By Dr. Prakash Chandra Bhatt
In recent times, health issues like depression, anxiety, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes, backache, headaches and heart diseases are quite common than before. If we look closely at these health issues that more and more people report these days, we could easily get one thing in common – modern day lifestyle practices like unhealthy and improper diet, lack of proper sleep, and consumption of drugs and other addictive substances and even unhygienic environment.
Lifestyle diseases are those set of diseases that are directly related to the outcome of how we choose to live our lives. These diseases develop in us as a result of:
- The surrounding that we live in.
- The food and drinks that we choose to eat on an everyday basis.
- Absence of any physical activity of exercise as a part of our daily routine.
- Too much physical and emotional stress.
- The type of tasks we perform during the day.
- The environment that we work in daily.
Since these diseases are directly linked with our modern day lifestyle factors, let’s look at the modern ways to tackle and cure them.
The Use Of Probiotics And Prebiotics
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In order for our body to stay healthy and operate optimally, we need to have a healthy gut. Experts and scientists have confirmed that the relation of our overall health and our gut health is directly proportional. And, in order to maintain this healthy relation, we need to maintain a proper and delicate balance between the good and bad bacteria that resides in our body and are responsible for everything happening with and within us.
The rationale for probiotics is that we humans provide home to a miniature ecology of microbes, both good and bad, collectively called the gut flora. This ecology of microbes can get blown out of whack because of lifestyle factors like stress, poor diet, use of addictive like alcohol, and the use of prescription drugs like antibiotics and oral contraceptives. If we humans fail to maintain an adequate number of good bacteria in the body, disease and perhaps even death may occur to us. Hence we could greatly benefit from taking a quality probiotic on a regular basis and it helps in maintaining this balance by promoting the growth of good bacteria.
Natural probiotics have been around since our ancient times in the form of fermented foods like tempeh, yoghurt, kimchi and miso. Supplements of probiotics are also available easily these days in the form of drinks, powders, capsules and more. Another term you hear these days is prebiotics. These are not bacteria but they are foods for the bacteria in probiotics to flourish. Supplement of prebiotics are also easily available.
Functional Food And Beverage
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These are the food and beverages that have been aided with dietary components for numerous health benefits apart from having its natural basic nutrition. These food and drinks are actually modified by the addition of certain substances that makes them healthier and beneficial for human health. Some of these substances that are added are:–
- Collagen for enhanced beauty and active lifestyle, supporting both fluid movement and glowing resilient skin.
- Botanical applications like plant based proteins and Nitrogen Dioxide. These provide enhanced energy and good recovery from muscle and tissue damages.
- Expeller pressed oils
Functional foods and beverages should be eaten not for the sake of taste nor to be eaten for emotional reasons. Functional foods are eaten because of the practical health or energy value that we get to cure these modern lifestyle diseases.
Modern Nutaceuticals
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Modern day Neutaceuticals are products that apart from providing us nutrition, they work as medicines also. They are used for both the purposes – maintain healthy along with preventing us from illnesses. These are products having certain biological functions and are derived only from foods. Similar to the dietary supplements, they are consumed in a way that resembles a medicinal product, and are also available sold over-the-counter.
The best way to make use of Neutaceuticals to treat and cure lifestyle is by having them along with a well-balanced and healthy diet. We should think it as a substitute for food. The use of Neutaceuticals has always been in debate because of this simple reason.
Microbiome Diet And Other Nutritional Factors
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A microbiome diet is the diet, when you eat, keeping in mind that you are eating for your microbiome – the gut flora and all the other beneficial microorganisms residing in your body. So, you eat foods that dies good and eliminate the ones that are bad for your microbiota. This diet works on the principle of four ‘R’’s.
Remove: all foods along with toxins and chemicals that causes inflammation in the gut. All pesticides, certain medicines like antibiotics and others are removed.
Replace: Replace them with healthy and organic foods like herbs, fruits and vegetables, fermented foods and probiotic supplements.
Repair: Fill up with plant based foods and nutritious foods that heals the gut and support the microbiome.
Rebuild: Rebuild the good bacteria back in the gut with the aid of probiotic and prebiotic foods and supplements.
DISCLAIMER: While we have taken steps to check the accuracy of information & practices shared here; it is not a replacement for a doctor’s opinion. it is important to first always check with your own doctor before trying any medication, practice or suggestion from this site.
