5 Simple Steps to Better Health

1. Make half your plate veggies. It’s time to stop thinking as vegetables as a side dish and start thinking about them as the star of the meal. When you build your meal around veggies you start thinking of the other parts of the meal – grains and proteins- as side dishes, or better yet, condiments that add flavor and spice to your meal. The easiest way to do this and start forming a habit is to simply fill half of your plate with veggies and then build on it.

2. Eat more sweet vegetables. If you have a sweet tooth that you just can’t seem to calm take a look at your diet and how many naturally sweet foods you eat. Incorporating naturally sweet vegetables, such as butternut squash, carrots and sweet potatoes can help you calm an out of control sweet tooth. Roasting vegetables also helps bring out their natural sweetness.

    3. Incorporate a spiritual practice. Good health is about so much more than simply eating well and exercising. Many health problems    and diseases also have an emotional connection and a spiritual practice can help you get in touch with the deeper issue at hand. Maybe you’re still grieving over something or holding onto anger or fear. Taking the time to listen will help you sort through the emotions you might not even know you’re feeling. Meditation, stillness, yoga, being in nature and journaling are some great ways to get in touch with your emotions.

4. Create a bed time routine. These are fabulous for babies and just as fabulous for us. Turn off your electronics one or two hour before you plan on going to bed and start dimming the lights. If you have bright lights on everywhere you’re signaling to your body that it’s daytime and it should be alert and awake. Dimming the lights, maybe lighting candles instead, can help signal to the body that it’s time to start winding down. Play some relaxing music, take a warm bath, read a book and practice gratitude to help you get ready for deep sleep.

5. Eat fermented vegetables. Traditionally fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, kimchee and pickled veggies, were eaten on a regular basis as part of a protein rich meal. Fermented vegetables not only help digest animal protein but they are also rich in probiotics which help heal the gut. To learn more about the benefits of probiotics read here. Start by experimenting with different fermented foods, our household favorite is kimchee, and eat about one tablespoon of with your highest protein meal. Once you’ve become used to it try adding a tablespoon to another meal. Before you know it you’ll have created a habit.