You Cannot Fix Your Body In A Day!

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought “What happened?”  I certainly have.  The human body can definitely change over the course of years.

So let’s think about the human body.  Think of what it can be capable of.  For instance, it can cross Niagra Falls on a tightrope, as Charles Blondin did in 1859.   It can be made capable of lifting >5000 pounds, as done by Gregg Ernst on September 30, 1961 in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Now think of your own body.  Think of what you can’t do now that you used to be able to do.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The next few blogs will be about just that – what happened and how to change.  For many of us, what happened is the American lifestyle.  But that is something we can do something about!  We CAN recover at least some of what we have lost.  God has made the human body with amazing restorative properties.  It can recover from a lot, if treated properly.

So……

Lesson Number One………..WE ARE ALL TOO SWEET!

The average American eats about 100 pounds of  sugar per year.  That is about 20 teaspoons a day.

In 1700, we ate about 4 pounds of sugar yearly.

In 1800, we ate about 22 pounds of  sugar yearly

In 1900, it increased to about 90 pounds per year.

NOW, we eat OVER 100 pounds of ADDED sugar yearly.  In fact, in 2012, over 50% of people in America ate a half pound of sugar daily, totally up to over 180 pounds of sugar a year!!

Looking at it another way,

one 12 ounce can of coke has 9.75 tsp of sugar or 39 grams.

One 20 ounce gatorade has 9 tsp or 36 grams

one 12 ounce Mountan Dew has 11.5 tsp or 46 grams

One little Debbie Oatmeal Cake has 26 grams

Even one cup of apple juice has 27 grams of sugar (it is much better to eat a fruit than drink the juice)

Along with all that  sugar  comes a host of other problems, including obesity, diabetes, and many other afflictions.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO?

1- start by really considering what you put between your lips.  Look at the sugar in the foods you eat.  Only about 20% of items on grocery store  shelves do not contain sugar.   Begin to CUT OUT added sugars and instead substitute Stevia or Monkfruit.  Increase the amount of fruits and veggies, which have some natural sugar but it is limited and combined with adequate fiber. (again, it is better to eat fruit than drink fruit juice)

2-start by making small changes and they will add up over time.

3-let me know what changes you are making and what are the results.  The results are usually exciting and I would love to hear from you!

4-Remember, change will happen slowly, but it WILL happen.  Having a sugary drink or treat does not make you feel bad immediately.  In fact you may even get a sugar high.  BUT, in the end, it is never a step in the right direction!

Happy New Year! New Body Anyone?

FRAILITY………………………………………………………………………….VIRILITY

I have been a family physician for over 35 years!  I  kinda miss my younger body.  I know it is not coming back but there are some things one can do to improve.  I don’t know where you are on the continuum above, but wherever you are, there is wiggle room for change!

In the year ahead, I am going to explore different aspects of aging and what can be done to slow it down a little.   Every few weeks, I will talk about a different topic.  I would love some company along the way…..and would appreciate any comments please!

Let’s start with your MOUTH (oropharynx)

Your MOUTH is part of your gastrointestinal track.  The GI track extends from your mouth to your “other end.”  In between there are a lot of different places that could be good stopping points (for discussion – not food).  Anyway, beyond your mouth there is your esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.  All told this is about 30 feet of track.  If it wasn’t curled up and packed so well we would take up a lot more room!

As you age you may develop a decrease in saliva (spit) production and develop a DRY MOUTH.  Certain medications can make this worse.  A common one that causes mouth dryness is benadryl.  Eventually, the transfer of food from your mouth to your  pharynx (throat) may be altered.  Studies have shown that up to 60% of older people without any symptoms have some abnormal transfer of food from their mouth to their throat

Also, your mouth has a lining called the oral mucosa.  As you get older, this lining gets thinner.  Your gums tend to recede.  This in turn causes the base of the tooth  to be exposed and you become more susceptible to root cavities. You may lose some of your teeth and not be able to chew your food as well.  This in turn can affect your nutritional intake.

In addition, inadequate flossing of your teeth can lead to increased inflammation of the gums.  Chronic inflammation has been linked to a variety of diseases.  Your dentist bugging you to floss is NOT JUST ABOUT YOUR TEETH! 

So………..  what are a few steps to take in the new year to protect this little area of your body and avoid downstream consequences?

1 – IF YOU HAVE TEETH, take care of them.

2- If you have not been getting regular dental cleanings, start.

3- Floss daily (gently)

4- Avoid medications that cause oral dryness (benadryl is one such medicine)

5- AVOID sugary foods, especially at night right before bed.

6- AVOID COLA DRINKS – They have a low pH and drinks with  a pH <4.0 are potentially harmful to your teeth.  The pH of cola drinks is  2.6 (I have been binging on diet lemonade which is pretty acidic and think I need to stop) Water is good.  Water is neutral

7- AVOID smoking.  It causes some pretty nasty mouth cancers.

Your  “new body” can start with good mouth care.

Remember, your mouth may not be what you think of first when considering a new body.  But it is directs a lot of traffic and needs a lot of care!  It’s a good place to start…..and we can move on from there!

MAY YOU BE happy, HEALTHY, and wise in 2025.

FOOD AND MOOD

How you feel can affect what you eat. Anyone who has eaten a carton of ice-cream because they felt lonely or bored or angry or depressed knows this. But hey, when you are in “a mood” you eat what you crave. So you need to train your body to crave food that it really needs!

But just as mood can drive us to certain foods, what we choose to eat can also affect our mood. I did not feel especially good about myself the last time I ate a batch of unbaked brownies (sometimes I like them uncooked). In fact, I was in a pretty bad mood after that, but it can go both ways. Choosing the right and healthy foods is hard, but you do feel better knowing you are treating the only body you will ever get in a healthy manner. And though it is sometimes difficult to eat right, the benefits show up gradually over time. And since everyone wants to feel and look good 6 months from now, it is helpful to take the long view…………

So, if you want to feel better in 6 months than you do right now, you can start by making sure your food intake helps to accomplish that. Again, work to train your body to crave what it really needs!

So what does your body really need? Of course, that is a long discussion, so for now lets just focus on something Americans do not crave enough. Your body needs “whole food” fruits and vegetables. I have noticed on surveys done at my office for Medicare wellness visits that many patients check NO when asked if they eat fruit and vegetables every day. I find this very discouraging. Do you know that it is recommended that you get between 5 and 10 helpings EVERY day? Are you anywhere close?

Why is this so important? One reason is because of the nutrients and micronutrients in these foods. Beta carotene. Vitamin C. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Selenium, zinc, manganese. The list goes on………….but you have other things to do. Anyway, a variety of brightly colored fruit and vegetables will give you the minerals and vitamins that should really come through food rather than a pill.

A second reason is the fiber content of whole fruits and vegetables. A glass of V8 juice may be good for you, but it does NOT equal eating whole fruit and vegetables. The fiber in the whole food helps protect against disease, including constipation and colon cancer. It also helps with weight loss.

So since Spring is here and Summer is around the corner, think of new ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. Perhaps you could plant a small garden. Even if you can only plant a single plant! A cherry plucked off your very own tomato plant tastes so much better than the one shipped to your grocery store from another state.

Try new recipes! I think about how I used to cook vegetables. I was a slow learner, I think, when it came to discovering all the delicious ways to cook that broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or whatever! (Right now I am eating delicious lima beans, but my husband made them)

Anyway………..Spring is a season of new beginnings. Make it the beginning of

A NEW YOU!

It is a season to experiment. Change your diet ………… In 6 months you will thank yourself!