We live in an age where more people than ever want to eat and live healthily. This is in part because we, as a species are living longer, waiting longer to start a family and so there’s a need be healthy to help our biological clocks keep ticking, and because healthy food is more readily available and affordable.
With the rise of health-related diseases, and with America again topping the obesity charts, now more than ever to we need to be looking at the way we live our lives.
Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is all it takes to lead a healthy life. Cutting out bad habits like smoking and excessive drinking is another must. There are a multitude of natural foods that can help you to become healthier than ever, and provide you with the right vitamins.
Chamomile
Chamomile tea is well known to be a relaxing drink and is often enjoyed before bed. Chamomile is a sleep-inducer and relaxes the body to enable a good night’s sleep – which is important for a healthy life.
This tea also has the benefit of helping to relieve migraines – it’s believed that the sleepy side effect, relaxes the part of the brain that is swelling and causing the headache. It can also help with digestion – making it the number one tea for people who suffer from IBS.
Kale
The positive effects of kale have been yelled from the rooftops over the last few years – and it’s true.
Kale holds so many vital vitamins and minerals that benefit the body, as well as a high level of iron, calcium and magnesium (good for preventing heart disease,) it also can help to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol.
You can eat kale with almost anything; you can cook it, steam it, blend it and eat it raw. If you don’t like the idea of chowing down on handfuls of kale leaves, then try kale powder and add it to your smoothies to get the same level of nutrients.
Protein
Protein is important for everyone, even if you’re vegan or vegetarian. But excessive amounts of red meat can increase your chances of heart disease. As can eating fatty meats. Try swapping out a beef steak for a tuna steak, and a lamb shank for a wild salmon fillet – which is high in omega 3.
Meat substitutes like tofu and quorn are good for protein but won’t contain the same amount of protein as meat. Supplement your diet with nuts and load up on dark green veggies like spinach.
Supplement your diet with nuts and load up on dark green veggies like spinach.
Calcium
Calcium helps the body to stay strong – you probably remember being told to drink a glass of milk by your parents to help you grow big and strong. Well it’s true. Everyone knows that calcium helps develop and maintain healthy bones, but it also helps muscle development, releasing hormones, and sending messages from the brain to the nerves.
Calcium-deficiency can increase your chances of osteoporosis, so if you can’t get calcium naturally, then think of supplementing your diet with calcium tablets.
Sun
Spending 15 minutes in the sun each day can get you your day’s quota of vitamin D. This particular vitamin boosts your immune system, unfortunately, research showed that over 70% of Americans are low in vitamin D, which is concerning.
Getting out in the sun and benefiting from the healthy immune system will help immensely against any illness. It also helps your mental health. People can suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) when they don’t get enough vitamin D – it’s most common in the winter months. You can get sun lamps to combat SAD through the seasons where the sun is mostly absent.
People can suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) when they don’t get enough vitamin D – it’s most common in the winter months. You can get sun lamps to combat SAD through the seasons where the sun is mostly absent.
Supplements
Try taking supplements either as a tablet or as a soluble, to help boost the good stuff inside you.
Ensuring you get the right vitamins is important whether you are healthy or not, try and get them naturally by eating a balanced diet. But for those who can’t – like if you are lactose intolerant – then think about taking a supplement to balance out the lack in your diet.
