Category: Featured

Milk : Friend or FOE ?

Since childhood we have been taught that drinking milk will make us strong and healthy adults. But is this really true?

Since childhood we have been taught that drinking milk will make us strong and healthy adults. Growing up we learn that thanks to the calcium it contains, milk is essential to prevent osteoporosis. But is this really true? Let’s take a look.

For all mammals nature gives, as a primary food for each baby, breast milk. Its composition of water, sugars, lactose, protein, fat, vitamins and antibodies means that this food is highly specific for each species. So to clarify: every animal has its own specific milk, which differs from all the others for nutrients and enzymes.

I’m sure you are already realizing the next step of this argument; in nature, after weaning, no mammal continues to drink milk. The nutritional needs of the older mammal are completely different from those required as a baby. It is also worth noting that no other animal drinks milk of another species.

Perhaps it is worth thinking about how different the milk from a cow is from that of a female human, and the possible effects this could have on us when we drink cow’s milk.

Isn’t milk good for bones?

It is undeniable that from an organic point of view, milk contains a fair amount of calcium. However what is not considered is the acidity of milk which affects how the body can use the calcium it contains. It is quite ironic that to be able to dispose of calcium, the body actually needs calcium in the first place.  It’s like comparing it to a usurer who gives 10 but takes 15.

Calcium is regularly disposed of by the body through urine, faeces and sweat, so our body is constantly taking supplies of calcium from the bones. It’s very important that calcium consumed in the diet is greater than the calcium lost, otherwise the balance is negative, and that’s when you could have trouble with osteoporosis.

It seems strange but it is a well documented fact that in populations which consume a lot of milk, the incidence of osteoporosis is greater, while it is rare in countries where they do not drink milk.

During childhood and adolescence it is extremely important to ensure an adequate intake of calcium. Up to the age of around 30 years, the balance between loss and absorption is generally positive. After this age, the body enters a state of “negative balance”, which means that the bones start to lose more calcium than they can hold on to.

The rate at which calcium is lost from the body depends, in part, on the type and quantity of food proteins and certain lifestyle habits. For example, a diet with a high level of animal protein, rich in sodium, alcohol, caffeine and a sedentary lifestyle can promote the loss of bone calcium.

Without falling into the usual clichés,  calcium can be obtained from fruits and vegetables. Breakfast, for example, can include oranges, figs, cranberries and apricots, which will provide almost the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. The difference here being that calcium would stay in the bones where it belongs because the fruit is a non-acid food.

Should you wish to continue drinking milk, there are alternatives to cows milk.  Some people find that they tolerate goat and sheep milk better if cows milk causes them problems with their stomach or skin.  If you wish to avoid animal milk altogether, you could try using a nut or seed milk – you can get ones made from almonds, oats, rice or coconut.  Soy is quite controversial and people with thyroid issues may be best to stay away from soy milk products.  Whatever you do decide, it can be a good idea to regularly change the type of milk that you use so that you get different nutrients.  It is also important to check that there are not too many additives or preservatives in the product you buy.  Or you could easily make your own milk from nuts, seeds or shredded coconut, Google is full of instructions on how to do this easily at home with your blender.

Finally some results of the scientific research done on milk:

ACNE ADOLESCENTS AND MILK CONSUMPTION

Clement A. Adebamowo, MD, ScD, Donna Spiegelman, ScD, F. William Danby, MD, A. Lindsay Frazier, MD, Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH, and Michelle D. Holmes, “High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne”, J Am Acad Dermatol. feb 2005, 52 (2) :207-14.LINK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692464

MILK AND OSTEOPOROSIS

[1] Feskanich D, Willet WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. Am J Public Health 1997;87:992-7.

[2] Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol 1994;139:493-505.

[3] Huang Z, Himes JH, McGovern PG. Nutrition and subsequent hip fracture risk among a national cohort of white women. Am J Epidemiol 1996;144:124-34.

[4] Cummings SR, Nevitt MC, Browner WS, et al. Risk factors for hip fracture in white women. N Engl J Med 1995;332:767-73.

ANIMAL PROTEIN TAKEN IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND OBESITY RISK

‘Gunther, A.L., Remer, T., Kroke, A., Buyken, A.E., “Early protein intake and later obesity risk: which protein sources at which time point throughtout infancy and childhood are important for body mass index and body fat percentage at 7 y of age?”, Am j Clin Nutr., 2007 Dec, vol. 86 (6), pp. 1765-1772

LINK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18065597

TOO MUCH CALCIUM FOR OSTEOPOROSIS DOUBLES THE RISK OF HEART ATTACK

Long term calcium intake and rates of all cause and cardiovascular mortality: community based prospective longitudinal cohort study, BMJ 2013; 346

LINK: http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f228

LIGHT DAIRY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY RISK

Chavarro JE, Rich-Edwards JW, Rosner B, Willett WC., A prospective study of dairy foods intake and anovulatory infertility, Hum Reprod. 2007 May;22(5):1340-7. Epub 2007 Feb 28.
LINK:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18226626
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17329264

2 PORTIONS A DAY OF DAIRY CAUSING HYPERTENSION IN YOUNG – NEW STUDY

J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 May 16, Influence of Dairy Product Consumption on Children’s Blood Pressure: Results from the QUALITY Cohort, Yuan WL, et al
LINK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23684662/?i=5&from=dairy+dietary

NEW HARVARD STUDY CONFIRMS THAT MILK AND DAIRY NOT REDUCE THE RISK OF FRACTURE, COUNTRARY INCREASE IN MEN

Feskanich D, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Frazier L, Willett WE. Milk consumption during teenage years and risk of hip fractures in older adults. JAMA Pediatr. Published online November 18, 2013.
LINK: http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1769138#Discussion

 

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

Lynsey Baxter

Food for Thought

Goodbye Nutella, hello peanut butter: Overcoming the fear of fat

In the past few years I have been trying to become a better version of me: a healthier, stronger and more energetic person. Learning to listen to my body has been a life changing experience because of what it has taught me about myself. This is an ability that I will benefit from as my body changes over time; for instance, due to metabolic or hormonal adjustments.

Exercising has been a staple in my life. I workout on a daily basis and I have run a couple of marathons and half marathons. My diet was a different story, however. During my better-version-of-me journey I have tried many things, but I will highlight the most important lessons in my personal experience:

  1. Avoid sugar and processed foods
  2. Embrace healthy fats

As most of us, I have been living my whole life being afraid of fat. Actually, I was terrified of fat! I used to eat the “light” versions of everything, which means the processed versions of everything and, also, the overly sweet versions of everything because usually reduced-fat foods enhance their flavor by increasing their sugar content.

While I felt I was doing the right thing, my sugar cravings were out of control. There is nothing wrong with having a sweet treat from time to time, but this was way too much! Indulging in these cravings made me feel bad physically and emotionally. Afterwards, I would try and compensate by eating something “light” and guess what? My sugar cravings would appear again!

I started to research a little and read about the benefits of including healthy fats in your diet, especially for women. I was skeptical, but also wiling to give it a try. I have always loved peanut butter, but I did not eat it because of how fatty it was. I said to myself: Why not? Let’s do this! Goodbye Nutella and hello peanut butter!

Including healthy fats in my daily diet made my sugar cravings disappear almost entirely and, incredibly, I have never been leaner! A small portion of these fats will satisfy you for a long period of time and, if combined with a balanced and nutritious diet, it will help your body burn more fat than it used to.

How did I include fats in my daily diet?

As I obviously have a sweet tooth, nuts have been my main allies, particularly nut spreads. They are very versatile, perfect to create delicious breakfasts, snacks and salads. Of course, it is very important to control portions: a couple of tablespoons per day are enough.

The bottom line is: Try to learn what suits your body, even if (or especially if) it involves trying new things. You might be amazed to discover that it is the things that you were scared of that can bring you closer to becoming the better version of yourself.

Marianne da Silva

Founder and Managing Director Nux

Winter is Coming – Are you prepared?

With a healthy diet and lifestyle, you can reduce colds and feel vibrant, energised and awesome throughout all winter months.
Join Lene & Anne Louise for a workshop on how to prepare yourself for winter!

You will learn the basic tricks on how to strengthen your immune system with a healthy diet and lifestyle!
The event will be followed by a networking drink with healthy snacks.

Date: 26 Oct 2016 at 19h00-21h300
Place:  16 Rue Jean-Baptiste Esch, L-1473 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Registration at hello@getreal.lu 
Subject: Winter is Coming Workshop Registration.

      Under the patronage of logo-top-0

The joy of living in Balance

A Magical Butterfly’s mission is to offer a moment of peace, relaxation and love through the practice of different techniques that teach us how to take care of ourselves and to change our way of living.

Life is all about balance and the best way of doing it is through self-awareness and to treat us as a whole (Soul, mind and body)

It is amazing to make a pause and to find the way to recharge ourselves with ease, let yourself the opportunity of experiencing a special moment of relaxation.

 

Find out all our activities focused on inner development:

Classes    
Zen Parties
Yoga
Pilates
Belly Dancing
Relax & Recharge
Mindful session
Baby Massage

Treatments 
Reiki
Herbal Therapy
Body Talk
Inochi
Healing with Mantras
Reflexology
Osteopathy

Workshops
Reiki ( 3 levels + Master)
Ho’oponopono
Meditation & Chakras
Create yourself

Zen Parties
Create a special moment with your friends including a class, food and more to celebrate any occasion.

 

Something about Ana Vargas

ana-vargasFlying in directly from Mexico City to Luxembourg in 2009, Ana Vargas started her new life.

She has always been interested in helping people foster positive and happy lives.  In 2004 she discovered the wonderful alternative therapy, Reiki and started practicing it herself to change her way of living. Following the inner benefits that she experienced, she pursued the study thereof as she wanted to share this Japanese technique with others seeking change.

Prior to her move to Luxembourg, she worked with big brands in the Marketing field but soon after life in Luxembourg she made the decision to dedicate herself in developing her holistic coaching skills through Reiki.

In 2015, she Founded A Magical Butterfly, a center fully dedicated to inner development activities with the goal in providing a peaceful space for others to receive love and care through different practices in achieving self- awareness, life in balance and nourishment with positive energy.

Her passions are her two kids, Mexican beaches, singing, watching movies and traveling with her prince around the world!!!!

She offers Reiki sessions, teaches Reiki and Meditation and gives Energy Coaching to support people in life changing moments.

A Magical Butterfly – Activities for Mums and Mums to be

A Magical Butterfly – Mind wellness

 

International Baby Wearing Week 9 October 2016

  • After the International Baby Wearing Week 2015, with the most original place, here it comes the contest to celebrate the International Baby Wearing Week 2016, from 5th to 10th October!
***Which is the most original (come on, even if not the healthiest :)) dish you have ever prepared while wearing your baby?***
Comment and share to win one set of three fitness classes with your baby/bump offered by MammaFit Luxembourg and a very cute present by The Juliet Way 😉

You have time until the 9th October to participate, the winner will be drawn on the 10th October and it will be published on HealthyLux facebook page on the 11th October.

Good luck to everyone! See you at the walk!

1. Trëppeltour vir d’Interantional Babywearing Week 2016
Kommt an trëppelt mat eis mat

1ère Marche pour la semaine internationale du portage 2016
Rejoignez-nous

1st Walk for International Babywearing Week 2016
Come and join us

Plan

En collaboration avec HealthyLux.com et MammaFit Luxembourg, droen.lu organise la première marche pour celebrer la semaine international du portage.

10.00: Ajustement de porte-bébé et simples astuces pour l’écharpe

Location de porte-bébés (voir la disponibilité)

10.30: Départ 4km (simple, accessible aussi pour les poussettes, vélos enfants, avec une aire de jeux)

12-14: Barbecue

12-13: Idée fitness avec vos bébé (by MammaFit) – Idée de relaxation avec bébé (by HealthyLux)

13-14: Cours de portage pour les doudoux avec diplôme

14.00: Tirage au sort pour le concours organisé du magasin Mimis.lu (achat de lots au magasin Mimis)

14.30: Départ 4 km/10 km

Bien sûr vous pouvez aussi partir en individu (des cartes seront disponibles, mais en groupe c’est sûrement plus gai)

Pensez bien à apporter vos propres couverts ainsi que le picnic. Nous offrons la possibilité de faire le barbecue. Apportez vos légumes/viandes.

Prix de participation pour chaque famille 10€ pour couvrir les frais d’organisation et de location, pas de raisons commerciales.

*******************************************

Event 09.10.2016 – English

In collaboration with HealthyLux.com and MammaFit Luxembourg, droen.lu organizes the first walk to celebrate the International Baby Wearing Week.

• 10.00: baby carrier adjustment and simple tips

• baby carriers rental (check availability)

• 10.30: Start 4km walk (simple, also accessible for strollers, children bicycles, playground available)

• 12-14: BBQ

• 12-13: Fitness ideas with your baby (by MammaFit) – How to relax with your baby (by HealthyLux)

• 13-14: baby wearing training for dolls with diploma

• 14.00: Draw for the contest of the store Mimis.lu (buying lots in store Mimis)

• 14.30: Start 4 km / 10 km walk

Of course you can also do the walk alone (maps available, but in group it is certainly more fan)

Remember to bring your own cutlery and the picnic. We offer the possibility of barbecue. Bring your veggies / meat.
Participation fees for each family € 10 to cover the costs of organizing and rental, no commercial reasons.

Snacking at school – what to give our kids in their schoolbags?

Vive la rentrée! The secret to help our children to face the day with a burst of energy and good concentration, is to carefully choose the breakfast as well as a snack!
Yes, but what to give our children to snack in their schoolbag?

More and more studies show that children are victims of a bad diet: too much sugar, too much salt, too little fiber or too little variety.

The risks incurred by these issues can include problems with hyperactivity, lack of concentration and learning disabilities, obesity, addiction to sugar, and many more.

Most of these problems can be prevented with a natural, varied diet, rich in unrefined carbohydrates, some fresh fruits and lots of seasonal vegetables, preferably of biological origin.

So, this is how we can prepare healthy breakfasts and snacks… that are also tasty 🙂

Breakfast: It is critical that in the morning, children consume a proper meal according to their needs: breakfast should be rich in nutrients, but easily digestible.
The most suitable foods include milk or yogurt (both preferably goat or sheep milk or a non dairy alternative, preferably bio and fresh), whole grains (unprocessed) bread and jam, fruits. The bread should be simple, with no added fat, and preferably of whole flour, and ideally bio. Biscuits and processed snacks should be avoided as they are often high in bad fat and refined sugar; simple home baked cakes and biscuits are a better choice. If you have time, an egg is a great choice.
If children are not hungry when they wake up, you can give them breakfast just before they leave as long as they have the time to eat quietly.

Morning and afternoon snack: the snack should be nutritious but light, you don’t want to fill them up too much before lunch. The ideal snack is therefore a fruit, preferably seasonal and bio with a small amount of protein to slow the digestion of the sugars.
One of the most critical times for feeding children is undoubtedly the snack, because this is the time in which they try to satisfy their sweet tooth. We should avoid processed sweet snacks, candy, crisps and so on.
Healthy snacks have a delicious taste and an appealing appearance too! So, choose fruit sticks, fruit salad with a little yogurt, a slice of homemade cake, yogurt with a few bits of dark chocolate, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds (but only when we are sure that the child knows how to chew properly), homemade fruit yogurt, fruit smoothie, galettes with nut spread, kefir yoghurt (also rich in its lactic acid bacteria), high percentage dark chocolate, or if the child prefers a salty taste, a sweet potato sandwich with veg spread.

Let’s remember that healthy eating not only meets the nutritional needs of a growing child, but is also pleasing to the eye and the palate. By organizing your shopping list in advance, you can vary the snacks every day, thus promoting one of the basic rules of healthy eating.

Moreover, if we give our children the opportunity to eat this way, it will set them up to continue on the road to a healthy lifestyle as an adult.

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

STOP spot!

‘’You can’t do anything, it is because of puberty’’ How many young people (or their families) would respond in this way if you were to ask about those pimples?

Acne is just one of those things that  happens to teenagers, and sooner or later it will pass, right?

The truth is that this disease can evolve in the adults too, causing painful abscesses and fistulas. The victims torment their faces every morning in front of the mirror and can develop distrust in themselves and may even wish to escape other people and social contact.

I will try in this article to give you some info to prevent or alleviate the discomfort of this annoying problem.

Let’s start off with saying that there are usually two main sources:

  • Hormonal: causes related to the level of sex hormones that are subject to frequent imbalances during puberty
  • Nutrition: depends on the ability to metabolize fats (remember how teenagers’ nutrition is often unbalanced, or completely wrong!)

On the basis of these elements, here are some suggestions (as always, this is advice and does not replace medical treatment):

  • Exclude from your diet all acidifying foods such as tomatoes, coffee, tea, and alcohol
  • Limit or avoid fatty foods such as butter, creams, red meat, fried foods and sugars
  • Eliminate for at least a month milk and all its derivatives because, by now it is well known, they activate androgen receptors. Androgens are hormones which increase dramatically during adolescence; they favour an oily skin and inflammation
  • Over 50% of your diet should be composed of raw foods

Here are some natural remedies that may help:

  • Stop spot HeatlhyLuxAffected areas should be cleaned and sanitized, maybe with water and lemon juice, 2 times a day
  • Apply a green clay mask on the affected parts (for comfort, we advise you to take a Ready for Use Green Clay Mask ) with a few drops of Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) : 2 or 3 times per week, duration of application 15 minutes.

Bonus:

As an holistic science, naturopathy always considers the symbolic meaning and psychosomatic sense of a disease (not only the symptoms). In this case, acne can be born from the hypersensitivity of the person, who strives to please others by hiding their insecurity and anxiety.

The skin is in fact an important source of detoxification: it is enough to think that it may issue up to a kilo of waste a day through its semi-permeable membrane. It is in fact called in ethno-medicine “third kidney” because it plays a vital role in removing toxins from the body.
The skin is often the place where you can see the imbalances that exist in the body and in our emotions that are coming to the surface.

I highly recommend few sessions of meditation or applied mental techniques in order to teach people some effective exercises to control stress and develop self-valorisation: in fact, there are numerous publications of scientific studies that demonstrate how techniques such as hypnosis are very effective in the treatment of dermatological problems.

Here are a few:

– Using hypnosis to facilitate resolution of psychogenic excoriations in acne excoriee. Shenefelt PD. Am J Clin Hypn. 2004 Jan;46(3):239-45.

– Biofeedback, cognitive-behavioral methods, and hypnosis in dermatology: is it all in your mind? Shenefelt PD. Dermatol Ther. 2003;16(2):114-22. Review.

– Hypnosis in dermatology. Shenefelt PD. Arch Dermatol. 2000 Mar;136(3):393-9. Review.

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

The 10 BIO-Must

Many people believe organic food is a passing fad, a trend of the 21st century, engineered to make us spend more money to have the same products that we always had.

This assessment is not so wrong, as eating organic 50 years ago just meant eating fruits and vegetables cultivated according to the rules of nature. The problem today is the fact that products conventionally defined as ”normal ” are anything but normal! “Normal” today means foods that are derived from transgenic seeds, genetically modified and treated with chemicals to make them the biggest and most beautiful as possible.

The question to ask is actually quite simple: if the poisons and pesticides are designed to kill organisms, why eat them? Besides the nutritional quality of the product and in addition to the advantages for our personal health, it is very important to consider the effects that intensive cultures have on the environment and on the ground.

In order to help you in this jungle of confusion over what is good and what is not, here the list of 10 foods to that are best to buy from organic sources:

  1. Salad: should be eaten bio as it is consumed whole and raw. The size of the leaves makes them particularly exposed to pesticides.
  2. Potatoes: If non-organic is a concentration of pesticides: just consider that a potato undergoes (on average) 5 treatment processes during its cultivation.
  3. Apples: the  skin of the apple is very thin compared to other fruits such as orange, banana, kiwi, etc., therefore the peel allows more chemicals inside the pulp.
  4. Peppers: another vegetable with a thin skin and eaten whole… a combination is not very forgiving. According to the American NGO Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/), the pepper is ranked as the most exposed to pesticides during the cultivation process.
  5. Grapes: the vineyards are vulnerable targets of insects and mould, which is why they are often treated with pesticides.
  6. Strawberries: as they grown close to the ground are particularly vulnerable to mould and organisms that ruin their appearance, therefore conventional strawberries are regularly treated with fungicides (including CAPTAN, which also promotes a bright colour).
  7. Beef: it is much better if you can track the origin, the way which the cattle has been fed and the farmer’s growing method as well:
    1. A diet rich in cereals makes the cattle obese and sick, this means more meat to sell but lower quality
    2. A natural diet with summer pastures and hay in winter, gives the animal fat healthy properties such as an higher concentration of Omega 3 or “good” fats.
    3. Conventional farming uses a lot of antibiotics to treat disease and help to fatten the animals.  We then consume these ourselves via the meat.
  8. Chicken: unfortunately the ‘’hormoned-chicken’’ is not a legend; factory farms use antibiotic medicines to prevent disease epidemics. A bird bred outdoors, free-range, will never have the same bland taste, the same decreased nutritional value and the same dangers for your health as an industrially raised chicken.
  9. Eggs: as for cattle, you have to monitor the type of poultry feed; in nature they do not eat only cereals or corn. On the contrary they peck for earthworms, snails, vegetables and some seasonal seeds. This is the only true way to produce quality eggs that are rich in Omega 3.
  10. Oil: the oils are fat bodies with high absorption capacity of the molecules to which they are exposed (that’s why a fat body in the kitchen quickly takes the taste or aroma of the herb). Oils are fats that have a high absorption capacity to molecules that they are exposed to (this is why oils in the kitchen quickly take on the taste or aroma of an herb that they are steeped with).

The oil should be virgin, extracted from the first cold pressing (without using solvents), stored in dark bottles to help stop oxidation. This is why many oils are sold in bottles wrapped with aluminum foil or metal cans.

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

Let’s get healthy together!

Welcome!

HealthyLux is a project developed by the non-profit association Healthy Life, started in Luxembourg by Alice. The aim of the project is to motivate and inspire people living in Luxembourg to create a joyful and healthier life.

Like you, we are busy people  doing our best to live a healthy lifestyle despite our exhaustive daily schedules.  We would love to meet you and have some fun together!

Everyone has his or her own ideas about what is healthy, but what does healthy mean to you?

To us, healthy and therefore HealthyLux means so much!

Healthy – ancient or very new techniques that consider the person as a whole, complex system and that work to make us strong and well, full of energy and happiness
Environment – a major determinant of health. Fortunately, we can all play our part in making our environment better for everyone
Active – exercise to spread vital energy with good friends, encouragement, inspiration, and motivation for your journey to get fit for life
Large variety – of real, clean, unprocessed, lively and colourful foods providing balanced nutrition for our body, mind and soul
Together – we can make life better for everyone
Holistic – focus on the total entity and the interdependence of the diverse parts of this totality. Holistic can also include alternative healthcare, which deals with the human body and mind as an interconnected whole
Yesterday – today and always
Luxembourg – the only Grand Duchy in the world, vibrant, in the heart of Europe
Unique – we love enhancing the best qualities of each individual person
XOXO – hugs and kisses, love, affection and friendship, so important to build healthy relationships

About Alice 

Hi! I’m Alice and I would like to share the HealthyLux project with you!

I am a sporty type and I enjoy healthy living and positive thinking.

Since I was a child I have loved to keep myself busy with many activities and at some point I realised that, although very important, it is not so easy to lead a healthy lifestyle while having a busy schedule.

I arrived in Luxembourg in 2013 and in 2015 I became a mom to Cecilia…wow! What a (daily!) wonderful experience…but sometimes I would need four more hands… ☺

So here are the questions again:
Is a busy life a sufficient reason to not be healthy?
How to be healthy with such a busy schedule?
How to ensure a healthy lifestyle for our loved ones as well?
I believe that leading a better lifestyle is possible even if our schedules are full.
I also trust that two heads are better than one and three are better than two; if we all share our best practises, many people can take advantage of them and improve their lives!
That’s why I have been so lucky to meet great people who believe in my project and would like to share their experience! I now have the opportunity to work on the project I have always dreamt of, the project to promote and improve healthy life, something useful for everyone.
Luxembourgish or expat, young or senior, single or with a family… Let’s all share our ways to improve our life, maybe it will be the start of something amazing for somebody else as well!

And, last but not least, let’s have fun together, the major ingredient of a healthy life!
So let’s get in touch! Do not hesitate to contact us for:

See you soon!

The HealthyLux team

Watch the video

 

 

Breakfast like a king – what makes your breakfast healthy?

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper!” – this simple quote illustrates pretty well how important your first meal of the day is. The word “breakfast” itself describes the “break” after “fasting” during the night. Upon waking up, your body needs energy and nutrients to work properly. This can also help you to be more concentrated doing your activities and avoid a mid-morning slump. Without breakfast you may start snacking in the morning or have an excessive lunch or dinner. Therefore, the breakfast allows you not only to start your morning full of energy but also to eat less during the day. Yet, also with your breakfast there is a difference of “doing the right things” and “doing things right”. This is why you should not only eat something in the morning but also take care that your breakfast is balanced and healthy. Basically, a healthy breakfast combines good carbohydrates with proteins which will boost your metabolism.

 

Carbohydrates provide your body with the energy it needs in order to function properly. Generally, nutritionists distinguish two types: simple- and complex carbohydrates. Due to their molecular structure, simple or bad carbohydrates (sugar, white flour, etc.) are the quickest source of energy but they are also digested quickly which means that you will be hungry again after a few hours when your blood sugar level has fallen again. Complex or good carbohydrates (whole grain, oatmeal, etc.) are digested more slowly and will stabilise your energy levels. For different foods, the so-called glycemic index (GI) indicates the extent to which carbohydrates are digested quickly or slowly.


Moreover, proteins are important for the lifecycle of your organism and are essential for the growth and repair of your cells. 10-15% of your daily energy intake should be made of proteins. You can find proteins in low-fat Greek yoghurt, eggs or porridge, our favourite breakfast recipe is a pudding made of Chia seeds. This plant grows natively in South America but is also available in local grocery stores. They are full of proteins (17g/100g) fiber and healthy Omega 3 fats. You can simply mix the Chia seeds with almond or nut milk, put it in the fridge and enjoy a yummy and healthy pudding in the morning.


Your healthy breakfast should also cover valuable vitamins which you can find in seasonal fruit. Fruit can be added to your porridge, muesli or chia pudding or you can create your own power smoothie my mixing fruit with yoghurt and some green vegetables (spinach is an excellent addition to smoothies). While the supply of a great variety of fruit might be challenging, we add from time to time some frozen berries to our smoothies. You can also try superfoods like the south American Camu Camu: it contains 30-50 times the amount  of vitamin C as oranges and other citrus fruits.

 

Jon

Employee in Luxembourg