Juicing For Health - Optimal Health Relies On Multiple Factors
Optimal Health Relies On Multiple Factors
You often hear optimal health can be achieved through certain diets alone, by juicing or by taking this or that hyped supplements and you will achieve the health you’ve always dreamed of. It would be great if it were as simple as that, we wouldn’t need countless years of research and pretty much anyone with a bit of dedication could achieve optimal health.
But the truth is peak physical and mental health is reliant on a variety of factors and needs perfect balance(homeostasis) to function optimally.
Healthy Diet
The most obvious factor when it comes to improving health is diet. You fuel your body with excessively fatty, fried, sugary and processed foods you will likely feel run down, tired and in a lot of cases be overweight which is a problem in its own. Increasing your intake of raw fruits and vegetables is the easiest transition into a healthy diet. In my opinion a vegan diet is the most optimal for healthy well being, the lack of animal meat which is often rich in powerful hormones and antibiotics is enough alone, let alone the increase in fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, pulses and legumes means that means we are consuming more health promoting plant foods.
As were only briefly mentioning diet, we cant miss out proper hydration. Hydration is essential for a number of body functions such as detoxification, skin health, digestion, brain health and much more. Even mild dehydration can cause sub-optimal body function. Even though we have ready access to water many still suffer from dehydration so this is an important factor to remember for many. Aim for at least 2 liters water a day from the best sources you have access too.
Cutting down your intake of processed, fried foods etc or eliminating them totally is the best idea. Moderating or eliminating alcohol intake is also a wise idea. Moderate intake of alcohol has shown to be healthy but there is a fine line and as we all know alcohol is a potent toxin and is very detrimental to liver health. Liver support herbs can be a great remedy in times of overindulgence, some good examples include milk thistle, schizandra berry, dandelion, turmeric, andrographis and artichoke leaf. As there is no real safe level of alcohol it is probably best avoided.
Exercise
The next most important factoring in maintaining and improving health has to be exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to be effective at preventing and treating a variety of degenerative diseases. Exercise is also a great stress buster and mood enhancer so can help those who suffer from depression and other stress related disorders.
Some other benefits of exercise include improving cardiovascular health, maintaining a health body weight and reducing the risk of stroke, improving bone health through increasing bone density(helping ward of diseases such as osteoporosis), help prevent and treat mental health disorders and prevent a variety of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes and lower the incidence of certain cancers.
Stress
One of the most negative influences on health has to be stress. Modern living is stressful, whether its making ends meet paying bills or other chronic stressors that can take there toll on the body. Stress is very detrimental to the health of you adrenal glands and eventually you can crash these glands and cause a variety of chronic health problems from fatigue, allergies, inflammatory conditions, lowering immunity, poor digestion, low libido and much more.
If you are going through periods of stress and feel like your not coping with it well, then look into supplementing with adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogenic herbs increase the bodies resistance to stress whether physical problems or emotional, some good examples include schizandra berry, ashwagandha(good for those with anxiety or intense stress due to stimulating GABA),licorice root, jiaogulan, maca root and siberian ginseng.
On the same note of stress, positive outlook and emotional well being go a long way to influencing the state of your physical and mental health. Those who have regular negative thoughts often have numerous health problems such as fatigue, low mood, poor sex drive, lowered immune response and so on. Life can be hard at times but in most cases there is always some one worse off, we need to deal with the cards were dealt and move on positively if we want to achieve a good standard of health. Removing negative influences and stressors can be the first step to taking a load off the body.
Sleep
Sleep also plays a major role in relation to the standard of our health. It is estimated that we need roughly 8 hours of sleep per night. Some experts believe sleep is just as important to overall health as diet and exercise are. Some effects of poor sleep on our health include mental disorders, lowered immune function, hormonal problems, adverse effect on our ability to metabolize sugar and much more.
Our own body clock is another issue, fighting against it isn’t a good idea either as it puts another stress on the body. Avoiding food late at night is a good idea as it can effect sleep, as well as avoiding stimulants all together such as caffeine. Chronic stimulant usage can weaken the adrenal glands which as described above can cause a variety of health problems.
Sun & Vitamin D
Sun exposure naturally produces vitamin D, which is a very hard hormone to get via a vegan diet. Most people especially in the United Kingdom don’t get anywhere near enough daily sun exposure to produce adequate levels of vitamin D. To support optimal health you should aim for at least 15-20 minutes of sun exposure daily preferably during the middle of the day.
Most of these points might be obvious to some but there often overlooked and going back to basics can often help in the process of improving health.
Recommended Herbal Retailers
Indigo Herbs are a good retailer of herbal powders and superfood products, if you wish to purchase these please use the link below as it helps keep our site running. Thanks.
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