Most people have heard about how we should be eating clean, described as “holistic eating”. All good, but what is all the noise about and is it all worth it?
We try to break it down and give simple tips to make it easier to understand.
Bamboozled by the buzz around ‘superfoods’? Do you ask yourself whether buying organic is really worth the extra cost? And what on earth are chia seeds and noni berries? There are so many benefits to eating clean and getting back to basics with nutrition – you’ll lose weight, have more energy, sleep better and guard yourself against disease.
Clear skin, healthy hair and glistening eyes are also far more affected by what you put in your body than whatever expensive face cream or hair tonic you use.
Researchers are saying that we should be spending more time and money at the local farmers market rather than the cosmetic counter. There is no need to pay hundreds of your hard-earned dollars for a daily supply of collagen drinks to have beautiful skin and look ageless.
A fairly cheap bunch of organic spinach has enough collagen to boost production of new skin cells that will keep skin firm, helps to provide healthy hair, bright eyes, and strong nails.
First, what is clean eating?
Basically, clean eating is about limiting the number of processed foods in your diet and becoming more conscious about where your food comes from. A basic rule? If it comes in a packet and has more than four ingredients or a huge list of numbers, it’s probably not good for you. Prioritise unrefined, unprocessed real foods and minimize processed foods that are full of with preservatives, artificial sugar, and fat.
Foods that contain food additives, pesticides, refined and chemically foods are foreign to the body and put unnecessary stress on the liver’s detoxification processes. But in today’s modern society, it can be hard to totally cut out fatty, sugary foods (and let’s be honest, some taste really good!) So instead of being wracked with guilt every time you indulge, go for the 80/20 rule.
Eat with a halo 80% of the time and give yourself some space to indulge the other 20% of the time. Throw out fad diets for good, and instead, if you feel like indulging a little, do it!
If you are going to have some chocolate, dairy or fatty foods (which are all known to promote inflammation) go for the highest quality you can afford. Yes, it will be more expensive, but you’re more likely to eat less and savor it more. And the ingredients will be much better quality, and it will taste great!
Nowadays, sugar is everywhere and that includes pretty much everything that is ‘fat-free’ as well – including breakfast cereals, bread, biscuits, sauces… The list goes on.
Sugar is blamed for everything from compromising your immune system and causing bloating, causing skin problems, weight gain, and mood swings, and people that have cut down or completely eliminated sugar repeatedly report it’s one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. Sugar actively ages you by speeding up the degradation of elastin and collagen, two key skin proteins. If a sweetener is absolutely necessary, use Stevia as chemical sweeteners can trigger a blood sugar fluctuation.
We all know we should be eating more fruit and vegetables. But while eating more of these whole foods has the benefit of providing your body with essential nutrients and vitamins, you’ll also be crowding out the bread, cheeses, sweets and other refined foods. Changing up your diet and increasing your vegetables infuses your skin with live phytonutrients – and this is what will make your skin glow.
Next time you go to the supermarket, read the ingredient list. You may be shocked to discover a long list of numbers – and maybe you have no idea what they mean! Instead, try to stick to the 4 ingredients or less rule. If it has more than four numbers, it means it is probably loaded with colors and preservatives. If it’s a tin of pasta sauce you want, why not consider making your own from scratch? It will probably taste better too!
There’s been a lot of buzz around organic food, but it can be hard to justify why you should be paying more. There are advocates for both sides of the argument, but you may be shocked once you start taking a good look at the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that our fruit and veg are subjected to before it hits the shelves.
Organic, locally grown food is usually higher in nutrients, uses practices that support our natural environment, is not exposed to gas ripening and lessens your exposure to antibiotics. It also lasts longer! One week, try and buy just one item of organic – it might be your apples, carrots or spinach- and taste the difference.
An easy way to know if you’re getting enough of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals is to try and make each meal a rainbow of color – with greens, yellows, oranges, and purples.
Also use herbs and spices like cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, oregano, basil, thyme and cilantro in your cooking (fresh is always best) and swap out your iodinated table salt for sea salt.
One of the wonderful things that our body can do is to heal itself. Of cause, we require treatment from time to time, but the body when treated right has the capability to fix itself. Usually, all it takes is to pay attention to exactly what the body is informing us.
Normally, there is not a lot that we can do when our body is in pain and we need a convenience area for relieve or the belly is grumbling for the next meal. However, often when there is discomfort, like a headache, the normal course of action is to take some pain medicine to mask the discomfort so we can function more normally.
Medicines
Paying attention to what our body is informing us would certainly protect against a whole lot of ailments from getting even worse. Taking painkillers is a short-lived yet comfort remedy, but keep in mind that if the pain persists the best way to keep it under control in the future is to understand exactly, the what and the why of the cause. Unfortunately, when the reason for the discomfort can’t be determined and it still persists after several hours it will make us take more painkillers. However, one very important thing to be aware here is the amount of chemical deposits that will settle in the liver from taking medicines and overtime time these chemicals will start to bleach into the colon disrupting its function and generating many more significant health problems. Learning how to pay attention and understand the messages that our body is telling us is crucial.
Understanding sensations and feelings
Don’t ignore the signals that our body is trying to tell us that something is not right, like:
These are among the few that can be observed and could be measured with certainty. When you feel these signals the body is telling us that something is not working well.
Taking energy drinks, resting, relaxing, taking antacids are some of the things that we normally do, but all these have temporary effects. When the feeling of sluggishness or drowsiness for example persists, there is no amount of energy drink that could restore the body to normal function. All the soothing actions taken are temporary solutions, but will not cure the illnesses. It only masks the effects temporarily and masking the effects in some cases could be terribly dangerous.
Identify the cause
Let’s make this clear, what eventually cures the illness is the identification of the cause of the pain or discomfort. Once the cause is identified, the solution to treat it (unless it’s a serious ailment) can be easier and will avoid repeating the same pain or discomfort to happen again. Try to make a conscious effort to sit back, think a while, and decide on matters that will work best for you and those that will not. Don’t get caught taking temporary measures and becoming dependent on them; it will make matters worse.
The important message here is to live the best healthy life one can and learn to listen to what the body is telling us. Our dependence on costly temporary cover-ups and help from health care professionals will be minimal and thus lessen the intake of chemicals into our body.
We will be adding interesting articles under this post heading. They will mainly be about health and better wellness.
Anyone who thinks that may be a candidate for diabetes or may already have the disease should start to understand and become familiar with this illness.
Medical experts report that diabetes is a chronic disease that will develop among people who have the inability to use the glucose in the food they eat to be used as energy. Therefore, diabetes will develop when the glucose stays in the bloodstream for a long period of time bringing potential harm to the person's other organs such as the eyes, kidneys, heart, and even the nerve system.
Once a certain amount of information is gathered about diabetes and how this disease develops one should start to learn the kinds of diabetes that are known by medical experts.
Up to the present time research has found to be three major types of diabetes:
To know what they are and what the differences are from one type to another will help people who may be prone to diabetes to focus on trying to manage their condition.