Give Your Digestive System a Break This Festive Season!

When you realise that we eat about 500kg of food every year on average, it is no wonder we sometimes get a bit of indigestion! In fact, thanks to the festive season, many might feel as if they’ve eaten that much during December alone! If you will be over-indulging or will be starting (or re-starting) weight management programmes in January, it is doubtly important that you make sure, whatever you decide to do, that it also helps you to maintain a healthy-functioning digestive system.

Do you have a dodgy digestion?
Our digestive systems are remarkably resilient, although bad eating and lifestyle habits can stress them out, leading to a number of unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, water retention, constipation, flatulence, cramps and indigestion.

If any of the above sounds familiar, read on for some simple ways to improve your digestive health…

It is not just what you eat, but how you eat it…
For healthy digestion, it is as important to look at how you eat as what you eat.

Chew your food as saliva can only break down food so far – your teeth need to do the rest.

Eat regularly and moderately as if you eat too much and too often, your digestive system will not get a minute’s peace and it is important it does!

Eat slowly and calmly: high stress levels are a major cause of both constipation and diarrhoea. If you rush when you eat, you’ll increase your chances of bad digestion.

The essential ingredients of good digestion

Wonderful water!
If you aren’t drinking your daily eight large glasses of water, then start today! The fluid you drink dissolves minerals, vitamins and nutrients, which are then more easily absorbed by your body. Water also relieves constipation by lubricating and softening food waste.

Friendly Fibre!
The average European only consumes half the daily recommended amount of fibre (25-35g), even though it is crucial for healthy digestion. Essentially, fibre is food your body can’t absorb or break down, which passes into the colon and is eliminated as waste.

As well as aiding digestion and relieving constipation, fibre also has other health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Some tips for including fibre in your diet
Try to eat as wide a variety as possible for the greatest health benefit:

Try wholegrain bread, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta. Refined products like white bread remove the outer coat from the grain, which lowers fibre content.

Eat fruit at every meal – apples, oranges, pears and berries are great sources of fibre. But beware! Removing the skin from fruits and vegetables decreases their fibre content.

If you want to snack, how about some (low-fat) popcorn? Two air-popped cupfuls give you 2.4g fibre.

Herbalife Solutions for Healthy Digestion
If eating too much of all the wrong kinds of foods has really taken its toll, you may benefit from Herbalife’s core nutrition product – Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix, which can be used as a healthy breakfast as it contains protein and complex carbs and 4 wholemeal toasts equivalent of fibre.

In addition to Formula 1 shake, the following Herbalife products have been specifically formulated to aid Healthy Digestion:

Cell Activator
Your diet is only as good as what your body can absorb. Cell Activator contains a blend of nutrients, plants, and B-vitamins that support energy production and improves performance by helping essential nutrients reach their destination. More about Cell Activator…

Herbal Aloe Concentrate
Stressed digestive systems can be soothed and cleansed by Herbal Aloe Concentrate’s aloe vera and camomile. A couple of glasses a day will also held up your fluid intake, so essential for healthy digestion. More about Herbal Aloe Concentrate…

Florafibre
Digestive problems are often a result of an imbalance of “friendly” and “unfriendly” bacteria in your digestive tract. Florafibre contains millions of good bacteria to help ease a stressed system, plus fibre to boost your daily intake. More about Florafibre…

Also, let’s not forget Herbalife’s Christmas Survival Kit:

FibreBond Tablets and Formula 1.

The rule is – ‘never to go to the banquet hungry’!

As long as you take a Formula 1 shake half an hour to an hour before heading out to the party – it means you won’t be famished and eating everything in sight at the buffet table! Also, take 1-2  FibreBond Tablets before your meal to ensure up to 50% elimination of fats from your food. This is one cheat you will not feel sorry about!

Personal Wellness Evaluation Quiz – Find out what is the state of your wellness!

Try this simple quiz to determine the state of your wellness. Answer Yes and No style questions by giving 1 point to every Yes and 0 point to every No answer. Results are on the end! Question is followed by an advice. Good Luck!

1. Do you eat more meals with poultry, lean meat, fish and plant (soy) proteins rather than steaks, roasts and other red meats?

White meat of chicken or turkey and ocean-caught fish provide less fat and saturated fatthan most cuts of red meat or pork. It is important to eat more of these “better-for-you” meats rather than high-fat meats such as hot dogs, steaks and roasts and to balance your proteins by eating some plant protein such as soy every day.

2. Do you eat a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables and do you eat at least five servings of these daily?

It is important to eat at least five servings per day of fruits and vegetables to get the fibre, vitamins and minerals these foods contain. Eat a wide range of different coloured fruits and vegetables to get a variety of the thousands of substances only found in plants that keep you healthy.

3. Do you consume primarily whole grains (100% whole wheat bread and past, brown rice) rather than regular pasta, white rice and white bread?

Processed and refined grains provide mainly starch as empty calories. It is important to get whole grain baked goods so that you get all the goodness from whole grains including the vitamins, fibre and protein found in these important foods.

4. Do you eat ocean caught fish at least three times a week?

Ocean-caught fish have healthy fish oils that may help to maintain a healthy heart when eaten as part of a healthy diet. They are also generally lower in fat than other meats and can help you maintain a healthy body weight.

5. Do you avoid intake of fried foods, dressings, sauces, gravies, butter and margarine?

Fried foods, dressings, gravies, sauces, butter and margarine add lots of calories and saturated fat to your diet even when eaten in small amounts. Since it is difficult to control the portions that you eat, it is best to avoid these foods as much as possible.

6. Do you get a minimum of 30 minutes of excercise 5 days a week?

Being regular is important in order to eliminate toxins from your body and healthy elimination can maintain a normal balance of cholesterol and other blood fats. Indigestion or irregularity can be avoided by eating 25 grams of fibre per day from fruits, vegetables and whole grains, drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water per day and reducing stress through mild exercise or meditation.

7. Is your digestive system free of indigestion or irregularity?

Getting exercise that stimulates your heart at least three to five times per week for a least 30 minutes will help keep your cardiovascular system healthy, help maintain a healthy body weight and can help reduce stress.

8. Do you maintain a stable and appropriate weight?

Maintaining a healthy and appropriate weight can be achieved with regular exercise and following a diet that is based on low-fat proteins, fruits, vegetables and controlled portions of whole grain foods. Many people go through cycles of weight gain followed by quick weight loss, which can lead to loss of lean tissue and reduced metabolic rate.

9. Do you usually have time to prepare balanced meals rather than take-aways or eating on the run?

With our busy lives, it is tempting to pick up prepared foods or fast foods, and often we eat while we are doing other activities. There are many convenience items, such as prewashed salad greens, frozen vegetables, pre-cut fruits and quick-cooking poultry portions that make healthy meals quick to put together.

10. Do you stay away from fizzy drinks and typical snack foods throughout the day and after dinner?

Snacking on healthy fruits and vegetables is one thing, but high-fat, high sugar treats are foods people may turn to out of stress, boredom or habit. Try replacing these foods with healthier snacks, or enjoy a hot cup of tea to help you relieve stress.

11. Are you free of water retention and bloating?

Excess weight can sometimes simply be retained water. Bloating and swollen ring fingers are clues that this may be happening, and it is important to maintain normal water balance.

12. Do you have the energy and focus you need to meet your daily challenges?

We all want to perform at our best during the day. Regular excercise and stress management can help you sleep better and feel rested and energised for the day.

13. Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day?

If you wait until you are thirsty before you drink water, you may already be slightly dehydrated. Your body requires water for many functions, and being well-hydrated helps keep your skin and other tissues healthy.

14. Are you getting your daily recommended allowance of Calcium (min 800mg per day)?

Calcium is important for bone health, and also helps to keep blood pressure in check. The best dietary sources are non-fat dairy products and calcium-fortified foods. Since most people don’t eat enough servings of dairy products daily, a combination of foods and supplements is often needed.

Wellness Evaluation Score:
0-5 – Low
6-10 – Medium
11 -14 – High
A higher score signifies an awareness of wellness practice

Test your Body Fat for FREE
Test your Body Mass Index for FREE

Now that you have completed your Personal Wellness Evaluation, you are closer to achieving your desired wellness goals. The key is putting what you learned into action and making steady progress.

Steps for Achieving Optimum Wellness:
Define your Wellness Goals,
Have an evaluation of your personal wellness,
Identify key areas you need to impact to reach your wellness goals,
Get recommendations from your Personal Wellness Coach,
Make a plan of action that you can commit to,
Get the ongoing support you need to stay on your wellness track for a healthier future.

If your health is important to you, however, you find good nutrition difficult to put into your diet on a daily basis and would like help to put a healthy eating plan together, call Sanela on 01225 313 218 for your FREE Wellness Evaluation with no obligation. (Evaluation valued at min. £30) or apply for a Free Consultation online

Targeted Nutrition for Everyone

Herbalife offers you a variety of targeted products that build on the foundation of ShapeWorks™ (Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix, Formula 2 Multivitamin Complex). By taking our Targeted Nutrition products alone, or in combination with your personalised ShapeWorks programme, you can zero-in on your specific needs. Our Targeted Nutrition Products offer a wide array of products to address individual needs – supporting digestive health, heart health, sports nutrition, etc.

Our early to middle years establish a pattern and baseline for the health we will have once we are in our 50s, 60s and through to our 80s. So, can you picture yourself staying energetic and active past 80 years of age, enjoying a fast set of tennis or 18 holes of golf? Will your most regular trip out be to the doctor’s surgery or the leisure centre?

The fact is, the human body doesn’t get sick for any other reason that “We are what we think, eat, drink and breathe!”

Here are Herbalife’s basic Targeted Nutrition Programmes:

Sports Nutrition Solutions
Immune Health
Healthy Men & Women
Digestive Health
Heart Health
Healthy Aging
Healthy Pregnancy

Who can benefit from nutrition supplementation?
In addition to the lifestyle choices that we make about our health and nutrition, the following are the factors that will have an effect on our well-being and over which we have little or no control:

Environmental agents: toxic fumes, vehicle exhaust and emissions; Man-made chemicals in food; Poor cooking and storage methods of food in schools, supermarkets, restaurants; nutrient-denuded soil that bears poor crops; stress at home and work; electro-magnetic stress… This is just a selection of the many elements that can have a negative effect on health.

Nutritional supplementation is a wise addition to a modern, busy lifestyle.

Digestive Health

Product that aid your digestive health have been designed to cleanse, nourish and balance your body; can aid the digestion of food and assist the body in the elimination of waste.

FLORAFIBRE
Florafibre helps to replenish flora and promote intestinal health with fibre and friendly bacteria. “Friendly bacteria” are beneficial bacteria which contribute to bowel movements and protect against harmful bacteria… more about Florafibre

HERBAL ALOE CONCENTRATE DRINK
Supports digestive health naturally, assists body’s self-cleansing action, made from premium quality aloe vera: contains important enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It offers you the well-known antioxidant and cleansing benefits of aloe. Choose this over sugary drinks or coffee to let your body enjoy the soothing benefits of aloe vera… more about Herbal Aloe Concentrate

FIBREBOND
The combination of active fibres and sodium choleate helps assist digestion by improving the elimination of wastes from the body, contains oat fibre and cellulose. Specially formulated to provide a satisfied feeling. Two tablets taken before heavy meal can reduce up to 50% of fat from food… more about Fibrebond

What are “friendly flora” and why are they so important?
All day, every day, our bodies are a warm and productive “home” to millions of bacteria (good and bad), and yeast-like fungi. Keeping the balance between the “friendly” and the “unfriendly” organisms is what determines a healthy digestive system.

Are you suffering the tell-tales signs of a digestive system in distress?
Bloating, wind, cramps, constipation, flatulence, headaches, water retention and weight gain are all indicators that the digestive tract is not functioning optimally. Introducing significant amounts of “friendly flora” will help to ease the symptoms of a stressed system.

Do you fall ill easily and recover slowly?
This could be due to a proliferation of bad bacteria in the system. If we do not eat the right types of food and if fluids are not plentiful, harmful bacteria can thrive and the immune system suffers so that our resistance to infection is impaired.

Does your diet include 35 grams of dietary fibre daily?
Nutritional experts recommended a daily intake of 35 grams of fibre each day. The average European diet contains just 12 – 15 grams. Taking Florafibre and/ or Fibrebond every day will help to increase dietary fibre and promote intestinal well-being with the help of “friendly bacteria” found in Florafibre.

Do you drink at least two litres of water daily?
This is the amount recommended by nutritional experts in order tom optimise natural bodily functions. Water is essential to the digestive processes, helping to prevent constipation where fibre is present and allowing “friendly flora” to flourish.

Did you know…
We have several hundred different types of bacteria, weigheing up to 2kg, resident in our intestinal truct, some live permanently in the gut, while others pass through, servicing the system as they go. The speed at which foods are processed and passed out of the body as stool are pivotal; the quicker this process happens, the less time there is for putrification and undesirable bacterial overgrowth in the intestines. Healthy digestion and elimination of foods should ideally be complete within 24 hours. If there is an imbalance of bacteria or lack of dietary fibre, this transit time can increase to 72 hours, and beyond.

Herbalife’s Herbal Aloe Outer Nutrition

Aloe Vera has been used medicinally for over 6,000 years and is world renowned for its therapeutic properties. It contains around 75 known ingredients including enzymes that aid digestion and reduce inflammation, and Saponins, which have an anti-microbial effect against bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeast.The ancient Egyptians used it to heal battle wounds and cure infections, and the early Greeks used it for relieving blisters, burns and leg ulcers as well as healing bowel and stomach disorders.

Studies have shown that aloe vera has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and restorative properties. Some common uses for aloe vera, applied as a cream, include healing small cuts, insect stings, grazes and wounds; healing and repairing skin tissue after burns, including sunburn; healing skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, general itching; and cosmetic uses such as moisturising and improving the elasticity of the skin.

If you are buying an Aloe Vera product, always purchase those made from 100% pure Aloe Vera. Look out for the International Aloe Science Council Seal of Approval as a guide. While ingested as a gel or juice, aloe vera can be used to treat digestive conditions such as IBS, peptic ulcers, acid reflux, Crohn’s disease, candida; musculo-skeletal conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism; and immune-related conditions such as asthma, hayfever and even ME. See Herbal Aloe Concentrate – Herbalife Healthy Digestion Product for more information

Herbalife’s Herbal Aloe hair and body products, made from whole-leaf alone, are considered to be one of the purest Aloe Formula, certified by the International Aloe Science Council and, with added Antioxidant Vitamins C and E, they help cleanse, hydrate, sooth and moisturise your hair and skin. It is everything you need on a daily basis to care for your hair and body!

HERBAL ALOE HAIR CARE

Herbal Aloe Moisturising Shampoo
Give hair a beautiful, healthy shine with this hydrating shampoo with aloe, avocado, grapeseed, ginger root, jojoba seed, rosemary and sage. Gentle with the benefits of whole-leaf aloe, this moisturizing hair wash provides protection from environmental stressors and cleanses without stripping hair or irritating the scalp. For best results, use with Herbal Aloe Moisturizing Conditioner.

Herbal Aloe Moisturising Conditioner
Leave dry, color-treated hair feeling soft and manageable. For best results, use with Herbal Aloe Moisturizing Shampoo. Follow daily usage of Herbal Aloe Moisturizing Shampoo with this gentle conditioner. Made from whole-leaf aloe and botanicals, it restores luster and shine to dry, color-treated hair while protecting it from environmental stressors.

Herbal Aloe Everyday Shampoo
Help repair damage from the daily stresses your hair is exposed to with an aloe-based shampoo for normal to dry hair. Protect hair from environmental stressors and nourish it with the soothing properties of whole-leaf aloe. Safe for the whole family. Use with Herbal Aloe Everyday Conditioner for best results.

Herbal Aloe Everyday Conditioner
Manage shine with the healing benefits of aloe. For normal to dry hair. Gentle enough for everyday use. Condition hair without weighing it down, while counteracting the environmental stressors hair is exposed to each day. Safe and gentle for the whole family. Use with Herbal Aloe Everyday Shampoo for best results.

Herbal Aloe Soft Hold Hair Spray
Get your hair looking just the way you want it with this gentle, everyday aloe hair spray. Hydrating hair spray provides soft, touchable hold that lasts. A gentle formula, this soft-hold hair spray combines botanicals with the latest technology to bring out hair’s natural beauty while offering soft, flexible hold.

HERBAL ALOE BODY CARE

Herbal Aloe Everyday Soothing Hand and Body Lotion
Enriched with high-quality aloe, chamomile, calendula and shea butter, this light, non-greasy lotion works fast and makes hands soft to the touch. Climate, hard water and pollution can dry out skin. Take steps to maintain moisture with this fast-penetrating and nourishing formula made from whole-leaf aloe and select extracts that keep skin moist and smooth.

Herbal Aloe Everyday Body Wash
Wash your body from head to toe with a rich, foam lather formulated with whole-leaf aloe. A daily body wash with aloe vera, chamomile and calendula to cleanse and relieve dry skin without stripping the body’s natural oils. Can be used on a sponge or loofah in the shower to create foaming lather.

Herbal Aloe Bath and Body Bar
Nourish and moisturize skin with a body bar made from whole-leaf aloe, vitamins A and E, grapeseed and olive oils. Gently cleanse skin and retain its natural moisture without stripping necessary oils from the skin. A combination of aloe vera, plant oils and vitamins A and E cleanse and nourish skin. Safe and gentle for the whole family.

Herbal Aloe Hand Cream
Aloe, grapeseed oil and vegetable glycerin nourish and condition hands. Awarded the International Aloe Science Council seal of approval for aloe content and purity, this non-greasy hand cream helps replenish moisture lost throughout the day from activities like hand washing.

SOOTHING HERBAL ALOE
Herbal Aloe Soothing Gel
Soothing and moisturizing gel absorbs quickly, and can help soothe sore, sun-exposed skin. Overexposure to sun can dry and damage the skin. Give your skin the moisture it needs with the soothing benefits of aloe in a non-sticky gel. Whole-leaf aloe and select herbs help hydrate skin and relieve dryness.

Herbal Aloe Soothing Spray
A refreshing spritz made with aloe, chamomile and calendula to help refresh and renew dry skin. Bathe and pamper your body with the soothing properties of aloe vera. Soothe, nourish and hydrate skin, refreshing herbal scent, ideal for the whole family.

Also, try our Herbal Aloe Concentrate for the soothing benefits of Aloe from the inside!

For more information, to arrange a free consultation or to order products, call Sanela on 01225 313 218 or Shop Online.