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What is the Difference Between Honey, Maple Syrup and Rice Malt Syrup?

7/14/2021

The health and wellness space is crowded with opinions about which sugar and sugar replacements are best or worst for your health. Regardless of which you pick, eating sweet foods in large quantities can have negative impacts on your health.

There are a few alternative sweeteners that can help reduce your sugar intake. Knowing which to use can be confusing and at times, misleading.

All sweeteners provide roughly the same number of calories, but differ on level of processing, type of sugar (sucrose, glucose, or fructose) and glycaemic level. Here’s a comparison of three common sugar replacements that you might find in the supermarket aisle:

Honey
Honey is a natural sweetener that comes from bees. It is much less processed than white commercial sugars and has a lower glycaemic index, meaning that energy is released slower into the bloodstream. However, honey is denser than sugar so is higher in number of calories per teaspoon.

Add a few drops or a drizzle of honey to your next smoothie or porridge.

Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a natural by-product made by boiling down sap from a maple tree. Like honey, it has a low glycaemic index, however, is slightly lower in fructose. Be sure to buy the 100% pure maple syrup, as otherwise you are just buying maple flavoured sugar syrup. The 100% syrup is more expensive but isn’t loaded with refined sugars, flavours, and preservatives.

Replace sugar with maple syrup in baking or use it to drizzle over pancakes.

Rice Malt Syrup
Rice malt syrup is a sweetener made from brown rice and is recommended for those looking to reduce their fructose intake. It is also a good option for vegans who want to avoid eating honey. However, rice malt syrup has a higher glycaemic index than sugar, honey, and maple syrup, along with a much higher price tag.

Rice syrup works well as a substitution for honey or sugar in hot drinks.

No matter what you pick, all sweeteners should be used sparingly. We suggest selecting the sweetener that tastes best to you and sticking to a light drizzle or spoonful.

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A Crash Course in Sugars

7/14/2021

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Cane sugar, caster sugar, brown sugar…there are an endless number of names for sugar. Being able to identify sugars on nutritional labels is a challenging task, along with knowing which is best and which to steer clear from.

Nutritionally speaking, sugar refers to simple carbohydrates that when digested, break into glucose. It is the body’s ideal energy source with the four most common forms including:

Glucose
Fructose, i.e. fruit sugar
Sucrose, i.e. table sugar
Lactose, i.e. dairy sugar

It starts to get confusing as these sugars can further be categorised into natural sources or added forms of sugar. Added varieties are used to enhance flavour, colour, texture, and shelf life, and add calories but no nutritional value. These are often hidden on nutritional labels under the names of barley malt, carob syrup, maltose, galactose, and dextran to name a few. When consumed in excess this can lead to high blood sugar levels, weight gain and increased risk of chronic disease. Whereas, natural sugars are those found in fruits and milk and provide the body with a variety of health benefits.
Distinguishing features of sugars include their source, flavour profile and level of processing. Here’s a quick guide that compares the main types of sugars:

Granulated White Sugar
White granulated sugar, otherwise known as table sugar, is 99.9% sucrose and made from processing and refining of sugarcane or beet. During this process, the moisture, minerals, and compounds that give sugars their colour are removed to create a by-product known as molasses.

Caster Sugar
Caster sugar has an almost identical composition to granulated sugar but with smaller crystals, so it dissolves quickly. This sugar is best used for baking, particularly meringues and light sponges.

Icing Sugar
Icing sugar is a form of white sugar that has been ground into a fine powder. It dissolves quickly and makes a smooth icing for baked goods.

Raw Cane Sugar (& Coffee Sugar Crystals)
Raw sugar, also called turbinado sugar, is made from cane juice and is formed if the final refining process is bypassed. Similar to white sugar, it is 99% sucrose but has a more golden colour and is a healthier alternative than table sugar. This is because it is less processed so retains some of the molasses and moisture from the sugarcane plant. Therefore, you are consuming slightly less sugar and calories per serving.

Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is refined white sugar with varying amounts of molasses added back into the sugar after processing. It contains 95% sucrose and 5% molasses, so when used in baking it provides a toffee flavour and moistness.

Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is made from the sap of coconut trees and is less processed than other sugar varieties. It has a more natural brownish colour and is often perceived as a “healthier sugar alternative”, however is still high calorie.

Sweeteners
Several artificial sugar substitutes also exist, such as Equal or Splenda. These are sugar free and non-caloric, however are made from chemical compounds and are not real foods. These sweeteners are also a lot sweeter than sugar which makes you crave more.

The bottom line is to make sure you always prioritise natural sugars, get familiar with food labels and alternative names for added sugars, and have no more than 6 teaspoons or 25g of added sugar daily. When you do use sugar, try to consume “healthier” varieties such as coconut sugar or honey, which have slightly higher nutritional value.

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8 Different Types of Flours and How to Use Them

7/14/2021

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There are so many types of flours on the market, which differ in consistency, use and nutritional value. From classic wheat flour, through to almond or rye, here’s a quick guide to help you make the right choice.

Wheat Flour
Wheat is the most popular and widely used cereal for flour production and is a rich source of fibre. Regular wheat flour, also known as all-purpose or white flour, is refined flour that contains only the endosperm (starch) from the grain. It can also come in wholewheat/wholemeal form which includes the brain, endosperm and germ. This provides wholewheat flour with a slightly darker colour, coarser texture, and higher nutritional value.
Wheat is a good source of insoluble fibre and rich in vitamin B1, B3 and B5, riboflavin and folate. It also contains higher amounts of iron, calcium and protein then other types of flour.
This flour is commonly used to produce bread, muffins, pasta, pastries, cakes, and biscuits.

Spelt Flour
Spelt is an ancient grain that consists mostly of starchy sugars so when used creates softer and denser products. When combined with its high fibre content, this helps to slow digestion and increase satiety. Spelt is also high in unsaturated fatty acids, and has high levels of minerals and vitamins, such as magnesium, zinc, manganese, calcium, potassium and B vitamins.
It can be used to replace wheat flour in the production of bread, pizza crusts and cookies.

Rye Flour
Along with wheat and spelt flour, rye is the only other flour that can be used to make bread or yeast. It is a good source of fibre and retains a large amount of nutrients, including iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, selenium and B vitamins. Further, it is more effective than wheat flour in reducing LDL cholesterol.
Rye flour is most often used for making bread and produces a denser and darker loaf with a coarser texture.

Oat Flour
Oat flour is naturally gluten free (providing there has been no cross-contamination) and can be made at home by blending whole oats. It has a silky texture and similar taste to wheat flour, except with a higher protein content. It is also high in magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium and soluble fibre, particularly beta-glucan, which helps induce feelings of satiety. Further, oats are high in antioxidants, such as avenanthramides, which help to lower blood pressure.
Oat flour can be used as a gram-for-gram replacement for wheat flour in pancakes, cakes, biscuits, etc.

Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is made by grinding and drying coconut pulp. It is another gluten free flour alternative with a higher protein, fibre and fat content, and lower carbohydrate content. Coconut flour contains medium chain triglycerides which help produce energy and reduce appetite.
It has a slightly sweeter and coconutty flavour compared to wheat flour and can be used as a replacement in desserts and pastries. Due to its fibrous nature and lower density, it is important to not use too much or to add more binding agents to your batter.

Buckwheat Flour
Buckwheat is a type of gluten free pseudocereal, which means its seeds do not grow on grass. It is often considered a superfood due to its high content of protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, folate, B6 and vitamin K. It also has a lower glycaemic index, which makes it ideal for people with type 2 diabetes.
Buckwheat has a nutty flavour and is often used as a substitute for wheat flour in noodles, porridge, and baking. Since it absorbs a lot of moisture, more liquid should be added to batters before baking.

Rice Flour
Rice flour is made by grinding white or brown rice. It is more nutritious than wheat flour and a good source of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, such as calcium and zinc. It also contains choline, which helps maintain a healthy liver.
Rice flour is more affordable than other gluten free flour varieties. It is most often used as an alternative thickener in chilled or frozen food recipes because it inhibits the separation of liquids. Rice flour’s neutral flavour and high starch content, which creates elasticity in doughs, also makes it ideal for sponge cakes, noodles, and fritters.

Almond Flour/Meal
Almond meal is made from ground almonds that are blanched, crushed and sieved. It can also be made at home by pulverising almonds into a fine flour. Almond meal is very high in healthy fats, proteins, manganese, magnesium, calcium and vitamin E. It is also rich in magnesium, which assists with controlling blood sugar levels and reducing insulin resistance.
It can be rather oily or moist but is easily used as a gluten free substitute for wheat flour when making pizza bases, desserts, and raw treats.

Ultimately, there is no correct answer for which type of flour is best. It depends on what you are trying to make and the properties you desire, such as gluten-free, high protein, low carb, or high fibre. Use this table to find which one is best for you.

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How to Keep Mood Balanced in a Pandemic

3/19/2021

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In uncertain times, it can be difficult to keep our mood elevated and balanced. The current pandemic certainly brings this concept home. When we are worrying about the health of loved ones, our work situations, our financial situations and not knowing what will happen in the near or far future can be very unsettling, and this inevitably affects our mood.

Here are some suggestions that have been scientifically proven to help lift mood:

1. Nature
Being in nature such as parks, green areas, forest, bush tracks, gardens, beaches etc has been scientifically proven to elevate mood. An article in the journal ‘Mind’ reported that 95% of people interviewed experienced a more positive mood, were less stressed or anxious and a general feeling of well being after spending some time outdoors in nature. Research done in hospitals, schools and workplaces has shown there is a reduction in anxiety and stress and an elevation in mood if there are green indoor plants on display. In a pandemic, if we are indeed allowed to go out, spending some time in nature as well as taking some nature back into your home with some indoor plants can be hugely beneficial.

2. Meditation
Practicing meditation has shown to decrease circulating stress hormones and inflammatory chemicals in the body which both have an impact on our mood. Different types of meditation such as mindfulness, guided meditation, meditation that focuses on a mantra or on breathing have equally positive effects on mood.

3. Gratitude
Feeling grateful for the good and the positive is incredibly powerful. Sometimes it is easier to slide into feelings of negativity. Try finding a few things at the end of each day that you are grateful for, no matter how big or small. Close your eyes and hold those thoughts of gratitude in your heart, as well as in your mind, and allow the positivity to flow.

4. Nutritious Whole Foods
Eating the correct foods will give your body the correct fuel, supporting both body and brain chemistry, and allowing you to feel well and happy.

5. Moderate Intensity Exercise
Moving our bodies - increasing our heart rate and including resistance training will release serotonin and endorphins, our “feel good” chemicals, which in turn will help elevate mood.

6. Taking Time for You
Make time for doing something you enjoy doing and that makes you happy. This can be anything from exercise to craft, gardening, sewing, dancing just to mention some things. Feeling valued by yourself is very important for a positive mood.

7. Essential Oils
Our olfactory system (sense of smell) is directly connected to the limbic system in the brain which is responsible for mood management amongst other things. Essential oils can be used in burners, diffusers or humidifiers, or even just a few drops directly on your skin or mixed in a moisturiser can be very effective. Oils mixed with some water in a spray bottle and used as a room spray can also work wonders to lift the mood in the room for everyone. Oils that have uplifting properties are lemon, orange, grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, rose, ylang ylang, lavender, peppermint and rosemary.

8. Herbal Teas
Maintaining adequate hydration through the day is imperative for ultimate body function. Herbal teas, apart from being often quite delicious, can be very therapeutic and are an interesting way to supplement the day’s intake of fluids. Herbs that can power your mood are turmeric, ginger, peppermint, rose, saffron, lemongrass, chamomile, ashwagandah and rooibos.

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Our Stress Response

3/19/2021

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We hear the word STRESS everywhere. Everyone is stressed in one way or the other these days.

But what actually is stress and is it all bad?

The stress response is a survival mechanism within us to keep us alive. Once when we were hunters and gatherers and faced danger from wild animals, extreme hunger or cold, our stress response would alert chemical reactions in the body and brain so we would act accordingly to survive. The same happens today when we are faced with danger, for example running away from somebody, jumping out of the way of a car or hitting the deadline of a work project, our stress response is activated in the same way. This is not bad at all as long as the stress response is short lived. It is when the stress response is prolonged or chronic we run into troubles with our health.

The Stress Response 3 Stages

Stage 1: Alarm
This is the fight or flight response. Adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones, are released from the adrenal glands for increased energy, heart rate and blood pressure and makes all senses sharper. The blood is shunted to our big muscles like the legs and arms so we have the strength to either fight or run and to our brains so we can think quicker and have quicker reflexes.

Stage 2: Resilience
There is still stress around but not as acute as in stage one. Adrenaline release is lower while cortisol can still be high but not as high as in the alarm stage. Elevated heart rate and blood pressure slowly reduces and the body starts to repair itself. If the stressor is going away completely the body continues to normalise to a restorative stage.

However if the stressor is there for a prolonged time for example in a stressful job situation, caring for sick family members, financial difficulties etc the stress hormone cortisol is being released for a prolonged time and other physiological changes happen within our body so we can cope. If this stage goes on for a length and is not resolved we move into the last stage.

Stage 3: Exhaustion
We end up here after a prolonged or chronic stress when the body’s resources to adapt to the situation runs out physically, mentally and emotionally. We have no more “fight” in us.You body is exhausted and you are unable to continue with normal tasks. Feelings of hopelessness and depression are often experienced.

In the second and third stages ill health often occurs. The immune system suffers and becomes weaker exposing us to infections, allergies and cancers, problems with digestion, blood pressure, high cholesterol, hormonal changes, skin issues, memory and concentration issues, weight gain or loss, depression or anxiety are just some problems seen in chronic and prolonged stress.

So we do need our stress response and no it is not all bad if we can resolve the stressful situation quickly and effectively. The stress response saves lives and gives us that edge to reach the deadline at work or think clearly in an exam or run that marathon as long as we can come back to rest and restore after.

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Pilates - The Ultimate Immune System Booster

3/19/2021

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In our day to activities, we constantly fight off illness with our immune system. Exercise helps our whole body, including our immune system, to function properly. Here’s a little bit of history behind the Pilates Method and how it came to be, as well as how it is said to have been helpful in warding off the Spanish Flu at the start of the 1900s.

“Joseph Pilates was born in Mönchengladbach, a small town near Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1880. He was a small and sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He was so skinny that he couldn’t fight back when he was being bullied at school, and it was these conditions that caused him to begin the journey to fitness and health. His father was a prizewinning gymnast and his mother a naturopath. A family physician gave him a discarded anatomy book and as he put it “I learned every page, every part of the body; I would move each part as I memorized it. As a child, I would lie in the woods for hours, hiding and watching the animals move, how the mother taught the young.” he said. He studied both Eastern and Western forms of exercise including yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman regimens. By the time he was 14 he had worked so hard he had developed his body to the point that he was modelling for anatomy charts.

When WW1 broke out in 1914 he was interned along with other German nationals in a “camp” for enemy aliens in Lancaster. There he taught wrestling and self-defense, boasting that his students would emerge stronger than they were before being interned. It was here that he began devising his system of original exercises that later became “Contrology”. He was then transferred to another camp on The Isle of Man where he became something of a nurse and worked with many internees who suffered from wartime diseases and incarceration. He then began devising equipment to rehabilitate them, taking the springs from the beds and rigging exercise apparatus for the bedridden! In 1918, a terrible epidemic of influenza swept the world, killing millions of people, tens of thousands in England. None of Joe’s followers succumbed even though the camps were the hardest hit! “

Knockaloe - Military camp on the Isle of Man where Pilates was interned during WW1

In the conclusion of a recent broadly published paper - Debunking the Myth of Exercise-Induced Immune Suppression: Redefining the Impact of Exercise on Immunological Health Across the Lifespan (2018) by John P. Campbell & James E. Turner - evidence from epidemiological studies showed that leading a physically active lifestyle reduces the incidence of communicable (e.g., bacterial and viral infections) and non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer), implying that immune competency is enhanced by regular exercise bouts.

Many of the ‘pumping’ style exercises in Pilates require the rhythmic breath that pumps fresh oxygenated blood throughout the whole body. This rejuvenates and cleanses the body allowing the lymphatic and immune systems to do their job more effectively.

It is well known that regular exercise - especially if performed the way the body was designed to perform it - helps to boost one’s immune system. Pilates exercises focus on the lymphatic and respiratory systems as well as the core muscles, which greatly improve the body’s ability to function at its best.

Author

Dominique Rohan from https://p4pilates.com

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Three Recipes to Boost Your Immune System

3/19/2021

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Our immune system is designed to keep us in continuous optimal health and is dependent on many factors which either strengthen or weaken it. Our general health plays an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system.

Here are three easy recipes you can make to level up your immune health so the likelihood of succumbing to illness is much smaller.

1. A Heart (and Body) Warming Immune-Boosting Soup

Ingredients:

¼ cup red kidney beans
2 cm freshly grated ginger
½ cup brown rice
½ cup sliced skiitake mushrooms
6 cups vegetable or natural chicken stock
1 chopped red onion
1/2/cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped red capsicum
1-tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup miso paste (soybean extract) (I don’t always use this)
¼ cup chopped parsley
1/4/ cup chopped coriander
3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped

Method:

Soak the kidney beans overnight, discard the water and simmer in the stock with ginger for 2 hours.
Sauté garlic, onion, carrots and capsicum in a pan with the olive oil for a few minutes then add to the bean/stock mixture and simmer for another hour.
Remove pot from the heat, add miso and herbs and a few slices of raw garlic.
Stir and serve. Enjoy!

Tip: For a quicker soup use tinned kidney beans that have been rinsed very well, then add into soup in the last 10 minutes of simmering.

2. Punchy Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

A cup of leafy greens such as baby or English spinach or kale
Quarter of an avocado
Half a cup of frozen blueberries
One banana
Half a lemon
Half a tsp grated ginger
A cup of coconut water or water

Method:
Mix in a blender or nutribullet and enjoy!

3. Warming Cold-Fighting Tea

Ingredients:

2cm fresh ginger
Boiling water
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp raw honey
Pinch of ground cinnamon and/or turmeric

Method:

Grate or slice ginger and put in a teapot with boiling water, let steep for 3-4 minutes
Add lemon juice and raw honey
Add cinnamon and/or turmeric for extra warmth

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Three Easy Steps to Power Up Your Immunity

3/19/2021

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Here are three easy steps you can take in order to boost your immune system so the likelihood of succumbing to illness is much smaller:

Sleep - a good night’s shut-eye is super important for our immunity. During the night, when we sleep, our body is busy repairing and detoxing all our systems and organs to ensure maximum function. Cytokines are proteins that target infections, and therefore important in our immune defence and these are made during sleep at night. The effectiveness of T-cells, one type of immune cells, is also helped by sleep.
Sunshine - the sun gives us light and warmth (especially appreciated during the winter months) and also Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in enhancing the function of immune cells, including T-cells and macrophages, which protect us from invasions by viruses and bacteria. So go and enjoy the outside! Go for a walk, a bike ride, have a picnic, potter around in the garden etc. Fresh air and sunshine are so important in keeping us well. All we need is 10-20 minutes in the middle of the day without sunscreen and/or sunglasses to get enough Vitamin D. Please remember however that care and protection are needed to avoid sun damage when spending longer times in the sun.
Nutritious food - what we eat has a huge impact on our immune system, so choose well. Especially important to our immune system are vitamin A, Beta carotene, vitamin C and D and zinc. Here are a few examples of vegetables, fruit, fats, protein, herbs and spices specifically indicated to nourish our immune system.

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Blog Posts Coming Soon!

9/13/2014

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Stay tuned for our upcoming posts about the latest in natural health, massage and naturopathy...

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What is the Difference Between Honey, Maple Syrup and Rice Malt Syrup?

A Crash Course in Sugars

8 Different Types of Flours and How to Use Them

How to Keep Mood Balanced in a Pandemic

Our Stress Response

The Stress Response 3 Stages

Pilates - The Ultimate Immune System Booster

Author

Three Recipes to Boost Your Immune System

1. A Heart (and Body) Warming Immune-Boosting Soup

2. Punchy Green Smoothie

3. Warming Cold-Fighting Tea

Three Easy Steps to Power Up Your Immunity

Blog Posts Coming Soon!

Monica Andersson

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Contact NordicHealth to Experience Relief and Improve Your Health

The Stress Response 3 Stages

Author

1. A Heart (and Body) Warming Immune-Boosting Soup

2. Punchy Green Smoothie

3. Warming Cold-Fighting Tea

Monica Andersson

Archives

Categories

﻿Contact NordicHealth﻿ to Experience Relief and Improve Your Health

Contact NordicHealth to Experience Relief and Improve Your Health