Spring and summer are just around the corner!!! What happened to the last six months? Have you noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the daily routine of life that we so forget what we set out to do starting with the famous New Year Resolution of January 1? If you feel you’ve already blown it, don’t despair. It’s never too late to re-start making slow, incremental lifestyle changes right away.
In this month’s writing I’d like to cover several general topics which will help get you up and going; with your exercise program, better eating habits and an overall determination to enjoy better health. For starters, let’s focus on increasing your water consumption and cutting out the Starbucks and cokes, or whatever your vice is. Simply increasing your intake of water you will make one huge lifestyle change!
In the next week determine to get out there and move at least three to five days a week, and be consistent with it. I’m not asking you to become a marathon runner, just get out there and walk for 45 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week. Breathe that clear crisp morning or evening air - you’ll be amazed how good you feel. That’s do-able, isn’t it?
And, of course, the easiest and most convenient lifestyle change to make is making sure you get all those fruits and vegetables in every day by eating your whole food capsules (I don’t mean isolated vitamins and minerals) each and every day. 5
What About Water?
Water is essential for optimum health:
Water contains electrolytes and major minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron
Water carries nutrients and oxygen to every cell in the body
Water controls the temperature of the body
Water cleans the stomach and aids digestion
Water cleans the intestines and improves absorption of nutrients
Water removes toxins from the body
Did you know the body is 60% water?
Juices and other fluids such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks are NOT substitutes for water. Only water will serve the functions outlined above. It is not recommended to add anything to water, such as lemon juice, limes, sweet flavorings of any kind as this will activate the digestive system, making you not only more thirsty, but also hungry. Sugar, as we learned last month stimulates the appetite, so if you are on a mission to maintain or loose excess weight, sugary additives will only serve to defeat your efforts.
It is not recommended to drink water just after meals as it can dilute the digestive juices, which slows digestion and limits nutrient assimilation. Drinking water with meals re-hydrates the meal, but it does not re-hydrate you, so drink water with meals only if you are thirsty and in addition to your 8 glasses of water per day. By the way, if you are overweight, additional 8 ounces of water for every 25 pounds you are overweight is necessary to expedite your weight loss.
What can happen if you don’t drink enough water?
You will most likely retain water – your body retains fluid in respond to perceived drought conditions (i.e.: it thinks you are starving)
Un-discharged toxins may re-circulated through your body
Your kidneys need water to perform in blood cleansing functions
You may feel fatigued (this frequently leads to intake of caffeine based stimulants, such as soft drinks, coffee, etc)
The kidneys begin to malfunction putting a tremendous load on the liver, which then slows fat metabolism
How can you tell if you are dehydrated?
First hint, of course is thirst. Skin becomes rough and dry. If it is hot and dry, you need more than other times. Children should be taught to make water their first choice of beverage. Children will drink what parents give them – it is parent’ responsibility to see they are hydrated with water rather than sugar filled juices and beverages.
Another word about water:
Almost all municipalities use chlorine to disinfect our drinking water. This is necessary to keep our drinking water free of bacteria. However chlorine can also adversely affect your health. Your intestines are lined with friendly bacteria; chlorine kills the friendly bacteria and allows unfriendly bacteria to take up residence in your intestines. It is strongly recommended to install a filter at point of use (faucet) with a granular activated carbon filter. They are inexpensive, readily available and effective.
Pack a Nutritional Punch – Put Color On Your Plate
I’m reminded of a cartoon my friend recently sent. The theme is to “Eat Color”. Following is a picture of a hand reaching into a huge bowl of multi-colored M&M’s. Well, that’s not exactly what “eating color” means. The color categories of fruits and vegetables, according to the 5 A Day campaign, include the following:
Red—tomatoes, red and pink grapefruit, watermelon, and guava contain lycopene, which may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including prostate cancer.
Orange—sweet potatoes, mangos, carrots, and apricots contain beta carotene, which enhances the immune system.
Yellow—pineapple, pears, and corn contain carotenoids, which protect the eyes from oxidative damage.
Green—leafy greens, broccoli, avocado, and honeydew melon contain isothiocyanate ¹(the chemical compound responsible for the pungent taste of mustard, horseradish and wasabi) and indoles²(carbinol is one of the major anticancer substances found in cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables which may protect against cancer, as well as carotenoids.
Blues and purples—blueberries, red grapes, and blackberries contain anthocyanins, which may protect against cancer.
What Color Is Your Diet?
“Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors for better health is what The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) 5 A Day ³ Program promotes. This makes a lot of sense to people. If people are not paying attention to the different types and colors of fruits and vegetables, they could be missing out on a lot of important nutrients.
Besides many vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals4, many of which are antioxidants that help protect the body against diseases such as cancer and heart disease, It is these phytochemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color. In countries where people eat a pound of fruits and vegetables a day, the risk of certain types of cancer is reduced by 50%.
Others benefits of including phytochemicals in our diet; anti-inflammatory effects, membrane effects, and the way neurons talk to one another in the brain. The speed and strength of brain signals between neurons slow down as aging occurs, but phytochemicals found in blueberries may actually strengthen these signals and reduce the effects of aging.
The NCI’s 5 A Day campaign promotes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. However, Americans aren’t meeting these recommendations. Males over age 20 average 4.1 servings of vegetables a day, and females in the same age group average 3.1 servings a day; children even less. As for fruits, Americans score even worse. Both males and females over 20 average 1.5 servings of fruit a day.
We need this type of attention on fruits and vegetables because of the way our culture eats,” Richardson said. Whole Foods For Everyone— You’re better off getting fruits and vegetables, rather than man-made supplements. Whole foods contain a combination of many components that interact and have a synergistic effect. The whole really is more than the sum of the parts. Remember, if you don’t take care of your body, what will be the quality of your elder years?
