Sunday 26 February 2012

Phytotherapy education

I have now decided that I will go a phytotherapy education (herb medicine etc), as well as my current studies - I'm not quitting what I'm studying now. I have wanted to study more about the body so this will be perfect! And I think this will be a really good complement to my university education.

I will start in April and I'll be done by the end of October. I will for example learn about detoxication of liver/gall bladder/kidneys/skin.., blood circulation, immune system, lungs and much more!

I might also get an opportunity to buy my own oxidative stress machine - so I can, through my dads company, do those tests (free radicals) on people. That is still not sure but we are now looking into that..  It's really interesting and I hope it will work out! My dad's friend (the nutritionist) are coming over on tuesday to do that test on me again and he will also check ORAC (so posts from around november about this). Last time I had 360 and it's the best I ever had but it still need to get closer to 300 so hopefully it's better now.

Update: I got questions about this as it might sound occult. I want to say that as a christian, I'm very careful about those things and would never go an education that is occult. The teacher is a post graduate student from Oxford University and has learned what he is now going to teach at an Australian university. I would never do it if I wasn't sure, especially not paying money for it either.

Thursday 23 February 2012

7 down, 993 to go

It's now 2 days ago that I decided to run 1000 km this year.. But I forgot that I have already been running some this year but because I don't know how far I've run, I'm just not going to count it.
My plan was to start already yesterday but the ice made it impossible.. And then it rained all night so this morning it was ice mixed with "floods" of water.. The picture shows how it looked like this morning, but I don't think the picture really justifies it. Anyhow, The sun came out so nicely in the afternoon so went out running anyways. Didn't go as fast though due to all the puddles I tried to avoid. I still got my feet soaking wet about 10 times.. But it was nice! Especially as it feels like spring is so close now! So, 7 km down and only 993 km left :)

Sweden got a new princess today!


Sweden got a new princess today and a new future queen!

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Making pills

Today I have not studied a single minute (pretty much never happens for me if it's not sunday) and instead I have worked for my dad with the pills in our garage.. It's completely normal to have your garage full with capsule machines and pills everywhere right?? I'm trying to convice myself that we are normal. We are normal! (Or?) At least it's nice to just go into the garage and work whatever time you want, if there's any work to be done that is... Perfect for a student!

Blood test and roads made of ice

I was excited about the +4 C that it was suppose to be today so I could run. But those plans are impossible now as the roads are (pretty much) just ice today. I drove to the store (it was an emergency, we were out of fermented vegetebles) and I don't remember any time when it has been this slippery. It probably has been many times but it was still crazy. I even read in the newspaper that there are so many accidents today due to this so the hospital had to call more people in to take care of everyone.
So if you are still planning to go out - be careful, drive max 12 km/h, don't touch the accelerator when turning and start hitting the break like 1 km before you need to stop.


I've also been to the vårdcentralen (however you would translate that) as I've been more tired than what is normal so they took a few blood tests - which is so much more fun now by the way when I can actually understand what tests they are taking! TSH, T4, serum ferritin and so on..Yay! Haha


They also took an EKG and saw that my pulse was 41... Which is quite low as I haven't actually been working out THAT much since last summer. Not enough to get my pulse down to 41 at least. And my blood pressure was also a little bit low around 105 through something. And that should be around 120. But I normally have low blood pressure so for me it's normal and not a problem. Quite the opposite I guess as I'm far away of getting high blood pressure :) Bring me the salt!

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Health links

Low vitamin D status linked to food allergy and eczema in children: Study

Below normal levels of vitamin D, due to low sun exposure, have been associated with increased incidence of food allergy and eczema in children, say researchers.

Dietary salt intake linked to gastric cancer risk

A new study investigating a link between high salt intake and risk of gastric cancers could add to increasing pressure for industry-wide sodium reduction, researchers have said.

New probiotic strains will win health claims (but not for 10-15 years): Prof

Advances in genomics and understanding the human gut microbiota will lead to the discovery of probiotic bacterial strains that will deliver biomarker-measured health benefits – but it may take 10-15 years, according to a leading researcher.

DuPont announces increased investment in food and nutrition research

DuPont has said it intends to invest over $10bn in food and nutrition research and development over the next nine years, in an effort to meet the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population.

1000 km of running

First, I blogged a while ago about that I tried to get my hair lighter as I had dyed it too dark. Here is how it looks like now. Not the best picture but my camera made them all blurry.. The ricine oil I told you about has helpt taken out the colour some. Speaking of hair, I haven't cut my hair in 6 months now. Oh the life of being a student :) But when I cut my hair next time, then I will cut bangs again. Now I have tried to grow it out and I think I like having a bangs more.


So, as to the title of this post. I just watched biggest loser and one person said he was going to run 800 km in a year for something. I got inspired and decided that I'll run 1000 km this year, which isn't actually that much if you take it out per day. Two months are almost over but I have calculated that there's still 313 days left this year and that means only 3,2 km per day. So that shouldn't be a problem at all. We'll see how it goes, maybe 2000 is a better challenge.

Monday 20 February 2012

All the things that are going on with Iran and the nuclear development has been really worrying me lately. Not for my sake as I'm thinking about going to Israel but for Israels sake.

This is what an iranian leader said at Teherans university a couple of weeks ago:
"From now on, we will support and help all nations, all groups that are fighting against the Zionist regime over the whole world and we are not afraid to declare that. ... The Zionist regime is a true cancer tumor in this region that needs to be cut off. ... and it will defently be cut off.
He also said that 5,7 of Israels 7 million inhabitants are jewish and that justifies the states delation (utplånande, to be destroyed) in his eyes.  


HOW can a, what I've heard well respected, Iranian leader say things like that without the world reacts and start to help Israel? That is something I can not understand. And what is Sweden doing about this??? How can we forget all the things that the jews had to go through and still have to go through? We owe them help! And I'm starting to think of what I can do to help Israel.. I mean, I can't really do much else than pray. If I could do something more then I would. But prayers are powerful so that's what I'm going to do.

God will protect his people. And God is bigger than Iran.

Dad's cooking

My dad gets happy when I blog about him. So here is a picture of how it looks like when dad is cooking - 2 turkeys, 4 chickens and 2 salmon... He says he's gonna eat it all by himself.. hmm

Saturday 18 February 2012

Today I'm fermenting my own cabbage!

The reason why the store hasn't had fermented cabbage for a while now is because their suppliers hasn't given them any.. So maybe something has been wrong with the production..

Well, instead of waiting for it as it has been a few weeks now - I decided to make my own!

Before


After

I also added some of our powder probiotics to make the fermentation work even better. So in a few days it will be lots of good bacterias in these :)

If you want to know how to make your own, look here:
http://lifebyevian.blogspot.com/2012/01/fermented-vegetables.html

Friday 17 February 2012

Why care?

Sweden has a commercial on tv right now about a lady that goes out for a run and when she gets back she is old, or maybe she was old from the start? Anyways,  I don't remember exacly how it goes but they talk about taking care of your body and exercising for the sake of living a long healthy life, so you can be there for your grandkids etc - not for superficial reasons or training to run faster or whatever..

I love that commercial because THAT'S why I'm passionate about nutrition. The main reason why it's so important for you to watch what you eat and take care of your body is not so you can look better or anything like that. And it's not only because of you either! What I mean is that you should watch what you eat because then the chance of you getting a longer healthier life will increase and not only longer but better. You will have more energy to do what you need to and want to do.

It is also important for the people around you. You are a role model for other people and weather you like it or not - someone is always going to look at what you are doing and learn from that. Especially for your (future) kids and grandkids. They want to have you as long as possible!

Sometimes I meet people that thinks that it doesn't matter what they eat. They don't know what the food actually does to their bodies and they don't want to know. I don't understand that.. How can you not care about what you are putting into your body? It doesn't matter if you don't think it's effecting you -it still does.Human lifes are valuble and we should take care of it. And it's fragile. You're not gonna live forever. Just look around at all the diabetes and cancers that has been an effect of what those people have been eating - not all ofcourse but many times.

And you know what, life is not about just getting what you want all the time. Sometimes you might need to eat things you don't prefer. I don't get very excited about eating some things sometimes- but I know they are good for me and I rather be healthy. And maybe you say "there's so much more to life than just eating broccoli". YES and that's why you should eat healthy - so you can enjoy all those other things longer and better!

And last - I also strongly believe that we got our bodies from God. We should be good stewards of what we have recieve. That comes to everything in life - money, our bodies, our planet etc. We need to take responsibility for it.

So maybe you say - I agree but it's so hard to change and I really hate spinach!
Start with something and also start with trying new foods that are healthy- new vegetables etc. The body can learn to like new foods. I NEVER ate vegetables before except from cucumber and tomatoes and rarely carrots. And now my favourite foods are broccoli, cauliflower, spinach etc etc.. Just add what's healthy and stay away from the unhealthy foods as much as you can. You can do it! One step at a time!

It's time for us to change and start living healthier - for the next generation so they can learn it so it doesn't continue to get worse and worse! It sound's cheesy I know, but it's still true.

Catching up

Today has been a day of catching up with my life. That means finishing the work I'm doing every month for my dad (picture) where I sit infront of the tv and fold papers :)

I have also cleaned, taken the dishes, washed my clothes, been out running, cooking and now I'm studying and later on I will clean some more and also interpret at the youth meeting at church tonight. Busy day but it feels like a resting day as I have put a lot of the school work aside.

Something that is worth mentioning is that the weather was really great today. Lots of snow but still warm (it was like 10+ in the sun today!!!!!) and really sunny :)

For all my international friends..

Come and study at my university in my home town - Uppsala! And then we can hang out all year :D

Look at this video that I found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37u3evGkybs

Thursday 16 February 2012

More health research articles

Researchers identify new mechanism for iron absorption

A newly discovered mechanism for the absorption of iron from vegetables and legumes could provide a solution to iron deficiency problems, say researchers. 

Public health role for food industry

The food industry must get much more closely involved in public health issues if we are to deal with the problems of obesity the nation faces, the co-chair of the government’s food Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD) Network has argued. 

Magnesium linked to better blood pressure: Meta-analysis

Supplements of magnesium may offer ‘small but clinically significant reductions’ in blood pressure, says a new meta-analysis from the UK. 


Efforts to reduce trans fats are working, study suggests

Trans fat consumption among US adults has fallen 58% over the past decade, coinciding with regional bans and federal government regulation requiring labeling of artificial trans fats, according to a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

Bread contributes most sodium to US diets, finds CDC

Nine out of ten Americans eat too much sodium, and bread and rolls are the biggest problem, rather than salty snacks, according to the latest Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Pineapple ‘waste’ could provide bromelain extract for ingredient use

Waste from pineapple processing could provide a range of value added ingredients for the food industry, including a new source of the enzyme bromelain, say researchers.

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Exam is done!


And I am free!! Or, I'm going to work now but that feels like free time to me :)

The exam felt really good but it was very long - 20 pages for a 6 hp course.. At least it was quite easy so I'm hoping for a good result.. I always study too much and too many details. I should learn to not go so deep into things - but at the same time, it's the deep things that are so much fun!!

For you who doesn't live in Sweden - it has snowed quite a lot here now (or a lot for being this winter). I'm actually surprised that I'm happy about that! Only because I'm excited about starting skiing more.. :)

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Hello, hej, shalom

Exam tomorrow!!!! It feels like it will be an easy exam but that worries me because then maybe I have missed something huge??

I'm planning to read a book soon called the gluten effect - how innocent gluten can ruin your health. I've heard it's a really good book and it will be interesting to learn more about why gluten isn't good for anyone - not just the gluten intolerance ones..

Oh yeah, and my hebrew courses.. Gotta start with those! Oh and yeah, I also have to remember to have a life outside of reading and studying!

There's a course I'm thinking about taking.. About hormones, the immunesystem etc etc.. It's not a university course but a doctor who has it for anyone.. Expensive but dad said he can help some through our buisness as that buisness has to do with things like that. His plan is that I will take over the buisness one day. Nothing I'm excited about right now but maybe later.. How did I get into this? Well, I think I'm trying to save myself time from studying so I come up with things to write here instead. Anyways, the course would be 3 days for every session and there's 6 sessions.. 2 in the spring, 2 in the summer and 2 in the fall.. I think it sounds interesting as it has been hard to find university courses about these things. Plus that sometimes things can be sooo basic in university and I want to get deeper into things.  

The pastor mentioned last sunday about that most people in this world don't have enough food. THAT is my passion to change! I want to learn nutrition and then some day be able to not only get food to starving kids but good nutritious food to them! So many people in this world are blind because they haven't got enough vitamin A (and protein as you need protein for the vitamin A to work) - that is just not right!!! Everyone should have enough food for the day - not only so they don't have to be hungry but so they can be healthy and be able to live their life to the fullest.

What else can I say.. no, that's enough haha I NEED TO STUDY!! Dicipline Evelina!

Friday 10 February 2012

Benefits of exercising

If you didn't know it already... Exercising:

  • Builds strong bones
  • Increases the muscular mass
  • Improves brainpower and boosts IQ
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Relieves pain
  • Balances mood and fights depression
  • Increases energy levels
  • Reduces colds
  • Reduces weight
  • Cures insomnia
  • Slows down the aging process
  • Lower risk of diabetes and reverses pre-diabetes
  • Lowers risk of heart disease
  • Lowers risk of cancer
That is if you don't exercise too much and do it to the extreme.. Lagom är bäst!

A lot going on..

It feels like my life has been on hold for a while now.. Some personal things and studies has taken up all my time and it will be very nice on wednesday afternoon when the exam is done, or should I say next saturday as that's the next time I will be able to have some time off.

I have put my Israel plans aside now until I feel that things has calmed down. My focus needs to be on the micro organisms right now.  Thinking and dreaming about Israel took too much time :) I really wish my school had an opportunity to send exchange students there. Wouldn't that be the coolest thing in the world to be able to study there for free?? I guess I could apply for scholarships. Anyone knows how to do that?

I really miss running... I don't want to complain about the winter too much but I just wish it was warm enough to run. I saw that the temperature will go up to minus 3 C (!!) tomorrow between 13-16! I REALLY hope that will happen so I can go out running.

Well well.. back to staphylococcus aureus :)

Monday 6 February 2012

Good news!

I found out the results today from the allergy test I took last week and it didn't show anything so that's good! There's different ways to find out about if you have allergies though and I still know I have some from another test. But at least I don't have any new ones that I didn't know about! :D

I also got a lot of good information from the doctor I saw two days ago. I rather not speak about my health issues but lets just say that these things he told me about seems very promising and I really believe they will help me! He is one of his best in what he does in Scandinavia, as I mentioned in an earlier post and he has seen a lot of people getting better. The rashes I have next to my mouth will most likely go away with these things too which I'm obviously excited about:)
This means eating no food that I haven't cooked myself for a few months as I have to be very very strict with what I eat and know exacly what's in it.

Oh and by the way, something I learned when I saw that doctor was that you shouldn't eat oranges, pineapple and bananas.. Oranges because of that it has a lot of toxins in it (or pesticides..). And when it comes to bananas and pineapples - The sienctists has changed a protein in them so they will last longer and we don't have that enzyme in our bodies to break down that protein so it's actually not good for us to eat. Very interesting!

Saturday 4 February 2012

Our habits gives us cancer

Smoking, obesity, tanning and alcohol are the biggest risk factors for cancer in Sweden. Every third of all cancers can be treated by lifestyle changes.

That is how this article starts.. Read it all here:

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14317378.ab

It's in swedish but as I normally say; use google translate if you don't know swedish :)

There's something I have learned the last year that I believe is very important. And that is that you shouldn't take your health for granted! Don't play around with your health like if you will have it forever or if it doesn't matter.. Don't get me wrong, a piece of cake at birthdays or special occations won't kill you but make sure your habits in your daily life are healthy ones. Take care of the body that God has given you and make sure you do what you can to live longer and healthier. It has a lot to do with self dicipline and it's not always easy, but take one step at a time towards a healthier living.

Updates

Three days ago, I got an opportunity to take an allergy test. To make a long story short, I''ve needed to do that for a long time now so I'm very excited to get the result in the beginning of next week! I'm also getting a great opportunity today when I'm gonna go to Stockholm to meet a doctor who's here from Norway. He is apparently the best in what he does in Scandinavia, or something like that, so I'm very excited.

We have had a lot of labs in school lately where we have been growing bacterias and looking at them in a microscope, counting bacterias in ground beef (nasty!!!) and also done a few sensory tests. It's been interesting but has meant not much time to study on the exam. I've heard that this exam will be easy though so I hope that is the case.

Not much else than that is happening in my life right now. I'm hoping for more time to do things after this exam. I have wanted to run this week but minus 10-20 degrees C is just too cold.. But as soon as it's up to maybe -5 then I'll be running again!!

Thursday 2 February 2012

11 interesting "health links"

I haven't had time to read any of these yet as my school takes up pretty much all my time right now. But I thought they sounded interesting so check them out if you want to:

Maternal omega-3 reduces eczema risk in children: Study
Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy could cut the risk of babies developing eczema and egg allergies by over a third, say researchers 


Animal fat and cholesterol may increase gestational diabetes risk: Study

A pre-pregnancy diet that is high in animal fat and cholesterol could almost double the risk of pregnancy related diabetes, says new research.

BDA supports government vitamin D review

The government’s decision to review the advice issued on vitamin D after research identified large deficiencies among high risk groups has been backed by the British Dietetic Association (BDA).

Aged garlic reduces cold and flu severity: RCT data

Supplements of an aged garlic extract may reduce the number of days a person suffers from cold and ‘flu by 61%, says data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

HFCS and sugar: Can your body tell the difference after all?

The body may absorb more fructose from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) than it does from sucrose, according to a new study published in the journal Metabolism.

Fiber may boost pancreatic health: Study

Increased intakes of fiber may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 60%; with both soluble and insoluble forms offering benefits, suggests a new study from Italy.

CoQ10 may enhance anti-inflammatory potential of Med diet

Supplementing a Mediterranean-style diet with co-enzyme Q10 may reduce markers of inflammation and improve a range of health measures, including heart and joint health.

USDA awards $25m grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for E. coli research

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $25m research grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to tackle Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in the beef supply chain.

Pomegranate oil-seaweed combo's weight management action pinpointed?

A blend of pomegranate seed oil and brown seaweed extract may offer weight management potential by acting directly on fat cells, says new study using the commercially available Xanthigen ingredient.

Sugar coated probiotics have increased survival and can reduce infection: Study

A sugary outer coating produced by probiotic bacteria could help them to survive in the good and may also offer clues to how they block some bacterial infections, say researchers.

More fiber may reduce breast cancer risk: Meta-analysis

Higher intakes of soluble fiber, but not other types of fiber, may reduce the risk of breast cancer, suggest findings from a meta-analysis from Imperial College, London and the University of Leeds.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Honey instead of antibiotics


Swedish speakers:
http://www.svd.se/mat-och-vin/honung-klarar-envis-bakterie_6812971.svd

English speakers can translate it in google translate..

This article is about a study made in Cardiff. The study shows that small amounts of Manuka honey can kill 80 types of bacterias. The honey is also preventing infections. All honey is good but this one showed to be especially effective.

When I got a cold about a month ago, I ate golden kiwis (look at a post about that about a month ago) as I read that they can help a lot when you have colds, but as we had 2 cans of this honey at home, I started eating that as well. I'm not sure if it was the honey, the kiwi or both but I don't think I ever had that easy cold and I normally have really bad ones that lasts for at least 2 weeks. I've been eating it since then and unfortunally it's almost out and I don't think we will get more as they are very expensive. BUT if you ever get sick and it's hard to get away, maybe it'd be worth trying!

I'm going to England!


I've spent quite a lot of time in England as I lived there for a year and travelled around the country quite a lot that year. I haven't been there in a year now so it's going to be great to come back, meet my best friend and also a very good friend of mine that lived in our house before. So in March, me and Whitley will explore London and probably some other city.