Improve Your Health starting right now by creating these 5 easy habits.
Are you ready to drastically improve your health? Lose weight and Look younger? Be full of energy and excited to take on your day?
I was really unhealthy. Fifty pounds overweight, tired all the time, acne, aches, and pains. I looked and felt awful. Today I feel younger, I look younger, I am at my ideal weight, and I always have plenty of energy to spare. If you would like to feel better, these 5 easy changes will help you to improve your health, starting right now.
I struggled with my weight for most of my life. I would read nutrition labels. I at the “healthy” boxed foods. I didn’t eat at McDonald’s. I didn’t drink soda. I always bought the “Healthy Whole Grains” and the non-dairy milk, and everything else that traditional advertising tells us is healthy. But I continued to gain weight and I continued to feel worse, both mentally and physically.
Then one day, I stumbled across a book at the library that changed my life. That book was Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening by Victoria Boutenko, and I learned the secret to health. I learned why I struggled with my weight and I started to change my diet that very day.
The change wasn’t always easy. But honestly, most of the time it was.
Once you get over the fear of change and you start to open your mind to the abundance of real food, you find that a healthy diet is full of variety.
Healthy food is vibrant and exciting.
Cooked and processed foods put us in a rut. They keep us stressed and depressed. We are too tired to try new things, but when you begin to provide your body with real nutrition, your whole outlook on life changes. You have more energy, you become more positive and you become happy.
Drastically improving your health can be easy if you just take it one small change at a time. Don’t try to take on too much at once. The five changes below will drastically improve your health if you implement all five of them. However, don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. The health changes that stick are the ones you can stick with every day.
It takes 21 days to create a habit, some habits take a bit longer (30-60 days), but they will become a habit if you just stick with it long enough. So start today, pick one change today and commit to it for the next 21 days.
Do it every day. Once it becomes routine, pick another one from the list and stick with it until it becomes a habit.
So Here are your 5 Easy Changes to Drastically Improve Your Health:
1. Trade Coffee for Green Tea or Herbal Tea
A little about the damages that coffee consumption causes.
The Food and Beverage Industry spend billions of dollars to pay for studies that say coffee has health benefits. These studies are misleading and are released purely as advertising to sell their products.
Have you ever heard someone say “I’m not human without my coffee” or “My day hasn’t started until I have my coffee” or perhaps “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” We have all heard and made jokes about coffee, but make no mistake coffee is no joke.
Coffee is a highly addictive drug, just like heroin or cocaine or sugar. The only real difference is that it is socially acceptable and it doesn’t kill you as quickly.
This is why we “Don’t Feel Human” without this toxic beverage.
Each time you consume a cup of coffee you become more addicted. This is why people who consume coffee daily go through withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop.
Headaches, irritability, muscle cramps, lethargy, flu-like symptoms, constipation, and depression are the common symptoms of withdrawal from coffee and any other caffeine-containing beverage. (Yes, soda and energy drinks are just as bad, actually, they are much, much worse for your health, so dump the soda and energy drinks as well.)
Here are just a few of the negative health effects of coffee:
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- Coffee consumption has been linked to bladder cancer.
- Mothers who consume coffee during pregnancy increase the risk of their child developing leukemia.
- The caffeic acid in coffee causes damage to our DNA, with other factors this can lead to cancer cells being activated.
- Regular coffee consumption reduces fertility in women by 27%.
- Caffeine impairs glucose metabolism which is dangerous for Diabetics and may lead to Diabetes in non-diabetics.
- Caffeine raises blood pressure for at least 2-3 hours after consumption increasing the risk of heart attack.
- Coffee causes heartburn and indigestion.
- Coffee consumption can lead to insomnia.
- Women who consume coffee regularly are 70% more likely to develop incontinence.
- Coffee releases the stress hormone Cortisol, which makes you feel stressed and anxious and creates excess abdominal fat.
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The long list of negative health effects strongly outweighs any potential positive health effects that the advertisers want you to believe. Any positive health effects you can get from drinking a cup of coffee can be achieved just as easily by eating fruits and vegetables, with no negative side effects.
So start weaning yourself off the coffee and sodas today. Go slow to reduce serious withdrawal symptoms, but start today.
The easiest way to quit coffee is to trade it for another soothing beverage, this way you only have to deal with the physical withdrawal at first, without having to also deal with the emotional attachment or the habit.
Swap Coffee for:
Green Tea
Here is How Green Tea will Improve Your Health
Green Tea is a good option for transitioning away from caffeinated beverages. It offers a small amount of caffeine, which will help in managing withdrawal symptoms.
Green Tea is loaded with Antioxidants called catechins, which help our bodies to fight cellular damage and prevent cancer.
Green tea has been shown to improve blood flow and lower cholesterol, reducing your risk of heart-related ailments.
Green Tea is beneficial for Diabetics as it helps to better regulate blood sugar levels.
While there are no studies that conclusively show that Green Tea can prevent cancer, it has been shown that green tea supports healthy cell growth. Healthy cells lead to lower incidence of disease.
Green tea contains theanine, a natural chemical which has a calming effect on the body. This along with a relaxing ritual of sipping your tea slowly can lead to a more relaxed and calm state.
When you make Green Tea, do not use boiling water. Allow the water to cool some before steeping, to gain the most benefits. Boiling water can damage the catechins, lessening the antioxidant benefits of the tea. Instead, use water that is around 160 degrees for the best results. Additionally, adding lemon to the tea helps the body better absorb the catechins, while milk blocks absorption making the tea less effective.
Green Tea without sweeteners is best, but if you must sweeten your beverage, honey or maple syrup are the best choices for your health.
Green Tea can also be cold brewed. Place a tea bag in a glass jar or pitcher with up to 32 ounces of water and let steep in the fridge for 1 hour or more. This makes a much lighter beverage with no bitterness and a more floral or fruity flavor depending on the tea blend.
Green tea comes in hundreds of different blends and brands, some of my favorites are Prince of Peace Organic Jasmine Green Tea (tea bags – very affordable), Yogi Tea Chai Green (tea bags), and Wild Tea #2 Green Tea with Mint (loose leaf).
Herbal Tea
Swapping your daily coffee for herbal can drastically improve your health.
Herbal Teas are another excellent option to swap for coffee. Herbal Teas don’t actually contain tea leaves and are instead made from a blend of herbs and flowers.
There are hundreds of different varieties of herbal teas to choose from.
Herbal Teas have been used for centuries to treat everything from headaches and stomach discomfort to serious illnesses.
If you are looking for a boost of energy a few good options are:
Organic India Tulsi (Holy Basil) Lemon Ginger,
Organic India Gotu Kola Tulsi Tea,
and Be Resilient from Tea Tonix.
Yerba Mate
Here is How Yerba Mate can Improve Your Health.
The vitamin and mineral content of Yerba Mate give it a leg up over coffee since coffee strips the body of nutrients while Yerba provides the body with nutrients.
However, Yerba Mate does contain about 80 mg of caffeine per cup, which is significantly more than green tea at 15 mg. The caffeine content of Yerba Mate falls between Black Tea and Coffee, Coffee contains between 100 and 200 mg of caffeine depending on the variety and brew strength.
Since Yerba Mate contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it is certainly a better choice than coffee for anyone in need of a bit more caffeine, especially those who regularly consume multiple cups of coffee per day.
However, some studies suggest that consuming too much Yerba Mate daily can raise your risk of some cancers, specifically respiratory cancers. These studies were based on individuals consuming a liter per day or more, which is a little over 4 cups per day.
Consuming 1 to 2 cups per day showed no negative health effects, but caution should be used because of the caffeine level.
Remember the ultimate goals is to get off the caffeine entirely so your adrenal glands can begin to heal. A good plan is to start with a higher caffeine tea (black or Yerba Mate) for 2 weeks, then step down to a lower caffeine option (Green Tea) and then to herbal teas that are caffeine free.
2. Take a Green Super Food Supplement
We have moved away from fresh fruits and vegetables and toward disease causing processed foods, meats, cheeses, and oils.
According to the CDC, only 1 in 10 Americans eats enough fruits and vegetables per day. And that is based on the government guidelines, which many nutrition and natural health experts agree is far too few, to begin with.
While there is no substitute for eating your fruits and vegetables, there is a benefit in supplementing to make up for lost nutrients from years of dietary neglect. That is why a green superfood powder can be so helpful.
Green Superfood Powder‘s are made from grasses, fruits, vegetables, and seeds, that have been freeze dried or dried at low heat to preserve the nutrients and then powdered for optimal digestion. A single scoop of powder contains 88% of your RDA of Vitamin K and 57% of your requirement for Vitamin C. It also contains a number of essential minerals, including Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.
Adding the Amazing Grass Superfood Powder to my morning routine when I first started to get healthy allowed me to easily quit the coffee habit. It also helped with fighting cravings as I moved from less healthy foods to a fruit based diet.
The grasses, fruits, and vegetables in Amazing Grass are also highly alkalizing. Cancer can only live in an acid state, so keeping your body in its proper alkaline state is the best tool you have in preventing cancer.
The powder can be added to a glass of water or to juice or a smoothie. Take it first thing in the morning if you are looking for that morning boost of energy. Or take it in the afternoon if you often find yourself in that mid-afternoon slump. Either way, it is a great way to supplement your diet while you are working towards more healthy eating habits. As always, real whole foods are best, but as we transition a green powder can help us on the path to a healthy diet.
3. Green Smoothies
Green Smoothies are an excellent way to get in several servings of fruit and vegetables in a delicious, quick and easy way. The average Green Smoothie recipe contains 2-4 servings of fruit and 1-2 cups of leafy greens and other vegetables.
Check out some of these recipes to get you started:
Pineapple Cilantro Green Smoothie
Even if you hate vegetables there is a green smoothie out there that you will like. Your taste buds will quickly acclimate to the “green-ness” and you will find yourself becoming more adventurous over time. And if you really can’t get into the “green-ness” right off the bat, start with just the fruits and add the greens after a few weeks on fruits.
Here are a few Green Smoothie Tips:
- If you are brand new to green smoothies and you do not already like the taste of leafy greens, start small. It is perfectly okay to start with ¼ or ½ the amount of greens that any recipe calls for. Start your first week with ¼ then slowly, over a few weeks, keep adding a little bit more each day until you work your way up to the full amount.
- Your taste buds will change the more healthy food you eat. Fruits and Vegetables you currently don’t like, you will come to love them over time. The cleaner your body becomes the more it will crave the healthy stuff.
- Make sure you blend everything really well. If you don’t have a Vitamix or a Blendtec, then blend everything in stages. Start with water and leafy greens. Then add any nuts, dates or figs. Once those are nicely blended, then add your fruits and any other ingredients. This way the greens will get really well blended and you won’t end up with a yucky chunky smoothie.
- Don’t be afraid to try something new. Just because you didn’t like something one way, doesn’t mean you won’t like it in a different recipe. And just because you didn’t like it a few months ago doesn’t mean your new cleaner body won’t like it more today.
Starting your day with a Green Smoothie will give you an energy boost that far surpasses that of coffee, and it lasts for hours with no crash.
Green Smoothies are also highly Alkalizing, which leads to better health overall. To learn more about the importance of an Alkaline Diet for your health, check out this article: Why Alkalize?
Green Smoothies provide you with a great way to get in a variety of leafy green vegetables, from Kale to Beet Greens to Swiss Chard and more.
Kale is considered the World’s Healthiest food, let it improve your health.
Researchers have identified over 45 different flavonoids in kale. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits.
Kale also contains Isothiocyanates (ITC’s), ITC’s help to regulate the bodies detoxification process. So daily consumption of leafy greens, especially kale, helps your body to release toxins that are stored in fat cells. This also leads to a reduction of fat cells, as they are no longer needed to store the toxins. That means you lose weight and you lose cellulite just by eating Kale (or drinking it in a tasty smoothie).
Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Beet Greens, Dandelion Greens, Arugula and more, there is a whole world of leafy greens, try them all.
4. Snack on Raw Nuts and Seeds
When we first move from high protein and high fat unhealthy foods like meat, dairy and eggs we need something to help calm the cravings. Nuts provide protein and fat to calm our nerves as we transition.
Substituting a handful of nuts or seeds for a junk food snack will help you lose weight and feel more satisfied. Flaxseeds, Walnuts, and Chia Seeds are all sources of Omega 3’s, which are often deficient in those eating a cooked foods diet. While Sunflower Seeds and Pumpkin Seeds are sources of Vitamin E which is important for healthy radiant skin.
The down side to Nuts and Seeds is they are acidic, so they should be eaten in moderation. Nuts and Seeds are designed to grow the next generation of food, they are not designed to be eaten, so as such they contain acids which protect them from being digested. They make a good transition food in moderation.
The Importance of Omega 3’s to Improving your Health
Besides Magnesium deficiency, Omega 3 deficiency may be the most pervasive deficiency in America.
Omega 3’s are found primarily in plant foods, with Flaxseeds being the most abundant source. Some fatty fish also contain Omega 3’s, however, the toxic heavy metal content of many fish along with the acidity of fish and all animal proteins makes fish a poor choice for Omega 3’s.
Omega 3’s should be consumed in a one to one ratio with Omega 6, but the average American diet is far out of balance. For every one part Omega 3 we typically consume 15 parts Omega 6.
This imbalance increases the risk of a huge list of diseases and disorders, including Heart Disease, Depression, BiPolar Disorder and other Mental Health Disorders, Hyperactivity and Autism Spectrum disorders and Arthritis, to name just a few.
Snacking on a handful of nuts and seeds daily can help you get this ratio back into balance, improve your health, and reduce your risk of disease while crowding out those unhealthy alternate choices.
Vitamin E is a Powerful Cancer Fighter that will Improve your Health
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is essential for healthy skin and a beautiful complexion. It protects us against eye disorders, like cataracts, diabetes, environmental toxins, and neurological disorders, like Alzheimer’s.
Nuts and Seeds also contain bone-building minerals like calcium and other health promoting minerals like manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorous, zinc and iron among others.
To get the healthy benefits from Nuts and Seeds they should only be consumed Raw. Roasted nuts and seeds contain Acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance. Nuts and seeds also contain natural oils which become rancid when heated to high temperatures. Additionally, nuts and seeds which have been roasted are often coated with iodized salt or sugar, both of which are highly detrimental to your health.
Nuts and seeds are a quick and easy snack, and a small handful is enough to satisfy. Keeping a small container nearby of mixed nuts and seeds can keep you on track and away from unhealthy snacks when hunger hits.
Studies show that people who consume nuts and seeds daily consistently maintain a healthier weight than those who do not consume nuts regularly.
5. Trade one Meal a Day for a Big Salad
Perhaps one of the best ways to get in your fruits and veggies and crowd out the junk is by eating a salad every day.
Make it a habit. Fruit Salad, or Green Salad or Vegetable Salad, you choose.
Even if you just start your meal with a salad. Just make it a habit. Everyday.
A salad will keep you hydrated which will naturally curb your snacking. Many of us snack or eat when we are thirsty rather than hungry because we don’t recognize the hunger as thirst.
Keeping your body well hydrated by eating plenty of hydrating foods will minimize these false
hunger urges.
Eating a green salad every day will get you closer to a pound of leafy greens per day. A pound of leafy greens per day is one of the best ways to keep away all disease.
A green salad plus a green smoothie every day can easily make up your pound of greens per day, getting you on your way to ultimate health. Plus a salad is big on volume and low on calories, so it will fill you up without adding to your calorie count too much.
Making a daily salad a habit also crowds out the bad. If you are full from a salad you will not have room for junk and you will naturally eat healthier later because you will be on a roll.
Remember that salad greens are low in calories, so a small bowl is not going to cut it. If a salad is a meal it should be in a large bowl, not a tiny little salad bowl.
Check out this article to learn how to make a salad that is satisfying and fills you up as a meal. Make sure you are using at least 4-5 cups of greens for a meal salad. And make it colorful and exciting by adding lots of bright colored fruits and vegetables.
To Recap, Here are your 5 Easy Changes that will Drastically Improve your Health:
- Trade Coffee for Green Tea, Herbal Tea or Yerba Mate
- Take a Green Superfood Supplement to make up for years of dietary neglect while you transition
- Get more Leafy Greens in and maximize nutrient absorption with Green Smoothies
- Snack of Raw Nuts and Seeds, especially Omega 3 rich Flax Seeds and Chia Seeds
- Create a daily salad habit – Fruit Salad, Vegetable Salad, Leafy Green Salad
So these are the 5 easy changes to drastically improve your health. Remember, you don’t have to try to tackle them all at once. Do what you can, but commit to at least one today. Commit to making it a habit, repeating it daily until it is just part of your normal routine. Once you have made one healthy change part of your daily routine, choose another healthy change to focus on next.
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Want to learn more?
What is Healthy? What Does healthy really mean? and what does a healthy diet look like?
What is Disease? Rethinking Health and Disease on a Macro Level
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