We are in the first month of the New Year and many of us have already started working on our resolutions, hoping that they will keep their promises throughout the year. A great resolution is to take care of our health. However, instead of making extreme changes, let’s consider taking small steps to improve our health day by day. Health is always about having that 360-degree focus and it doesn’t mean you have to follow a strict routine. Making small but significant changes to your lifestyle is what we all need in today’s fast growing world to keep these changes sustainable. Today we’re going to talk about some basic lifestyle changes that everyone can make to reach their health goals slowly and gradually.
■ Fiber in the form of fruits and vegetables is essential in your health routine. It is important to consume at least one fruit in the first half of the day and add more raw or cooked salad to your meal for fiber and antioxidants to improve gut health. This multi-colored food is also loaded with digestive enzymes that will help you overcome problems like bloating, heartburn, constipation, etc.
■ Try to add cooked cruciferous vegetables to your meal at least two to three times a week because they are known to be powerhouse vegetables, loaded with fiber, folate, vitamins C, E, K and other minerals. Most importantly, cruciferous vegetables are rich in glutathione, which is known as our body’s “master antioxidant” as it has very high free radical scavenging properties. Cruciferous vegetables are nutrient-dense sources of phytochemicals called isothiocyanates that are linked to cancer prevention. Additionally, cabbage and broccoli also contain sulforaphanes and indoles, which are strong antioxidants and stimulants that help detoxify and protect our liver and other cells in the body.
■ Limit your intake of bad carbohydrates like sugar, refined flour, packaged foods, other processed foods, and soft drinks to no more than twice a week. Enjoy your rewards in moderation and include healthy unprocessed carbohydrates like whole grains and legumes.
■ Watch out for bad fats entering your body, especially foods that contain trans fats, such as commercially baked candy, cookies, cakes, crust nuts, pastries, packaged snacks like chips and crackers, vegetable shortening, stick margarine, chocolate bars, I use the same oil for frying, etc. All of these foods add toxins to the body and put more stress on the liver and heart. Take these foods, if necessary, only once every 10 days and in absolute moderation.
■ Switch to only cold-pressed or unrefined oils for cooking over refined ones. Refined oils increase inflammation in the body as these oils oxidize and have no nutritional value. Cold pressed oils keep all their nutrients intact and add flavor to your food.
■ Also, replace the refined sugar used in your home with healthy, natural sugar substitutes like raw organic honey, coconut sugar, stevia, etc. So you can enjoy your sweets in moderation without any guilt because processed sugar is harmful to the body as it keeps the body acidic, adds inflammation, and also affects the protein fiber in the body, which can speed up the aging process.
■ Drink at least three liters of water regularly to flush toxins out of the body and start with a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise, which could be walking, jogging, running, cardio, aerobics, Zumba, weight or strength training, etc. But let’s make sure we move throughout the day to improve blood circulation that keeps us healthy.
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