Health, Wealth, and Vitality
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
- Aristotle -
Health = habit. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to be in the gym 7 days a week to be healthy. But you do need to do a few things consistently so you can stay healthy, wealthy and vital. Today, let’s start with 4 habits. Or at least one.
Do you want:
- more productive hours out of your day?!
- Better energy?
- A fitter body?
- Sharper mind?!
Of Course! We all do. And much like Aristotle’s excellent quote above, it’s all about habits. Stephen Covey, the famous business writer, capitalized and contextualized a set of habits for excellence in his book ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. As his popularity grew he published many more books including one on the ‘habit’ and fundamentals of eating right. This is to say, it’s all about habits. One day-at-a time.
So starting the day with a healthy smoothy of protein, omega 3-6-9’s, anti-oxidants, and a multi-vitamin instead of a Tim Horton’s Coffee and/or Egg McMuffin is one of those habits you want to start. You will be more energized throughout the day and more productive. For the case of this article – let’s simplify to 4 habits necessary for maxim energy and health. Armed with this arsenal of healthy habits – you will feel better than you ever have before.
EAT LIKE A DIABETIC
If you were a diabetic, in conjuction with a nutritionist, your doctor would prescribe, among other things, the following:
- eat low glycemic foods
- eat every 2-3 hours
- eat protein with each meal
- eat 5 to 6 small meals a day
- avoid eating carbohydrates by themselves
This is all about balancing your blood sugar levels. And although it is a common prescription diet for a diabetic it is actually how we should ALL be eating ALL of the time. When our blood sugar is low, we feel tired and hungry. With those of us on a typical 9 to 5 schedule, we hit these moments regularly mid-morning, and mid-afternoon. But how do we change this?
The most important step in the road to balanced blood sugar and increased energy is protein. Eat a palm sized serving of protein 6 times per day. Choose the leaner, heart healthy proteins. These should fall under the thumb rule of ‘white’ proteins: chicken, fish, turkey, egg whites, whey protein, cottage cheese, etc. This doesn’t mean don’t eat red meats, just eat them rarely – they are denser in the bad fats.
Eating smaller, protein based meals more often balances your blood sugar levels, increases your metabolic rate, helps with muscle stiffness and soreness, increases your immune system’s ability to fight off disease and keeps you alert and awake all day long.
HABIT #1 – Eat protein 5 to 6 times per day.
EAT YOUR VEGETABLES
Mom was right. There is no secret – we need the high level phyto-nutrients from vegetables (and fruits). Harvard’s medical school has increased their daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables to 8 – 12 servings per day. This is a large amount. 1.5 to 2 full servings of vegetables at each of 6 meals a day. Let’s be honest, none of us get this – I don’t. I recommend a vegetable and/or fruit supplement to be taken once a day to everyone. Typically dehydrated organic supplements with high orac value phyto-nutrients from MANY fruits and vegetables is the way to go. Variety in your diet has always been a tenant of solid nutrition advice.
Many of the popular phyto-nutrient rich ingredients out there are: wheat grass, chlorella, aloe vera, kale, acai, goji berry, mangosteen etc. And with these products we have seen wild claims from anti-aging to cancer curing! These claims come from two areas: alkalizing properties and anti-oxidization. I will expand upon these in a future article, but essentially, fruits and vegetables make your body more alkaline and less acidic – a very healthy state that radically increases your immune function. Anti-oxidants combat free radical damage caused by things like cigarette smoke, stress, fried foods, sun damage, alcohol etc. Using a quality vegetable/fruit supplement will increase your health and vitality, maybe even your lifespan!
HABIT #2 – Eat your vegetables. 8-12 servings per day (use a vegetable and/or fruit supplement to get there).
GET YOUR VITAMINS
A recent survey showed that 79% of Canadians believe that a multi-vitamin is an essential part of a healthy diet. The same survey showed that only 19% use one.
If you are not eating a purely 100% certified organic diet, filled with proteins from fresh game and non-hormone fed animals – then you are NOT getting what you need from your food. Canadian soils have been farmed dry of many of the essential nutrients we need. A multi-vitamin is your insurance policy against what you are not getting from your diet.
The key take-away here is that the common once-a-day multi-vitamin is providing great nutrition for your toilet. Hard packed ‘once-a-day’ multi-vitamins are very difficult for the body to break down. A true ‘once-a-day’ multi should look like a loose group of pills. The other good options are chewables (be careful of sugar content!), or a capsule that has a thin vegetable outer cap with loose powder inside. Both of these, chewables or capsules need to be taken 2-3 times per day for maximum effect. The good news, is taking a capsule or chewable even once a day – the body will absorb more nutrients than from one hard packed ‘once-a-day’ multi-vitamin.
HABIT #3 – Get a quality multi-vitamin into your diet: chewable or capsulated. A loose group/pack of pills works as well – this is the only true ‘once-a-day’ option.
EAT FAT – LOSE WEIGHT
By having a consistent source of the good fats in your diet, meaning essential fatty acids from fish, flax seed, and coconut oil, your body functions at an optimum level. Essential fatty acids have a positive effect on metabolism, and reduction in the amount of stored body fat, better skin, and a healthier mind. Your brain is comprised of approximately 60% fat. Have you ever heard that ‘fish food is brain food’? It is true – approximately 60% of your brain is made up of omega 3 essential fatty acids – the best source being fish.
HABIT #4 – Have at least 2 servings a day of essential fatty acids/omega 3-6-9 per day.
How do we get all of this into our diets? See a nutritionist, or spend some time at a nutrition store that focuses on customer education. But in the short term, follow the suggestions above. And get started today - with at least one of the 4 habits.
And keep this article on your fridge – for a reminder…
Sandy is the owner of local Kamloops nutrition store Popeye’s Supplements. He is a former university lecturer, university football player, and a world kickboxing champion. He speaks regularly on the importance of nutrition to athletes, businesses, seniors, and high school kids around Canada, Australia, and the U.S.