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You Can Stay Healthy and Disease Free
Follow Our 7 Tips Below…
‘Eating healthy’ is an immensely important key to a disease-free life. The two go side-by-side. .
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Our society has a lot of misconceptions related to acquiring a healthy lifestyle. We’ve all heard ‘You are what you eat’ and there’s no denying that.
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What most people don’t know is that what you take in not only affects your body but also your mind. You can look at it this way: your brain is what controls every aspect of your being, and quite evidently it requires a high-amount of energy via nutrients derived from the food we eat to ensure effective functioning.
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Your brain also requires antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to give it nourishment and protect it against any form of injury as a result of oxidative stress, i.e. damage due to free-radicals generated as a result of oxygen usage.
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However, all other organs of your body are also dependent on selective nutrients to ensure their healthy functioning. It’s important to understand how these two are inter-related and why they are extremely vital for the maintenance of a constant healthy internal environment which is termed as homeostasis.
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The various nutrients contributing to bodily functions are proteins, carbohydrates, fats, calcium iron, and vitamins (A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K). A deficiency or an excess of these nutrients results in different types of diseases.
Once you understand the importance of healthy eating, you automatically come closer to achieving your goal of a healthy lifestyle.
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Below are 7 tips to help you get started:
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1. Keep yourself well-hydrated.
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It’s very important to consume a lot of water throughout the day – about two liters to be precise. Drinking water not only helps boost your metabolism but it may also cause a reduction in your appetite.
According to studies, just drinking about 500ml of water can cause a temporary boost in your metabolism by 24-30%. Carry a water bottle with you at all times to avoid buying any sugary drinks.
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2. Avoid / Reduce sugar in your diet
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When we talk about sugar, we refer to all sorts of sugary drinks, alcohol, unhealthy cakes and pastries. Sugars not only increase the risk of obesity but are also responsible for tooth decay.
Instead, try referring to labels at the back of food packets, for future reference, 22.5g per 100g indicates a high sugar content meanwhile 5g< per 100g is considered okay for consumption.
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3. Reduce drastically your intake of PROCESSED Salt
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Processed salt is responsible for increased blood pressure which consequently leads to heart disease and stroke.
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Food items such as bread, ketchup, etc. already contain a great amounts of processed salt so we should avoid adding extra processed salt in the foods we consume.
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Use fresh herbs such as oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary as an alternate along with black or white pepper to add flavor to your dishes. Processed alt intake should be no more than 7g a day for adults.
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4. Consume more fruits and vegetables
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Fruits and vegetables are rich in many of the minerals, vitamins and nutrients, in general, required to keep your health intact.
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These include vitamin A, C and E, zinc, folate, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium.
Add vegetables to your daily diet. Chopped and baked vegetables make for a good sideline and can effectively replace less healthier options such as macaroni and cheese. Fruit drinks can be made at home instead of buying from stores as they have artificial flavors that are rich in unhealthy sweeteners.
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Vegetable soups and dried fruits can be consumed in winters. In the summer, citrus fruits provide you with both freshness and energy to take on the day and beat the heat. Grapefruit, a less popular citrus, is known for its benefits related to lowering risks associated with obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
It can be taken in the form of fresh juices or as popsicles at home with honey as a natural sweetener. Cucumber and carrot juices make for very popular drinks in the summers and should be used to replace fizzy drinks and packaged juices.
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4. Cut-down on industrial, processed oils
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Processed, refined, industrialised vegetable oils are a major cause of many degenerative diseases including heart disease and stroke.
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You can always use coconut oil to cook your meals. Eat oily-fish which contain omega-3 fats which helps prevent heart diseases.
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5. Plan your meals
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Make an effective diet plan but make sure it is feasible and not too fancy. You should also add some comfort foods in your plan to allow easy adaptation.
If you start your day with a healthy breakfast, it will provide you with the energy you need to get through the day and also prevent you from feeling too hungry before lunchtime. This makes it less-likely for you to grab unhealthy snacks such as chips, biscuits, cakes in between meal times.
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6. Increase your consumption of herbal teas
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Over the years, many different types of teas have become increasingly popular owing to their countless benefits.
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Some of the varieties include green-tea, chamomile tea, herbal tea and the newly emerging herbal fruit tea, which can be conveniently purchased from a number of online stores.
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7. Get help if needed
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Speak to a nutritionist to help you prepare a diet chart if you’re having trouble doing it yourself. You may also speak with a friend or plan something together to ensure you both eat healthy.
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To sum up, these are some of the alterations that you can make to attain a better and a disease-free life. It’s really not difficult to overcome our unhealthy habits if we’re actually determined to move away from a disease-prone life.
Primary prevention is extremely important to avoid many of the diseases and conditions that result from an unhealthy diet. As they say, prevention is better than cure. Start slowly and eventually you’ll meet your goals. No effort is too little effort as long as you’re willing to make it.
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Article by Evie Harrison, Twitter:@iamevieharrison
Evie is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her and then share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs.
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