Superfoods4u.co.uk (a division of Be Super Ltd) was originally set up to provide a range of the greatest superfoods in the world.
New scientific research is further validating our blends by providing evidence that our ingredients and our insights are of significant benefit. For example:
What you eat and drink causes a dramatic effect on the balance and function of the parasympathetic (PNS) and the sympathetic (SNS) nervous system in your body. What this means is that food and drink impact on how you feel. Certain foods are positively good for you and certain foods are positively bad for you.
Unfortunately the foods that are bad for us are also the one’s that the food companies promote and sell the most of – they are the foods that we think are good for us AND OFTEN ENJOY THE MOST. The big companies make more money from foods that contain sugar and sweeteners and colourings and flavourings and preservatives and from processed foods that are easy to serve or heat up. These foods also look good on TV and have great packaging and are easily available 24 hours per day – they can also be delivered more easily. The great news for the pharmaceutical companies is that all this bad food makes us ill and they can then sell us (or the doctors prescribe) drugs to ‘make us feel better’. We even have supplements / drugs to compensate for the lack of nutrients that all this bad food does not contain. Supplements are also bad for us because they are not naturally taken as part of a wholefood eating lifestyle – but this is not a problem because our doctors can prescribe another pill. This is not a negative way of thinking – it is the truth!
So what can you – or more to the point, what are you willing to do to correct this problem.
Take action:
- Get enough protein. Protein is needed to supply vital amino acids that are essential for calming the nervous system. Eat plenty of eggs (from grass/pasture fed hens preferred), raw nuts, fish (especially deep sea fatty fish including anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, and sardines) and grass-fed meat (chicken, beef). The superfood Sf1 from superfoods4u is also high in protein and low in sugar. But don’t eat too much protein, especially within a single 2 hour period; approx 50% of protein gets converted to sugar, and this is important if you are trying to remain Keto adapted.
- Get an oil change!?! Avoid hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated and trans fats; and get plenty of omega-3 (and some omega-6) fatty acids. Excellent sources are deep-sea fatty fish, eggs from grass-fed hens, walnuts, flaxseeds, avocado, coconut oil and fish oil supplements. The Ultimate List of Primary Foods within VFP#1-LiCrON protocol provides all this.
- Boost up on B-vitamins; B-vitamins are used in hundreds of chemical reactions in the body related to nervous system balance and control. Good sources include SF1.
- Get grounded – eat low carb organic vegetables and roots. SF1 from superfoods4u and SF5 wil calm an overly active sympathetic nervous system.
- Spice things up. Research indicates that capsaicin, the heat component of red/hot peppers, can significantly lower sympathetic responses after consumption. Combine it with SF5 and reap all the benefits from curcumin, ashwagandha and astaxanthin.
- Drink H2o. Dehydration puts a lot of stress on the body. Drink one-half your body weight in ounces of water throughout the day. Drink super water if you can get it.
- Chew. People that are SNS dominant generally don’t digest food well. Chew your way to calmness to help activate your parasypathetic nervous system – also chew more alkaline food rather than acidic food!
- Decrease/eliminate caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the SNS – you don’t want to do that if your SNS is already over-stimulated. Opt instead for herbal teas, black tea or water.
- Avoid alcohol. Alcohol also increases SNS activity. A study published in June 1995 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that SNS activity nearly doubled after participants received an alcohol infusion.
Social Interaction:
How you live your life on a daily basis and how you react to the people and environment around you has a major impact on sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous system balance. Those that are SNS-dominant often can’t relax, struggle to focus and have difficulty keeping still. This makes it all the more important to incorporate activities throughout the day to help calm down and increase positive thoughts and feelings.
- Practice gratitude. First thing in the morning and just before bed, try out the quick coherence practice. This will help get you into a positive state and help you be aware of the beauty in your life.
- Release negativity. Negative emotional states – including worry, fear, anger, frustration, guilt and shame – rev up the sympathetic nervous system and just make you feel bad. When you become aware of these feelings, try to let them go and fill that space with something that is uplifting. Focused breathing, increasing your HRV (Heart Rate Variability) and brain / heart entrainment using PEMF (Pulsed ElecroMagnetic Fields) and therapy such as SSP (Safe and Sound Protocol).
- Surround yourself with love. Whether you are at home, work or in your car, surround yourself with pictures, music, books, magazines and things that bring you joy and remind you of people, places and experiences you cherish. Along those same lines, hang out with people that build you up; and let go of relationships that are no longer fulfilling.
- Practice forgiveness. Yes, it’s easier said than done, but forgiving any wrongs you feel have been made against you allows you to take control and puts you in a position of power and possibly even compassion and takes you out of the victim role, which feeds the sympathetic response of fight-or-flight.
- Don’t worry, be happy. We are bombarded with images, sound bites and news about all the cruelty and injustices in the world. Give yourself a break and get in the practice of happiness.
- Get enough sleep. Get as much sleep before midnight as possible and sleep until you naturally awaken. If you need an alarm clock to wake up, get to bed earlier the next night. If naps are restorative and don’t negatively impact your sleep at night, take them. PEMF devices such as ‘Earthpulse’ have been scientifically evidenced to energise you and ‘pulse’ natural vibrating frequencies (especially 7.83Hz) through the body.
- Breathe deeply – deep breathing is one of the fastest ways to calm down and quiet an overly active sympathetic nervous system. Practice taking deep breathes multiple times daily; attach the act of deep breathing to some other activity that occurs regularly throughout your day – such as receiving/sending emails, texts or phone calls.
Choose one or more of these activities and incorporate them into your daily schedule. It will take persistent, consistent actions to achieve results – think weeks or months rather than hours or days – so get started and enjoy each day as much as you can. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling better and much more balanced.
Sunlight and exercise:
Our brain self-injects itself with serotonin chemicals. Even on a frigid or cool day, sunlight has a noticeable, positive affect on our mindset.
A productive and healthy practice is to briskly walk for 15 to 20 minutes at least once (or even twice) a day. Regardless of frequency, it is best to walk in the morning for two reasons: (1) we’ll burn more calories, and (2) we mentally prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Not only will our brain reward us with a kick of serotonin, we’ll burn off some calories in the process.
How to reduce cortisol levels:
When you face a potential threat or danger, your body’s stress response — often called the “fight or flight” response is triggered – this is the sympathetic nervous system. It is good to have such a response, however, it is better to have a wide optimum arousal zone so you don’t stress out too easily and for too long.
The sympathetic nervous system starts by releasing the stress hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine in a quick burst.
They quickly dissipate after the stressful situation is over and don’t hang around to do damage.
That is followed by the release of cortisol – and this hormone can cause damage if it remains for too long. This can lead to anxiety; brain fog; depression; lack of concentration; insomnia and dementia.
Chronically elevated levels of cortisol may lead to obesity; high blood pressure; diabetes; osteoporosis; heart disease, digestive disorders; fatigue; thyroid disorders; immune system disorders and infertility.
When cortisol is released in response to a stressor, all non-essential bodily functions are temporarily put on hold in order to deal with the situation. This can impact on the gut and lead to weight gain and an inability to lose fat.
Top Tips to lower and reduce cortisol levels:
Sleep is crucial! If you sleep for less than 6 hours (and do not meditate throughout the day effectively to compensate) then your body will INCREASE its level of cortisol by as much as 80%. So focus on good sleep – click here for details on how to prioritise rest and sleep.
Minimise coffee in the morning because caffeine can double cortisol levels!
STOP coffee after midday as it can take up to 10 hours to metabolize.
Drink tea instead – whilst green tea contains far less caffeine; black / normal tea more actively reduces cortisol.
STOP or minimise sugar intake as it produces stress hormones that can last up to 5 hours after consumption. Insulin has to be produced to convert sugar to energy and insulin is like a light switch that stops fat from being used – it is stored instead and is used as a dumping ground for further toxins.
Insulin load should be minimised:
Insulin is a hormone that acts as a regulator of blood glucose levels by controlling glucose uptake into the cells. Repeated acute stress causes the pancreas to suppress insulin and repeatedly flood the bloodstream with glucose both by not allowing it into the cells (resisting insulin) and releasing more from the liver as well. As this process becomes chronic, it becomes more difficult to manage. The body continually requires more insulin to reduce glucose levels, and eventually cells end up insensitive to the insulin. The effects of high insulin also include disrupted cellular metabolism and increased inflammation.
The LiCrON eating lifestyle provided at VFP#1 – LiCrON/Regeneration provides a perfect solution to this hormonal problem. It is perfect for anyone that is overweight and struggling to sort the problem. The Ultimate List of Primary Foods provides over 100% of all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids needed every day. Furthermore, it also utilises the benefits of a delayed eating lifestyle and Intermittent Ketosis with the principle of hormesis – meaning a little of what is bad for in the short term is good for you in the long term.
The superfoods that superfoods4u blend into their super products include adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha that effectively reduce cortisol. The superfoods also include St. Johns Wart, Curcumin and SF1 contains a super blend of barleygrass, camu camu, wheatgrass, spirulina, cacao, chlorella and astaxanthin.
