Nutrition From Scratch
First Aid For Your Heart
Heart attacks occur when there is a sudden blockage of the blood supply to the heart, usually caused by a clot from the build-up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries.
As coronary heart disease (cholesterol build up) is the leading cause of heart attacks, to reduce your risk you need to:
First Aid For Your Heart
Heart attacks occur when there is a sudden blockage of the blood supply to the heart, usually caused by a clot from the build-up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries.
As coronary heart disease (cholesterol build up) is the leading cause of heart attacks, to reduce your risk you need to:
Quit smoking
Lose excess weight
Exercise regularly (minimum 2.5 hours a week)
Eat a low fat, high fibre diet with 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and 2 portions of fish a week
Moderate your alcohol consumption
Heart attacks occur when there is a sudden blockage of the blood supply to the heart, usually caused by a clot from the build-up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries.
As coronary heart disease (cholesterol build up) is the leading cause of heart attacks, to reduce your risk you need to:
Quit smoking
Lose excess weight
Exercise regularly (minimum 2.5 hours a week)
Eat a low fat, high fibre diet with 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and 2 portions of fish a week
Moderate your alcohol consumption
Everyone aged between 40-74 is eligible for a free NHS Health Check in England. If you have a family history of heart disease, please let your GP know and arrange a health check.
The location of the blockage in the heart will determine how much of the heart muscle gets starved of oxygen and therefore damaged. This then dictates the outcome for the casualty. They may be still conscious and breathing (minor heart attack) or unconscious and not breathing (major heart attack).
Minor heart attack
The signs and symptoms of a minor heart attack vary but may include:
Crushing central chest pain (not to be confused with indigestion) which can radiate up to their jaw, down their left arm or their back (sometimes only minor or none at all, especially in women and older people)
Shortness of breath and tightening of the chest
Feeling weak, lightheaded or nauseous
Face going grey and sweaty
A 'sense of impending doom'
Always call 999 and whilst waiting for the paramedics, sit them down in the W position so leaning back against a wall with their knees bent up, and give them 300mg aspirin to chew (maybe 1, 2 or 4 tablets so check the packet) to help thin the blood. However do check that they are not allergic to aspirin before administering it.
Major heart attack
A major heart attack can cause a cardiac arrest, where the heart stops pumping effectively, so they need immediate CPR and a defibrillator.
These are 2 links in the Chain of Survival - a series of steps which if performed quickly in the right order give the best chance of survival from a cardiac arrest when not in a hospital. If you start CPR within 2 minutes, place a defibrillator on their chest in 4 minutes and a paramedic arrives in 8 minutes, then they have a 40% chance of survival.
1. Early recognition & call for help: when a casualty is not breathing normally get someone to call 999 (or 112 if overseas). If there is a public defibrillator nearby send for that too.
2. Early CPR: to buy life-saving time by pumping oxygenated blood around their body until a defibrillator arrives.
3. Early defibrillation: for every minute the patient doesn’t have a defibrillator attached to their chest, their chances of survival reduce by 7-10%.
4. Post-resuscitation care: is delivered by Paramedics and includes the administration of medicines and advanced airway procedures, prior to the arrival of the patient at hospital.
Like any chain, it is only as strong as its weakest link, so if one stage is poor the chances of successful resuscitation are compromised.
To be prepared it’s always best to attend a first aid course, as it’s better to have the skills and not need them than the alternative, but also remember that if someone is having a cardiac arrest, anything that you do is better than nothing.
Article written by First Aid Expert Trainer Louise Worsley from www.worsleytraining.co.uk
I hope you enjoyed this article and took some useable knowledge from it to help you understand your biology and meet your needs in relation to your goals. Please leave a comment, press the heart button and share it to help more people take control of their health, well-being and fitness.
Samantha
Do You Need Supplements?
There are many claims about supplements, and there are some correlations (not causations) drawn between taking vitamins and placebo but there is no evidence to suggest vitamin or mineral supplements are going to be very helpful to the average person. The caveat is that certain populations may find benefit in supplementing in addition to a balanced diet, like pregnant women and folic acid, people with darker skin living in cooler climates, the professional advice is to seek medical opinion especially if you regularly take medications as there may be some contraindications that a GP will be able to discuss with you.
According to the NHS
‘Most people do not need to take vitamin supplements and can get all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a healthy, balanced diet.’ Which you can do by using the ‘Eatwell plate’ as a guide.
Vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium and vitamin C, are essential nutrients this means your body needs these in small amounts to work properly.
Many people choose to take supplements but taking too much or taking them for too long could be harmful.
The Department of Health and Social Care recommends certain supplements for some groups of people who are at risk of deficiency.
Harvard Health
"Supplements are never a substitute for a balanced, healthful diet," says Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "And they can be a distraction from healthy lifestyle practices that confer much greater benefits."
Science
There is limited evidence that supplements offer any significant health benefits. In fact, a study published online May 28, 2018, by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Taking a supplement cannot undo the negative effects of an unhealthy diet. Research also shows that supplements do not help to stop or improve heart and circulatory diseases. In some cases, supplements can even be harmful.- British Heart Foundation
Some supplements can also affect the medicines you are taking, causing side effects. For example, vitamin K, omega-3 and St John’s wort all interact with the blood-thinning drug warfarin.
Talk to your doctor before spending money on supplements. If you need them they will prescribe or recommend them.
The exception to this is that it is recommended we all take 10 micrograms a day of vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter, because vitamin D is mainly made in our bodies with the help of sunlight. Just a little comes from food.
Apart from this, a healthy, varied, balanced diet provides all the energy, vitamins and minerals you need.- British Heart Foundation
An analysis of research involving 450,000 people, which found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for heart disease or cancer.
A study that tracked the mental functioning and multivitamin use of 5,947 men for 12 years found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for mental declines such as memory loss or slowed-down thinking.
A study of 1,708 heart attack survivors who took a high-dose multivitamin or placebo for up to 55 months. Rates of later heart attacks, heart surgeries and deaths were similar in the two groups.- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org
The researchers concluded that multivitamins don’t reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline (such as memory loss and slowed-down thinking) or an early death. They also noted that in prior studies, vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements appear to be harmful, especially at high doses.
“Pills are not a shortcut to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases,” says Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. “Other nutrition recommendations have much stronger evidence of benefits—eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar you eat.” - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org
Summary
There are many claims about supplements, and there are some correlations (not causations) drawn between taking vitamins and placebo but there is no evidence to suggest vitamin or mineral supplements are going to be very helpful to the average person. The caveat is that certain populations may find benefit in supplementing in addition to a balanced diet, like pregnant women and folic acid, people with darker skin living in cooler climates, the professional advice is to seek medical opinion especially if you regularly take medications as there may be some contraindications that a GP will be able to discuss with you. Embrace Life UK do not endorse or advise on supplements but we have found that clients have has success in reaching their goals when taking advice from a limited list of functional medicine practitioners in more extreme cases- this area however is unregulated and not medical with regards to diet and lifestyle Medical Doctors, Functional Medicine Practioners and Businesses like ourselves will follow the same lifestyle recommendations like stress reduction, movement, sleep, good nutrition. We have a download available that is a great resource for helping you locate the cause of stress and what you can do about it to reduce overwhelm and find steps forward without the need of coaching or expensive supplements. We also have a Download ‘Food Made Easy’ that helps you gain knowledge around nutrition and personalising your habits to meet your needs. These are ways you can dial in and help yourself for little cost and huge long-term benefits.
Spend your time and money wisely so you can Embrace Life without un-necessary supplementation.
I hope you enjoyed this article and took some useable knowledge from it to help you understand your biology and meet your needs in relation to your goals. Please leave a comment, press the heart button and share it to help more people take control of their health, well-being and fitness.
Samantha
Can Diet Affect Behaviour?
Meal times are important as they fuel our energy, reduce our stress, support or sleep and decision making and impact greatly the way we communicate.
From a nutrition point of view diet can affect behaviour
Lacking in b-vitamins can make you more open to suggestion and feel less stable in thought and action. Overloading on carbohydrates can leave your body fatigued as overloading on protein can leave you sluggish and tired.
People diet year round for various reasons and it does affect mood health and fitness outcomes, habits and behaviour. As health & fitness professionals we know that following a few basic principles given to us by dietary experts goes a long way to helping us support our day to day well-being. These are simply the unsexy basics we can discipline within ourselves as we choose to in our daily routines. Apologies for the lack of quick-fix miracle diets- as yet we have not seen any evidence long term that this approach is safe or viable outside the scope of professional medical support. Here are a few basic tips to help you help yourself day to day or week to week.
1) Eat a varied diet- enjoy your food but keep in balanced in favour of the health, well-being, fitness outcomes you desire for yourself- You can achieve this learning the fundamentals of nutrition and experimenting for yourself. this will allow you to self-coach, to support that we have dedicated Pinterest board with the fundamentals covered it’s free and updated every Monday. We also have a download; Food-Made Easy which will help you with self-coaching.
2) Make sure you get movement into your week- there is plenty of research to back us walking as a valuable way to get in exercise and support mental health. If walking is not for you jogging could be a great alternative. You don’t need to be a fitness professional to be healthy or to train like one. Bodyweight exercises, exercise classes, lifting weight are all highly recommended options with a plethora of benefits including social, mental health, physical health and over all well-being.
3) Stay hydrated- The brain and digestive system work well when hydrated, lacking water can lead to mental and physical fatigue. Don’t overdo it a couple of litres per day on average is recommended- juice and flavoured vitamin tablets are fine, avoid having too many stimulant drinks as they can be dehydrating.
4) Eat regularly, consistently, plan meal times so your body can get into a routine. There is no trick to metabolism, dieting will slow it down where-as consistency will help keep it balanced.
5) Rest and recover- Don’t overdo it, busyness is not necessarily productive or helpful. If you need to rest then rest, everything else will feel so much easier as a result.
Your food and nutrition habits will affect your mood and behaviour- in fact understanding this can help you regulate habits to help with mood, stress, and other areas of your life.
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Making Diet and Food Easy
Let’s start with a simple understanding of calories in and calories out but let us change the work calorie for the word energy!
By understanding your energy expenditure you can work out what you need to fuel that, running on empty will only make you ill, running on too little without having the reserves for it will make you ill, running marginally below if you have size/mass to lose will help you lose weight. This is true without trying fancy diets that cut out macro nutrients which are essential for your body to function as you want and be well.
Understanding Calories as Energy
Let’s start with a simple understanding of calories in and calories out but let us change the work calorie for the word energy!
By understanding your energy expenditure you can work out what you need to fuel that, running on empty will only make you ill, running on too little without having the reserves for it will make you ill, running marginally below if you have size/mass to lose will help you lose weight. This is true without trying fancy diets that cut out macro nutrients which are essential for your body to function as you want and be well.
Understanding Macro Nutrients
Protein is an organic compound made up of an alphabet of amino acids which serve all the functions of the body. Literally they are our building blocks for well-being. To see more on proteins visit our nutrition board in Pinterest
Your diet should consist of approx 25-30% protein. The best source of protein is meat as meat is what science calls a complete protein. Second to meat- dairy contains complete protein. Incomplete proteins are proteins which do not have all nine necessary amino acids our body uses or synthesises other proteins from, they have a lower biological value which means we need to more to get the same benefit.
Vitamin B1-12 are all protein-based water soluble vitamins, A B-deficiency could be an indicator of not eating enough protein or drinking enough water.
Plants with higher protein values include Pulses, Beans and nuts plus a selection of vegetables.
Taken from publication on Science Direct- Key findings and conclusions
Previous research has shown that the digestibility and bioavailability of plant based proteins (PBPs) can be improved by various physical, chemical, and biological approaches, including sonication, microwave, high-pressure processing (HPP), and electric field (EF) technologies, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. There are challenges to the large-scale commercial implementation of several of these green processing technologies, which researchers are trying to address. Overall, the selection of an appropriate protein source and processing technology can be used to improve the digestibility and bioavailability of PBPs, thereby enhancing the nutritional profile of plant-based meat analogues.
Carbohydrates (carbs) hold the same amount of energy per gram as proteins, but the body uses these in a very different way. Carbohydrates are instant energy first, whereas proteins are recovery and repair first. In the case of missing proteins the body can use carbohydrates to synthesise a copy for the body, but it’s more ideal to eat protein than use carbohydrates.
Our Pinterst board on macronutrients allows for a deeper understanding in bite-size chunks.
Let’s sum up some points here: Carbs can be categorised in a numbers of ways:
Starchy carbs, Non-starchy carbs
Both are sugar, both can be natural sugars, one can be both refined and natural.
Starchy carbs provide us with active energy, the brain is fuelled primarily also on active energy so starchy carbohydrates are vital to support bodily functions and performance.
Signs you are low on starchy carbohydrates include:
Mental & physical tiredness, Slow recovery, Slow to awaken, Struggling to sleep, Afternoon slump, Gut issues.
Dieticians advise keeping your body topped up on non-refined starchy carbs such as natural rice, quinoa, potatoes, root vegetables, beans, alongside protein and fats.
Carbohydrates provide us with essential vitamins and minerals for our body to function optimally, e.g. red, orange and purple fruit and veg provide us with beta-carotene and Vitamin A which helps with vision, immunity, blood circulation. If you eat cooked fruits and veg often the need for supplementation is minimal. Carbohydrates contain Vitamins ACDE&K which are oil soluble ( you need a fat to absorb and use it) with the exception of Vitamin C which is water soluble.
Fats hold more than twice the amount of energy as proteins or carbohydrates and are the body’s secondary resource for energy, carbs being the primary and protein being not ideal.
Fats are also split into multiple categories which you can see in more detail on my Pinterst board, for this article we will stick to the commonly known:
Saturated, Meats, Dairy, Coconut oil, Palm oil, Avocado
Unsaturated, Oils found in plants, seeds and nuts
Signs you are low on fats could include vitamin (see carbs section above), low energy, weight gain, fly away hair, headaches, weak nails, rashes could also be a sign of fat deficiency. Brian and nerve issues can also be signs of not enough fat in the diet, twitches, speech problems. Fats protect our nerves and prevent them from short-circuiting.
Fats contribute to healthy, glossy skin hair and nails.
Macronutrients work together to give us what we need to function really well and be healthy. Knowing how to organise them on our plate to suit our goals for weight and health can sometimes be tricky which is why knowing just a little bit can go a long way to helping you help yourself when it comes to meal planning, shopping, creating your menus to suit your lifestyle, needs and goals.
Food Made Easy
Coach yourself, with our Food Made Easy guide (available in our shop) and all the free resources and information we provide across Pinterest and right here.
Diet doesn’t have to be restrictive or difficult and won’t be if you take the time to understand it and apply what you learn.
I hope you enjoyed this article and took some useable knowledge from it to help you understand your biology and meet your needs in relation to your goals. Please leave a comment, press the heart button and share it to help more people take control of their health, well-being and fitness.
Samantha