Most people see the word diet and immediately think restriction. However, your daily intake of food is your diet. The objective if you desire to reduce your weight or be totally healthy is to make sure your diet is healthy. Does your diet consist of foods that will optimize the function and health of your body?

MOST PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO EAT

However, most people do not realize the importance of the nutrients they gain from eating certain foods and often do not eat healthy. We know that chronic wear and tear on our organs cause oxidative stress, which creates a state of chronic inflammation. Science has proven that chronic inflammation is the precursor for just about every diseased state. We also know genetics plays a role; however, genetics is impacted by how we live. Our lifestyles influence our genetics to express disease states in our lives.

LET’S LOOK AT ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL

Elevated cholesterol must be carefully examined. Cholesterol is an essential substance for the optimal functioning of the brain and to build healthy cells. What causes problems for us is when cholesterol is oxidized. This oxidized cholesterol comes from an unbalanced diet, which includes too many highly processed carbohydrates and deep-fried foods. Here is a food that many people often do not realize is deep-fried, donuts. Thus, it is a double whammy, it is a highly processed carbohydrate and deep-fried. Many chips are fried, although they now have baked versions. When we consistently and chronically consume these foods, we run the risk of exposing or expressing our genetics. Meaning, if there is a family history of elevated cholesterol, your style of living (eating consistently fried foods and highly processed carbohydrates) will eventually cause you to have elevated cholesterol.

WHAT WE CAN DO TO OPTIMIZE OUR DIETS

Dr. William Li likes to say eat to beat your diet and eat to beat disease. The first thing to realize is that it comes back to balance. Use moderation, do not overindulge, and do not starve your body. Both states tax the body in diverse ways, yet each will ultimately compromise the health of your body. You will have excess body fat or decreased metabolism, which will lead to excess body fat eventually when you go back to eating normal amounts of food. We do not exercise to lose weight; however, we exercise or move to maintain a healthy body weight and keep our cardio-pulmonary system fit and healthy. Get healthy sources of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates [the three macro-nutrients]. Eat a variety of colorful foods. Try to stick to food as close to its natural state as possible. Do not OVEREAT! Sleep must also be mentioned here because a lack of sleep over time impacts our metabolism. Water is also important in our diets. Nix the sodas, which also includes diet sodas as they mess with our gut microbiome and compromise our digestion and metabolism.

CHANGING YOUR UNHEALTHY DIET

First spend at least one week keeping track of what you eat. Write it down. Most people underestimate how much they eat or forget how much and what they ate. I can’t remember what I ate yesterday, much less a week ago. Look for:

1. Wasted calories (junk foods, alcohol, and sodas)
2. Where and when you overeat and what you tend to overeat
3. The frequency of eating
4. The duration of eating (From what time to what time do you eat?)
5. The number of calories you consistently eat per day
6. The quality of the foods you consistently eat

Then pick one area to change and work on that area until you have changed it to healthy.