Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: wellness

  • Next of Kin

    Next of Kin

    What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Care for Someone You Love

    Having walked a very similar path to that of Casey Beros, I can say that every word written by her in Next of Kin is the pathway that is followed by everyone who is caring or assisting in caring for a loved one in the final days, weeks, months or years of their life.

    Next of Kin came to be written in a genuine desire to help others facing the daunting task of caring for a loved one, often being plunged rapidly into the deep end of the Health Care system, finding themselves lost, confused and struggling.

    Living on the other side of Australia, she was devastated upon receiving the news her beloved father had Mesothelioma, or Asbestoses, with a life expectancy of months to possibly a year.

    Relocating to Western Australia she took on his care and even though she was a respected Health Industry journalist, she discovered what she thought and was a reality when dealing with the Health Care Industry was poles apart and a seriously challenging undertaking.

    Over the time she spent with her father she accessed a wide range of Government based departments, support and voluntary groups slowly discovering a pathway through the endless and frequently confusing information, all of which she shares in this elegantly written tribute to her father and the many people who helped her along her chosen pathway.

    Containing invaluable information for those in, about to take up the role of caregiver or simply needing to understand the inevitable end of life requirements, such as legal aspects, choices and so much more Next of Kin is a glowing beacon of love, kindness, understanding and fact in the wilderness of emotional turmoil.

    There is Resources section at the end of the book which is invaluable followed by a References Section for further reading on any of the information shared in the book. Next of Kin is the book everyone wished they had and is the book everyone should have, when caring for a loved one in any health care crisis.

  • Your Best Year Ahead: Small, easy steps to wellness

    Your Best Year Ahead: Small, easy steps to wellness

    Your Best Year Ahead; small easy steps to wellness is an extremely practical way to present information on healthy living. Written by an experienced doctor who sees many patients with conditions they could avoid, or questions about issues they are facing, the facts are presented using evidenced based theory.

    Dr Chris Beer began to research healthy living, seeking her own answers, when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

    When you look at the table of contents it is hard not to recognise something that is of pressing concern in your life. Whether it is losing weight, sleeping well, or warding off cancer cells, there is something here that will attract your immediate attention. It is not a bad idea to begin with this chapter, so it is immediately relevant to you and you understand how your progress is intended to be monitored.

    The book can be used as a week by week health guide and the challenge is to take the year to work through the various chapters. There is a week by week goal tracker as a visual record, and habits to develop and tick off.

    Knowing your motivators, and habit formation is discovered in the first few chapters, then once the reader understands and is willing to follow the guidelines, the chapters flow on from this. The chapter on sleep begins with the science. How much sleep do you need? Why do we need sleep? These answers are quite fascinating… sleep slows the aging process and also helps to repair our tissues.

    There are more interesting facts, such as, it should take you between 10-15 minutes to fall asleep. Then there are bullet points to help you sleep. Some of the take home points suggest that adults need between 7-9 hours’ sleep. Then the Weekly challenge is to get a good night’s sleep for a week. You should aim to be in bed by 10pm.

    Individual chapters are easy to read and short enough to retain the essence. This is such a useful reference book that one could refer to it many times if one didn’t use it as a year-long challenge.

    Your Best Year Ahead; small easy steps to wellness published in 2020 ensures the information is up to date and well explained.

  • Probiotic Drinks at Home

    Probiotic Drinks at Home

    The reasoning behind making her own probiotic drinks is explained well by Felicity Evans in the opens pages of this book. Her health was seriously compromised after travelling overseas with her husband, where she contracted malaria, glandular fever and chronic fatigue. Once they settled down, she became pregnant, but her health was still an issue as she had long term chronic mastitis, needing many rounds of anti-biotics. While in Guatemala, she tried a probiotic beverage called water keffir. She describes it as “Fresh, slightly sparkling, and not too sweet. And it made me feel amazing.” With nothing to lose, Felicity began her trials to recreate that “Magical probiotic elixir.”

     The belief underlying this process is that you are creating a happy home for your gut microbes. We now know that these microbes are the foundation of good health and wellness. The Introduction tells us the definition of probiotics, and pre biotics, and what their role is in the gut. More is being learned about the relationship between the gut and digestion, immunity and emotional wellbeing. Probiotic drinks are an excellent way of using fermentation to create these health giving drinks.

     The author explains the two main styles of fermentation: Cultured fermentation and Wild fermentation. She notes the differences between the two and the drinks that can be produced using either method. Kombucha is an example of a Cultured fermented tea tonic, and Ginger Bug is an example of a wild fermentation. In the chapter about the “How and why of fermentation, we are told that the process occurs when sugars are converted  by yeasts and bacteria into carbon dioxide and trace amounts of alcohol, resulting in low sugar fizzy drinks.”

     The practicality of this book makes it easy to follow and understand. We are given outlines first of tools and equipment needed, basic ingredients, and ways of adding superfoods such as chia seeds to your drinks. Recipes are then given, with specific instructions, and careful guidelines. Some of the tips for recognising when Water Kefir is ready for bottling tell us what to smell, what to see, what to hear and what to taste. Following each recipe and instructions is a page called Troubleshooting. There are “What If” scenarios, which address problems that may arise.

     Each recipe and process has coloured photographs to ensure the reader can easily follow the instructions. Some of the recipes are rather plain, with some quite exotic, with tropical fruit overtones. Once you have succeeded in making your first batch of probiotic drink, other recipes will be very tempting to try. The fermentation benefits to our body are well recognized. Adelaide, will host  a “Ferment the Festival” in October, to celebrate, share and advise people on how to maintain health and recognise fermented  foods such as cheese, chocolate and kimchi .

     

     

  • Fast Your Way to Wellness Supercharged Food

    Fast Your Way to Wellness Supercharged Food

    Fasting could hardly be considered as a new fad style of diet: fasting is as old as there have been humans on this earth, as, back in the day when hunters hunted and gatherers gathered, once the food source ran low, everyone was forced to eat less or eat on alternate days. That was the way of things and it is only since we have become an affluent society, with generally speaking, easy and convenient access to foods, that fasting has become the new ‘catch word’ in dieting circles.

    But, as Lee Holmes explains, perhaps now more than ever we need to adopt the idea of fasting into our everyday lives, in order to be healthier, loose those extra kilo’s before they become problematic and generally feel far better about how we, as consumers in a stress filled world, eat and feel.

    Facing some serious health issues Lee Holmes decided to instigate further the effects of the food she was consuming on her health. This research has lead onto a healthier, happier lifestyle, as well as a series of books presenting the beneficial effects of eating the right food achieve a healthier happier lifestyle.

    In this her latest book, which should be considered more as a handbook, she takes a comprehensive look at fasting for two days per week, or intermittent fasting, which does not mean going without food and consuming only liquids, as is often presented, but consuming no more than 500 calories per female and 600 calories per male, twice per week.

    Part 1, Putting intermittent fasting into practice explains the pros and cons associated with this form of eating, the reasons why it is beneficial, how to avoid or face up to those cravings that somehow creep up during a time of fasting, how to blend these fasting days into your social life and the overall benefits of weight loss, good health and higher energy levels.

    A well-defined calorie guide to the ingredients suggested compliments the Meal Plans segment which is full of wonderfully tempting things to eat, as well as being relatively easy to manage, with one plan for workdays and one for non-workdays. There is one for both males and females listing the right foods to maintain your target of 500/600 calories per day.

    To help you get started she sets out A Fasting Pantry, what not to eat on non-fasting days, along with a host of fantastic little tips to help make life so much easier, as you begin this fresh way of eating.

    Part 2 is devoted to Fasting Recipes separated into Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner but the reality is that all of the dishes are so delicious, so easy to prepare and taste tempting, that they will undoubtedly find their way onto the table any day of the week.

    Sweet treats have been accommodated with the delicious layered blueberry pistachio parfait, orange chocolatey pudding as well as simple dishes such as jam jar porridge, for breakfast and red onion and zucchini frittata for lunch. How good can it get!

    All the recipes are free of gluten, wheat, processed sugar and yeast with many dairy free, which makes them suitable for everyone.

    As a guide to eating well and enjoyed good health, this book will soon become an essential part of your life as you discover you can still eat abundantly, enjoy good food well-cooked and feel great.

    So, ditch the junk, seek out the fresh and abundantly available and Fast Your Way To Wellness with the added benefit of a slow but steady weight loss, has to be excellent advice.

    What have you got to lose, nothing what have you got to gain – enormous benefits.