Healt Tips

Some basic health tips are listed below, applicable to most adults and children.

Sunlight

• Try to get sunlight in your eyes or on your face first thing in the morning, it helps jumpstart production of Serotonin, a brain chemical that tells your body that everything is OK.  Sunlight is a source of Vitamin D.  Many believe that humans NEED to spend some time in the sunlight every week and commune with nature to provide a healthy balance to their stressful lifestyle.

Water

• If your urine is dark (darker than the color of straw/hay) you are probably dehydrated.  Water helps to flush toxins & wastes from your body.
• Never drink tap water.  It can contain bacteria, heavy metals (such as aluminum and  mercury), toxic chemicals such as DDT & other pesticides, flouride, etc.
• Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces every day of purified water.  A 200 lb person should drink 100 oz of water a day.
• Unless actively on a detox program, drink purified water rather than distilled water.  Distilled water can act like a vacuum, attracting not only toxins, but also vital minerals, that will be flushed from the body.  Frozen distilled water viewed under a microscope has a strange, non-uniform crystalline structure compared to purified water.
• Sip/drink water and avoid "chugging" water.
• Drink herbal teas (avoid black teas), especially cleansing teas such as liver detox blends, Jason Winters, or Dandelion Root teas.  Decaffeinated Green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants.
• Add fresh lime and/or lemon to your water to help alkalize your body.  Add Stevia (herbal) sweetener for a healthy lemonade.

Food

• Never eat with people you dislike, it can negatively affect your digestion.  Chew your food thoroughly, in a relaxing atmosphere.  Never eat when you are anrgy: try prayer, meditation, and other relaxation techniques to change your temperment rather than eating when emotionally upset.
• Take a broad-spectrum, plant based Enzyme supplement with every meal (such as Vibra-Gest).  Enzymes are responsible for breaking down food during the digestive process, as well as healing, and other important functions.  Nothing happens in the body without enzymes.  Any time food is cooked to 118 degrees or above, the enzymes in the food are killed.  Undigested food rots & spoils, and can be a major source of stress and illness in the body.  Undigested food particles (CICs) weaken the immune system and can cause asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, and other debilitating diseases.
• Avoid sugar, Nutrasweet and other artificial sweeteners, and MonoSodiumGlutamate (MSG).  Your body treats sugar as a toxin/poison.  Your body is unsure how to process foreign chemicals such as Nutrasweet, and some research suggests that artificial sweeteners & MSG may be "excitotoxins" which cause/contribute to Alzheimers and other diseases.  A healthy alternative is an herbal sweetener called Stevia (I use Stevita - Stevia Supreme).  Stevia is a South American herb which is sweeter than sugar, has no side effects, and has some medicinal properties.  It has been used safely for centuries.
• Avoid commercial chicken and beef (especially the frozen variety - because it contains up to a 20% "solution" which contains MSG to enhance flavor).  Commercial chicken and beef contain pesticides and growth hormones.  Growth hormones and high estrogen levels have been directly linked to breast cancer.   Growth hormones are also linked to early puberty in girls.
• Buy organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables.  Organic foods cost more, but on average contain 2-3 times the vitamins & minerals than their non-organic counterparts.  Organic foods are grown without pesticides and contain little or no preservatives.  Use Sea Salt rather than processed salt.
• Try to eat 70% raw, unprocessed foods -- because they are more alkaline and contain live enzymes and important cancer fighting chemicals.  Meats and cooked foods are more acidic.  An optimum Ph level for your body is 8.6.  Most people are about a 5 or 6 on the Ph scale.  Cancer flourishes in a sugar rich, acidic environment! The body does 3 things to combat an acidic Ph level: 1)  It retains water to dilute acids/toxins.  2)  It leeches alkaline materials from the body (such as calcuim from the bones) to help neutralize acids and maintain a more alkaline Ph level.  3)  It identifies toxins (such as sugar, and harmful chemicals) and either finds or creates fat to wrap around the toxins and then deposits the fat away from internal organs whenever it can.  In a nutshell, learn to love salads.  I have a chart to give you that shows what should be in your 70% group.
• Eat more fish.  Especially Salmon, Halibut, and other deep water fish. 
• Eat dark green leafy salads, and add plenty of antioxidant & cancer fighting veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.  Avoid cheese, processed ham/meats, eggs, pastas, etc.  Use salad dressing moderately or sparingly.  Try to use low fat/low calorie dressings. See also food of Holy Prophet(PBUH)

Elimination

• Never wait to use the bathroom and eliminate toxins from your body.  "Holding it" is stressful to your body and may cause the body to introduce waste material back into the bloodstream.
• Throughout history, most humans had to squat low to the ground for elimination, and the alignment of the body during squatting is conducive to elimination.  Modern toilets align the body differently than squatting, and therefore the body uses different muscles.  Consider using a step stool to raise your feet during stool elimination if you have trouble with bowel movement/constipation.

Avoid Alcohol

• Alcohol is stressful and toxic to every system in the body.  It raises blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, causes dehydration, kills prescription antibiotics in the blood stream, causes food cravings for sugar and carbohydrates, and is very acidic.  It is essential to avoid alcohol for weight loss.

Exercise Regularly

• Exercise 20 - 30 minutes 3 times a week minimum.  Unlike your vascular system which circulates blood, the Lymph system has no "pump" like the heart.  The lymph system helps to detox the body and fight bacteria and viruses.  Your body contains more lymph fluid than blood, and exercise is the only way to help circulate the lymph fluid.  Deep breathing and exercise oxygenate the body.

Stay Positive!

• Negative emotions are physically bad for your body.  Negative emotions actually trigger the creation of Cortisol: a damaging chemical that depresses the immune system and can actually attack lean muscle tissue.  Cortisol also causes food cravings and negatively affects blood sugar.  If your goal is weight loss, it is imperative that you avoid negative thinking and do your best to appropriately handle stress.
• Find, borrow, or buy Tony Robbins motivational tapes or CDs.  They really can help you to stay positive and move your life in the direction you want it to go.   Attitude and weight loss go hand-in-hand.
• Listen to uplifting/inspirational/relaxing music, such as Yanni, Enya, Bach, Beethoven, and many others.  Music makes things fun and can create a relaxed atmosphere with little effort.  Ever tried watching a good movie without the music???  It definitely loses something !!