Meridian Life February 2023 | Page 20

Tips for a healthier happier you in 2023

I know you ’ ve heard this before … but you really need to keep your New Year ’ s Resolutions this year ! As we saw with recent COVID and flu seasons , your baseline health status really matters .
First , start with your sleep . You need to prioritize sleep . Make it cool , dark , quiet , and free from televisions , phones and tablets . One thing you can do to help prevent distractions is to find a new place to charge your phone . Maybe try the kitchen or the bathroom , not beside your bed . Make your teenagers move their phones away from their bed too . Teenagers check their phones an average of 6 times a night !
Second , work on stress and stress relief . Find one activity you enjoy , maybe walking at sunset or in the morning , and do it outside for the stress relieving benefits . Since ancient times , exercising in nature has been known to provide more benefits over indoor exercising . Just standing outside is better than sitting indoors . Start by walking after breakfast and dinner , and soon you will be walking the recommended 30 minutes a day .
Most importantly , begin by eating real food this year . Things without labels or processed ingredients will go a long way in improving your health . We are what we eat , and we have gotten used to the Standard American Diet which is horrible for our health . One in three Americans will be diabetic by 2030 , and there has been a surge in diabetes cases since the COVID 19 outbreak . Make your foods colorful , and avoid white starches like rice , potatoes , flour and sugar . For recommendations and recipes , follow physicians on social media such as Mark Hyman , MD and Peter Attia , MD , and lesser known health coaches like the Glucose Goddess and Kelly Leveque on Instagram for health tips and recipes .
Here ’ s some simple tips for your diet :
Kristi Durgin , MD Anderson Regional Health System
1 . No Naked Carbs ! Don ’ t eat a carbohydrate , including a piece of fruit , without a fat or protein with it to decrease the blood sugar spike . 2 . Start your day with protein , fat and fiber , and avoid sugars . Oatmeal and cereal are only carbs , not much protein and fat and fiber so don ’ t eat them . Choose eggs , leftover dinner , or a smoothie with protein , fat and fiber and very low sugar . 3 . Start your meals first with vegetables , secondly fat and protein , and finish with starch and or fruit . 4 . Fruit alone as a snack is high glycemic and spikes your blood sugar . Fruit juice is even worse . Stop buying any juices as they are pure fructose . Add nut butter to apples , cheese and nuts with grapes . 5 . Walk 2-4 minutes after meals to decrease blood sugar spike after meals . A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine proved that this works ! Get an appointment with your physician to discuss your weight and overall health . Ask for bloodwork including Hemoglobin A1C , Fasting
Insulin , Cholesterol Panel , and Vitamins B12 and D3 . You can also get a CGM- Continuous Glucose Monitor , to check your real time sugar levels in your blood after you eat different foods .
20 • MERIDIAN LIFE