30 ESSENTIAL RULES FOR THE ROAD TO EXCELLENT HEALTH...WITH EXCELLENT HABITS!

It’s actually pretty simple. As Aristotle points out, "excellence (in anything) is not an act but a habit!"

Fact is, if you want to be healthy and vibrantly alive, you have to make it a habit to get whole foods with a life of their own into your body. And practice the habit of living life fully from an attitude of gratitude and optimism.

The following rules for the road towards health and vitality are very logical. So, let the journey begin (on a very positive and upbeat note):

1.      Select the freshest foods you can find! As real living food sits for long periods of time it becomes:

a.            stale with poor flavor, texture, and appearance,

b.           rancid if it contains oils (grains, nuts, seeds),

c.            depleted of nutrients which are destroyed by exposure to oxygen in the air.

2.      Focus on fresh vegetables and fruits, raw non-toasted, un-roasted grains and cereals and legumes (beans, peas, lentils). Each of these food groups contains their own specific forms of essential fiber, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals which fight free radical damage at the cellular level.

3.      Look for reliable sources, either within your area, or by mail order, for organic produce and grains, and use these as much as possible in your daily menus. Seek out the local or closest farmers’ market and shop there for produce.

4.      Use the simplest, shortest cooking methods?possible when preparing your food in order to?insure optimum retention of nutrients. In other?words, steam vegetables only to the point of barely cooked and very firm, grill fish and chicken until just done, steam rice or grains until tender and then remove from heat immediately. Gently simmer on low heat versus rapidly boiling on a high heat.

5.      Aim to eat at least 50% of your vegetables and fruits in their raw form. This preserves the vitamins, minerals and active enzymes, which may be destroyed by heat and water during the cooking process. Your body requires a full profile of all of these nutrients, which work together when in proper balance, to create the potential for every metabolic function within the body to take place.

6.      Eat the skins of your produce items (fruits and vegetables) whenever possible. Many of the essential nutrients are right under the skin. To avoid contamination from the multitude of pesticides used in commercial farming, it is best to choose organic produce. And always, whether commercially, or organically, grown, wash all produce very thoroughly before eating.

7.      Choose whole vegetables and fruits over their juices. The fiber that is discarded in the production of the juice is very high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), all of which are essential in the prevention of disease and illness. The juice contains only a portion of what is available in the whole food!

8.      Season foods with natural condiments, such as fresh herbs, fresh garlic, onions, lemon or lime juice, peppers, organic and ethnic, vegetable flakes and powders, and spices.

9.      Include a wide variety of foods in your diet. This ensures a better balance of essential nutrients. What one food lacks, another contains!

10.   Reduce your intake of fats, especially saturated fats. These include fats from dairy products and most animal protein sources, other than fish and seafood.

11.   Use methods of cooking that do not require the addition of fats, or substitute the fats with vegetable broth, water, or fresh lemon juice.

12.    Include small amounts of fats in your diet that are from plant oil sources, focusing on pure virgin olive oil, Udo’s Blend oils, avocados, sesame oil, and other cold-processed oils. Use them uncooked, in dressings, for salads and steamed vegetables. The general rule is to maintain, approximately 20% of the day’s calories from these natural uncooked fats.

13.   Steer clear of any which are of a trans-fatty acid nature, or which incorporate hydrogenation in the processing. These include: the wide array of margarines, salad dressings, mayonnaise, most commercial nut butters (e.g. peanut butter), roasted nuts and seeds, packaged and frozen baked goods, cookies, crackers, snack foods and snack bars, canned, packaged and frozen entree items, powdered, canned, refrigerated or frozen coffee whiteners, powdered flavored coffee mixes, non-diary creams and dessert toppings. Whew! 

In other words, check the label for the words hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated, or palm oil, or coconut oil (unless organic, expeller-pressed), or any other oil that is listed as hydrogenated. Leave it on the shelf or in the case. These do not spell good health!

14.   Reduce or eliminate your consumption of meats, especially red meats (i.e. beef, lamb, and even pork.) These meats are high in marbled saturated fats. Apart from the health risks associated with high fat intake, as indicated throughout the research, the fat of the animal is also where the toxic byproducts of metabolism, and the hormonal injections for faster growth, are stored.

15.   Choose fish or the leaner cuts of poultry, i.e. chicken or turkey breast with the skin removed, in place of red meats. If using ground turkey meat, select the skinless boneless breast of the turkey and ask the butcher to grind it for you.

16.   Game meat provides a very lean and tasty alternative to our higher fat domestic protein sources. These include rabbit, hare, muskrat, deer, moose, caribou, bear, wild goose, grouse, pheasant, turtle, frog legs, rattlesnake and eels, just to mention a few.

17.   Limit your intake of animal meats to a maximum of 3 to 5 servings per week, with the focus on the leaner varieties, especially fish, and game meat. Fish and game meat are generally higher in a type of oil, commonly referred to as omega-3 oil, which according to large bodies of research, is beneficial in the reduction of the incidence of heart disease, various cancers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, etc.

18.   Select the plain, unflavored, nonfat and low fat versions of dairy products, such as milk, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, buttermilk and yogurt. Look for the lower fat varieties, now available, of firm cheeses. Or better still, try some of the new soy cheeses in the dairy section of the grocery store or health food store. 

19.   Increase your consumption of legumes as a high fiber, low fat, high calcium and iron-rich source of protein. Included are soybeans and soybean products, such as tempeh, tofu, miso, and soymilk. Other varieties of legumes: chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pinto beans, white and red kidney beans, Roman beans, split peas, lentils, black-eyed peas, etc.

20.   Include at least 2 cups of plain, non-fat or low-fat yogurt, kefir, or acidophilus milk daily for their immune-enhancing properties. Select only those brands which list the specific cultures, and list them as Live Cultures. ?

21. Reduce or eliminate the intake of potential toxins.

Tobacco: whether firsthand or secondhand, cigarette smoking has been associated with illnesses and diseases too numerous to list here.

Alcohol can lead to illnesses of the liver, kidneys, bladder and overall elimination systems of the body. It increases free radical damage and lowers your resistance to snacking on high fat, high sugar refined foods.

Pesticides on our fresh produce may have hazardous effects on our overall health and immune systems. It is advisable to wash all produce upon purchase, even if it is organically grown. Add 1?2 cup of white vinegar to a basin of clean purified water, and soak produce, other than berries and leafy greens, for several minutes, and then rinse thoroughly in two sinks of clear water. Let dry on towels and then refrigerate.

Additives and preservatives added to our food sources may prove over time to have deleterious effects on our immune systems and general well-being. With the increasing consumption of packaged, processed preserved foods we are also seeing a parallel in increasing numbers of allergy sufferers, and general lethargy and restlessness among our children and adolescents. Is there a connection? Why take the risk?

Here are two well-known and potentially dangerous additives that have been extensively scientifically researched, and in the news, often:

Nitrites: includes many of the meat analog-based products, such as vegetarian forms of bacon, ham, hot dogs, bologna, and deli sliced meats, as well as the processed meats from animal sources.

Sulfates and sulfites: includes dried fruits and other dried food products. Limit wine consumption, especially red wine, for this reason as well.

22. Minimize risky foods. These include:

~ fatty meats,

~ salty foods?

~ sugar-laden desserts, chocolates sweets?

~ pickled foods, especially those produced with white, distilled vinegar?

~ salt-cured meats and foods?

~ smoked meats, cheeses, and other foods?

~ nitrite-cured meat products and other foods?

~ burned or well-done foods, including and especially those cooked on a barbecue

23. Daily intake of fluids should include at least 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of water. The diet in this book is high in natural fiber, which absorbs, like a sponge, many times its own weight in fluids. Without adequate fluid intake, you can become severely constipated, as well as experience flatulence (gas)

Water is required for every major function of the body, including carrying nutrients to where they are needed, as well as carrying wastes and toxins out of the body. Water is also necessary for proper functioning of the digestive juices and the digestive tract, so it may assist in the prevention of indigestion. However, a rule of thumb is to drink water before a meal, but not during a meal.

If you are ill, it is advisable to increase your fluid intake, to prevent dehydration which can result from diarrhea, vomiting, high fevers or hyperventilation.

24. Regular daily exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, and for maintenance of an efficient, fully functioning and energized body. However, gentle exercise, done consistently, is the key to long-term benefits. This includes natural forms of exercise, such as walking, swimming, climbing stairs (versus taking the elevator or escalator), bicycling, dancing, yoga and sexual activities.

Love your body with exercise. Gentle exercise is nurturing and soulfully nourishing. Punishing forms of exercise are breaking down tissue that then has to be rebuilt! If you are ill, you do not have the extra stores for any additional rebuilding, over and above the extra that is demanded for basic maintenance!

25. Respect and love this wonderful machine: Your Body! Listen to it! Be alert to any signals of dis-ease, indicating that something is not working right in the body. These can include pain in a part or parts of the body, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, irregular hair or nail growth, excessive fluid retention, or bloating, just to mention a few.

26. Surround yourself with positive loving people. Create around you the kind of loving community you desire, including friends, a personal coach, people who are doing with their lives what you say you want to do with yours; in general, people who will inspire and motivate you to stay on track.

27. Include a quiet relaxation period in your daily life. You only need 15-20 minutes per day of yoga or Tai Chi, or simply sitting quietly with calming music. And please: Remember to breath throughout the day; breathing + exercise = oxygen flowing = energy!

28. Develop a daily attitude of gratitude, living every day filled with gratitude in every area of your life, which, in turn, most effectively enhances your life’s outcomes:

a.    Write 5 things, large or small, that you are grateful for each day in a journal. Focusing on the good in our lives miraculously produces more of the same!

b.    Use positive “self-talk” and “visualization”, along with , to achieve success in anything you decide to do. Positive “self-talk” and visualization are the keys to success. Add to that, the experience of the feeling of having accomplished what you desire, and you are truly on your way to success. Research has shown that athletes who see themselves as winning, and who internalize the feeling of what it will be like as they cross the finish line first, or jump the highest jump, or perform the most highly rated dance on ice, etc. are the ones who achieve their most desired goals.

c.     Live in the moment. Remember, the past is like a canceled check, the future like a promissory note, while the present is your cash in hand. It’s the only thing you can depend on, so spend it wisely.

d.    See the funny side of life. Laugh a lot. Laugh at yourself. In his book, Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins profoundly demonstrates the healing power of humor.

e.    Honor yourself for a job well done. It is very important to reward yourself for all of your accomplishments, and to celebrate your successes. This arouses a positive sense of self, a sense of worthiness, and the internalized thought that, “my word is law for me!” This positive energy then inspires success in other endeavors in our lives, including the overcoming of an illness.

f.     Remember, you have choices. Get rid of the “should, could, would” mentality! Make choices that are in alignment with your dreams, desires, goals and personality. Stop “ ” on yourself!

29. Take responsibility for your own life. No one else has as much invested in your life as you do. Learn as much as you can, about what you can do to become healthy, or to maintain optimal health. Learn to discern! Don’t take everything at face value. Ask questions. Go to the source. Awareness and knowledge, balanced with some wisdom and a generous dose of discipline, are the cornerstones of a healthy life.

30. Live in integrity with yourself. In life, do what you love to do. Be true to yourself about who you are, what you like and don’t like, how you want to live your life, where you want to live your life, etc. Do not live your life to please others, doing what you think others expect you to do, and presenting the image you think others want to see. You are cheating yourself of the life you deserve. And furthermore, continually living with an underlying feeling of discontent will eventually erupt in an illness.

So, to sum what you have just read:

a.      Incorporate a specific time daily (at least 5-10 minutes) for deep breathing practices, learning to first exhale completely before continuing with a deep breathing pattern.

b.     Select the highest quality, most natural, organic, whole foods you can get.

c.       Minimize the amount and type of food preparation used, with 50% of your food being eaten in a raw state, especially vegetables and fruits.

d.     Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily, as well as your other beverages.

e.      Add a good measure of natural, gentle exercise, about 20-30 minutes daily.

f.       Take time out every day (at least 10-15 minutes) to just be still, and to rest, relax, rejuvenate, and eventually to learn to meditate. (This may require some practice since most of us are programmed to believe that this step is a luxury that we don’t have time for—big mistake!).

g.      Work on developing and maintaining a healthy, optimistic, loving attitude, towards yourself, as well as others and the world around you.

In time, you will move through your life with Ease, Confidence, Peace of Mind and Health. And with less Stress to boot!

How much better can your health...and your life...get? A Lot Better…if you develop excellent habits that lead to excellent health!

So, enjoy the journey...and share the habits you're incorporating to create excellent health in your own life!

For more than 45 years Dr. Joyce has transformed hundreds of thousands of lives globally, as an inspirational & motivational seminar leader and keynote speaker. Author of several bestselling books, including her most recent #1 International Bestseller, “The Stress to Success Formula: Transform Your Life, Career Business Now!” and "INSTANT E.N.E.R.G.Y.?: The 5 Keys to Unlimited Energy & Vitality. Get your FREE Top 10 5-Minute Energy Tips at https://www.5MinuteEnergyTips.com