BY: KHADIJAH LATICIA
Let’s face it we are living in an age where our health is being attacked through our air, food, water and products at an alarming rate. People are becoming sicker, our western diet is only becoming more fake and deadlier. It is a sad reality that one out of every and two people will get cancer! Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the world. Buying organic foods seems to be a privilege only fit for the Bourgeoisie. Being a health-conscious consumer in the 21st century is a frustrating task.
Before we despair, throw our hands up in the air and run back to McDonald’s which I call “McDeath” for some more “tasty poison” to devour. Let’s stop and reflect on this fact for a moment. We are living in The Information Age so we need to take advantage of discovering and applying the wealth of information that we easily have access to now more than ever before. The only challenge we have is to find high quality, credible information that is not influenced by corporate agendas and we need to wake up from our long ‘zombie slumber’ by committing to live a holistic health conscious lifestyle!
If you are wondering what is a holistic health conscious lifestyle before you can commit to this idea? It is a pro-active life-long journey that encourages the individual to recognize that what affects one part of his system affects his whole body. The individual is mindful of the consequences of his habits and actions by adhering to the needs of his spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. The result of consciously choosing to live a positive quality life to obtain optimum health.
It is my pleasure to share with you the following two major beginner steps which I believe are essential today for an aspiring health-conscious individual who is interested in securing optimal wellness:
- Completely Cut Out Fake Processed Food
I hate to break it to you but Subway is no exception with its ‘mystery meat’ filled with high sodium, hormone-rich processed meats with nitrates. If you eat fast food your brain is addicted to trans fats, sodium and sugar. Strive to eat a rich, diet that is loaded with organic plant-based, powerful foods like a sweet kale strawberry salad to reduce your risk of cancer and diseases like diabetes. Consuming more real, natural foods will aid in maintaining and regaining your health since a plant-based diet is biological by design.
While you are at it sit back, relax and self-educate yourself by watching a couple of informative documentaries like Food Inc. and Sick and Nearly Dead. Then, let me know if you still want to make tired excuses like “you only live once”. Trust me these documentaries will knock the sense right back into you. I know it did for me.
2.Eliminate All Artificial Juices and Sodas (Diet and Regular)
This may be a real challenge if you are a serious pop drinker. There are so many other great healthier solutions to quench your thirst, like smoothies, natural juices, herbal teas, organic coconut water, and good old non-fluoride H2O with some freshly squeezed lemon or lime sweetened with Agave syrup or raw honey. Oh my, my thirst is quenching already. Did you know that sodas dehydrate you? Even the so-called ‘healthier’ sodas made with organic cane sugar are loaded with sugar, and sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and degenerative diseases. Diet sodas are no better and in many cases worse as they are loaded with cancer causing artificial sweeteners such as Splenda and Aspartame.
We are the fabric of our community. We need to recognize that we need each other and we have to value each other. It is in this spirit that I tried to convey this tough love message out of pure love. There is no better time to begin your holistic health conscious lifestyle than today. The future is never guaranteed. Your present moment is all you have so cherish it. Try to apply these simple baby steps in your lives today. Come on now. We can do it!
Live Healthy and Be Happy!
