YOUR GUIDE TO A HEALTHY MIND,

HEART AND BODY - NATURALLY.

EATING HEALTHY

Super Foods

Onions
All members of the onion family; garlic, shallots, leeks, spring onions and chives contain flavanoids
and allium compounds which help to fight cancer. They also help to reduce colestrol and clotting of
the blood which helps reduce blood pressure. The risk of heart disease and strokes can be reduced
by eating onions. Eat them raw to really benefit from their good properties.

Cabbages
Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are all types of cabbage which are high in insoluble fibre,
helping to reduce the risk of colon cancer. They also contain plenty of antioxidants and isothiocy-
anates which counteract cancer causing properties. Also rich in iron, vitamin C and beta-carotene,
these are great miracle foods.

Apples
Packed full of antioxidants, especially vitamin C for healthy skin and gums - one apple provides a
quarter of your daily requirement of vitamin C. Apples also contain a form of soluble fibre called
pectin that can help to lower blood cholesterol levels and keep the digestive system healthy. An
apple is also a carbohydrate with a low glycaemic index (GI) type. Low GI foods are digested
slowly; once they are finally broken down in the intestine they are gradually absorbed into the blood-
streams as glucose, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar levels. They may help with weight con-
trol, as well as improving diabetics' long-term control of blood sugar levels.

Baked beans
The humble baked bean is a nutritional powerhouse of protein, fibre, iron and calcium. It contains
carbohydrate that, like that in apples, is of the low GI variety. The tomato sauce covering baked
beans is also a good source of lycopene, another powerful antioxidant shown to help prevent heart
disease and prostate cancer. The insoluble fibre in baked beans is not digested but moves into the
large intestine, or colon, where bacteria act on it and produce short-chain fatty acids. These fatty
acids are thought to nourish the colon lining and protect it from carcinogenic (cancer-causing) invad-
ers.

Broccoli
Just two florets - raw or lightly cooked - count as a veggie portion. Not only does broccoli contain
antioxidants including vitamin C but it's a particularly good source of folate (naturally occuring folic
acid). Increasing your intake of folic acid is thought to be of major benefit in preventing heart dis-
ease. Broccoli also contains an antioxidant called lutein that can delay the progression of age-
related macular degeneration (AMD). This affects 10 per cent of people over 60 and is a major
cause of impaired vision and blindness. Finally, broccoli also contains a phytochemical called
sulphoraphane that has specific anti-cancer properties.

Brazil nuts
All nuts are generally full of essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. Recent studies suggest that eat-
ing a small handful of nuts four times a week can help reduce heart disease and satisfy food crav-
ings. Brazil nuts are one of the few good sources of selenium that may help protect against cancer,
depression and Alzheimer's disease.

Carrots
2 carrots every other day provide enough beta carotene to reduce stroke
risk by half for men who already have symptoms of heart disease.
Spinach
Contains vitamins A and C, folic acid and magnesium which help control cancer, reduces heart dis-
ease and stroke risk, blocks free radicals and may help prevent osteoporosis.

Chilli Peppers
The heat source in chilis, capsaicin, is an antioxidant. Contains blood thinning properties to prevent
strokes, lowers cholesterol, protects DNA against carcinogens, may stimulate release of endorphins
("natural high" chemicals)

Foods To Avoid Or Cut Down On

Meat
Studies have shown that as many as 53% of cow carcasses and 83% of pig carcasses, were con-
taminated with E-coli and 18% of British and 64% of imported chicken, had salmonella. Unfortu-
nately, the high demand for meat and the ever increasing population means more and more animals
crammed into small spaces. Animals are constantly fed antibiotics and other drugs to keep them
from dying and fatten them up.

It’s not only our health that suffers, many animals are treated appallingly. Animals that would other-
wise roam large areas and eat vegetarian diets are forced to spend their entire lives in very small
spaces where they can barely turn round and are treated as nothing more than feeling-less com-
modities. With the way farm animals are treated, it’s little wonder that diseases such as Mad Cow
Disease, Salmonella, Foot and Mouth Disease and Bovine TB have had such dramatic affects on
farmed animals. You don’t have to go vegetarian to reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases
associated with eating meat, you can buy RSPA freedom foods or free-range food.

Milk
Milk is considered healthy because it is full of calcium. However, humans are the only animals that
go on to drink milk into their adult life and we’re the only animals who drink the milk of another spe-
cies; neither natural nor healthy. Milk has been linked to depression, diabetes, asthma, eczema and
many other common illnesses. Milk also contains IGF-I; suitable for calves to grow strong and
quickly but is known to cause prostate cancer in humans and accelerate malignant growth. To get
your RDA of calcium, stick to eating lots of leafy green vegetables, oats, sesame seeds, fortified soya
milk, almonds and legumes. Soya milk is similarly good for you and less fattening than cow’s milk.
Again, as our health is made to suffer, so are the cows. As cows need to be impregnated in order to
produce milk, the calf (as it cannot be used for beef due to it’s type and the expense of raising it) is
seen as a by-product and sometimes killed immediately.

Soya milk, yoghurt, cream cheese, cheese spread and vegan chocolate are all now readily available
for similar prices to their dairy cousins; give them a try! You’ll be surprised how much better you feel.
Log onto www.vegansociety.org for more information.

Seafood
You also need to be careful when it comes to seafood. In order to limit
the amount of diseases farmed fish can catch, they are given vaccines,
antibiotics and chemicals with known human health risks. The smell of
fish we so often come across is actually the smell of their saturated fats
turning rancid. Thirty per cent of the fats in fish can be saturated, lead-
ing to cancers, obesity and heart disease.
These fats soak up toxins such as mercury and some cancer causing dioxins from polluted oceans.

Lobsters and other crustaceans (which are inhumanely boiled while still alive despite the fact that
they have a highly complex nervous system and can therefore feel pain) contain excessive amounts
of proteins and cholesterol. They are also often highly contaminated with pesticides, bacteria and
many other toxins. If you give up seafood, you can still get omega three from foods such as spin-
ach, soybeans, walnuts, rapeseed oil and flaxseed. With seafood, try to buy organically farmed fish
or give it up completely if you can.

Healthy Meal Ideas

It can seem daunting to get all your essential vitamins and minerals in a day but we wanted to make
it really easy. Most of these meals incorporate all your essential vitamins but if we couldn’t squeeze
them all into one meal, we’ve added some extra snacks so you can still meet your daily require-
ment. To ensure you get all your vitamins, it’s important to eat cereal with fortified B12 (in either the
soya milk or cereal) everyday and make sure you eat lots of leafy green vegetables.

Avocado salad
Avocado, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, roasted seeds and nuts, butter beans and mushrooms with a
splash of vinegar.

Handful of roasted nuts and seeds sprinkled with salt

As long as you have this and some dried apricots, fruit and green leafy vegetables at other points
throughout the day, you will have had all of your essential vitamins and minerals!

Sweet potato with veg and Quorn

Baked sweet potato with butter, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and broad beans. All Quorn
products have significantly less fat than meat.

Baked potato with beans and side salad

Baked potato with margarine, beans and a salad of your choice - as long as it has lettuce in it, you
have met your daily vitamin requirements.

Lentil soup
Cook the lentils for as long as required before adding black pepper, beans and chopped tomatoes,
then liquidising. Add parsley as a finishing touch and to meet all your vitamin requrements!

Shepherd’s pie with lentils

Cook the lentils before adding carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, chick peas, beans and chopped toma-
toes. If you want you can add vegemince or lean mince you can but it also tastes good with the
vegetables. When it’s all cooked, pop it in a casserole dish and pop mashed potato on the top. A
sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese (available in most supermarkets in the free from section)
makes a particularly tasty dish! Add with a side salad for good measure!

Chilli
Multi coloured peppers, vegan ‘mince’ (available from most health food shops including Holland and
Barrett), chopped tomatoes. Boil the mince first, adding the others later and chilli powder, garlic and
mixed herbs. Serve with side salad.
Roast dinner
Soya ‘meat’, brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, roasted potatoes, peas and swede with
vegetable gravy.

Stew
Sprouts, potato, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and broad beans boiled with a vegetable stock cube.

Stir fry
Pop onions, peppers, cabbage pieces, green beans, sweetcorn, mushrooms, beansprouts, peas and
chopped carrot into the pan. Fry in a little oil and add soya sauce later before serving.

Tortilla bean wrap

Pop lettuce, tomato and cucumber into the bottom of a tortilla wrap. Add beans of your choice, chick-
peas and egg free mayonnaise (much lower in fat than normal mayo).

Fruit salad
Apples, mango, bannana, strawberries, kiwi fruit and oranges all provide you with some of your nec-
essary vitamins. However, as they can’t provide them all, it’s also good to have a salad with roasted
nuts and seeds at another point during the day.
HEALTHY NATURAL REMEDIES

Medicine has come a long way to helping cure illnesses. However, there is also a lot to be said for
natural medicine. All pharmaceutical drugs have to be tested on animals before they are released to
the public and due to the differences in human and animal anatomy, the types of diseases we can
catch and differing reactions to drugs, this can be dangerous or cause unwanted side effects. Did
you know…

• Six young men at Northwick Park hospital were nearly killed by a drug which they were given
because it had been ‘proved safe’ in monkeys
• Arthritis drug Vioxx – the greatest drug catastrophe in history – killed up to 140,000 people after
being ‘proved safe’ in animals, including monkeys
• 92% of new drugs successful in animal studies go on to fail in clinical trials, as at Northwick Park
– sometimes injuring or killing volunteers and patients
• Extensive studies of animal tests’ ability to predict drugs’ and chemicals’ potential to cause can-
cer and birth defects have found them to be ineffective
• Scientists are increasingly lamenting the failings of animal studies. Cancer Research UK ac-
knowledges: ‘We do trials in people because animal models do not predict what will happen in hu-
mans’.
• Humans suffer from around 30,000 types of disease; less than 10% of these diseases are found
in other animals.
When asked, 88% of doctors agreed animal experiment results are misleading due to ‘anatomical
and physiological differences between animals and humans.’

Log onto www.curedisease.net for more information. Also check out www.gocrueltyfree.org/ if you
want to ensure your cosmetics and household products aren’t tested on animals.
Homeopathic treatment is now the second most used treatment in the world. This treatment is reli-
able, has no side effects and usually isn’t tested on animals although you will need to be sure of this
and the fact that they have no animal ingredients. Your GP can refer you to one of several NHS ho-
meopathic clinics around the country. The Faculty of Homeopathy can give you details on home-
opathy; their number is 0870 444 3955.

Here’s a few natural remedies for common illnesses;

Asthma
A few drops of oil of juniper in hot water will act
as an effective inhalant.

Sweating feet
Alternate Hot and Cold Foot Bath, Heating Com-
press to feet during night, with Cold Mitten Fric-
tion of feet in the morning on arising.

Bruise easily
This is caused by a lack of fibre in the diet. Try
to eat more fruit and vegetables and less coffee,
tea, soft drinks and white flour products.

Chapped lips
• Avoid licking your lips; it dries them out.
• Occasionally place a little vegetable oil on
your lips.
• Drink enough water.
• Rub your finger alongside of your nose and then on your lips; that puts natural oils back in
them!

Eczema/ Dermatitus
• Regardless of what may be the cause, omit wheat, rye, oats, and barley for six weeks. Then
slowly add one back at a time—and see how all this effects the dermatitis.
• Avoid dairy products, white flour, fried foods, other processed fats, and sugar. Avoid antiper-
spirants, for they have metal in them. Use cotton undergarments. Fake fingernails cause skin
rashes. Always use white bathroom tissue only. The dyes irritate the skin. Be sure and rinse
the soap out of your clothes which have just been washed.
• Herbs that may help include comfrey, dandelion, red clover, and pau d'arco.
• Dermatitus and exczema is made worse by stress. Try to relax and enjoy yourself with our
tips on a healthy mind.

Depression/ Anxiety
Counselling, meditation, yoga, potatoes (these contain serotonin).

Headaches/ Migraines
Biofeedback (when a person can be trained to control their nervous system), chiropractic care or
chiropractic manipulations.

Constipation
A diet high in fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes should help to prevent this occurring initially.
However, if you are suffering from it, psyllium seed will relieve you and high fibre fruit such as rasp-
berries or blueberries will help as well as plenty of water. Avoid too much cheese, chocolate or spicy
foods.

Arthritis
Olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, carrots, yellow and orange peppers, oranges, acupuncture.
EXERCISE

We all know exercise is good for us but getting the motivation isn’t always easy! Think of what you
enjoy doing and use that. You should exercise at least a couple of times a week if not everyday.
Do you enjoy any of these activities?

Walking
Dancing
Swimming
Hula hoop
Tennis
Badminton
Squash
Basketball
Football
HEALTHY MIND

Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling down, your health always seem to suffer? A healthy
mind is key to a healthy body. According to research, 40% of our happiness is within our control,
50% is inherited and only 10% comes from materialistic goods such as a nice house, lots of money,
holidays and plenty of goods. Staying positive, living life to the full and taking as much rest as you
need are all important factors when trying to keep a healthy mind. Here’s some tips for getting the
most out of life;

• At the end of the day, make a list of five good things about your day; this will help you to look
for the positives throughout your day.
• It’s never too late! If you feel something’s missing from your life but you’ve missed your oppor-
tunity remember that it’s better late than never. Get in contact with an old friend or sign up for
a course to learn a new skill.
• Take time to appreciate all the good things about the world and life; the kindness of strangers,
beautiful sights and smells, friends and family, all the privileges you have.
• Try not to compare yourself to others; you will inevitably compare yourself with people you
think are more intelligent/ thinner/ more successful than you. Instead recognise your good
qualities and appreciate them. Work on areas you can if you want to improve but learn to ac-
cept other parts of you that you’re not so keen on.
• Savour happy moments; plan days with lots of things you enjoy and look forward to it. Re-
member it when you feel down. Take photos of happy occasions and take pleasure in remem-
bering them when you can.

Do Things That Make You Happy

• Go for a walk in a wood, park.

• Take a long bath with bubbles, oils, candles and a good book.
• Listen to music that reminds you of a happy time in your life.
• Make a list of all your qualities.
• Make a list of your blessings in life.
• Talk to someone you love.
• Make a list of your life achievements.
• Make a collage of all the things you love about life.
• Draw/paint a picture.
• Read one of your favourite books.
• Watch one of your favourite films.
• Watch a good comedy.
• Stroke a pet.
• Write a poem expressing your feelings.
• Create your own list of things that make you happy and do at least one of these everyday.