HEALTH HACKS
A healthy body harbours a healthy mind and as the saying goes, you are what you eat. Unfortunately, most of us have unhealthy eating habits we can’t break.
Drink water in a different way – We all know that drinking enough water has many benefits, but by following the simple rule of not drinking water (or anything else) 90 minutes before and after each meal, will fuel your digestive fire, hydrate you properly and assist your body to absorb nutrients optimally by not diluting your digestive juices. Remember
to drink enough water outside of these times.
Spice up your life – Use herbs and spices such as fennel, celery seed and cumin for improved digestion. Adding a combination of turmeric, black pepper and ginger can assist in fighting inflammation too.
Collagen keeps you beautiful – Gelatin is a great way to provide your body with more collagen, and it’s more affordable than hydrolysed collagen. You can make the most delicious gelatin desserts or you can add it to stews to thicken them and add some extra nutritional benefit for healthy skin and hair, as well as to assist in healing a leaky gut.
Veggies for the win – Eating an abundance and variety of vegetables is fundamental to good health. Using frozen veggies is an easy way to include more veggies in your diet as it will save you peeling and chopping time, but also ensures a high nutritional value as vegetables headed for the frozen market are harvested when they are perfectly ripe, as opposed to the ‘almost-ready’ veggies available on the fresh-produce market.
Three health hacks by Dr Bianca De Canha:
1. Using homeopathy first, particularly against viral infections where antibiotics are powerless, has been shown in numerous studies to be effective and as such reduce the necessity for antibiotics, without complications. Homeopathy is safe and effective, and is suitable for young and old, in pregnancy, for those breastfeeding and in infancy.
2. Guard your gut – Protecting your gut can be the first line of defence to prevent a variety of diseases, such as metabolic disorders, depression and eczema. Make sure to supplement daily with a broad-spectrum probiotic and prebiotic to ensure you a CFU (colony forming unit) of at least 10 billion CFUs.
3. Don’t forget vitamin D3 – The perception is that living in sunny South Africa assures you high vitamin D levels; however, the shocking truth is that we are mostly deficient thanks to high-factor sunscreens, less than optimal diets and a lifestyle that confines us to the indoors. Vitamin D is not only essential for bone health and teeth, but has a vital role in gut health, mood, hormone production as well as supporting a healthy immune system.
IV infusions: The body-boosting trend!
If you hate needles, you probably stay far away from them unless they are necessary to save your life. Nowadays, however, people are subjecting themselves increasingly to needles by choice – thanks to the availability of intravenous (IV) vitamins that are gaining popularity by the day.
What are they? The infusion treatments target a variety of wellness needs by replenishing hydration, aiding recovery from illness or jet lag, providing hangover relief and restoring vitamin and nutrient levels, while refreshing cosmetic appearance and revitalising overall well-being.
Need to know: A consultation with a medical doctor is essential before any IV infusions to rule out any liver, kidney or heart disease. High-risk patients with epilepsy, diabetes, sickle-cell disease or cancer also need to be identified by your attending doctor. Ask yourself the following: Is the place that you visit safe? Do they have all the medical equipment and training as per the standards required by the Department of Health?
Get your IV infusions done at Skin Renewal West Rand, situated at Town Square Shopping Centre, Roodepoort. Details: www.skinrenewal.co.za.
Avoid burnout at work
This time of the year you might experience low energy during the workday, a loss of interest in your work, and irritability with colleagues or team members. These are typical signs of burnout. Burnouts can lead to low productivity, high absenteeism, low creativity, and even health problems which is why it’s better to avoid burnout before it harms your career.
Follow these tips to avoid burnout:
1. Work with purpose.
2. Perform a job analysis, and eliminate or delegate unnecessary work.
3. Take control, and actively manage your time.
4. Get more exercise.
5. Learn how to manage stress.
Try this!
Aesthetic glitter bottles …
In a transparent bottle, just add water and glue in an 80–20 ratio. (You can use soapy water instead of glue.) Then add a lot of glitter! You can twirl the bottle or tilt it upside down! Seeing the glitter flow calms people down. This is one of the easiest hacks out there and many people suffering from anxiety have claimed that this helps.
