There are a lot of things you can do for yourself to maintain and improve your health and you do not have to live on mung beans and doing a lot of chanting.........

Mostly it is just plain common sense and working out what is best for your body - what is good for one person may not be so good for another -

Consider your cultural / genetic heritage - many of asian decent do much better on rice than wheat based products - northern and southern europeans have different types of diet and lifestyle.

Live like a cave man - eat, drink, sleep and excercise as much as you can, like a cave man.

Civilisation and agriculture have only been around for about 10,000 years it takes more like 100,000 years for a human to adapt digestion to a different type of diet. although you may not be sick immediately , disease may develop in time and cause dysfunction in the body. The more simple your food and lifestyle is and the closer it is to the way nature intended it and the better it will be for you.

This can be pretty difficult in the 21 century and we all want to partake of the joys that are available to us in this lifetime, but there are a few simple things that we can do:

The five essential things you should do for your health that are free and easy.

• 1. Eat - sensibly - like a cave man,
• Although most people today are overweight they are still starving, their bodies get lots of calories but still don't get the nutrients they need to have optimum function from their bodies. A lot of food today is what we call "empty calories" you get a lot of energy but very little vital nutrition fom the food. Look for value in the food you buy - how much nutrient can you get for the calories involved? Try to eat more of:G
• Good quality protiens - such as fish (clean water small fish as larger fish such as tuna can have large concentrations of heavy metals), chicken and lean meat (preferrably free range organic). Meat should be grass fed not grain fed as it is by eating grass that these animals can produce CLA , conjugated Linoliec Acid, an essential fatty acid that we get from meat and dairy products.
• Vegetables - there is no such thing as too many vegetables, they hold so many of the elements that our bodies need for health. we recommend that whatever your diet it should include copious vegetables at every meal - preferalbly at least half the meal portion. vegetables - vegetables - vegetables.
• Fruit - like vegetables these super foods have all types of nutrients and more are being discovered all the time. Enjoy 3 - 5 peices of fruit a day - not too much as they have a high sugar content and can raise your insulin levels.
• Carbohydrates - includes starches and grains, bread and cereal . Keep these to a minimum - especially the grains and sugars which can increase inflammation in the body by raising insulin levels. Usually no more than 1 - 2 portions a day of bread and or cereal and try to chose wholegrain organic to maximise the benefit you get from your food.    
• 2. Drink - mostly water - we should drink 30ml/kg of body wieght per day - eg a 60kg person should have 1800mls of water and or herbal tea per day. More on really hot days or when excessively sweating. Water is necessary for every process in our body and is a major element in cleansing the body, ridding it of toxins. Too much water can leach out and dilute essential minerals and electrlytes but too little can lead to aches and pains, insomnia, low energy, wrinkles - water keeps the skin hydrated and cleansed from the inside, indigestion - but don't drink during a meal as it can dilute your digestive fluids,  and kidney and liver strain - both these vital organs need water to function properly . Tea, coffee and alcohol have a diuretic  effect - that is they maske you pass out more fluid then they contain- so they can make you dehydrate, for every cup of tea, coffee or alcohol add another glass of water or herbal tea to your daily intake.
• Water -  We all know you can't live long withour it.
• 3. Move - The human body is designed to move, it keeps all our organs flushed with fresh blood and nutrients and keeps our joints , ligaments and muscles  elastic and functioning correctly. Moderate excercise can also help the body eliminate toxins and help withdigestion, mood and stress.
• A good stretch every morning and evening with at least 30 minutes of moderate excercise three times a week is a bare minimum.  
• If you are not up to that, start with five minutes at a time and build up slowly but it is important to develop the excercise habit so make sure you do something. Make sure it is enjoyable - walk, cycle, swim, yoga, do it with a friend, join a class - just move.
• You can do too much excercise - your body needs time to recover - especially if you are a cardio or wieghts junkie. Remember that the body needs to be able to clear lactic acid and free radicals which a toxins produced during excercise. Also when you break down muscle as you do when excercising - your body needs time to build new muscle or it is in a constant cycle of muscle breakdown.
• Get some advice from your health care practitioner about a sensible excercise routine for you.
• Move - it helps with everything
• 4. Breathe - seems obvious - but most of us don't breath effectively. Spend a few minutes each day. Maybe as you go to sleep at night, remembering to breath correctly. 
• breathe deeply into your abdomen by pushing your tummy out as you breathe in, then fill the bottom, middle and top of your lungs, next breathe out - starting from the top of your lungs - then the middle and bottom and finally suck you tummy in to engage your diaphragm and expel the last of the stale air out of your body before you breathe in some quality new air.
• Stress cannot stay in a body that is breathing deeply
• Toxins are eliminated and the body can clear free radicals from the system.
• Will help reduce acidity in the body - acidity can c ause many chronic diseases and muscular aches and pains.
• Helps prevent respiratory disorders such as bronchitis and asthma.
• Breathing - we all know you can't live with out it.
• Sleep - at least 8 hours a night. In this age of artificial lights and tv's and computers we are all suffering from sleep deprivation.
• Make a routine of going to sleep at a regular time - no later than 10pm.
• Not enough sleep causes disruption of the cortisol melatonin mechanism and leads to stress , heart disease, obesity (hormones are produced that signal you to keep eating and the hormones that let you know you are full are turned off), anxiety, irritability, lack of concentration, memory problems and depression.
• If you need help getting to sleep or staying asleep - seek advice from you health care professional but it is best to avoid sleeping tablets as they can effect the quality of your REM sleep and will make you more wakeful when you come off them. There are several safe, holistic options available to assist you to develop healthy sleep patterns and wake refreshed for the new day- enquire with your health care practitioner.
• Sleep - you'll feel better for it

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