Very often when people consider improving their health it seems like a daunting and insurmountable task that requires tremendous willpower. However that’s not how it needs to be. There are some simple, effortless and dare I say it, enjoyable ways to improve your health. Here’s a small list of our suggestions:
- The grapefruit effect. Trying to lose weight? You might be interested to know about the grapefruit effect. A recent study had people eat half a grapefruit before their meal. Those people lost an average of 3.6 pounds over a 12 week period, without doing anything else. How does it work? It is thought that a component of the grapefruit lowers your insulin levels. Because of this, the calories that are in the meal stay in your bloodstream and are used immediately, instead of being quickly stored away as fat. Is it a massive weight loss? No, but it works out to nearly 14.5 pounds in the run of a year. How would you like to be 14.5 pounds lighter in a year? It should be noted that grapefruit does interact with a number of medications, so consult with your doctor before consuming grapefruit.
- Vitamin D. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin as your skin will make it when exposed to sunlight. What does it do? One of the big things is that it is responsible for bone density, but it is also important for mood, energy and reduces the risk of heart attacks and certain cancers. The problem we have in northern climates is that our bodies do not make enough vitamin D in the winter. Milk and soy milk are fortified with vitamin D for that very reason, but what if you don’t drink these daily? Then you really should consider supplements as it is nearly impossible to get your daily requirement from your diet (trust me, I’m normally a HUGE advocate for getting your nutrition from real food, not supplements). 1000IU is the recommended daily dose. Doses above this are considered above tolerable limits and can alter your body chemistry for the worse.
- Floss. It has been shown that regularly flossing and visiting a dentist will add 6.4 years to your life. How is this possible? It is thought that by keeping the number of bacteria in your mouth down through good dental hygiene, you decrease the amount of inflammation in your arteries. As a result, people experience less strokes and cardiovascular disease.
- Have a curry. A common ingredient in curry is the spice turmeric. Turmeric contains a chemical known as curcumin, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. This can be good news for stroke and cardiovascular disease. Does it decrease inflammation to a significant level? The jury is still out, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying spicy foods!
- See a chiropractor. Yes, chiropractic is good for neck pain and back aches, but it can also improve your health. How? Remember, the spine houses the nervous system. It is through the nervous system that your brain can tell your body what needs to be done (beat the heart, digest that sandwich, make urine, and so on). So, if your spine isn’t functioning properly, then your brain may not be fully able to tell the body what to do, and your health suffers. Want proof? A recent study found that those who see a chiropractor for routine check-ups (that’s visits where they had no symptoms) were 50% less likely to see their GP that year. Plus, there have been a number of studies showing health benefits to chiropractic care; lower back and neck pain, sciatica, headaches, migraines, tennis elbow, arthritis of the hip, knee, ankle and foot pain and colic So what are you waiting for, schedule your chiropractic check-up.
