 Nature's
Way
with Alan Hayes
Eat your Way to Health
We are always seeking ways to improve our health, and ensure that we face life with enthusiasm and vitality. Nothing is worse than chronic irritability, a feeling of exhaustion and mental fatigue. A poor diet and insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B12 and the mineral magnesium can be the major culprits.
Although supplements are readily available, it is far better to maintain a well-balance diet, which includes fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh herbs. Foods to help motivate you and get you going are apples, bananas, corn, grapefruit, mangoes, papaya, peaches and yellow squash. A small glass of fresh carrot juice each day is also an excellent boost to the system - of all the juices it has the best balance of vitamins and minerals.
Natural food sources of magnesium are almonds and other nuts, fish, prawns, leafy green vegetables, molasses, soybeans, sunflower seeds and wheat germ. Herbs which provide this element are alfalfa (eat daily as sprouted seed), cayenne, dandelion and peppermint. Fresh dandelion leaves can be cooked like spinach or the young, tender leaves chopped up and served in a salad.
Vitamin B group food sources are brewers' yeast (sprinkle over breakfast cereal), grains and seeds (such as wheat germ), rice bran, sunflower seed, nuts, legumes, potatoes, almonds, mushrooms, soya beans, citrus fruits, molasses, spinach, cauliflower, salmon, and in some dairy products. Vitamin B12 can be found in most meats - which should be eaten as lean cuts, and not in excess. Herb sources of B complex vitamins are dandelion, fenugreek, parsley, alfalfa, watercress, cayenne, burdock and sage.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit daily and eat less fat. Eat vegetables every day, raw when possible. If they have to be cooked, just steam until tender, or bake. Potatoes, or other roots, can be cooked in about six millilitres of water in the bottom of a glass-baking disk at 180 C for one and half hours.
Water is also essential to good health, feeling vital and to flush toxins from the body. Drink at least eight glasses each day, and preferably free of chemical treatment, such as chlorine and fluoride.
Natural mineral water closely resembles the water in your body and should be drunk in preference to town tap water.
Late nights and excessive lifestyles also play havoc with the internal body systems, and eventually will affect the way we look and feel. Sleep allows the mind and body to unwind and restores lost energy.
Exercise regularly - this is a must, as it promotes better circulation, deep breathing, and a healthier, vibrant you. The correct use of muscles can reshape the body, lift sagging cheeks, melt away double chins, middle-age spread and abdominal bulges, restore elasticity to the skin, iron out creepy necks and eliminate flabbiness.
Be careful not to overdo it. Too much of something can be just as unhealthy as too little of anything - concentrate on the overall picture for a healthier, more vibrant you.
If a feeling of fatigue persists even though you are eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep, consult your health practitioner.
|
