FEATURE — As we leave winter behind and head in to warmer weather, I am hoping that you have been successful in taking the four baby steps for good health that I’ve mentioned in previous articles: oxygen, sunshine, water and sleep. This time, I would like to add two more holistic “nutritional dailies” to this short list: apple cider vinegar and flax meal.

Adding these two ingredients to your food on a daily basis is a small action that will reap big benefits and will keep you headed in the right direction.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Most of us are entirely unaware that we are either extremely acidic or extremely alkaline on the inside. Consider it this way, the body is like a swimming pool that gets either slimy-scummy or burning with chlorine.

Surprisingly, there is only one ingestible liquid capable of regulating both internal extremities — apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar has been working wonders for thousands of years and is an incredibly beneficial supplement to a healthy lifestyle. I recommend 2-4 tablespoons diluted into your water throughout the day, every day, for optimal pH balance in the body. Just as we balance chemicals in a hot tub, we must regulate the pH balance of the water in our bodies to avoid future extremity-induced symptoms and associated diseases.

Flax Meal

Americans are chronically deficient in fiber, which would explain why irritable bowel syndrome, digestion issues of all kinds and colon cancer are so prevalent today.

Ground flaxseed meal is one of the greatest sources of dietary fiber and also happens to be a phenomenal source of HDL (good) cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids and other essential nutrients and minerals.

Adding 2-4 tablespoons daily to a smoothie, bowl of oatmeal or baked into your pancakes or muffins will give you an incredible boost of life-giving essentials the body needs.

You can even use flax meal as an egg-replacer in baking, which cuts way down on the saturated fat and LDL cholesterol content of your baked goods. Among many other beneficiaries, your brain, eyes, heart and joints will all thank you.

These are just a few extra sustainable and simple changes you can make to your diet as you continue your health journey in 2019.

Written by BENTLEY MURDOCK, certified holistic nutritionist. For more information, email [email protected].

This article was first published in St. George Health and Wellness magazine.

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