Let’s face it daily life is stressful enough but when it comes to this time of the year it just gets plain crazy. Planning festive meals, endless trips to the supermarket, shopping for presents, parties, finishing off work projects, the list is endless. Stress levels just soar as December creeps up on us.

I hear it all the time  “I’m SO stressed out!” It should be a fun time of the year but if you’re not careful you can end up with no time to recharge and no energy to get everything done. It becomes a vicious cycle. All the pressures cause stress and anxiety that make you sick.

Stress overloads liver detox pathways

Did you know that chronic stress accounts for 80% of all illnesses? Stress interferes with how the body functions. You probably know that it can cause high blood pressure and increases the chances of stroke. It interferes with the normal function of your digestive and immune systems. Studies have proven that stressed individuals have an increased vulnerability to catching an illness and are more susceptible to allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Stress chemicals such as adrenaline can be highly toxic. They increase loss of valuable nutrients and restrict blood flow reducing your ability to detox. Like every other substance  produced in your body they have to be broken down and detoxified. They put an additional burden on the natural detox activities of your liver.

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Are confused about good fats and bad fats? Did you know that some fats make you fat and others can make you slim?  Some fats give you energy and others zap it. Some fats improve the way every cell in your body functions while others interfere with their vital functions. Two fats, Omega 3 and Omega 6,  are essential for your health but trans fats or hydrogenated fats interfere with your detox system and cause many health problems..

What are trans fats & hydrogenated fats?

Trans fats were mainly an invention of the food manufacturers. In order to harden and increase the shelf life of good oils so they can be used in margarines, spreads, baked good, and other dishes, they subject them to a process known as hydrogenation.

This results in twisted molecules known as trans fatty acids. Although you can get a very small amount of natural trans fats from beef and dairy foods it is the artificial trans fats that are bad for you. They are worse than the saturated fats that they replaced.

According to food scientist Prof Tony Blake newer technology has allowed margarine  manufacturers to produce products that do not contain trans fats. but I am not convinced that the quality of the oil they use in the process is healthy to start with.

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At this time of the year if you are living somewhere where it is getting colder and Thanksgiving and Christmas are looming then you may be tempted to overeat, eat richer and more stodgy foods and eat in a rush or when feeling stressed by it all.  If you don’t want to ruin the effects of your detox, here are some ideas to help you avoid the party season weight gain.

Some of the desire to eat more starchy and comfort foods  may be due to an inbuilt mechanism left over from the days before central heating.  Our ancestors needed to eat more calories to increase their fat layers to keep themselves warm during the cold weather.

Nowadays, if you live and work in centrally heated buildings,  it’s not necessary to do that. Having said that it makes sense to make use of the seasonal produce and eat more warming foods for the times that we have to spend outside in the cold. but this does not have to mean an increase in calories.

Many people get a craving for sweet and starchy foods during the winter due to the lack of daylight hours and exposure to sunlight. Eating more lean protein can help.

Eat slowly to prevent weight gain

Several studies have shown that eating your food quickly prevents the release of the hormone that makes you feel full and satisfied so you carry on eating more than you actually need. So, if you eat on the run or bolt your lunch at your desk because you don’t have time to take a proper break you are at danger of putting on weight and increasing your chances of many health problems.

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A recent story about a lady called Zita caught my eye recently. When she discovered she had fibroids in her late twenties she began to do some research into the problem. She found a study done by some researchers from Reading University in the UK which linked some chemicals in everyday cosmetics to an increase in estrogen, a well known cause of fibroids.

More and more evidence is pointing to the fact that killer toxins are lurking in the beauty creams and make-up that you put on your face or body. New studies show that teenagers are highly polluted with chemicals from cosmetics. Kids are experimenting with make-up earlier and earlier but they contain chemicals that can cause early puberty and maybe cancer later in life.

Hormones out of balance

A study by the Environmental Working Group in the USA showed that young teenagers from 18 cities had 16 toxic chemicals in their blood which are known as hormone or endocrine disrupters. These chemicals sometimes called xenoestrogens such as phthalates, triclosan, musk and parabens act like hormones in your body and cause hormonal imbalances that have been linked to infertility, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, fibroids, miscarriage and breast cancer.

The problem with Parabens

Scientists have become alarmed by the high levels of parabens that is used in cosmetics as a preservative. I have been amazed at how many so called “natural” products contain this preservative. When I was searching for a parabens free body butter a few years ago an assistant in one well known natural cosmetic shop told me that I had nothing to fear from parabens because it was a substance that was made in my body. I am still waiting for them to provide me with the evidence of this!

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