Image by: Lynda Sanchez
By Craig Ballantyne

Today’s culture is becoming more and more dependent on “going with the flow.” Though this can be practical if you’re in a social situation, when it comes to mental and physical habits, it’s best to trust what your body is telling you. Most men often skip vital healthy solutions that can make a big difference for them. Here are just a few you might want to consider:

#1) Fight Hair Loss With Food

Without a doubt, hair loss is one thing that can send a man to a state of depression. Most men at one point will lose their locks, yet there are extremely healthy solutions we all can do to help maintain it for longer, and they can all be found in food. According to Naturallycurly.com, there are certain foods that are better than others:

• Dark Green, Leafy Vegetables – Things like spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens are packed with Vitamin A and C, which are needed to produce sebum, the oily substance secreted by hair follicles essential for growth.
• Salmon – This fish contains iron, vitamin B-12 and the biggest of them all, omega-3 fatty acids. A deficiency of omega-3 can lead to dull, brittle hair.
• Zinc-rich Nuts – Not enough zinc can always lead to hair loss. Almonds and cashews are loaded with it, so it’s great to include them in your daily diet.
• Olive & Coconut Oils – They soften and smooth your hair from the inside out, so it’s always smart to cook your favorite foods in these healthy fats and/or sprinkle them on your salads.
• Eggs – They enrich your hair with a huge supply of proteins, vitamin B-12 and biotin – all important for hair growth.

#2) Bad Skin Can Be Fixed

Having bad skin is never good for our ego since it’s usually the first thing people see. As babies we’re started with good skin, though some of how it turns out has to do with genetics, we often make our own pathway towards skin problems due to a lessened supply of nutrients, an increased amount of poor food quality, and bad chemicals.

Foods which are great for the skin are foods closest to its original state, i.e. raw or organic. You can never go wrong with this. Artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, and foods loaded with preservatives and other additives will give your body a harder time to process it, which means bad toxins will be released. Here are some healthy ideas:

• Minimize consumption of sugar, refined grain products and caffeine.
• Minimize non-organic dairy products.
• Stick with meats like beef, poultry, lamb, and fish.
• Increase healthy fats and fresh fruits/vegetable.
• Drink purified water, fresh juices and healthful herbal teas.

Another thing to worry about is skin care. Skin care products containing synthetic chemicals and harmful ingredients will give an allergic-type of response, like bumps, redness, itchiness, scaling or dryness, without us realizing it. Even if it’s not visible, its absorption through the skin over time will eventually result in acne, pre-mature aging, and rashes.

Talk to your dermatologist about what is good/bad for your skin. In the meantime, always stick to organically made products.

#3) Masculinity vs. Society

One of the things a lot of men deal with, but never discuss, is an unhealthy balance of aggression. By understanding how our bodies and minds process anger, we will be able to gear it towards a better path, more productive and beneficial  opportunities, and a longer lifespan.

Reports have shown that men who are able to back away from certain expectations society teaches us as boys are better fathers, more successful in their careers, and are overall healthier in their lives. The secret is self-organization. Often times when anger manifests itself, it’s because things either aren’t going our way or we’re suppressing feelings we’re too scared to investigate.

A healthy solution to this would be to never give ourselves a reason to be disappointed with how things turn out. Besides the obvious, i.e. staying positive and optimistic or keeping a precise day planner, weighing the pros and cons during circumstances and keeping your “end goal” of work projects and life aspirations at arm’s reach will always keep you leveled.

#4) Don’t Be Vulnerable To Insomnia

Getting enough sleep is crucial for health and success. It boosts our immune system, helps us learn things faster, increases our sex drive, lessens our stress, fixes our metabolism, controls our inflammation, makes us in a better mood, and helps us live longer.

Needless to say, ridding yourself of things that interrupt sleepy time is a good thing. This goes for watching TV, eating sugary foods, and drinking caffeinated drinks late at night. An hour before you plan on hitting the hay, it’s best to use this time as your “cool down.” One technique shown to have good results is Qigong, a Chinese system of breathing techniques and focus exercises.

#5) Mind Over Prescriptions

In this day and age, men would rather take a handful of pills to cure anxiety, depression, or migraines (which affect an estimated 28 million Americans). Though a lot of these cases have to do with biological structure, our bodies are completely in our control, and we can help it along.

Many issues have to do with a loss of neurotransmitters or hormonal imbalance. There are a wide variety of cases in which medication is mandatory, but our bad habits can make a bad situation even worse. There are certain things we can do to help collaborate our mind, body, and brain back into working order:

• Pure Water – Drinking a lot of pure water will allow toxins to excrete from your kidneys and other organs, detoxing bad chemicals which may be sending wrong signals to your brain.
• Daily Exercise – This will set your metabolic rate, increase blood flow, reduce stress, and secrete endorphins which help balance hormones.
• Tyramine-enriched Foods – Whether you have too much tyramine or not enough, your body is always going to have a bad reaction. The most common is the depletion of neurotransmitters. Make sure you never go overboard with foods like cheddar cheese, blue stilton, gouda, or yeast extracts.
• Potassium-rich Foods – Potassium is a vital mineral associated with physiologic balance. To be deficient of it will cause a slew of nerve issues. Inspect your diet and make sure you have a good amount.