What do you think the top 10 (or more) things, in order of importance, are that form the basis of natural health?
Ten is a bit much, but I’ll give it a shot
- healthy diet – nothing fancy, just whole grains, fresh fruits and vegies, avoiding excessive processed/junk foods/sugar/salt/fat
- regular exercise, preferably aerobic
- handling stress well – not getting bent out of shape over little things
- avoiding excessive drugs and alcohol
- good relations with family/friends
- suffient sleep
- goals one is interested in pursuing – physical, academic, musical, artistic, career, etc.
- vacations/breaks from the routine from time to time
- access to decent medical care
- healthy living environment free from excessive toxins in the air/water/food
Mother T wrote [quote]Ten is a bit much, but I’ll give it a shot [/quote]
You forgot “sex”!! Oh, that’s right - you’re married.
You forgot “sex”!! Oh, that’s right - you’re married. 
[/quote]
True. Sex is number 11, after low level of dioxins in my rice.
:eh:. . . . 
. . . . . 
. . . . 
not smoking
You forgot “sex”!! Oh, that’s right - you’re married. [/quote]
True. Sex is number 11, [color=blue]after low level of dioxins [/color]in my rice.
:eh:. . . . . . . . . . . . . [/quote]
Do you want higher levels?
Okay 10 in order of dire need at the start.
- Good quality air. (small problem in Taiwan)
- Good quality water. (small problem in Taiwan)
- A rounded diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and not too much meat(small problem in Taiwan)
- Enough good quality sleep (small problem in Taiwan if you’re in an apartment with noisy neighbours)
- Security. You feel physically safe. (Can be or can feel like a small problem in Taiwan)
- Financial security (You’re in Taiwan, should be no problem)
- Emotional security. (He/she’s okay)
- Family and friends security (They are all okay)
- Work is good.
- Playtime is fun.
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]Ten is a bit much, but I’ll give it a shot
- healthy diet – nothing fancy, just whole grains, fresh fruits and vegies, avoiding excessive processed/junk foods/sugar/salt/fat
- regular exercise, preferably aerobic
- handling stress well – not getting bent out of shape over little things
- avoiding excessive drugs and alcohol
- good relations with family/friends
- suffient sleep
- goals one is interested in pursuing – physical, academic, musical, artistic, career, etc.
- vacations/breaks from the routine from time to time
- access to decent medical care
- healthy living environment free from excessive toxins in the air/water/food
[/quote]
Mother T, the list you have mentioned seem quite comprehensive. Have you read any books on the topic?
Many. . . . over the past 30 years, or so. I’m not in the shape I used to be in, now that I’m past 40 and spend most of my time in the office, sitting in front of a computer, but I used to be fairly athletic and I know there’s nothing mysterious about good health.
People are always searching for a new and improved, magic-bullet to good health: the latest diet craze, the latest exercise fad, the latest workout powder, etc. When that doesn’t work they’ll try pills, or have fat sucked from their bodies with a vacuum, or have their stomach stapled or other extreme measures. Of course people would love it if one could just take a pill and one would be healthy without doing a thing.
But that’s not how it works. Humans have existed for millions of years, but in modern times our lifestyles have changed dramatically. We drive everywhere, sit on our ass in the office and in front of TV, eat mostly fried, processed, articial, chemical-laden foods, smoke, drink, and worry about our miserable lives. No wonder heart disease, lung disease, ulcers, diabetes and cancers are epidemic. It’s no big mystery. If we want to become healthy, we just need to undo all that crap. Basically, we need to strive for a healthy diet (nothing magical), exercise, a healthy lifestyle and a healthy attitude.
A guy I work with is quite fat and out of shape. He’s a nice guy, I like him, but it’s obvious he has never enjoyed exercise in his life and eats very poorly and excessively. Last week he started wearing an elastic back brace in the office at his desk and I inquired. He told me he’s been having bad back pain and went to see the doctor about it. The doctor told him to go on a diet, lose 10 or 20 kg and do excercise to strengthen the lower back. Duh. No great surprise there. Unfortunately, diet and excercise are completely foreign to him, so it will be very hard for him to act on that advice, but it’s obviously what he needs and it will obviously help him to feel better.
In most cases, when someone complains about lack of sleep, depression, aches, pains, weight problems and a whole raft of other ailments, the answer is equally obvious. Get into a regular pattern of excercise, starting slow and easy, with lots of gentle stretching at first; improve the diet, cutting out sweets, fats and obvious crap at first; reduce drinking and smoking if that’s an issue; learn to relax, through yoga, meditation, or breathing excercises, guided by a good teacher or books if one isn’t familiar with such techniques.
I learned about diet and excercise long ago, as a wrestler in junior high, high school and college. I learned about stress relief later, largely from witnessing my parents, who are miserable at handling stress. Every little thing drives them into a tizzy of worry, deliberations, concerns and ill health, so I swore I would not be like them. Fifteen years ago, I found my job very stressful, causing me to lose sleep at night and my neck and shoulders to tighten up. Bad news. So I’ve worked on relaxation techniques (most notably a year off in SE Asia) and have really lightened up. Things rarely bother me much any more – I might get pissed off about something but I don’t dwell on it. I believe that’s very important for good health and I’m trying to help my wife to learn the same.
Further, my dad has had a bad back for most of his life, with several dozen fusions and other major surgeries and the more they mess with his back the worse it seems to be. So I’ve learned that surgical intervention should only be a last resort, in case of extreme emergency. Short of that, the best road to good health lies in simple, obvious, old-fashioned methods. It’s just a matter of common sense, moderation and consistency.
Finally, people always make excuses about why they’ll start tomorrow. We all do, I do. But excuses are just that – excuses. If one wants to achieve good health, like anything else, one has to quit making excuses and just do it. I’m in the office from about 8 am to 7 or 7:30 pm every day, but I still have time to go bicycling a few days a week before work, have just joined the gym, and resumed my Chinese lessons (in addition to committments to my wife and child). That doesn’t leave time for anything else. I’d love to go to Happy Hours, get drunk with all of you, enjoy some nightlife, but unfortunately that doesn’t fit into my schedule. Got to get to bed early for tomorrow’s ride. Oh well. We all make our own priorities in life. If good health is an important goal one needs to make it a priority and do what it takes. I find the high one gets off it to be worth the price.
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]Ten is a bit much, but I’ll give it a shot
- healthy diet – nothing fancy, just whole grains, fresh fruits and vegies, avoiding excessive processed/junk
[/quote]
Can we go into more detail with this issue? What exactly is a healthy diet? What are the most healhful foods availible?
[quote=“AAF”][quote=“Mother Theresa”]Ten is a bit much, but I’ll give it a shot
- healthy diet – nothing fancy, just whole grains, fresh fruits and vegies, avoiding excessive processed/junk
[/quote]
Can we go into more detail with this issue? What exactly is a healthy diet? What are the most healhful foods availible?[/quote]
I don’t want to monopolize this thread, I don’t want to pretend I’m a guru, and I realize different people have different ideas about what constitutes a healthy diet. But, before I log off, here’s how I see it.
Maximize
- Fresh fruits and vegies (not frozen or canned) – this should constitute a large portion of your diet; get in the habit of eating them regularly
- Whole grained breads and cereals, rather than white breads and sugary, processed cereals
- Raw (for vegies), steamed, baked, boiled or broiled foods
- Eat a piece of fruit with breakfast every day
- Eat fresh salads as much as possible
- Fish, chicken and lean meats – as much as I love pigs feet and kong roh (the local fatty pork dish), those fatty meats shouldn’t be eaten too often
Minimize
- Fried and deep fried foods
- McDonalds and other fast foods
- Coke, cookies, candy, potato chips, ice cream and other highly artificial, processed foods full of sugar, salt and chemicals
- All the crap people bring to the office – moon cakes, wedding cookies, birthday cakes, baby cookies, candy, etc.
- Alcohol and coffee – one or two a day is fine, but more than that is bordering on excess (how pathetic
) - Stuffing your face till you’re full-- instead get used to eating a little less
- Eating late at night (past 8 or 9 pm, or so)
Forumosans have devoted whole threads to the impossibility of eating healthy in Taiwan, but I disagree. I’ll have a piece of fruit, bakery item and one cup of coffee for breakfast. Then, a fellow forumosan and I have been eating lunches lately at sushi express. That’s a very healthy lunch: small portion, not fried, processed or artificial. For dinner I try to eat a fair amount of veggies, rice, some meat, nothing special. Or maybe noodles or dumplings; but not McD or Burger King. And I try not to snack too much. Fairly healthy, no problem.
I’m with you on this, but, keep the breads (and rice) to a minimum and in the vegie department keep potato intake down.
I’ve been reading up on the healthiest foods to eat. There are a number of links to “The 10 healthiest foods”. The following foods are among the ones mentioned:
- cantaloupe
- oranges/citrus fruits
- strawberries/berries/blueberries
- broccoli
- sweet potato
- whole grain breads/whole grains
- beans
- spinach/kale
- oats/oatmeal
- skim milk/1%
- yoghurt
- olive oil
- nuts/almonds
- poultry
- garlic and onions/red onions
- fish/salmon
- tomatoes
- avocadoes
- water
- green tea
- cauliflower
- kiwi fruit
- soy/a
healthcastle.com/best-healthiest-foods.shtml
dranns10steps.com/aboutdrann … pecial.cfm
bellaonline.com/articles/art38190.asp
cookingnook.com/10-healthiest-foods.html
allrecipes.com/advice/coll/healt … efault.asp
healthydevil.studentaffairs.duke … h_info/Top 10 Healthiest Foods.html
My IMO is
- Good support. If you don’t have a group of people to emotional support you then stress can deplete you.
2)Exercise. It’s important. I notice how important it is while watching the kids at my school
3)Creative expression/self expression. It’s very important for someone to be able to express themselves in a manner that feeds their soul.
4)Love. Love not just romantic, but being able to give an recieve it is vital
5)Not smoking. It drains you energticly, physcial and makes you house smelly. Erwwww
6)Not drinking. See point 5
7)Being active in your community. It puts you in a situtation where you are removed from yourself and and focus on others. Uplifting another human being is a great satisfaction and healthy too.
8)Proper diet. IMO eat whatever you want but do it in moderation. In America, we eat whatever we want but like pigs.
9)Sex, I hear is good. But it’s probably more about the intamacy than the action. No man/woman is an island.
10)Pursue your passions. Even if it’s not work. Make time to follow your dreams. It gives you something to look foward to. Something to grow and brings the best out in you.
AAK,
thats a very good list. it pretty much mirrors the “super foods” list.
super foods include:
kale/spinach/chard
brocolli
avacados
tomatoes
cantelope
guava
salmon
bananas
strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
oats
soy
carrots
garlic
dark chocolate
green tea
almonds/walnuts/macadamias
egg whites
lemon juice
olive oil.
the super foods list doesnt contain dairy, but i agree its a good part of healthy diet, especially yogurt.
the nuts part is more specific about eating almonds/walnuts/macadamias. peanuts are not on it.
most of these foods are high in antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, protein, and good fats.
jm
[quote=“AAF”]I’ve been reading up on the healthiest foods to eat. There are a number of links to “The 10 healthiest foods”. The following foods are among the ones mentioned:
- cantaloupe
- oranges/citrus fruits
- strawberries/berries/blueberries
- broccoli
[color=blue]5. sweet potato - whole grain breads/whole grains[/color]
- beans
- spinach/kale
[color=blue]9. oats/oatmeal[/color] - skim milk/1%
- yoghurt
- olive oil
[color=blue]13. nuts/almonds[/color] - poultry
- garlic and onions/red onions
- fish/salmon
- tomatoes
- avocadoes
- water
- green tea
- cauliflower
- kiwi fruit
- soy/a
[/quote]
It is great to have a food list. Don’t make the mistake that you can eat a lot of whatever just because it is on the list.
Out of the whole list the ones I highlited in blue are the ones that I have trouble stopping eating and I’m pretty sure most of us are the same in that way. Good freshly baked bread. Hard to stop eating. Bowls of cashews. Hard to stop.
Bowl of brocolli? Enough thanks. A heaped plate of salmon. Enough thanks.
[quote=“Ironman”]
It is great to have a food list. Don’t make the mistake that you can eat a lot of whatever just because it is on the list.
Out of the whole list the ones I highlited in blue are the ones that I have trouble stopping eating and I’m pretty sure most of us are the same in that way. Good freshly baked bread. Hard to stop eating. Bowls of cashews. Hard to stop.
Bowl of brocolli? Enough thanks. A heaped plate of salmon. Enough thanks.[/quote]
I find that when I study the benefits of each food in detail, I may stil not like it but knowing how it can benefit my health persuades me to eat it.
I guess that is an individual thing. I can’t eat too much each day so try to make damn sure I enjoy eating what I can up to the limit.
Dark chocolate is included in my “list” I keep it in the freezer and have just a few bits after dinner.