Boitshepo Giyose
15 September 2008
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And they remain true today as they did since the creation of man - and woman. Sometimes I wonder why human beings are so stubborn and seemingly do not believe in simple straightforward solutions. Is it because we are told from birth that "life is difficult" so we automatically condition ourselves for living the hard way. Well, the good news is that it does not have to be complicated and miserable. But there is conditionality to this - yes you guessed - eating right!
You see, here is a basic fact: if you eat right and your system is in top nutritional status, you will not suffer many of the conditions that afflict the majority of people today.
You will even forget there are visits to the doctor except only for a routine annual check-up, which we must all do. I know of people who have never, and I mean never been admitted to any clinic or hospital and these folks are in their 70s and 80s. Do you think they are living miracles? I would surely say yes.
They are walking examples of what optimum nutrition and fitness can do for anyone. Why not start today? Even if you already have a whole gamut of illnesses, there is hope for redemption, but you have to be ready for a lifestyle and nutritional overhaul.
We all know of a painful condition called gout - I call it "the big rude toe disease", which interestingly tends to affect more men than women. Oh gosh, when gout flairs up, you see these poor men wearing sandals on a bitter cold winter day, hobbling along like injured ducks. Ouch, painful and pitiful indeed! What is gout and what causes it in any case? And are there any solutions?
Gout or any form of arthritis, for that matter, is caused by improper metabolism (that is to say how food is broken down and used by the body) of proteins resulting in uric acid crystals deposited in joints, fingers and the toes causing inflammation (swelling, redness, hotness, and pain etc).
It has been observed and documented that diets consisting of excessive red meat, high fat and high protein, high alcohol consumption coupled with lack of exercise are the major culprits.
Therefore, it is obvious that a diet low in fat, moderate protein (as needed for optimum health), low red meat and alcohol plus physical exercise would prevent and regulate the gout. Drinking water also helps. However, having said that, it is important to note that there are some key nutrients that are involved in protein metabolism that are an essential part of a nutritional programme for preventing gout.
These include Vitamin B6, zinc and vitamin C. So following the above diet and taking supplements of multivitamin and multi-mineral, with a focus on zinc, vitamin B6 and C, calcium, and magnesium would bring some relief. Ask your doctor, nutritionist or pharmacist for the correct combination dosage please, as individuals differ.
Like I said earlier, gout is associated with alcohol as well, let me share some thoughts on tackling hangovers.
Firstly, why drink and overdo it? Beats me how gluttons for suffering people are when it comes to food and alcohol, especially during festive times. So one may, tongue-in-chick, say the best cure is prevention.
The symptoms of excess alcohol are half dehydration and half intoxication. Once the liver's ability to detoxify alcohol is exceeded the body produces a toxic substance, which brings about the headache and that blah feeling.
Our livers can only handle so much alcohol because we can produce a limited amount of alcohol dehydrogenase at a time. That is part of the reason people will die of alcohol poisoning, because the liver and the whole system packs up as it gets overwhelmed by the toxins.
If you know you are going to have some tipple (in moderation of course) follow this simple advice; eat pure foods such as natural unprocessed fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, that will not add to the burden of toxins in the body. Plus drink lots of water, the rule is for every glass of alcoholic drink have an equivalent or more of water.
The following supplements will also come to the rescue; antioxidant complex, multivitamin, multimineral, plenty of vitamin C and L-glutamine powder 5g in water. Let me put a pause here... till next week.
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