The Courage to be Healthy
Health is the basis for every human achievement, and when health is poor, it provides a lot less vitality and longevity than when it is good. We should do everything possible to be healthy and to maximize our potential to live and love.
In fact, health is not just a matter of vitality and longevity; it is also a matter of sanity. A sound mind is a complement to a sound body. Also, the one is dependent on the other. Study many health books. They help you to define and meet your nutritional requirements much more wisely.
The body needs a balanced and moderate amount of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to function well. The foods containing these nutrients have to be properly chewed to assist in digestion and absorption (this does not apply to fiber: a type of carbohydrate that the body can neither digest nor absorb). Proper chewing reduces foods to mush and proportionally increases the effect of the digestive juices on them or the availability of the nutrients that are ready for absorption. Chewing is at the center of life.
Carbohydrates are simple or complex sugars generally obtained from fruit, honey, milk products, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, legumes (beans, lentils, or peas), nuts, seeds, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains. Simple sugars and digestible complex sugars serve as an energy source and participate in the synthesis of DNA and RNA molecules, which are the genetic information and the genetic messengers that enable the body to regenerate and reproduce.
Indigestible complex sugars, better known as dietary fiber, are capable of promoting the elimination of waste through the intestine. Refined foods are deplete of this fiber, and constipation can result when we eat these depleted foods that are not good for health. So, except on the occasional celebration, determine to avoid refined foods.
Lipids include two main subdivisions: saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fats (with a phosphoric component in some of them – i.e., in phospholipids versus triglycerides that are pure fats) and cholesterol, which is a singular fatty compound.
Like simple sugars and digestible complex sugars, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats serve as an energy source. In addition, they contribute to the integrity of the body tissues. Polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol also contribute to this integrity and are used for a variety of vital functions involving the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and immune system.
A distinctive feature of polyunsaturated fats is their instability. When exposed to heat, light, or air, such as in processing, intense cooking, or prolonged everyday use, they can suffer damage and become harmful. In view of this fact, be careful to eat the foods that contain them – for example, walnuts and seeds, and the oil extracted from either – in their most natural (unprocessed and if possible uncooked) form and fresh (unspoiled) state. When cooking is necessary, as in the case of fish or tofu, you can steam or bake rather than fry and avoid undercooking.
Apply the same basic principles to the foods that contain monounsaturated fats, like peanuts, almonds, olives, and avocado, and the oil extracted from any of them, though these fats are less unstable than their polyunsaturated counterparts. As for cholesterol, found exclusively in animal products, and saturated fats, found mostly in land animal products, they have a reputation for causing arterial blockage and organ dysfunction if consumed without restraint. Limit the intake of them by following a largely vegetarian diet where animal flesh is the exception, not the rule. Exercise restraint in the consumption of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats as well. The opposite, like any lack of moderation, is a health hazard.
Proteins are various macromolecules that comprise a large number of amino acids (nitrogenous molecules that occur in twenty-two different forms). In the course of digestion, these macromolecules are broken down into these molecular components, which then act as raw material or building blocks to produce new molecules or new macromolecules or polypeptides, which are smaller than proteins, or proteins, that suit our body’s needs in many areas: the metabolism, the blood, the mucous membranes, the skin and the tendons, the muscles, plus the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems.
The main sources of protein – namely, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains, together with milk products and eggs – are also rich in carbohydrates or fats. Here the fats that matter are saturated or monounsaturated, whereas the polyunsaturated ones are not a favorable means of satisfying energy requirements, given the many other important roles they play.
Minerals and vitamins are a group of some thirty substances that complement carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. A deficiency in one of them can hamper a bodily function and jeopardize your health. Refining is a terrible process that depletes fibers and nutrients in foods. So, to make sure there is enough minerals and vitamins, add vegetables: carrots, radishes, cauliflower, red cabbage, green vegetables, leafy or non-leafy, garlic, and onions.
Drink plenty of water, though not during or immediately after meals lest it interferes with digestion by flooding the stomach. Drinking water typically contains a minute quantity of minerals. Much more importantly, it has the ability to replenish the bodily fluids and cleanse the system of undesirable substances.
In the effort to be healthy, a reasonable diet is not everything. Fresh air and regular exercise ought to form part of this effort. There are two types of exercise; both require stretching, before and after, plus warm-up and cool-down periods, to avoid injuries.
Anaerobic Exercise
The first type of exercise is anaerobic, not dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of anaerobic exercise is weightlifting. Done frequently, in vigorous workouts, it strengthens muscles and bones.
Aerobic Exercise
The second and most beneficial type of exercise is aerobic, dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of aerobic exercise is jogging. Done every day or a few times a week, for at least fifteen minutes (enough to markedly and sustainedly increase the activity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, responsible for delivering oxygen to the body tissues), it yields numerous health benefits. Besides strengthening muscles and bones, it raises endurance, improves the handling of stress, promotes good mood, boosts the immune function, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and helps to prevent obesity together with disorders like diabetes and hypertension that often accompany this condition.
In a nutshell, fresh air and regular exercise are important aspects of a wholesome lifestyle. They result in someone being stronger, feeling better, and probably living longer.