Suggestions and tips for living your life healthier

 
Guidelines for viral infections:

• Thyroid malfunctions in children can result in having viral infections frequently.
• A fever is the body's way of killing off viral infections. Do not suppress the fever unless it exceeds 103 degrees or your physician advises otherwise.
• Children with viral infections should not be given aspirin.
• Drink plenty of fluids.  Juices, tea and soup are excellent.
• If you have a fever do not take iron.
• You need to get as much sleep and rest as possible.
• Avoid aspirin unless your physician advises as this irritates the mucous membranes and can cause gastric distress and even damage.
• Sip on hot soup. (garlic, chicken or turkey are good home remedies)
• Viral infections are  transferred primarily by hand contact. Always wash and dry your hands and keep them away from your mouth, nose and eyes.
• Antibiotics will not fight against viral infections. They may even exacerbate them.
• Boost your immune system. Get heaps of rest, exercise daily, and eat sensibly.

• Eat a balanced diet including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts. Reduce the intake on animal protein and get it from other sources such as fish and soy products. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Reduce carbohydrates and increase green leafy veggies to lose weight and improve overall health.
• Allow your body the proper amount of sleep. Most people need at least 8 hours daily.
• Decrease salt intake. Salt is a major additive to almost all processed foods. 
• Exercise Regularly (30 minutes a day is recommended).  Intense exercise stimulates the release of Human Growth Hormone.  Moderate exercise controls weight and improved immunity, improves heart health, and protection from age related and degenerative diseases.
• It can be better to eat 4/5 small meals a day rather than 3 big meals. 
• It is important to keep the colon clean. This will fight off diseases and slow the aging process. A high-fiber diet and cleansing enemas once weekly can really help.
• Your body needs lots of water so drink before you feel thirsty. Bottled or distilled water is better than tap water and green or black tea is best. It is a myth that tap water is as healthy and contamination free as bottled water. 
• Limit your alcohol intake to no more than about two glasses of wine daily and never binge drink
• Lower you food intake overall, and raise you raw food consumption.
• Relax, stay active and be positive about life. Get involved in other activities and hobbies along with your current diet and exercise programs.

• Refrain from red meats, caffeine, white flour, white sugar, food additives, (chemical) recreational drugs, pesticides and tap water, and cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup, HFCS, completely. Almost all processed foods and canned drinks contain HFCS.
• Avoid saturated fats.  Eat a variety of good Omega 3,6, and 9 oils.
• Smoke and overexposure to environmental pollutants are harmful to the skin, lung function and immunity. They will drastically lower healthy life span.
• One proven key to great health as you age is a low-calorie diet. Only eat when you are truly hungry and eat primarily fresh foods. Glucose levels may increase if you eat  too many carbohydrates. They also cause weight gain.
• When washing your skin do not use harsh soaps. Use olive, avocado or almond oil to clean the skin.  Salt or sugar are great substitutes for abrasive cleaners.
• Practice deep breathing to help your blood's oxygenation and circulation. Hold your breath for 30 seconds every 1/2 hour. Inhale, place your tongue on the roof of your mouth where your teeth meet your gums and release the air slowly. Repeat everyday.  This  acts as catalysts for the oxygen transfer to the tissues.

• A deep cleansing facial mask used once a week will do a great deal for your skin. It will remove dead skin whilst clarifying the skin. Mix 1 teaspoon green clay powder and 1 teaspoon raw honey. Then put it all over your face for 15 minutes. Rinse. Once mask is removed, moisturize face with a gentle lotion. As an everyday alternative honey works wonders when spread over the skin and left for about 30 minutes before rinsing with warm water.
• A loofah sponge and warm water can enhance circulation and get rid of dead skin cells on the face. Use it twice a week. Stay away from the eye area.  Sugar mixed with a good face wash makes a great mild abrasive to help remove dead skin.
• Avoid sugar, soft drinks, chocolate, fast food/junk food, and bagged chips as well as all fried foods, especially fast food fries and the hamburgers sold by the most popular fast food chains were found to contain less than 12% actual beef.
• Calendula cream or oil with comfrey, vitamin E oil and aloe vera is recommended for dry fingers.
• Animal fats, and heat-processed oils are not recommended. Only consume cold-pressed oils. Supplemental fatty acids are beneficial for the skin.
• Garlic, onions, asparagus, and eggs provide sulfur to keep your skin youthful and smooth. You can also obtain sulfur from L-cysteine in pill form.
• Harsh cleansing creams, cold creams, and soaps should be avoided. Pure olive, avocado or almond oil are recommended.
• In order to hydrate your skin, you should drink 2 quarts of water or tea each day.
• Incorporate lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds into your balanced diet. Vegetable protein is beneficial, along with raw foods.
• Keep bath or shower water at a comfortable temperature. Make sure it is not too hot. Keep the length of showers down to avoid inhaling the pollutants in tap water.
• Keep your home air from becoming too dry with a humidifier if necessary.
• Moisturize your skin as needed throughout the day, but especially after bathing. A natural moisturizer with nutrients is recommended.
• Refrain from smoking and being around second-hand smoke.
• Moderate your consumption of alcohol and caffeine as they cause fluid and nutrient loss.
• Those with especially dry or cracked skin should consume more water and essential fatty acids. Keep skin moisturized and protected. Dry skin ages faster. 
• Use sunscreen whenever exposed to the sun. Avoid direct sunlight if possible.
• Yellow and orange vegetables are recommended as a good source of beta carotene. 

• Go retro: Your main course should be 80 percent vegetables, 20 percent animal protein, like it was pre-World War II. Opt for the opposite of the quarter pounder topped with a token leaf of iceberg lettuce and an anemic tomato slice. Meat should be used sparingly for taste, as in the old days when it was scarce, and should not be the focus of the meal.
• Mix and match your vegetables: Vary the vegetables you eat from one meal to the next, or mix them together. Broccoli is an effective antioxidant  food, and is even more effective when combined with tomato sauce, onions or garlic. Get in the habit of adding onions, garlic or leeks to all your dishes as you cook.
• Go organic: Choose organic foods whenever possible, but remember it's always better to eat broccoli that's been exposed to pesticide than to not eat broccoli at all (the same applies to any other antioxidant vegetable).
• Spice it up: Add turmeric (with black pepper) when cooking (delicious in salad dressings!). This yellow spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent. Remember to add Mediterranean herbs to your food: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, mint, etc. They don't just add flavor, they can also help reduce the risk of illness and disease.
• Skip the potato: Potatoes raise blood sugar, which can feed inflammation and cell mutation. They also contain high levels of pesticide residue (to the point that most potato farmers I know don't eat their own grown potatoes).
• Go fish: Eat fish two or three times a week - sardines, mackerel, and anchovies have less mercury and PCBs than bigger fish like tuna. Avoid swordfish and shark, which the FDA says pregnant women should not eat because they contain a high concentration of contaminants.
• Remember not all eggs are created equal: Choose only omega-3 eggs, or don't eat the yolks. Hens are now fed on mostly corn and soybeans, and their eggs contain 20 times more pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than cell-growth regulating omega-3s.
• Change your oil: Use only olive and canola oil in cooking and salad dressings. Go through your kitchen cabinets and throw out your soybean, corn and sunflower oils. (And no, you can't give them to your neighbors or your relatives... They're much too rich in omega-6 fatty acids!)
• Say "Brown is beautiful": Eat your grains whole and mixed (wheat with oats, barley, spelt, flax, etc.) and favor organic whole grains when possible since pesticides tend to accumulate on whole grains. Avoid refined, white flour (used in bagels, muffins, sandwich bread, buns, etc.) whenever possible, and eat white pasta only 'al dente'.
• Keep sweets down to fruits: Cut down on sugar by avoiding sweetened sodas and fruit juices, and skipping dessert or replacing it with fruit (especially stone fruits and berries) after most meals. Read the labels carefully, and steer clear of products that list any type of sugar (including brown sugar, corn syrup, etc.) in the first three ingredients. If you have an incorrigible sweet tooth, try a few squares of dark chocolate containing more than 70% cocoa.
• Go green: Instead of coffee or black tea, drink three cups of green tea per day. Use decaffeinated green tea if it gets you too wired. Regular consumption of green tea has been linked to a significant reduction in the risk of developing illnesses.
• Make room for exceptions: What matters is what you do on a daily basis, not the occasional treat.

Taking Green Omega 3 will help you with the above diet as it contains all the natural oils and healthy fatty oils your body needs, but cant produce itself.

Guidelines to general wellbeing and contentment:

• Get physical: Make time to exercise, be it walking, dancing or running or a sport. Aim for 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity at least 5 days a week. This can be as easy as just walking part of the way to the office, or the grocery store or taking the stairs versus the lift. A dog is often a better walking partner than an exercise buddy. Choose an activity you enjoy; if you're having fun, you're more likely to stick with it.  To obtain the greatest benefit do intervals of four minutes moderate intensity followed by one minute of intense exertion.  This will stimulate the release of growth hormone. The is nothing about health that exercise will not improve. It should be your first line defense against aging.

• Let the sun shine in: Try to get at least 20 minutes of daily sun exposure (torso, arms and legs) without sunscreen, preferably at noon in the summer (but take care to avoid sunburns!). This will boost your body's natural production of Vitamin D.

• As an alternative: Discuss the option of taking a Vitamin D3 supplement with your doctor. If you are getting less than 20 minutes of full sun on your arms and chest daily it is virtually certain that you are Vitamin D deficient. 

• Read the Labels: Processed food makers do not want to tell you what is in their products.  Words on the front of the package like Natural, Healthy, Low Fat, Wholesome, and Sugar Free more often than not are used to draw your attention away from the very unhealthy ingredients such as High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose and other sugars, Sodium Chloride (Salt), Sugar substitutes, and other chemicals in the product.  If you do not take a minute to read the labels you will fall for their deceptive practices.  Remember to take your reading glasses with you when you food shop.

• Banish bad chemicals: Avoid exposure to common household contaminants. You should air our your dry-cleaning for two hours before storing or wearing it; use organic cleaning products (or wear gloves); don't heat liquids or food in hard plastics; avoid cosmetics with parabens and phthalates; don't use chemical pesticides in your house or garden; replace your scratched Teflon pans; filter your tap water (or used bottled water) if you live in a contaminated area; don't keep your cell phone close to you when it is turned on. 
• Reach out (and touch someone!): Reach out to at least two friends for support (logistical and emotional) during times of stress, even if it's through the internet. But if they're within arms reach, go ahead and hug them, often!
• Remember to breathe: Learn a basic breathing relaxation technique to let out some steam whenever you start to feel stressed. Get into a Yoga class or take up meditation.
• Get involved: Find out how you can best give something back to your local community, then give it. 
• Cultivate happiness like a garden: Make sure you do one thing you love for yourself on most days (it doesn't have to take long!).

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page should be in any way construed to imply that the reader should either disregard the advice of his or her physician or delay in seeking professional medical advice and/or care in the event of a medical question or concern.  Biotivia provides the information regarding healthy living practices purely for educational purposes.