10 Pillars of Health

Maintaining your health is one of the most important things you can do. Health is the foundation upon which everything else is built. Without good health, it’s difficult to achieve things you might want in life. That’s why it’s important to focus on building and maintaining these pillars of health.

1st Pillar – Eliminate Sugar and Processed Carbohydrates

2nd Pillar – Eliminate Vegetable Oils

3rd Pillar – Consume Well-Sourced, Regeneratively-Grown Foods

Each pillar is important in its own way. It is imperative that you focus on them all, and not just one or two. They ALL play a role in a healthy you!

Let’s dive in and take a look at them individually!

1. Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates

Your insulin response will improve

Sugar and processed carbs are the primary culprit of “spikes” in your blood sugar. Blood sugar “spikes” can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes (as well as other not-so-great things like fatigue, food cravings, and mood swings). When your body becomes insulin resistant, it is more difficult to burn off body fat and your body prioritizes burning carbohydrates. This can increase sugar cravings and cause further weight gain!

Processed foods can negatively impact your health

Processed foods have been linked to many chronic diseases. We recommend following a more whole-foods based diet (think of whole foods as the foods you can eat from your hypothetical garden and animals you could eat from your hypothetical farm…except the cute baby chicks, we’re keeping those as pets!) The benefits of eating a whole foods diet include lower rates of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Whole foods tend to be lower in sugar and higher in fiber, which helps balance blood sugar. On top of that, whole foods are nature’s gift to our body – we feel the fullest and feel more satisfied when eating food in its simplest form!

Avoid refined wheat (white flour)

Processed or refined carbs have been stripped of almost all fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Because these products lack these nutrients, they can make you feel full, but only for a short time. And most often, they leave you unsatisfied, and you end up overeating! The main sources of refined carbs are white flour, white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, snacks, pasta, sweets, breakfast cereals, and added sugars.

2. Eliminate vegetable oils

Vegetable Oils are inflammatory

Vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids. The typical American diet is already loaded with omega-6 foods, so there’s really no need to add vegetable oils to the mix! If you eat a diet high in omega-6, it can lead to inflammation in the body and potentially contribute to chronic diseases.

Vegetable oils cause weight gain

Though our bodies need some omega-6 for optimal health, excessive amounts can increase appetite and slow the rate at which the body burns fat, causing weight gain.

Vegetable Oils have High Omega 6:3 ration, which is harmful

You have to have both of these (Omega 6-Bad Fat & Omega 3 Good Fat) to live. Ideally this ratio would be a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio . The average person’s ratio ranges from 14:1 to a 40:1 ratio. The higher the Omega 6 intake, the more inflammation in your body.

Dr,. Joseph Hibbeln from the National Institutes of Health has researched the imbalance of omega 6 fats compared to omega 3 fats and his research shows when you eat more omega-6 and less omega-3, it significantly increases risk of: Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, IBS, Macular Degeneration, Rheumatoid arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Psychiatric disorders, and autoimmune disease.

It is hiding in your processed foods – Salad Dressings, Marinara Sauce, Health bars, Breakfast Cereals and even your Liquid coffee creamer!

Go look in your pantry. Grab a couple of packaged foods and there is a good chance you’ll find a vegetable oil or soybean oil in almost everything.

Some of the oils to remove from your diet: Safflower Oil, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil, Margarine

Here is a list of fats and oils should you eat that protect our heart and brain while reducing inflammation:

• Avocado Oil
• Extra virgin, cold pressed Coconut Oil
• Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Avocados
• Grass Fed Meats
• Grass Fed Butter
• Nuts-walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, and macadamia, Not Peanuts
• Fatty Fish-sardines, mackerel, herring, wild salmon, that are rich in omega 3 fats

3. Well-Sourced Regeneratively-Grown/Raised Foods

Choosing these foods cuts out toxins

What did your food eat? Plants build themselves from sunlight, water, and soil. And, as it turns out, what crops “eat” can influence the nutrients on our own plates.

There is no round-up chemical in your food

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup and the most widely used herbicide in the world, and has been linked to cancer. Choosing regeneratively grown foods removes this carcinogen from your food.

Your food will have a better omega profile

Studies show that farms that engaged in regenerative farming produced more nutritious food with higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Beef and pork raised using regenerative grazing techniques had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally grown meat.

Regeneratively sourced is also nutrient dense

Regenerative farming produces mineral rich soil which in turn produces mineral rich food. Minerals help your body function well – everything from building your immune system, to helping your hair grow!

They taste better

Foods grown on regenerative farms and animals raised on regenerative farms have higher nutrient content and fewer chemicals. This leaves you with a product that has an overall improved flavor profile and leave you full and satisfied versus wanting more! Have you ever bought carrots from the grocery store and they tasted mostly like water with a crunch? We all have! If it weren’t for the crunch, you probably wouldn’t be able to identify a carrot with a blind taste-test. However, a carrot grown on a regenerative farm has more nutrients and actually has a sweet, earthy flavor you’d be able to pinpoint if you ever found yourself blindfolded doing a taste-test!

Now let’s dive right in to pillars four through seven.

4th Pillar – Gut Health

5th Pillar – Sleep

6th Pillar – Exercise

7th Pillar – Fasting

4th Pillar – Gut Health

The gut microbiome controls the digestion of food and is responsible for so many aspects of your health. This includes, your immune system, central nervous system, and other bodily processes. Having too many unhealthy microbes can lead to disease. This is why it is imperative to feed your gut properly. There is a connection between gut health and many health issues such as, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, weak immune system, certain types of cancer, and the list just goes on.

The decisions we make every day on what we choose to eat effects our gut health. We either support the good gut bugs or the bad gut bugs. Not only do we need to feed them properly, they also need you to manage your stress and get plenty of sleep.

The old adage, you are what you eat, rings true here. The better your feed your gut, the better your body functions.

HOW TO FIX YOUR GUT:

Eliminate – Sugars, Vegetable Oils, Processed Foods, and Excessive Alcohol

Incorporate – Switch to Organic Foods, Eat Regeneratively Grown Foods, Eat your Veggies (green leafy veggies raw or roasted) Incorporate healthy fats (MCT Powder – Medium Chain Triglycerides) Add Fermented Foods (freely accessible fiber) Greek, full fat, no sugar, yogurt is also a good source of healthy bacteria.

More can be heard on Gut health in Podcast Episode # 35

5th Pillar – Sleep

Sleep is imperative to your health. We have been told sleep is lazy! We have all heard “the early bird gets the worm”, or I’ll sleep when I’m dead”.

It is time to change your way of thinking.

Good restful sleep is a necessity for a healthy lifestyle. The lack of sleep affects physical and mental health. If you don’t take the time to refresh your body it doesn’t run efficiently. During sleep, your body is cleaning itself up, healing, repairing and getting rid of dead cells. It has to have sufficient time to complete these tasks. Sleep allows for physical restoration, mood regulation, strengthening of your immune system, and cleans your brain of toxins. As an adult you should get a recommended minimum of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

If you are trying to improve your quality of sleep, there are many sleep trackers that can assist with this. Below are a few different brands:

Fitbit, Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Muse, Halo band

There are many different options when it comes to tracking your sleep, so make sure to use what works best for you.

TIPS TO HELP YOU SLEEP

• No TV in your bedroom
• No Night lights
• Minimize phone exposure before bed
• Supplemental Stack – (magnesium, Apigenin, glycine, l theanine) melatonin or Organifi gold
• Create a Sleep routine
• Don’t eat 2 to 3 hours before sleep
• Don’t get too hot at night

More can be heard on Sleep in Podcast Episode # 37

6th Pillar – Exercise

Exercise is important, but don’t exercise to lose weight! TRAIN TO BE 90! Train for Mobility, Flexibility, Mental Decompression, and work on maintaining muscle mass. As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass. The importance of exercise/training is to keep muscle mass, so we can process nutrients.

Mitochondria play an important role here. The more mitochondria you have, the healthier you are. The largest number of mitochondria is located in your muscle. Mitochondria’s job is to process oxygen and convert substances from the foods we eat into energy. They produce 90% of the energy our bodies need to function. As you can see, maintaining muscle mass is extremely beneficial to keep our bodies running well.

Find a balance in your daily life that allows you to make time for at least 30 minutes a day to keep you mobile and flexible. You can incorporate strength and resistance training, HIIT training, Mindful Movement training like Yoga or Pilates to improve balance. A good rule of thumb is to sit less and move more. It’s like the old saying: you don’t stop moving from growing old, you grow old from stopping moving. If you have any restrictions, just do as much as you can. Every little bit helps!

More can be heard on exercise in Podcast Episode # 38

7th Pillar – Fasting

Fasting is a great tool, but you have to earn the right to fast by cleaning up your diet. This is necessary so your body can access fat stores while fasting. The “Big Picture” reason to fast is to re-sensitize your cells to insulin. When you aren’t eating(fasting), your body is doing cleanup. Fasting also helps with metabolic flexibility. Check out some of the benefits of fasting below.

Graphic – courtesy of drpompo.com

More can be heard on fasting on Podcast Episode # 38

Each pillar is important in its own way. It is imperative that you focus on them all, and not just one or two. They ALL play a role in a healthy you!

We have made it to the final segment of the 10 Pillars of Health! Let’s dive into Pillars 8, 9, and 10.

8th Pillar – Prayer and Meditation

Spiritual discipline is an instrumental part of your health and wellness journey. This journey is a battle between your body and your brain. You have to take the time to calm down, look around, be grateful, and de-stress. Starting your day with quiet time in prayer and/or meditation allows you to begin your day with focus on the mind and the heart. It is helpful to go into this time with gratitude and thankfulness. This will help boost your overall mood and outlook on life.

Tip:

Find your purpose! Having purpose to your life is what keeps you going. Your purpose is what drives you to get up every day and be the best version of yourself.

Benefits of Prayer and Meditation:

• Better Sleep
• Better Mood
• Calmer Emotions
• Increased Focus
• Increased Memory
• Increased Resiliency
• Greater self-awareness
• Reduce Stress Levels

More can be heard on Prayer and Meditation in Podcast Episode # 39

9th Pillar – Relationships

We need friends, family, and deep relationships. These relationships are a cornerstone of happiness and living a full life. They provide us with people that we can share our lives with. Surrounding yourself with like minded people, will help keep you on track, and make you want to be a better you. An accountability partner will help keep you in line with your goals, and overall will help sharpen you. They help keep balance in your life. We all need people in our lives that make us want to be a better version of ourselves. This makes us strive to make better choices on a daily basis. Without these relationships, we struggle to find support and accountability.

More can be heard on Relationships in Podcast Episode # 39

10th Pillar – Stress Management and Playing

Stress reduction and stress management play a large role in weight loss and weight management. There are different ways to manage stress. Here is how to get started:

What is your number one stressor?

Write it down.

Decide: can I change this? If so, what can I do to solve it, or if I can’t resolve or improve it, find ways to let it go.

This will allow you to work through your stress and hopefully aid in reducing it.

Ways to manage stress:

Prayer, yoga, meditation, connecting with your community and faith-based organizations are all great options. You can also try Breathwork. This is a great way to align your body with your brain, and mentally check in with yourself. Find what works best for you in relieving stress.

Playing

Find an activity that gives you joy and helps you be child like. There are many reasons to make “Play” part of your day. Play helps reduce stress, boosts creativity, fosters cognitive growth, promotes physical health, boosts confidence, and it’s FUN. Who doesn’t need a little more fun in their life?

More can be heard on Stress Management and Play in Podcast Episode # 39

Knowledge is Power.

Knowing the 10 pillars to health gets you headed down your best path. Improve where you can, and do what is doable in your life. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Bo and Dr. Bleu talk about finding your low lying fruit and how to make progress with these 10 pillars of health.