Vital Nutrients for Optimum Health and Longevity

As most of us have heard before, maintaining a properly balanced diet of proteins, complex carbohydrates, and essential fats is vital for good health. With the right mix of foods, we can help insure our bodies receive most of the vital nutrients needed for optimum health.

Due to various circumstances, it may be useful to supplement your diet with some key natural herbs and vitamins to help boost your immune system…and create the vitality and longevity you desire

Unfortunately, many of the foods available in today’s world are preprocessed…and even many of the fresh grown fruits and vegetables are lacking in essential micronutrients necessary for good health. Mass production methods for growing fruits, vegetables, and even livestock have created nutrient deficiencies…and even deadly toxins in many of the foods we now consume. Therefore, it becomes even more important than ever that we supplement our diets with natural herbs and vitamins to help rid the body of toxins and boost its natural supply of micronutrients.

While growing and raising much of our own food would be one of the best methods for ensuring we eat the healthiest foods possible, it’s just not practical for most of us in today’s society. Fortunately, there are organically grown foods available (which I recommend you consume as much as possible)…but many of these foods can be expensive, and there’s no guarantee that these foods will still have all the vital nutrients our bodies need.

Along with concerns about how our foods are produced, it is also important to note that even normal metabolic and immune system functions within our bodies can produce deadly free radicals that over time can wreck havoc on our body’s cells…creating life-threatening disease, and conditions that can severely impact our health and longevity.

Fortunately, there are natural antioxidant substances available that can boost our immune systems and neutralize many of the cell destroying free radicals…thereby helping to slow the aging process

One of the best micronutrients available for improving glucose control and eliminating free radicals is the valuable substance called  Alpha Lipoic Acid. This important vitamin-like nutrient is available naturally in many foods such as spinach, broccoli, and beef…and even small amounts are produced in the body itself.

One of the main functions of Alpha Lipoic Acid is to help the body burn glucose…which helps improve insulin sensitivity and lower free radicals within the body. As with most supplements, the natural version is much more potent than the synthetic version…so supplementing with natural Alpha Lipoic Acid should always be your first choice.

Next in the antioxidant arsenal is Vitamin E. This powerful vitamin is the body’s main fat-soluble antioxidant… and it is an excellent source for destroying free radicals in the body’s fatty structures.

Due to it’s excellent antioxidant properties, Vitamin E has been linked to the prevention of many devastating diseases such as Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Cancer. For best results, this powerful supplement should always be taken in its natural form with some variation of “d-alpha-tocopherol” in the label.

Along with the other two powerful micronutrients just discussed, Vitamin C is another very important nutrient for the elimination of free radicals and glucose control. In addition to it’s powerful antioxidant functions, Vitamin C is also vital for boosting the body’s immune system functions for battling against unwanted bacteria, viruses, and infections.

Through the informed use of these vital nutrients (and others not discussed here), you can build a strong immune system…and achieve the health, vitality, and longevity you desire and deserve

Natural remedies and supplements have been developed and used for thousands of years…and even today’s modern practitioner of alternative medicine use time-honored knowledge to develop natural alternative remedies that can help you body fight against…and in some cases, actually cure life-stealing diseases and vitality draining symptoms.

Along with the very powerful nutrients just talked about, there are an enormous amount of very potent natural herbs, minerals, vitamins, and mixtures created to help the body fight and strengthen against the deadly toxins and conditions that can adversely effect your health and vitality. Due to the importance of this topic, I encourage you to explore this vital subject further.

Confucianism and Healthy Longevity

Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Lau

Confucius, the great philosopher of ancient China, attained great influence on Chinese civilization through his famous teachings. Confucianism affected virtually all aspects of Chinese philosophy, including health and longevity.

Confucius, a politician and scholar, lived from 552 to 479 B.C. His impact on healthy longevity consists of practical advice for application in everyday life.

Confucianism advice on everyday healthy longevity includes his exemplary daily living, such as the following:

He did not eat rice, meat, or fish that was spoiled (not fresh) and badly cooked (medium rare); he ate meat in proportion to the amount of rice consumed; he used ginger to spice his food; he drank wine but only moderately; he dressed for comfort and convenience; and he slept, curling up his body, using his bent arm as a pillow (keeping his spine in alignment).

Confucianism advocates mental health in the form of peace and harmony. Confucius was against strong emotions of anger, joy or sorrow, and pleasure – the stirrings of these human feelings do not keep the mind in a state of equilibrium.

Confucianism is expressed in two basic concepts of healthy longevity living: “chung” and “yung.”

“Chung” is “equilibrium” or “being without inclination to either side.” Confucius did not refrain from the pleasures of life, such as eating and sex. However, he sought to achieve balance between extremes, and to avoid excess. His way of life was based on “the golden mean” concept of equilibrium.

“Yung” is “persistence” or “continuing without change.” Confucius said, “The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it would not be the path. Therefore, the superior person does not wait until he sees things to be cautious, nor till he hears things to be apprehensive.” In other words, your pursuit of good health should be persistent. Your health practices, whether they involve exercise, diet, or meditation, should become your regular habits of healthy longevity living. You do not wait until you are sick to begin these intense efforts for healthy longevity. Prevention is always better than cure. You cannot reap their beneficial effects on a particular occasion or after a short period of practice.

Confucianism was subsequently expanded by Meng Tzu (Mencius), second only to Confucius as a Confucian sage.

Mencius went beyond Confucius in being concerned not only with the physical aspects of healthy longevity, but also with the spiritual. To Mencius, spiritual health is as important as physical well-being. Mencius said, “To preserve one’s mind and to nourish one’s spirit is the way to serve nature (heaven). When a man realizes that there is no real difference between a short lifespan and a long one, and does not worry, but wait, cultivating his own personal character, for whatever may come to pass – this is the way he carries out his fate-ordained being.”

Mencius also said, “The human will is the leader (commander) of the ‘qi’ (internal vital energy). The ‘qi’ pervades the body and moves it. The will is of primary importance; the ‘qi’ is secondary. Therefore, maintain a firm will and do no harm to your ‘qi.’ When the will is concentrated, it moves the ‘qi’; when the ‘qi’ is concentrated, it moves the will.”

By nourishing the spirit as well as the body, Mencius lived to a ripe old age.

In Chinese medicine, ‘qi’ signifies vital energy that embraces correct breathing, good blood circulation, and mind consciousness through meditation.

In summary, Confucianism emphasized balance and harmony achieved through the concepts of “chung” and “yung” in everyday living with focus on spiritual well-being. These health practices can be applicable in contemporary living to attain healthy longevity.