Honor Your Body: Eating for Healthy Living

Life is like a ten-speed bike. We all have gears we never use.
-CHARLES SCHULZ

While perhaps the most important way to change your life is by changing the way you think and react, for total wellness, there is another half of the health equation: changing the way you care for your body. Remember, your mind and body are inextricably linked.

Whether you're working long hours, raising a family, or training for an athletic competition, if you're going to be a winner you have to eat like one. "Poor nutrition practices contribute to every major health problem," says cardiologist Dr. James M. Rippe. Dr. Rippe is coauthor of Fitness Walking for Women, Heart Disease for Dummies, and The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Dummies. He is also the director and founder of the Rippe Health Assessment at Celebration Health and the Rippe Lifestyle Institute in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. "Good nutritional patterns can play a crucial role in enhancing our health, happiness, and quality of life." To reap the benefits of a healthful diet, we need to learn those good practices, understand their importance, and put them to use.

I happen to be really lucky because I get to stay on top of the latest medical breakthroughs on a weekly basis interviewing medical experts. But just as importantly I find they constantly remind us to remember our government's nutritional guidelines, to get proper nutrition and keep our weight in check and our health under control: eat a variety of foods, watch our fat intake, get plenty of fiber, get regular physical activity, and maintain a healthy weight. They tell us to choose a diet low in fat, with plenty of vegetables and fruit, and to consume sugar, salt, and alcoholic beverages in moderation. Sounds easy, but when you're rushing off to work, eating whatever won't crumble or drip in the car, or cruising the cafeteria or the vending machines, it gets a lot more complicated. But once you've learned the ground rules they will become second nature, and eating healthily can become an integral and painless part of your lifestyle.