5 Ways to Look After Your Health Sustainably

Health is important in our house. Of course, it’s important in every house, but I have a chronic condition, which makes looking after our health all the more precious. Sadly many medications come in single-use plastic packaging, so there’s an inevitable amount of waste that goes with looking after yourself. But recently I’ve been trying to take a more holistic approach to health, in the hope of being able to reduce the amount of medication I can take.

If you’re taking medication or have a long term condition, make sure to speak to your doctor before making any changes. I’m not a doctor, and these are just a few things that have worked for me!

1. Prebiotics and probiotics for gut health

Our minds are so intricately connected to our gut. When we get bad news it can feel like being punched in the stomach and when we fall in love, there’s the butterflies! Research into gut health is growing so quickly, with new findings suggesting that looking after your microbiome (all the little good bacteria in your digestive system), can help protect against depression, autoimmune conditions and cancer.

Recently, I’ve been striving to reach for more prebiotic and probiotic foods, in an effort to help my little bacteria guys to thrive. Prebiotic foods are foods containing soluble fibre and other nutrients that feed your good bacteria. Unsurprisingly, these foods are mostly nutritious fruits and veggies, like bananas, apples, broccoli and carrots. Some beans and pulses are great too.

On the other hand, probiotics actually contain the good bacteria itself, thus increasing the diversity of your microbiome and making it more healthy. You can buy probiotic drinks and foods (like yoghurt, kombucha and kefir) in the supermarket, but they tend to be expensive and packaged in plastic. Making your own at home is actually super easy - I’m planning to share how I make some of these myself very soon!

cbd oil has been shown to help with anxiety, depression and pain

2. CBD oil

CBD oil is a relatively new natural remedy that has been the talk of the medical world for the past few years. CBD comes from the marijuana plant but has had the psychoactive compounds removed so it can improve your health without getting you high!

As a health remedy, it has a lot of promise. It’s been shown to help with anxiety, depression, pain and even some cancer symptoms. It’s worth figuring out the correct CBD oil dosage, so that you know you’re taking the right amount for it to be effective.

3. Herbal remedies

There’s something quite wonderful about using nature to help your body. Not all herbs are good for our health, of course, but there are some that have been used as remedies for thousands of years.

You might have heard of using ginseng to improve your energy levels or turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger and mint are wonderful for settling a poorly tummy - I used both when I was struggling with terrible morning sickness!

4. Homemade skincare

Instead of buying toiletries in plastic bottles, it’s very therapeutic to make your own at home. Simple, natural ingredients like coconut oil can come together to make the most wonderful homemade skincare.

A natural sugar scrub is easy to make and you’re likely to have all the ingredients in your cupboard already. Or you could try my homemade facewash recipe, which is super simple and just lovely to use.

5. Stress-reducing exercise and sleep

It can be easy to forget that health doesn’t stop at what we put inside our bodies. Sustainable health is as much about exercise, rest and sleep as it is about what we eat. I’ve found that reducing stress is one of the biggest factors in how well I feel, and resting, sleeping and caring for myself with mind-loving exercise are some of the best ways to care for my mind. I particularly love mindful exercise like yoga, but any exercise that makes you feel good is wonderful!

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