Include a variety of superfoods in your daily meals. While no single food can give us everything we need, a variety of excellent foods from all food groups establishes the healthy eating pattern called for in the 2015-2020 US Dietary Guidelines (Harvard Health, 2018). Try to mix in superfoods every day. Examples are: spices like turmeric ginger and cinnamon, berries like elderberry and blueberry, cruciferous vegetables, seafood, leafy greens, nuts, olive oil, whole grains and tomatoes.
Get outside in the sunshine if possible every day for 15 minutes. The weather is great right now! Eat lunch outside, throw a tennis ball to your dog, shoot hoops with the kids, ride a bike or just sit on a lawn chair and relax.
Practice some kind of yoga or meditation at least once/week. Assessing the present moment on a regular basis is one of the best ways to stop a cycle of negative thought. If you’re recycling past events or projecting a scary future, consider reigning in that vivid imagination by focusing on your breath or developing your yoga practice.
Get plenty of Vitamin C every day. It’s essential for maintaining healthy, young looking skin, for maintaining a healthy immune system, for fighting oxidation that damages cells, for protecting vitamin E (another important antioxidant), for wound healing, and many other things. Vitamin C is readily available in foods like strawberries, cantaloupe, spinach, oranges, broccoli, bell peppers and tomatoes.
Get in touch with your natural circadian rhythm. Let’s face it folks. Earth has been rotating on its axis for over 4 billion years, and from the very first signs of life on this planet about 3.5 billion years ago, a 24-hour cycle of light and dark has ruled our evolution. Consider the possibility that we’ve allowed technology to interfere with this natural cycle. Consider reclaiming nighttime for yourself! Technology is great, but adequate, restful sleep is more important for your health than any single thing invented by humankind!
McManus, K. D. (August 29th 2018). 10 superfoods to boost a healthy diet. Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/10-superfoods-to-boost-a-healthy-diet-2018082914463