Hi, this is the follow up to Do you look after your car better than you look after your Body.
I can't even begin to imagine just how many Websites or Blogs there are on the Net covering the subject of Healthcare and nutrition.
However if just 1 person reads this and my other articles and make Lifestyle changes in order to try and prevent the same thing that happened to me then all will have been worthwhile.
At this point I would like to offer a Warning !!!
If you are taking Prescription Medication PLEASE take the necessary precautions to ensure enough research prior to taking certain Food or Herbal supplements.
So, your in your prime, good health, things couldn’t be better, NOW is the time to try to hold on to what you have!!!
The same when you get that new car, normally we would try to get the best use and performance out of it but also try to keep it in the best looking and mechanical condition as possible.
In both cases this will require commitment and a bit of effort.
Hopefully the following content of this article will take some of the work out of looking after your body, No I’m not going to come to your house polish clean and service your car but I will try to give you some general information Lifestyle Changes and Food Groups, thus hopefully giving you informative information for you to decide which direction you will take.
Lifestyle Changes !!!
Like I said in order for you to take the necessary steps to change your lifestyle will require a substantial amount of effort, For example if I was to take away your freedom by incarcerating you in Prison for 25 years you’d say that’s a long time, ask someone who’s served time in Prison or better still think back over the last 25 years, take time out, what have you done over the last 5 or even10 years, holidays, car changes, work promotions, watching the children grow etc !!!
The same applies if you could extend your life by even a couple of years or have relatively good health for longer wouldn’t it all be worthwhile???
I can’t make any promises but making the right Lifestyle changes should give you a better quality and longer life.
The First change will probably be the most difficult, If you’re a Smoker You already know what I’m about to say.
Quite simply Cigarette Smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, inhaled, the smoke enters and contaminates the blood through the lungs, literally reaching every part of the body, not just reaching every part of the body but adversely effecting it.
Nicotine is probably the most addictive legal drug known to man.
From experience I can testify, that breaking the Nicotine addiction is not by any means easy. Quitting will release you from a good bit of that 25 year life sentence.
Recommending a way to quit is against my principals, however I have listed a couple of links on this site they’re giving a money back guarantee if you are unsuccessful, however the choice is yours.
I tried the Nicotine Patches, the Chewing gum, the new drug Champix but unfortunately nothing worked for me. However I have heard success stories from others regarding these methods.
For me the only way was Cold Turkey, I did it alone, others Smoked around me, but determination was the only answer. Not easy, I can testify, but after the third week I even hated the smell of the smoke. I did weaken a couple of times but got there in the end.
In all Honesty, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.
So don’t think you’re in for an easy ride.
The most important thing to remember is that to alleviate the pain and craving all you have to do is light up, but that just puts you back to the beginning, your no longer a Non Smoker, the greatest satisfaction is when someone offers you a Cigarette and you reply “na, don’t Smoke my friend”
Take advice, get help, moral support, occupy your time, go for long walks, keep away from shops, If you don’t buy Cigarette’s you can’t Smoke them. Find a support group, talk to people in the same state as you. Gather strength from anything you can.
Quit and do it NOW.
My e-mail is listed, drop me a line, I’ll give you my Skype or MSN address, I’d like to help or even create a support group, don’t get me wrong, I’m no expert but I’d like to try to help !!!
Regular daily exercise.
Depending on your circumstances and where you live can determine your exercise program, for example I live in the country side, there are hundreds of public walks and quiet country lanes. Don’t forget in the dark winter evenings think about your safety, wear a high visibility jacket and if possible carry a lamp or torch.
Try and find a partner to walk with you for motivation.
Rather than take the same route every evening I have a stratergy, I take the car to a natural beauty spot like near the lake, walk briskly away from the car for 15 to 20 minutes, it stands to reason, if you walk 15 to 20 minutes away from the car then obviously you have to walk back, a total of 30 to 40 minutes.
If you live in a city maybe the option of walking in safety may not be an option, probably your choices are limited and boring like joining a Gym or an Aerobics club, however a good 20 minutes of exercise per day is very important.
It helps with Blood circulation problems, lowers High Blood Pressure and helps Balance Cholesterol levels.
Food For Life
This next part carries the Warning that if you are on Prescription Medication have the insight to carry out sufficient research before taking the advice in this next section.
For example if you take a prescription Medication for thinning the Blood like Aspirin and you eat foods that thin the Blood naturally then you are in effect getting a larger dose than you may need, the result could be internal bleeding or bruising far easier than normal. Keeping the Blood thin by natural eating is fine providing you aren’t taking medication to do the same thing.
The fact is I could write a million word article on this subject, I’ve also conducted so much research you couldn’t even begin to know how much.
There are literally millions of Websites on the net giving explanations of “How to”, tons giving advice and equally as many selling or promoting their products so I’m going to simplify things and not bore you with the medical in’s and out’s.
My research in a nut shell “Healthy eating is the Key” but you already know that so how do I simplify things???
Ok, here goes?
There are thousands or different types of foods however they all basically fall into 5 major groups. Meals based on starchy foods such as rice and pasta, with plenty of fruit and vegetables (and not too much fat, salt or sugar) will give you all the nutrients you need, without the extra calories you don't.
When it comes to a healthy diet, balance is the key to getting it right. We all need to provide our bodies with the energy and nutrients required to function well and feel great.
That means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportion, so that over time we get all the nutrients we need to keep ourselves healthy.
Trouble is, achieving that balance can be tricky. Modern life doesn't always make it easy. After a long day it can be tempting to grab the first ready meal on the supermarket shelf, which is OK occasionally. But if you read the nutritional labels on these foods, you'll see that many ready meals contain high levels of fat, sugar and salt, and not much fibre, vitamins and minerals. If you eat ready meals too often, they'll throw your diet out of balance.
Food groups
All the food we eat can be divided into five groups. A healthy diet means that you eat the right balance of these groups.
They are:
· Starchy foods, such as rice, wholewheat pasta and bread, and potatoes. But don’t over do it on the potatoes.
· Fruit and vegetables.
· Meat, fish, eggs and beans.
· Milk and dairy foods.
· Foods containing fat and sugar.
Most of us eat too much fat, sugar and salt, and not enough fruit and vegetables or starchy foods and wholegrains.
Starchy foods
Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, maize and cornbread are a crucial part of a healthy diet. They contain carbohydrates, which are an essential source of energy. Starchy foods are fuel for your body.
In a healthy meal, starchy foods should make up around a third of everything we eat. That means we should base our meals on these foods.
Try to chose wholegrain or wholemeal varieties, such as brown rice, wholewheat pasta and brown wholemeal bread. They contain more fibre (also called 'roughage'), and usually more vitamins and minerals than white flour or white rice.
There is also starch in beans, lentils, peas, breadfruit and cassava.
Most of us need to include more starchy foods in our diets. Try having more wholewheat pasta or brown rice with your meal, and less sauce. Choose wholegrain cereals or porridge for breakfast.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals and it's advised that we eat five portions of them a day.
There's good evidence that people who eat five portions a day are at lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.
What's more, eating five portions is not as hard as it might sound. Just one apple, banana, pear or similar sized fruit is one portion. A slice of pineapple or melon is one portion and three heaped tablespoons of vegetables is another.
A glass of fruit juice also counts as one portion. But more than one cannot be counted towards your five a day. Juice only counts as one of your five a day, no matter how much you drink.
Having a sliced banana with your morning cereal is a quick way to get one portion. Swap your mid-morning biscuit for a tangerine, and add a side salad to your lunch. Add a portion of vegetables to dinner, and snack on dried fruit in the evening to reach your five a day.
Personal Tip. I’m not a great fan of eating fruit so I take 5 to 8 pieces cut them up throw them in the liquidizer along with fresh orange or grape juice and make a smoothy. I also add Fresh Tomatoes and Carrots from time to time, an easy way to get plenty of fruits into your diet, I usually take a smoothy before every meal, it helps fill me up so I eat less. Keeps my weight down.
It is also a common known fact that the darker the fruit like Blackberries, Cranberry, Red Grapes, etc contain natural Resveratrol ideal for the cholesterol balance.
Meat, fish, eggs and beans
These foods are all sources of protein, which is essential for growth and repair of the body.
Around 15% of the calories we eat each day should come from protein.
Meat is a good source of protein, as well as vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. It is also one of the main sources of vitamin B12. Try to eat lean cuts of meat whenever possible to cut down on fat, and make sure you always cook meat thoroughly.
Personal Tip; I keep away from Lamb, Beef and Pork especially Bacon Sausages, I tend to stick with Chicken Duck and Turkey.
Fish is another important source of protein. There is evidence that people who eat two portions or more a week of oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, herring and salmon are at lower risk of heart disease. That's because oily fish contain high levels of a 'good fat' called omega-3.
Eggs and pulses – including beans, nuts and seeds – are also great sources of protein. But eggs and some nuts contain high levels of fat, so eat them in moderation.
Personal Tip; Almonds, good for the cholesterol balance but in moderation.
Milk and dairy foods
Milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are also sources of protein. They also contain calcium, which helps keep bones healthy.
But some dairy products have a high saturated fat content, and eating too much saturated fat is linked to heart disease. To enjoy the health benefits of dairy without eating too much fat, try using skimmed milk, low-fat hard cheeses or cottage cheese, and low-fat yoghurt instead of cream or soured cream.
Fat and sugar
Of all the five food groups, it is our consumption of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt that does the most to make our diet unbalanced.
Fats and sugar are powerful sources of energy for the body. But when we eat too much of them we consume more energy than we burn, meaning we put on weight. Obesity – linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers – can be the result.
But did you know that there are bad fats and good fats?
Saturated fat – contained in high levels in such foods as pies, meat products, sausages, cakes and biscuits – can raise your cholesterol level, and increase your risk of heart disease. Most of us eat too much saturated fat, putting us at risk of health problems.
Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, can lower cholesterol and provide us with the essential fatty acids needed to stay healthy. Oily fish, nuts and seeds, avocados, olive oils and vegetable oils are sources of unsaturated fat.
There are two kinds of food containing sugar, too. Sugar occurs naturally in foods such as fruit and milk. But sugar is added to processed foods such as fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pastries, ice cream and jam. It's also contained in some ready-made savoury foods such as pasta sauces and baked beans.
It’s the foods with added sugar foods that most of us need to cut down on. Instead of a fizzy drink, have a half and half mixture of fruit juice and water. Make a pasta sauce yourself instead of buying it ready made.
Finally, because I could go on literally forever,
Herbs used in cooking not only give flavor but also add nutritional value, for example Ginger, Parsley, Thyme, Ginsing, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, and so on,
For example,
The properties of Cayenne are commonly known to treat a variety of health conditions, the most common being poor circulation (ideal blood thinner) and the prevention of heart disease.
The properties of Garlic are just too numerous to go into, helps circulation, cleansing of the blood, helps prevent cancer etc.
One other very important thing not to forget is to try and drink plenty of Good Quality Water, it will help flush the toxins out of your body.
One other very important thing not to forget is to try and drink plenty of Good Quality Water, it will help flush the toxins out of your body.
Basically, I could go on forever, just about everything we eat has an effect on our body in some way shape or form I could write a book on nutrition like thousands before me and maybe one day I will.
But for now stick with the basic eating program above, do some research for yourself and stay healthy.
