If our plan is to live a long and healthy life, staying healthy through diet and exercise becomes a lifetime of responsibility; we are what we eat. It is a phrase we hear over and over again. But in the time we are living, maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough quality, recuperative sleep and an optimal (not adequate) amount of simple physical activity is a daily challenge. Life gets in the way. And unless we are single and living alone, most of us are hard pressed to take time out of a very demanding daily routine to indulge in a planned exercise regimen or discipline ourselves to stay the course of healthy eating. This is a consequence in large part, of where we live, our family relationships, friends, educational and religious affiliations, cultural mandates and religious beliefs, known as the Social Determinants of Health. All of these factors have a very real influence on our eating habits and how and when we can actually put some quality time into any kind of a planned exercise program.
But armed with the knowledge of what food can do to our physical and mental health and how it affects our body’s day-to-day functioning can begin to help make some sense out of why you may be feeling the way you do. And why, as hard as you might be trying to lose those extra pounds that just won’t go away. I’ve heard it all before, “but I go to the gym everyday or twice a week”. Or, “I walk a lot and I’m running around all day taking the kids to soccer practice, walking the dog, I’m exhausted. Who has time for the gym or figuring out whether my food is healthy or not.”
The answer in most cases to weight gain, less than optimal annual checkups, just feeling tired or an overall feeling of unwell, is usually diet related. Food keeps us alive, make us healthy, make us sick and has the potential to kill us if we are not careful. It is a simple fact and one that is important to remember when looking at what and how we eat. I’ll help you understand why eating a regular diet of processed foods and processed meats can significantly increase your risk for chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes over time. This point was made in a 2019 study published by the NIH and conducted by Dr. Kevin Hall PhD. The results are not surprising. To read the results of this study please click the link below.
https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30248-7
The long-term effects of sugar on the body for example can be devastating to our metabolic health. And it is in just about anything that comes in a bag a box or a can. If you read labels (and I strongly recommend you do) look at the sugar content per serving. Eating sugar on a regular basis begins to create problems in the lipid panel of your blood work. LDL (bad) verses HDL (good). This can translate into higher than normal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, borderline obesity and pre-diabetic numbers that your doctor may want to consider prescription medication to correct. Sugar is addictive. So cutting out sugar is harder than it looks and it will require some determination and will power. Because unlike fresh food, sugar is in just about everything we eat that is processed and pre-packaged. But if you feel now is the time to make changes, simply look at what and how you eat and decide if this is the time to re-think your diet and lifestyle to begin the process of new habits.
Health behavior is not easy to change. But it’s not impossible either. The ah ha moment is knowing when you are ready to make those necessary changes to your lifestyle and begin creating new eating habits that are reasonable, actionable and sustainable for the way you live.
I can help you understand nutritional content of certain foods, why we need them and try to debunk the myth that fresh food is more expensive than processed. A fresh baked potato for example is less expensive (and more nutritious) than a bag of potato chips. Vegetables like avocado contain necessary healthy fat. And a great desert can simply mean putting a bunch of grapes in the freezer.
If you have food allergies like I do, (I have Celiac Disease) cultural or religious food requirements; we can work with your food requirements and re-think the source of those calories to help maintain the health, energy and wellbeing you’re looking for without giving up everything you love or compromising any cultural or religious food integrity.
I’ll help you understand how it only takes less than 3 weeks for your body to begin losing muscle strength and stamina because of no physical activity or limited exercise (Langness, J., (2024).
Changing the way we live is not about a diet. It is about changing our health behavior and making the necessary lifestyle changes that become a healthier daily way of life you can live with and feel good about. I’m ready when you are.
Reference
Langness, J., Understanding Muscle Atrophy: Use It Or Lose It, NASM, Retrieved from https://blog.nasm.org/muscle-atroph