Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts

Saturday, 10 January 2026

MAHA's Real Food Pyramid

 

by Louise Mclean, LCCH.

Finally, a good food guide! After all the bad advice on healthy eating, this is now being binned in the USA by head of HHS, Robert Kennedy, Jr., with his new Real Food Pyramid!  

For years people were told to eat lots of carbohydrates and avoid meat and fats.  Now high quality proteins are at the top of the pyramid and people are being advised to eat butter, ghee, tallow, lard, unrefined coconut oil and olive oil, as well as organic grass fed meat and good quality eggs.

People are obviously still advised to eat vegetables, fruit and nuts, as well as whole wheat bread. Sourdough bread is much less heavy on the digestive system.  However, I will be looking at bread making machines and will use organic whole wheat flour or spelt flour (which makes delicious bread!)

As Hippocrates, who was the 'Father of Medicine', said: "Let Food be Thy Medicine"! 

HHS has also announced that from next Autumn, doctors will finally be taught the core basis of health, which is nutrition.  Previously they only learnt a few hours of nutrition in their entire medical course and most likely learnt the old food pyramid, which dates back to the 1970s.

Eating a low fat diet is bad for your health as we need good quality fats, so feel free to eat full fat yoghourt and organic cream but ditch the seed oils from your diet, which cause inflammation in the body. Animal fats supply the body with vital nutrients such as Vitamins A, D and K and are crucial for the myelin sheaths surrounding nerve fibres. These fats also protect the body from inflammation and help absorb nutrients from our food. 

I recommend eating a protein only breakfast and I personally eat two eggs every single day with no toast or carbohydrate.  I find that eating only protein for breakfast keeps my energy up for longer and is better for the digestion.

Charlie Kirk says in fact you can live healthily by eating no carbohydrates at all but suggests 10%, certainly cutting them down anyway! 

As regards sugar, I presume that everyone knows that it is bad for us! If you must use it, then use organic coconut sugar, which is a great alternative for your tea or coffee.  We make cakes using it, along with organic whole wheat flour, good eggs and butter, and mash a banana in to make banana cake.  

It is okay to have some carbohydrates and I recommend a balanced diet but just try to eat real food.  Most flour nowadays is genetically modified flour, so buy organic if you can.  Also organic pasta is better than ordinary pasta.  Avoid pizzas unless you make your own dough and add your own fillers, as there are loads of weird additives in them.

At the moment we are making bone broth from both beef or chicken bones left over from our meals.  You simply boil the bones on a very low heat to simmer for a few hours.  Then strain off the liquid, keeping the fat in it and make a soup out of it. This is extremely beneficial for people with osteoporosis or weak bones, giving collagen and bone nutrients.

You can use any vegetables to make the soup, so winter root vegetables are good, such as potatoes, parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, or perhaps broccoli.  You can cut them up and boil them in the bone broth, then let it cool down and use a hand held blender to blend the vegetables and make a nice thick soup.  Add a stock cube and we use organic Kallo stock cubes, plus some salt and pepper, as well as any other flavouring you might like. 

It is quite interesting to note that in the past people with tuberculosis or people recovering from long term illness who had lost weight, were prescribed full fat milk, plenty of eggs and lots of butter and meat to build them up again!

In the UK, farmers have been treated badly by the government and the supermarkets, which give them very poor returns on their products.  So if you are in the UK, I am urging people to search online for organic farms and order direct.  Sometimes you need to order over a certain price to receive free delivery but it is worth it, as you can store the food in your freezer.

We are thrilled with the organic farm we order from and the meat is absolutely delicious, reminding me of the meat I used to eat in the 1970s in Somerset, when all meat was organic.

UK farmers are now talking about creating cooperatives, farming supermarkets that the people can buy from directly. This would cut out the middle man and give them fairer prices.  Here in the UK we should all support our farmers.

You can read more on how to eat only healthy food to lose weight and to stay slim in my article here, where I go into it in more depth.  Eventually, you will immediately recognise which foods to avoid because they are very unhealthy and quite honestly horrible for your digestion and for your health!

Sunday, 2 March 2025

Black Seed Oil's Astonishing Number of Health Benefits!

by Louise Mclean, LCCH.

I have heard such amazing things about Black Seed Oil, that I really wanted to write about its astonishing number of uses!  I once read that it will cure everything except death and is referred to as 'the seed of blessing'!  

I have not tried it yet, unlike everything else on my blog, but have just ordered it and will update this article as soon as I start using it and feeling the reported benefits!  (**See end).  I have ordered the Organic Black Seed Oil made by Kiki Health (pictured), a brand which I use and which I recommend.  It was available on Amazon and due today, so I am quite excited!

Black Seed Oil has been used in the Middle East for centuries and is native to Eastern Europe, Western Asia and the Mediterranean region.  It is a supplement extracted from Nigella Sativa seeds, also known as black cumin.  It originates as a flowering shrub that produces fruits which contain tiny black seeds that are squeezed to extract the oil. The oil contains the phytochemical Thymoquinone and this has antioxidant properties that help rid the body of harmful free radicals.

This oil is a natural remedy that will boost your overall health and well being. It is a powerful elixir and is full of nutrients and bioactive compounds that will benefit your body from head to toe. It contains essential fatty acids omega 3, 6 and 9, vitamins A, C and several B vitamins, as well as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.

One of the top reasons to take it is that it strengthens your immune system and keeps your body's natural defences strong, stimulating the production of T-cells and natural killer cells, which fight infection and disease. It will cure sore throats in a natural way as well as inflamed tonsils by mixing honey and black seed oil in water and gargling twice a day as well as rubbing the warm oil on chest and throat.

It reportedly lowers blood sugar, so may help benefit people with type 2 diabetes and there have been clinical trials on this.  It treats arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as other inflammatory conditions such as heart disease.  It reportedly is extremely good for those with any cancerous state, including lymphoma and leukemia.

Black seed oil is an effective treatment for seizures that cause epilepsy because it is anti-convulsant.

It is also useful for asthma, improving lung function and allergies. For asthma, you can mix ten drops in two litres of boiling water in a large bowl and put a towel over your head to inhale the mixture.

It is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihistaminic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, analgesic and is an immune modulator.  In addition when applied directly to the skin mixed with either olive oil or coconut oil, it improves acne and also helps psoriasis and eczema.  It apparently assists weight loss! 

Data supports the benefits of using powdered Nigella sativa to improve Hashimoto's thyroiditis and it also is good for the health of your heart by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as lowering blood pressure.

Digestive issues like bloating, constipation, acid reflux or heartburn have also responded to black seed oil, keeping the gut healthy with its digestive supporting properties. It reduces inflammation in the gut if you have inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, stimulating bile flow and enzyme secretion, thereby aiding nutrient absorption. It has a laxative effect on constipation, promoting regular bowel movements and eradicating harmful gut bacteria like H. pylori which can cause ulcers and gastritis.

In addition, it supports brain health as it contains neuroprotective compounds and the thymoquinone reduces inflammation in the brain linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.  It even reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety!

Black seed oil has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and will quell the flames of inflammation in your body.  This is because of the thymoquinone which inhibits pro-inflammatory enzymes and cytokines like COX-2, 5-LOX, TNF-alpha and IL-6.

As if all this isn't enough, one study showed that men with infertility who took it for 2 months had significant improvements in their sperm count, motility and morphology compared to a placebo group and found that testosterone levels were increased.

For ladies, black seed oil significantly improves menstrual cramps and pain, as well as regulating their cycle, due to its anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects. It also fights infections like Candida as it is a potent antimicrobial agent, fighting off a wide range of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

People say that black seed oil improves the health of their skin and aids hair growth and it is helpful for those with dry skin because of the nourishing vitamins A, B and EFA. It can help remove surgical scars naturally and can be applied directly on them (and presumably stretch marks after pregnancy?) For people with sensitive skin you can dilute it with olive oil or coconut oil before applying it to your skin and hair.

Another fun fact is black seed oil is very effective for insect bites If you have been bitten by a mosquito or a bee, you can apply the oil on it for immediate effect.

It will relieve earache and toothache. For earache, mix a teaspoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of black seed oil, warm the mixture and drip 4 or 5 drops into the affected ear with a dropper. Then put a scarf over your head and ear. For toothache, soak a cotton wool ball into the oil and press over the affected tooth.

The recommended dosage of the oil is 1 to 5 grams by mouth per day for 4-12 weeks and for the powder 1 to 2 grams by mouth daily for 8 to 12 weeks. You can mix the oil with fruit juice or mix into food.  It can be applied topically as an oil to your chest and throat if you feel a cold or flu coming on. You can also mix the oil with a teaspoon of honey to eat.

Further uses are as follows:  Helps prevent gallstones, hemorrhoids, headache and migraine, anemia, stimulates urine production and treats bladder and prostate problems, bronchitis, insomnia, improves eye vision, treats Hepatitis C virus, soothes burns.

As usual, care must be taken if you are taking prescription medicines as they may not interact well.  Pregnant women should not consume black seed oil as it can slow down or stop uterus contraction in labour.  Patients with blood disorders should avoid using this oil as it can result in blood clot formation, (although you can take Serrapeptase daily to dissolve blood clots).  Those with low blood pressure should be careful as it could lower blood pressure too much.  People with diabetes should not consume too much black seed oil as it can lower sugar levels too far.  Do not use before or after surgery.  

The above information was taken from articles about black seed oil on Yandex.com, a search engine that does not screen out natural health websites, unlike others!

** I started taking it on 2nd March and initially took one teaspoon per day straight off the spoon with nothing mixed.  It has a funny taste, slightly bitter and leaves the tongue feeling sweet.  On 4th March I started taking one teaspoon morning and night, which I think was a bit too much for me and perhaps one teaspoon a day is enough, as it is very powerful.  The first thing I noticed was my lungs felt clearer and my limbs lighter, with more energy. It seems to work as a messenger for all systems of the body simultaneously. I would definitely recommend it.