“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”.
This quote is attributed to Hippocrates, who is known as the father of medicine. He also said “Let food by thy medicine and let medicine be thy food”. It amazes me he understood this 2500 years ago and yet we still don’t get it! I wonder what he would think about the ‘food like’ products that now crowd our supermarket shelves.
Starting a healthy lifestyle can be overwhelming. There are so many different types of food available and we’re constantly bombarded with new diets and ways of eating. At Natural Health Forever we’re all about keeping things simple and going back to the basics. It is true that different ways of eating suit different people, some people thrive on vegetarian diets, some following the paleo way of life, but the key elements are the same. Eat as nature intended and select foods with the smallest amount of human interference. 
Here are some ideas to get started.
1. The kitchen used to be the heart and soul of a home and nowadays the TV room has taken over. Restore the kitchen back to its place as the hub of the house and enjoy cooking, preparing food and eating with family and friends.
2. There is no need to go crazy and throw out your whole pantry to get started. This will be far too overwhelming. When you finish a product think about whether you can replace it with a healthier alternative. 
Begin adding in the good stuff and very soon it will crowd out the bad stuff.
3. Eat a wide variety of foods to get a range of nutrients. If you feel you are hungry all the time or craving foods you could be nutrient deficient. Many people are, and it is far better to get nutrients from foods than from supplements.
4. Question what’s in your food and where it’s from. Buy locally grown foods if you can. Food labels have ingredients listed in order of quantity. If the label contains numbers or words you don’t understand, don’t buy it.
5. Stack the health odds in your favour and include nutrient dense foods in your diet. Superfoods aren’t all hype and contain nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants in high quantities. Choose what resonates for you whether that’s adding spirulina to a smoothie, eating seaweed salad (my fave) or including more broccoli and blueberries in your diet.
6. Aim for consistency not perfection. A healthy human body is a wonderful, regenerating, detoxifying organ and if you consistently eat well most of the time it can cope with the rest. Food shouldn’t be stressful, it should be enjoyed. If I go out for dinner with friends I’m not going to watch them eat dessert and have none, I’m going to choose the most delicious one on the menu and enjoy it. I eat healthily consistently and enjoy these foods when I have them.
7. Use healthy cooking and food preparation techniques. These include steaming, sautéing, braising, casseroling, stewing, slow food cooking below 120C, making soup, baking, roasting, fermenting, sprouting, soaking and eating raw foods.
8. If you have a garden or balcony start growing your own organic herbs & vegetables. You really don’t need much space to start and it’s great fun for kids and a great way for them to learn about food.
9. Start with the basics:
- Choose a variety of different coloured vegetables & fruit that are in season.
- Limit processed foods. Check food labels for artificial colours, flavours & preservatives and avoid these.
- Swap refined carbohydrates & sugars, which are heavily processed and nutrient poor for whole grain counterparts or choose ‘pseudo’ grains such as quinoa, buckwheat & millet, which have many healthful properties. Grains are over consumed so balance and moderate the amount you are having.
- Choose wild fish instead of farmed.
- Choose organic pastured dairy.
- Include some well prepared nuts & seeds.
- Purchase animal produce that has been ethically & environmentally reared i.e. the animals are grazed as they would be found in nature.
- Include herbs in cooking to increase nutrient content and flavour of the food.
- Include good quality oils. Cook with Coconut oil and clarified butter or ghee, which can withstand high temperatures. Choose extra virgin cold pressed or expeller pressed olive oil to use at low temperatures or cold.
10. The World Health Organisation define health as “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Health isn’t just down to food, it’s also about breathing fresh air, consuming good quality water, enjoying physical activity, engaging in rewarding relationships and doing a job you love.
What is your definition of health? We would love to hear your thoughts on living a healthy lifestyle.
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