In previous posts I have written about many of the essential things we need to do to function at our best, one the most important being to minimise our exposure to toxins.    Toxins find their way into our body through a variety of means, ranging from the obvious – alcohol, drugs, caffeine, nicotine and pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, as well as through foods such as artificial sweeteners, nitrates used in [...]]]>

In previous posts I have written about many of the essential things we need to do to function at our best, one the most important being to minimise our exposure to toxins.    Toxins find their way into our body through a variety of means, ranging from the obvious – alcohol, drugs, caffeine, nicotine and pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, as well as through foods such as artificial sweeteners, nitrates used in processed meats such as salami and bacon and ham, processed or trans fats, preservatives, colours, flavours and non-organic foods that have been contaminated with chemical sprays and antibiotics. But there is another entry point for toxins to penetrate our system and that is through the body’s largest organ– the skin.

As women, maintaining our outward appearance is a natural part of our biology, but often the ways in which we choose to do this, actually contributes to the battle against the ageing process.

Take a moment to think about the sources of toxins you may be lathering on your skin each and every day simply from using basic toiletries and beauty products ……

• Soap
• Moisturises
• Shampoo and conditioners
• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Deodorant
• Shaving cream
• Cosmetics – foundation, lipsticks, mascara, eye shadow, blush
• Sunscreen
• Perfume

There are over 175 potentially harmful ingredients contained in these common bathroom and beauty  products alone and over time the chemicals they contain can accumulate within our body.  Many of the ingredients used in these products can also irritate our skin, or cause allergy or respiratory sensitivity; and some studies have even revealed they can neurological and developmental challenges in children.  Some of the chemicals found in common personal care products have even been touted as carcinogenic and aluminium used in common deodorants has been linked to Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  Now I’m not telling you to go out and be a tree hugger and grow yourself some hairy armpits, or never wear French perfume again, but what I am saying is to become more aware of just how many chemical based products you are using on your skin each day and think about which ones you can replace for chemical free brands to MINIMISE your exposure to  toxins as much as possible.

Sodium Laurel Sulphate, the foaming agent used in commercial brands of shampoo, soaps and body wash, penetrates the skin and accumulates in the brain, eyes, heart and liver and petroleum and mineral oils used in many moisturises and toiletries, leads to premature dryness so the more we use, the more our skin becomes dependant on them to stay moist.

So in addition to doing an audit on bathroom cabinet, I recommend you combine this with my tips below to maintain healthy and beautiful skin….

My Top Ten Tips for maintaining a beautiful, glowing complexion:

1. Stay hydrated – consume small frequent sips of purified water every day because 95% of your body is water and most of us don’t drink enough. I recommend 2 – 2.5 litres per day as a good general guide.

2. Eat healthy fats –  essential fatty acids like fish, extra virgin coconut oil, chia and flax seed, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, raw organic nuts and seeds.

3. Look after your liver by avoiding too much coffee, alcohol and foods with artificial ingredients and sugar. Eat organic food as much as possible and undertake a regular healthy detox program – I cover more on detox in my book Eat Yourself Healthy In 28 Days.

4. Use 100% natural skin care and toiletry products – read product labels and search for artificial ingredients.

5. Don’t wash with commercial soap – its strips the natural oils in your skin which act as a protective barrier.

6. Avoid petro chemical based sun screens – these block the sun’s rays that provide essential levels of vitamin D. Use a sunscreen with natural ingredients and a high zinc oxide content and wear a hat to protect your face in the heat of the day.

7. Expose your body to natural sunlight each day - under exposing your skin to the sun is just as bad, if not worse than over exposing your skin to the sun and contrary to popular belief, study’s show that indoor workers suffer more skin cancers than outdoor workers. I talk more about the risks of a lack of sun exposure in a previous post you can read here. So whilst it’s important to avoid getting sun burn’t, you also need to expose your skin to a certain amount of sun each and every day, out of peak heat periods.

8. Supplement with vitamin D every day – Ideally choose a liquid vitamin D supplement to ensure optimal absorption and utilisation. Vitamin D tablets are a poor form to supplement with. After testing 1000’s of patients throughout my 14 years in clinical practice, the majority of them returned very low vitamin D levels. The effect of vitamin D deficiency impacts on nearly every body system with links to a wide range of illnesses and diseases including cancer, thyroid imbalances, auto immune disease, cardiovascular disease and many more.

9. Get Plenty of Sleep – There really is truth in the saying ‘be sure to get your beauty sleep’. The body uses the period you are asleep to regenerate and repair, this includes skin cells. Sleep deprivation is accumulative and without sufficient restful sleep each night – ideally 8 hours, our health will suffer and accelerate the ageing process. You can read more about the effects sleep deprivation has on your health here.

10. Stress Less – there is no better way to speed the ageing process than through stress. The reality is stress will always be a part of our lives, so it’s not about expecting to have no stress in your life, but rather CHANGE THE WAY YOU RESPOND to it. You can read more about how stress impacts on your body and ways to combat it in my previous post here and here.
If you want to learn more about which foods will keep you looking young and slow the ageing process, check out my e-book Eat Yourself Healthy In 28 Days
I’d love to hear your natural beauty tips for maintaining healthy, beautiful skin, you can share these in the comments section below.
Sally x
©Sally Joseph 2012, All Rights Reserved

Vegan -Vegetarian – Gluten Free – Sugar Free – Dairy Free – Low GI - Healthy Fats

Our inner beauty flows through to influence our outer beauty in more ways than one.  Just as our  internal thoughts transpire to become our external reality, the internal state of your body will be expressed through your external appearance.

Two [...]]]> Have you ever wondered about the secret behind people with that beautiful ‘glow’ is?  Well I’m about to let you in on it and the best part is, ANYONE can achieve it!

Our inner beauty flows through to influence our outer beauty in more ways than one.  Just as our  internal thoughts transpire to become our external reality, the internal state of your body will be expressed through your external appearance.

Two of the best reflectors for how well our body is functioning internally are our energy levels and our complexion

The two body systems that are the most significant in determining our health and day to day function, are the digestive and nervous system’s.  If we experience imbalances in either of these systems, the effect will be felt systemically and impact on the function of the other body systems.  Just how much, depends on how chronic and significant the dysfunction within the digestive and nervous system’s.

The gastrointestinal tract or ‘gut’ as it is commonly referred to, has a surface area equivalent in size to that of a size of a tennis court.  But it is what lines our intestinal tract that is arguably the most powerful and influential body organ of all…..trillions and trillions of good bacteria, known as intestinal flora.  These colonies of intestinal flora, out number our body cells by a ratio of approximately 10:1, resulting in their power over how well our digestive, nervous system and around 70% of our immune system, functions.

Friendly intestinal bacteria are not the only organism occupying our intestine.  A naturally occurring fungus known as Candida also forms a part of the eco system within our gut.  Like any eco system, if the natural balance is disrupted, the effect will be systemic.  Einstein predicted that ‘if bees were to become extinct, man would only survive a few years beyond’, because of the intrinsic  role bee’s play in the food chain, helping to pollinate around 70% of all the crops on the planet.

So when the ratio of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ organisms within the gut falls in favour of the bad – a condition referred to as ‘Dysbiosis’ will develop.  Dysbiosis occurs when hostile organisms such as Candida, bad bacteria and parasites  outnumber the friendly intestinal flora.  This will have a systemic impact on the function of our hormones, immune defences,  metabolic rate and neurological function – better known as the ‘gut brain connection’.

So if you are experiencing problems with say your skin, in the form of acne, eczema, even dark circles under your eyes or dry, dull complexion, this is simply a mirror of your internal health, stemming from dysfunction within the digestive and nervous system primarily.  So applying a topical cream  will fail to address the underlying cause of the problem at a cellular level.  The root cause of skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne or eczema, stems from chronic inflammation, starting within our gut.

Our diet will also have a major influence over our immune and hormonal activity.  Particularly highly acid forming foods, as these will commonly exacerbate inflammation associated with many skin conditions. 

Consuming pro-inflammatory foods such as artificial additives and sweeteners, refined sugar, gluten – the protein present in certain grains such as wheat, casein – the protein present in cows dairy which is highly mucous forming, caffeine and alcohol,  causes excess acid production, triggering an inflammatory immune response to the antigens within these foods and inducing a wide variety of physiological and neurological symptoms.

Poor digestion can also trigger inflammation within the gut, in particular low hydrochloric acid levels within the stomach. This causes undigested food particles to accumulate and ferment (rot) within our intestine, promoting the over growth of Candida – imagine the inside of a compost bin…. damp, gassy and rather smelly!

So by using your complexion as a reflection of your ‘interna’l health, you can influence it’s appearance and the rate at which your skin ages, by taking care of your insides, by  adopting a healthy diet and maintaining healthy digestive function.  That my friends is the TRUE secret to beautiful skin.

So stop turning to miracle creams and potions in the hope they will hold the key to glowing skin and eternal beauty and turn your attention towards working from the inside out.  It’s as simple as paying attention to what you put in your mouth each and every day and this will flow through to how you look and feel!

To discover the beauty foods for beautiful skin, check out my e-book Eat Yourself Healthy In 28 Days and find out what clients like Miranda Kerr eat for beautiful skin

Sally x

Vegan – Vegetarian – Gluten Free – Sugar Free – Dairy Free – Low GI – Medium GI

There’s a lot of talk about whether eating organically produced food is worth the money and health benefits.  This is something I get consulted on regularly, including a recent article I contributed to for Fernwood Gym’s magazine.

My advice when it comes to buying organic food, at the very least stick to organic eggs and chicken ( you can read why here) and avoid non-organic varieties of  ’THE DIRTY DOZEN’ [...]]]>

There’s a lot of talk about whether eating organically produced food is worth the money and health benefits.  This is something I get consulted on regularly, including a recent article I contributed to for Fernwood Gym’s magazine.

My advice when it comes to buying organic food, at the very least stick to organic eggs and chicken ( you can read why here) and avoid non-organic varieties of  ’THE DIRTY DOZEN’ fruit and vegetables – created by The Environmental Working Group (EWG),

Some of you may have heard  a bit about the The Dirty Dozen recently, but not understand exactly what it is.  Put simply, it is a list of the fruits and vegetables found by the EWG to contain the highest levels of chemical pesticide residue.

You may recall Fred’s story from my last post about his journey to recovery from acute, debilitating anxiety, simply through changing his diet and fixing his gut and replenishing nutrient deficiencies.  As you may recall Fred had suffered major anxiety as far back as his childhood, along with ADHD and later on, alcoholism and chronic fatigue. The Dr’s answer to Fred’s search for answers…..dose him up on a cocktail of chemical uppers [...]]]>

You may recall Fred’s story from my last post about his journey to recovery from acute, debilitating anxiety, simply through changing his diet and fixing his gut and replenishing nutrient deficiencies.  As you may recall Fred had suffered major anxiety as far back as his childhood, along with ADHD and later on, alcoholism and chronic fatigue. The Dr’s answer to Fred’s search for answers…..dose him up on a cocktail of chemical uppers and downers,  as well as more misdiagnoses than underwear changes!  There is no doubt that some of the pharmaceutical medications he was prescribed brought Fred back from the brink of near death and managed to ‘stabilise’ him from suffering panic attacks that left him convulsing and too scared to leave the house, but what the medications failed to address was the deep underlying cause behind his neurological imbalance’s, nor provided him with any real quality of life, thanks to their associated side effects.

You see, no one had questioned Fred about his diet or digestive function, nor his sleep patterns – the very things that were screaming out the real cause of his anxiety.  When I first saw Fred I observed his teeth, as well as his tongue, finger nails and complexion.  I also palpated his abdomen to assess for any discomfort or pain – the kind of examination sadly more typical for Dr’s in our grandparents era or amongst traditional medicine practitioners.  Even in the absence of pathology we can glean a lot of information about what’s going on inside our body.  It turns out Fred had no enamel on his teeth, had weak nails, with white flecks and his tongue had a white to yellow coating at the back, with red pin prick dots at the front and dental indentations or scalloping, along the sides.  What did all this tell me about Fred’s health you ask?  Well for one, Fred’s guts were damp and inflamed, thanks to undigested food that was busily rotting or fermenting inside them, he was deficient in B vitamins and zinc, he was unable to digest or absorb his food properly, thanks to  low hydrochloric acid production and ‘leaky gut’ and his biggest giveaway as a candidate for silent celiac….no tooth enamel.

Silent celiac does not necessarily present symptomatically like typical or diagnosable celiac disease, in that sufferers do not experience the usual gastrointestinal symptoms of acute abdominal pain and cramping along with diarrhoea, upon the consumption of any foods containing gluten.  Sufferers who undergo a biopsy of their intestine will only be diagnosed as a celiac in the presence of completely atrophied microvilli (small finger like projections  that line the small intestine, designed to aid absorption of food) as opposed to any variation in the integrity of the gut wall.  Many celiac’s also struggle to gain or maintain weight, due to the damage caused by gluten to the lining of their small intestine, however in the case of Fred, he had in fact gained 20 kilo’s in excess weight, despite his poor appetite, due to the impact the pharmaceutical medications and undiagnosed silent celiac disease, was having on his thyroid function and metabolic rate.  What pathology and conventional medicine are failing to realise, is that you don’t have to be diagnosed with celiac disease to suffer gluten intolerance, a condition that is fast reaching epidemic proportions and far more common than celiac disease.  Like celiac disease, gluten intolerance or sensitivity, carries physiological and psychological impacts that can be just as severe and damaging to our health, and just as systemic in the organs it effects.   As I mentioned in part one of this post, Fred was suffering an ‘inflamed brain’ because of the inflammatory immune responses triggered by gluten.  This chronic inflammation from gluten, can decrease blood flow to our frontal lobe or executive centre – the part of the brain that governs emotions such as empathy and compassion, focus and comprehension, sequencing and even short term memory.  In the case of Fred, his gluten sensitivity or silent celiac symptoms were profoundly impacting on his neurological and emotional state, to the point it was devastating his life and relationships.

One of the main reasons why so many sufferers of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are going undiagnosed, is because food sensitivity testing, including testing for celiac disease, is extremely inaccurate.  For this reason I rarely rely on pathology testing to diagnose food intolerances or celiac disease, instead I implement my eating program   with patients, in order to switch off the inflammatory activity and balance the immune system.  Fred had been previously tested for celiac disease, so it came as no surprise to me to hear the result returned a false negative, resulting in his Dr dismissing gluten as an issue in his diet.

Repairing the digestive system with  a specific nutritional gut repair and detox program  in combination with following a low allergy diet is the first place to begin in restoring balance to the brain’s neurological balance and function.  In addition to removing all dietary sources of gluten, be sure to watch out for the hidden sources in many processed foods and personal care products.  Many people who are gluten sensitive or celiac, are unknowingly exposing themselves to gluten through using common bathroom products such as chemical based shampoo and conditioners, body wash and moisturises in the form of hydrolysed vegetable protein.

After 7 mths following my eating program and eliminating all sources of gluten from his diet, alcohol and cigarettes, in combination with repairing his gut and replenishing his nutrient deficiencies, Fred experienced the following:

• Chronic constipation improved to 2 bowel movements per day from 2 per week
• Insomnia improved to the point he could sleep through most nights and wake around 7am ( previously he was lucky to average more than 4 – 5 hrs)
• He lost 20 kilo’s
• He no longer experienced chronic bloating and flatulence
• He felt motivated and focussed – I recall Fred once told me he had never thought beyond a day or had any desire to plan for a future, as he didn’t feel he had one.
• His enjoyment and passion for things in life returned
• His energy improved by around 80% enabling him to start exercising and return to full time work
• His complexion improved and the whites of his eyes became brighter
• He was able to wean off all four of the pharmaceutical medications he was taking for his anxiety and balance his neurology with a combination duet and specific  nutrients in therapeutic dosages, with no debilitating side effects
• And of course his anxiety improved to the point where not only did his anxiety attacks stop but he could function at a level that he had not experienced in life before.

I received an overwhelming response to part 1 of this post, as many of you emailed me wanting to know more about nutritional medicine options for treating anxiety and depression – two of the most prevalent neurological disorders today, an epidemic that is projected by the institute of Functional Medicine to be the number one disability in  the world by 2020 after heart disease.  If modern medicine continues to ignore the underlying links between diet, digestive function and nutrient deficiencies to these and other neurological conditions, I believe we are failing to provide the full spectrum of necessary health care and treatment to sufferers of mental illness and enable them to truly heal and optimally manage their condition.  As a result sufferers will endure a life like Fred did - unable to experience life to the fullest.  As you have witnessed in reading Fred’s story…you don’t have to be a diagnosed with celiac disease, for gluten to wreak havoc on your physical and mental health and your life.

If you have a family member who suffers from a mental illness, stay tuned for my upcoming post on the physiological and psychological effects, this can have on your health.

To read more on how you can repair your digestive function and change your diet to change your health for the better, check out my e-book, Eat Yourself Healthy In 28 Days

Sally x

All Rights reserved Sally Joseph ©

It’s an age old quandary….how can we be healthy and still dine out?  Well the good news is YOU CAN!  It’s all in the CHOICES you make.  I know for many folk, eating out for corporate lunches and dinners can all be part of ‘the job’, but eating out doesn’t have to lead to the expansion of the waist line.  Even the most hardened fine diner will struggle to argue it’s difficult to stay [...]]]>

It’s an age old quandary….how can we be healthy and still dine out?  Well the good news is YOU CAN!  It’s all in the CHOICES you make.  I know for many folk, eating out for corporate lunches and dinners can all be part of ‘the job’, but eating out doesn’t have to lead to the expansion of the waist line.  Even the most hardened fine diner will struggle to argue it’s difficult to stay trim and eat out,  if they stick to these simple rules. So follow my tips and you won’t go wrong!

1. Choose your restaurant wisely -  Avoid the obvious like the fast food diner, that’s just a no brainer.   Go for restaurants or cafes that prepare food from scratch, using fresh wholefood ingredients - those in their ‘natural’ state, vs being processed.
2. Avoid arriving to a restaurant ravenously hungry - Now I know this might sound like an oxymoron  - go out for a meal and avoid arriving hungry, what the??  I’m simply suggesting you try and nibble on some healthy snacks before you go out to dine, that way you will be less likely to over eat or crave unhealthy foods .
3. Arrive hydrated –  Many of us mistake thirst for hunger, so be sure to get your water quota in before your meal, but AVOID DRINKING WATER 20 MINUTES EITHER SIDE OF EATING.   Drinking water with meals will dilute your stomach acids, making it difficult to digest your food.  If you feel like having a drink before your meal, order it well in advance of eating and choose something like a soda and bitters with fresh lemon or lime.  The bitters will help to stimulate your stomach acids for good digestion.
4. Say “NO” to the bread and chips –  Most of us fall into the trap of nibbling on the complementary bread or chips commonly served before a meal.  Not only is the gluten in the bread a problem, (you can read more about why here), but bread and potatoes can be very fattening because of the high starchy carbohydrate content, not to mention the unhealthy vegetable oil often used to fry the chips.  Look at chips or bread as “a minute on the lips, but a life time on the hips!”  If you feel like nibbling while you wait for your meal, go for fresh olives instead.
5. Order a side (or two) of fresh steamed Green’s – Green vegetables are a rich source of fibre, leaving you feeling fuller, for longer.
6. Avoid starchy carb based meals -  such as pasta, pizza, or risottos – the high starch carbohydrate content will create a surplus of energy that the body will store as fat, unless you plan on jogging home afterwards!
7. Avoid Alcohol  - or at least limit it to one glass with no added sugar as alcohol is a sure fire way to pack on the pounds.  Now it is true that wine, red wine in particular, actually aids digestion because of its natural acidity, however because alcohol is technically toxic to the body, the liver will always prioritise processing alcohol for elimination, over food.  So if you eat and drink a lot in the same sitting,  your food is more likely to under go incomplete digestion and accumulate within your intestine, leaving you feeling bloated and perhaps even a little gassssy!
8. Order two entrées   – Now it’s true there is no fun in dining alone, so if everyone else is ordering an entrée and a main,  I recommend  going for two entrée’s and choose the healthiest options!
9. Order like cave man from the menu. By this I mean stick to clean and lean sources animal protein and green veg…such as lean cuts of red or white meat, even better,  go for fish as it’s easier to digest.  If you do eat meat,  look for grass fed beef over grain fed, organic chicken and wild fish over farmed – which salmon and Barramundi tend to be now days.  Of course if eating out is not something you do often, then non-organic sources of animal protein are a better choice than starchy carbohydrates .
10. Skip the desert  – sugar will always be your undoing if your trying to keep the weight off, so either skip it or have a nibble on a shared cheese platter, stick to the goat and sheep cheese varieties over cow (without the crackers), or order some low sugar fresh berries if they happen to be on the menu.  .

Do you have any tips you stick to when eating out to help keep the waistline in tact? Why not share them in the comments section below.

Sally x

If you want to discover how to eat yourself healthy, check out my eating program Eat Yourself Healthy In 28 Days and discover what thousands of others, including Miranda Kerr and Layne Beachley ate to achieve optimal health

All Rights reserved sally Joseph ©