Shannon Bester Kinesiology in Dublin
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October 14th, 2020

10/14/2020

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When asking my clients what has been the biggest contributing factor to their not sticking to their diet, they always say, “Because of the cravings. I started craving sugar so much.”

Here are six steps that are easy to follow that will assist in reducing those cravings.
1. Increase Your Fibre Intake
Fibre moves through the body undigested, maintaining blood sugar levels and helping to keep you feeling full and satisfied longer. Healthy high-fibre foods include vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. Drink more water if you’re upping your fibre intake to prevent digestive side effects, such as constipation.

2. Eat More Protein
​Protein is great for reducing hunger and sugar cravings. Protein cuts the levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and like fibre, it also helps maintain normal blood sugar levels to prevent sugar withdrawal symptoms. Good sources of protein include grass-fed beef, lentils, wild caught fish, black beans, organic chicken and eggs. 

3. Stay Hydrated
Thirst is often confused with hunger, and sometimes all it takes is drinking a bit of water and staying hydrated to counteract any cravings. Next time you have are hungry and have a craving, try drinking a glass of water, waiting half an hour and seeing if you’re actually hungry or just feeling thirsty.
4. Probiotics
Eating plenty of probiotic-rich foods helps increase the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Not only does this have far-reaching effects in terms of digestive health and immunity, but some research has even found that it could regulate blood sugar levels and reduce appetite.
A few examples of nutritious probiotic foods include kombucha, kefir, tempeh, miso, kimchi and natto. 
5. Eat more Healthy Fats
Fat, much like protein and fibre, can promote satiety while warding off sugar cravings. This is because fat is digested very slowly keeping you fuller for longer. Get your healthy fats from foods like avocados, nuts and seeds or coconut oil.
6. Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Without Sugar
There are plenty of easy ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without piling on added sugar by the teaspoon. Fruit, for example, not only contains natural sugars, but it also has loads of vitamins, minerals and fibre that make it a much healthier choice. Additionally, stevia is a natural, no-calorie sweetener that can sweeten up foods without the negative health effects of sugar. Look for green leaf stevia, the least processed form of stevia, to make sure you’re getting the real deal.

The above list also deals with withdrawal symptoms we may suffer with such as sugar headache, fatigue, muscle aches, cravings and nausea.

If you follow these six steps above, you will be implementing powerful tools that will assist in overcoming those cravings. 
For further information, feel free to contact me.
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Healing Oestrogen Dominance

10/8/2020

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What is oestrogen dominance? This happens when there is excess oestrogen in the body in relation to progesterone. For women, oestrogen is a vital hormone for puberty, menstruation, and childbearing. In men oestrogen is crucial for libido and the production of sperm. For a variety of different reasons, your body can make too much oestrogen which leads to health issues.

Common Signs of Oestrogen Dominance in Women:
  • Bloating, puffiness, or water retention
  • Breast tenderness
  • Fibroids
  • Painful periods or endometriosis
  • Mood swings, PMS, irritability
  • Depression or cry easily
  • Anxiety or mini-breakdowns
  • Hard time falling asleep/staying asleep
  • Migraine/headaches
  • Brain fog

Common Signs of Oestrogen Dominance in Men:
  • Gynecomastia (breast growth)
  • Infertility
  • Erectile dysfunction

If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, you may be oestrogen dominant. What causes oestrogen dominance? There are many reasons and contributing factors that can result in hormonal imbalances. Here are the most common ones:
  • Hormonal birth control
  • High sugar, low fibre diet
  • Toxic personal care products
  • Uncontrolled stress
  • An unhealthy gut
  • The use of plastic
  • Pesticides
So what can you do? The good news is that there are many natural and effective things you can start doing today to balance your hormones!

7 Simple and Effective Ways to Balance Your Oestrogen:
  1. Swap Carbs for Healthy Fats. Eating a variety of foods high in short, medium and long-chain fatty acids is key to balancing your hormones. Your body needs various types of fats to create hormones, including saturated fat and cholesterol. My four favourite sources of anti-inflammatory, healthy fats include: coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter and wild-caught salmon. 
  2. Increase your cruciferous vegetable intake such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale. Cruciferous vegetables have phytochemicals that help to block oestrogen production. 
  3. Avoid toxic personal care products and cleaning products. Many modern beauty and cleaning products contain xenoestrogen, a product that mimics oestrogen and interferes with the natural hormonal balance. There are many options both in beauty products as well as cleaning agents that don't contain dangerous chemicals.
  4. Reduce alcohol intake. Alcohol can raise your oestrogen levels and disrupt your blood sugar function. 
  5. Limit meat and dairy from conventionally raised animals. Meat and dairy from conventionally raised animals contain much more oestrogen than their grass-fed, free-range, and organic counterparts. Since you will be increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume, you will naturally have less space for these foods in your diet and will slowly be able to start reducing them.
  6. Lose weight. By applying the above you will automatically start to lose weight. To speed things up try Intermittent Fasting. Fasting for just 12 hours a day can be beneficial, it will be ideal to eventually work your way up to 16 hours per day. 
  7. Use Essential Oils.
    Clary Sage: Clary sage helps to balance oestrogen levels because it contains natural phytoestrogens. It can be used to regulate your menstrual cycle, relieve PMS symptoms, treat infertility and PCOS. It also serves as a natural remedy for emotional imbalances, like depression and anxiety. Diffuse 3-5 drops of clary sage or add to a bath to help balance hormone levels and relieve stress. 
    Lavender: Lavender oil promotes emotional balance, as it can help to treat anxiety, depression, moodiness and stress. It can also be used to promote restful sleep, which will help to balance your hormone levels as well. Diffuse 5 drops of lavender oil at home, add 5 drops to a warm water bath or apply 3 drops topically to your temples, back or neck or wrists.

All of these tips are pretty easy to implement and if applied, they can go a long way in balancing your hormones, making you feel much healthier and more energetic in the long run. 
If you are not sure whether you are oestrogen dominant or not, feel free to contact me so that we can work together to get your health back on track.
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    I am a Health Kinesiologist and dowser based in Dublin, Ireland.

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