You can buy all the creams, pills and medicines in the world but if your mitochondria (known as the powerhouses of the cell) is not functioning the right way, you will still age rapidly, your skin will look dull, you will put on weight, lose hair, feel tired and be prone to conditions like Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Autism, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, dementia, diabetes, Huntingtons disease, migraine and a lot more.

Cellular healthWhile medicines, creams, pills, and all external aids can be used as a crutch, if you are looking to truly prevent or repair your body you need to start focusing on cell and cellular health. Take lack of energy as an example since its something we often complain about. We run behind coffee, tea, energy drinks, sugar, carbs to charge us up forgetting that our body is capable of generating its own energy. Every single cell is just like a battery and has the power to light up a bulb. This is enough energy to get us through a day be it physical, mental, workouts, digestion, etc. What is the source of this energy? Its the mitochondria!

It is a component present in each of these trillion cells and thats where this energy is generated. They are called the powerhouse of the cell as these tiny cellular factories create energy for the whole body. In each of these mitochondria, there are about 18,000- 20,000 assembly lines that take up nutrition and oxygen as raw materials and break it down to a molecule of energy called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). ATP is the energy currency and without it, we cannot survive. Its what gives our body to perform all the tasks right from digestion to immune system function. Lesser the number of ATP molecules, weaker is the body; and a weak body is susceptible to all the viruses, bacteria and pathogens. Our immune system derives energy to function and stay strong through ATP as well. Unfortunately, most of us do not generate the energy our body is capable of producing due to our faulty lifestyle unhealthy eating, no exercise, lack of sleep, unmanaged stress. Ever felt sleepy and lethargic after a junk meal? Now know its because your body has an excess of carbon dioxide in the system. Carbon dioxide makes us feel sleepy, tired and sluggish. This is fatigue caused by junk eating at a cellular level. To add to this, there is an increase in free radicals and thats closely connected to inflammation the root cause of most diseases right from diabetes, obesity to cancer.

So, its literally up to us to control inflammation in our body by choosing the right foods so that the mitochondria dont have to work too hard.

What makes our mitochondria function the right way:- Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are all your cells need to function the right way. Do not deprive your cell and mitochondria of these essentials just because you want to go on a fad diet. Its that simple and there are no short cuts to good health. - Omega 3 (flaxseeds or fish) - Dietary fibre in adequate amounts.- HIIT (high-intensity interval training), strength training- Say no to sugar, refined flour, and all the junk food. - More cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)- Quality sleep because those tiny factories need rest-Bone broth - Making lifestyle changes and preventing collateral damage if you are on statins. If you are on a statin, also add a selenium and CoQ10 supplement to preserve mitochondrial health.

Read more here:
Why you must keep your mitochondria healthy - Times of India