6 Budget-Friendly Ways to Invest in Good Health
Updated: Jun 1, 2021
1) Eat more vegetables, no matter what your diet is.
Eating vegetables with every meal is a great way to add nutrition to your diet and take care of your health. It can be fun to find ways to incorporate vegetables with every meal - even if just a little bit. An avocado with that burger, some greens with your breakfast, the vegetable medley with your dinner. Vegetables help the body process other less nutritious food so you can stay healthy, so add them to every meal and as much as possible.
2) Get outside and move.
You don’t have to be an athlete to get outside and move. Fresh air, sunlight, feeling the breeze on your skin, or enjoying a stunning view - getting outside is a fun and refreshing way to take care of your health. Examples of healthy outdoor activities include walking for 30 minutes, doing some qi gong or other exercise routine, going for a bike ride, taking the dog for a walk in the woods, and playing with your kids outdoors.
3) Avoid plastic packaging, food storage and plastic cookware.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in pretty much all plastic products. Although plastic is convenient, too much in the diet wreaks havoc on the body, and leads to weight gain, obesity, and full blown metabolic syndrome, as well as creating hormone imbalances. Steps to reduce exposure to these toxins include storing food in glass or stainless steel containers - especially if oily or hot, never cooking in plastic, and reducing plastic wrapped convenience foods. These toxins also bioaccumulate in meat and dairy products, so switch to organic, pasture-raised, or grass-fed as soon as possible.
4) Probiotics.
The microbiome in our gut has an amazing diversity of probiotic microorganisms that help with food digestion, affect mood, and enhance out immune function. Kick start your system with over-the-counter probiotic pills that build up your foundation, then keep your gut in good health with natural ferments. Raw fermented foods like kim-chi and kefir are great natural sources of probiotics, and are fairly easy and inexpensive to make at home. Other sources of probiotics include yogurt, raw pickles, and saurkraut. Be careful of imposters - fermented sugar drinks like kombucha and water kefir are less healthy to the gut microbiome than vegetable and dairy ferments. There are limitless variations, so start your fermenting process today and say hello to better and lasting health.
5) Get good sleep.
Good restful sleep is crucial for immune health. Melatonin is known as the darkness hormone because it is produced when the lights dim. Naturally this occurs around sunset, but exposure to artificial light at night disrupts our circadian rhythm altering our melatonin production and creating a number of health risks, including an increase in all types of cancer. The best bet is to turn those devices and lights off at or shortly after sunset to recalibrate with the natural rhythms.
6) Move the Lymph.
The lymph system is critical for the body’s detoxification and needs to be moved because, unlike the circulatory system which is pumped by the heart, the lymph has no pump and instead relies on body movements from exercise and deep breathing. Other great ways to improve lymph flow are with dry brushing, jumping on a trampoline, and massage.
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