Nutrition Advice

We all know that high-sugar foods pack lots of calories, which affect weight management and many health conditions including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. But a growing body of research suggests that in addition to being higher in calories, sweet foods and drinks further affect weight balance by altering the way our body metabolizes and stores energy.

• Avoid sugared or sweetened beverages. For kids, that means choosing milk and water only – no juice. Adults can add in unsweetened coffee or tea.

• Eat your carbohydrates with fiber. For the greatest health benefits, that means whole grain fiber, where the fiber and starch remain intact and are consumed together.

• Wait 20 minutes before going back for second portions. If you’ve actually had enough to eat, your body needs that much time to send you a signal saying it’s had enough.

• Earn screen time with physical activity. For kids, that means active play for half an hour before watching TV for half an hour. For adults, this one-to-one swap is harder, but still means that time sitting in front of a computer needs to be balanced with exercise.

If you have any questions about nutrition or other steps you can take to improve your health, feel free to contact us and set up an appointment. You may also want to consider taking the Navigenics test for confirmation on your unique genetic predisposition for the conditions mentioned above.