Massages and good nutrition boost your immunity!

Hey guys did you know that MASSAGE is one of the ways to prevent you from contracting diseases?

Research shows the benefits of consuming nutritious foods on your health, being the most powerful means to prevent diseases. Nutritious foods such as antioxidants, Omega 3 rich foods and other immunity boosters might go as far as to treat diseases of all kinds even those that we fear the most like cancer.
Antioxidants fight the free radicals in your body and boost your immunity, the most powerful are:

• Vitamin A rich foods in yellow and orange fruits and veggies apricots, peach, carrots, and sweet potatoes, etc…
• Vitamin C rich foods in orange, kiwi, broccoli, and green bell peppers, etc…
• Vitamin E in walnuts, almonds, avocado, and olive oil, etc…
• Zinc in meat and whole wheat grains, etc…
• Selenium in Brazilian nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products, etc…

Omega 3 rich foods such as flaxseeds, fish oil, sardines, tuna, and salmon greatly help in the process of fighting disease as they are anti-inflammatory. They should be consumed daily!

Top immunity boosters are garlic, onion, green tea, ginger, oregano, yogurt, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, soja while foods that decrease the levels of immunity are those containing saturated fats such as meat, dairy and butter.

It might come as a surprise to everyone but massage therapies are also immunity boosters according to a research conducted by doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, USA. Massages are well known to decrease body pain, improve mood and relieve stress.

Researchers found that during one hour of massage your body passes through a series of important biological reactions leading to a reduction in the levels of cortisol, a hormone produced during stress and responsible for killing cells that are important for immunity, it also leads to a reduction in vasopressin levels that stimulate the contraction of the arteries and an increase in the number of white blood cells which fortify the immune system. Massage also elevates the levels of the hormone oxytocin associated to feelings of well being and relaxation

Massage reduces your stress levels thus helping you avoid getting a cold or another illness while under stress.
Other scientific research studies clearly show the many positive benefits of massage on our health and well-being such as:

• Relieving stress and promoting an overall feeling of relaxation which helps you move more easily
• Alleviating pain and tension
• Decreasing inflammation
• Promoting speedy recovery from injuries (work, trauma, accident or sports-related)
• Improving blood circulation as well as high blood pressure
• Improving and strengthening the immune system
• Relieving musculoskeletal problems and improves posture
• Relieving pregnancy discomforts

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Lose Weight with Flaxseeds ─ the Star of the Century

Have you always dreamt of having a flat tummy like Brazilians do? Now it’s your chance!

There’s a secret you should know about Brazilians…They consume flaxseeds as part of their daily diet!

Why is it effective?

Because of so many reasons… the first being that Science has proved that flaxseeds make you feel full, awake a lazy intestine and accelerate fat burning!

Flaxseeds contain fiber, omega 3 and protein among other components. Of the 3, the fibers (present in the seed peel) are the main reason that flaxseeds help in weight loss since they give satiety, stimulate a lazy intestine, and most importantly control the blood sugar levels! The link is, the higher the blood sugar level, the higher insulin needed, the hungrier we feel, so controlling blood sugar levels means controlling hunger!! This is why the fibers flaxseeds contain are so important! Please also note that it is extremely important to consume 2 liters of water throughout the day to benefit more from the fibers in the seed and to avoid constipation!

So if you are the type of person who keeps on snacking, try including crushed flaxseeds in your yogurt for a snack and its guaranteed that you’ll feel full for a longer period and avoid overeating all day and  night!

Furthermore, Omega 3 in flaxseeds, which help reduce food craving, has a major role in helping fight inflammation of the cells thus avoiding your body from accumulating fat!

How to eat it:

Every morning at breakfast, or with snacks, you can powder it on yogurt, fruit, salad or even rice.

How to use it:

1 or 2 table spoons of crushed flaxseeds are recommended to reach the results you are looking for! Just know that 1 table spoon of flaxseeds has about 60 kcal so don’t exaggerate in consuming it!

It is very important to buy the flaxseeds with the peel and crush a bit in a blender every time before you consume! The flaxseed’s rough skin, which is hard to bite with the teeth, hides a lot of nutrients so by crushing it, the nutrients will be more available for our body to absorb!

How to store it:

You can blend all the content once instead of bit by bit everyday, but you will have to store in the fridge in a closed opaque box (to avoid oxidation) for a maximum time of 15 days.

Never forget: a healthy and balanced diet along with regular exercises will always be the key to the most sculpted body ever…just like Brazilian men and women…

And by the way, flaxseeds are also a good medicine for the heart and arteries, lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides levels, prevent certain types of cancer, help prevent premenstrual pain and are good for your skin!

                                   

So enjoy your new ingredient and soon your new look!

Samia Khoury Dietitian