A Few Tips for You to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier

A couple of months ago, I was introduced to someone with the following words, "This is Dr. Hersh.  She's older than she looks."  I have to admit to being taken aback for a couple of seconds.  Was this a backhanded compliment or was it this person's statement of fact?  I also asked myself why this person would say this as part of an introduction.  After further reflection and listening to the ensuing conversation, I understood the motivation and felt a bit better.  One might say that it was better than her saying, "This is Dr. Hersh.  She's younger than she looks."  Additionally, I've had a every hairdresser over the years ask me what I did that made my hair so thick and shiny.  So, I thought I might write down a few things I've done and learned along the way.

1.  I don't smoke.  I also have never been exposed to second hand smoke for more than a passing moment.  The poisons sprayed on tobacco as well as the tobacco, itself, are the most damaging chemicals that we can inflict upon ourselves.  Once inhaled, the chemicals are transported to every cell of our body;  the cellular damage is irreparable.  

2.  I eat an organic/natural diet and cook and bake from scratch.  I eat no pre-packaged, prepared foods, at all.  I was listening to an interview by the author of a new book about our eating habits.  The book is titled, "Cooked."  The writer states that the average American who prepares the meals for their family spends only 23 minutes a day in meal preparation and cooking.  Fifty percent of our diet is prepared meals...by that he means restaurant or fast foods or packaged foods.  This means that the average American diet primarily consists of sugar, bad fats, poor quality foods and salt.  

3.  I do not drink alcohol.  Moderation, here, is the key.  One serving of wine or hard liquor will not damage the body.  The problem is, what is "one serving?"   Also, did you know that wine can have up to 80 additives/ingredients in it and not have to have them listed on the label?  I recommend if you are going to drink wine, make it organic.  Those wine glasses that are used in bars and restaurants are usually not small glasses.  Most of them hold 8-12 ounces of liquid.  Also, most people don't just have one glass, either.  Too much alcohol puts a strain on our liver and our whole body.

4.  I use only organic body products.  If you read the labels on lotions, hair products, deodorants and facial products, they are mostly chemicals.  These chemicals are absorbed through our skin and, again, force the liver to work overtime to try to detoxify our bodies.

5.  I use only plant based household cleaners.  America's Test Kitchen did a study on the cleaning ability of petroleum based and plant based cleaners.  It was 401, Pine Sol, Clorox and similar products vs. Seventh Generation and others.  The hands down winner, based on germ killing percentage, ability to clean, lack of residue and zero streaking was, "Method."  This is a plant based cleaner that I love...it really does clean beautifully and doesn't leave any streaks on glass.  I also  recommend Seventh Generation; it works well, too.  A clean house has no smell, except, maybe, for those lovely flowers from the garden (or some yummy homemade food).  

6.  I don't drink sodas or anything containing phosphoric acid, refined sugar or caffeine.  I eat no red meat and eat no animal based protein at least 3 days a week.  In an earlier blog, I went into the specifics of a healthy diet in more detail...including water intake, proportionality of foods and the importance of decreasing the amount of gluten and dairy we eat.

7.  I mitigate stress with meditation and my gym ball.  Gardening, bird watching and walking all help, too.  I take pro-biotics everyday to mitigate any systemically caused stress.

The one thing that all these steps have in common is: Eliminating aging foods and activities.  The more successful we are at doing that, the healthier we'll be and, I guess, the younger we'll look.

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