How healthy are you? Do you have a healthy diet? Do you exercise regularly? Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? Do you get enough sleep every day? Do you live a healthy lifestyle?

Our body is our temple, and we need to take care of it. Do you know thatover 70% of Americans are either obese or overweight?[1] Thats insane! Think of your body as your physical shell to take you through life.If you repeatedly abuse it with unhealthy habits, your shell will wear out quickly.

Life is beautiful and you dont want to bog yourself down with unnecessary health problems. Today, your vital organs (kidney, heart, lungs, gall bladder, liver, stomach, intestines, etc.) may be working well, but they may not be tomorrow. Dont take your good health for granted. Take proper care of your body.

Good health isnt just about healthy eating and exercise its also about having a positive mental health, a positive self-image, and a healthy lifestyle.In this article, I share 45 tips to live a healthier life. Bookmarkthis post and save the tips, because they are going to be vital in living a healthier life.

Furthermore, drinking more water aids in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight or obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The researchers believe that its because drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.

The amount of water you need depends on your age, weight, humidity level, and your physical activity. There used to be a recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water, but in 2004 this recommendation was removed and healthy adults are recommended to use thirst to determine their fluid needs.[2]Bear in mind that food intake contributes to our fluid intake too fruits, soups, juices have high water content. How to tell if you need water: if you have dry lips, dry mouth, or little urination, youre probably not hydrated enough. Go get some water first before you continue this article!

Why do so many doctors, cereal boxes, supermarket aisles, studies, etc. recommend high fiber then? This recommendation originated from a large macro-study that suggested that high fiber intake may lower risk of colon cancer. However, this did notaccount for factors like lifestyle and diet.Follow-up studies showed that fiber intake had very little, if any, link to colon cancer.[Harvard, School of Public Health]One possible reason is that many high-fiber foods happen to contain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, that are helpful for the body. People who consume a high-fiber diet are also likely to eat less red meat, drink less alcohol, smoke less, and get regular exercise all healthy behaviors that can reduce cancer risk.[3]Should we cut out fruits/vegetables then? Well, contrary to popular belief, manyfruits/vegetables have low fiber. Much of fruit/vegetable content is water. (The fiber content in watermelon is 0.4%, honeydew 0.8%, grapes 0.9%, and strawberry 2%. For vegetables, cucumber has 0.5% fiber, mushrooms 1%, tomato 1.2%, lettuce 1.3%, and spinach 2.2%.) You can also juice vegetables to remove fiber.

The real fiber contributors are grains bread, pasta, and wheat products. White bread/pasta/macaroni has 3% fiber;multi-grain breadhas 12% fiber, and multi-grain cereals can have 22% or more fiber. High-fiber and whole wheat are the in thing today; some cereals have over 30% fiber! Unlike fruits and vegetables, its very easy to eat a lot of grains in one sitting, which adds up fiber consumption. Legumes and nuts have fiber content of 8-25% but they occur in very low quantities in a daily diet. Meat/Fats/Dairy have 0 fiber.

My personal recommendation:(1) Eat less grains/wheat; (2) Eat fruits/veg as per normal; (3) If you want to eat a LOT of fruits/vegetables for the minerals, go for green powders which have all the minerals without the fiber; (4) Eat other things in moderation. A typical diet with fish/chicken (zero fiber), dairy (zero fiber), low fiber fruits/vegetables, and some rice is already low fiber. On the other hand, when you stuff yourself with fiber, you may start noticing bloating, bulkier stools, and even piles / anal fissures. Read: Fiber and Constipation Research Study | Fiber and Colon Cancer [Harvard] |Fiber Menace| Dietary Fiber [Video] | Fiber Menace Reviews (real people who ate a high fiber diet based on doctor recommendations and suffered from constipation, bleeding, etc.)

Be careful of fad diets. Eat a diet with a well-rounded distribution of macro-nutrients (40% carbs, 30% proteins, 30% fats, vs. being skewed to one particular group). In a study of pre-diabetics, those on a high protein diet (defined as 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat) resulted in 100% remission of pre-diabetes to normal glucose tolerance, while those on a high carb diet (defined as 55% carb, 15% protein, 30% fat) resulted in only 33% remission.[4]

However, glycemic index is only one part of the story we need to look at theglycemic load, which tells us how high our blood sugar rises when we consume the food, depending on the amount consumed. Glycemic load is calculated by multiplying GI by the amount of carbs consumed, divided by 100.A glycemic load of 10 or below is considered low; 20 or above is considered high.

For this reason, fruits have high GI but a low glycemic loadfor the quantity normally consumed. For example, watermelon has a high GI of 80. But a serving of watermelon has so little carbs (6 grams) that its glycemic load is only 5.Eating a food with a low GI but in large quantity is similarly unhealthy. Macaroni has a GI of 50 but the usual serving of 180 grams will lead to a glycemic load of 24. You can lower the glycemic load of a food by pairing it with fat and protein. Here is a list withglycemic index/load for 100+ foods.

Which health tips are most applicable for you right now? These are timeless tips, so bookmark this article and integrate these tips into your life. Share these tips with your family and friends to help them stay healthy.

Be sure to check out my 14-Day Healthy Living Challenge:Healthy Living Challenge Overview

Get the manifesto version of this article:[Manifesto] The Healthy Living Manifesto

Images: Fruits, Salad bar, Pink hearts, Legumes,Soda drinks, Home-prepared meal,Fruits, Stethoscope,Salad, Woman brushing teeth

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45 Tips To Live a Healthier Life - Personal Excellence