We’ve all heard the famous adage “You are what you eat.” This quote by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, is OH SO TRUE: Good dietary health is the single most important factor when it comes to having a long and healthy life. However, the biggest problem is the barrage of misinformation funneled our way by the powers that be. The good news is that eating to nourish is really quite simple.
Here are 10 eating tips to last a (long) lifetime:
- Eating more vegetables
- Eat more fermented foods (kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled foods)
- If you must eat grains, eat unprocessed, whole grains
- Eat more seafood, less meat
- Eat more raw foods
- Avoid milk and milk products
- Avoid sugar and other sweeteners, esp. artificial sweeteners
- Avoid processed, “dead” food (good thing Twinkies are off the shelf! 🙂 )
- Drink 2-3 glasses of mineral-rich filtered water 3 times daily, preferably 30-60 minutes before each meal
- Be disciplined! Put thought and focus into what you eat, how you eat it, and when you eat it
As to the proportions:
- 85% of your food should come from fruits and vegetables
- 10% of your food should come from protein
- 5% from nuts, legumes, and seeds, and 0% from dairy, grains, and sugar/other sweeteners
Here are a few extra pointers to help optimize the amazing effect that your new eating habits will have on your body:
- Ensure bowel regularity. This means 2-3 bowel movements daily, for proper elimination of waste and toxins.
- Take time to exercise. Daily correct exercise increases mobility and motility of internal organs and tissues, better fluid dynamics within the body, and stronger, more resilient muscles, bones, and connective tissue. Proper exercise also powers more O2 into your cells.
- Take time to sleep. Good sleep = good health. The average adult needs at least 8 solid hours per night.
- Relax mentally and physically. This encourages reduced stress, which in turns discourages inflammatory processes in the body.
Have fun and enjoy feeling better and better. And please consider that it takes at least 6 weeks to form new habits, probably more since it involves eating habits, which are some of the toughest to change. Lastly, beware: you may find that as your body shapes up, your medications might need some adjustment…
