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nutritionist - dubai

With the dawn of affordable DNA testing, the world is now gripped by the wonderful notion of personalized diets. According to this concept, your genomes and the food you consume interact to create a life-long impact on your health. Many nutritionists in Dubai and all across the world are now looking into nutrigenomics- the study of how nutrition influences the expression of the genome. By studying an individual’s DNA test results, nutritionists are now identifying how food components interact with the cells, organs and the whole body.

Personalized nutrition has become analogous to personalized medicine. While the food market produces foods and products based on long-time consumer science, the introduction of nutrigenomics has brought new preferences and requirements among the consumers, which is slowly impacting the mainstream food production industry.

In this blog, we will discuss how personalized nutrition based on nutrigenomics must be approached.

Rule no.1: Understand that there is no ‘one diet for all’

As nutrigenomics is based on the individual DNA test results, one thing has become clear to nutritionists- There is no single diet that works best for all. No two individuals respond the same way to the same dietary interventions. Even people with similar metabolism, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol levels respond differently to the same diet. While some people lose more when they reduce carbs, others lose more weight when they increase complex carbs and reduce fats. 

All these point to the same thing. For unique results, it is best to skip trial and error methods and go for individual diet plans based on their DNA test results. Results from the PREDICT study by researchers from Kings College in London and Harvard Medical School also reassured the role of genetics and individual make up which translated into people’s unique responses to food. So what else is there to know about nutrigenomics?

Rule no.2: Understand that genes alone are not the deciding factors

While we stated that genes play a key role in deciding an individual response to diets, it is NOT the only factor. Most DNA testings will account for insights into how each individual reacts to carbohydrates and saturated fats, other factors like exercise, sleep habits, stress responses and even gut microbes play equally important roles.

The important thing to remember here is that personalized diets has to consider the individual as a whole to be able to give the best results. Although DNA test based diets work in favor of individual health goals, the results can be improved by managing stress levels, improving sleep quality and putting in the right amount of exercise. 

Rule no.3: Consume fresh vegetables in the meantime

In ideal circumstances, every food item you consume must help you stay fit and healthy. Even when the principles of eating healthy looks complicated, the one thing everyone should do is to put your trust in fresh vegetables. 

Plant-based diets are higher in carbohydrates. But for most people, these diets can really help their body settle into a rhythm, without starving them of the essential nutrients.

Having detailed information about your genome, biomarkers, daily habits and microbiome (gut health) are all ways to empower our nutritionists in Dubai to help prepare the best suited dietary plans. Even when you get the right meal plan, remember that what ultimately matters is your dedication and perseverance towards healthy living and complete wellness.

detox program dubai

 

Living healthy is a lifelong process. However, most of us are inadvertently exposed to a lot of toxins in our daily life, which can negatively impact our bodies in the long run. One of the simplest ways to reduce the impact of toxins in our day to day life is through awareness and avoidance of chemicals and artificial products that have taken root in our lives.

As someone who wants to lead a healthy life, I strongly believe in the need to detox our lives. With that in mind, I have researched far and wide to find chemical-free products that can be used every day, reducing our exposure to toxins.

Below are some of the products that I use and recommended as part of the detox program.

Use A Non-fluoride Toothpaste – Desert Essence

Fluoride is a very misunderstood chemical that we encounter in our daily life. Small quantities of fluoride is essential for our teeth remineralization, keeping them healthy. Most of us get this required dosage from normal tap water provided at homes. However, in high quantities, fluoride is an extremely strong chemical that can harm our dental and general health. This is why it is best to avoid toothpastes with added fluoride. After understanding the effects of fluoride, I have switched my toothpaste to Desert Essence, a natural toothpaste devoid of harmful chemicals including fluoride.  Desert Essence toothpaste can be ordered online from Amazon.ae or can be bought from Organic Food & Cafe in Dubai. 

Natural Teeth Whitener – Ugly By Nature Organic Activated Charcoal 

Over-the-counter teeth whiteners are quite popular all over the world due to their ease of use. However, they are loaded with bleaching chemicals, which can strip off the teeth’s natural enamel and cause sensitivity or gum irritability. 

Apart from regular brushing and flossing, I prefer the use of Organic activated charcoal from Ugly By Nature for teeth whitening. You can buy this particular product online from Amazon.ae.

Skincare And Cosmetics – Katavi, Beauty Counter And Mad Hippie

You might have noticed that your skincare and cosmetic products come with an array of multi-syllabic chemicals. While most people assume that they’re safe enough to be applied, how much do we really know about these products? 

A 2013 study showed that 1 in 10 consumers in the UAE spends around DH60,000 a year on their beauty products, which may have only gone up since then. With the high demand for beauty products in the country, it’s necessary to identify brands that use natural and FDA approved.

I prefer to use skincare products and cosmetics from brands like Katavi, Beauty Counter, and Mad Hippie. These brands promote the use of ‘clean’ and ‘vegan’ products that are approved by the FDA and safe to use on the skin. Katavi skincare range is available in the UAE and can be bought from their official website katavi.ae. If you are interested in Beauty counter and Mad Hippie products you can shop and ship them to the country.

Organic Deodorant – Dr. Organic 

Sweating is a natural process in which the toxins in our body are expelled. However, most of us are uncomfortable with sweating and body odor, which is why we tend to use deodorants. The sole purpose of deodorants is to eliminate body odor. However, most Aerosol deodorants or antiperspirants clog up the sweat glands, thereby stopping one of our body’s natural way of expelling toxins.  Aerosols antiperspirants are also known air pollutants, which is why it’s high time we say no to them and switch to a harmless alternative.

Dr. Organic roll-on deodorant is a really good product that serves the purpose without harming the body or the environment in any way. I use Dr. Organic Manuka Honey roll-on, non-spray deodorant knowing it’s helping the world around me as well. This is available online in Amazon.ae or at Holland and Barrett health shops around the UAE.

Replacing Plastic With Glass Water Bottles

Plastic is one of the most toxic materials that has invaded our everyday lives. While it has become near impossible to avoid them completely, we can reduce its use in numerous ways. For instance, replacing your drinking bottles with glass bottles will bring a lot of difference. This is especially useful for all of us who live in such a hot country. Plastic bottles heat up in hot weather, releasing chemicals into your drinking water. Imagine the amount of harmful chemicals you consume when you drink from a bottle of mineral water! The ideal way is to carry water in glass bottles as they can be reused without the worry about toxins. You can buy good quality glass bottles from any of your local hypermarkets or order them online from Amazon.ae.

Silicone Straws 

Plastic drinking straws are still one of the many things that people use every day, despite knowing its environmental impact. A lot of us even use it at home or while traveling, without thinking twice about them. 

If you are a person who uses a lot of drinking straws at home or your workplace, collapsible silicone straws are a good alternative to plastic straws. Personally, I have them with me whenever I am traveling as they are reusable and easy to carry. Collapsible silicone straws are available in Amazon.ae.

Reusable Bee’s Wrap, Cloth Bag & Reusable Food Storage Bag

How do you normally store your foods at home? People tend to keep their food in plastic containers or bags for long term storage. But is it really safe to do so? 

Studies show that plastic containers and bottles used to store foods leach small amounts of a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) into the items stored inside them. Long term use of these materials to store your eatables can therefore negatively impact your health through the consumption of unwanted chemicals. 

A safer alternative to plastics for safe storage of edibles are reusable cloth bags, silicone bags or bee’s wrap. While cloth and silicone bags can be used to store raw foods, bees wrap can cover cooked leftovers while storing them in the refrigerator. You can buy reusable cloth bags from Amazon.ae, shop and ship Bee’s Wrap from their official website and silicone bags from Tavola.com or stasherbag.com.

Non-Stick The Original Green Pan & Stainless Steel

A lot of people depend upon Aluminium vessels for cooking their daily meals. However, cooking in Aluminium can negatively impact the users in the long run. According to Health Canada, cooking your meal in an aluminum saucepan can add approximately 1 to 2 mg of aluminum to your food, which can be highly toxic for your body.

Instead of this highly dangerous material, I have personally opted to use Green pan from The Original. This non-stick pan can resist heat, flaking and leaching harmful chemicals and thereby not react with your food in any way. Unlike stainless steel, which is also a safe option, green pan from The Original is non-sticky, which prevents the food from sticking to the pan while cooking. You can buy The Original Green Pan from Amazon.ae.

I also have quality stainless steel pots and vessels for more general uses in the kitchen. Similar to Green Pan, steel cooking surface also resists heat and flaking. Stainless steel products are ideal for heating water and cooking liquid foods like soups and gravy. With a wide range of stainless steel vessels available in the market, switching your cooking utensils has become a lot easier. Good quality steel vessels are now available online in Amazon.ae.

Eat Organic To Stay Healthy 

The food we eat plays one of the most important roles in our health and fitness. This is why many people have consciously shifted to organic foods. However, with the increased cost of these products, many of us find it hard to sustain this lifestyle in the UAE. 

If you have access to cheaper organic food in the country, always opt for the same. If you are looking to choose which foods to buy organic and which can be bought non-organic, here is a list of the ‘dirty dozen’ that you should remember. The 12 products with the highest levels of pesticides such as peaches, apples, cucumbers, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, celery, potatoes, spinach, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and snap peas must be bought from an organic marketplace. By doing so, you can easily avoid consuming dangerous toxins along with your food daily. You can buy organic products from Organic Foods and Cafe.

Use Sea Salt Instead Of Table Salt

Although sea salt and table salt contain the same amount of sodium, the former undergoes very minimal processing, making it a much safer choice for consumption. Sea salt retains traces of minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which is essential for the body in small quantities. On the other hand, table salt is highly processed, which removes these minerals and instead uses additives to make the grains stop from sticking together. You can start buying sea salt from your local grocery store and use the same for cooking your foods.

Reduce The Use Of Processed Foods

Although our busy lifestyles force us to consume processed foods or eating out in restaurants more often than we should, it is important to consciously make an effort to reduce the consumption of such food. Ready-made foods are unhealthy and can harm your body in the long run, leading to diseases and conditions that may or may not be treatable.

The best way to look at this situation is to learn from our forefathers. Our parents and grandparents made everything from scratch as processed foods were not available during their times. By living off organic produce and home-cooked meals, they lived a much healthier life than what we have now; which is something we should look up to and follow. 

Use Natural Products For Cleaning Your Home

To maintain a clean and healthy home, regular cleaning is very essential. However, I personally advise against the use of toxic chemicals to keep your home clean. For instance, the presence of bleach and acids in cleaning products like Clorox releases chemical fumes, which is very harmful to your body, paving the way to lung diseases through continued exposure.

At my home, I use vinegar, baking soda or tea tree oil mixed with water to clean various surfaces. 

Baking soda and water can remove the dirt from your bathroom tiles, white vinegar is great for floors, windows, and mirrors. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, has antibacterial properties which makes it a great alternative to Dettol and helps disinfect your home on a daily basis. These products are not only safe for your home, but will also help save some money! 

Choose Your Fabric Softener Carefully – Seventh Generation 

Most fabric softeners are loaded with chemicals that are harmful to us. The vapors from the softeners can irritate the eyes and the respiratory passages and can be absorbed through the skin as well. As our clothes have already been cleaned with soap or detergent, softeners are not exactly a necessary product.

However, if you want to use softeners occasionally to maintain the feel of the fabric, Seventh Generation Natural Fabric Softener is a good choice. This particular product reduces static without the use of animal-derived ingredients, dyes, and synthetic fragrances and uses a biodegradable softener formula that doesn’t harm the environment. You can buy this product from Momzworld.com.

You can also choose natural methods like spraying diluted essential oil or baby cologne on your clothes before ironing to help your clothes smell great and feel fresh. 

Laundry Ball

While there are a number of detergents available, both perfumed and otherwise, they are generally considered harmful to the environment. As an alternative to conventional detergents, I switched to laundry balls for washing my clothes. Contrary to popular beliefs and arguments, I personally find them quite useful. At the most basic Eco Balls are an alternative to washing detergent and are supposed to make the Laundry clean without the addition of fabric softeners, fabric conditioners and anything else you normally add to the Laundry to get it fresh and clean.

Laundry Balls contain no detergents at al and work on the principle of Ionic cleaning. The ions released during washing will penetrate deep into the cloth fibers, cleaning them without fading them. They lift the dirt via without the need for any detergents or any of the other normal additions that most of use to get clothes clean and smelling nice.

So there you have it – 14 ways to detox your life from harmful chemicals and its long-time side effects. The products mentioned here are some of the personal recommendations that I use at my home. If you are really interested in detoxing your life the way I do, try switching to these greener alternatives and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tribe

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” — Jane Howard

 

One of the most basic human needs is the need to belong, and to feel loved and accepted by others.  We all want to be a part of something bigger. We all want to experience a sense of community. To have a group of like-minded people that are on the same wavelength, and are on the same page supporting each other sharing ideas, interests and working in harmony — be it professional, or personal.

Your tribe members are those people who accept you just as you are, and who want the very best for you.  They make you feel understood, and they encourage you to go after your goals and pursue your dreams.  The members of your tribe also help you to get through difficult times, and provide you with a sense of community and support. Your tribe is made up of ‘your people.’

At the Hundred we know these ‘people’ and we have been blessed to have our own family/tribe grow slowly but surely over the years. And while many often think of slow growth as defective, we strongly disagree, because the truth is that all good things grow slow—dreams, fruit, businesses and relationships.

Gardeners sometimes like to plant trees labeled ‘fast growing’ for highly sought-after quick results. But here’s the thing —fast-growing trees don’t have deep enough roots to last through storms and droughts. Good things need time to take root and grow. A slower more organic pace will help your roots stretch deep and wide. Trust us it’s okay to grow slow. As a result of our organically paced growth, we have the most amazing tribe and community of  people who share common interests and values and show genuine appreciation and care for each other.

This Ramadan follow us on Instagram as we will share a little more about the heartbeat of The Hundred Wellness Center, our people, our tribe and family!

The Hundred Wellness Centre Dubai

 

The Hundred Wellness Day – Saturday
March 11th,  9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Everyone is Invited!

 

For all the classes, workshops and talks advance booking is required by calling +9714 344 7333

 

– Organic produce market with IGR – indoors  – (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)

 

– Pop-up Market  YApparel, Lorna Jane, Wallance and Co, Fitness Fuel, homemade Kombucha and Sauerkraut – Ongoing throughout the day

 

– Complimentary healthy Emirati Brunch ( gluten and sugar free) – On the garden terrace
10: 00 am – 12:00 pm

 

– Free Art Workshop for Children with Medaf, led by Alia Lootah
10:00 am – 11:30 am

 

– Free Indoor Pilates Mat Class (Ladies Only) with Janna Robertson
9:00 am – 10:00 am

 

– Free Hundred’s Body Weight Class with Valentina Cabreira – Outdoors
11:30 am –12:30 pm

 

– Free Ecabiotec talk with Lamis Harib – Indoors
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

 

– Free Pilates Class with Chelsea-Ann Ingledew
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

 

– Free Body Fat Analysis with Lulu Alarmali
12:00 pm –4:00 pm

 

– Free Super Circuit Class (Ladies Only) with Valentina Cabriera – Indoors
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

 

– Free Forgiveness Clinic with Maya Badran – Indoors
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

 

– Free Yoga Class with Charity Adams – Outdoors
5:15 pm – 6:15 pm

 

– Free Film Screening – Outdoors in the gardens
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

 

For full details on all the activities click here. You can also drop us an email with any questions you may have. Don’t forget to tell all your friends and family, and follow the hashtag #thehundredwellnessYAY

 

 

Asma 2016

It surely has been an exciting year for all of us at The Hundred Wellness Centre and the whole world that is for sure – so a heartfelt “thank you” filled with gratitude is in order! Over the past 12 months, our team has grown, we have added additional wellness services and new classes, we conducted more free talks and events to bring our amazing community together, in conjunction with The Wellness Brothers we facilitated the successful Sheikh Majid Weight Loss Initiative, we held our weekly Saturday organic market with IGR |Integrated Green Resources UAE, our logo has been revampedI fulfilled my dream of running the London Half Marathon and I was honored to be invited by Dr Jill Biden the US second wife on her last visit to the UAE, to deliver a special speech to students in celebration of International Women’s Day, and these are just to name a few!

We are now at the point in the year when everyone has their New Years resolutions ready to go, however I am not a big fan of writing New Years resolutions as I feel they are challenging to maintain. I believe in setting conscious sustainable long term goals. What I normally do by the end of each year is write a list of what I want to achieve in all areas of my life to set my intentions for the new year, and gain more clarity and direction.

So if your goal is to lose weight (which most people have on their list), and live a healthy lifestyle, then begin with small steps, rather than going full fledge in January or deciding to go Vegan! Do something everyday towards your goal, even if it is simple, and set dated milestones. It also helps to have an accountability buddy, so you can encourage and keep eachother on track. Most importantly be conscious and serious about any changes you want to make in your life. Another end of year list I write is a gratitude list. I reflect on all the good things that have happened to me over the year and give thanks.

On a slightly different note, I have noticed that lately alot of people have taken to social media expressing how 2016 has been a tough year. I say let’s change that energy! Let’s look at what went well, fully aknowledging that we can perceive something as bad, but still know that in the long run it actually is always good for us, no matter what it was. I once read something that really stuck with me, and that is: when a flower dies, it makes space for a new one to grow. I want to invite you all to join me, and work on changing your perceptions in the coming year. Make it a habit to write three new and specific things daily that you are grateful for, and see for yourself how this small exersize changes the way you too can look at things…

So as 2016 comes to an end, lets agree to consciously ring in the new year with some great intentions and goals, and remember above all else to LOVE yourself! From me and the The Hundred Wellness Centre team, we wish you love, happiness and health in the new year. And remember we are just next door, ready to extend our knowledge and expertise to help you live your most healthy happy life.

kind

Being kind is a wonderful experience. When you are kind to others, you feel good as a person — more positive, optimistic, and happy! Did you know that when you are kind it actually triggers physical and psychological responses with the most obvious response being the ‘feel good’ sensation, better known as the “helper’s high”!

So when you do something good, your body rewards you by releasing endorphins. These ‘happy hormones’ create the feel good experience, and the person who receives a kind act experiences the ‘feel good’ response too! Who can deny that it’s really nice when someone randomly smiles at you, thanks you, compliments you, or even helps you in some small thoughtful way.

And while we may not get any snow in Dubai, there is definitely something magical about this time of year. With the spirits of community, gratitude and generosity that are deeply rooted in our UAE culture, it could be the warm fuzzy feelings that we get when we are gathered with those we love the most, or when we are feeling the power of giving without expecting anything in exchange. If we open our minds to the opportunities, we will find that there are so many small ways to consciously practice kindness, spread happiness and create joy all around us.

With Giving and Charity playing such important roles in the holiday season, we have decided to step up our efforts to encourage more conscious acts of kindness and generosity within our community. Starting December 19th stop by and join our team at The Hundred Wellness Centre as we help to pay it forward! Let’s all work together to simply be kinder, happier human beings while we brighten someone’s day.. And who wouldn’t want a little bit of a “helper’s high” too?