There‘s an overwhelming amount of information out there on what you “should” and “should not “ eat and do to stay healthy, vibrant, and balanced, and to prevent future disease, dips in energy and mood swings. Sorting through the information on your own can add stress to your already overly stress lifestyle. You have the best intentions for yourself, but sometimes it’s just easier to give up because you don’t know what information to follow. If this sound likes you, you are not alone. There really is a lot of information out there.
There are some timeless and true health practices that everyone can follow no matter what their health goals. These are the tips I give the clients I work with to help them boost energy, concentration and stamina, improve their quality of sleep, or with any health concern that we are presently working on. These are the basics to good health that I think everyone should be doing for overall health improvement.
Eat organic foods – to avoid pesticides and herbicides. If money is an issue, learn which foods have the most pesticides ( the dirty dozen list) and at least purchase these organic.
Avoid refined or processed foods– These foods are deficient in nutrients, can contain chemicals, and are usually high in salt and sugar.
Eat smaller meals more frequently to help boost metabolism, take strain off of digestion, and helps to balance blood sugar.
Eat foods that are fresh – When foods are fresh they are higher in nutrients and enzymes.
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables – This will ensure you are getting a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
Eat healthy fats and oils – Include oils that are organic, unrefined and cold pressed, such as olive oil, flax, and coconut. Eat avocados and foods high in Omega 3 such as walnuts, flax, chia and hemp seeds. Avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. These vegetable oils are altered and contain trans-fats, which have no nutritional value and are harmful to your health, nerve and brain function.
Take time to chew your food and eat in a relaxed environment – This will help aid digestion and absorption of nutrients. Chew food until it’s a past with no lumpy bits, at least 20-40 times.
Reduce sugar intake and avoid artificial sweeteners – Sugar damages health overtime and is the main cause of many degenerative conditions and diseases. Sugar is found in almost all packed, processed, and fast foods. It includes glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, rice, corn, and malt syrup amongst others. Read food labels and start to slowly reduce your intake of sugar. If you must have something sweet try small amounts of sweeteners that have some nutritional value such as organic maple syrup or raw organic honey, or better yet have a piece of fruit Avoid artificial sweeteners as they are extremely toxic and cause a multitude of health problems. They are found in sugar free gum and candy and anything labeled “light” or “zero”.
Eat good quality meats – to avoid hormones, antibiotics, chemical additives and other harmful substances. Eat fresh, organic, grain fed chicken and grass fed cows.
Prepare your own food – This will help you to connect with your food and develop a sense of gratitude for it. It also allows you to have control as to what is being put into your body.
