Following a clean diet provides the most nutrition per calorie, and does not cause any adverse health effects is KEY to good health. The saying "you are what you eat" is so very true. In a nutshell, what you eat your body uses, changes, or stores. I challenge you to find a diet that has more nutrition and less negative health effects, and if everybody's honest, you wont find one. A vegetarian diet lacks protein, essential amino acids, healthy fats, especially omega-3's. I used to be a vegan... didn't last long because I felt like crap and I was hungry every 2 hours. I used to be a pesco-ovo-vegetarian... close, but I didn't eat enough meat and I ate too much grain... I was hungry every two hours and I HAD to have a nap in the middle of the day.
I grew up on the typical American diet... hot dogs, hamburgers, mom's homemade macaroni and cheese, and junk food. I didn't know how good I could feel until I started eating Paleo. The purpose of our food is to provide us with energy and nutrition for optimal health and function, not to make us sick. I ask you to ask yourself these questions: Does your diet make your body look good? Does your diet give you energy and make you feel fantastic? In your workout program, does it make you perform better, can you go longer and harder? If the answer to all of these three questions is still no, I challenge you to try the Paleo diet for a month and see if the Paleo diet doesn't make you answer yes to all of these questions.
Because we are genetically the same people as we were thousands of years ago living in a modern world, there are things we are environmentally exposed to that our ancestors were not. For instance, in our air lies environmental pollutants. Our food is injected with synthetic hormones, chemicals, and antibiotics. When we are sick, we are fed drugs that in some cases save lives, they do not address the cause and often times are given to disguise symptoms. When your body experiences symptoms, it's a cry out for help.
The food that you eat effects your health in many different ways. Examples: Eating to many high glycemic foods = high blood insulin = disease. Acidic forming foods = acidic blood = leaching calcium from bones to balance pH of blood = disease (especially osteoporosis). Taking a drug for a disease = Overloading your liver with toxins = more disease. In our modern world, there are so many different pathways to disease that were not concerns of our ancestors, just as their concerns of being eaten by predators are not a concern of ours.
So how do I live a life of Prevention?
Adopt a Paleo diet-- that means avoid all types of sugar (although the occasional honey is fine), grains, dairy, beans and legumes, and alcoholic beverages. Ensure that you are properly following the paleo diet so that you are balancing acidic forming foods with alkaline forming foods. (Meat and everything else = acidic, fruits and vegetables = alkaline). Be cautious of your intake for drugs and antibiotics. Consider a natural alternative if there is one. Do a candida cleanse if you think you may have yeast overgrowth. If you have ever taken antibiotics in your life and not replaced the natural flora with probiotics, you have some yeast overgrowth.
Try to induce a deep sweat once or twice a week, preferably with an infared sauna, a hot coal sauna, or in your home in the bath tub sitting for 30 minutes in water as hot as you can stand it. Make sure that you are properly hydrated prior to sweating! Consider intermittent fasting to give your digestive system a rest and to reset your metabolism. This is proven to increase your longevity. Look it up! Supplement your diet daily with digestive enzymes, probiotics, and a high quality acai supplement Get daily exercise-- move around in some way! I recommend CrossFit and Yoga. Pilates, walking, even just going to the gym will do something. Find something you love so that you stick with it. Keep your body flexible with a daily stretching program or Yoga.
Use Massage Therapy for when those little aches and pains pop up-- you don't want them to get worse and cause chronic issues. Get a chiropractic adjustment once a month. It's not just about your bones and muscles- it keeps your nervous system functioning optimally, Get acupuncture once a month- keeping your energy pathways open can improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Take a good look at your lifestyle. I've had many people tell me that they live a "healthy lifestyle" or they "eat healthy" when in fact, everyone has a different definition of healthy. To me, healthy isn't just the lack of disease, it's wellness and fitness. Living a life of wellness and fitness is prevention.
