Naturopath Bella Vista | Norwest | Rouse Hill. 42 Tips for better health.

42 TIPS FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH & LONGEVITY

Every day we make food and lifestyle choices which can heavily impact our health and quality of life. Years of poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, exposure to synthetic chemicals and toxins, stress, infections & others can lead to serious health conditions & chronic disease. Implementing appropriate lifestyle choices, can help prevent disease & may slow down the progression aging terribly. Below are key fundamental changes you can incorporate to both prevent disease & achieve optimal health, based on real science.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Be prepared! The most important thing you can do is to be prepared for new changes. Purchase all the great lectin free options available and eliminate the problematic foods. TIP: On Sunday or Monday, shred carrot, beetroot, cabbage, leek, onions, for the week and keep them in separate containers in the fridge. Purchase nuts, seeds, avocado, cheese, olive oil and protein of choice. This process creates many easy lunch options to put together for the week. Always prepare for the week, the key to treatment & effectively sticking to the treatment plan is PREPARATION.
Incorporate a healthy daily routine, including wake and sleep times, exercise, fasting, eating, working, faith and most importantly enjoying life. Specific times should be allocated for each lifestyle factor daily.
Consume a healthy balanced organic wholefood diet, rich in colourful fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, herbs & healthy proteins.
When eliminating foods out of your diet, always remember to replace them with a healthier option. Otherwise, you will find it very difficult to follow the diet. E.g., gluten free almond bread, cakes, wraps, pancakes, etc.
Avoid foods that contain pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, germicides, hormones, and antibiotics.
Use ‘enviroclean’ solution to wash fruit and vegetables if organic options aren’t available.
Consume small to medium sized wild caught fish regularly.
When consuming red meat and poultry, make sure the animal was grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised,and organic.
Minimise or eliminate intake of cow dairy as it is pro-inflammatory, contains lipo-polysaccharides and IGF-1.IGF-1 has been linked with cancer and other metabolic diseases.
Chew your food to the point of liquifying it before you swallow. If not, you will not be able to breakdown &utilise the nutrients effectively. First step in digestion starts in the mouth, so ensure to chew your food!
Always sit and relax when you’re eating, it will stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system which helpsyou to digest your food efficiently. Don’t consume food while standing, in a car, stressed or on the run. Sit, relax, and take your time to eat!
Practice healthy sleep hygiene. Our body utilises healing and cell-regenerative processes to support cellrecycling and recovery. Sleep 8 hours each day, avoid stimulants and blue light (phones, tablets, and computers) at least 3 hours before bed. Wake & sleep at the same time daily.
Use good quality complex salts, including Celtic Sea salt, Redmon’s sea salt or Himalayan salt.
Lectins are plant proteins which are toxic to your cells. They may cause leaky gut syndrome, inflammation, irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, heart burn, reflux, constipation, bloating, burping, flatulence, weight-gain, impede nutrient absorption, increase oestrogen compounds, and cause autoimmune disease. Avoid them!
Avoid lectin containing foods, including grains, beans, legumes, cashews, peanuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, chilli, white potato, pumpkins, sunflower seed, pepitas and processed foods. Some whole foods can be soaked, pressure cooked, skinned, seeded to remove the lectins, refer to the yes and no food list.
Incorporate intermittent fasting every day, at least 12-18 hours per day. Eating 2 meals per day, e.g.: 2-4hours after wake and 4 hours before bed, may help assist in weight-loss, support the immune system, assist in autophagy (cell recycling), increased energy, increased growth hormone production, improved longevity, reduced inflammation, reduced oxidative stress, detoxing, reduced blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol & BP.
Avoid fast-food, deep-fried food, barbequed meats, processed food, processed meat, food cooked in vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), high fructose corn syrup & other food chemicals.
Avoid food and beverages that contain artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives.
Never overcook your meat, cook them at high temperatures, use a BBQ, an open flame or cook food above 149°C.This develops toxic compounds in the meat, such as Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) & Advanced Glycated Endproducts (AGE’s). HCA’s & AGEs are toxic and cause oxidative damage to your cells. Oxidation of cells may lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and others. When oven baking, stay below 149°C. Best cooking methods include slow cooking, boiling, and steaming.
Don’t drink more that 2 cups of coffee each day and if you are experiencing anxiety, avoid coffee and other stimulating beverages. Add unsweetened coconut, almond or macadamia milk instead of dairy to your coffee.
Avoid excess alcohol intake. 2-3 cups of red wine per week is more than enough to enjoy a drink. Avoid alcohol if you have any mental health issues including anxiety, depression, PTSD and when using medication.
Drink enough water daily and more with exercise. To avoid dehydration, use the following water calculation: 30ml x weight in kilograms = millilitres required each day. Example 30ml x 75kg = 2250ml of water each day is required to avoid dehydration. Add an extra 1 litre of water when exercising.
Use good quality chemical free cookware such as glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and ceramic coated pans. Avoid Teflon and other toxic non-stick pans.
Don’t use a microwave to reheat or cook your food, always reheat your food on the stove or in the oven.
Avoid canned foods, as they are lined with plastic which are toxic and are endocrine disruptors. Meaning theymay lead to hormonal imbalance when consumed.
Find a good quality water filter which removes fluoride, chlorine, pathogens, synthetic toxins, and heavymetals. Make sure the filter doesn’t remove the natural minerals in the water. I recommend the ‘12Litre gravity fed, water filter’ with the fluoride remover attachment or a reverse osmosis water filter, which doesn’t remove good minerals and doesn’t alter water PH.
Use a fluoride-free toothpaste, such as ‘Jasons fluoride-free toothpaste’.
Use aluminium-free, roll-on deodorant, without harmful synthetic chemicals. Spray perfume on your clothesrather than your skin. One spray is enough.
Avoid genetically modified foods (GMO) such as corn, wheat, and soy. Most farmed animals including fishare fed GMO corn, wheat, and soy. These foods are inflammatory, toxic and are phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens have the same action as synthetic oestrogen; it will mimic oestrogen in the body. While phytoestrogens can be somewhat beneficial in some cases, they can ultimately elevate oestrogen levels in the body. Elevated oestrogen levels may lead to cancer, obesity, and infertility.
Do not consume food and beverages out of plastic bottles and plastic containers. Never heat plastic as the water content in food leaches plastic and saturates the food with harmful chemicals. Use glass, ceramic and good quality 18/8 stainless steel containers and bottles to avoid toxicity. Even if the plastic is BPA free, it still contains BPS, BPH and other toxins compounds which are just as toxic as BPA. Plastics such as BPA, BPH and BPS are xenoestrogens compounds which mimic oestrogen in the body. Xenoestrogens have been associated with cancer, increased infertility, lower sexual function, damaged sperm, increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weights, early-onset puberty, diabetes, hypertension, insulin resistance, and altered levels of FSH,TSH, prolactin, progesterone, and androgens. Other xenoestrogens include pesticides, herbicides, and a multitude of synthetic chemicals. For a list of xenoestrogens, use the following link http://www.apiindia.org/medicine_update_2013/chap185.pdf.
Avoid personal care products that contains parabens, phthalates, synthetic colours, fragrances, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), Sodium laureth sulfhate (SLES), formaldehyde, toluene and propylene glycole. For more information on synthetic chemicals in personal care products, please use the following link http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chem-of-concern/
Avoid all drugs and only use medication when required by a health practitioner.
Avoid sunscreen which contain benzophenone, PABA, avobenzone, homosalate and ethoxycinnmate. Usenatural sunscreens consisting of primarily zinc oxide, minus the chemicals.
Use good quality and chemical free household cleaning goods. Try Honest to Goodness.
Exercise 4-5 days per week and incorporate a balance of weight bearing and cardiovascular exercise.
Get out in nature and expose your skin to daily sunlight when possible. It may help to reduce stress levels, calmthe mind, support hormonal balance, and strengthen the immune system.
Try grounding. Grounding is the practice of walking bare foot on grass, sand and dirt, which helps to groundyour body. Grounding has been shown to reduce stress, toxic energy, and inflammation. A review published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health looked at several studies that highlight how drawing electrons from the earth improves health.
Find a job that doesn’t involve a lot of stress. A job that you love and one that your proud of.
Engage in healthy relationships. Walk away from people which are stressful, trouble and full of drama,especially if there is no hope in the situation. Avoid stressful and toxic situations!
Try shopping at the following stores: Eco Farms, honest to goodness, lettuce deliver, doorsteps organics, HarrisFarms and Austral Herbs.
Be happy and grateful for all that you have in life, as it can help to create a positive mind set! Your mind caneither be your best or worst enemy!
There are 3 types of healing: spiritual, mental, and physical. Don’t leave a weak chain between the 3, as it canseverely impact your potential to heal! Prayer, faith, and meditation are essential for reducing stress, inflammation, strengthen immunity and finding PEACE within yourself. God bless you on your journey.