What is Inflammation?

Do You Have Inflammation in Your Body?

So what causes inflammation and how do I get rid of it?7

Basically inflammation can be caused by certain foods or oils, certain drinks or exposure to chemicals in the environment

Inflammation in the body can cause symptoms for illnesses such as pre-diabetes, diabetes, iron deficiency, joint pain and many more

For some people dairy can cause inflammation particularly cows dairy as some people are allergic to the proteins in dairy 

Also it is common for the body to reject some vegetables due to the chemicals in plants

Be careful of oils as they are likely to cause inflammation, in particular vegetable oil, canola oil, nut oils, sunflower oil etc. The best oils to use are olive, avocado, ghee, butter or coconut

Alcohol can cause inflammation particularly high sugary drinks such as beer as certain wines

Sugar is a high factor for inflammation so we need to be careful of our daily intake and watch out for sugary drinks, did you know there is more sugar in a litre of apple juice compared to a litre of cola

Certain medications can also cause inflammation, check with your doctor if you are unsure

Eating low carb can definitely help with inflammation and joint pain and help with our metabolic system 

The low carb way of eating is becoming more popular as research is showing that it works to lower our inflammation

Alison

alisoncormack.com

Low Carb Pizza

Recipe of the Week

I hear many people saying that eating low carb is boring as you can't have your favourite foods, I tend to disagree, here is my recipe for low carb pizza

*3 eggs

Salt (only use good quality salt)

Tomato puree (make sure it is a low sugar one)

Mozzarella to taste (do not use grated mozzarella in a bag from the supermarket as it is often mixed with flour)

Topping of your choice (I used ham and mushroom)

Olive oil

Oregano

Beat 3 eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt then cook them in a round pan, this is your base

Take out of pan and let then egg base cool

Spread with tomato puree

Add mozzarella

Add your topping

Drizzle with olive oil

Sprinkle with oregano

Pop under the grill for a few moments and make sure the cheese has melted

*You could also add Pork Panko to your eggs for a crispier base

Filling and delicious

Alison

 Joint Pain / Arthritis

Is your diet causing your joint pain or arthritis?

Is it possible your diet could be making it worse or damaging your joints permanently?

There are millions of people in the world who suffer from severe debilitating arthritis

Arthritis is a word which means inflammation inside the joints

So many people think "I have worked hard and worn my joints out", this is inaccurate, your joints are constantly being regenerated  and renewed with new cells and cartilage 

Joints can be improved with diet, I know of a doctor (Dr Ken Berry) who had patients waiting for surgery to have a knee/hip replacement, he asked them to try a low carb diet for 3 months before going ahead with the surgery and many of the cancelled their surgery

So what can you eat?

As the name suggests, you need to eat low carb so you need to drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake, this will then reduce inflammation in your entire body and improve the lining of your joints

The next thing is to eliminate all grains from your diet in particular wheat, rice and corn, this should  make a noticeable difference in joint pain and swelling

Then you need to stop using oils that are bad for you in particular vegetable oil and margarine, swap for good healthy oils such as lard, butter, avocado, coconut or olive oil

Liquid dairy, for example milk is also not helping your joints.  Milk protein can inflame your joints

Instead use full fat cheeses and full fat cream, stay away from low fat as it will probably be high in sugar

Nightshade vegetables should be avoided such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergine.  

Do an experiment and stop eating them one at a time to see if you notice any difference and for some people legumes such as beans and peas can cause joint pain

Chronic inflammation which is treated with pills/steroids will stop the pain as the inflammation is being blocked however this is only treating the symptom and not the cause and you may damage other parts of the body

And if you can Stay Active

Alison

High Blood Pressure

Should You Eat A Low Carbohydrate Diet If You Have High Blood Pressure?

Many people have High Blood Pressure (HBP) or Hypertension and are not aware of it

Most people who have high blood pressure do not have symptoms 

In some cases, people with high blood pressure may have a pounding feeling in their head or chest, a feeling of being lightheaded, dizziness or other signs

HBP or Hypertension can put you at risk of major diseases such as heart attack, stroke and kidney failure

Apparently HBP cannot be cured, at least cannot be cured by taking pills

Can it be cured by eating a low carb diet? There are many people who are eating this way and losing weight or bringing down their insulin levels and inflammation levels which in turn brings down HBP or Hypertension levels and then the chances of major diseases are greatly reduced

Also it is a good idea to protect yourself from these diseases by making sure your potassium and magnesium levels are optimised and if you have chronic stress in your life then try and minimise this

Check out Dr. Ken Berry's Book - Lies My Doctor Told Me or his YouTube channel where there are many positive testimonials for High Blood |Pressure by eating a low carb diet

Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?

 Will I Be Fat If I Eat Fat?

The simple answer to this is no, not if it is the correct type of fat

Lots of people believe that they cannot have fat in their diet as it is bad for you, makes you ill, piles on the pounds etc........I could go on

Fat has been demonised for many years and yes some fats that are in processed foods or margarine are very bad for you (even birds won't eat margarine)

So what is a Good (Real) Fat?

Good fats are found in bacon, butter, bacon grease, egg yolks

These types of fats are very satiating and filling - this why some people can eat a load of doughnuts for example and not feel full as there is no real fat in them so you after a short time they feel hungry again

Try the bacon test, cook 10 pieces of bacon and eat them until you are comfortably stuffed and see how long you feel full for

Now try the same experiment on 5 cakes and notice the difference

This is very typical for an all you can eat Chinese buffet, yes the food is delicious and we all probably eat way too much, however do you feel you could eat again perhaps an hour or so later!

So the message is don't be hungry all the time, add fat to your diet it is good for you and will be absorbed by the body so you won't gain extra pounds - butter, coconut oil, avocado oil and if you are cooking at low temperatures olive oil

Alison

Do You Have Type 2 Diabetes

Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

Yes you can, all it takes is a few simple changes in your diet 

Start today and see the difference it will make in the next few weeks/months 

You can make a HUGE improvement to your type 2 Diabetes or even be in remission

It will not cost you anything, it is all about choice which is up to you

Some people believe (even some Health Care Professionals) that Type 2  Diabetes is a progressive, chronic condition that you are stuck with for the rest of your life, not true

In simple terms, Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic carbohydrate overdose

Before you begin to improve, eliminate or be in remission with your Type 2 Diabetes it would be a good idea to go to your doctor for tests to see what stage you are at 

5 Easy Steps to Help Reverse Type 2 Diabetes or Pre-Diabetics

1.  Eliminate ALL sugars from your diet whether it is added sugars in your foods or sugar you have added yourself as sugar spikes you insulin levels

2. Stop eating ALL grains, the most common being wheat, corn, oats and rice as they convert immediately into sugar even before you swallow them

3. Remove all inflammatory oils from your diet such as corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil and many more

4. Include lots of fatty meat (contains lots of vitamins and minerals) in your diet, fat and protein don't raise your blood sugar or insulin level to any meaningful degree

5. Vegetables must be ones that are grown above ground to keep carbohydrates at a minimum e.g. cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, be careful of peppers and tomatoes as they have a high sugar content

Although research has not yet found a way to reverse Type 1 Diabetes following these steps can only help

Don't Let This Be You

Alison

Signs You Need Salt

What are the Signs You Need Salt?

Many of us have been led to believe that we should limit our salt intake or to eat a low salt diet

It turns out that many people have listened to this advice and now we are just not getting enough daily salt

There are many symptoms which could be caused by a low salt diet 

Fatigue can be a cause of a being depleted of salt, try adding more salt to your diet or even taking a pinch in your hand a licking it so see if it makes any difference

Headaches can be another cause, again try taking more salt on a daily basis or try drinking some pickle juice to see if this helps

Do you ever get cramp or twitches, definitely a sign of lack of magnesium and potassium and real salt can help

Irritability is also a sign, try taking more salt to improve your mood

How about muscle weakness, do you suffer from this? Many body builders increase their intake of salt before going to the gym

Poor mental focus or forgetfulness may be a lack of salt, the neurons in your brain and in your cells need salt in order to function properly and optimally

We need lots of real salt in our diets, salt depletion can also lead to more serious illnesses such as low blood levels, heart conditions

Real salt is good for you, make sure you pick one without micro and nano plastics, try to stay away from evaporated sea salt - see link below for the one I use

Tip: if you have overdone it on the alcohol or partying try taking some salt in water before you go to bed or when you wake up the next morning 

Alison

Are You Salt Depleted?

 Is Salt Bad For You?

This is a very important Health & Nutrition topic

Millions of people limit their salt intake because they think it is bad for them, is this true?

Sodium (salt) is essential for every single cell function in your body

We are led to believe from the "experts" that too much salt leads to diseases and poor health however if you are salt depleted you would definitely feel unwell

Mammals will walk for miles to find a salt block, why?  - because they know when they need it

Salt contains magnesium and potassium along with other important elements so to function optimally we need salt, think about muscle cramps which is a lack of magnesium, this is your body telling you that you are salt depleted

Of course the quality of the salt  must be good, table salt will probably harm your health as will the salt found in most processed foods

Himalayan pink salt is acceptable, however the best one I have found is Redmond Real Salt, highly recommended

Alison

Avoid Sugar at All Costs

 Sugar is a No No!!

I once heard someone say that sugar is the legal cocaine

I couldn't agree more, it creates havoc with your body and brain and is VERY addictive

So really we should eliminate sugar completely from our diets, too much sugar causes the start of obesity and many illnesses and diseases

Also, watch out for carbohydrates and alcohol as these are also sugars

Fruit juices and flavoured fizzy drinks are very high in sugar and should be removed from any diet

The challenge in today's society is that sugar is everywhere, we use it to celebrate, birthdays, weddings, holidays, Christmas Dinner, New Year etc.

(The problem isn't what we eat between Christmas and New Year, it's what we eat between New Year and Christmas)

Now I'm not saying that a "treat" every now and then is the end of the world just be cautious of how much sugar you are consuming

Avoid low fat foods as they tend to be full of sugar, labels are cleverly marketed to confuse us, if an ingredient ends in ose it's probably a sugar

You can use sweeteners however I would only recommend plant based ones 

(Check out Dr Ken Berry on YouTube for sweetener recommendations)

Certain sweeteners are very bad for your health

Alison

Which Oil Should I Use?

 Which Oils Should You Cook With?

Did you know that if you cook with the 'wrong' oils then it could lead to weight gain, make you age quicker, inflammation and other substantial poor health outcomes

You should be using oils with good saturated fats such as butter, ghee, lard, avocado oil, coconut oil and good quality olive oil, these oils are good for the body and good for the brain and research shows they won't raise your cholesterol level

We need good fats in our body

So which oils should you avoid at all costs?

Avoid all seed oils which are not natural  e.g. safflower, cottonseed, canola, rapeseed, margarine or vegetable oils  - the oil is not from vegetables, they come from seeds and beans and found in most if  not all processed foods

Also in the 'Ketoworld' some people save up their bacon grease after cooking bacon as this is one of the best fats you can use

Alison

alisoncormack.com

 Are Eggs Bad for You?

Popped down to our local market at the weekend for some eggs

Some many remember here in the UK quite a few years ago, politicians were telling us to 'go to work on an egg' and then that changed to 'eggs are bad for you'  Confusing!!

After a lot of research online with Keto doctors, visiting my herbalist and like-minded people showing their results with a Keto diet, (particularly Dr. Ken Berry - check him out on YouTube) I now know that eggs are extremely good for you

Like millions of other people I used to have cereal or toast for breakfast as I thought it was healthy, I have since found that in my opinion 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' is simply untrue

Also cereals and grains are particularly bad for the body causing all types of illnesses

Nowadays, I fast usually until midday and then have bacon and eggs as guess what healthy fats DO NOT make you fat and yes contrary to what we are asked to believe, bacon is healthy!!

We have eggs any time of the day brunch, for a snack, evening meal etc.

So eat up your eggs whichever way you like them

Alison

 Why Did I Start a Ketogenic Diet?

The story starts a few years ago when I had eczema on my legs and no matter what I tried, I could not get it to clear up

So the search began.......I started with following a couple of people online however it soon become apparent that low fat was not the way to go

Then my husband had a Stroke so now the solution was urgent

I researched his medication and diet night after night to find the answer

Funnily enough after we had a couple of visits to the doctor, his medication was reduced from 9 tablets per day to 5 and then eventually to 3 (They were "experimenting" to see what suited)

Then I discovered juicing and followed this for a couple of years, however my blood pressure was 'sky high' (I now know I was having too much sugar from the fruit) 

Finally I went to a herbalist who suggested a low carb diet and explained the health benefits, I have followed this ever since off and on, eczema gone, blood pressure normal

I have done a lot of research regarding the Ketogenic way of eating (WOE) and it's amazing what I am learning, definitely the one for me

Alison

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