My Healthy Living Secrets 202

Permit me through this medium to share with you some secrets that has helped and is still helping me when it comes to staying healthy.

1. Healthy Foods, Not Expensive: Before coming into the world of almost drug free life. It was not without years of grouping in the dark concerning my health and how to take charge of it. This is not to say that I am against pharmaceutical drugs, of course they are perfect in remedying any bad situation requiring urgency. The entire piece are all my opinion based on personal experience.
It is possible to actually leave a drug-free life. It is attainable, but with a bit of understanding on how your body works. I am an advocate of Natural Foods, Not to say that there cannot be provision for occasional snagging . You will agree with me that foods like fresh vegetables, peppers, spices, grains, chickens, groundnuts, coconuts, walnuts. Eggs etc are not too expensive, unfortunately, many of us prefer fast foods, and the like. The area requiring discipline is the quantity we consume myself inclusive, We usually want to satisfy our appetite complete thereby consuming in excess our required daily allowance in most cases. Endeavor to cub our appetite for unhealthy and processed foods and state on the natural/fresh food side. It is one secret that worked for me, is still working and will work for anybody too.

2. Maintain An Ideal Weight: If there is one secret enemy of a healthy body I discovered is excess weight. If you are overweight and having health issues, I will strongly suggest and advise you work on the weight first and after that, then you start addressing the issue if it is still there. Extra weight brings with it so many health complications, blood pressure, weakness, diabetes, and many other inflammatory diseases like arthritis and pains. If you are having an ideal weight, this is not a certificate of fitness though, it is still necessary to maintain its. Unfortunately, I have tasted both sides, i.e underweight and overweight, sounds funny but its true. In my opinion, It is dangerous to be underweight that the former. Being underweight also predisposes you to many ailments and the cells in most cases are even exposed to bacteria and virus than in the body of a weighty fellow. So both extreme are actually dangerous.


3. Avoid Stress: Stress of all kinds whether physical, mental or emotion are also around and within us, Myself in particular finds it difficult to deal with this, but there is improvement. Whatever that helps us keep stress at alms length should be embraced and welcomed. Identify the stressors they are inside and outside the home. Stress is a doorway for diseases and at the other end they worsen every condition. Ironically, some things that were meant to be blessings to us becomes a source of stress due to lack of prioritization. If you want to enjoy wellness and wholeness of life, then stress must be out of it. At the other extreme, extreme relaxation is a stress on its own and even appears to me the more dangerous .



5. Water Therapy: It is necessary to understand that our bodies are made of more water as some research puts it about 70%. A higher percentage of our daily fluid intake should be in the morning in empty stomach. Check my post on: Ensure that you are always properly hydrated, It is a health secret that wards of made diseases, I spoken severally on this topic and would rather refer you to post Make clean water you best fluid, only occasionally after maybe a workout that occasional indulgence helps, even then in most cases coconut water is preferred if available.

6. Avoid heavy Meals Late at Night: This is an immune suppressor and in some cases you may even wake up with a high temperature especially if cow meat is involved in the meal. As much as possible ensure to have your last meal latest 8.00pm.
7. Avoid Transfats: Yes, in the form of most vegetable oils ,and margarine. Of course you may ask why? Because they deplete the reserves of our digestive enzymes, they are acidic and inflammatory in most cases. These are markers of a suppressed or weak immune system. Oils like olive oil, natural peanut oil, coconut oil and red palm oil are my favorite for cooking, I use organic peanut oil most of the time, because of its high smoke point and ability to keep food preserved for long. As a matter I use it more frequently than any other.

8.Include Occasional Bitters: Many of us are not bothered about including bitters in their diet occasionally. It is a healthy leaving secret, I learn t some years back. We have plenty of bitter leaf in our environment. Children should be groomed to love bitter leaf occasionally in their soups. It is one liver enhancing food. Our liver works so hard to keep us going on a daily . If there are no bitters in your diet and that of your family. They are predisposed to all kinds of disease. Research is showing that it is the last hope for diabetes. Wash it and eat some of it raw. These are more easily assimilated than the cooked version. You will still need to make your soup with it, it is delicious. Check my post on Recipe for bitter leaf soup.

9. Make Raw Food Part of your Daily Diet: It is a secret of healthy living for you and your family. Raw foods in the form of most fruits and vegetables especially cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, onions. Garlic also is required as a raw food to keep bacterial and infections under control.

10. Include Fermented foods: I prefer to ferment my millet and use occasionally as pap and at other times for swallow as in eba, molded garri which we swallow with varieties of soups.
Other fermented foods include: iru, Dawadawa, Okpei and Ogiri. They are all great for a healthy intestinal flora. Don’t forget Mr Calorie, Fufu, completely. Only take in moderation. It is among the fermented foods and contains no gluten. Also it is known to be one of the best friends of the stomach. Part of the reason is that it produces no gas, It is one of the stomach friendly foods.