A Healthy You, Us, Me, Family

What is healthy or optimal health?  That is and has been a question of many discussions, theories, and study.

So where do we begin?  

Many disciplines divide health into 5, 6 or more areas, but let’s simplify it into three areas:  Physical, nutritional, and emotional well-being.  

Being healthy is a state of balancing the 3 key elements, that of Physical fitness which includes being physically active, maintaining strength and mobility, and good sleep.  Good nutrition which includes making good food choices, eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and avoiding as many processed foods as possible. And a third is Emotional well-being which includes staying socially active, mindfulness, and maintaining a positive attitude.  

So where to begin:  Maybe beginning with gut health since the gut is considered our second brain and gut microbiota is directly involved in metabolism, immune function, mental health.  It is often said a healthy gut is a healthy you.  What do we need to provide a healthy gut? A healthy gut requires good gut-microbiome, or microorganisms.  This is where good probiotics and prebiotics come in. Here is list of a variety of probiotics and prebiotics, although not inclusive.

Recognizing and maintaining a balanced gut microbiome is crucial to optimal health.

Probiotics

Buttermilk

Coconut Yogurt

Cottage Cheese

Fermented Beets

Fermented Carrots

Fermented Fruits

Fermented Garlic

Kiefer

Kimchi

Kombucha

Lassi

Miso

Natto

Pickles

Sauerkraut

Tamari

Tempeh

Yogurt

Prebiotics (Fiber Rich Foods)

Apples

Artichokes

Asparagus

Green Bananas

Barley

Carrots

Chia Seed

Chicory

Flaxseeds

Garlic

Leeks

Lentils

Oats

Onions

Pomegranate

Seaweed

Sunchokes

Sweet Potatoes