Eat a Balanced Diet
While searching through the Web this week I found a lot of good information about why and how we should eat a balanced diet if we are looking for a LongLife. This is one of those bits of information:
Another Reason to Choose Healthy Lifestyle Habits
By Jane Hart, MD
Healthnotes Newswire (November 19, 2009)
“A diet with less saturated fat and more unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids from fish may help improve blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure, and decrease triglycerides in people with metabolic syndrome.”
I thought to myself, “That’s all well and good, but who are these people and what is ‘metabolic syndrome’?”
So the search goes on:
In an article written by Dr. RUCHI MATHUR, M.D., FRCP(C) she stated;
“The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting.”
She also said that most people with metabolic syndrome are most often overweight or obese. And as I have written in previous posts obesity is on the rise.
Obesity in proliferating in the United States: 3.8 million people are over 300 pounds, over 400,000 people (mostly males) carry over 400 pounds and the average adult female weighs an unprecedented 163 pounds!
So what are we to do, what should we be eating? Here is an article titled: Healthy Diet Key to Longevity, By Dr.Cathy Wong, in which she stated that a new study suggests a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, beans, low-fat dairy, and whole grains is the foundation of longevity. She went on to list some food items that we should be eating as well as many that we should avoid:
Foods Considered Healthy
* apples, pears
* citrus, banana
* lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, kale
* cabbage, root vegetables (carrots, beets, etc.)
* beans, peas
* milk with 0.5% or 1.5% fat, yogurt with 1.5% fat
* whole grain bread, crisp bread, oats
* salmon, herring, tuna, other fish excluding shellfish
Foods Considered Less Healthy
* meat, meat stew, minced meat
* bacon, sausages, blood pudding
* cold cuts, pate, liver, kidney
* fried potatoes, French fries, chips
* cheese, butter, margarine
* white bread
* pancakes/Belgian waffles
* cookies, ice cream, candy, sugar
Talk about a sacrifice! Seems like all the things I like most are in the “Less Healthy” list. And if you are like me, with other health issues either now or in your past then I strongly suggest you consult with your Doctor before making any drastic diet change.
Don’t forget your water.
Eight 8 oz glasses of water is suggested by most physicians. That is about the same as one 2 Liter bottle for every 24 hours.
There are three important rules when it comes to drinking water:
1. Drink twice as much as it takes to quench your thirst.
2. Drink frequently throughout the day to prevent dehydration.
3. Drink at least eight glasses daily, or one cup for every 20 pounds of body weight. For example, a 150-pound person who does not exercise or work in hot climates needs 7.5 cups.
Do yourself a favor. Keep track of how much water you drink today and see if you are really taking in an adequate amount.
Nobody said that the road to a LongLife was an easy one. We just need to make those necessary life changes, change some bad habits and replace them with good habits. Only then will we be on the road to LongLife.
Now let’s go tot the store and get something good to eat.
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