Make Better Lifestyle Choices!

The major health problems affecting Americans and nearly all Western citizens are not due to a lack of prescription drugs.  These health problems are primarily caused by lifestyle choices.  I think the most critical lifestyle choice we face every day is what we will eat.

Americans eat too many refined foods and not enough whole foods.  Refined foods contain refined sugar, flour, salt, and oils.  These foods not only lack basic nutrients, they contain items that are toxic to the body.  Eating a standard American diet (SAD) ensures health problems as you age.  How can I make that claim?

After nearly 20 years of listening to my patients tell me what they eat, I have no doubt that educating patients about how to make better dietary choices should be the focus of all physicians.  Sadly, most physicians do not even care what dietary choices their patients are making.  If a patient continually eats devitalized food, how can they supply the body with the correct nutrients to not only heal but to achieve their optimal health? 

Let’s take adult onset diabetes (type II) as an example.  Millions of Americans suffer from type II diabetes.  In fact, if we do not reverse this trend, I believe our country will be in serious economic trouble.  The health care costs associated with type II diabetes is enormous. 

What is the solution?  The solution to curing and preventing type II diabetes is not difficult.  The solution is to make better lifestyle choices, particularly with the food you eat.  For the vast majority of individuals with type II diabetes, the primary cause is eating too many refined food products and not exercising.

Conventional medicine would have you believe that type II diabetes is due to a deficiency of a prescription medication such as Metformin or Glynase.  Now, to be fair, conventional medicine does recognize that obesity leads to type II diabetes, but their dietary recommendations (too many refined carbohydrates) often exacerbates the situation.

What can you do?  Number one, educate yourself about food.  We are designed to eat healthy food which is full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in order to supply our body with the correct nutrients to maintain health and heal injured tissues.  Food such as fresh fruit and vegetables as well as organic animal products including eggs and meat are examples of healthy food.  Refined foods need to be avoided.  More examples of food choices can be found in my book, The Guide to Healthy Eating.  

Supplementing with the appropriate vitamins and minerals can also help your body overcome diabetes and maintain health.  If you have type II diabetes, I (along with my partners) have developed a supplement designed to help the insulin receptors work more efficiently.  It is known as Glucontrol.  Glucontrol can be found at: www. Purezenhealth.com. When Glucontrol (2 tablets twice per day with meals) is combined with alpha lipoic acid (1 tablet twice per day with meals—also available at www.purezenhealth.com) I have seen blood sugars lower and the metabolism of the body increase.  Although the supplements are a help for type II diabetes, they are no substitute for eating a healthy diet and exercising. 

Finally, exercise is a must.  Exercise helps nearly every condition including diabetes.   I suggest doing 15-30 minutes per day.  It does not have to be aerobic exercise.  In fact, I think weight training or short bursts of exercise are more beneficial than aerobic training.  I will write more about exercise in the future. 

We make hundreds of choices every day.  Remember, the one choice we need to spend a little more time on is deciding what food we are going to eat today.