We are led to believe that as we age we should expect health issues, but with thought, planning, and conscious decisions this may not be true. The vast majority of disease can be prevented and reversed through simple changes to our diet and lifestyles. If we really stop and think about that for just a moment – that is phenomenal and gives us real power…..
We rush around in a constant state of stress, feeding our bodies processed, packaged foods and wonder why we get sick. At the end of the day, there is nothing more important than our health and we need to put value on that. If we stop and take time to educate ourselves we can make informed choices and empower ourselves to build and maintain strong healthy bodies. As a bi-product of that our weight will be regulated without having to ‘diet’, a win-win !!
What do we need to do?
If we go back to basics, we need good nutrient dense food, pure water, ways to manage our stress and good quality sleep. Our bodies have an innate ability to heal and regenerate, but we need to provide it with the ingredients to achieve that goal.
What do we need to be aware of?
We often think of inflammation being something we can see on our body like an inflamed cut or sore, but inflammation occurs inside our body and this can contribute and lead to so many conditions like depression, poor memory, Alzheimer’s and many more. For example, cardiovascular disease – inflammation troubling the heart, can lead to strokes. Inflammation compromises the liver and kidneys resulting in psoriasis and acne. The list goes on… there is a way to change this pattern. We need to shift our minds from what is easy and the ‘quick fix’, to things that give us strength, energy, and vitality.
Mitigating inflammation is one of the things we can do to assist our bodies to overcome disease. There are of course other things that need to be factored in, but reducing inflammation powerfully supports our bodies to move into a healing state. To reduce inflammation we need to eat a diet that provides nutrients to keep the body in an anti-inflammatory state this helps to take stress off of the body.
What should we eat and what should we avoid?
Try to avoid or limit refined carbohydrates, so white bread, and pasta, fried foods, sugar-sweetened drinks, processed meat.
Instead opt for good quality oils like coconut and olive oil, green leafy vegetables, bok choy, fruit, such as blueberries, nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, broccoli, beetroot, salmon and use ginger, turmeric, rosemary, and garlic as much as possible when you are cooking which are all anti-inflammatory.
Small changes will have a big impact.
Don’t be disheartened if you feel you can’t possibly make these changes. Instead, focus on a little at a time. Understanding that every good thing you can do will have a positive benefit and you can add in more changes as you move forward. Rather than feeling negative about all that you are missing out on. Feel positive that you are building your body into a powerhouse that will be strong, healthy and full of vitality.
