You hear about so many diets, and it is difficult to know which is best. Some plans cut down on sugar. Some deal with the glycemic index. And the list for specific targets to avoid goes on and on. Some eat certain kinds of bars for breakfast. And even others buy into a preplanned diet program in which the food is delivered through the mail. I have seen such a diet plan work wonders in getting the weight off, but the question remains, “Is it a lifestyle you can sustain for the rest of your life?”
There are the ones that will cause you to lose weight but are detrimental to your health. One in particular has you eating protein only—but it is full of the saturated fat and cholesterol that plug your arteries. Then there are the ones that are indeed healthy but are not what you are going to be able to continue following for the rest of your life.
Many of them are medically sound for the particular problem you may have, so if your physician has placed you on a special diet, by all means, follow your doctor’s advice. But your Prescription for Life plan is about you and the rest of your life. You want an eating plan that has staying power. You want to develop a new lifestyle, not a temporary diet.
Here are some questions to consider…
- Does your eating plan have a strategy for dining out?
- How will you maintain your healthy eating plan when traveling?
- Is your weight loss plan essentially the same for when you are losing weight as when you are maintaining your weight?
- Does your weight loss plan rely on pre-packaged foods or whole, plant-based foods?
- Can you maintain it for the rest of your life?
The healthiest of diets protects your arteries. According to a recent Annals of Neurology study of seven hundred people who were sixty-five or older, those who adhered more closely to a diet consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables, whole-grain bread, pasta, olive oil, and fish were up to 36% less likely to have damage to their brains as a result of small strokes. Another report studied more than 1.5 million healthy adults who ate a similar diet. This group had a reduced risk of overall early mortality and cardiovascular mortality, as well as a reduced incidence of cancer and death from cancer.
“Prescription for Life” highlights just such an eating plan, and answers “yes” to all of the questions above. I have witnessed patients and friends embrace and maintain this lifestyle to add many active years to their life. And I know it to be true because years ago I made these changes myself!
“Diet” photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net
