A New Year ….a New Beginning
The holidays are over. New Years resolutions are fresh in our minds and can be somewhat daunting. They might include smoking cessation, diet, exercise, improvement in study habits, or other new commitments, etc. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- If smoking cessation is on your list, you can forget everything else and work on accomplishing this most important health issue. Everything else can wait….but mixing in some modest exercise, i.e. simply walking can help you achieve your smoking cessation goal. Confession of a reformed smoker…don’t give up, keep trying!
- Protein is good! We lose muscle mass as we age and everyone needs protein. Some of the best sources are
- Chicken and Turkey
- Beef or Pork
- Salmon and Shrimp
- Cottage Cheese
- Canned Tuna light and in water
- We hate to make sweeping indictments of food, but the cereal industry requires too much explanation to make sense to our patients. Here is our advice: When in doubt, just avoid it! Most messages on the boxes are misleading at best. Unless cereal is the only item in your kitchen cabinet…don’t eat it!
- The Worst!
- If you just read what we said about cereals, think the same about fast food restaurants. Some are better than others, and some offer a reasonable choice, but a general path to good diet and health is avoiding them.
- Boxed or prepared Mac & Cheese (Yea we know. We love it too.) It is basically a bowl of white flour, cheese, oil and cream and has unhealthy levels of saturated fat and sodium and packs 800 to 1200 calories per serving;
- Just because poor choices of food are coated in yoghurt does not make them better.
- All pizzas are not the same. Many deep-dish pizzas weigh in at 1500 to 2000 calories…a full days count!
So here is our “secret” advice to achieving good health.
- Get some exercise every day. A simple 15 minute walk will suffice
- Mindful eating. Plan each meal and shop ahead so you have the ingredients handy.
- Limit stress as best you can, and get a good night’s sleep
MAY YOU ENJOY A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR