Welcome to Day #6!
Today we’re going to switch gears and talk about something
concrete:
Sugar and Fat
Plus simple steps you can take to shift your energy and
metabolism starting today.
Much of our society has been conditioned to avoid fat and to
look for low-fat foods, but did you know there are actually
“good” fats–fats that are good for you?
Even cholesterol has its place.
In fact, cholesterol is an essential component of
the membranes of every cell in your body, is a key factor in
normal hormone production, and too little cholesterol on
blood testing can be a marker for poor chance of survival.
Many low-fat foods are actually high in sugar or
carbohydrates, which get digested into sugar in your body.
Do you know what your body does with excess sugar?
It stores it.
First as sugar stores in the liver, and then as–guess
what?
Fat!
Now here’s a shocking fact:
Despite low-fat marketing for a number of years
which has made everyone fat-conscious…
diabetes, obesity, and heart-disease as ailments
of Western society are more common than ever.
So what do you do?
First, begin to shift your thinking from paying so much
attention to fat.
Rather, focus on eating more real food.
As long as you’re avoiding deep fried foods and french
fries (both of which heat fats to high temperatures and
make them toxic) and artificial fats such as margarine and
partially hydrogenated oils, I would rather you become less
“fat conscious”.
Begin today instead to eliminate, or at least decrease, two
other items from your diet:
Processed (added) sugar and corn syrup (often listed as
“high fructose corn syrup”)
You will actually find your taste buds awakening to a whole
palette of tastes when they’re not overwhelmed with sugar,
and you will experience a beneficial impact on your weight,
your metabolism, and your energy.
Additionally, shifting your thinking about fat will allow
you to feel more comfortable receiving the benefits of good
fats, which you’ll learn more about in the ongoing series
Dr.Ben’s Health Insights that continues after this initial 7 days.
Now, here are 3 steps you can take to shift your energy and
how you feel starting today:
1) Color–Eat smaller amounts of food more often, and get as
much color–particularly from fruits and vegetables–as you
can.
Looking for more natural color as you eat is a simple
way to increase your antioxidants, your nutrition, your fiber,
and your health without getting a headache reading labels
and reports!
2) Move–be sure to move at least 10 minutes every day.
Go for a walk, do some jumping jacks, dance to some music,
or play tag with your kids. Once you master this, begin
increasing the time or adding multiple times throughout the
day
3) Supplement — Get on a quality multivitamin, mineral, and antioxidant supplement and an omega three fish oil supplement to replenish your “nutritional bank account”, fill any gaps in your diet, and optimize your nutrition. (More on this tomorrow)
There you have it.
Key steps you can learn and implement in minutes that can
make a profound difference in your health and how you feel
today.
Avoid deep fried food, partially hydrogenated oils, processed
sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Eat with color and in small amounts more often throughout
the day.
Move for at least 10 minutes a day.
Get on quality supplementation.
Now is this “enough”?
Remember our discussions of the past few days?
Health and healing are really multi-dimensional.
They involve all parts of our being…the physical steps are
just one part.
I’ve found that a few simple principles that are easy to learn
and practice on the physical side, when combined with addressing
the thinking, beliefs, focus, and feelings of a person–the
“non-physical” side–make a more profound difference, and a
simpler, easier, and happier life–than exhaustive amounts of
information and rules.
You’ll learn more about “Good Fats” in the insights that follow this 7 day series.
Today’s lesson “Sugar or Fat–What’s the Real Culprit?” also gave you 3 key steps to shift your energy and how you feel today.
Share your own experiences, ask a question, or leave a comment for others below.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Dr. Ben
P.S. Tomorrow we address nutritional supplementation beginning with the question, why supplement at all? See you there!
Copyright 2008-2024 Ben Lo, MD