Lifestyle hack = less need (if there ever was one) for statins!

An important but often overlooked principle to keep a healthy lifestyle is to give our body enough challenges on daily basis. More than often, the convenience of modern life makes us indulged in comfort and stuck in a static, sometimes slowly degenerating mode without even realizing it.

Some practical life hacks include:

1. Challenge your body with somewhat uncomfortable temperature from time to time. Both mild heat-stress and cold-stress are known to help boost the immune system. In addition, it will also help maintain the sensitivity of your body to the environment and its regulatory capability.

2. Stay away from anti-bacterial agents such as antibiotics and anti-bacterial soaps as much as possible. Extensive research has shown that keeping a diverse microbiota is good for your health at several levels: i. a rich microbial community helps to prevent the propagation of toxic or drug-resistant microbe. ii. various bacteria present different antigens to the body and make the immune system more active.

3. Get “dirty”, such as gardening which includes playing with soil and natural plants, and eating raw, unprocessed food.

4. Expand your diet, try more foods of strong/sharp flavors. The more diverse the diet is, the more balanced the nutrients are. In addition, many strong flavors are caused by healthy substances. For example, bitterness can come from antioxidant compounds such as flavornoid (black tea, cocoa) and sulforaphane (Brussel sprouts, kale); pungency may come from substances like sulfoxide (mustard, garlic) and polyphenol(black and green tea, spices). Thus enrich your diet with those flavors is definitely a great healthy hack.