Lesson 3: The Elements of a Healthy Diet
The Do's and Dont's of a Healthy Diet
Adopting a healthier lifestyle is a step taken towards healthy living. Therefore, there are a few things that we must follow in order to maintain that lifestyle. It is as follows:
Always have a balanced diet and eat moderately on a regular basis.
As much as possible, include foods, which are high in fiber content such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
To prevent spoilage, refrigerate your foods appropriately.
Always have clean water.
Always buy organic foods - free from pesticides and fertilizers.
Make sure you have deep-sea fishes (i.e. if you are a non-vegetarian). Of all the non-vegetarian foods, fishes are the best. Have plenty of salmons and sardines if possible and avoid fresh water fishes, shellfishes and cod fishes as they are more prone to contamination.
Have simple meals as much as possible. This enables you to have a better digestive system and practice food combining as much as possible. This will help prevent the aging of the digestive organs, which will enable better utilization of nutrients for a longer period in your life.
If possible, take anti-oxidant nutrients such as vitamin A and beta-carotene. It may help minimize chemical irritations.
To avoid allergic reactions towards particular foods, practice food rotation. This will help against the problem of food sensitivity and allergic reactions towards specific foods.
Always read the package labels whenever buying packaged foods.
As much as possible, avoid additives and processed foods. Cultivate a habit of consuming natural and organic foods.
Avoid soft drinks as much as possible. Have fruits juices in substitution of those soft drinks.
Try to avoid refined sugars at all costs. Try using natural sweeteners such as brown sugar, honey, etc.
As much as possible, avoid red meats. Consumption of red meats in excess amounts can lead to unhealthy dietary habits and obesity.
Limit the total fat intake to 15-25 percent of your diet. In other words, limit the consumption of saturated fats and increase the use of unsaturated fats instead.
Avoid chemically treated meats at all costs!
If you are taking nutritional/vitamin supplements, avoid those that are colored and cheap as they may have petroleum based products such as hydrocarbons and BHA, which are toxic in nature.
To be in the optimum health, fast once a month at least or go for cleansing diets.
Avoid all kinds of drugs, sedatives and hormones as much as possible.
Wherever possible, try to adopt natural and alternative measures of healing. For instance, acupressure, homeopathy, herbalism and others as these alternative measures have potentially no side-effects and concentrate on treating the human on the whole, rather than just symptoms.
Avoid stress and try to meditate at least 3 times a week.
