Happy New Year!! To ring in the New Year and inspire a
healthier you this year, over the next several weeks I will be giving you some
of my top tips for improving your health! This week I am giving you my low down
on my favorite “diets” or as I like to call them lifestyle approaches for
health. A healthy lifestyle includes consumption of foods that promote health,
prevent chronic disease and help manage your weight as well as includes physical
activity. There are two diets or healthy lifestyle approaches that I recommend,
the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the Mediterranean Diet, because they focus on balanced eating
and encourage healthy lifestyle habits that are sustainable. The biggest issue
with a lot of fad diets like Paleo and Atkins is that they restrict important
food groups cutting out essential nutrients from your diet and often leaving
you unsatisfied and going back to your old ways. So my new year’s resolution
for you is to make health goals you can stick to and my hope is these diets
will help give you some inspiration and guidance.
1. DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
The aim of the DASH diet is to prevent and lower high blood
pressure by focusing on foods high in potassium, calcium, fiber and protein
that promote heart health while cutting back on foods high in sodium. Some of
these foods include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low fat dairy, whole
grains and heart healthy fats. The diet also promotes making gradual changes to
your diet, eating foods in moderation and encourages exercise, all of which is
important for weight management. For more information of the DASH diet check
out this link from the National Health Institute.
2. Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is another diet that aims to improve
your health and prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and
cancer. The foods recommended are similar to the foods consumed by those living
in countries near the Mediterranean Sea. These folks have been found to live
longer and suffer less from chronic disease. The diet is high in produce, whole
grains, beans, nuts, and seafood, moderate in eggs, dairy and poultry and low
in sweets and red meat. For more information and recipes check out this website .
What are your New Year’s health goals?
What are some of your health tips that you have found
successful?