Lets get “Back To Basics”

By Ilze van Pletzen - AIM Director

Fifty one years ago on 11 Feb 1971 a little girl with only 4 toes on her one foot and 2 shoe sizes smaller than the other one was born. Not knowing what her future may hold and growing up with a disability that caused her affected leg to grow significantly slower with no calf muscles and a horseshoe kidney, life as a child was challenging and hard. She was exposed to numerous operations where the simple act of walking was something that needed to be learnt from anew every time. The side effects of all these operations as well as the countless medications administered to her marked her childhood years with great vulnerability and a severely compromised immune system.

In her late teens and early adulthood she was also diagnosed with numerous allergies, yuppie flu, Coxsackie virus, cysts on her ovaries, a lump in her breast and consequently needed to undergo an early hysterectomy. The list of health and life challenges however did not end here. In 2010 she had neck surgery due to her birth impairment and in 2015 her husband and love of her life was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Does this sound like the happily

It is because of my story that a passion for health and wellness was stirred within me. To give people hope and strength for their future because one’s past can never determine your future.

ever after fairy tale any girl dreams of? The one where she is swept off her feet and rides off into the sunset with her prince on a white horse? Yet this is my story and I can proudly and gratefully say it is my story of hope. And that is why I can boldly testify that your story, how devastating and disappointing it may seem, it can in fact be a story of hope and inspiration for others.

In 2019 I was re-introduced to The AIM Companies and I had an intense desire to know everything and more about this amazing company and their products. Everything just suddenly made clear sense to me and today I have immense gratitude for having had an invitation to attend a talk by a Chairmans Club Member from AIM. Little did I know that this would also be the year that my husband’s cancer would once again return.

We were disappointed, disheartened and filled with much fear. However, I decided to face my fears and to gain all the knowledge possible by attending meetings and reading whatever I could find. I started to understand how wonderfully the body has been created

and what it needed to build a healthy immune system.

There is so much to learn and I have only begun to touch the tip of the iceberg. In this learning and unlearning, I have also found that basic common sense goes a long way. We need balance in our lives and more often than not the scale seems to tip to one side. We need sunlight, exercise, a good night’s rest and the whole foods that God has graciously and generously given us. Of course, many of us live in the fast lane and there is no time for mindful eating and preparing healthy meals. Fast foods, multitasking, working around the clock and minimum sleep is the daily recipe to succeed in the rat race of everyday life. Until one day, all of a sudden and without any warning, you are forced to slow down because of an ache or a pain, some indigestion, bloated-ness and just that feeling of being sick and tired of being sick and tired.

This doesn’t have to be your story. I always say, every day is an opportunity to chuck a bad habit and add a good one. Baby steps, and in only a year’s time, you will be amazed how far you have come.

This is my advice with the AIM products as well. Start slow and be consistent, and as your budget allows it, add more AIM products. The best investment ever is your health.

Going back to basics is not a bad thing, slowing down and focusing on the things that really matter. If you don’t have your health, what are you left with? Medical bills and unnecessary stress! I just shared a post the other day, which says:

Happiness is the new rich; Inner Peace is the new success; Health is the new wealth; Kindness is the new cool

I just loved it, and this is why I love my AIM Garden, making life healthy but also easier. The Garden Trio and FloraFood are our favourite products out of the AIM Garden.

Start today with ONE STEP!

Food and MOOD

By Charlotte Meschede - Nutritionist

The link between diet and mood is becoming more and more obvious. People will often refer to the fact that they are irritable or short-tempered simply because they are hungry. The term ‘hangry’ is frequently used by those on a weight loss program, implying they are angry due to hunger! However casual the referrals to foods and mood are, the point is that even clinical data are now joining the dots between nutritional deficiencies, unhealthy food patterns and other similar comparisons when it comes to the prevention and management of mental health1 .

From a practical point of view, there are some food habits that will cause low blood sugars or even worse, unstable blood sugars, meaning your sugars spike from high to low throughout the day:

• Skipping meals, especially the first meal of the day, for which many compensate by snacking on unhealthy snacks for a quick ‘pickme-up’, is the biggest culprit when it comes to spiking and/or low sugar levels. • Cutting out entire food groups is another popular trend. Whilst

I support having a more plantbased diet, just cutting out meat and/or dairy products for example, without replacing the nutrients provided by those two food groups, such as protein and calcium, not to forget iron, is short-sighted and counter-productive. Deficiencies

in magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids are just a few micronutrients that become deficient over time if whole food groups are omitted and there is no nutrient replacement thereof. • An excess of sugar and refined carbohydrates (like white bread, white rice, pasta) will increase the demand for insulin, thereby reducing the body’s sensitivity to this vital hormone. This will also contribute to spikes in blood sugar levels as described in the first bullet point.

Researchers are also taking a closer look at why diet may influence mental health. Studies are exploring diet’s effects on gut microbiota (organisms in the intestinal tract), neuroplasticity (brain’s ability to modify structure, wiring and function), oxidative stress (cellular damage) and chronic inflammation2 .

In an article published in Psychiatry (2019) it was stated that recent demonstrations had indicated that the status of the gut microbiota did in fact have an effect on the gut-brain axis and indicated the beneficial effects of probiotics on psychological well-being. In particular products containing Lactobacillus fermentum , L.rhamnosus, L.plantarum, and Bifidobacterium longum were mentioned. This is NOT to imply that such products can be USED to TREAT depression or any other mental disorder, but there was evidence to

support that those people with heathy gut bacteria experienced better psychological well-being6 .

While we still have much to learn about the effects of dietary patterns on mental health issues, evidence suggests that eating a healthy diet can have a protective effect. In fact, many believe that good nutrition is as important to mental health as it is to physical health.

Here are a few tips on How to improve your mood with food:

• Eat at least 2 – 3 nutritious meals within a 12 hour ‘awake’ period • Choose less refined sugars and eat more whole grains for example, whole grain bread instead of white bread, brown or wild rice instead of white rice and yellow maize instead of white maize • Include protein at each meal, such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans) • a variety of foods, especially foods of colour such as pumpkin, butternut, spinach, peppers and blue berries • Include omega-3 rich foods, like oily fish, olive oil, avocados and raw nuts and seeds in the diet on a daily basis • Manage and maintain a healthy weight • Drink plenty of fluids, especially water • Get regular exercise – at least 150 minutes per week

Following a healthy eating plan can keep you energized and help you to feel your best. While good nutrition is an important component of your emotional well-being, it is not a substitute for proper medical care and treatment. If you have concerns about your mental health, talk to your health care provider.3.

In summary, what AIM products can we take to help us manage our moods and cognitive well-being better:

AIM ProPeas will ensure a healthy supply of protein, especially if you have opted for the vegan or vegetarian route. AIM Fit n Fiber will help to increase the fibre content of the diet and therefore slow down gastric emptying which will, in turn, slow down the speed that carbohydrates are released as sugar (glucose) into the blood. A highfibre diet goes a long way to help keep blood sugar levels stable. AIM FloraFood will provide healthy bacteria if you feel that your gut microbiota needs support. AIMega as always to improve the intake of essential fatty acids, which are ALWAYS critical to all aspects of brain and mental health.

References

1. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/ external/2018/03/relationship-foodmood/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20 Relationship%20Between%20Food%20 and%20Mood%3F, 2. Depression%2C%20Guest%20 Commentary&text=It%20is%20well%20 known%20that,bodies%20don’t%20 function%20well. 3. https://www.mind.org.uk/informationsupport/tips-for-everyday-living/food-andmood/about-food-and-mood/ 4. https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stonesoup/relationship-food-mood/ 5. file:///Users/macbookpro/Downloads/ MoodandFoodpdf%20(1).pdf 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC6445894/