In every endeavour of humanity, there are laws that govern it, and our health is no exception.
There are laws in nature which when obeyed would translate into vibrant and vice versa. These are commonly termed the natural remedy, thus nature’s solution to all our health challenges.
The acronym NEWSTART is used to denote Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest and Trust in divine power, the eight gifts of nature that influences our health more than anything else in the universe.
This article is to give an overview of these eight factors and the subsequent articles would throw more light on each of them and the undisputable influence on our health.
NUTRITION: “Your food is your medicine”
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. Your food should contain grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Eat a nourishing diet which includes sufficient vitamins and minerals. Chew your food well and eat slowly. Have a short walk after the meal. Eat at regular time every day. This helps your digestion.
Do not eat in between meals. It will ferment the previous undigested food and will make the blood impure. There should be 5 to 6 hours gap between meals. Also it clogs the brain. Your stomach needs rest after digestion. Avoid overeating too. Overeating will cause indigestion, clogging of brain, and it will make it difficult to absorb the nutrients in it. Continual taxing of stomach will weaken your stomach and intestine. Avoid drinking water during meals.
Avoid refined sugar and refined products like white bread, white rice, and refined noodles and margarine. Your body needs vitamins and minerals in the whole grains form for good digestion. This prevents diabetes.
Avoid all fried foods. Frying in any manner, no matter what oil you use, spoils the wholesomeness of the food, because temperatures up to 600-700 o F. may be obtained. At these temperatures the unsaturated fats behave as if they were saturated. Thus fried foods, than unfried foods, increase the likelihood of developing the hardening of the arteries. Please avoid chilli and hot species, for this could cause ulcers and even make your blood acidic.
Avoid processed salt. Use less salts in your food. Our body cannot use the artificially prepared salt. Take rock salt (black salt) or sea salt. It contains minerals and trace elements. Search for it in the supermarkets or in health food stores.
It is not good to eat fruits and vegetables during the same meal. The use of both will often cause distress, and creates inability to put forth mental effort. It is better to have the fruits at one meal, and the vegetables at another. Fruits and vegetables taken at one meal produce acidity. It’s not a good combination of foods.
Acidic conditions of the body tissues is one of the basic causes of many diseases. It is therefore vitally important that there is a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the diet. When you keep your body in an alkaline state, you will get strong resistance against diseases. All meat and animal products are high acid forming, and should be avoided completely. All nuts, except for almonds and brazil nuts, are acid forming; and all grains are acid forming, except buckwheat and millet. These acid forming foods should be eaten in very limited amounts.
Breakfast
Take milks like soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, or coconut milk.; Eat soaked almonds, sprouts etc.; For carbohydrate and fibre eat varieties of recipes from oats, red or brown rice, and wheat on a daily basis.; For protein eat legumes (pulses or dhal ). Fruits or vegetables should be eaten. Some nuts and dried fruits like dates, raisins are good. Your breakfast time should be between 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Cast all your cares and sorrows and make your meal time the best time.
Lunch
Use unpolished rice (red or brown rice) or wheat. Enjoy salads. Raw foods are good, for they are rich in enzymes, vitamins and minerals and these qualities are destroyed during cooking. Eat lot of steamed vegetables like: carrots, beetroot, garlic (raw), parsley, broccoli, onions, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, cucumber, and green leafy vegetables, lettuce, potatoes, green beans, parsley, radish, and many more.
Evening-Meal
Skipping supper is a good option. Two meals per days are good for health. But, breakfast and lunch should be healthy. We suggest fruits or vegetable salads or simple vegetable soups. Also milks like soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc.
Supper should be between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Have it at least four hours before you sleep. It should be very light & easily digestible. Your Stomach should be empty before you go to bed.
EXERCISE- “If no Exercise, physical body will eventually lose its strength”
Exercise daily. Walking is the best exercise. Go for walks at least 30 minutes in the morning between 6 to 7 am or anytime that is convenient for you. You will get good fresh air, which is free from pollution during this time.
Of all the exercises, walking is the best. During walks all your organs works harmoniously. It helps you get more energy and endurance. Your body will expel impurities through skin during exercise.
Go for walks in a park or to a beach in the morning and evening where you can get good fresh air.
Oxygen is good for your brain and helps you to get good sleep at night.
Exercise stimulates production of adrenal hormones such as Norepinephrine, which is an antidepressant. HDL (good cholesterol) is produced as well. Exercise relieves stress and helps overcome depression.
WATER – “The most precious of all liquids”
Our Water formula: 50ml per kg of body weight per day. For example: 60kg x 50ml = 3000ml=3litersofwater.
Note: The amount of water need depends on your body weight.
Drink stomach full of water as soon as you get up from the bed. This will help to expel impurities in your body. Drink water half an hour before meal, and at least one hour after your meal time. In between your meals you may drink plenty of water. Chew the food well; this avoids drinking water during meal. Drinking water during meals hinders digestion. It dilutes all the digestive juices secreted in the stomach. It burdens the stomach.
SUNLIGHT- “Deepens the sense of well-being”
Go in the sun for 15-20 minutes daily (during exercise), when the air is cool. Before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. is the best time to get good sunlight. For those of us in Africa we need to take precautions to prevent over exposure to the sun which is very intense.
Researchers have discovered that vitamin D plays a crucial role in activating the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight pathogens. The body produces vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D from fish liver oil damages the heart.
Sunlight helps to overcome depression and corrects Hormone Imbalance. Let sunshine enter into your house. Sunlight kills germs and mould and promotes a clean environment.
TEMPERANCE –“A Successful Person will practices strict self-control”
Avoid chocolates, high sugar sweets and ice creams. This will aggravate digestion problem. They contain harmful chemicals and flavours. The ingredients used therein—dairy milk, refined sugar, trans-fat, cocoa, and other chemicals— are unhealthy. They are very hard to digest and addictive in nature. Alternatives: carob and homemade healthy sweets. (Make healthy sweets and desserts, fruit smoothies, cakes at home, without dairy milk and refined sugar). Avoid taking refined sugar in any form. It suppresses your immune system. Alternatives: honey, fruits like dates, raisins, etc.
Do not drink sodas, coffee, tea or any caffeine containing drinks. Alternatives: herbal teas, cereal coffees, plain lemon water, etc. Avoid consuming mass-manufactured food products. It contains harmful chemicals in the form of preservatives and artificial flavours. Coffee and tea contains caffeine. It increases stress hormone, and hardens the arteries.
Avoid dairy milk and all milk products. During pasteurization all valuable enzymes are destroyed, like Lactase for the assimilation of lactose; Galactase for the assimilation of galactose; Phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium. There is risk of allergies, diabetes I & II, kidney stones, acne, heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, etc. Dairy products have more contamination than of any other food. Alternatives for dairy milk are: soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc.
Smoking: Tobacco contains over 4,000 harmful chemicals, 37 of which are known to cause cancer. There are at least 300 known poisons in tobacco smoke including: Nicotine, Arsenic, Radon, Cyanide, Phenol, DDT, Asbestos, Benzene, Carbon monoxide and Formaldehyde.
Alcohol: Liquor in any form affects the frontal lobe of the brain, which is the seat of Reasoning power, Memory and Judgment. Most highway deaths occur due to the use of alcohol. It affects the lungs, oesophagus, stomach, liver, Kidney, breast and rectum. Brain cells die at an increased rate. Get help to overcome smoking and alcohol addiction. Habituate personnel hygiene.
Avoid meat and all animal products. Animal products contains trans-fat. Trans-fats are like grease that clogs the arteries, and your body cannot use it. Digestion time for flesh food is 17-72 hrs. During this process it decays inside your body and produces toxins in the body which later on lead to diseases. It does not give strength, as commonly believed. Instead it makes us weak.
AIR – “Without air you will die in few minutes”
Inhaling good air improves the brain’s ability to function. It also gives clarity to mind. Avoid inhaling polluted and poisonous air. Develop the habit of deep breathing. Many people only breathe at the top of their lungs. Do not just fill the top of your chest. For good blood, you need to breathe properly. Maintain an upright posture to enhance proper breathing and the intake of oxygen.
REST – “Rejuvenates the body”
Sleep, nature’s sweet restorer, invigorates the weary body and prepares it for the next day’s duties. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Go to bed between 9 and 9:30 pm. This is good because Melatonin and Serotonin are produced more before midnight. Both hormones rejuvenate the whole body.
Benefits of good sleep:
Rebuilds the cells of your body; Refreshes the brain; Chases away fatigue; Enhances the cleansing process, and promotes healing; Growth hormones are released; Reinforces your character structure; Emotional and physiological adjustments takes place.
We need weekly rest for mental rejuvenation. The relatively new science of chronobiology has uncovered some totally unexpected facts about living things, as Susan Perry and Jim Dawson report in their book “The Secrets Our Body Clock Reveal”. Weekly rhythms – known in chronobiology as “Circaseptan rhythms” — are one of the most puzzling and fascinating findings of chronobiology. It concludes that plants, insects, and animals, including humans, also have weekly cycles. Regarding the human heartbeat, a finding says, “Our heart beats slowly on Saturdays, irrespective of religious belief” (Gunther B. Paulien, Ph.D., The Divine Prescription, p. 107).
TRUST in Divine Power – “Antidote to stress”
If the mind is not set on trusting and obeying God, then that will cause the body to follow un-healthful practices which will sooner or later will bring disease and death. Health is not just mere absence of illness. True Health involves Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Dimensions.
“Prayer is the answer to every problem in Life. It puts us in tune with divine wisdom which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often we don’t pray in certain situations because from our standpoint, the outlook is hopeless.
But nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is so entangled that it cannot be remedied; no human relationship is too strained for God to bring about reconciliation and understanding; no habit so deep rooted that it cannot be overcome; not one so weak that he cannot be strong. No one so ill that he cannot be healed, no mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant. Whatever we need, if we trust God he will supply it. If anything is causing worry or anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and trust God for healing love and power”. (Author Unknown)
Many believe that God is a Being whose chief attribute is stern justice,–one who is a severe Judge, a harsh, exacting Creditor. They think the Creator is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It’s a wrong belief. God is Love. God is our Creator. He loves you with a love that surpasses human comprehension. More than a mother loves her child, so God loves everyone and provides their daily needs. Man’s own inclination causes suffering and death.
These eight lifestyle factors, NEWSTART play an important role in our everyday life with respect to our health.
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Written By: Austin Gideon Adobasom-Anane For GhanaCelebrities.Com
Executive Director, Optimum Nutrition and Health Consult
Adobasom-Anane holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Nutrition from the University for Development Studies. He is currently the Head of Department of the Public Health and Nutrition Department and Chairman of the Public Health Committee at the Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Tamale.
He is also a candidate for a master of philosophy degree in Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies.
He doubles as the Executive Director of the Optimum Nutrition and Health Consult. A private consultancy firm on health and nutrition issues for identified groups of people such churches, mosques, organisations and also individuals who require timely and professional guidance in solving their health challenges.
Contact: Email: [email protected]
A very good article but to be frank I did not finished reading it ,nice tips of a healthy life style though
I will try to keep it short next time. Thanks for the feedback