by Ingredia USA | Oct 3, 2022 | News & Press
America isn’t immune anymore. 3.4 million Americans had to go to the hospital due to an infectious or parasitic disease in 2018.
If you want to avoid a lengthy hospital stay, you should try to boost your immune system naturally. One of the best ways to boost your immune system is to eat healthy foods. But not every fruit and vegetable is going to help you fight off colds.
What foods boost your immune system? Why do these foods help your immune system? How can you incorporate these foods into your diet?
Answer these questions, and you can master how to boost your immune system in no time. Here is your quick guide.
Citrus Fruits
Ask someone about foods that boost your immune system, and they’ll probably talk to you about citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, and limes contain high amounts of vitamin C, which produces white blood cells. White blood cells fight off infections in all parts of the body and decrease inflammation.
Try to eat an orange every day. You can also squeeze lemons or limes over grilled or roasted meat for added flavor.
Berries
Blueberries have anthocyanin, which is an antioxidant that can reduce inflammation and bolster the immune response in the upper respiratory system. If blueberries are too tart for you, you can try mulberries and black chokeberries.
Elderberries are a traditional folk remedy for the common cold. They contain anthocyanin alongside potassium, which regulates how cells receive signals from the immune system. You can find elderberries at most grocery stores, and you can forage for them in the fall.
If you want to try a new fruit, you can eat acai berries. Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, including anthocyanins. They contain pits, so be careful when eating them.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a probiotic food, meaning it contains bacteria that can stimulate your immune system. It also contains vitamin D, which can boost the immune system against viruses and bacteria.
Try to find plain yogurt, as many sweetened yogurts contain added sugars that can weaken your immune system. You can combine berries and yogurt with nuts to make a parfait, which can serve as a breakfast or snack.
Garlic
Garlic is another home remedy for colds and infections. It can also lower your blood pressure and slow down inflammation and hardening in the arteries.
Garlic contains allicin, a chemical compound that kills bacteria. Allicin is sulfuric, meaning that garlic can have a very strong flavor. You can saute garlic or sprinkle it into sauces to cut down on the taste.
Ginger
You may take ginger pills or ginger extract to reduce stomach discomfort or indigestion. You can eat pieces of ginger or drink ginger juice to boost your immune system as well. A 2020 meta-analysis of 109 studies found that ginger can help with inflammation, diabetes, and cancer.
If the flavor of ginger is too intense for you, you can make a smoothie out of it. You can use almond milk, orange juice, or green tea as a base. You can combine chopped ginger with spinach leaves, carrots, citrus fruits, and other ingredients.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice common in Indian and South Asian dishes. It can clean your respiratory tract, removing viruses and bacteria in your nose and mouth. It also has curcumin, a chemical compound that relieves the stress response during infections.
Turmeric has a flavor akin to black pepper, so you should use it sparingly. You can sprinkle some turmeric into a vegetable curry or a soup. Many curry mixes contain turmeric in them, so read the ingredients label to see if turmeric is already in yours.
Seafood
Oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can mitigate rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. Try to eat salmon and tuna at least once a week.
Shellfish also has immune benefits because it has zinc, which replenishes immune cells. Try to eat oysters, crab, and lobster. You can eat raw oysters, but you should select cooked crabmeat and lobster.
Poultry
Chicken and turkey have vitamin B-6, which forms new red blood cells and triggers chemical reactions that increase immune responses. Eating just a few ounces of chicken can give you your daily recommended amount of B-6.
If you like soup, you can make stock out of boiled chicken bones. Bones contain gelatin and chondroitin, which repair cells in your intestines.
Dairy
One of the healthy benefits of dairy foods is that it bolsters the immune system. Milk contains high amounts of zinc alongside vitamins A and D. If you don’t like the taste of milk, you can eat cheese instead.
Try to select dairy products that have probiotic bacteria in them. Probiotic dairy foods include kefir and feta cheese.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has theobromine, an antioxidant that protects cells from free radicals. The body produces free radicals when it encounters pathogens and breaks down food, so dark chocolate may be most effective after big meals.
Chocolate can contain high amounts of saturated fat and sugar, so find a low-fat version. You can eat dark chocolate bars, or you can melt the chocolate down and dip berries into it.
So What Foods Boost Your Immune System?
A lot of people have questions about their immune systems. What foods boost your immune system?
Citrus fruits, berries, and yogurt are three of the biggest boosters. They contain antioxidants that preserve blood cells and support the respiratory system.
But you can also get vitamins from spices like ginger and turmeric. If you want protein, you can have poultry, shellfish, and dairy. Try to eat a balanced diet with dishes that contain natural ingredients.Keep learning about healthy foods and practices. Ingredia provides premium health and wellness guides. Read our guide on naturally lowering your blood sugar today.
by Ingredia USA | Sep 19, 2022 | Blood Sugar Management
About one in every ten Americans will develop diabetes. Type two diabetes is commonly referred to as a “lifestyle disease.”
Insulin is the hormone that our bodies use to turn the food we eat into energy. The more insulin our bodies produce, the more it increases the production of glycogen.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to control your insulin production. One of the benefits of building muscle is to control insulin resistance (the culprit of diabetes) and further prevent diabetes.
In this guide, we discuss a few reasons building muscle can protect you from developing diabetes. Keep reading to learn more.
Understanding Muscle Mass
Muscle mass, unlike lean body mass, exclusively refers to the muscles in your body. There is skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle. Smooth muscle and cardiac muscle make up different organs in your body.
For the sake of this guide, we’ll be discussing skeletal muscle. These are the large muscles all over the body that we exercise during strength training. These muscles can be built up, maintained, or shrink depending on your activity and age.
In preventing diabetes, the goal is to build a healthy amount of skeletal muscle to stabilize blood sugar.
The Relationship Between Blood Sugar and Muscle Mass
When it comes to preventing diabetes your weight matters. More specifically though, the proportion of your weight that is muscle is what matters.
Diabetes happens when your body no longer makes enough insulin or doesn’t metabolize it as it should. This is what causes the high blood sugar levels associated with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Insulin resistance if not managed can progress into type two diabetes.
Luckily, one of the best ways to reverse insulin resistance is through exercise, specifically strength training. Studies found a link between increased muscle mass and reduced insulin resistance and prediabetes.
For every 10% increase in muscle mass within the body, insulin resistance reduces by 11% and prediabetes reduces by 12%. The more muscle your body has, the more excess glucose your body can use or flush out.
Living a sedentary lifestyle greatly increases the risk of developing diabetes. This is not news, but in the past being lean was the only aspect of diabetes prevention highly valued.
Today doctors realize the ideal combination is being lean and also having a higher muscle mass ratio. This calls for a mix of aerobic exercise and at least two days of full-body strength training weekly.
The Benefits of Building Muscle Mass to Control Blood Sugar
One of the benefits of building muscle via strength and weight training is its ability to help you reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Adults who want to prevent type two diabetes are recommended to strength train at least two or three times a week. Building muscle mass to control blood sugar has been shown to help managers and improve the following diabetes precursors.
Burns Blood Sugar
When strength training your body uses up old glycogen stores to feed the muscles. Once the stored muscular glycogen is consumed, the body then turns to the liver glycogen and blood sugar.
By removing and consuming excess blood sugar, the next meal you have, your body will be eager instead of overwhelmed by the sugar in your meal.
Improves Glucose Storage
Trained muscles are better at storing glucose in the form of glycogen. When glucose is stored instead of roaming around freely in the blood, it helps to reduce overall blood sugar levels which further decreases the risk of developing diabetes.
Consistently elevated blood sugar, especially fasting blood sugar, is a sign of pre-diabetes.
Controls Cravings
Because increased muscle mass helps reduce sugar in the blood, it is responsible for helping maintain healthy blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels plummet or skyrocket, we can have unstable energy and mood disruptions that prompt us to seek out unhealthy food.
A poor diet is a contributing factor in the development of diabetes among other diseases.
Simplifies Weight Loss
When you strength train you build lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle mass a person has, the easier it is for them to maintain and lose weight. Studies found that losing 5 to 10% of your current body weight can improve your overall HbA1c score.
Your HbA1c measures hemoglobin A1C and is the main test to help those manage diabetes. Because it denotes your blood sugar levels over three months it is also useful in preventing diabetes.
Burning muscle helps us lose weight and losing weight lowers A1C scores.
Targets Visceral Belly Fat
Visceral fat is encapsulating abdominal fat. It is incredibly dangerous and disrupts hormones, including insulin. Adipocytes release hormones that trigger insulin resistance. If left unchecked insulin resistance can become diabetes.
With strength training, aerobic exercise, and stress reduction you can reduce your body’s visceral fat.
The Best Foods for Regulating Blood Sugar Levels and Boosting Muscle Growth
If your goal is to build muscle, lose weight and steady blood glucose-protein needs to be your best friend. This macronutrient is abundant in many food sources, but it is important to consider the quality of the protein you consume. Some of the best sources of protein for building muscle mass include:
- Lean meats
- Fish and shellfish
- Nuts and legumes
These protein sources stem from nature and are shown to reduce blood sugar levels which can stabilize cravings.
Prevent Diabetes by Increasing Your Muscle Mass
It’s amazing that one of the benefits of building muscle is offsetting disease. If you’re wondering how to build muscle mass naturally make sure to strength train at least two times weekly and take a rest day between strength sessions.
Support your workouts with healthy protein consumption that matches your activity level.Consistently following the steps above can help you control blood sugar, lose weight, and prevent diabetes. Read more on other steps you can take to prevent diabetes.
by Ingredia USA | Aug 11, 2022 | Stress Management
Modern life is stressful for everyone but did you know that stress wreaks havoc on our bodies? Stress does more than emotional harm, it also contributes to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Because of the mental and physical health implications, it’s important to reduce your stress levels. Thankfully, there are some easy and inexpensive ways of reducing your stress.
One of the best ways of reducing stress is through mindfulness. In this article, we’ll discuss some mindfulness activities for adults. Most of them are easy and many of them are free!
Intentional Breathing Reduces Stress
Mindful breathing is a great way to reduce stress because it activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). More than 10,000 fibers (the vagus nerve system) extend from your brain to most of your body’s organs.
A few of the areas the PSNS acts on include:
- Stomach and trunk nerves
- Eyes
- Tear-producing lacrimal glands
- Saliva-producing salivary glands
- Bladder nerves
Engaging the PSNS with intentional breathing initiates relaxation which allows your body to repair and restore balanced bodily functions.
You may not experience immediate relaxation but try intentional breathing on a regular basis and you should notice a difference in your stress levels. Follow these steps.
1. Find a Comfortable Spot
Sit in a comfortable and quiet spot. You can sit in a chair or lie on your back. As you get comfortable, observe your breath.
Pay attention to where your breath flows. Notice it in your nostrils, chest, belly, back, front, and sides. Avoid any thoughts of judgment and just observe your breath.
Observing your breath may slow down your breathing rate but breathe normally. Try not to deepen or change your normal breathing pattern.
2. Put Your Hands on Your Belly and Chest
Now, place one hand in the center of your chest. Put the other hand with your thumb below your belly button. Continue breathing in your normal way.
Observe some more. Are you breathing more into your left or right hand? Continue to breathe normally and observe how you feel and what you notice.
Continue breathing for ten breaths or more.
3. Alternate Breathing Into Your Left and Right Hands
Where is your left hand? Is it over your chest or under your belly button? Breathe into the space under your left hand.
Mentally observe what you feel as you breathe into your left hand for about 10-20 breaths. Take some deep inhalations and exhalations after 20 breaths.
Now switch to your right hand and repeat the process. Breathe into your right hand and observe what you feel. Observe for 10-20 breaths.
4. Try Half Breaths
Now breathe half a breath into your left hand and pause for 1-2 seconds. Concentrate on taking the rest of the breath into your other hand. Exhale from whichever hand is on the bottom and let the exhalation travel to your other hand and up and out.
Repeat the process again for 10-20 breaths and then take several deep inhalations and exhalations. Then resume normal breathing.
5. Take Some Full Breaths
For the last step, take deep, full breaths from the top to the bottom on the inhalation and from the bottom to the top on the exhalation. Don’t pause but see if you can exhale slower than you inhale.
After another 10-20 breaths, take a few deep inhalations and exhalations and then resume your normal breathing.
6. Observe Your Feelings
When you’re done, take a few minutes to observe your feelings. Stay in the moment and avoid judging yourself or worrying about what’s next on your agenda. Once you’re familiar with this exercise, try it once a day to reduce stress.
Go for a Walk
When it comes to managing stress, walking is underrated and a great activity for coping with stress. Our bodies weren’t meant to sit at a computer all day, and prolonged sitting isn’t healthy.
Some people go all day without physical activity other than walking to and from their car in a parking lot or walking through the grocery store. A 30-minute walk strengthens bones, improves cardiovascular health, and helps balance your blood sugar, reducing your likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes.
Walking is one of the best mindfulness-based stress and anxiety tools that are simple, free, and available to almost everyone. Even adding a 10-minute walk a couple of times a day into your routine reduces stress. Next time you walk, quiet your mind and observe everything you see around you.
Mindful Eating
In today’s fast-food world, mindful eating is beneficial in several ways.
- Increases awareness of fullness
- Reduces stress
- Reduces overeating
- Helps with weight loss
Next time you eat, turn off the TV, put down your phone, and pay attention only to eating. Focus on the food – the flavors, smells, and texture of the food.
Over time, you’ll enjoy your food more and eat less as you observe your body’s response to food. For many people, mindful eating helps them lose weight which also reduces emotional stress. Mindful eating also helps reduce the chances of developing type-2 diabetes.
Yoga and Meditation
The regular practice of yoga reduces stress and benefits your body. Yoga is a mind-body practice that includes breathing techniques combined with meditation and physical poses. There are so many different types and levels of yoga that there’s something for almost everyone.
As with other mindfulness and stress techniques, yoga quiets the mind, encourages non-judgment, and improves your health. If you’re new to yoga, it’s best to find a yoga studio with an experienced teacher. You can also find yoga classes on the internet and some local studios now offer online classes due to the pandemic.
Try These Mindfulness Activities for Adults
Try these mindfulness activities for adults to reduce stress and improve health. Make mindfulness a habit for coping with stress, and you’ll see improvements in your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
Try these mindfulness activities for adults to reduce stress and improve health. Make mindfulness a habit for coping with stress, and you’ll see improvements in your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Are you looking for more great health, wellness, and fitness advice? Find more articles, information, and helpful insights on our blog.
by Ingredia USA | Jul 7, 2022 | Blood Sugar Management
We’ve all heard the advice that drinking 8 glasses of water per day is good for our health. However, most of us struggle to drink the recommended amount each day. According to one study, less than 25% of Americans partake in 8 glasses a day.
For those living with diabetes, proper water intake is even more crucial. Why is this? In this article, we’ll explore the link between water and blood sugar, and how important it is to stay properly hydrated.
Benefits of Water
To begin, let’s look at the benefits that water brings to our bodies. The principal chemical component present in our bodies is, you guessed it, water. Our bodies require water to function properly, not to mention survive altogether. Everything within our bodies relies on water to operate: tissues, joints, body temperature, and even waste removal.
We lose water constantly throughout the day via things like exercise or environmental factors. Lack of water leads to dehydration, which eventually causes our normal functions to operate at inefficient levels. Not drinking enough water can lead to things like lack of energy and brain fog.
By drinking enough water, we replenish our system, thus allowing our body and brain to function at optimal levels.
Water and Blood Sugar
For those with diabetes or anyone trying to prevent it, proper water intake is especially crucial. Water helps control blood glucose levels, and for people living with diabetes or those that are trying to prevent diabetes, blood sugar management is of utmost importance. So, how does water reduce blood sugar?
A diabetic body isn’t able to utilize glucose correctly to turn it into energy. This leads to a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream. IIf there are excess levels of glucose within the bloodstream, and not enough water to flush it out, the body may borrow from other areas like tears or saliva. If access to other areas is limited, that extra glucose will continue to build up, leading to dehydration.
In short, water helps flush out glucose located in the blood. This helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels due to the dilution of the built-up concentration of glucose.
Lack of Water
At the point where a body begins to borrow from other areas like the eyes or muscle tissue for hydration, the kidneys have already been working overtime. A lack of hydration will cause the kidneys to retain fluid, as well as hang onto unwanted glucose.
This sort of strain wreaks havoc not only on blood sugar levels but the health of your body as a whole. However, proper hydration can help.
Hydration is Key
We know that hydration is of utmost importance but you may be asking yourself the question ‘how much water should I drink?’
Your water intake levels may vary depending on your lifestyle. For example, if you’re a highly active person, your body may require more water to rehydrate to optimal levels. Maybe you’re someone who lives in an extremely arid climate. If so, you might also require a few extra glasses per day.
Each body’s needs will vary and hydration levels should truly be individualized. However, a good daily rule of thumb is to drink anywhere from 4 to 6 cups per day.
Bonus Options
Drinking plain glasses of water throughout the day can feel boring and downright hard to do sometimes. However, there are other options available to you in order to stay hydrated and keep blood sugar levels under control.
You can implement utilizing an online app to track your water consumption and set reminders. Or try habit stacking by drinking your water alongside everyday tasks. Getting up to check your phone? Drink some water. Getting up to make a snack? Drink some water. Taking your daily vitamins? Drink a full glass of water. Make it easy for yourself to get those glasses in.
If you struggle with plain water, try infusing your water with natural flavors. You can use fruits like lemons, limes, or strawberries to naturally sweeten it. Using herbs such as mint or basil can also add a refreshing layer, making it easier to get those glasses in throughout the day.
In addition to tricking your brain into remembering to drink water, there are products made to specifically help regulate blood sugar levels.
Food Innovation
Apart from merely drinking enough water to stay hydrated and ensuring glucose is properly flushed out of the blood, proper diet habits should be noted as well.
Companies such as Ingredia offer future-thinking foods meant to improve overall health via innovative dairy technology. A healthy lifestyle paired with proper hydration is key to the management of blood sugar levels. One particular functional food option that Ingredia offers is specifically meant to manage blood sugar levels.
Offered in the form of a digestive enzyme, Pep2Dia, a health ingredient with an active dipeptide AP, is designed to inhibit the alpha-glucosidase enzyme. This inhibition is what enables the regulation of blood sugar levels within the body. It is meant to be taken prior to a meal as a measure of prevention.
Balanced blood sugar levels mean our bodies are able to regulate glucose in a normal amount of time. Options like Pep2Dia are there to assist with that process.
Drink Your Water
Water and blood sugar levels are highly interconnected. When we properly feed and hydrate our bodies, we lessen our chances of both dehydration and diabetes among many other things. By maintaining proper water intake, you can keep potential dehydration at bay as well as reduce your chances of a prediabetes diagnosis.If you’re interested in learning about additional ways to help regulate your own blood sugar levels, check out Ingredia’s products here. Don’t hesitate to get your health on track today!
by Ingredia USA | Jun 1, 2022 | Stress Management
If you’re feeling tired, can’t concentrate, or just can’t seem to lose that pesky belly fat, you may want to check your cortisol levels.
Cortisol is a hormone that is key to the body’s stress response. While a little cortisol is beneficial—even essential—as a motivator and energy booster, too much of it can be detrimental to your health.
Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between cortisol and weight gain, so you can better manage your weight and have a healthier lifestyle.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones the body releases when faced with a stressor.
Back in the days of hunter-gatherers, these stressors typically consisted of wild animals and other similar dangers. Cortisol would give a boost of speed, focus, and strength to help overcome these dangers. This is what we know as our fight-or-flight response.
What Causes Abnormal Cortisol Levels
In modern times, the body reacts in the same way to the consistent barrage of stressors found in most people’s packed schedules. These include:
- Constant email and text notifications
- Rush-hour traffic
- Work schedule change
- Mental or physical overworking
- Financial concerns
- Medical issues
- Overexercising
- Too much caffeine
- Too much sugar and carbohydrates
- Too little sleep
- Frequently skipping or delaying meals
The issue is a person’s body cannot tell the difference between actual danger and a stressor. That is why a person’s body may react the same way to giving a presentation at work as it would to getting attacked by a wild animal.
Cortisol and the Sleep Cycle
The release of cortisol is closely related to the body’s circadian rhythm.
Within the first 30 to 40 minutes of waking up, about half of your daily cortisol is released by your body. It then gradually falls throughout the day under the control of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus.
Ideally, a person’s cortisol levels will be lowest around midnight, but this is unlikely to occur if they are still awake. For this reason, many recommend going to sleep before midnight and getting around seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
The Connection Between Cortisol and Weight Gain
Of all the stress hormones, cortisol and weight gain are especially linked.
The body has more cortisol receptors in the abdominal tissue than other areas of fat storage. Because of this, cortisol acts more on our fat cells in this area.
Blood Sugar Levels
To increase energy during the body’s fight-or-flight response, cortisol temporarily boosts blood sugar levels.
This rise in blood sugar levels is quickly followed by a drop that leaves people tired, hungry, stressed, and craving sugar and salt.
In this state, a person is more likely to reach for sweet, unhealthy snacks than balanced, high-protein foods. This can lead to a vicious cycle, as unhealthy snacks like donuts and cookies will just lead to another sudden rise and drop in blood sugar levels.
Plus, the increase in blood sugar levels also increases the body’s resistance to insulin. The higher the body’s insulin resistance is, the more likely it is for blood sugar to go up, weight gain to occur, and Type 2 Diabetes to develop.
Thyroid Function
Cortisol levels also impact the thyroid, a gland that helps maintain a healthy metabolism.
An impaired thyroid can cause weight gain and low metabolism symptoms, such as fatigue and feelings of depression. Other symptoms of a low metabolism include feeling cold, memory problems, and poor concentration.
Managing High Cortisol Levels and Weight Gain
To fight back against the effect cortisol can have on your body, it is important to keep your blood sugar levels balanced. Doing so will help prevent the sudden hunger and sugar cravings that come with a quick drop in blood sugar.
To keep your blood sugar steady, it is important to eat a balanced mix of protein, beneficial carbs, and healthy fats.
Lean meats, eggs, and dairy are some quality sources of protein that will help break down amino acids and encourage the production of serotonin and dopamine. These “feel-good” neurotransmitters help combat stress hormones and weight gain.
While fats are considered taboo among many trying to lose weight, the human body needs a certain amount to function properly. Nonsaturated fats can help us think better and encourage a better mood without clogging the arteries.
Another alternative to consider is adding a dietary supplement, such as Pep2Dia to your diet. It can help control blood sugar levels and lower the post-meal glycemic peak.
Exercise
Regular exercise can help reduce stress levels and increase a person’s resilience when faced with a stressor.
Exercise is known to increase the level of endorphins in the body. Like serotonin and dopamine, endorphins are “feel-good” neurotransmitters that can help combat high cortisol levels and weight gain.
Plus, exercise burns calories which can also help with weight loss and weight management.
Getting More Sleep
As mentioned earlier, sleep and cortisol levels are connected.
Not getting enough sleep can have a negative impact on your metabolism and increase hormone levels associated with hunger and appetite.
The recommended amount of sleep per night is generally seven to nine hours, but this can vary by a range of factors, including age, health, and typical physical and mental activities.
If you are struggling with falling asleep, a supplement such as Lactium may also help.
Managing Weight Gain
The relationship between cortisol and weight gain should not be ignored.
Taking steps to lower your cortisol levels can boost your metabolism, decrease your feelings of hunger, and help prevent fat in your abdominal tissues. By improving your diet, exercise levels, and sleep schedule, you can reduce your cortisol levels and boost your overall health.Contact us today if you want to learn more about managing stress and living a healthier lifestyle.
