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Welcome back to the what supp blog. Keeping with the bite size hacks, I’m gona present another (grain free) pie shaped bite for you.  

What?
Broccoli sprouts my friend. Or, basically, baby broccoli! 
Why?
What’s so special about broccoli sprouts I hear yee cry! Well, according to Johns Hopkins University, 3-day-old broccoli sprouts contain as much as 50 times the amount of some of the health-boosting phytonutrients of the mature broccoli.
Sulforaphane, the prominent phytochemical in broccoli, combats cancer on several fronts − including removal of carcinogens, prevention of cancer cell production, destruction of breast cancer cells, and tumor reduction. These small plants are in the cancer research limelight for their unique ability to exert 50 times the amount of cancer fighting power of broccoli.
Sulforaphane is also one of the most potent antioxidants and detoxification substances that we know of. 
There was also a study done at Johns Hopkins that showed greater urinary excretion of air pollutants when sulforaphane was consumed. 
Another recent article in the Journal PNAS even showed a reduction in autistic symptoms when sulforaphane was added to the diet. 
How?
Sprouts are easily absorbed into the system because they also contain potent digestive enzymes. Their flavor allows for easily adding them to all your favorite meals. 
The magic actually comes from the process of chewing or crushing these lil nutrient powerhouses, so no swallow without a chew! 
Where?
Ok, so you can buy these lil bad boys from any health food shop like wholefoods but try to go for fresh as opposed to an extract. 
These really are a piece of pee to grow, all you ideally need is the sprouts and a sprouting jar which can be bought off amazon for around £15 max.
Here’s how it’s done.. 
Needed:
– wide mouthed quart jar with spouting lid
– 2 tablespoons organic broccoli sprouting seeds
– purified water
Directions:
– Place the seeds into a jar and cover them with a few inches of warm purified water. 
– Let them soak overnight in a warm dark place. Then, after about 8 to 10 hours, drain the water off.
– Rinse the seeds with fresh water, 2 to 3 times a day for 4 to 5 days. 
– Place the jar in a warm, dark place during this time period. Make sure to drain off all of the water after each rinsing to prevent spoiling of the sprouts.
– After 4/5 days place sprouts in a bowl with kitchen towel to absorb water and allow sunlight so they go green.
– Boom! Add to smoothies, salads or just plain snack.
Tip; to increase the bioavailability heat sports at 70 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes in hot water. Try a cooking thermometer to get this spot on. 
This tip was from Dr Rhondda Patrick who has praised broccoli sprouts on the joe rogan experience podcast.

Welcome to the snap hack folks. These are aimed at being short bite sized articles. They will present info on various hacks from nutrition, supplements and other related items that are easily assimilated into day to day life. 

What?

 At the root of all our thoughts, emotions and behaviors is the communication between neurons within our brains. These brainwaves are produced by synchronized electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other.

 Different brainwaves induce different states of mind. Most can relate to being in “the zone” when trying to create an important essay or piece of work, or even in a deep state of relaxation when, for example, receiving a massage or having a hot bath.

 Now, although these states are often naturally occurring, is there a way to bypass this often slow process to get the mind ready for what we want to do, (he asks rhetorically)? You guessed it, there certainly is.

 How?

 Binaural beats my friend.

 A binaural beat is an auditory illusion perceived when two different pure-tone frequencies are played simultaneously. Both tones are played with frequencies lower than 1500 Hz, with less than a 40 Hz difference between them. Each tone is presented simultaneously through a different ear hense the experience only being possible through headphones.

 In an attempt tfor the brain to interprit the frequenciess, the listener will perceive the auditory illusion of a third tone, in addition to the two pure-tones presented to each ear. In doing so, as the two frequencies mesh in and out of phase, your brain creates its own third signal, the binaural beat, which is equal to the difference between the two frequencies.

 When your brain begins to resonate with the binaural beat, or “follow” the beat, this effect is called the Frequency Following Response. In a nutshell meaning that by changing the frequency up and down of the two tones, the listener can manipulate brain waves to enter states of sleep and deep relaxation through to focused concentration.

 Brainwaves are generally broken down into five main frequencies: Beta waves, Alpha waves, Theta waves, Delta waves and Gamma waves. Lets have a quick look at which is is good for what.

DELTA WAVES (.5 TO ‪3 HZ‬)

Delta brainwaves are slow, loud brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat). They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep.
THETA WAVES (3 TO ‪8 HZ‬)
Theta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in deep meditation. It acts as our gateway to learning and memory. In theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep.
ALPHA WAVES (8 TO ‪12 HZ‬)
Alpha brainwaves are dominant during quietly flowing thoughts, and in some meditative states. Alpha is ‘the power of now’, being here, in the present. Alpha is the resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning.
BETA WAVES (12 TO 38 HZ)

Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. Beta is a ‘fast’ activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem solving, judgment, decision making, and engaged in focused mental activity.
GAMMA WAVES (38 TO 42 HZ)
Gamma brainwaves are the fastest of brain waves (high frequency, like a flute), and relate to simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas. It passes information rapidly, and as the most subtle of the brainwave frequencies, the mind has to be quiet to access it. Gamma was dismissed as ‘spare brain noise’ until researchers discovered it was highly active when in states of universal love, altruism, and the ‘higher virtues’. 
Where?
So there is plenty of places to access free binaural beats and hack these brain states. Aside from Youtube and SoundCloud, there are a number of free apps. Here is the classic pure binaural beats app, download and give a try…

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/binaural-pure-binaural-beats/id838752522?mt=8 

So this one is on a subject that is close to many a person’s heart. A substance that stirs it all; pleasure; guilt; lust; and envy. Hell yeah you’ve guessed it.. Chocolate. 

Well, from a nutrition prospective, it seems there’s a growing body of evidence that is seeing that chocolate’s benefits reach far and beyond the silencing of young children on a sunny Easter Sunday morning. Dark chocolate has a long history of being used as a healing plant, a mood enhancer, and even an aphrodisiac.

The key health-providing component of chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which all chocolate is derived from. The higher the cocoa content, the more health benefits there are. Cocoa is a good source of iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and zinc. It also contains the antioxidants catechins and procyanidins. These antioxidants helps neutralise free radicals in the body that are byproducts of metabolism and our environment.

Other results seen upon the body are interesting and almost seem counter intuitive to the negative consequences of too much sweetness in the diet. For example, both the supplementing of cocoa extract and eating dark chocolate is linked to better blood flow and improved insulin sensitivity.

When the body absorbs epicatechin, a bioactive compound within coca, it activates an insulin signalling pathway, which causes a mild increase in glucose uptake. Increased glucose uptake means the body is able to take in sugar from the blood more effectively. It can also increase the production of Nitric Oxide, a molecule that widens blood vessels and improves blood flow around the body.

Keeping with this theme, Scientists at Harvard Medical School suggest that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day could help keep the brain healthy and reduce memory decline in older people. The researchers found that hot chocolate helped improve blood flow to parts of the brain where it was needed. This greater blood flow helps as parts of the brain needs greater amounts of energy to complete tasks. As such, increased blood flow to such areas can improve this.

A further study, published in 2014, researchers found that a cocoa extract called lavado could perhaps reduce or prevent damage to nerve pathways found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This means that symptoms of the condition, such as cognitive decline, could be slowed.

According to another study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, chocolate consumption might also help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which are the cholesterol that can cause plaque buildup in the arteries.

Other research indicates benefits from reduced risks of heart disease and strokes, too improved fetal growth in pregnant women. Further research shows improved athletic performance in athletes to a study showing improved cognitive functioning with those consuming dark chocolate on a weekly basis.

So, there you have it, more than a couple of damn good reasons to up your chocolate intake! But my dear friends, a word to the wise, not all chocolate is created equal. Although the many health benefits have been listed, a high sugar content will mitigate against many of these benefits, spiking your blood sugars and causing an inflammatory effect on the body. In order to get the most out of your choc, choose one that is 75% cocoa minimum. Or, if hot chocolate is your bag, use plain cocoa powder and if sweetening is needed, add something like a small amount of stevia. This is as many of the hot chocolate products are contaminated with excess sugar and preservatives.

Ok, thanks for sticking with me once again, please give the article a like and a share if there was anything remotely of interest or at the very least, because I will love you a little bit more for it.

Meditation practices such as mindfulness are gathering attention from far more than just those wanting to follow the teachings of the Buddha. 
From CEO big cheese city flyers to primary school children, MMA “cage fighters” to brain surgeons, the word is spreading. Meditation is no longer to be sniffed at..
Meditation is now thought of, rightly I believe, as a tool in its own right free of any religious or secular leanings. One such practice that emphasises this is mindfulness, arguably the best known practice of today’s phone app technology minded generation.
Research 

Research you say? Indeed. One study I read, “Alterations in Brain & Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation”, (Davidson et al, 2003), highlights two very potent benefits of meditation: the impact on the immune system and mindset. 
Without getting into the finer points, the study showed comparisons in a meditation group to none meditation group with brain activity. This was particularly elevated to a significant increase in the left sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with the generation of positive emotions.
Possibly more interestingly, the study groups were also given a shot of the influenza vaccine. Significant increases in the presence and diversity of antibodies were observed in the mediators, aiding their ability to fight off the negative symptoms.
On a side note, this was from an 8 week course of introduction mindfulness meditation to 20 odd year old students, not 20 odd year practitioners fresh from a Tibetan monastery.
Research coming out of the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) in 2012 showed further compelling results. Scientists observing MRI scans found that mediators can strengthen the brain from meditation through reinforcing the neural pathways between brain cells. 
This was demonstrated by the observed meditators having higher levels of gyrification – the folding of the cerebral cortex as a result of growth. This may allow for faster processing of information. Gyrification is also suspected to be responsible for making and improving decisions as well as forming memories.
Need more? A 2009 study termed, “Long-term meditation is associated with increased grey matter density in the brain stem” (kind of sums it up nicely with the title), gives further to, well, stretch your grey matter around.
Neuroscientists used MRIs to compare the brains of meditators with non-meditators. The structural differences observed led the scientists to speculate that certain benefits, like improved cognitive, emotional, and immune responses, can be tied to this growth and its positive effects on breathing and heart rate.
The integrity of grey matter, which is a major player in the central nervous system, certainly appears to benefit from mediation. This is speculated to result in more positive emotions, the retention of emotional stability, and more mindful behaviour (heightened focus during day-to-day living). 
Lastly, mediation has also been shown to have neuroprotective attributes; it can diminish age-related effects on grey matter and reduce cognitive decline whilst lessening markers for risk of anxiety and depression. 
And as a final point, meditation has been linked to dramatic changes in electrical brain activity, namely increased Theta and Alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with wakeful and relaxed attention.
Sooo, meditation can make you literally smarter, happier, more resilient and present in your day to day activities. If you stuck that on the side of a supplement bottle you’d have ’em queuing up.
I personally have a daily practice that ranges from 10 – 25 minutes. It’s not always easy, but has certainly calmed the self chat and reactivity down, (mostly!). It quite simply gives the ego the super heavy kick up the arse it so deserves. 
I’d advise anyone to give one of the apps a go, (Calm and Headspace are two of the ones I’ve tried the free trials on and liked).
 I’d also recommend a book I read and enjoyed. It lays out an 8 week program and has an accompanying cd – 
“Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world” by Mark Williams. You can get it super cheap off Amazon and it really is a good introduction.

So, anyways, thanks for staying with me! As always, any questions or comments would be much appreciated – Peace out!