Nutrition is one of the most important things we can do to improve our health. Good nutrition is more than just following the traditional food pyramid guidelines. Sound advice is to eat organic, non-GMO varied fresh fruits and vegetables daily, and if doing so, grass-fed meats and fresh caught fish.

One of the main reasons for spending the extra money on organically grown foods is to avoid the ingestion of pesticides. One of the most common pesticides is glyphosate which, with chronic exposure, can contribute to many health issues. This herbicide is found in hundreds of agricultural products and causes disruption in the intestinal microbiome. The adverse effects on the intestine can lead to mood disorders, altered glucose metabolism, food sensitivities and autoimmune diseases. One of the easiest ways to clean your fresh fruits and vegetables is with an ozone generator. Ozone is three loosely held oxygen atoms that can clean and disinfect organic materials from viruses, bacteria and fungus.

Sleep has many overall health benefits, but almost more importantly, sleep deficiency—especially chronic insomnia—can lead to cardiovascular problems like weight gain, mood disturbance, memory problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Everybody, without exception, needs quality sleep. The average adult needs seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep provides restoration of all the body’s most important processes. Your daytime well-being is directly related to the quality and quantity of your sleep. Instituting good sleep hygiene starts with shutting off all electronic equipment one to two hours before bed, sleeping in a darkened, cool environment, maintaining a stable bedtime and avoiding food and alcohol within four hours of bed. Some natural products to help induce sleep, if needed, include magnesium, GABA and melatonin.

Stress affects your health by decreasing your joy and lowering your overall quality of life. Everyone has stress, but it’s how we manage it that determines its effects on our bodies. Uncontrolled or prolonged stressors can cause weight gain by increasing cortisol levels, especially at night, which can lead to interrupted sleep, causing increased fat storage. The daytime fatigue then leads to poor nutritional intake or “stress eating” that causes increased insulin release which can contribute to weight gain, further increase of cortisol and mood disturbance. Learning what works to alleviate our stress and incorporating those techniques into our daily routines will improve our quality of life. Most common stress-relieving techniques include meditation, deep breathing, yoga, essential oils, exercise, music and guided imagery, to name a few. Find out which one or two work best for you and your body will be happier for it.

 

Optimize your health with healthy nutrition, nutritional IV therapy, ozone therapy and many more modalities, including ozone generators, available at St. Petersburg Health & Wellness, located at 2100 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St., St. Petersburg. For more information, call 727-202-6807 or email [email protected]. See ad page 41.