Stances & Statements
HEALTH / WELLBEING - Part 3
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Sleep
We sleep for almost a third of our lives. Sleep is something that is extremely important for good health. Good sleep helps with being energized, having mental clarity throughout the day, having optimal general health, and creating the opportunity for the best version of yourself. People have died and had psychotic episodes as a result of not getting enough sleep. It is not surprising that the CIA uses sleep deprivation to torture people. Sleep deprivation is not something to overlook or not take seriously. Everyone should be aware of how certain drugs and substances can interfere with sleep, such as caffeine, sugary foods, and alcohol. The ideal situation is that an individual goes to sleep at the same time and wakes up at the same time every day. Studies have shown that the best time to go to sleep is between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. as it fits well with circadian rhythms and daylight exposure and ultimately is good for heart health.
Food
Food is life, in that it gives you life, and everything that you eat that is good for you was at one point living itself. Healthy food is preventative medicine. Our food decisions impact how we think, and how we feel, from mental clarity to energy, to controlling anxiety, and extending our lifespan. Food is one part of life we have a great level of control over when we are fortunate enough to have access to food in general, and especially high-quality nutritious foods. At present time one of the world's healthiest diets is that of the Mediterranean diet. It is abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and olive oil. It promotes lean sources of protein such as fish and poultry over red meat. Red wine is also consumed regularly but in moderate amounts. Many centenarians have enjoyed the Mediterranean diet, or other whole foods-based diets as seen in places like Okinawa, Japan.
The USF encourages people to eat more of a plant-based diet, and while eating meat is a personal choice, we recommend consuming red meat in moderation if eaten at all. Also encouraged is doing the necessary research to know more about the meat and other foods you plan on consuming. Looking for aspects such as if the animals were raised in a respectable way, if the farming methods are sustainable as well as learning about the general nutrition of the food. We must demonstrate discipline with what we consume, as the consequences albeit to an extreme have been witnessed in the documentary Super Size Me, which did a great job of communicating how eating an unhealthy diet can negatively impact someone's health even within a very short period of time.
Fasting
Fasting is not something we encourage or discourage. If studies show that fasting is beneficial, then it is still up to the individual whether they want to do so.
Air We Breathe
Oxygen is needed for our biological functions to stay alive and in optimal health. Unfortunately, due to industrial pollution many areas don’t provide clean air. Examples of polluted air regions are the Cancer Alley in the United States, or any of the large cities in China. We cannot always choose where we want to live due to economic restrictions. But we can take some practical steps, like having indoor plants that can absorb certain chemicals. Research on this subject has been done through the NASA Clean Air Study, demonstrating that certain plants are particularly good at removing volatile organic pollutants (benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene) from the air.
Another practice to consider is using an air purifier to help capture airborne pollutants indoors, as well as wearing a face mask when outside on days that may have poor air quality, and for other personal needs such as allergies. Air in our environment contains about twenty one percent oxygen with the rest being primarily nitrogen. A recent study from Tel Aviv University and the Shamir Medical Center in Israel indicates that hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) in healthy aging adults can stop the aging of blood cells and reverse the aging process. This form of treatment uses one hundred percent oxygen.