How to Build Good Health

Everybody needs to take action sometime in their life to prevent health problems or disease. The best way to do this is by taking positive steps to build good health, paying particular attention to such things as diet and exercise in order to achieve this goal.   Good health can be built over time with the right attitude, right information, perseverance, and a will to succeed.

I have used the headings of diet, exercise and other measures to outline in the following paragraphs what needs to be done in order to build good health.

Diet

The foods and drinks we consume on a daily basis determine the nutrients our body receives. If the quality, quantity, variety of the foods and drinks we consume daily aren’t correct, then our bodies can become deficient in nutrients, which can lead to health problems. Our body needs sufficient amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates , essential fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals and water on a daily basis.     

The main sources of animal protein are meats, fish, eggs and dairy products. Sources of vegetable protein are seeds nuts, beans, lentils, peas and green vegetables. Fruits and whole grains also contain protein but in smaller amounts. An average person needs about 70 grams (2.9 ounces) of protein per day. It is best to get most of your protein from non- meats; and to limit your intake of meat protein to three times a week.       

Simple carbohydrates are found in such things as sugar, sugar substitutes, jam, chocolate, cakes and soft drinks and should be avoided at all costs, as they cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels and acidity. Complex carbohydrates are found in peas, beans, lentils, wheat, barley, brown rice, corn, fruit, dried vegetables, wholegrain bread and potatoes. A person needs on average about 175 grams (7 ounces) of complex carbohydrates per day.   

The body also needs 25 grams (1 ounce) of each of the following types of fatty acids on a daily basis: saturated fatty acids; mono-unsaturated fatty acids; and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids are found in peanut oil and in animal- derived products such as meat, eggs, butter, cream, cheese and yogurt.  Mono-unsaturated fatty acids are found in olive and colza oil, peanuts, olives, almonds, avocados, and duck and goose meat. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in corn oil and grape seed oil, margarine, fish, shellfish and fish oil.

You should consume on average of 50 grams (2 ounces) of fibre per day. Fibre comes from a variety of sources. You can work out from the table produced in my post titled “Why Fibre Is Crucial In The Diet”   how you are going to achieve your daily requirement.    

In addition to eating a varied diet in order to receive all the nutrients that are required for optimum health, it is prudent, in most cases, to take a multivitamin and mineral supplement as well to make sure there is no deficiency in the diet The reason for this is there are such variables with the nutrient value of food dependent upon the following: the state of the land that it comes from; how fresh it is; how it is stored; and how it is cooked.  For further information on this see my post titled “Why Whole Food Concentrates & Supplements Are Necessary “.

The best beverage to drink is water, as outlined in a recent post titled “ Water Is Essential To Health“. Other drinks to consider are coconut milk green and herbal tea. Coffee and soft drinks (sodas) should be avoided.

Exercise

The reasons why exercise is so important to overall health are outlined in my post titled “ Exercise Improves Health”.  

Other Measures

The other steps you need to take are as follows:

·  Maintain a positive mental attitude at all times; and try and reduce stress in your home or at your place of work.

·  When the sun is shining, safely expose yourself to it in order to reap the benefits of the healing power of the sun. For more information on this particular topic, go here.

·  Engage in laugher with your family, neighbours and work colleagues as often as possible. For more information on this, go here.

·  If appropriate to your particular circumstances, keep a pet or pets to improve your overall mood and reduce stress. For more information on this subject, go here.  

·  Quit smoking because of the detrimental affect it has on health, as acknowledged by various governments across the world in the measures they have introduced to persuade people to quit the habit.

·  Take firm control of drinking alcoholic beverages. Limit your intake to no more than two units of alcohol per day.  

 If the above steps are taken, good health should naturally follow as a consequence, thereby greatly reducing the need for a doctor, hospital or prescription drugs.