Food Tips For Better Health

Where would you rate your overall health on a 1 to 10 scale?  If you're wondering how you can improve that number, check out the healthy eating tips below.  I got a request to write down everything I eat from one of my day job buddies who is interested in trying my food experiment.  Before I share the list, I'd like to recap the changes my body went through...

• No more snoring
• No more high blood pressure  (I suffered from inflammation which made my numbers soar)
• Reduced LDL cholesterol (about a 50% reduction in first 30 days)
• Increased HDL cholesterol (nearly doubled)
• Reduced body fat (High 30%, current 17%)
• No more headaches
• No more aches in my feet at the end of the day
• Total weight loss:  35 pounds (most of the weight loss occurred during first 45 days)
• No more hunger between meals
• Increased energy levels

I shared my tips with friends and family members and the results are mixed.  Some who tried the 45 day food experiment had similar results.  Others showed weight reductions but returned to prior eating habits and regained weight.  If you want maximum results, follow these tips and don't cheat.  Make this a way of life.  Here you go:

• Clean out your freezer and your refrigerator.  Get rid of anything with a label.  From now on, anything you put in your fridge or your freezer must be label free.
• Clean out your food pantry.  Anything with a label should be thrown out or donated.
• Keep these foods in plain site:  oranges, bananas, avocados, tomatoes, squash.
• Give up all dairy products.
• Avoid all processed foods.
• Try abstaining from gluten for 30 days.
• When you eat out, ask your food server to hold the butter, sour cream, salad dressing, bread, tortillas and any foods containing gluten.
• Go big for breakfast.  I load up on an extra large smoothie with spinach, celery, avocado, chia seed, flaxseed, orange, banana, pineapple, and berries.  I also fill my plate with one fried egg topped with sliced mushrooms, tomato and onion sauteed in coconut oil with a side of almonds and walnuts.
• Go light for lunch.  I eat a small salad without dressing.
• Go medium for dinner.  I eat steamed veggies and small portions (6ounces or less) of bison, salmon, cod, chicken or red meat.
• Have a little wine (2 glasses or less per day).
• Savor small amounts of dark chocolate if you feel your sweet tooth acting up.
• Substitute Romaine lettuce in place of tortillas and buns.
• Cook with olive oil or coconut oil.
• Order first when you eat out.  This will keep you from being tempted by what your friends and family members eat.

It's been nearly nine months since I became a lab rat for my cousin, Dr. John Mulligan.  I joined a traveling tennis team and we're headed to the playoffs.  Even though I'm the oldest player on the team and we're competing with players over 35 or more years younger, age doesn't matter.  What matters is how you treat your body.  Give it plenty of rest and feed it mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and seeds.  Follow these food tips for better health and find a friend to be your accountability partner.  Have a great day.