Top 5 Affordable, Accessible Superfoods For Anti-Aging

If you are getting cosmetic injections, carboxytherapy or dermal fillers to improve your looks, you should keep in mind that aside from the treatments that you may be getting to look youthful, it is also important to eat the foods that support healing, cell regeneration, collagen production and tissue connectivity.

Here is a look at a Top 5 Affordable and Accessible superfoods that can keep you looking young. 

1. Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most powerful anti-aging foods known to man. Green tea contains the phytonutrients myricetin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and quercetin. They are the phytonutrients that work together in order to help your body burn fat by increasing its metabolism. These nutrients can also fight against the development of tumours and cancers.

The only thing to be careful about when drinking green tea is that it can prevent iron from being absorbed into your bloodstream. The best way to prevent this odd side-effect and ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need from you food is to drink green tea between meals as a pick-me-up or add a little lemon to it.

2. Kale

Kale, and other leafy greens like Swiss chard are chock full of antioxidants including the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. This antioxidant combination decreases the risk of macular-related vision degeneration and protects them from sun-induced damage.  Kale also promotes youthfulness by improving your cardiovascular health, boosting your immune system, fight cancer through hormone moderation, regulating blood sugar levels, and aiding in digestion.

Slightly steaming kale or braising makes it easier for the body to assimilate the healing carotenoids.

3. Blueberries

Blueberries contain a significant amount of vitamin K, manganese, vitamin C, and fibre. They also have omega-3 fatty acids. They can help your eyes and can heal ulcers. The antioxidants found in blueberries not only combat aging and stress factors in the body, but also reduce the risk of degenerative diseases and cancers.

One cup of blueberries has only 85 calories, and less than one gram of good fat. The fibre they contain improves bowel function and helps eliminate bowel residue. The phytochemicals they contain aid in weight loss and reduce inflammation.

Blueberries can be eaten raw, blended into smoothies, sprinkled on oatmeal or baked into muffins.

4. Tomatoes

Lycopene, the pigment that makes tomatoes red, reduces their risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer and blindness. Lycopene is best absorbed through tomatoes that are cooked so it is a good idea to eat them stewed or as a sauce. 

Salsa is also a profoundly anti-aging food because the red peppers also add substantial amounts of disease-fighting Vitamin C to the mix of tomatoes. Onions and garlics add selenium, zinc and other important minerals to the food as well.

5. Squash

Bright orange squash is loaded with beta-carotene, which in turn converts to vitamin A in the body. This reduces the risks of cancers, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.  The lutein and lycopene found in produce also help protect the skin from sun damage and reduce wrinkling.

Squash is easily baked in the oven. It can be mashed up like a potato and served cold and cubed in a salad.

These foods are not exotic and can be found in any supermarket. Try to buy organic to optimize your nutritional gains and anti-aging benefits.

For more information or to book a consultation about anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Foods That Keep You Looking Younger

When it comes to anti-aging there are many foods that can help turn back the hands of time. These wonderful foods should always be in your diet if you want to maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle as they have multiple health benefits and eating them can help preserve the effects of any mesotherapy or other anti-aging cosmetic treatment that you have done at the Pinewood Health Clinic.

1. Blueberries

Blueberries contain a significant amount of vitamin K, manganese, vitamin C, and fibre. They also have omega-3 fatty acids. They can help your eyes and can heal ulcers. The antioxidants found in blueberries not only combat aging and stress factors in the body, but also reduce the risk of degenerative diseases and cancers.

One cup of blueberries has only 85 calories, and less than one gram of good fat. The fibre they contain improves bowel function and helps eliminate bowel residue. The phytochemicals they contain aid in weight loss and reduce inflammation.

Blueberries can be eaten raw, blended into smoothies, sprinkled on oatmeal or baked into muffins.

2.   Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts contain selenium that aids in the production glutathione.  This anti-aging substance repairs all cell damage and slows down all aging processes in the body.  They are also high in protein, which helps the body repair the connectivity of skin tissue and the scalp to  grow thick and lustrous hair.

Just eating two nuts a day can help halt the process of aging. Add brazil nuts to any baking that you do.  Soaking the Brazil nuts in water overnight helps make their nutrition more readily bioavailabe to the body.

3.  Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most powerful anti-aging foods known to man. Green tea contains the phytonutrients myricetin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and quercetin. They are the phytonutrients that work together in order to help your body burn fat by increasing its metabolism. These nutrients can also fight against the development of tumors and cancers.

The only thing to be careful about when drinking green tea is that it can prevent iron from being absorbed into your bloodstream. The best way to prevent this odd side-effect and ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need from you food is to drink green tea between meals as a pick-me-up or add a little lemon to it.

4.  Pomegranate

Pomegranates are a rich source of a strong antioxidant class known as punicalagins. Punicalagins breakdown into ellagic acid, the potent anti-oxidant found in raspberries, cranberries, and strawberries that also has strong antioxidant activity. The juice and seeds of this exotic tropical fruit are powerful enough to have a strong anti-inflammatory effect.

Pomegranate fruit is also high in vitamin C. One pomegranate provides about 40% of the daily requirement of this vitamin. Minerals included in pomegranates include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper manganese, selenium and fluoride.

Pomegranate juice, without sugar, is a good substitute for eating the juicy seeds, which can be a time consuming process.

5.  Red Lentils

Red lentils are loaded with fibber and protein. Dietary fibber is found in foods that come from plant sources. It is important to get enough soluble and insoluble fibres each day, so you can have a healthy digestive system. Soluble fibres act as sponges and dissolve in water. They are broken down in the colon and help sweep intestinal debris away.

Diets that are high in fibre have been shown to help people lower their cholesterol and regulate their blood sugar levels.

Lentils are best cooked as a curry, sauce or a stew with other healthy vegetables and plenty of turmeric, which is also another anti-aging substance.

For more information about our restorative diet and weight loss programs  visit the Pinewood Natural Health Centre website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Are You In A State of Acidosis?

You know you are in a state of acidosis when it seems like your entire life has become toxic.  The ill health that results from eating foods and indulging in activities that create acidic conditions in our bodies, such as smoking cigarettes and other substances, drinking alcohol and eating refined foods, affects other areas of our lives as well. Our mental and emotional capacities can be compromised and in turn also affect our working and personal relationships.

A state of acidosis leads to problems such as mucous congestion, inflammation, and eventually degenerative changes in the body that is the basis of most chronic disease. Correcting this acidic condition halts the progress of disease and aging.

Acidosis Might Be A Result of Self-Neglect

Illness is a call to us from our bodies.  The message is, “It’s time to change.”

If you are searching for naturopathic services, it is possible that you are feeling unwell enough to try and make a big change. Often people come to us when other types of treatments, such a prescription medications, have not worked. Many people who visit a naturopath simply feel a bit “burnt out” and like they have been “letting things go” health wise.

It is time to pay attention to the little nagging red flags about your health such as high blood pressure, weight gain or fatigue and do something about it. Most of these symptoms are the result of your body living in a state of acidosis. Sometimes it is the treatments for disease that can cause acidosis. A good example would be the individual who has undergone general anaesthesia and needs to detoxify or the person who is recovering from the effects of cancer treatments.

Correcting Acidosis By Eating Alkaline

In order to correct this condition you need to eat foods that are less acidic. Vegetables, raw foods, vegan foods and unrefined foods are the best. Eating alkaline foods allows you to slowly but surely bring your body, and often your life, back into balance.

Many people who switch to alkaline food or even subtly start incorporating them into the diet will experience some sort of detoxification process. Usually these symptoms are mild and there are some people do not suffer from any symptoms of detoxification at all. Usually the symptoms are mild and include headache, nausea and feeling foggy. 

Detoxification starts with depriving our bodies of their usual intake of poisons from water, air and food and replacing those toxins with fresh juices and raw foods.  Switching over from an unhealthy diet full of acidic is not easy for some people but doing so is absolutely necessary if you want to feel better.

This alkalizing/detoxification process can seem a bit daunting at first because for many people it means getting rid of some questionable lifestyle habits.  Yet, this becomes easier if you think of one step at a time. Here at Pinewood we are here to help you take those first steps towards recovering your health.  Then you will not feel overwhelmed. Even with a few baby steps taken in the right direction, you will begin to feel revitalized!

For more information or to book a consultation about our restorative diet and weight loss programs ,visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Avoiding Caffeine and Caffeine Withdrawal

As part of your natural prescription for wellness at Pinewood Health Institute you may be put on a particular diet plan or cleansing regimen that asks you to eliminate caffeine from your diet for a number of days. For some individuals this is an almost inconceivable concept as they depend on that first cup of java in the morning to wake them up and make them more productive.

However, caffeine is not just found in coffee. It is also found in energy drinks, dark chocolate, many pain medications and soft drinks. It is also found in tea, and in especially high amounts in green tea.

Symptoms of Caffeine Withdrawal

Withdrawing from caffeine can summon up the typical symptoms of withdrawal, which include fatigue, irritability, headache, anxiety, brain fog and anxiety.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that these side effects do not last long, usually between two to nine days for most people.

The other good news is that there are many people who do NOT suffer from any symptoms when they withdraw from caffeine. In fact some people experience benefits such as less indigestion, acidic stomach and feeling less jittery.  For some people, not drinking a lot of coffee helps them sleep better at night and makes them less distractible when they are focusing on a task.

Why Can’t I Have Caffeine?

Although caffeine makes us feel good, it only offers a temporary fix. In the long run it exhausts the body by over stimulating the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. This triggers us to experience the “fight or flight” response that is a biological reaction to stress.  When you experience stress, your body goes into overdrive producing cortisol, which is one of the main causes of excess belly fat.

Cortisol is not a complete villain or our bodies would not naturally produce it. It is only harmful when we produce too much of it. When the body produces smaller amounts it improves our awareness, performance and memory. In crisis situations, it is produced to create extra energy and lower our sensitivity to pain.

Caffeine artificially and unnecessarily causes our cortisol levels to rise which in turn triggers lowered cortisol levels, decreased thyroid function, cognitive difficulties, decreased bone density and muscle tissue, sky-rocketing blood pressure, inflammatory reactions and a lower resistance to disease.

Also if you have the proverbial “muffin top “you can probably blame that on cortisol overload as well.

Strategies for Avoid Caffeine

Aside from avoiding colas, coffee, teas and drugs that have caffeine you will likely have to avoid foods that are coffee-flavoured such as yogurt and ice cream. It is important to read labels.

Dark chocolate has the most caffeine. Even a small serving of dark chocolate can have up to 30 milligrams of caffeine in it, nearly the same amount as a can of cola (as compared with 90-150 milligrams in a cup of coffee and 30-70 milligrams in a cup of caffeinated tea).

The withdrawal symptoms from caffeine can be very real and for most people you have no real choice but to put up with them until your craving goes away. If you can do this you will be amazed at the sense of freedom you will feel from not having to rely on a beverage to kick-start your metabolism every morning and also how much money you will save from not buying a big designer coffee every day.

For more information or to book a consultation about our restorative diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may have ,visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.