"You start work at 7" rhymes with "You start work at 11"

I woke up at 5:30am this morning, mistakenly thinking I started work at 7am. Why? My mind was so full of all the tasks I had to do on Monday I heard the time wrong! As you rush from task to task today, with another 10 tasks in your mind to do next, take time to stop and smell the roses. Living in the present increases work productivity and performance, reduces stress, and avoids time-wasting mistakes.

How do I know how much protein is in different foods?

Apart from reading the labels of products, check out the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand website www.foodstandards.gov.au. Here you can find comprehensive lists of how much of various nutrients is found per 100g of different foods.

The link that will take you directly to the protein food lists is:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/monitoringandsurveillance/nuttab2006/onlineversionintroduction/onlineversion.cfm?&action=nutrientFoods&nutrientID=PROT

How much protein should I eat?

Protein contains essential building blocks necessary for cellular growth, healing, and repair, and the production of enzymes, neurotransmitters (brain signalling molecules) and immune molecules. Virtually every process in our body relies on protein in some form.

In fact, protein is so important that if we don't get enough in our daily diet, our body will break down lean muscle mass (a protein store) so that essential enzymes can be made. When lean muscle stores begin to run low, chronic protein deficiency can present in a large number of ways. Poor immunity, poor wound healing, difficulty with concentrating, vague mood disturbances, poor digestion, decreased tolerability to stress, and a myriad of other general signs of average health.

How much protein do you need per day?
This is easy to remeber. For men and women this is
1g per kg of body weight
So if you weigh 70kg, the daily requirement is 70 grams.

For periods of growth (i.e. pregnancy, lactation, childhood, puberty, adolescence), or periods of higher demand (i.e. elderly, athletes, illness, post-surgery, severe infections, or convalescence), or to correct longer term deficiencies, more protein is required.
About 1.5 to 1.8g per kg of body weight.

Does coffee and tea reduce the absorption of iron?

Yes. Both coffee and tea reduce the absorption of a large range of minerals. What does this mean? Enjoy you cup of tea or coffee away from meals and definately away from any supplements you may be taking. Green tea also may reduce iron absorption, but to a lesser extent than it's black tea cousin. To be sure, enjoy green tea away from meals too.

The Best Way to Get More Energy

Energy. We would all like more of it. Most of us feel we don't have enough of it. In today's society, energy is gold. The more we have, the harder and longer we can work, and the more we can achieve. This way of thinking means that when we are blessed with more energy... we immediately want to use it up! And then we wonder why we always feel low on energy.

The best way to get more energy, is to not burn up the energy we already have.

Resist the temptation to work that extra few hours, to push yourself harder and longer. Go home, relax, and allow the extra energy to accumulate. Living with an energy surplus means that we are more efficient at work, and most importantly makes life more enjoyable.

Welcome!

Welcome to Grow Health - a blog designed to be informative and exploratory on all topics of health and wellness. As the name suggests, Grow Health is about the journey of growing and developing health and well-being. Health isn't something obtained overnight. It's a process and journey of becoming aware of our bodies.

Every person has a unique constitutional and genetic make up and every body responds to stress and illness differently. Growing awareness of what our constitutional strengths and weaknesses are, enable us to live whithin the boundaries of our genetic limitations. This is what it means to live healthily.

Health is the foundation upon which all other aspects of life rests. When you've got health, you've got everything.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog, and it inspires you to take care of your most valuable asset - you. Feel free to post questions and comments. I'll be only too happy to help.

Sincerely,
Justine Mackie