Good Health Habits

[yuman]

Filter your source of drinking water.

Our water supplies are contaminated with various chemicals, while chlorine and fluoride are also carcinogens. Distilled or Reverse Osmosis would be ideal. If you can't afford those, a simple ceramic carbon filter is better than nothing.

Drink more water

Water is critical to good health. Our bodies are over 80% water! Water carries out many functions in the body -- it lubricates, carries nutrients, flushes toxins, cools, etc. Many diseases have been linked to dehydration or lack of water. Sodas, coffee, alcohol etc do not count; in fact, these are harmful beverages which actually dehydrate your body. Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices as well as herbal teas are good. This is perhaps THE most important of this list of good health habits.

Go vegan

There are different schools of thought as to whether humans are meant to eat meat, and whether going vegan would result in any nutritional deficiencies. Personally, I believe that we do not need meat -- after all, there are millions of healthy and strong vegetarians in the world .

Eat a variety of whole and natural foods

Whole foods have many health benefits. For example, they contain more nutrients and fiber than processed foods. The nutrients in whole foods are also better assimilated by the body. By eating a variety of whole foods, we would thus be getting all the different nutrients which we need; try to have a colorful diet - i.e. fruits, vegetables, beans, etc of different colors. Processed foods, on the other hand, are unnatural and often contain a load of chemical additives and preservatives. Our modern day diets are a disastrous combination of too much processed foods and very little whole foods.

[tallgeese]

Yeah, but I like meat . Good meat over processed, sure. But I'm keeping meat in my diet.

[sperki]

I don't mean to be contrary, but people are about 60% water, by weight. But yeah, water is great for us. I might not steer folks away from the tap, really I think it's better than a lot of bottled water (at least somebody is testing it!) but most water in developed countries is good for you.

When it comes to meat - I'm with TG -it's just so darn good!

[RichardZ]

Yeah, but I like meat . Good meat over processed, sure. But I'm keeping meat in my diet.

"America's favorite food: Dead animal flesh." Rick Gassko

I guess this is why we have the teeth and stomach to process it.

There are other, healthier sources of protein.

As for water, there is a paradox created by Penn and Teller.

[KarateGeorge]

"Salad's not food. Salad's what food eats."

Seriously though, some good advice. I couldn't give up meat entirely, it's just too tasty, but I do try to stay away from red meat, and stick to things like chicken and fish for the most part. Also, as stated, whole foods are definitely much better than the typical processed foods.

[mr_obvious]

It's really hard to build muscle / strength without the solid protein found in meat; which is a paramount to maximizing MA training. The body can metabolize from other sources, but very inefficiently. At least 4oz of lean protein a day can go a long way. More, if you train really hard or lift heavy.

Other than that.......plenty of water, veggies, fiber, and maintaining good vitamin / mineral balance (especially Potassium) are helpful. Some of the foods I throw in the mix -- sweet potatoes, broccoli, banana, carrots, jasmine rice, salmon, tilapia, sirloin beef, chicken breast, turkey breast, coffee, chocolate, green tea, red wine (2x per week, believe it!)

Conversely, I've seen the occasional "freak" who eats like crap, drinks hard liquor most every night, and somehow manage to achieve highly ambitious athletic abilities. So it all boils down to finding the right balance for each individual, but proper fueling never hurts!

[conrad665]

I completely agree with you.I'm not a vegan but a vegetarian for maybe four years and I never had problems.And I find it cruel to eat animals for taste.

[bushido_man96]

I love the taste of a good steak, so I don't forsee dropping meat from my diet anytime soon. I do get some veggies in, but meat is a big staple of my diet.

Drinking lots of water is good, too.

[Lupin1]

I filter my water (you have to out here in the desert) but no way am I giving up meat. I struggle even to avoid pork-- no way I could give up all meat.

The sleep thing is really good, though.

[Tiger1962]

Moderation with any food is the key.