It’s hard to always be an energetic entrepreneur. It’s often round after round of networking, check writing, employee management, and bookkeeping. Weight gain and low energy often follow, with multiple cups of coffee, fast food, and erratic snacking. Popping a handful of supplements first thing in the morning is not the answer. This scenario really can be better. Just a few small changes, such as looking at good nutrition through the lens of overall health, can lead to big results. Here are seven pillars that support your well being and get you through your busy day with energy to spare.
1. Digestion: does yours functioning properly? This means after you eat, you don’t have heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, gas, etc. If you suffer from any of these painful, uncomfortable, often embarrassing problems, it could be a sign of hypochlorhydria. That means lack of sufficient stomach acid, produced at the right time, to digest your food. It’s the opposite of what the pharmaceutical companies would have us believe. They’d like us to think we’ve got too much stomach acid, and we need acid blockers to control it. Usually, we don’t have enough! The weak cardiac sphincter at the end of the esophagus allows incompletely digested food to come back up when it is only partially broken down by stomach acid. Sipping warm lemon water can help. So can apple-cider vinegar, diluted or used as a salad dressing. Hydrochloric acid tablets are available, usually labeled HCL, in natural food stores. Good digestion is the first step toward good health.
2. Blood sugar regulation: need a sweet snack at 10:00am and 3:00pm? If that mocha, soda, candy bar, or other sugar hit is the only thing getting you through to the next meal, then you have a blood sugar regulation problem. Fueling and then refueling your body in less than three to four hours is an indication that you need fewer simple carbohydrates. More complex carbs, adequate protein and healthy fats slow down digestion and allow your body to absorb blood sugar at a more moderate rate. Grabbing for a sweet energy boost is what many of us do every day, driving the Type II diabetes epidemic sweeping this country. Don’t become a statistic. Instead of a candy bar, try an apple with some nut butter. Instead of a mocha, a small container of yogurt with a few almonds, or some carrot sticks with a small piece of cheese. Perhaps a hard boiled egg is more your style, with a celery stick or two? Is soda your thing? Try some San Pellagrino mineral water with a twist instead.
3. Essential fatty acid balance: We need fat. It’s a component of every cell membrane in our body. Fat protects our organs, it allows us to utilize many vitamins, and it keeps our skin healthy. What we don’t need are trans fats, fake fats, and fats made from non-foods, such as cotton seeds. Our ancestors did not eat cotton, and we shouldn’t be eating it either. Eat more wild salmon, sardines, and small tuna, like tongol tuna. Eat less canola oil based products, found in salad dressings and mayonnaise, for example.
4. Vitamins and minerals: Soil depletion has taken its toll on the nutrient density of our food supply. Lack of trace minerals are often at the root of our health problems. Buy salt that has trace minerals intact. Try Celtic sea salt, Real Salt from Utah, and other unprocessed salts. When you eat chicken, save the bones in the freezer until you have enough to make a good amount of broth. Bone broths are high in minerals. They are an inexpensive and tasty way to re-supply your body with the minerals needed for nerve conduction, bone health, and many other processes. If you take vitamin supplements, ask questions first. You want to know that the brands you buy contain what’s on their labels. Make sure they are not on shelves that allow direct sunlight to brighten their day! Many vitamins are depleted by exposure to sunlight.