Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Alternatives to Nasty Sweetners



Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. It was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

The following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.


Why do they cause such effects?

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems encourages people to avoid these products.

So if we want to keep sugar to a minimum but have a sweet tooth; what are the alternatives?

Stevia: A south American plant with a super-sweet taste! Much sweeter than sugar, full of nutrients and calorie free! It is available in powder, tablets or liquid



Xylitol: A natural substance found in fibrous vegetables and fruit. Xylitol looks, feels, and tastes exactly like sugar. Although that is where the similarities end! Xylitol is really sugar's mirror image. While sugar wreaks havoc on the body, xylitol heals and repairs. Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar which means that it is anti-microbial, preventing the growth of bacteria. While sugar is acid-forming, xylitol is alkaline enhancing.


From a dietary perspective, it contains 40% fewer calories and 75% less carbohydrates than refined sugar. It has been shown in numerous clinical studies to be very slowly metabolized with a GI of only 7 compared to Sugar which is 100!

So there you have it! There is no need to add chemicals to your food when nature has given you an alternative! We have these in store so come down and have a chat to one of our naturopaths.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Food Intolerance Testing - Now Available!

Did you know that chronic health problems are a telltale sign of food intolerance? Do you have symptoms that are hard to solve and seem unconnected to a cause?....then it may be time to get a food tolerance test done, and YES we can do them right here with instant results at
Evelyn Faye Nutrition!

The Food Detective Food Intolerance Test is designed for fast results, and looks at commonly eaten foods which may result in IgG antibody reactions. The symptoms of food intolerance can be delayed for many hours, even days and it can therefore be difficult to identify problem foods.


COMMON SYMPTOMS OF FOOD INTOLERANCE
Sufferers of food intolerances frequently complain of lethargy or “fogginess” and a general feeling of being unwell. A variety of the following symptoms may persist for years and many sufferers have has their symptoms dismissed by their doctor as being “all in the mind”.
These symptoms include:- Anxiety (acute & chronic)- Arthritis- Asthma- Bed wetting- Bloating- Coeliac Disease- Chronic fatigue Syndrome- Constipation- Cystic fibrosis- Diarrhoea- Fibromyalgia- Flatulence- Gastritis- Headaches- Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Insomnia- Irritable Bowel Syndrome- Itchy skin problems- Malabsorption- Migraine- Sleep disturbances- Water retention- Weight control problems.....any many many more!

FOODS TESTED
If you test positive to any of the food groups listed below, the simple act of removing them from your diet can completely change your life!
Grains- Corn- Oats- Rice- Wheat- Durum Wheat- Rye- Gluten- Yeast
Beans & Legumes- Cocoa Bean- Soya Bean- Legumes (Pea, Lentil & Haricot)
Meat & Poultry- Chicken- Lamb- Beef- Pork- Cow’s milk- Whole egg
Seafood- White Fish (Haddock, Cod, Plaice)- Freshwater fish (Salmon, Trout)- Shellfish (Prawn, Crab, Lobster, Mussel)- Tuna
Fruit & Vegetables- Apple- Blackcurrant- Broccoli- Cabbage- Carrot- Capsicum (Red, Green & Yellow)- Celery- Cucumber- Leek- Lemon- Grapefruit- Melon Mix (Cantaloupe & Watermelon)- Mushroom- Olive- Orange- Potato- Strawberry- Tomato
Nuts- Almond- Brazil Nut- Cashew Nut- Peanut- Walnut
Spices- Garlic- Ginger- Tea


The food-detective test is available everyday at Evelyn Faye Nutrition South Melbourne, call us on (03)9686 0086 to make an appointment with one of our naturopaths, or to find out more!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Detox Super Smoothies

Day 6, Yippeee! We're great, and no longer feeling as though we need to count down the days. In terms of diet, this detox plan is something I could quite happily stay on for a very long time (with the occasional treat of course!)...but as for that hideous powdered mix that we're having twice a day, well I most certainly will not be missing that!
I thought today I might share with you some of my favorite smoothie blends, you can use these on a detox, a great quick breakfast, healthy desert, or just any old day at any old time! Most of these ingredients are available at Evelyn Faye Nutrition.

Raw Cacao Maca Smoothie
Ingredients: 1tbsp Raw cacao, 2tsp Maca powder (or to make it simple get some powersuperfoods Maca Smoothie Blend ), 2tsp Lucuma (or agave nectar if you prefer), 1 tbsp Chia seeds, 1tsp bee pollen, half a banana, coconut milk/water, and honey if you like it a little sweeter, and some ice if you like it a little colder....blend...and drink.


Blueberry Lecithin Smoothie
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh/frozen Blueberries, 1 cup Coconut or Almond milk, 2tsp Bee Pollen, 1tbsp Lecithin (great for the liver!), a tiny bit of vanilla bean, and 1tbsp Sun Warrior Sprouted Rice Protein (vanilla or natural)....blend....drink....yum!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Detox Diary - Stretch it Out!

....3 days in...and the ol' caffeine cravings have gone, hoorah!
I've found that pilates, stretching and breath work has really helped with the headaches, muscle aches and pains, and mental fogginess, so my plan is to do atleast an hour of solomon pilates a day for the rest of the detox....i've also stumbled across an amazing resource on the net, called the stretching handbook (check it out here http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/). I can also vouch for Ionic Magnesuim (4ml), works a treat for detox headaches, as does a mix of homeopathic nux vomica, arnica and gelsemium.

Monday, September 6, 2010

10 Day Detox - full steam ahead!

Michelle and I (Hannah) decided a few weeks ago that a internal 'Spring Cleanse' was a little overdue, with my last detox being over a year ago now, and with summer fast approaching, there seemed to be no better time than NOW! After much deliberation, we decided to do a 10 day Gluten/Cane Sugar/RedMeat/Processed/Preservative/Additive/Caffeine/Alcohol/Potato free diet, and supplement with the following products, to achieve a great digestive, kidney, and skin cleanse:

- Bioceuticals Cell Clear
- Synergy Super Greens
- Metagenics Ultra Flora
- Nutrition Care Gut Relief
- Orthoplex Acidolphilus Fibre
- Cell Foods
- Lifestream Aloe Vera Juice
- Herbal Tincture - golden seal, st marys thistle, schizandra, tumeric, rhodiola, and nettle.

We were able to structure the supplements for just AM and PM, which is handy if you dont feel like carrying around 10 million supplements a day in your handbag!

So....currently we're up to our 2nd day....both of us we're struck down with 'brain fogginess' and some nausea both yesterday and today, but this seems to be going away now (crossing our fingers!), staying away from coffee seems to have been the biggest hurdle so far. During the next 8 days we will be sharing our thoughts, symptoms, and favorite detox recipes with you on this blog, stay tuned, and please feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have about detoxing and cleansing :)