THE 20 PILLARS OF HEALTH:

A Comprehensive Guide to Wellness

“You have the power to control these all with lifestyle habits.”

By Cheryl Meyer

1. Ditch the SAD (Standard American Diet) - I explain why in my article Ditch the SAD and Stop Eating CRAP (Carbonated, refined, artificial, processed) foods. (See article in this issue) Support your microbiome. Eat fiber and colorful organic foods to help your gut microbiome thrive.

2. Eat the rainbow of organic whole organic foods and Clean Meat that Eats his own specific diet. Food is code for our body. We need to eat food that supplies all the essential nutrients and phytonutrients that build a strong body from the inside out. Eat from the “farmacy” and reduce the need for the pharmacy down the line and lower inflammation and chronic disease. (See article in this issue)

3. If you do eat meat, make it clean meat: Pastured, 100% grass-fed, with no antibiotics or hormones. Eat wild fish. If Vegan or vegetarian, avoid veggie junk food; make sure to include non-GMO plant-based protein. Soy must be organic.

4. If it is on the “Dirty Dozen” list, absolutely buy organic. These foods have dozens of toxins on them and in them. You can not wash them off. Avoid them. If the item is on clean 15, do not worry, Buy conventional. Buy organic whenever possible. Thank you EWG, for all of the research. If its not on either lise, look it up on the USDA website, "What's on my food" www.whatsonmyfood.org/ This site breaks down the toxins in our produce and is an eye-opener. If your item is not on their list, search “what is on my food” and the name of the food. It is often in their database. Avoid GMOs. They have toxins grown right in the plant food. Whenever possible, buy organic. (See articles about eating organic and becoming a detective to find the toxins.)

5. Cook your own real food. You can control what you put into your body by cooking food and choosing quality ingredients. Food should not only be delicious, but it should also feed your body all the micro-nutrients it needs without the chemicals sprayed on conventional crops. And food needs to be without all the sugar, poor

GMO omega-6 fats, processed salt, and synthetic chemicals from processed foods. Eat all the colors of the rainbow and choose as much diversity as possible. Avoid anything on a label that you cannot pronounce or that you don’t know what it is. Eat real whole foods from as close to the farm as possible.

6. Create a strategy for eating out of your home, going to others’ houses for parties and meals, and eating out at restaurants. To go to other’s homes: Take your own food and take a larger container with the same dish to share with other guests. Enjoying community has nothing to do with what you put into your mouth. See the article on how to eat out at restaurants. (Article in this issue on eating out at restaurants)

7. Detox off the sugar. Sugar becomes an addiction and interferes with every organ in your body, including your brain. The good news is it only takes2-4 weeks to break the addiction and then you have food freedom. to break the addiction, and then you have food freedom. Since it has no food value, your body doesn’t register when you have eaten it. You are still hungry, and you want more. It mucks around with all your hormones, including your hunger hormones. It impacts every organ in your body and destroys your health. Wean off fructose, cane sugar, corn syrup, and agave in your diet. There 56 different names for sugar. (www.virtahealth.com/ blog/names-for-sugar) Also, eliminate “fake sugars”. (The blue, pink, or yellow packets) They are chemicals harmful to your body. Replace them with Stevia, Monk Fruit, occasional small amounts of raw honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. These sweeteners can still give you a sugar high but also gives your body some needed nutrients.

8. Avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics or over-the counter painkillers. They destroy healthy gut bacteria and are harmful to a healthy microbiome.

9. Only use Omega-3 oils fCoconut oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, Olive oil (extra virgin, a dark olive color), nut and seed oils. Pastured organic butter, Ghee. Avoid Omega-6 oils that are GMO oils- corn, soy, canola, safflower, sunflower, and vegetable oils.

10. Never use conventional salt. Use sea salt, Celtic salt, Kosher salt, or Himalayan salt. They provide well-needed minerals. Cooking eliminates the excessive salt in processed foods.

11. Cook with organic garlic, onion, and fresh herbs as much as possible. They have numerous health-giving benefits. They add diversity and complexity to your cooking. They add phytonutrients to your diet.

12. Drink lots of water, with a little lemon juice in it. The rule is 1/2 your body weight in ounces. At least drink 60 to 70 ounces a day to hydrate your body. Every cell in your body needs H2O, and most body functions need water. The lemon is to make it alkaline in your body. Avoid water sold in plastic bottles. They are leaching poisons into your water. Instead, filter your drinking water with a filter under your sink to take out pollutants. Or buy a Brita and filer your water for drinking and cooking. We put on a full home water filter system.

Carry your water with you in stainless steel water bottles.

13. Toss the environmental toxins in your home. (See toss the toxins article and the Branch Basics article in this issue) Stop using toxic tools in your kitchen—no cooking on coated cookware. Throw Teflon-coated pans away. No, more using cheap black spatulas or spoons. Eliminate plastic wraps and aluminum foil. Cook on enamel or stainless steel, use stainless steel metal utensils and use unbleached parchment paper. Use silicone muffin liners. Store food in glass containers to avoid toxins trickling into your food. Mine have silicone lids. (See Toss the Toxins Course in this issue)

14. Do stress exercises twice a day to take the top off your stress. We all have stress, but it is important to release it regularly, like the pressure of an instant pot. Do the nDrl Andrew Weil 4-7-8 breath, the 5.5 perfect breath, or use a belly button wand mid-morning and mid-afternoon. It’s a 5-minute break that will promote health in your body. Control your ANTs (Anxious Negative Thoughts). Replace them with thoughts of gratitude. Nourish your inner champion to drown out your inner critic. References:

• www.youtube.com/ watch?v=p8fjYPC-k2k

• www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WQSZYnUv1mE

• www.bellybuttonhealing.com

15. Stay active. Move. You do not need to run a marathon but walk or move 30 minutes daily.

16. Spend at least 30 minutes outside enjoying nature. Grounding has become an important concept for health. Get your hands in the dirt. Grow herbs and flowers in your yard or pots. Walk in your neighborhood and appreciate all the beauty around you outside. Use all your senses when you walk. Get some natural sunlight whenever possible. Get around trees. They emit chemicals that are healthy for us. Optimize your natural light exposure. Get sunlight first thing in the morning if possible. Natural light (via our eyes) signals the body’s master clock, which plays a big role in hormone signaling and many other processes.

17. Get at least 7 hours of continuous sleep. Why We Sleep, the book that chronicles a UC Berkeley study on sleep, shows that 7 hours is imperative to health. That last hour is when your brain sweeps the plaque out that causes dementia. (https:// amzn.to/3K0ypMX)

18. Work to make all your relationships healthy and supportive. Toxic relationships negatively impact your health.

19. Build a healthy community. Community is the #1 influence on your health. Stay true to your healthy habits and life. Keep old friends but add new friends with healthier habits into life. See the article in this issue about CB4Life on the power of community. The Blue Zone project by National Geography on the healthiest communities in the world considers a healthy community to be #1 for your health.

20. Love yourself - Love yourself enough to practice regular self-care. Love yourself enough to buy and eat organic, cook, move, do stress exercises, get adequate water and sleep, get into nature, control ANTS, foster healthy relationships, surround yourself with a supportive community, and realize being with friends and loved ones have nothing to do with what you feed your body. Control what you eat. Be mindful. Make conscious choices. Practice gratitude and kindness. Laugh often. Love yourself every day.

Continue to search for the puzzle pieces of your health. Explore Functional Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Holistic modalities, and Lifestyle changes with a health coach. Stay committed to your path toward health until you realize how great it feels to feel good. The journey to wellness is different for each of us, but the answers are out there. Health is not a destination; it is a journey, and I send you love and light to discover your path.