People around the world today are getting sicker and sicker. As the quality of our food, air and water grows increasingly worse, it’s now more important than ever that people make the right lifestyle choices. Regrettably, when a person suffering from a disease or from chronic pain visits his or her doctor, they’re often prescribed medication that’s only meant to relieve the symptoms. This does nothing, however, to detect or improve the issue’s underlying cause. That’s where the holistic health health approach comes in.
Instead of only focusing on the body’s troubled area, the holistic approach takes the workings of the entire body into consideration. As everything in the body is connected, an imbalance in one area is likely to cause issues in another.
In addition to the body, one’s mental state is also a vital aspect of holistic health. There’s more and more evidence that mental stress and anxiety can contribute to physical ailments and accordingly, the reverse is also true.
To put it simply, holistic health is all about maintaining a proper balance.
Holistic Health and Nutrition
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of holistic health. It’s truly incredible that humans today can simply visit a supermarket and choose from a nearly unlimited amount of different foods from around the world, regardless of season. Our ancestors, on the other hand, typically had to go out and hunt, fish or grow everything on their own. What they didn’t have to worry about, however, was invisible chemicals, genetically modified seeds and hidden ingredients hiding within their food. While putting food on our plates is now easier than ever before, repeatedly making the wrong choices can lead to serious health consequences down the road.
We now have to worry about pesticides coating our fruits and vegetables, antibiotics and hormones being pumped into our meat, and loads of added sugar in what are supposed to be healthy drinks. Some “foods” on sale today are really not much more than combinations of various chemicals concocted in a lab! When this becomes the majority of what one eats, it’s only a matter of time before ailments such as heart disease or type II diabetes rear their ugly heads.
Despite the abundance of scientific research which proves the tremendous healing power of nutritious natural foods, modern medicine still places a heavy emphasis on prescription drugs to treat most of our common ailments. Even when these drugs do work, they will likely only provide relief for the problem area. In many cases, even more drugs need to be prescribed to provide relief for the nasty side effects caused by the first one!
It would be unfair, of course, to completely dismiss all recent medical developments and prescription drugs. There’s no denying that thanks to recent scientific advancements, we now have access to many life-saving drugs that are especially useful in emergency situations. Sudden emergencies aside, however, many people don’t realize that we can avoid our heavy reliance on potentially harmful prescription drugs by simply making the right nutrition choices and lowering our stress levels.
Is there a such thing as a “Holistic Health Diet”?
Holistic health practitioners understand that improving one’s diet is one of the most powerful factors when it comes to treating and preventing many of our common ailments. But what exactly is one supposed to eat? That’s where things become a lot less clear.
We can all agree that fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients and most people should be eating more of them. But what about meat, fish and dairy? And how should one go about balancing carbohydrates, fat and protein throughout the day? Furthermore, things get even fuzzier when exercise routines and fitness goals are taken into consideration.
Within the holistic health community there are a tremendous amount of varying opinions on what people consider to be the “right” diet. If you’re just starting to take your health and diet seriously, it can be difficult and overwhelming to know where to start. Should you try a raw vegan diet or a ketogenic diet? What about an alkaline diet vs. a paleo diet?
To put it simply, there is no single best answer. What works well for one person may not work for another. On top of that, what works for one person during a certain stage of their life may no longer be the best choice years later!
Here’s the important thing to remember when taking your health and wellness back into your own hands: put more good things into your body than bad. To put it simply, this means consuming more whole, nutritious and natural foods than food products that were created in a lab. On a mental and emotional level, remove the stressful aspects of your life when possible and learn to cope better with the things that you can’t change.
About This Blog
Some health blogs out there discourage any meat consumption whatsoever, while others are adamant about cutting out carbs. ‘Holistic Health for Life’ is going to look at health and wellness from a broader approach. As no single diet or lifestyle is best for everybody, over time we’ll be examining a wide variety of health and nutritional topics – all from a holistic perspective and with an open-mind.
We are people just like you. We’re constantly learning and experimenting with the goal of improving our lives and feeling great as often as possible.
We want to thank you for participating in this community and to congratulate you for making the decision to take your health back into your own hands!
