Your Daily Source for Alternative Health News & Tips
A 15-year Swedish study performed at Lund University has found that drinking just one soda per day could entail a 40 percent higher risk of men developing aggressive prostate cancer. Continue reading
What do executives at Kraft and Frito Lay have in common with many other heads of American Big Food companies?
Many of them choose organic foods for themselves and their families, despite their stringent marketing and support of processed foods and GMOs for the general public. Continue reading
Our vast universe is upheld by keeping opposites in balance, with everything in its place and objects rightly related to each other. Continue reading
While it is true that our ancestors may not have lived as long as us, there is evidence that they lived healthier lives. Although our life expectancy may be greater, we get sick more often and have lifestyle illnesses that, at one point in time, did not exist.
Times were hard and there was not the technology that we have today, but our distant relatives did not battle with heart disease, strokes, diabetes and high blood pressure; medical conditions that rob millions of lives each year in America. Most deaths were due to accidents or infections; things that our modern medical system addresses today.
Here are five possible reasons why our ancestors may have enjoyed more vital lives than we do today. The good news is that we too can enjoy this freedom; we can change our current lifestyles and embrace any of these healthy living strategies today.
Natural Sunlight
Our ancestors did not have the modern conveniences that we have today. Without a grocery store on every block, they had to work hard for their food. Growing, hunting, cooking and saving food involved being outdoors all day long under the sun, soaking up vitamins E and D. This exposure to natural sunlight alone can do a great deal for health.
Try to get at least twenty minutes a day outdoors to reap the benefits of the sun’s free life-promoting energy.
Exercise
Hands down, our ancestors got more exercise than we do. Chasing prey through the woods, foraging for food, building shelters and traveling by foot are just some of the ways that our ancestors stayed in shape. No need for an elliptical or exercise video – their lives were so physical that they could not help but be in top shape.
Aim for a brisk 20 minute walk daily, preferably outdoors. Work up to 10,000 steps daily. Although this is probably a fraction of what our relatives walked, it goes a long way towards promoting strong bones, muscles and heart health.
Fruits and Vegetables
Our ancestors consumed fruits and vegetables from untainted soils, rich in biodiversity, vitamins and minerals. Fresh food, ripe off the vine, supplied all the nutrients to keep one healthy. No chips, candy bars or soda were to be found. Processed carbohydrates and dairy products were not to be found.
Increase your consumption of preferably raw, organic fruits and vegetables. Your plate should be colorful. The brighter the food the more phytonutrients it contains. Phytonutrients help fight disease and slow the aging process.
Healthy Meat
Before we began factory farming livestock, meat was rich in natural purines, and animals lived off of the land. It was not full of antibiotics, steroids, GMO feed and stress hormones. At one time, quite a lot of meat was consumed, which provided fuel for brains and bones, as well as other important bodily functions.
The meat consumed by our great relatives included wild game and fish. Researchers feel that our brain growth and activity has slowed down since we stopped eating so much healthy meat.
Consume organic, grass-fed meat, fresh-caught fish and free-range poultry. Stay clear of processed, packaged and industrialized meat.
Simple Life
Life was so much simpler back in the day. There was less daily stress and hustle and bustle. Even though our ancestors worked hard, they slept well and had very little social pressure to perform, get ahead or compete with others. Simple things made them happy, and they followed a routine that was free from distractions.
De-clutter; get rid of things that you do not need. Practice taking time each day to be still. Learn how to prevent stress before it happens and always live life with optimism.
While they may not have been rich materially, those that lived before us were rich in health, and that alone brought them happiness. Would you live a simpler life today if you knew you could be healthier?
-The Alternative Daily
We all know that the advice given for high blood pressure is to cut down on sodium. But very rarely are we told about how important increasing potassium intake really is. Continue reading
Over 64 million Americans suffer from a condition defined as metabolic syndrome – a combination of risk factors, which makes one more susceptible to serious health complications. Four in ten Americans will get metabolic syndrome by the time they reach 70 years old. Continue reading
There have been numerous studies that indicate using electronics just before bedtime could be interrupting valuable shut-eye time. One of the latest was conducted by the Mayo Clinic, presented recently at SLEEP 2013, an annual meeting for the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Continue reading
There is definitely no synthetic replacement for sugar that is not dangerous. This, of course, is not what the big companies want you to think. However, for many years now, the evidence has been mounting up against artificial sweeteners. Continue reading
A recent study published by JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that there is some evidence indicating that those who follow a vegetarian diet have reduced mortality rates.
Researchers studied a variety of vegetarian types including non-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products).
A longer, healthier life was credited to all types of vegetarians with a 12 percent lower mortality rate as compared to non-vegetarians. So, what does this mean to you?
Going all-vegan is not necessary, and may not even be optimal for most people; however, the emphasis in a healthy diet should be on raw, fresh, whole foods. A good rule of thumb is to include 80% raw vegetables and fruits and just 20% cooked foods in your daily diet. When you do eat meat, focus on lean, healthy proteins such as wild-caught salmon, organic grass-fed beef or free-range chicken.
Raw Food Benefit
Raw foods are good for you for a number of reasons, including the fact that they are packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals. Another important factor is that raw food, sometimes referred to as live or living food, has not been cooked or exposed to temperatures over 118 degrees, which destroys or deactivates natural enzymes.
Enzymes are essential for all of the chemical processes in the body, especially digestion. Consider that nutrients are chemicals in that when those chemicals are heated it causes a chemical reaction – the higher the heat, the more damaging the chemical reaction is.
Heating food above 118 degrees creates acidic toxins including carcinogens and free-radicals that are associated with just about every disease and chronic illness including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Cooking also destroys the live enzymes necessary for optimal digestion and overall health.
The late Dr. Edward Howell, the author of Enzyme Nutrition, spent his entire professional life studying enzymes and conducting extensive clinical and laboratory research. He is considered a pioneer in the raw food movement. His theory was that if you don’t get enough enzymes from the food you eat, your digestive system is placed under a great burden and is forced to produce enough enzymes of its own to accomplish its task.
If the body is constantly overstimulated to produce enzymes, that should be provided for it through live foods, it does not function properly, and nutrient deficiencies occur. It also often leads to chronic illness, a weakened immune system and a shortened lifespan.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to go 100 percent raw to achieve optimal health, but transitioning to an 80/20 diet may be your best road to a higher quality, lengthier life.
-The Alternative Daily
Most people think of yogurt as a superstar of health foods. While plain yogurt does offer considerable benefits, most yogurts sold in grocery stores, even health food stores, have gone through industrial processing, have a bunch of additives, and are not nearly as healthy as they are hyped up to be. Continue reading
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