Over the last decade, the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) has increased worldwide [1]. Symptoms are often painful and can include diarrhea, bleeding ulcers and anemia.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a very restrictive, unconventional diet plan that severely limits carbohydrates. By eliminating most carbohydrates (primarily grains, starches, dairy, and sugars) and allowing only specific carbohydrates that require minimal digestion, we can reduce inflammation and make eating enjoyable for people with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.
Back in 2006, the UN Food and Agriculture Association published that livestock produces more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation combined or 18% of all greenhouse gases [1]. This statistic has since been cited frequently in the media as a way to stop us from eating red meat. It turns out that the research was quite biased in its calculations, resulting in some very bad calculations. One of the researchers admitted [7] that the study was not a fair comparison. A more accurate analysis of the data resulted in livestock contributes less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions [2].
At TSTMethod we’re a big fan of eating a high protein breakfast, and we recommend this to all of our clients, no matter their health and wellness goals. Amino acids (protein) are the key building blocks to health and lean muscle mass. As we age, we need to eat more protein as our ability to grown and maintain lean muscle starts to decline. Our ability to absorb high levels of amino acids begins also starts to slow down, and this impacts our hormones and therefore, our recovery. There are certain populations that need more protein than others, and you can read more about that here.
This recipe can be modified in many ways; this is just one example. You can use any meat such as chicken, pork, lamb, beef, or a mix. You can substitute the type of herbs, and you can use different flours. We recommend avoiding gluten and using tapioca flours, buckwheat flour, or even potatoes starch to hold the ingredients together.
High performers who struggle with stress and anxiety, or even depression, are frequently perfectionists. They want things to be a certain way, and they have high expectations. Living up to these expectations can increase their stress and anxiety. They have what is referred to as a ‘high histamine type personality’.
There are some apparent traits or personality types observed in high histamine type personality:
Every day your body is under a constant battle between the accumulation and breakdown of tissue, which is facilitated by your daily movement behaviours. With sustainable movement training, we can model our tissue to improve movement function and maintain joint integrity. If our regular movement is restricted (sedentary lifestyle), our joints will not explore the outer ranges of motion. If we fail to use our full movement potential, over time, we will allow the tissues to become short, tight, and immobile. The old saying goes: “if you don’t use it, you lose it."
Medical science is currently spending more time and money on gut research than any other field of medicine. The EU has already funded 216 projects over €498million to promote metagenomics and to advance our knowledge of microbes [4]. Why? Because the medical fields are starting to understand the role the gut health play in all aspect of our health. "It is increasingly recognised that the microbiome can change our mind and health status, or switch on a wide range of diseases including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, allergies, and obesity” [4]. We are seeing more and more businesses, coaches and “gut specialists” promoting goods and services to “help fix your gut.”
“The people who I see being successful, the doers. They get shit done” ~ Sir Dave Brailsford
I'm not too fond of bio-hacking as I don’t believe we can shortcut high-level performance and optimal health. Our daily routine must be structured to support our health and our environment. Only by nourishing the 5-Pillars of Sustainable Health can we start to create habits that improve our quality of life, focus and productivity. Consistency is the key to success and far more rewarding than any bio-hack. It's not the success that determines your lifestyle but your lifestyle that determines your success. For high performers, every 1% adds up.
For those that have been following my (@stretch_rayner) Instagram story this week, you would have seen me posting about the potatoes diet. What is the potato diet? What are the benefits? How does it work? Why did I do it?
One of our most popular blogs to date has been The Human Stress Response - Homeostasis. Recently we asked our Team Sustain clients what aspects of Sustainable Health are important to them, and how can TSTMethod offer more? One common thread that seems to appear in the feedback is stress management. Stress management is important because no matter what diet you follow, how much you exercise and what supplements you take, if you’re not managing your stress you will struggle to make progress in the gym and be at risk for modern degenerative conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and autoimmunity
As humans, we all want to be happy and to be at peace with ourselves, and hopefully each other. However, many of us seem to place our values on material objects or specific goals that do not fulfil our actual needs.
Establish and maintain actual values in life is more about cultivating awareness of ourselves and our environment, building personal resilience, and honing the ability to find a higher level of inner peace even in stressful times. Many of us seek the external approval of others and lack awareness of our authentic inner values. We are unconsciously walking through life with very little awareness of the real world.
