A GUIDE TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS

from the library of Robert L. Talley, DDS.

Nutrition...

While everyone knows about the wellness revolution, we’re each taking part in our own way. Maybe you’re thinking about your health for the first time. Maybe you’re already beginning to get in shape. Maybe you’re a fitness fanatic. Whatever your goals for wellness – optimal physical and mental health, unique for each of us – a nutrition plan can help. You don’t have to change your lifestyle. Just a few small changes can make a big difference in how you look and feel.

Begin by making small changes…

Eat a variety of foods every day. Your body needs more than 50 different nutrients every day from a wide variety of foods - protein, dairy, complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, fat. So, throw out your fad diet books. Instead, make good choices from each category.

Protein contains the building blocks called amino acids for growth and repair of all your body cells. Rich in iron, B vitamins and minerals. Limit fatty red meat and processed meats.

Dairy foods contain calcium for strong bones and teeth, as well as Vitamin B2, which converts food into energy you can use. Limit high-fat dairy; whole milk, cheese, ice cream.

Complex carbohydrates provide the ideal fuel for your body; your brain depends on it. Gives long lasting energy and nutrients. Limit granola, white breads, and pastries.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. One fruit rich in Vitamin C and one green, leafy vegetable should be on your daily plan. Limit fried, frozen or canned with sugar.

Fat escorts Vitamins A, D, E and K into your bloodstream so your body can use them. Fats (lipids) are an essential part of every cell. Limit saturated fats, as they are linked to heart disease and high blood pressure; they raise your risk of certain cancers; they raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. Eat chicken, fish and lean beef; don’t fry; and half the margarine use.

Water is an essential component needed by every cell in your body. Water helps your body digest food, transport nutrients and pass wastes. Limit soda, coffee, alcohol.

Fiber is one of the good guys. It stimulates your digestion. It helps lower your risk of certain cancers. It has few, if any, calories and it is cheap. But don’t just add bran to everything. Eat a variety of whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables each day. Fiber is an ideal natural colon cleaner that sweeps through your intestines, moving food along quickly and easily. Because it softens, adds bulk and attracts water to your stool, fiber may help prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and colon and rectal cancers. Your best choices of fiber are; fresh fruit and vegetables (fresh preferably or frozen), legumes and whole grains (brown rice and oatmeal). Let your body do the processing.

Avoid sugar and salt -- sugar takes you for a ride for a few minutes and, then, lets you down, makes you irritable and feeling guilty about the calories. Sugar races into your blood stream and gives you a short-lived sugar high followed by an exhausting low. Sugar leads to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Salt brings extra water into your blood vessels creating pressure on the walls of your arteries and can eventually lead to high blood pressure.

Additionally, mix up your menu with foods rich in vitamins and minerals and fiber up. Use whole wheat, seven grain or oatmeal bread for your sandwich. Girls and women need iron so include beef, beans and spinach in your diet. Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeinated drinks since they have adverse effects on sleep patterns, attitudes and overall health and aggravate stressful situations. Lastly, eat less.

WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST??

The way you start your day makes a big difference in how you feel. Some people don’t eat any breakfast at all, figuring that they’ll fill up with a big pizza lunch. Others belt down a couple of scalding cups of coffee and a doughnut or two, and wonder why they feel like they’re walking through molasses by the time the lunch whistle finally blows. The problem with no breakfast at all is that there’s no nutrition in fasting, so your body runs on reserves. And the problem with coffee and doughnuts is that caffeine and sugar provide only temporary energy – and a big letdown later on.

Breakfast may well be the most important meal of your day, because it gets you off to a good start. Don’t forget, your body was on a fast through the night. That’s why you want to choose foods that are nutritious and will give you the energy and staying power you need.

The best breakfast will contain complex carbohydrates, which break down slowly over several hours, giving you a sustained energy level. Whole grain toast, muffins or other breads are rich in complex carbohydrates. So are whole grain cereals. In addition, fruits such as bananas, apples or berries will provide additional naturally occurring sugars for energy. All of these foods offer vitamins and minerals, which are catalysts for the various functions of the body, including brain activity. Pour either milk or soy milk on your cereals and you’re sure to be taking in the protein you need to repair your body and promote new tissue growth.

After a good breakfast, you’ll find that you are more energetic, you think sharper and you have the staying power to accomplish whatever you need to do.

SLEEP IS IMPORTANT…

Sleep deprivation continues to be widespread in America. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the majority of American adults does not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety and optimum performance.

Sleep deprivation has measurable negative affects on performance and physical and mental health. If you haven’t had a good night’s sleep, you are likely to pay a high price for it: reduced energy, greater difficulty concentrating, diminished mood, greater cause for accidents (fall-asleep crashes). Work performance and relationships can also be affected and pain can be intensified by the physical and mental consequences of lack of sleep.

Many sleep disorders go undiagnosed. Some of the better known ones are snoring, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless legs syndrome.

As we become older, a good night’s rest may prove more elusive. Lifestyle changes and behavioral practices may play a part. Poor sleep habits throughout the years have now become entrenched and make later years difficult.

For better sleep, you should: establish a regular sleeping schedule, exercise early I the day, don’t drink caffeinated drinks after lunch, go to bet at the same time every night, sleep in a dark, cool room and go to bed at the same time every night.

SUPPLEMENTS...

A good diet is important, but vitamins and supplements are recommended. There is a great deal of confusion about taking supplements due to the government and medical establishment believing a balanced diet is all that is necessary, but not being able to agree on what constitutes a balanced diet. The four food groups are supposed to be our guide, but they are too bored and unspecific. Food tables, which are supposed to show how abundant vitamins and minerals are in the foods, don’t really reflect the amounts in foods as we eat them, how much is lost during the trip from the farm to the market and then home, or the lowering of nutritional value caused by forced growth, harvesting before maturity, additional processing and prolonged shelf life.

We are exposed to 200 million tons of pollutants discharged into the air each year, 5 pounds of additives per person per year in our foods, and many different contaminants from industrial wastes and pesticides in our food and water. These harmful substances cause a loss of nutrients from our bodies in the process of our detoxifying and eliminating them. Medications, from aspirin and cold remedies and stronger prescription drugs, deplete us of important vitamins.

Taking vitamins and minerals is not only safe, but also vitally important in order to have optimum health.

EXERCISE…

Regular aerobic, physical activity improves blood flow to your muscles and helps them use energy. Strength training increases muscle size and strength. Physical activities like jogging, walking and strength training strengthen your bones and make them more dense.

The loss of strength and stamina is partly caused by reduced physical activity. The reduced physical activity leads to a thinning of bones, a weakening of muscles, and a reduction in metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories/energy). This often leads to weight gain. Physical activity improves nearly all systems, especially the cardiovascular system and the ability to perform the routine tasks of daily life.

BALANCE AND PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE by:

• being clear about your goals and values
• prioritize responsibilities for work and family
• organize your time that includes some for your self
• make decisions based on your intuition; view “stress” as an opportunity, not a crisis and lighten up by finding humor and keeping things in perspective.

HOW TO HAVE A TERRIFIC DAY