Living well starts with diet
By Bret Anderson
I just turned 50 years old.
By 50, most of us have been punched in the face by a myriad of life’s issues: Parent issues. Kid issues. Career and financial issues. Relationship issues. And certainly, health issues. We’ve earned quite a perspective with the first fifty. I’m passionate about making my next fifty super high quality. To do that, I must start with health because we all know the variation on , “if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.”
Passionate about health I’ve been racked with autoimmune and degenerative issues. Allergies to many foods (and related digestive issues), dust, mold, trees, and grass. Diagnosed with hypothyroidism 15 years ago, sciatica ten years ago, Bell’s Palsy five years ago, knee surgery early this year, and tennis elbow last week … and I don’t even play tennis.
But I feel I’ve gotten off lucky so far. My parents, not so much.
Last month marked the seventh anniversary of my mom’s passing. She died at 68 from congestive heart failure. For years before she passed, she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. My Dad has had multiple sclerosis since 1966. He’s struggled through a series of other challenges the last few years including a left leg amputation, a heart attack resulting in seven stents, and right leg bypass surgery (which became infected, and he nearly lost it too). Just brutal. All said, he’s doing “good” today.
What have I learned? Good health starts with a good diet. I’ve found three keys:
1. Intermittent Fasting: eat in an eight-hour time frame (noon to 8pm)
2. Don’t exceed 50 grams of “net carbs” per day (total carbs minus fiber)
3. Target 5 cups of vegetables and 25 – 38 grams of fiber per day
Sound hard?
This is harder…
“Punch you in the face” stats:
- 79,535 deaths occur EACH YEAR caused by diabetes
- 30+ million diabetics in USA today Seeing loved ones unable to enjoy the basics of life has led me to a passion fighting for health. I’m on a mission to help those around me to be healthy, live with vitality, and slow the aging process.
Rage Against the Machine
We all need to quit eating empty calories like high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and refined flour. We all need to stop eating chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and Yellow #5.
Drink Your Vegetables
For me, I’ve found one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to get full nutrition in a convenient method is a healthy smoothie. The challenge is that it can take a while to learn how to make it and sometimes even more time to clean up. Once you get the rhythm down, it’s like clockwork.
My favorite super dense, smart nutritious smoothie is made with kale, blueberries, chia seeds, protein powder, and coconut milk. If I can’t make them myself, I’m careful when I order them out, because so many smoothies contain a ton of sugar.
The good people at Jump Start Smoothies have agreed to feature this smoothie for the month of October. Try one.
Bret Anderson is a husband, father of three, and compete health nut. He’s a certified CBD coach and is currently earning nutrition and fitness certifications. He’s the president and founder of BA Natural Health Company.
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This article also appears on page 22 of the October 2019 print edition of Hamburg Journal.
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