A lot of people think toxic and harmful substances are limited to cigarettes, alcohol and abusive drugs, an even more toxic habit today is eating unhealthy, disease-promoting junk foods. If you want to gain optimal health, you need to minimize your consumption of these foods.
To stay healthy, you are required to improve your diet by cutting back on processed, and packaged foods. According to Healthline, when it comes to specific ingredients, added sugars are among the worst. These include sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup.
Both can wreak havoc on your metabolism when consumed in excess, though some people can tolerate moderate amounts. In addition, it’s a good idea to avoid all trans fats, which are found in some types of margarine and packaged baked foods.
Exercise
Exercising helps to ensure your body, brain and hormones function optimally. Additionally it lowers your blood sugar and insulin levels, improves cholesterol and lowers triglycerides. It also raises your levels of testosterone and growth hormones, both associated with improved well-being. Exercise can help reduce depression and your risk of various chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, help you lose fat, burn calories, improves your hormone levels and overall body function.
Sleep
Getting quality sleep can improve your health in more ways than you can imagine. You’ll feel better both physically and mentally and lower your risk of various health problems down the line.
Avoid Stress
Stress can wreak havoc on your health, leading to weight gain and various diseases. A healthy lifestyle involves a wholesome diet, quality sleep and regular exercise. But the way you feel and how you think is also very important. Being stressed all the time is a recipe for disaster. Excess stress can raise and severely impair your metabolism. It can increase junk food cravings, fat in your stomach area and raise your risk of various diseases.
Studies also show that stress is a significant contributor to depression, which is a massive health problem today. To reduce stress, try to simplify your life — exercise, take nature walks, practice deep-breathing techniques and maybe even meditation.
Eat good, eat well, eat right
It’s best to eat a combination of animals and plants — meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, as well as healthy fats, oils and high-fat dairy products.
If you’re healthy, lean and active, eating whole, unrefined carbs is absolutely fine. These include potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes and whole grains such as oats.
However, if you’re overweight, obese or have shown signs of metabolic issues such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome, then cutting back on major carbohydratesources can lead to dramatic improvements.
