Watch what comes out of your mouth, but more importantly, watch what goes in!
Everybody should know by now the immediate and long-term health benefits of a good balanced nutrition. This subject is everywhere we look: social media, food pyramids, FDA recommendations, nutrition labels, gurus, diets, calories, recipes, organic, cage free, supplements, bla, bla, bla.
The big problem is that generally, dietary recommendations lack actionable specific direction to change behavior. We are constantly exposed to an overload of complicated, boring information that very few people can follow because it requires planning, effort, and money which is always in short supply. The results are very graphic; in spite of all this available information, we are still killing ourselves not due to lack of food or famine but due to overabundance. Especially of bad foods!
A recent study from the University of Michigan calculated that “eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, while choosing to eat a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of extra healthy life.” I know what you are thinking, and no, you can’t have both to lose only 10 minutes!
Dr. Jean-Claude Nerette believes that “marginal and incremental” are the key words that can motivate you to change your health and quality of life without spending too much time, effort, or money. For example:
Gradually incorporate veggies of all colors no matter how you prepare them. Don’t worry about buying organic (that if for later).
Avoid eating only one type of protein, let’s say chicken and slowly add variety such as red meat, fish, lamb, pork, or nuts.
Reduce gradually the consumption of refined sugars including rice, alcohol and fruit juices (to break your addiction and avoid cravings and sugar spikes) and incorporate more fibrous, complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, legumes, and asparagus.
If you drink alcohol, gradually reduce the amount to one drink per day and increase the amount of filtered water.
Phase out vegetable oils like sunflower, canola, or safflower and replace it with extra virgin olive oil for general use, and coconut oil for high temperature frying.
Avoid margarine butter. Switch to whole (real) butter.
Phase out foods in sealed bags, cans or boxes and consume more assorted fresh foods.
Avoid low fat products such as milk, cheese, or butter and use only whole milk products (organic if possible (to avoid antibiotics/ hormones).
If you have three meals a day plus snacks in between, reduce gradually to two meals a day without snacks.
Start walking fifteen minutes a day and increment five minutes every month for three months.
Start going to bed fifteen minutes earlier every month until you are on target for eight to nine hours of restorative sleep.
Get rid of cheap imported vitamins and minerals, and switch to a medical grade multi-vitamin nutraceutical supplements.
These are all simple easy adjustments that will yield results and motivate you to get to the next level such as organic, non-GMO, no pesticides, grass fed, free range foods.
