Let thy food be thy
medicine and thy medicine shall be thy food.
Nowadays, fewer of us can relate to
ancient philosopher Hippocrates when he spoke these immortal words. But eating healthy and exercising daily
need not be a hassle.
Dr. Tara Andresen, who specializes in naturopathic medicine in Toronto, shared with Lifestyle her
insights into ways to approach a more natural way of living that also offers simplicity.
Diet tips:
Number one on the doctor’s list of recommendations is opting for whole foods, which are foods that
are as close to their original state as possible, she explains. The closer your nutritional picks to their
origins, the better.
However, getting in more fruits, vegetables and grains into your diet isn’t as complicated as spending hours
reading labels in a grocery store or travelling to the furthest organic market. Even frozen fruits and
vegetables, while they do lose some of their nutrients in the freezing process, are better than none at all,
Andresen adds.
Step two, watch your sugar intake. As a sweet tooth, I thought at first this was easier said than done.
However, Andresen advises the long-term benefits are better not only for physical health, but also emotional
wellbeing. “People under heavy stress tend to experience a rollercoaster effect with their insulin levels,”
she says.
Third on the list of vices is caffeine. While sipping on your morning cup of java in moderation is okay, a
lot of us (myself included) tend to overindulge. As an alternative, Andresen suggests reaching for black tea,
since it has some caffeine. But more importantly, it also contains a compound called L-theanine, which helps
keep cortisol levels in balance, she says.
Supplements:
The doctor says if she could only recommend one kind, it’d have to be fish oil. Among its list of positives
(may assist in prevention heart disease, as well as cancer), fish oil is also rich in vitamin D, which more
and more research is showing helps strengthen the immune system and may even assist in preventing certain
cancers, Andresen says.
Exercise:
Even a little will go a long way.
“The gym is a great approach, but try to get outside,” says Andresen. “Try to take a 20-minute walk, which
many of us can forget to do.”
