“Remember that achieving holistic wellness isn’t a day’s task. It’s a linear process that you self-monitor. Unfurl healthy living by taking your first step today”
When your disease resistance capacity is debilitated, you are exposed to toxins like germs and bacteria that cause several health concerns. However, some natural ingredients can intervene in this process and boost your body’s best defense. In my 20 years of experience as a nutritionist, I find ayurvedic nutrition to be a sustainable health solution.
Now, I realise that millennials perceive Ayurveda as a traditional healing method, but let me tell you that it is so much more than just kadhas and jadibooties. Within several Ayurvedic disquisitions, you’ll find solutions to tackle modern health concerns like low immunity, unhealthy body weight, diabetes and more, through scientifically-led formulations of herbs and superfoods. Ayurveda aims at essentially rectifying your lifestyle rather than merely suppressing symptoms of illnesses. Thus, I concur with Ayurveda’s approach of natural nutrition for health and wellness.
Here’s a simple guide to making headway towards holistic health
You are what you eat
Wellness does not work in silos. Your health is well-guarded by the body’s natural defenses which in turn hinges on an effective cycle of consumption, absorption, digestion, and excretion. An unhealthy diet can disrupt your body’s innate balance and compromise your disease resistance capacity. To steer clear of this cumber, you can always increase your intake of natural health boosters like organic herbs and superfoods.
Ensure that you consume three nourishing main meals every day. A popular misbelief is that one must skip meals to maintain a healthy BMI. However, it’s quite the contrary. Omitting meals shall do more bad than good to your body.
When you’ve starved too long, your body functions in survival mode, wherein your metabolism goes slower, and you crave more food than you regularly would. You even invite acidity to take shelter when you’re empty stomach. I suggest consuming three nutritious meals a day that must incorporate green veggies, at least two fruits, your choice of pulses, sprouts, and any form of grains and good fats.
You must include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Supplementing herbs for holistic wellness
Organic herbs and raw ingredients have been at the core of my perspective of healthy living. Commence your day with a glass of tulsi-ginger juice, have a mid-day smoothie made of broccoli, kale, spinach, carrot, and half vitamin C-rich lemon juice. After 45 minutes of your meal, consume a hot cup of cinnamon and turmeric green tea for rejuvenation and healthy digestion.
Some other herbs you can consume for shielding your health against seasonal ailments, common colds and fever are amla, triphala and neem. Amla – The extremely citrus green fruit that makes you scrunch up and pucker is actually a profound natural herb enriched with vitamin C and antioxidant properties. It is also an ayurvedic solution for strengthening your body’s immune response and aiding white blood cell functions.
As monsoon showers sprawl across the country, so do common cold, cough, and flu. To ensure that your health does not take the season’s hit, you must consume the natural antimicrobial, disinfectant agent tulsi, every day. You can chew on two to three fresh tulsi leaves first thing in the morning or even add these to your regular chai.
Neem is considered a conventional, yet highly nutritious herb. The anti-fungal and antibacterial properties of neem wash off all the toxins present in your body and boosts your body’s defense against free radicals, allergies and ailments. Along with boosting your system from within, neem also cleanses your skin, leaving you looking radiant and feeling healthy.
Neem should be a part of your diet. (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Keep stressful lifestyle at bay
The urban life is helmed by air-tight schedules, chaotic routines and burning the midnight oil way too often. However, along with consuming the right food that nourishes your body, it is also imperative to lead a healthy, active, and stress-free lifestyle to stimulate a near-perfect immune response.
When you’re stressed, your hypothalamus, the control center of your brain, releases stress hormones in the body that stimulate several other bodily responses: headaches, muscle cramps, heart palpitations and more. Severe ailments like high blood pressure, menstrual disorders, heartburns, insomnia and weak immune system emanate from a stressful lifestyle. Thus, make conscious efforts to maintain an active and tranquil lifestyle. Embrace meditation and yoga asanas along with other exercise routines to combat stress.
Medicinally classified as an adaptogen, ashwagandha is popular for its stress-relieving properties. This herb is enriched with high withanolide content, thus, you can supplement Ashwagandha regularly for brain health and overall well-being. Consume ashwagandha as an ingredient in your beverage to combat daily fatigue and restlessness.
Remember that achieving holistic wellness isn’t a day’s task. It’s a linear process that you self-monitor. Unfurl healthy living by taking your first step today. Stay healthy, stay safe!
