Many of us are struggling today trying to find ways to prevent diseases. We may look at our parents and grandparents to see what is in the horizon for us!
If you are like me, you may have many disorders in your family and are worried about which one you will contract. ( or will you get all of them?)
That is why I write on this blog every day.
I constantly look and research on what is out there to help us be as healthy as we can be!
The biggest concern today is obesity. There seems to be an epidemic of people who are not only overweight, but morbidly obese.
This misfortune has many side effects one of which they call Metabolic Syndrome. If you contact this; it is a group of symptoms which can cause you to have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
The four risk factors include: Central obesity, diabetes or altered insulin response, high blood lipids and hypertension.
There have been studies that show when people with metabolic syndrome switch to a diet low in fat and rich in unrefined grains, fruits and vegetables, their body composition improves along with the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Here are some tips on preventative measures for Obesity:
1. Nutrition: begin to eat more healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables along with grains.
2. Diet: Find a way to lose weight if you need to through a healthy low calorie diet. Keep a journal of what you eat to help you see that you may be overeating. Count your calories and stay away from fatty foods, especially deep fried and processed foods.
3. Exercise: Find an exercise that pleases you. I like bike riding and I do it every day.
4. Develop you motivational tools: You have a life force inside of you to help guide you toward staying healthy and preventing diseases. Use your internal motivation to help your begin a better lifestyle. Take small steps at first so that you do not get discouraged. Remember that it took a long time to gain weight- so it will take a long time to lose it!
5. Begin to analyze products that you eat. Organic foods may cost a little more, but are healthier. If all of us bought organics, they would not cost more! It would drive down the price.
Read labels and stay away from partially hydrogenated foods along with other processing and dyes.
Risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome taken in part from: Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. ( 2003) Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. 9th Ed. United States. Thomson Wadsworth.