Here are some easy and quick dietary and lifestyle changes you can make to reduce the risk of developing a chronic disease or cancer, and to maintain physical, mental, cognitive, and immune health.
Diet:
- Eat several types of fruits and vegetables every single day. No exceptions and no excuses. This is what your body needs. This category excludes grains and starchy veggies, but includes:
- Leafy greens (Swiss chard, collared greens, kale, beet greens, lettuces...)
- Roots (sweet potatoes, carrots, beets...)
- Cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage...)
- Night shades (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant...)
- Berries, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, kiwis... Try to find tree-ripened fruit, whether fresh or frozen.
- Legumes (lentils, beans, soybeans, chickpeas)
- These should represent a significant portion of your diet. They are packed with fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. These are possibly the healthiest foods for humans.
- Eat whole grains only, such as whole wheat, quinoa, and oats. Ensure the first ingredient in any food you buy specifically says "whole wheat". Otherwise, you are eating sugar (from the starch). The food industry cheats here by calling products as "whole grain", but the main ingredient is wheat, which is white processed wheat, not whole wheat. They just sprinkle some whole grains and make you think you are eating whole grains.
- Regularly eat, but do not overeat rice, potatoes, and corn. Eat small servings at lunch and smaller at dinner. These veggies have very important fibers (prebiotics) for your health.
- Consume some olive oil every single day. I recommend 2-4 tablespoons.
- Get 25-50 grams of complete protein per day. If you are working out and trying to bulk up quickly, you will need to consume more protein. Lean meats are healthier than fatty meats, of course.
- With plant-based diets, you should eat combinations that have a higher quality protein:
- rice + legumes
- wheat + legumes
- oats + pumpkin seeds (great granola for breakfast)
- Minimize or avoid red meat, milk, and butter (cheeses in small amounts and yogurts in any amount are good)
- Get omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish (salmon, sardines...), walnuts, or seaweed
- Try to consume fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha) 1-3 times per week
- Avoid eating at restaurants
- Avoid any foods that have preservatives (sorbates and benzoates, for example)
- Avoid any food that has non-natural sounding ingredients, such as dyes, detergents (polysorbate), artificial sweeteners, etc.
- Avoid very fatty foods, such as deep-fried, chips, snacks, donuts, pastries...
- Avoid processed, and especially ultra-processed foods (most snacks)
- Take these supplements:
- Multivitamin (if it does not have B12 and K2, take these separately)
- Take extra vitamin C and D
- If you eat very little dairy, take extra calcium (need about 1000 mg per day)
- If you eat very little meat, take extra iron
Lifestyle:
- Stop smoking
- Stop drinking (a small drink every once in a while is OK)
- Exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 min. Walking is the least you can do, but jogging, playing sports, or HIIT are better. More than 3 times a week is even better. As you pass 50, weight lifting to preserve the muscle mass becomes very important.
- Get at least 7.5 hrs of sleep every night.