The Best Doctor...EVER!

Take Control! [Part 4]

The Game Changer

Why are we in this state of emergency? Let’s slow down, and look back at a more relaxing time. In our ‘Leave It To Beaver’ days, we had time to prepare a nutritious meal. There were still nutrients in the soils, our food was healthier, so our bodies were stronger. There was time to sit down with our families, we were told to eat our vegetables. Life has changed… We snack on the wrong foods, our dinners are fast, convenient, and lacking in essential nutrients. There is no time! Convenience is our priority, not nutrition.

“I’m on my way to get some fried chicken for my family right now.”

“We only use our table for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” “No, I can’t talk, I’ve gotta go.”

No time, high stress, poor nutrition… A recipe for DISASTER. We are in a state of emergency, and our path is clear: we must take control of our lives. We need to eat properly, to supplement our diets, to exercise regularly, to relax, and spend more time with our families, to become healthy, happy, and free—to LIVE!

Isn't it time to change our destiny? Too many of us are caught in the vicious cycle of poor nutrition... We can help ourselves to a healthier life, by giving our bodies a fighting chance to rebuild. We simply need to give ourselves back what today's foods are lacking. If given the chance, our bodies can rebuild, strengthen, and recharge themselves.

Checkpoint

Here's a quick recap: Humans tend to live most of their lives being tired, sick, and virtually defenceless to many other life-threatening diseases (Take Control! [Part I]). And, although very undesirable, many still neglect the 3 main factors (rest, exercise, diet) which determine health and quality of life (Take Control! [Part II]). These unhealthy choices expose individuals to lifestyle diseases, which can only be reversed by making healthier choices, especially with regards to rest, exercise, and diet (Take Control! [Part III]). Diet, the most important of the 3 elements, has been neglected the most, as persons tend to eat the reverse of what is required by the body. And, since the body requires the GROW-GLOW-GO foods for proper function, then giving it the wrong proportions of these nutrients only puts it in a dangerous state.

But how does dieting contribute to our health? What is so important about our diet, and the phytonutrients that the body requires? And why whole grains, especially?

Why Does The Body Need Whole Grains?

The human body is made up of some very small units, called cells. Everyone started out as a single cell in his/her mother's body. And that cell divided and differentiated into some 75-100 trillion cells, which is what the body is made up of now. Cells form groups, and operate as tissues; the tissues come together to form organs; and the organs come together to form the entire body. So, if the health of each individual cell is improved, then the health of the whole body can be improved.

How do you know that the nutrients in your foods or in your supplements are getting to your cells? Well, how do you feel right now? Energetic? Ready to take on a challenge? Or, are you thinking you could feel a little better? How worried are you about your health? How is it going to be long term? Could you be missing out on these protective nutrients that nourish you, and improve your health down to the cellular level? Perhaps it's time to take a look at cellular health.

Each cell is surrounded by a cell membrane that regulates the flow of nutrients into the cell, and equally important, the excretion of the waste that accumulates inside the cell, out and away from it. These membranes are formed with layers of protein [like a sandwich], but for nutrition to take place, the nutrients from the food we eat have to get inside the cells. And so, the body heavily requires some very important elements called lipids, sterols [not steroids], and essential fatty acids [EFAs]. These lipids and sterols lubricate and soften the cell membranes to enable the nutrient from our foods to penetrate the membrane efficiently to get inside the cells, and to enable waste products to penetrate the membrane efficiently to leave the cells. When nutrients enter the cells easily, and waste leave the cells easily, your cells will be healthy and energetic, and you will, in turn, be healthy and energetic. Only a diet that is rich in whole grains provides the body with these nutrients. Whole grains can be found from whole food sources like:

• wheat
• rice
• soy

It is mainly for this reason that the body requires such a high intake [9-11 servings] on a daily basis. And, if you supply your body's demand for these whole grains, then you will have cells that look like the one above.

However, because of the polluted air persons breathe, the polluted water they drink, and the amount of processed foods [fats and sugars] they eat, as well as the stresses of life, they arrive at a situation where the nutrients are not able to penetrate their cell membranes efficiently to get into their cells, and waste products are not able to penetrate their cell membranes efficiently to leave their cells. Very little actually manages to trickle through. Energy is still created and that is why many persons are still alive. And, of course, wherever energy takes place, waste is created, so persons still have a purpose for their restroom. Regardless, this poor efficiency results in cells that become tired, toxic and constipated, and eventually, sick.

Ring A Bell?

There are a large number of implications that can be drawn from this concept of cellular nutrition. One main implication questions the use and effect of medication. Human beings love quick fixes, and if convenience isn't a priority for any of the decisions you make, then it is highly possible that you aren't human. If an individual should go the doctor to get 'treatment' for a cold, for example, the doctor may recommend an antibiotic, a cold medicine, and an antihistamine. The short-term implication is that a great deal of the medication, in the form of 'nutrients' would fail to penetrate a tired/sick cell. Can you just imagine the struggle the cold medicine would have to go through, in order to reach inside one cell to begin working? Well, multiply that effect by 100 trillion. The antibiotic has to be there to weaken and kill the cells within its reach. If the person's cells were healthy, and they just happened to get a rare cold [because it does happen, but very infrequently], then the body would've already started the healing process, and the efficient absorption of the medication would just speed up the process.

That was a short-term implication. Now take a look at the long-term implication. Using the medication only provided short-term relief to a short-term problem, but it does nothing at all for the long-term problem, that is, the reason the person got sick in the first place. If he/she got sick because of unhealthy choices, then the correct fix would be to begin making healthier choices. This sounds responsible and forward-thinking. Look back on that diet, reconsider your exercise routine (if you had one), and ensure that you have a generous 8 hours of rest just for yourself each day. Don't be unhealthy, and fall into the 'tired and sick trap'. Medication wears [and in some cases, kills] your cells, and eventually your cells become dependent, yet resistant to these medication. Medicine is intended to be a [short-term] last resort to help the body heal and recover. Do not abuse it. Many doctors and other healthcare professionals stress the importance of rest, exercise, and diet; some don't, whether because of conflicts of interest or the strange, stone cold fact that some just don't know any better. 

Bottom Line

• Give your body adequate rest
• Exercise regularly
• Provide your body with the nutrients it needs with a balanced diet, consisting of:
• Whole Grains, which feed your cells, and provide you with energy and nutrition
• Fruits & Vegetables, which protect your cells, and optimise your immunity
• Protein, which balance and regulate your cells, and maximise your good health

Now it's time to change your destiny. Don't get caught in that vicious cycle of poor nutrition. Remember, if given the chance, your body can rebuild, strengthen, and recharge itself. 

For the ultimate post of this five-part series, given all this information, a number of strategies to achieve a life filled with energy, good heath, and vitality will be shared. Stick around if you're really serious about this. So don't delay; take control of your health today.

The Recipe For D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R!

Take Control! [Part 3]

The Game Changer

Why are we in this state of emergency? Let’s slow down, and look back at a more relaxing time. In our ‘Leave It To Beaver’ days, we had time to prepare a nutritious meal. There were still nutrients in the soils, our food was healthier, so our bodies were stronger. There was time to sit down with our families, we were told to eat our vegetables. Life has changed… We snack on the wrong foods, our dinners are fast, convenient, and lacking in essential nutrients. There is no time! Convenience is our priority, not nutrition.

“I’m on my way to get some fried chicken for my family right now.”

“We only use our table for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” “No, I can’t talk, I’ve gotta go.”

No time, high stress, poor nutrition… A recipe for DISASTER. We are in a state of emergency, and our path is clear: we must take control of our lives. We need to eat properly, to supplement our diets, to exercise regularly, to relax, and spend more time with our families, to become healthy, happy, and free—to LIVE!

Isn't it time to change our destiny? Too many of us are caught in the vicious cycle of poor nutrition... We can help ourselves to a healthier life, by giving our bodies a fighting chance to rebuild. We simply need to give ourselves back what today's foods are lacking. If given the chance, our bodies can rebuild, strengthen, and recharge themselves.

Checkpoint

It is becoming increasingly clear that the information posted on this blog is stale news. In fact, many of us, if not all, have been tested on these things in school: rest, exercise, diet. You don't need rocket science to figure why the average person spends most of his/her life either tired or sick. Giving your body all that it needs, in the midst of whatever challenges and situations we encounter in life, is a task that is much easier said than done. The intention here, though, is to facilitate greater awareness of this problem, itself, while presenting various solutions, in order to help persons achieve and maintain good health and vitality. Sounds good?

Now, this is what has been covered so far:

• The average person who lives to 40 years and beyond experiences at least 3 zones of life. He/She spends only a third of it in a very desirable zone, the Healthy zone, and unfortunately, the rest of it in the Tired or Sick zones. Take Control! [Part I] 
• The problems we have, with regards to our health (inadequate rest, exercise, and nutrition), are pretty much the same as the solutions: give your body more rest, get active, and most importantly, fix your diet. Take Control! [Part II]

Now, it's time to focus a little on Diet, the part where the battle is really heated. Feel free to recount what you may have learnt before. Remember, diet is whatever you eat. Moreover, you are what you eat! The quality of your health in the future is dependent on the quality of your diet today.

How Should We Eat

Based on the recommended food guide pyramid, Whole Grains should form the foundation of our diet, as 9 to 11 servings per day. Next in line should be the Fruits & Vegetables (vegetables, in particular), from a baseline of 5 to 13 servings per day. Then Proteins (the plant-based sources, and fish, of course!), as 3 to 5 servings daily, and last, and most definitely least, Fats & Sugars (processed foods and simple carbohydrates) should be consumed s-p-a-r-i-n-g-l-y. In fact, the body usually gets adequate amounts of these Fats & Sugars from the aforementioned food groups. Please note that Whole Grains are at the base of the pyramid for a number of reasons, including the fact that the body needs at least 9 servings daily, in comparison to the 5 servings for Fruits & Vegetables, which are required for proper functioning. Also, a neat little way to understand what a serving means, is to follow this rule: half a cup of very small things, like whole grains, represents one serving, while an entire cup of bigger and fluffier things, like fruits and vegetables, represents one serving.

How We Really Eat

However, the average person turns the pyramid right on its head! Does that really sound normal? Fats & Sugars are consumed the most, followed by Proteins, mainly from the animal sources. Too little Fruits [Vegetables are virtually non-existent], and little or no Whole Grains [pretty much sparingly] are eaten by the average person. Remember from Science class: Proteins make you GROW, Fruits & Vegetables make you GLOW, and Carbohydrates make you GO! The Grow-Glow-Go foods are what individuals really rob themselves of each day, and this kind of eating habit gives rise to many of the Lifestyle Diseases, such as: 

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Hypertension
• Arthritis
• Cataracts
• Obesity

Result?

No wonder we feel like this! No wonder tiredness and sicknesses are the norm! But why do we eat like this? There are many reasons, the majority centred around tastes and preferences, convenience, accessibility, and, of course, affordability.

But what are Lifestyle Diseases? This is a fancy term that represents some of the diseases that cannot be passed via physical interaction with others. You can't have an obese person brush against you, and say, "Aha! You are now obese! Prepare to meet thy doctor!" No, these are diseases associated with, as the name suggests, how you live your life. They come about via the unhealthy choices people make with regards to rest, exercise, and diet. 

Sounds like someone you know? Well, great! Remember, that particular problem and solution are one in the same. There is still hope. You can still turn back the tides, and change the outcome of the game. Don't go anywhere! More of the answers you are looking for might just be up next.

Stick around for Part IV of this series, where you will witness the power of one of the 3 main phytonutrients that the body requires on a daily basis. You will see how badly you may have been cheating yourself from enjoying living a life full of energy, good health, and vitality!