The United Chiropractic Association describes several ‘Pillars of Health’. I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions, but after the Christmas excesses most people are ready to make a few lifestyle adjustments to get a bit healthier. The Pillars of Health provide a nice checklist to work on. I’ll start with Nutrition and then write further blogs about the others, here’s the full list:
- Nutrition
- Hydration
- Movement
- Mindfulness
- Sleep
- Brain & body connection
Nutrition – You are what you eat! A healthy diet lowers the risk of disease, improves energy levels, improves mood and concentration, and improves the immune system and cellular repair.
The importance of diet shouldn’t be understated, it has a huge impact on health. Food is medicine, food is also poison, so choose wisely! Watch out for high amounts of sugar, artificial additives and preservatives, and processed or fast food. Personally my weakness is biscuits. If there’s a food you love then don’t cut it out completely, but limit it to an occasional treat – life’s to be enjoyed too!
The closer food is to its natural state the better – it will hold onto more vitamins and minerals. Fresh, raw, or lightly cooked food is what we have evolved to digest. Healthy foods include:
Vegetables, salad, fruit, leafy greens – for minerals, vitamins, and fibre
Meat, fish, eggs – for iron, protein, and omega 3 oils
Nuts, seeds – can contain important minerals and healthier fats
Potatoes, rice, some breads – complex carbohydrates provide slower burning energy than sugar, watch for additives and preservatives in bread. The old advice used to be to consume high amounts of carbohydrates, this no longer holds true, so look to reduce the amount of carbs on the plate and replace it with more salad and veg!
For further information see https://www.united-chiropractic.org
Look out for the next blog where I’ll discuss… hydration!