Start each day with a vegetable juice. Begin with a green base and then you can vary your colors from day to day. Herbs can be used for additional flavor and nutrition and ginger for optimal digestion and immune function.
Green Base: 2 handfuls of spinach, 1-2 leaves of kale or swiss chard, ½-1 cucumber and 2 stalks of celery
Add: yellow, red or orange peppers/tomatoes/broccoli/cauliflower/butternut squash/yellow squash/asparagus/green beans/red or purple cabbage
Add Sweetness: carrots/beets/green apple
Herbs and Spices: parsley/cilantro/cayenne pepper/garlic/ginger
Inflammation is associated with most chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, arthritis and even cancer.
Anti-inflammatory is a buzzword these days and for good reason. So, how you can you start to reduce your inflammation starting today? Small steps....
1. Clean up your beverages. Drink water, sparkling water, tea or coffee. Add fresh mint, cucumber or berries for flavor.
2. Remove all artificial sweeteners, food coloring and obvious chemicals from your beverages and food.
3. Buy organic when possible, especially for produce that has a thin skin or you use daily.
4. 90% of your food should only be one ingredient... chicken, broccoli, apple, etc..
5. Understand that too much sugar, in any form, can promote inflammation.
There are so many things we can do to help reduce the inflammatory load that we carry around, so start with small steps and keep going........
1. Resistance training has been shown to decrease the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection but overly intense exercise or endurance exercise has been shown to have the opposite effect.
2. Over-training without appropriate recovery suppresses immune cells that help us fight off infection.
3. Resistance training has been shown to increase white blood cells counts, at least temporarily (hence the importance of consistency).
4. The greater muscle mass you have the better immune response you'll have.
5. Muscle loss has been linked to an increased incidence and severity of diseases.
When you think back to what you ate yesterday, three weeks ago or even last year, how different is the food on your plate? Some people naturally include a wide range of diverse food when choosing their meals, but for many of us, it is easy to fall into a trap of eating the same foods day in and day out.
Did you know that by not consuming a diverse range of foods, you are missing out on the potential for many health benefits? Despite the promotion of superfoods, no single food contains all the necessary nutrients for overall health and wellness. By eating a balanced diet filled with a wide range of foods (colors), it is easy to ensure that you consume adequate amounts of all essential nutrients. This not only reduces the risk of nutritional deficiencies; it also provides numerous health benefits.
1. Diversity = Stability
2. Healthy Gut Microbiome
3. Lower Risk of Food Allergy and Intolerance
4. Nutrition Synergy
5. Reduced Inflammation
6. Combat Oxidative Stress
