Simple Steps You Can Take Today to Improve Your Health Tomorrow

Here are some steps you can begin to incorporate into your lifestyle to improve your health and increase your risk of avoiding disease. Now, you don’t have to go hog wild. Take one step at a time until a new habit is created. Then take the next step.

Please bear in mind this is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor and I do not treat disease. If you are on medications, you should work closely with a qualified health care provider, preferably one who wants to help you get off the meds. Your body is your own and its care is your responsibility.

Eat Whole Foods

Whole foods are those grown by nature. They require no to minimal processing. Examples of whole foods include lettuce, broccoli, blueberries, fish, eggs, a nice, rare sirloin. Example of fractionated (not whole) foods include pickles, macaroni and cheese, pasta, soft drinks. These foods are highly processed and contain chemicals introduced during their preparation. They are not designed with your health in mind, but for maximum profit and long shelf life.

The Stairway © courtesy of pareeerica

Eat Whole Foods Minimally Processed

A rare steak is better than well done. Slightly raw salmon is better than cooked through and flaky. Steamed broccoli is better than broccoli and mayonnaise salad. Raw milk and cheeses are better than pasteurized versions.

Buy Healthy Versions of Your Favorite Food

Do you like beef? Buy pasture-raised. Eggs? Same thing. Go organic if possible. Buy fruit in season, not year round. Choose heirloom vegetables over hybridized. Drink milk? Drink from organic, pasture-raised cows. Learn to make your own cheese. Books abound in food preparation knowledge!

Drink Water

I’m not a fan of drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but I do believe many are chronically dehydrated from consuming water-poor foods and drinking caffeinated beverages. So have a couple glasses. And don’t drink with your meals. It dilutes digestive juices.

Get Some Sunshine

The sun is life to all it touches. Be moderate in your exposure. Don’t overdo it and make up for the excess exposure with sunscreen. Avoid sunscreen whenever possible. But a little sun worship never hurt anybody.

Take a Walk

Walking is very healthy. You can walk slow. You can walk fast. You can even do a little trot. But get moving. If you can walk in nature, so much the better. We came from nature, and we are diminished when separated.

Lift and Carry Heavy Things

Bones are built upon demand. If you don’t place demand on them, the body won’t build strong ones. And I’m sure you’d like to remain strong into your elder years. Heavy lifting involves the whole body. Just don’t overdo it. Pace yourself.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Adequate sleep is absolutely necessary for the human body to regenerate itself. Chronic sleep deprivation is harmful to your immune system. Take naps. If you have noise in your environment, get some white noise CDs of nature sounds. And be sure to ventilate the room you sleep in. You don’t want to be breathing in your own carbon dioxide.

Breathe Deep

Start paying attention to your breathing pattern. Many of us breathe too shallowly. Start taking deep breaths. This increases oxygen in your body and decreases acids through carbon dioxide exhalation.

Make Some Friends

Turn off the TV, get off your butt, and go make some friends. Do things together. Talk. Go for a cup of java. Make love. Laugh together. Cry together. Get involved in the community.

Give Up Grains for a Season

Go without grains for a couple months just to see how your body reacts. You’d be surprised how many people are sensitive to gluten and don’t even know it, wondering why their body aches and they have inflammation. That means no pizza, bread, cookies, cakes, oatmeal, rice. Additionally, grains contain phytates that bind with healthy minerals and prevent their absorption. Our species has been eating grains only 10,000 years, and they’re proving very harmful to our health and our planet.

Give Up Vegetable Oils

Let’s face it, corn oil doesn’t grow on trees. Neither does canola or sunflower oil. Seed oils are omega 6 polyunsaturates, and contrary to corporate interests, excess omega 6 polyunsaturates are not so good for the body. Our ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 is about 20:1, where it should be 1:1. Stick with fruit oils, like olive and coconut. Use animal fats, like lard and butter. That’s what we used before we started dropping dead from heart attacks and cancer. That’s what grandma used, and she had 13 babies and died at 90.

Quit Drinking Sodas and Flavored Waters

Coke is not a food. Mountain Dew is not a food. Gatorade is not a food. Fruit juice is not a food. These are all liquids flavored with high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and various toxic colorings. And don’t forget the caffeine they put in them to addict you, as if the HFCS wasn’t enough! Same thing goes for coffee. Yes, it’s yummy. But it’s a stimulant that masks your true, exhausted state of health. Wean yourself off and save it for special occasions.

Shun High-Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS is an ubiquitous ingredient in processed foods. It’s how food manufacturers make overprocessed, tasteless food palatable to the tongue. It spikes blood sugar and carries no nutrient value but the stimulation it provides is addicting. It’s just rotten stuff.

Avoid Boxed, Canned, and Packaged Foods

Again, most whole foods are not found in boxes, cans or bags. Frozen foods are the least damaged of all packaged foods. If you don’t recognize the ingredients on the label, pass. Shop the outer edges of the store.

Aisle of Delight © courtesy of Temporary Transfer

Get Your Vitamin D Levels Tested

We are chronically deficient in vitamin D. I think this supplement is one of the easiest things we can add to our diet that will have major and lasting impact on our good health and mental outlook. And it’s so cheap. Buy vitamin D3 in gelcap form. Current recommendations are 5,000 iU daily until sufficient serum levels are reached, but everyone is different and you should know your serum levels prior to supplementation. Also, make sure you have a source of iodine for your thyroid.

Add a Fish Oil Supplement to Your Diet

Fish oils contain important EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids, which are necessary for controlling inflammation. The body can create these fatty acids from the essential omega 3 fatty acid alpha linoleic acid (ALA, such as that found in flax oil), but only poorly, and most people are deficient in ALA anyway. That’s where pasture-raised meat and vegetables come into play. Mankind has often settled around waterways and harvested their bounty.

When Stressed, Breathe!

Stress is a killer. And stress happens when you let your mind run amok. Tame the mind. Control your thoughts. Breathe when you feel your body tense. Remember that last horrible thing you thought you wouldn’t survive, and yet here you are.

Live Simply and Stay out of Debt

Debt is servitude. Freedom from anxiety is better than a boat with a loan payment. A small house with peace of mind is better than a big house with a heartbreaking mortgage.

Find Your Song and Sing It

We all came here for a reason. We all have gifts to contribute. Don’t let poor health and lack of energy keep you from playing your part. Each step you take to improve your health will improve your energy level and mental outlook so that you can pursue your dreams. Me, I’m going to produce a television show.

Recommended reading:

The Real Food Revival by Sherri Brooks Vinton and Ann Clark Espuelas