“The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.” ~Deepak Chopra
“Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Garbage in garbage out.” ~George Fuechsel
“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.” ~Doug Larson
Every day, we are faced with choices which all contribute and steer the course of our lives, including the way in which we die and leave our physical life behind.
Yes, I said the “D” word. We all know it is going to happen at some time, but I find that many (not all) give very little consideration into how they would like it to happen. Sure we say we want to live a long and healthy life, and then just one day not wake up. Yet the reality is that not enough people experience this wish.
I don’t believe it is a matter of luck, I believe it is very strongly influenced by our lifestyle choices.
I could go on forever—as many can attest to—about making responsibly healthy choices that will greatly influence how and when you depart the land of the living. This time, however, I am going to stick with lifestyle choices.
I know you may be thinking, “Yeah, but I could get hit by a bus tomorrow”, and I say, “Yeah, but what if you don’t?” So for the sake of this review, let’s just go with where the greater odds lay.
So what choices reduce our odds of realizing that peaceful departing, and which choices increase our odds of it?
Let’s take a look at six for each.
Reduce your odds
1. Drinking soda (regular or diet): you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that there is absolutely nothing good in these drinks that contribute to our health.
2. Eating refined sugar: these are found in cookies, candy, ice cream, donuts…
3. Eating fried or deep fried foods: in the long run these foods plain and simply are damaging to your health.
4. Drinking pasteurized milk and too much fruit juice: unless you were just born yesterday, you are aware of the great milk debate and I am not going to expand on it here. However, I do suggest doing your homework and getting informed about what is going on with milk these days. As for fruit juice, it is very, very, very and did I say very, high in fructose. You can have too much of a “good” thing.
5. Eating too much grain-based foods: these contain a very high concentration of carbohydrates (especially corn), that wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. White flour is a no-no. Stick with whole grains and limit them.
6. Eating large quantities of whole fruit: fruit has so many health benefits, is low in fat, and tastes good (sweet). Because of this, many people feel that eating it in unlimited quantities is okay. Not so. Fruit is still a sugar, and very high in carbohydrates, so it can greatly affect your blood sugar and weight. Try to stick with no more than 25 grams per day (two to three small servings.)
Increase your odds
1. Eating your veggies with every meal: ouch! This may seem like a tall order to many, however it is a life saver. Eat them raw as much as you can; they are full of enzymes and retain the vital nutrients that cooking can destroy.
2. Eating healthy fats every day: many people avoid fat as they erroneously believe that fat makes you fat. We actually need fat in our diets, and having the good fat helps us loose fat. Some sources of good fats are flax, chia seeds, fish, avocado, coconut oil and olive oil (limit this and eat raw only.)
3. Eating some protein with every meal: protein helps to keep our blood sugars stable as well as provide energy. The key is to not consume too much, which is a common trend. Breakfast should be mostly protein, which is a good way to start your day. Some examples of healthy proteins are free-range and grass-fed meats, free-range eggs, beans, nuts, and hemp seeds.
4. Eating according to your unique body: this one is a tough one for people to get their heads around. Many times we eat because we feel we are “supposed to” even though our body may be telling us we are not hungry. This is a tricky area for most people and does require getting to know your body. One thing for sure (and this does apply to all) is to have your last meal of the day at least four hours before bed… you will have a much better sleep.
5. Getting exercise: our bodies are meant to move and move they must if we are to stay healthy. Find an exercise that you like that and suites your schedule. Again, this one you may need to play with until you get it right. The point is to just get moving.
6. Taking the right supplements for your health needs: as much as there is a great debate on the validity or necessity of supplements, the reality is that we just can’t get everything we need from our foods.
At various stages or times in our lives we need to help our bodies along. This is the responsible thing to do for your overall health.
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