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5 sustainable changes you can implement today to improve your health and wellbeing

Writer's picture: StephanieStephanie

Updated: Nov 18, 2024



Have you ever looked at your skin and wondered why it is dry and itchy, or why your nails seem brittle or cracking, or why you have headaches, stomach or body aches all the time? Or you simply cannot seem to lose that stubborn 2 kilos of weight? What if I told you that you could change how you feel with a few simple changes to your daily life? Your body is an incredible machine that does the work of protecting you from your environment and other exposures. Everything in your bodies - all organ systems - are interconnected. Challenges or issues with one organ system will affect all others, in the short term and ultimately long term. Being conscious and aware of your daily choices, and beginning to really listen to your body and recognizing changes (for better or worse) is the first step to achieving optimal health. Here are five things you can consider to improve your overall health and wellness.


1. Whole foods. The most crucial first step to improving your health is to focus on including whole foods in your diet on a daily basis. This means foods that are minimally processed. As most foods are processed in some way (we cannot produce and prepare food ingredients solely at home!) it is important to choose foods with the fewest unrecognizable ingredients. Take a look at the label; are there ingredients that you cannot recognize or that are not found in nature? Are there many things listed as “natural flavor or natural color”? These are all chemically-produced additives. More than 300 additives are approved for use in foods in the EU and these are commonly labeled with the letter “E”. There is more and more research indicating food additives and preservatives negatively impact your gut health, and subsequently the health of your entire body. If you feel like having a croissant or a piece of cake, go ahead, but buy your baked goods from a local bakery or coffee shop where you know they are freshly made. While we are starting to understand the effects of food additives on health, more research is still needed. Common food additives to be aware of include: any food colorings (labeled with “E”), proplyparaben (E217), sodium benzoate (E211), sodium nitrate (E251), and titanium dioxide (E171; banned in foods but still used in cosmetics and medications). Other types of additives called emulsifiers are regularly added to foods to improve consistency and texture should also be minimized due the the inflammatory effect they could have on the gut lining. Some common emulsifiers include gums like guar (E412) and xanthan gums (E415), carrageenan (E407), celluloses (E460-469), and mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471). Making more conscious decisions to reduce intake of processed foods will reduce your exposure to chemicals that could potentially lead to gut inflammation.


2. Vitamin D. The most common form of vitamin D found in foods is vitamin D3, and it typically comes from animal sources. It can also be produced in our skin to it’s activated form through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption from the gut, and therefore supports the health of our bones and teeth. In Switzerland, there are no fortification policies for vitamin D, meaning vitamin D is not added to foods like in many other countries. This means that we need to get our vitamin D mostly from sunlight (which is a challenge if you live in a generally overcast area) or from foods naturally containing vitamin D, like fatty, saltwater fish (think: salmon, mackerel and sardines). Freshwater fish from your local lake, for example, have very low vitamin D content. It is important to consider sunlight as a source of active vitamin D production in our skin. This becomes more difficult as we age - our skin cannot efficiently convert vitamin D to its active form. Vitamin D levels can be easily assessed during a normal blood draw at your local primary care physician. You can enquire on your next yearly check up.


3. Your genes and your environment. Epigenetics is the study of how your surroundings, lifestyle factors and your genes impact your health. Think about what is in and around your home - do you use plastic wrap and plastic containers to store your foods? Are you cooking with aluminum foil or parchment paper? Do you use perfumed laundry soaps and dryer sheets? Are you regularly burning candles and incense? These are all things that inadvertently end up in food and our bodies by absorption through our skin and in the air we breathe. Minimizing your exposure to chemicals around your home will ultimately benefit you by reducing the toxic load your body has to work to remove each day. Thankfully your body is built with an in-house detox system (your liver!) but working to reduce additional toxin burden is important. Consider the following: switch from plastic to glass or even silicone storage containers. Swap out non-stick pans for stainless steel, ceramic or even cast iron pans. Buy organic household cleaners and detergents or opt for fragrance-free if you can. Making these small changes put you in control of what you are exposing your body to, while other environmental exposures are often out of our control, like air or traffic pollution, and even exposure to pesticide residues from our surroundings.


4. Movement. Make a concerted effort to to move your body at least 30 minutes per day. This sounds like a simple task, and I suspect you have heard this so many times before and from many different people; experts, friends, and family alike. It is hard to motivate yourself to move when you have so many other obligations like work and family. However, daily regular movement now will set you up for better health in the long term. Not only does it improve your body composition, increasing muscle and reducing fat stores, but it also supports your mental and psychological well-being. Exercise increases the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, a protein produced in the brain that supports the growth of new neurons and protection of existing ones. BDNF supports mental agility and has protective effect on learning and memory. Exercise has also been shown to protect against depression and anxiety. Start by making small changes in your physical activity. Walk or bike to work a few times a week instead of using public transport or using your car. Take a short walk to a local cafe get your morning coffee or tea. Walk home after dinner with friends. Or consider asking a friend to commit to walking with you a few times a week as a way to spend time together. Every minute of movement is beneficial.


5. Listen to your body. The act of eating and digesting that food is a complex interplay between hormone signals from satiety and hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin) and other physiological functions like the amount of acid in your stomach, or how quickly food moves through your digestive tract. Being more conscious of how your body feels before, during and after eating can help identify which part of your digestive tract may need some extra care and support. Are you eating on the run, standing up, in the car? Do you feel bloated, have gas or indigestion shortly after you eat, or an hour later? Do have exhibit symptoms only after you eat certain foods, like dairy, wheat, or even foods like onion or garlic? Do you often eat when you are not hungry? Oftentimes, paying attention and being more mindful to your body’s cues can help you identify issues and even relearn how to regulate your intake. Keep a food journal and write down any symptoms that you are experiencing when you eat certain foods, as well as what was happening around you at the time you were eating these foods. This is an excellent way to identify food or environment triggers to your symptoms, and help you to fine tune your lifestyle and diet to make positive changes for optimal health. 

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