New Horizon Fitness
Personal Training - for living!
Personal Training - for living!
Live a healthier, longer life!
GENERAL HEALTH NS
The toughest part of writing "General Health" Natural Solutions (NS) was to keep it to web site length. So again, this is a starting point with internal and external links for further study. Here I am trying to highlight broad, essential and often overlooked solutions. Obviously maintaining General Health requires avoiding major diseases and slowing aging, be sure to also see the links to Anti-Aging NS, Cancer NS and Heart Disease and Stroke NS.
Berries – the advice to eat more fruit should emphasize berries; blueberries, bilberries, blackberries, strawberries and cherries. Highly packed with antioxidants, they conclusively improve overall vascular health. Other fruits, other colors are beneficial as well but ALWAYS eat your berries.
Calcium - Critical to both bone and heart health, it is difficult to get adequate amounts from diet alone. Because of bulk, it is impossible to fit sufficient calcium into 1 a day multivitamins. Requirements are age and gender specific, see vitamin guide.
Cruciferous or Brassica Vegetables – almost all vegetables rank high on the healthy list, but this family of vegetables shares top ranking when counting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and/or cauliflower should be consumed daily.
Green and Black Tea – green tea contains a class of polyphenols, catechins, that increase fat oxidation, glucose utilization, decrease inflammation and improve general cardiovascular health. Black tea contains another class of polyphenols, theaflavins, that reduce inflammation throughout the body. Both types have many positive health mechanisms including reducing cancer and heart disease risk, already borne out by epidemiological studies. Pure water or tea – always an excellent choice!
Green Leafy Vegetables – also nutritional powerhouses, with a slightly different nutrient mix including more essential Vitamin K and lutein. This makes them an ideal complement to the brassica vegetables. Darker is better, choose leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc. Forget iceberg lettuce, it is nutrient poor.
Herbs and Spices - to mention just a few, Ginko Biloba, nettle root, chamomile, horsetail, ginger, cinnamon and tumeric have health promoting properties. Some have been a staple of modern European Medicine practice for years, the University of Maryland has a good compendium.
Magnesium – often forgotten, but a key mineral that support healthy calcium utilization, normal blood pressure and general heart health. RDA is often not met and not reflective of consumption prior to the industrialization of the food supply. Because of bulkiness, most one-a-day type multivitamins do not contain enough magnesium. See vitamin guide.
Multivitamin – one of the easiest and cheapest ways to assure the minimum requirements of the essential vitamins and minerals. Just pennies a day for the basics. The better multivitamins will contain more Selenium, Vitamin B, C and more of a complete form of Vitamin E. Calcium and magnesium may be separately required unless the multivitamin includes the "bulky" amounts requiring a divided daily dose, 2 a day, 4 a day etc.
Calcium - Critical to both bone and heart health, it is difficult to get adequate amounts from diet alone. Because of bulk, it is impossible to fit sufficient calcium into 1 a day multivitamins. Requirements are age and gender specific, see vitamin guide.
Cruciferous or Brassica Vegetables – almost all vegetables rank high on the healthy list, but this family of vegetables shares top ranking when counting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and/or cauliflower should be consumed daily.
Green and Black Tea – green tea contains a class of polyphenols, catechins, that increase fat oxidation, glucose utilization, decrease inflammation and improve general cardiovascular health. Black tea contains another class of polyphenols, theaflavins, that reduce inflammation throughout the body. Both types have many positive health mechanisms including reducing cancer and heart disease risk, already borne out by epidemiological studies. Pure water or tea – always an excellent choice!
Green Leafy Vegetables – also nutritional powerhouses, with a slightly different nutrient mix including more essential Vitamin K and lutein. This makes them an ideal complement to the brassica vegetables. Darker is better, choose leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc. Forget iceberg lettuce, it is nutrient poor.
Herbs and Spices - to mention just a few, Ginko Biloba, nettle root, chamomile, horsetail, ginger, cinnamon and tumeric have health promoting properties. Some have been a staple of modern European Medicine practice for years, the University of Maryland has a good compendium.
Magnesium – often forgotten, but a key mineral that support healthy calcium utilization, normal blood pressure and general heart health. RDA is often not met and not reflective of consumption prior to the industrialization of the food supply. Because of bulkiness, most one-a-day type multivitamins do not contain enough magnesium. See vitamin guide.
Multivitamin – one of the easiest and cheapest ways to assure the minimum requirements of the essential vitamins and minerals. Just pennies a day for the basics. The better multivitamins will contain more Selenium, Vitamin B, C and more of a complete form of Vitamin E. Calcium and magnesium may be separately required unless the multivitamin includes the "bulky" amounts requiring a divided daily dose, 2 a day, 4 a day etc.
NATURAL SOLUTIONS
Whenever you see this picture, that page is focused on the natural food, supplements and lifestyle choices that promote general health, delay disease development and/or slow aging. Some of these nutraceuticals (food extracts with medicinal effects) are used by practicing physicians as an adjunct to conventional medicine once disease is present. The Natural Solutions pages are a companion to many Library topics, all gathered on this page for convenience.
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Omega 3 Foods: Salmon (wild), Sardines, Herring, Oysters, Shrimp, Lobster, Trout - There is not a prescription drug available that has a better record on reducing total heart disease and mortality more than sufficient Omega 3 fatty acids (O-3) in the diet. These seven fish are high in O-3 and low in mercury. Other low mercury fish are good protein sources but are not nearly as high in O-3. Many other benefits as well. Take a fish oil supplement of O-3 on days when you don't consume these particular fish.
Sunlight (Vitamin D) - Just about everyone knows Vitamin D is vital for healthy bones and sunlight is the primary natural source. But did you know people getting the most sunlight benefit in a many other ways including less fatal cancers, see more coverage here.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This rich source of monounsaturated fat is a cornerstone of the healthy Mediterranean diet approach. It is particularly useful replacement for the unhealthy levels of soybean, cottonseed and corn oils (high Omega 6 fatty acids) used in bottled salad dressings, margarine and as a fat substitute in numerous other processed foods. Try mixing up my "Too EZ" salad dressings and throw out that commercial bottled junk.
Sunlight (Vitamin D) - Just about everyone knows Vitamin D is vital for healthy bones and sunlight is the primary natural source. But did you know people getting the most sunlight benefit in a many other ways including less fatal cancers, see more coverage here.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This rich source of monounsaturated fat is a cornerstone of the healthy Mediterranean diet approach. It is particularly useful replacement for the unhealthy levels of soybean, cottonseed and corn oils (high Omega 6 fatty acids) used in bottled salad dressings, margarine and as a fat substitute in numerous other processed foods. Try mixing up my "Too EZ" salad dressings and throw out that commercial bottled junk.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:
See detailed references on companion pages:
Anti-Aging NS, Cancer NS, Heart Disease and Stroke NS, and the Vitamins and Supplements. Plus...
Adagio Teas - tea retailer but good health links.
"Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish". HHS & EPA. Updated Feb 2006.
Erlund I, et al. "Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure and HDL cholesterol" Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:323-31.
Kris-Etherton P, et al. "Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Cardiovascular Disease". Circulation 2002; 106;2747-57. COMMENT: At long last even the AHA recognized the value of a non-prescription treatment for heart disease.
Anti-Aging NS, Cancer NS, Heart Disease and Stroke NS, and the Vitamins and Supplements. Plus...
Adagio Teas - tea retailer but good health links.
"Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish". HHS & EPA. Updated Feb 2006.
Erlund I, et al. "Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure and HDL cholesterol" Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:323-31.
Kris-Etherton P, et al. "Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Cardiovascular Disease". Circulation 2002; 106;2747-57. COMMENT: At long last even the AHA recognized the value of a non-prescription treatment for heart disease.
