March is National Nutrition Month.

With Spring around the corner, it is a great time to refresh your eating habits.

What should you eat?

I get asked this question frequently.  

I’ve decided to do a four-part series giving you my very best advice.  

My number one goal is to empower you to tune in to your body and understand the simple, actionable steps you can take to age well and have vitality.

Rather than demonizing certain food groups or telling you the latest trendy diet you should try, I think it’s important to understand food's profound impact on your overall health.  

The nutrients from our foods create our cells, tissues, and organs.  

We are the wealthiest nation on earth and have unbelievable access to an abundance of foods, yet we are the sickest nation and spend the most money on health care in the world.  

The statistics are sobering:

88% of adults have some form of metabolic syndrome

4.5 trillion dollars is spent each year on healthcare, yet our outcomes keep getting worse

The average American adult is on four medications

40% of American adults are obese 

32% are overweight

How can we afford all of this ill-health?

What’s going wrong?

We’re overfed and undernourished.  

We’re eating too many empty calories.

My number one nutrition tip is understanding how to balance your blood sugar.  

Poor blood sugar regulation is the root cause of metabolic syndrome, which is the root cause of chronic diseases:  type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, dementia, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. The bottom line is that it ages you.

Overeating flour in all its various forms (crackers, bread, chips, tortillas, pancakes, etc.) and sugar, which is in all packaged foods (candy, cookies, muffins, cake, granola bars, sweetened beverages, etc.) causes our body to release insulin to store all that sugar in our liver, muscles, and ultimately, our fat cells.  

Your body must keep producing insulin if you constantly have blood sugar spikes.  

Too much insulin eventually leads to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Poor blood sugar regulation not only leads to chronic diseases, it also leads to chronic inflammation, acid reflux, weight gain, sugar cravings, poor sleep, acne and skin issues, migraines, wrinkles, menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, arthritis, feeling moody, irritability, tired, lethargic, anxious, and depressed.

I’ve been working with a client who came to me wanting to improve her energy levels.  

She said she had energy in the morning, but by the afternoon, she was dragging.

Can you relate to her?

She was reaching for caffeine to help keep her going.

Her food journal clearly showed that her breakfast was the issue.

It set her up on a pattern of blood sugar spikes and crashes throughout the day.

By adding more protein to her first meal of the day, she’s noticing an immediate improvement.

She’s learning how to build a nourishing meal, not how to diet.

Within a few short weeks, she has dramatically improved her energy.

You can do the same bit of investigating.

For the next week, without judgment, notice and track how you feel after a meal.  

Write down in a journal or notes app the meal you’ve eaten and how you feel 3-4 hours later.

That’s it.  

Next Wednesday, I’ll share my best tips on using food to manage your blood sugar and possibly avoid chronic diseases.