Gut Health Blog

June 16, 2024

How To Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Hello Everyone!

I’m sure it must be frightening to hear you have the genetic markers for Alzheimer’s disease. However, please be assured that this doesn’t automatically mean that you will develop the condition.

Why? Because you have the power to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s a bold statement, I know, but as with any inflammatory condition (which Alzheimer’s Disease is), you can use diet and lifestyle to minimize your risk of developing it.

In this article, I will tell you some facts about Alzheimer’s disease and explain how you can optimize your brain health and protect against cognitive decline.

Please share this post with anyone you know who is fearful of developing Alzheimer’s and anyone who cares for someone who has early signs of it. It might make a world of difference to their lives.

Alzheimer’s and Inflammation: The Facts

Lifestyles Drive Alzheimer’s Risk

Alzheimer’s Disease and Gut Health

Sleep and Neuroinflammation

Movement Affects Our Brains

Stress Response and Inflammation

How Long Does Protection Against Alzheimer’s Take?

Reverse Early Onset Dementia

Alzheimer’s and Inflammation: The Facts

Let’s establish some of the facts about Alzheimer’s disease:

  • Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. There are an estimated 5.8 million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Around 200,000 of these are under the age of 65.
  • Women are nearly twice as likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s than men.
  • The inflammation and cellular damage that leads to Alzheimer’s begins years before any symptoms appear.
  • There are many underlying causes of Alzheimer’s, which is why the search for a single drug cure will never work.

Alzheimer’s is characterized by the appearance of amyloid plaques and knots of tau protein in brain tissue. However, this type of damage occurs in healthy brains as they age and doesn’t explain why some people develop Alzheimer’s and others don’t.

Scientists then discovered that chronic inflammation in the brain drives the progression of Alzheimer’s. It seems to be this combination of chronic inflammation alongside amyloid plaques and tau protein fibers that leads to Alzheimer’s.

A close up of a bowl of chips being eaten by a lady but only her torso is seen.

Lifestyles Drive Alzheimer’s Risk

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are more prevalent now than 100 years ago. This is because our diets and lifestyles are radically different:

  • We are exposed to more environmental toxins and chemicals in food. These toxins alter the gut microbiome and drive inflammation.
  • We do less exercise and movement.
  • We have less good quality sleep.
  • We eat junk foods that lack essential vitamins and minerals.

All these factors combine to create a state of chronic inflammation that damages brain tissue, leading to dementia and Alzheimer’s.

 

Alzheimer’s Disease and Gut Health

To understand the origins of Alzheimer’s we need to look at gut health. Gut bacteria have a direct effect on brain health and inflammation. What we eat affects the balance of good and bad gut bacteria and can increase our risk of inflammation in the brain.

If we choose ultra-processed foods filled with refined sugar, processed fats, and chemical additives, we are choosing to damage the gut, promote inflammation, and increase our risk of developing dementia.

If we opt for anti-inflammatory foods that provide brain-healthy nutrients, then we are choosing to nourish our gut bacteria, minimize inflammation, and protect our brains against Alzheimer’s.

Sleep and Neuroinflammation

How well we sleep influences our risk of developing neuroinflammation. Good quality sleep is vital for brain cell “housekeeping” and clearing away amyloid plaques in the brain. If you regularly get less than 7-9 hours’ sleep a night you are depriving your brain of the time it needs to do this repair work.

The Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle supports and promotes healthy sleep and we have specific advice for Insomnia. You might also like to read: What Happens If You Don’t Sleep Enough?

 

Movement Affects Our Brains

Exercise and movement stimulate blood flow and oxygen circulation to the brain. Brain cells get more nutrients and metabolic waste can be cleared away.

Our program includes a whole series of exercise and movement videos designed to improve your strength without increasing inflammation. Many regular forms of exercise are too strenuous. They spike your cortisol levels which then causes more inflammation.

Stress Response and Inflammation

Stress is a massive factor in chronic inflammation and dementia. We each have the power to reduce the effects of stress and improve our resilience. Regular relaxation is crucial for cognitive wellbeing and we have a library of guided meditations for you to enjoy.

 

How Long Does Protection Against Alzheimer’s Take?

In a matter of weeks, you can dramatically change your genetic expression and reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If you are as consistent as possible (I advise an 80/20 on this lifestyle), you give yourself the best protection possible.

Start the 6-Week Reset, and then follow Daily Goals and the monthly planner in the Reboot & Revive section under Lifestyle Guide to make your meals, meditations, exercises, and snacks for each day as easy as possible. Remember that the recipes are family-and-friends-friendly!

 

 

Reverse Early Onset Dementia

If you have signs of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early onset dementia, you can slow the progression and dramatically change the outcome with the Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle. Give yourself proper rest, daily movement, interesting activities to stimulate your brain, and an anti-inflammatory diet, and you will give your brain the best chance to fight dementia.

My final advice is to start protecting yourself as soon as possible. Don’t live with that fear anymore. You can protect yourself against developing inflammatory conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and look and feel years younger by doing so!

Want to find out how? Look at the Eat Burn Sleep program and find out about our membership options now.

You might also like:

How Does Sleep Help With Inflammation?

Brain Food for Studying and Focus

Signs of Inflammation That May Surprise You

With love and excellent health, as always!

Yalda x

 

Yalda Alaoui is a qualified Naturopathic Nutritionist (with a foundation in Biomedicine) who studied with the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She has spent over a decade performing groundbreaking research in chronic inflammation and gut health.

 

Yalda Alaoui

Author

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May 19, 2024

Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat Quickly

Hi Everyone!

How can I flatten my tummy? I get asked this question a lot, and I’m pleased to say that my answer never fails!

Every week, I receive testimonials from members saying they cannot believe their weight loss and the difference in their body shape. This is why I’m writing this article about how you can lose belly fat quickly and get a flat tummy.

Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat and Flatten Your Tummy

What Exercise Should You Do Every Day to Lose Belly Fat?

How To Flatten Your Tummy Quickly

Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat and Flatten Your Tummy

Before we dive into the exercises, I need to explain the different types of fat we all have. There are two main types:

Subcutaneous fat is the fat lying just underneath your skin. It is usually harmless and helps regulate body temperature and protect your bones from injury.

Visceral fat lies much deeper in your abdominal cavity. It can build up around your stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines, and inside your arteries. This type of fat behaves in a different way to subcutaneous fat. It releases pro-inflammatory chemicals and hormones, increasing your risk of systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, Type-II diabetes, and heart disease.

Women who have had children are more prone to visceral belly fat than women who haven’t. And when a woman reaches menopause, the drop in estrogen encourages more fat deposition in the belly area – regardless of whether you have had kids or not.

However, both men and women of all ages can reduce the risk of visceral fat build-up by eating foods that do not contribute to belly fat (and some of it is surprising) while doing exercises to strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles.

The key here is consistency. If you want to see positive results, you have to build healthy habits that last.

Trends in exercises and exercise machines for losing belly fat and flattening your tummy come and go. They are not all good for your body. Many trendy exercises can inflame your body, increasing your risk of disease. And some exercises may be fine when you are young but less suitable as you age. For example, I was a runner until my physiotherapist put me off by asking if I wanted joint and bladder issues!

 

What Exercise Should You Do Every Day to Lose Belly Fat?

Forcing yourself through a grueling exercise routine for an hour every day to lose belly fat isn’t as effective as any gentle movements in the movements section.

Prolonged, intensive exercise has other drawbacks too. Some studies show that high-intensity exercise releases endorphins linked to increased negative feelings and pain. This could be one of the reasons why many people dread this sort of daily exercise and quickly abandon it.

To reduce belly fat and focus on flattening your tummy, start the 6 Week Reset as soon as you can and do these exercises every day:

19-minute Stretch For Digestive Issues

19-minute Core Fire & Body Strength

22-minute Glutes & Core

25-minute Bloat & Digestion

31-minute Powerful Core & Glutes

34-minute Arms, Abs & Glutes

26-minute Yoga & Pilates

I recommend measuring yourself today and again next week to see the difference!

If you do this you cannot go wrong in your quest to reduce belly fat and flatten your tummy.

These powerful movements are easy to follow but do not have you breaking into hot sweats. They are not jarring to your joints and bones so there is no risk of creating future joint issues. Check out the ones with meditations. They are so nourishing to the mind, body, and soul.

How To Flatten Your Tummy Quickly

Start the 6-Week Reset as soon as possible, like today. The 6-week Reset tells you what to eat each day and when to incorporate the exercises and meditation practices. Our Red List of foods identifies the foods that contribute to belly fat. Stick with the Green List foods, with occasional treats from the Orange List and you will be successful!

Follow the daily movement plans and focus on the exercises that develop core strength and tone your abdominal muscles. Get out for a walk as often as you can too. Walking complements the EBS lifestyle, helping you reduce belly fat and gain muscle. I love walking, and I share my reasons why in this article: 10 Reasons to Walk.

Even a 12-minute Morning Wake-up will do wonders to get you started. As long as you enjoy plenty of the anti-inflammatory foods and drinks listed in the Lifestyle Guide, you will never be hungry.

Sleep and Weight Loss

Remember that you will also sleep better when you follow the Eat Burn Sleep program. Good quality sleep is crucial for healthy weight balance and there are many studies to prove this.  Overall, adults who have 7- 8 hours of good quality sleep a night have less visceral belly fat than someone who only has 5 hours or less.

Read more about it in this post: Weight Loss & the Link to Sleep.

You can age well and have a flat tummy. And it’s never too late to start working toward this. Weight gain can be safely turned around with the right foods, movement, and relaxation. I do all of the above and am in the best shape ever. I don’t do anything extra!

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out our members’ reviews from people like Ingrid, Selima, and Julie…

“EBS not only helped me mentally, but it also gave me the push I needed to finally take control of my drinking. I used to love a drink at the end of a busy day, but it got so easily out of hand for me and I felt so well by following the lifestyle that I decided I didn’t need to do it anymore. That was last June and I’ve never felt better.

My weight has always been between 9.7 and 10 stone and as a result, it’s now been 8st for the last few months.” Ingrid

I can’t thank you enough for all the goodness you’ve brought to my life. Feeling so good after a three-year burnout and three kids, thanks to your food and motivational insights. Plus, 10 kilos down with very little effort postpartum!

Thank you!!!” Selima

“I am so impressed with what the EBS lifestyle has done for my body. My husband, family, and friends have all noticed as well. Nearly 5 months later and weighing a healthy 12lbs less than when I started, I love it!” Julie

 

Do you want results like these? Get started on your flat belly TODAY! Take a look at the program and check out our membership options now.

Once you’ve joined, you can catch the Masterclass Lives on How to Stay Fit Beyond 35, Perimenopause & Menopause Weight Loss, How to Get Rid of Cravings and Emotional Eating.

You might also enjoy:

Does Cortisol Cause Weight Gain?

How Much Does Inflammation Affect Weight Loss?

Is AG1 Supplement Good For You?

 

With love for your weight loss journey,

Yalda x

Yalda Alaoui

Yalda Alaoui is a qualified Naturopathic Nutritionist (with a foundation in Biomedicine) who studied with the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She has spent over a decade performing groundbreaking research in chronic inflammation and gut health.

 

Yalda Alaoui

Author

Eat. Burn. Subscribe.

Join the Eat Burn Sleep email newsletter and be the first to hear about new tips, and recipes!

Continue Reading

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April 28, 2024

How to Deal With a Hangover

Hi Everyone,

Do you enjoy socializing with a drink? So do I! I am not a big drinker and it doesn’t take much to make me feel unwell after a night out. But as with many things in life, it’s all about moderation and having fun.

Let’s face it, we are not perfect and hopefully never will be. Life wouldn’t be life without ups and downs, boring times, and fun times! And I have a top tip for managing drinking and socializing: drink less and have more fun.

It’s important to socialize and see people. It benefits your mental health and strengthens your immune system. And for many people, socializing goes hand in hand with enjoying a drink. Because of this, small amounts of alcohol are allowed as part of the Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle.

Of course, the downside of having a drink is feeling rough the next day! If you want to know how to deal with a hangover, this post is for you.

How to deal with a hangover? Hangover tips. A group of people celebrating and drinking.

Why Am I So Hungry With a Hangover?

How To Recover From a Hangover

What to Eat the Morning After

What to Drink When You Have a Hangover

Get Moving and Shake Off That Hangover

What to Drink to Avoid a Hangover

A female putting acroissant into her mouth with her head in the fridge looking for more food.

Why Am I So Hungry With a Hangover?

If you’re like me, after a couple of glasses of wine, you won’t care about watching what you eat. And the next day you feel so ravenous you wolf down food and don’t feel full. So what’s going on?

There are a few reasons why a hangover makes you feel hungry:

  • Alcohol is essentially liquid sugar. When you enjoy a few drinks the sugar floods into your bloodstream, elevating your blood sugar levels. A few hours later, your blood sugar levels fall rapidly, leaving you hungry for starchy foods.
  • Alcohol is dehydrating. Dehydration can make you crave food as the body sometimes mistakes thirst for hunger.
  • Sleep is badly affected by alcohol – especially deep, restorative sleep. You might feel drowsy and fall asleep quickly, but your normal cycles of deep sleep and lighter sleep will be disrupted.
  • Poor quality sleep affects your hunger and satiety hormones. Without good sleep, you will have more ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and less leptin (the satiety hormone).
    You may be interested in reading about how good, regular sleep helps you lose weight. 
  • Your liver has to work hard to detoxify alcohol. This process uses up a lot of energy and nutrients so it makes sense that your body craves food to keep up with this demand.

A lady lying awake at 3:25 AM with a hangover

How To Recover From a Hangover

Firstly, don’t feel guilty or beat yourself up. You’ve had a great time, and life is to be enjoyed. Overindulging happens.

If you can begin your hangover recovery plan before you go to sleep, that is a great start.

When you get home, drink plenty of water with added electrolytes. Electrolyte minerals like magnesium and potassium help your body to rehydrate faster than if you drink plain water. You can see which electrolyte products I recommend on the Yalda Loves page and I also use this simple homemade electrolyte mixture. Sometimes I take a dose of Alka seltzer* too, to prevent acid indigestion. All the sugar in the alcohol is a big trigger for reflux.

When you get up the next morning, repeat the above. You need to rehydrate and not overtax yourself.

(*Please check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medicines.)

How to recover from a hangover - drink water with electrolytes

What to Eat the Morning After

When I wake up with a hangover, I crave sugar badly, and the last thing I want to eat is something healthy like eggs and salmon! So, I make my super yummy and nutrient-dense coconut protein shake. It satisfies all my sweet cravings while stabilizing my blood sugar levels.

A glass of a chocolatey-looking protein shake made with cacao, with a red and white straw in it.

Other great breakfast options include:

Bananas are packed with magnesium, vitamin B6, and fiber.

Avocados are another great source of fiber, magnesium, and potassium to help optimize energy levels and blood pressure.

Almonds for fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidant vitamin E.

And if you can face them, eggs! Boiled, scrambled, poached, or in our delicious Shakshuka recipe.

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, B vitamins, and glutathione – our master antioxidant nutrient. Your liver needs plenty of glutathione and B-vitamins to detoxify alcohol so it’s a good idea to top up after a night out.

Later on, you could enjoy a bowl of our Immune Boosting Chicken Soup. It’s hydrating and packed with liver-health ingredients like egg yolk, turmeric, carrots, lemon, and olive oil.

A bowl of Immune-boosting chicken soup with inflammation reducing turmeric, which has given it a wonderful golden colour. A healing soup.

You want to fill your body with nutrients and resist the urge to eat junk food. Junk food is precisely that – junk. Ultimately, it will make you feel worse.

You don’t want to punish yourself. Nourish yourself. Eat Burn Sleep’s anti-inflammatory foods deliver what your body needs when you have a hangover.

Members: There’s an Overindulgence Recovery Protocol in the Membership Section, which also covers recovering from overindulging in food.

Non-Members/Members: You could make these egg muffins before your evening out so that you have a healthy snack on hand when you get home.

What to Drink When You Have a Hangover

Water is the most important drink to help relieve a hangover. Drink it plain or add slices of fresh lemon for a boost of vitamin C.

Coffee can add to blood sugar imbalance but if you really want one, have one. Just be sure to have it after a meal and not on an empty stomach.

Green tea has more antioxidants than other forms of tea. It’s a good option for maintaining healthy blood pressure, regulating blood sugars, and optimizing your metabolism (among many other health benefits).

The caffeine in green tea is counterbalanced by an amino acid called theanine. Theanine soothes your nervous system to help you feel alert and calm at the same time.

What to drink when you have a hangover - water, in a jug with slices of fresh lemon

 

Get Moving and Shake Off That Hangover

Gentle movement and exercise will get your blood flowing and boost your endorphins (those happy mood chemicals). Aim for a gentle workout, light jog, or easy yoga session. If you can get outside in the sunshine, all the better. Natural daylight and vitamin D will help your body get back into its normal rhythms.

Then, later in the day, Eat Burn Sleep members can relax and enjoy a soothing meditation bath before bed.

What to Drink to Avoid a Hangover

What are the best drinks to have to avoid a hangover? Wine, beer, spirits? Or just let go and enjoy a few cocktails?

Here’s what I do on a night out with friends…

1/ Alternate water and alcoholic drinks to avoid becoming dehydrated.

A little trick is to order sparkling water with ice and a slice of lemon so people assume you are drinking alcohol (and you aren’t being a joy killer) when, in fact, you are taking a little break and having water.

2/ Steer clear of cocktails

I try to steer clear of cocktails because they are loaded with sugar, and I would prefer to save those calories for a nice paleo muffin the next day!

Sugar makes everything worse because it disrupts the healthy bacteria in your gut. Drinking sugary cocktails is a surefire way to feel even worse the next day.

If you love cocktails, try switching to plain spirits like vodka, tequila, and gin with soda water, lime, or a drop of cordial. That amount of cordial is fine compared to how much sugar there would be if it were a cocktail. Again, it is about moderation and finding the right middle ground.

3/ Limit wine and champagne

As much as I love a good glass of wine, I only have one. Maybe two! My health issues make me feel how much yeast and sugar (from the fructose) there is in those drinks, and I invariably feel it the next day. But if you are dining out, by all means, do enjoy some good wine.

People raising a toast with glasses of red wine

I hope this was helpful to you. If you have any tips, please share them in our members’ health community or drop me a message on Instagram.

Don’t forget to smile and enjoy having a fantastic social life!

I chat about the importance of socializing with Nick Potter in the podcast about the behavioral immune system. It’s fascinating! We talk about the immune system, gut health, and socializing (amongst many other things!). Definitely worth a listen!

You may also like these articles:

How to Avoid a Hangover

Best Alcohol for Diabetes

The Benefits of Sun Exposure

Also, if you find that you are regularly getting hungover and feeling anxious or depressed, please know that we have personalized advice for depression on this platform. Plus, Insomnia and 30+ other conditions.

Enjoy your night out!

Yalda x

 

About the Author

Yalda Alaoui is a qualified Naturopathic Nutritionist with a foundation in Biomedicine. She studied with the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London and has spent over a decade performing groundbreaking research in chronic inflammation and gut health.

 

Yalda Alaoui

Author

Eat. Burn. Subscribe.

Join the Eat Burn Sleep email newsletter and be the first to hear about new tips, and recipes!

Continue Reading

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