WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT POOR NUTRITION?
Large-scale changes to fix the world-wide immune disorder problem must be handled by organizations committed to bringing us back into a healthy symbiotic relationship with our earth and establishing environmentally-favorable farming practices and nutritionally-oriented food processing. And those of us who are passionate about helping with this movement should support and/or participate in it. In the meantime, the right question to ask ourselves is: what can each of us do individually and as families right now to ensure that we are eating the most nutritious food available to us and, thus, fortifying our bodies' immune systems for keeping us healthy? Below are a few ideas that are widely known and advocated among the natural health industry.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENSURE YOU'RE EATING NUTRITIOUS FOOD
- Grow your own garden, using only organic fertilizers and environmentally-friendly "pesticides." Depending upon the quality of your soil, you may need to bring in some nutritive-rich compost, top soil, etc. to build it up. It will be well worth your time to do this, because the plants will grow more abundantly and hardily, and the produce that you harvest will taste better and be more nutritious than otherwise. Even if you have only a tiny piece of ground you could cultivate or just a few pots you could grow a plant or two in, that would be much better than doing nothing to take care of your health. And ignorance of how to grow a garden is no reason for not doing so, as there are so many extremely helpful books and literature on the Internet and in the bookstores that take you step by step through the entire gardening process! The great thing about growing your own garden is that you know exactly what you used in preparing the ground and protecting the plants throughout their growing cycle. So, you needn't be concerned about toxins in the produce you harvest and consume.
- Purchase the best quality organically-grown and non-GMO food items you can find in your local community. Check to see if there is a weekly open-air market where local farmers sell their fresh produce. You will most likely find some wonderful sources of organically-grown produce there. Also, check out the possibility of natural food coops in your area. Many such coops, providing you with the means of purchasing bulk quantities of organically-produced food items, are springing up all over the place. Most communities in the U.S. now have a store or two that sells organically-grown produce and/or animal products. Even major supermarket chains are now beginning to carry such items to cater to the growing number of educated customers looking for more natural, healthy products. The food items do not have to be officially certified organic to be considered safe! As long as you know that no chemicals are used in the cultivation of the item and that it's non-GMO, it's perfectly acceptable. And, as far as prices go, you'll notice that the prices of the organically-produced food stuffs are coming down all the time, and, in some cases are rivaling and even cheaper than their non-organically-grown counterparts. This trend is only going to continue. So, don't use the excuse that buying organically is too expensive!
- Become aware of foods that you are currently not able to properly digest, and stop consuming those foods, even if everyone else around you is telling you that whatever you're having trouble with is supposed to be "good for you!" Food allergies are many and varied in our modern societies due to a myriad of factors. So, if you need to stop eating wheat products for a while, even if it's whole-grained, sprouted, organically-grown wheat, because you're having an allergic reaction to it, then do so. It's absolutely a proven scientific fact that food that you cannot digest, you cannot derive nutritional food value from it, and it becomes toxic to your body. Be good to your body, and only eat food that you can easily digest!
- Include in your diet much more fresh, organically-grown, non-GMO vegetables and fruits than you've been consuming in the past. This can't be emphasized enough. You get most of your live, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other complex nutrients from vegetables and fruits. In general, strive to eat more uncooked, unprocessed vegetables and fruits in their raw states - although some vegetables actually do become more digestible after being slightly steamed and or baked. You'll need to read up on this on the Internet. But beware, because there are less reliable sources of information. Check out several sources until you determine some that are reliable. You'll be able to discern which to trust after doing your own little investigation.
- Eat range and grass-fed beef, buffalo, etc., and eat more fish than red meat. Eat only fish that are caught in the wild and not farmed! There's lots of trouble with mercury contamination in sea fish, so check the labels to ensure that you're getting fish taken from the cleanest waters, such as off the coast of Alaska.
- Avoid over-eating or bing-eating. Preferably eat smaller meals more frequently. A lot of people are now finding that they feel better, are more healthy, and stay more trim when they eat small meals six times a day.
- Consuming a variety of food is the key to obtaining a balance of all the essential nutritive elements you need for your immune system to function properly. Don't be afraid to try out food items you've never tried before, especially when they've been produced organically. Remember, eating organically does NOT mean limiting the variety of food you eat!
- Take time out of your busy schedule to fix at least one of your meals every day. Develop a healthy, friendly relationship with the food you are eating. This relationship can be fostered by your taking time to prepare it for your meal. Take time to eat your meals with people you love, and enjoy the food together. Believe it or not, doing this helps generate positive beliefs, thoughts, and feelings in your subconscious about proper nutrition, thus enabling you to better digest the food, assimilate the nutrients, and utilize them to help the immune system repair and/or build cells and fight off harmful bacteria, virus, fungi, parasites, and other unwanted intruders in your body.
By following the suggestions given above, you will be confident that you are ingesting the most nutritious food available and providing your body with the nutrients needed for your immune system to function optimally.
While this is a wonderful regime to follow, adhering to it religiously is oftentimes not feasible, given our lifestyles in today's hi-tech societies, filled with an abundance of activities and distractions. Many of us are over-scheduled, often out of pure necessity to survive. Then there are millions of us who might be following the dietary regime strictly, but who, nonetheless, require even more nutritional support for our immune systems due to unusually high-stress employment or personal situations, inherent biological weaknesses, existing disorders and diseases which have been wreaking havoc on our bodies for years, and a myriad other factors. In my next article, I'll begin a series of discussions on herbs that have been used for centuries to naturally and safely repair, build, enhance, and support the immune system.
