Avoidance of Harmful Substances

Avoidance of harmful substances has become an important pillar of managing good health.

The obvious harmful substances include usage of tobacco, alcohol and psychotropic drugs. Each of these have addictive potential and has immediate and longterm ill-effects on health of an individual.

But in today’s world, our health is constantly challenged not just by these substances but also a host of other substances which have the potential to cause even stronger addictions and which are equally if not more harmful to human health.

Sugar and all food additives used in the ultra-processed foods are a huge chunk of the culprits. These include artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, emulsifiers, leavening agents, acidity regulators, artificial sweeteners, thickening and gelling agents etc. this list is endless. But suffice to understand that all these substances are harmful to the human body.

These ultra processed foods are hyperpalatable and addictive in nature. They compromise consumption of fresh whole natural foods and further cause harm to human health.

Our environment also is full of chemicals and toxins. Many products that we use on a daily basis from our toothpastes and shampoos to our floor cleaners and detergents may have harmful chemicals. We need to be cautious and choose products wisely. That way we will minimize exposure to the harmful chemicals for us, our children and our whole families.

When we stick to a diet rich in predominantly whole plant based foods, we ensure we give ourselves a host of antioxidants and phytonutrients which equip our systems to deal better with these harmful chemicals.

Another assault by harmful substances occurs through polluted air, water and soil. This is a much bigger and multi faceted problem and needs personal, community and governmental measures to tackle.

So to summarise, we can follow these easy steps to reduce our exposure to harmful substances.

1. Stay away from smoking and tobacco usage.
2. Stay away from alcohol use
3. Stay away from psychotropic drugs
4. Avoid ultra processed foods
5. Focus on Whole foods and include a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts and plant seeds.
6. Choose personal care products wisely and prefer those made from natural ingredients and minimally processed.
7. Be conscious of our contribution to planetary health. Try to find ways to minimize our personal contribution towards pollution in our environment. Some of these can be waste segregation, making fruit peel enzymes to use as cleaners, walking short/ long distances and minimisng use of vehicles for local transport. Using stairs to avoid usage of lifts.
8. Our diet is the most important contributor to planetary health. WFPB eating pattern is healthful for our personal health as well as our environment. This in turn is beneficial for us and other life on this planet.