3 Tips to Kickstart your New Year Nutrition

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Often it is the New Year where we make lofty resolutions for ourselves, especially regarding nutrition and exercise. What stops us from continuing to experience success in your weight loss and lifestyle efforts? Unsustainable choices and rigid ideals.

Losing weight, or creating a healther lifestyle, is no easy feat. It is something that certainly takes care, planning and effort. However, it is also important that whatever you do, you must maintain. Therefore, it is important to use realistic and practical measures in your nutrition and exercise efforts. Here are three practical tips you can carry with you into the New Year, to begin slowly improving your choices.

  1. Choose fiber

When filling up your plate, try to focus on fiber. Both types of fiber, insoluble and soluble, are available in a variety of foods. The benefits of fiber? Improved digestion and gut motility, improved microbial diversity, decreased risk associated with multiple types of cancers, decreased “bad” cholesterol, decreased blood sugar and improved weight loss efforts and satiety. Not only is fiber alone a “supernutrient” but the foods it is naturally found in tend to be dense with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Varying by age and gender, the average adult should shoot for approximately 30 g of fiber a day. Increase the amount slowly to avoid indigestion. Some terrific sources of fiber are legumes and beans, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, potatoes with the skin, oatmeal and fruit such as berries. Making sure to prioritze fiber in your meals will keep you full, promote health and inadvertently lead to better food choices throughout the day.

2. Don’t forget protein

We need atleast 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight a day to avoid malnourishment. Instead of pulling out your calculator just yet, aim to get about a palm sized portion of protein at each meal. Protein helps with satiety, weight loss efforts and keeps or immune system and muscles intact. Not all protein sources must be from animals, soy and beans are also protein dense choices. If you are choosing animal protein, try to keep it lean and higher in omega 3 fatty acids, such as salmon, canned tuna, chicken breast, or a lean cut of beef.

3. Make time for movement

You do not need to become an Olympic athlete for achieve your health goals, and you do not need to attend Zumba 7 days a week (unless you enjoy doing so). On average, we should aim for approximately 200-300 minutes of moderate physical acitvity a week to maintain a healthy weight. This can look like a 30 minute walk most days of the week, or something more intense if you’re able. If possible, it’s ideal to do a combination of resistance exercise and something that gets your heart rate up.

Changing your habits doesn’t have to be rocket science. Begin setting small goals each week or month on what you are willing to work on, and employ some basic nutrition skills.

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Navigating Holiday Eating

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The holidays are a time most look forward to, yet many have difficulty navigating healthy eating patterns during them.

Whether you may have rocky history with food, or just tend to over-indulge, it is important to practice moderation and food freedom with yourself during the holidays. Here are some tips if you struggle this time of year.

  1. Try to stick a MyPlate method of eating. This is good to give yourself a general guideline for a well balanced meal. Picking an appropriate size plate, fill half with veggies, 1/4 with a starch or carbohydrate source and 1/4 with a protein source. At a holiday meal, you can enjoy food freedom and consitute these portions with whatever satisfies you.

  2. Try to prioritize fiber, protein and water first. Fiber can be found in things like whole grains, beans and vegetables. Protein can come from lean sources of meat or vegan sources. It’s also important to stay hydrated.

  3. Try to maintain a regular eating schedule. Although somewhat difficult, try to still start your day with a healthy breakfast with nutritous foods. Don’t starve yourself during the day to “save up calories for dinner”; this will lead to overeating past comfort later.

  4. Allow yourself to eat what you’d like and try new things, but pay attention to your hunger cues. Definitely have that slice of pie, but take the time to really savor it’s flavor and enjoy conversation with family between each bite. You’ll find when you eat slower, you do not indulge in as many helpings.

  5. Don’t punish yourself with exercise or restrict later, but DO find time for joyful movement throughout the week. This can be a game of football, or a brisk walk with family member.

Remember, like anytime of year, the holidays are about balance. Food is not just fuel, but also an important cultural component of celebration and connection. Enjoy what you love in moderation, and focus on adding healthful things to your diet and routine, instead of restricting.

Example of “MyPlate” method

Helpful Supplements for Type 2 Diabetes Management

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Have you been inundated with supplement choices? Do you not know what is a gimmick and what is the real deal? We are here to help you navigate your supplement choices in a comprehensive way, to find products that are meant for you and are evidence-backed.

The most effective management for Type 2 Diabetes comes from tailored diet and lifestyle changes, followed by doctor-advised medication. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other modalities that can be used by you to help further your progress.

A proper management for Type 2 Diabetes involves physical activity, healthful and balanced dietary choices, habit modifciations, possible medication and smart supplement choices. It is not just important to control blood sugar, but to preserve cardiometabolic health, and ideally prevent or reverse insulin resistance in the bodies organs and tissues.

Here is a summary of a few supplements that have been shown- through human randomized control trails- to offer some help in the management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Source: McKennon SA. Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Options for Type 2 Diabetes: Complementary Health Approaches and Integrative Health (Including Natural Products and Mind/Body Practices) [Updated 2021 Oct 20]. In: Feingold KR, Anawalt B, Boyce A, et al., editors. Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279062/

Lecture on Type 2 Diabetes for Diabetes Awareness Month

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In honor of November being Diabetes Awareness Month, we are bringing to you a series of video’s by our office staff explaining what diabetes is, the cause and general tips on prevention and management. This week we discussed background and lifestyle tips. Next week, we will talk about helpful herbal and dietary supplements.

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