Keys to Better Health: Nutrition

As mentioned in the Hacks For Beginners page, nutrition has a big effect on your health and well-being. There are many studies and information available that give good guidance on diet and nutrition. This article will focus on my recommendations for mid-life men. They saying "you are what you eat", is definitely applicable. What you put into your body provides you with energy and essential nutrients to live. The human body can adapt to and use many different food energy sources, but like any bio-mechanism, the more you input less-than-healthy sources, the more you wear down your body's ability to cope with them.

When you are busy and have limited time in your mid-life years, prioritizing work and family, convenience starts to outweigh healthy options for food. This causes your body to "do the best it can" with what you put in it. Fast or "junk" food often lacks essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein) and focuses on carbs and fats. Carbs and fats provide calories for energy, but are deficient in what your body needs to stay healthy. When I hit my 40's, I started to gain significant weight. At the time I attributed it primarily to less exercise, but in reality I was eating more carbs and fast or quick-preparation meals. But weight gain was only the beginning. I also found myself getting sick more, and having less energy. So I would drink more diet soda with caffeine to give me more energy. At the end in my 40's I gained about 30 pounds, or 20% more body weight, mostly in my mid-section (visceral fat). This contributed to me starting to get high blood pressure.

Eventually in my 50's, after another 20 pound increase (now close to 200 pounds - BMI of 31+) is when I finally sought help from a new doctor and started getting my health under control. It was then that nutrition became an important factor again in my lifestyle. I started by doing substitutions, swapping unhealthy foods with healthier versions. For example, in the morning eat oatmeal with fruit instead of refined breakfast cereals. When you order food in a restaurant, swap french fries for a side-salad. Eat grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. And of course, I cut down, but did not eliminate, soda. My main substitution was flavored carbonated water instead of mainstream diet sodas, like coke. I also drink less of them and more tea and plain bottled water with added electrolytes. You can make these changes without giving up most foods and improve your health. Of course certain things, like cake, pie, or ice cream are now an occasional treat, not a regular part of meals. These changes alone will often encourage weight loss, but if you need to lose significant weight, then you will need to maintain a calorie deficit to go down more. Currently I am now down 25 pounds and at a BMI of 29, with weight loss slowly continuing. Be conscious of what you eat, and choose healthier options as much as possible. An occasional treat or "cheat" meal is fine. Just like activity, nutrition is an important key to better health.