5 Tips to a Healthier Lifestyle
- Qiang Zheng
- Jan 25, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 16, 2021
We know, we know, eating healthy is a great thing, but why are there so much varying information and so much to learn? Do I have to do this or that exactly to achieve the goals I want? Well, the answer is, it depends. Not the best answer, I know, but 'being healthy' is determined by how you define it and what types of goals you are looking to achieve. While I am not a health practitioner, there are few things I've learned from them over the years that I found beneficial. These are some basic guidelines to develop some good habits and take a step closer to a healthier lifestyle.
Start with a Morning Boost
The morning can be a struggle sometimes, well many times. When you wake up and lick your lips, you may feel a dryness. That usually indicates you are parched and need water. It may not always be easy to stay hydrated the night before, but adding fluids to your morning routine can provide many benefits. Adding an 8oz of water is going to jump start your body and if you can squeeze in half a lemon, that's going to make a bigger difference.
An 8oz of warm lemon water is not only going to help you rehydrate your body, it'll increase energy, promote detox process, boost your metabolism and also your immunity. Specifically during my detox, lemon water was a refreshing replacement to the caffeine.
This is doesn't take too much time and also easy to prep especially if you have a water boiler ready to mix the warm water with half a lemon. You can also pre-roll the lemon so it's easier to juice and just enjoy. Changing this up by add a little bit of honey or mint can make it more palatable. Drink up and enjoy!
Focus your Meal around Protein and Fiber
Protein and fiber at every meal, makes eating healthy no big deal. Our body needs macronutrients to function, namely carbohydrate, protein and fat. While you can calorie count, portion control, a good rule of thumb is to eat complex carbs, fats like avocado, omega, or EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), lean protein and fibrous food. Of course, depending on your goals, you can see what you may need to increase in intake of and lessen ones that you are not.
Benefits of eating protein is needed for your body and mind to function well as it is a longevity and beauty macronutrient. From the tonality of your body, to the health of your skin, nails and hair to the immune system, we know how important it is already. Again, depending on your goals, we normally do not consume enough protein. Fiber is also needed to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, intestinal regularity and healthy intestinal microflora.
While it is easy to pile on carbs before your protein and fiber, putting fresh greens in will provide a better healthier lifestyle. A few examples of good protein: Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, Fresh Fish: Salmon, Tuna, Cod, Sardines, Flounder, Snapper, Trout and more, along with Lean Veal. And if you need vegetarian options: Chia or Hemp Seed, Lentil, Quinoa, Soy, Tofu, Veggie or Garden Burger. High fibrous food also overlap some of the vegetarian protein, which means it easier to meal prep if you want to keep thing simple such as: Chickpeas, Quinoa, Oats, Almonds, Chia Seeds, and Sweet Potato to name a few.
Micronutrients - Vitamins and Minerals
Looking at all the vitamins from A to Zinc and minerals in between can be overwhelming. There are also even more recommendations to eat a certain types of food because it is filled with x, y, or z vitamin and make it even harder to know what to eat.
The good thing is that a handful of vitamins and minerals are packed in the colors of the rainbow. If you eat fruits and vegetables that are naturally like that, they are packed with amazing amounts of nutrients that you need. A technique to check what fruits or vegetables are packed with antioxidants is if they will stain or bleed onto a paper towel. This is not to say squeeze all fruits and vegetable while you shop, but to see how likely it would happen.
In general, eating dark leafy greens, reds, blues and purples are simple ways to fulfilling your nutrients needs. One thing to consider is to get as much variety as you can as well as rotate the different fruits and vegetables. If you can also eat fresh fruits and vegetables, that will also be better as they are going to carry more enzymes. Cooking it may decrease the amounts they have and be used in your body.
Support a Healthy Gut
The gut has been considered the second brain and indicative of your health and protection of diseases. Bad gut health are linked to lethargy, leaky gut syndrome, inability to absorb nutrients, unhealthy skin, low immune response and the list can go on and on. Hence the saying, 'I feel like shit' can also mean you don't have an optimal gut health and looks pretty shitty.
With a good gut health, you usually have a good bowel movement. That means you can go easy at least once a day. However, in a perfect world we are able to eat the number of meals and go the same amount of times (not related to gut complications), it can indicate a really good gut movement; like how you would imagine a baby's.
Choosing what to eat may be difficult. A good fibrous diet with foods that support the gut with good bacteria like yogurt and specifically Green yogurt is going to help. In addition, other fermented foods are amazing and one of my favorites is kimchi. You can also look into sauerkraut, tempeh, miso or kombucha. You can always dress these foods up if you are not really into the flavors of them alone.
Supplements - Fill in Lifestyle Gaps
Supplements definitely have many controversies surrounding it. There are questions between if they work and do we need all those different types marketed out there. Firstly, there are many foods already supplemented and enriched, so there are necessary needs. However, whether or not they provide adequate amount or in the right form for our body to absorb and utilize them, is a different story.
One thing to consider is based on your lifestyle, what do you need and what benefits are you looking from supplementation. They each can provide a plethora of benefits, but I think it's more advantageous to add the ones that you are looking to improve or gain in your lifestyle. General sense is that we normally don't eat well enough consistently overall, so ones that provide a good coverage like Multivitamin, Anti-oxidant, Omega 3, Vitamin D and Probiotics are essential.
Secondly, the form that is being absorb into the body is crucial. Your gut villi intakes in vitamins and nutrients best when it's in an isotonic form which your digestion will have to break it down. If you're able to readily utilize the nutrients you consume, it will definitely allow the body to replenish itself and perform at a better state.
Taking action towards a healthy lifestyle can be confusing and overwhelming. I hope I can share some of these tips to demystify these thoughts and help you along with your health journey. Our bodies are all different and require a customized plan based on the goals we are looking for. Let me know if these simple tips are useful for you or if you have any suggestions. Until then, I wish you a happy journey towards your own discoveries.
- Cheers,
Q
***Disclaimer: These are tips that I've personally found useful and had benefited me. This is not to diagnose or treat/cure. If you have any additional questions, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.
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