic natural supplements, with only wholefood sourced ingredients. Lifestream has always produced clean, green and 100% natural, vegetarian and vegan-friendly products. Their uncompromising commitment to such excellence has resulted in a high level of loyalty with our customers. For 30 years, Lifestream, which is distributed in Australia by Planet Health, has embodied purity, consistency, quality and integrity. Lifestream’s extensive range encompasses superfoods for nutrition, along with wholefood alternatives for individual vitamins and minerals. See entire product range here. ABOUT JANELLA PURCELL A sought-after naturopath, nutritionist, medical herbalist, iridologist and chef, Janella Purcell has been a regular on Australian television with appearances on Masterchef, and as the “good chef” on Good Chef, Bad Chef. She is also a regular contributor, columnist for many of Australia’s best-loved magazines, newspaper supplements and websites. As an author, Janella has four best-selling books, including Eating for the Seasons, which won the “best health and nutrition” category at the International Gourmand Awards. Janella’s Wholefood Kitchen was also shortlisted for the prestigious award. Janella’s Super Natural Foods was released in late 2014. Janella has combined her vast knowledge of food and nutrition to create a multi-disciplined approach to health and wellbeing. Dedicated to a core philosophy of food as medicine, the wholefood chef teaches how to get the most out of our meals – and how to avoid the pitfalls. She has been working with wholefoods since childhood and honing special diets for the past 15 years. Janella has personally used Lifestream products since her career began and officially became the brand’s ambassador in 2014. Besides her wholefood workshops, media appearances and online work, Janella can be found consulting with clients at her Natural Food and Medicine Store in Sydney’s Surry Hills, as well as from her clinic in Bangalow, Northern New South Wales. 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014, Australian Health Survey: Nutrition First Results - Foods and Nutrients, 2011-12, 'Table 10: Proportion of Nutrients from food groups', data cube: Excel spreadsheet, cat. no. 4364.0.55.007
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We sure use many cosmetics in order to look good, but there are also other, more natural ways to take care of our looks. Looking good on the outside is connected to how healthy are you on inside. Mental and emotional stability have a positive effect on our looks. Meditation is definitely one of the best ways to clear up your mind and therefore start improving the way you look. How meditation affects your looks? In order to look good it is necessary to have beautiful skin. There are many cosmetics and creams that offer you help with skin care. Even though many women turn to them when they want to improve the way their skin looks, there are some other options you might consider. Meditation has a very positive effect on our skin. Not only that it improves our heart health and blood circulation but it also does wonders for our skin. The reason meditation can be helpful is that emotional state tends to reflect on our skin. Too much stress can result in acne or cellulite. Meditation helps you clear up your mind and therefore reduces the chance of emergence of acne or cellulite. Stress can also result in weight gain and that is another situation where meditation can be useful. When you are feeling happy you are optimistic and eager to control your body weight. How we feel on the inside definitely affects how we look on the outside and meditation is surely the right way to control both of these things. Where you can learn more about meditation? If you want meditation to have the right effect on your emotional state and on your looks, it is necessary to do everything right. The best option is to visit places like Australian health resorts, which offer you the opportunity to learn everything about meditation. It is very important to get familiar with all the instructions for meditation. Once you know how to meditate correctly, you can do it every day and improve both the way you feel and the way you look. How much time does it take?
Meditation scares many people as they just can see themselves sitting still for such a long time. But meditation does not demand much time and sitting still is actually much easier than you might have thought. If you are new in meditation, just 5 minutes would be enough for the start. As you keep practicing it you will be able to increase the amount of time for meditation. All you have to do is find a comfortable sitting position and just let the thoughts come and go without you having a part in it. Meditation can become the part of your morning routine. There is really no easier and cheaper way to make your skin look better. Meditation is the right way to increase your skin beauty, but also to improve your mental state. It decreases anxiety and boosts creativity. The more you meditate you will learn more about yourself. You will start to change for better and together with you the way you look is going to improve. You should definitely try meditation and make yourself happy and beautiful. Unfortunately finding the motivation to look after your body and mind can be hard. In fact while nearly two-thirds of adults set wellbeing-related New Year’s resolutions, 73 percent end up throwing in the towel. It’s hard to make positive behavior changes. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small change like moisturizing every morning or flossing every night, or a big change like losing weight or quitting smoking. When the going gets tough it’s important to remember that every accomplishment starts with a decision to try. So don’t lose hope! Here are 4 effective goal-setting tips that can help you spice-up your health and wellbeing. "For every promise, there is price to pay." - Jim Rohn When it comes to achieving personal goals, research shows that chance of success increases by 33% if it is shared with others and by up to 72% if money is put on the line. Promise or Pay is an online social motivation platform that helps you stick to your goals by donating money to charity if you don’t follow through, and encouraging others to donate if you succeed. What makes this awesome is that regardless of the outcome money is donated to charity! Keep your promise and your Supporters donate. Break your promise and you donate. It’s win-win! Promise or Pay motivates you to achieve your healthy and wellness goals, while creating a more engaging, personal and empowering way to donate to charities that make a better world. Your one promise can make a huge difference. What will yours be? "It takes two flints to make a fire." - Louisa May Alcott Working towards your health goals with a friend will help you stay committed and accountable. Trying to do things alone can quickly get boring and lackluster. It’s important to make sure that whoever you team up with not only has comparable goals but also similar motives. Having the backing and reassurance of someone you respect and trust will increase your chances of success. “You can't rush something you want to last forever” - Unknown Your body is more likely to accept and adjust if you take things slow and steady. The important thing is to be consistent. It’s similar to training for a marathon - go slowly at first to get your body accustomed to long distances. Enthusiasm is great, but starting out too fast and without a clear vision of where you’re going can be detrimental. Slow progress is still progress. So be kind to yourself, begin with small steps and only begin to add in more (flossing, moisturizing, exercising etc.) when you feel you are getting used to your new health regimen. You may even begin to enjoy the ritual! "You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” – Charles Buxton Making the time to do the small things is paramount to developing long-lasting behaviour changes. When it comes to exercising, 36 percent of people said their failure was because they simply couldn’t find the time. If you’re time poor, then it’s important to at least take what little time you do have to plan. Take a moment to evaluate how you use your free time and where you are wasting it? Break down your week and be strategic about where you allocate your time. Block out specific times throughout your week for doing things purely related to your goal. And get creative! For example, if your goal is to lose weight but a lot of your time is spent sitting behind a desk or wheel of a car, here are some tips:
If you can get into a routine of effectively using what little time you have free, gradually you’ll begin to see the results. Making positive lifestyle changes like getting in-shape is really difficult and unfortunately there is no miracle fix. Use these tips and make a promise to overcome distractions, amplify your motivation and achieve your health and lifestyle goals. As the temperatures begin to lower and Australians layer up, it’s clear that winter is about to set its cold mitts on us. With over 200 different viruses responsible for infecting us with a cold every year, it can be difficult to avoid falling victim to its nastiness. According to Sheila Zhou, expert Scientist at USANA, leading producer of high quality supplements, “The key to staying healthy during the winter months largely lies in the foods that we eat. There are a number of foods full of rich vitamins and minerals that actively fight the symptoms of viruses and promote a healthy immune system, plus they are delicious so they’re guaranteed to liven up those cold nights.” Ms. Zhou shares five foods that will help you keep the common cold at bay this year: 1. Honey. There’s a reason Winnie the Pooh loves this sweet treat so much! Research has found that honey is much more than just a sweet treat prized by hungry bears. Honey is not only great for the skin; it is also full of a special protein called defensin. This protein actively breaks down bacteria and strengthens the body, so whether it’s on porridge or in your tea, make sure you use honey to sweeten up your winter. 2. Salmon. From the depths of the ocean to the bench of the kitchen, salmon is full of beneficial omega 3 essential fatty acids. These oils have been found to reduce the production of prostaglandins 2-series, compounds in the body that can worsen inflammation. Salmon is also a major source of Vitamin D, which promotes the activation of cells within the body that maintain the immune system. 3. Dark Chocolate. A pesky cough is one of the most persistent and annoying things about developing a cold. While it may seem like an unlikely saviour, the regular consumption of dark chocolate may help alleviate these symptoms. Research has shown that Theobromine, a derivative of cocoa, reduces the intensity and length of coughing. So whether it is melted in a fondue or baked in a cake, unsweetened dark chocolate lets you indulge while staying healthy during the cooler months. 4. Citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, or mandarins, all citrus fruits are important sources of Vitamin C, which is vital in maintaining strong bones, muscles and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also a key ingredient in supporting a healthy immune system which means your body is able to eliminate the threat of a virus before it strikes. 5. Chicken Soup. No matter how hard you try, sometimes it’s impossible to beat a classic. Chicken soup is often the first port of call Australians turn to when they start experiencing signs of a cold. However, chicken soup is also a beneficial meal for people who want to make sure they escape the clutches of a pesky cold. These hearty meals are full of fluids that keep you hydrated and prevent the more severe symptoms of a cold from developing. To view the full range of USANA Health Sciences nutritional, weight management and personal care products visit www.usana.com. |
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