{HEALTH REMADE} 5 Steps to a Healthier, More Balanced You!

{It’s with great pleasure that I introduce Christina Pann. I’ve known Christina for about 6 years. She’s the real deal when it comes to living the healthy life! You’ll want to visit her at Cheers To Health to hear about her story of how she became an overcomer in her fight with cancer. She will inspire you! She will make you laugh until you want to wet yourself, and I promise chat with her for more than five minutes and you’ll fall in love with her just as I have! Please welcome her, and show her a lot of love by leaving many comments below!} 

I am a student of holistic nutrition. Holistic nutrition ascribes to the belief that the physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, and spiritual components of one’s life are all intimately connected in such away that neglect or trauma in one area, can cause disturbance in another. The more I learn about the inner workings of our body, the more I find this to be true.

That’s why I am so excited to be contributing to Remade’s series on health! While our spiritual well being and relationship with God is invaluable and should always take precedence in our lives, true health is obtained when we honor and steward every component as an act of worship and gratitude to Him! Balance is key.

Whether you know it or not, you are on a health journey. You’re either on a path to improving and enhancing your health, or abusing and diminishing it.
If you’re the latter, I want to share with you a few ways you can take positive steps in the right direction and begin to honor your body through the foods you eat.

I understand that making changes to your diet can be rough. It’s hard to know where to start, and because often our dietary choices are influenced by our emotional connections to food, our budget, lack of time, and desire for convenience…it’s important to start small. There are some deep-rooted changes that need to take place and these seldom happen over night. These 5 steps I have outlined for you will be a great launching pad for a healthier, more balanced you.

1.) Embark on a gentle cleanse

A gentle cleanse is a great way to calm cravings and break bad eating habits. It should be at least a week long and accompanied by lots of water to assist your body in flushing out toxins. I don’t recommend a juice fast, or anything extreme, especially if you have been eating a standard American diet or have been exposed to prolonged use of medications, mercury, chemo, or other toxins in your life. Releasing a heavy toxic load into your blood stream will over burden your liver and result in toxicity. Try a Daniel fast or Paleo Diet for a great kick-start to your health!

2.) Read Labels!

This is crucial! So many well-meaning consumers are falling for marketing scams in the form of brightly colored cereal coxes or soft drinks labeled “all natural!” If you see those words, drop it and run! Most of these products are a far cry from anything found in nature. Bring your reading glasses to the grocery store and do your own detective work. Dissect that teeny tiny print on the back of your food and if you can’t pronounce a word, chances are it’s no good. If there are more than 5 ingredients, chances are, it’s no good. Stick to whole foods and watch out for the heavy hitters: High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, mono sodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, and the list goes on and on….

3.) Shop from the “Clean Fifteen, Dirty Dozen” list.

This is an awesome resource that will help save you some cash when shopping organic by listing out which foods tested highest and lowest for pesticide residue after harvesting. The Clean 15 tested lowest and can be purchased non-organic, or conventionally grown. The dirty dozen you want to always buy organic as they are tainted with a detectable amount of harmful chemicals. Find the list HERE

4.) Give your fats a makeover

I am not saying ditch your fats…I’m saying choose good ones! The low-fat, non-fat craze that has infiltrated our food system and trickled down to the hearts and minds of the people has left people deficient in essential fatty acids, unable to absorb fat soluble vitamins, produce vital hormones, and more. While fat is a broad topic, cooking oils is a great place to start! Stay away from refined vegetable oils and oils sold in clear bottles, as they are rancid before you even take them off the shelf. Choose cold pressed, unrefined, unprocessed, and when possible organic, and only use fats that can withstand high heat for cooking. These include coconut oil, pastured butter, lard, and grape seed oil. Olive oil is great for cold uses, but oxidizes at high heat. Buy in small batches in dark colored bottles and keep away from light and heat.

5.) Ditch the cans!

I’m sure most of you have heard of Bisphenol A (BPA), but may not be aware of what it does. It’s found in many of the products people use and consume everyday, namely, canned food. BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with the normal functioning of your hormones. Ditching the cans is easy! If you can’t buy fresh, buy frozen veggies instead of canned, and try buying dry beans! It’s cheaper, and the preparation method of soaking them makes them more digestible. Always look for jarred and boxed sauces, and soups, and if you’re in a pinch, look for Eden organics, they use BPA free cans!

There you have it, 5 steps to a healthier, more balanced you! I hope you’ll visit me at Cheers To Health for more tips on healthy living, recipes, and anecdotes from my own healing journey!

Cheers!

<3 C