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January 03, 2018
Pramod Pathak
By studying the effects of starvation on yeast, It has been discovered that sugar accelerates aging and premature death, in part by activating two genes known as Ras and PKA, both of which are known to accelerate aging. Longo explains:
"At Walford, we were working with human samples and mice and it was very clear that not knowing about the genes and the molecular biology was going to greatly limit us in moving forward. The gamble was, let's move back to a very simple system and hope that what we learn about aging in this simple system applies back to humans. And I think the gamble worked. We did identify what I call the sugar pathway or the PKA or Ras/PKA, and then the protein pathway, the TOR-S6 kinase. "
Research has demonstrated that these initial findings in yeast hold true in other animals as well, including worms, flies, mice and a group of people in Ecuador who have Laron syndrome, a rare genetic disorder where they lack the receptor for growth hormone. As a result, they cannot grow taller than 4 feet.
Interestingly though, this genetic anomaly also appears to protect them against chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer — even when consuming a less than ideal diet. According to Longo, there's reason to believe the findings apply to most other people as well, as we now know growth hormone and growth hormone receptor in humans regulates both the TOR and MPK pathways.
"We now suspect there is a network pathway starting with the growth hormone and ending with these transcription factors that we described. These are what I call the captains of protection, that are regulated by the food that you eat," Longo says.
Sugar Avoidance and Fasting Are Powerful Longevity Boosters
Longo was one of the first researchers to identify sugar as an aging accelerator and fasting as a process for improving longevity. In 1997, he published a paper showing yeast could be made to live a lot longer when starved. Shortly after that, they discovered the sugar and protein pathways responsible for this phenomenon.
In essence, what he found was that if you knock out both Ras/PKA and something called LCH-9, which is the S6-Kinase gene in yeast, you could obtain up to a fivefold extension in lifespan. As noted by Longo, "It was clear that the effects of fasting were caused in part by shutting down these two pathways." The question was, does the same apply to humans?
To answer this, Longo looked for equivalents to what they'd identified in yeast. Work done by John Kopchick and Andre Barki showed that, in mice, growth hormone deficiency and growth hormone receptor deficiency caused record longevity extension of 40 to 50 percent. They were also far healthier than normal mice. Half of them were completely disease-free at the time of death. As noted by Longo:
"This is very impressive and remarkable. So, we knew that this was true for yeast and this was true for mice, and the Laron [study] was our way to demonstrate that this is also true for people. To summarize, health and longevity are promoted by either a) having low levels of growth hormone, or b) lack of receptors for growth hormone, so it doesn't matter whether you remove growth hormone or the receptor."
Homemade almond milk contains all of the nutrients of the whole almond, and is packed with protein and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and omega fatty acids, as well as Vitamins B, D and E, magnesium, potassium and copper. Ready to make your own pure almond milk? Let's get started.
Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds, soaked
3 cups filtered water
Instructions
USING BLENDER
1. Put 1 1/2 cups of the water and the almonds in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water and blend again. Strain for a smoother free flowing texture.
2. To strain, place a nut milk bag over the opening of a glass bowl, jar or jug. Pour the milk into the bag, twisting the bag closed, and gently squeezing it to pass the liquid through.
USING SLOW JUICER
1. When the juicer is running, spoon a ladle full of almonds and water into the top of the juicer. Carefully add more.
2. Continue adding more nuts and water into the juicer until you are done. To get a fine texture strain it from a fine mesh strainer.
Recipe Notes
Soak raw almonds overnight or 8-10 hours at room temperature. Rinse well and discard the water.
You can adjust the consistency of the milk by increasing or decreasing the amount of water.
Almond milk can be easily stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
When left for sometime the milk tends to separate. Just give it a stir or a shake before using. It'll come back to its normal state again.
This basic almond milk can be used in recipes as a substitute to dairy milk or you can add a sweetener and some spices of your choice to make it more flavourful.
Almond pulp can be stored in refrigerator to use later in recipes. You may also dehydrate the pulp and turn it into almond floor. The pulp can also be used as face pack or body scrub.
It is no secret that stress has a negative impact on health, but research is finding that an “attitude of gratitude” can be a successful antidote to external stressors. As this article points out:
Grateful people — those who perceive gratitude as a permanent trait rather than a temporary state of mind — have an edge on the not-so-grateful when it comes to health, according to Emmons’ research on gratitude. “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations”.
Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness has also been linked to better hormone balance, immune function, better ability to relax, and even decreased rates of disease.
The Paradox of Gratitude
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking “if only I had ___ I’d be happy,” or “If only I didn’t have to deal with ___ I’d be happy,” but this is a vicious cycle…
As Shawn Anchor points out in this TED talk, gratitude and happiness are the first step, not the end result. Making the choice to be happy and have gratitude is not only healthy, but it can improve our performance and ability as well.
Why Is Negativity So Easy?
It sounds so simple to just be grateful, but it turns out that there are biological reasons this process doesn’t come so easily.
Sure, by all measures, if you are reading this on a computer, your living conditions are better than those in a large majority of the world. You probably got to eat today, likely even food you chose and enjoyed, and you probably have adequate clothing. We probably have friends, and a social support system, and family members we can talk to regularly.
Yet, it is easy to dwell on the financial problems, or the one negative comment on a blog post (*ahem*) or the one thing we wish we could fix about our bodies.
This makes sense from a biological standpoint, but makes gratitude difficult. We are wired to pay attention to pay attention to things that could be potentially negative or harmful as a survival instinct, but in a world of constant input from the internet and social media, this instinct can backfire.
Making Gratitude a Habit
Thankfully, cultivating a grateful attitude is possible, and it can be one of the easiest (and cheapest) changes to make for better health! As this article suggests, a few simple changes can help make gratitude a habit:
A Daily List – One thing I do daily is to make a list of a few things that I am especially grateful for that particular day. Whether little things like my garden or the dishwasher to big things like my children and wonderful husband, I’ve found that this does help to keep the focus on the many blessings in my life. When done first thing in the morning, this sets the tone for the day and helps me stay positive and cheerful.
Gratitude Letters – Once in a while, I try to write a letters to friends and family members thanking them for their influence in my life and detailing the reasons I am grateful for them.
Acts of Kindness– Doing a small, unnoticed good deed each day can help boost the natural tendency to be grateful and look for the good in any situation.
As Martha Washington said:
I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
So, if you are grateful for anything today, please share it below in the comments! Five things I’m very grateful for today are:
My family
My friends
A good night’s sleep
Access to healthy food
A beautiful home
October 31, 2017
Pramod Pathak
Arthritis
Certain foods may act as arthritis pain triggers:
1. Dairy products (All dairy products should be avoided: skim or whole cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
2. Corn
3. Meats (All meats should be avoided: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, etc.)
4. Wheat, oats, rye
5. Eggs
6. Citrus fruits
7. Potatoes
8. Tomatoes
9. Nuts
10. Coffee
Pain-Safe Foods
Pain-safe foods virtually never contribute to arthritis or other painful conditions. These include
1. Brown rice
2. Cooked or dried fruits: cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes (but not citrus fruits, bananas, peaches or tomatoes)
3. Cooked green, yellow, and orange vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, string beans, summer or winter squash, sweet potatoes, tapioca, and taro (poi)
4. Water: plain water or carbonated forms, such as Perrier, are fine. Other beverages – even herbal teas – can be triggers.
5. Condiments: modest amounts of salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract are usually well-tolerated.
After four weeks, if your symptoms have improved or disappeared, the next step is to nail down which one or more of the trigger foods has been causing your problem. Simply reintroduce the foods you have eliminated back into your diet one at a time, every two days.
Have a generous amount of each newly reintroduced food, and see whether your joints flare up again. If so, eliminate the food that seems to have caused the problem, and let your joints cool down again. Then continue to reintroduce the other foods. Wait at least two weeks before trying a problem food a second time. Many people have more than one food trigger.
It is not recommended to bring meats, dairy products, or eggs back into your diet. Not only are they major triggers, but they also encourage hormone imbalances that may contribute to joint pain, and also lead to many other health problems.
- October 27, 2017
- Pramod Pathak
- Body Scrub, Skin, Sugar
If you love making your own beauty products at home, you’ve undoubtedly made your own body scrubs. Making your own scrubs is incredibly easy, satisfying, and will save you a ton of money in the long run. Today we’ll show you how to make sugar scrubs at home using any type of combination you wish. All you need is sugar, oil, and your favorite essential oil to make some amazing and easy concoctions! These sugar scrubs are 100% natural and are great at sloughing off dead skin cells and revealing beautiful soft skin.
How to Make Sugar Scrubs
Before you start making any sort of sugar scrubs, it’s important to remember the ratio. From there on, you can pretty much mix any type of essential oil and concoct your own, unique scent. Homemade sugar scrubs consist of 80% sugar and 20% oil. For most recipes, I use 1 cup of brown or white sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut oil, almond oil, or olive oil. Alternatively, any other type of oil will also work if you don’t have either of the three.
So with that 80-20 ration in mind, now we can go ahead and make some great sugar scrub combinations!
Orange Sugar Scrub
This orange sugar scrub is great for mornings as the orange is super energizing and will wake up all of your senses! Mix 1 cup brown sugar, with 1/4 cup coconut oil and 7-8 drops orange essential oil.
Cucumber Mint Sugar Scrub
This cucumber mint sugar scrub is extremely refreshing and perfect for hot summers. Mix 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 5 drops peppermint essential oil, and 4 drops of cucumber essential oil.
Vanilla Lavender Sugar Scrub
A soothing scrub that will calm all your senses! Perfect scrub for before bed! Mix 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, and 5 drops lavender essential oil.
- October 27, 2017
- Pramod Pathak
- Dry Brushing
What is dry brushing and what are its benefits? You’ve no doubt seen and heard of dry brushing all over social media, but do you know what it actually is and what it does? It’s pretty simple actually! Dry brushing is simply brushing your skin using a natural bristle brush in order to stimulate blood circulation which in turn results in smoother skin, minimized cellulite, and a slew of other incredible benefits. So why should you hope on the dry brushing bandwagon? We’ll tell you why!
Think about it this way: your skin is the largest organ you have! Taking care of it means taking care of your ENTIRE body. Dry brushing improves blood circulation which helps to better eliminate toxins that are found in your body. If your blood isn’t circulating at full capacity, the skin can’t possibly eliminate toxins at a full rate. This is one of the biggest reasons why dry brushing is so good for you – it isn’t necessarily all about the appearance of the skin, but rather what’s inside of it.
#1. Reduce Cellulite
Cellulite is fat that’s been trapped underneath the skin. Dry brushing can help minimize the appearance of cellulite because it gets the blood flowing, and this in turn, helps break down fat cells.
#2. Exfoliate
Dry brushing is also another way to exfoliate because it removes the skin’s dead cells. This improves skin texture, prevents ingrown hair and bumps, and leads to smoother, brighter skin.
#3. Detoxifies
As we’ve mentioned above, better blood circulation means better and faster release of toxins. Dry brushing can get rid of all the toxins that lay in your skin by stimulating blood flow which results in healthy skin.
#4. Eliminates Clogged Pores
Because dry brushing is another version of exfoliating, it also gets rid of clogged pores. Clogged pores can lead to painful bumps and ingrown hairs.
#5. Glowing Skin
Last but certainly not least, after about a week of dry brushing, you’ll notice smoother, healthier, and glowing skin to the point where everyone will ask “what have you been doing??”.
How to Dry Brush:
First thing’s first: purchase a dry brush. You can find them online or at your local drugstore. Make sure you choose a natural bristle brush that isn’t made of synthetic materials. Find out with a long handle so you can get hard to reach places!
Brush on dry skin, in slow, circular motions (as if you were buffing a car!).
Always begin at the ankles and move your way upwards toward the heart. Lymphatic fluid flows through the body towards the heart, so it’s very important that you brush towards that direction.
The only exception will be your back: start from the neck and work your way down to the small of your back.
Be careful of sensitive areas of the body and never dry brush on any sores, cuts, or burns.
Wash off in the shower and follow up with hydrating coconut oil.
You can dry brush every day as it’s not too rough and the health benefits are oh-so worth it!
Ever wondered what happens to your body when you start walking?
Here's a minute-by -minute rundown of the amazing chain reaction walking and exercise has upon your body, it's truly amazing!
Minutes 1 to 5
Your first few steps trigger the release of energy-producing chemicals in your cells to fuel your walk. Your heart rate revs-up from about 70 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), boosting blood-flow and warming muscles.
Any stiffness subsides as joints release lubricating fluid to help you move more easily. As you get moving, your body burns 5 calories per minute, compared with only 1 per minute at rest. Your body needs more fuel and starts pulling from its carbohydrates and fat stores.
Minutes 6 to 10
Heartbeat increases and you're burning up to 6 calories a minute as you pick up the pace. A slight rise in blood pressure is countered by the release of chemicals that expand blood vessels, bringing more blood and oxygen to working muscles.
Minutes 11 to 20
Your body temperature keeps rising, and you start to perspire as blood vessels near the skin expand to release heat. As your walk becomes brisker, you'll be burning up to 7 calories a minute and breathing harder. Hormones such as epinephrine and glucagon rise to release fuel to the muscles.
Minutes 21 to 45
Feeling invigorated, you start to relax as your body releases tension, thanks in part to a dose of feel-good chemicals such as endorphins in your brain. As more fat is burned, insulin (which helps store fat) drops--excellent news for anyone battling excess weight or diabetes.
Minutes 46 to 60
Your muscles may feel fatigued as carbohydrates stores are reduced. As you cool down, your heart rate decreases and your breathing slows. You'll be burning fewer calories but more than you were before you started. Your calorie burn will remain elevated for up to 1 hour.
All this happens without a single conscious thought from us - the human body is amazing.
Stay blessed -Stayfit
Walk / Exercise.