Hello readers! It's Miranda Panetta, one of the nurse practitioner that works at Olive Health. I get to care for a vast majority of individuals on a daily basis and my goal is to help them live a healthier, happier, and longer life with decreased chronic health disparities. I get asked a lot what diet I use to lose weight and stay healthy. The answer is NONE OF THEM!!. Diets don’t work, but lifestyle changes do. The problem with a diet is diets are not sustainable. Lifestyle changes allow us to eat the foods we want in moderation and enjoy them without feeling deprived.
The lifestyle change I am currently using is the Blue Zone diet, also known as the “Live to you are 100 Diet”. While it says diet, it is not, it is a lifestyle change. I chose this lifestyle due to my personal history of hypertriglyceridemia and family history of heart disease. It is also easy to follow as I am not deprived of the foods I want to eat. I have been known to have a sweet tooth from time to time. This lifestyle is followed in many parts of the world, not just in the United States including Okinawa Japan, Loma Linda, California, Nicoya Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, and Sardinia, Italy. These individuals do not count calories, weigh food, read labels, and often do not even take supplements. People all over the world are wanting to live longer and healthier. These individuals tend to live off the land and make their own foods and avoid processed foods. Studies are showing these people are living longer, are happier, have decreased stress, and have more energy. Not only are these individuals feeling better, but they are found to have lower risk of coronary artery disease, cancer, obesity, and enhanced energy levels. I don’t know about you but if I can feel better, have more energy, and decrease the risk of chronic health illnesses without depriving me of enjoying my food, Count me in! This lifestyle focuses on more fresh fruits, vegetables, water, graines, legumes, and natural body movements. I encourage you to focus on what healthy things you can add in to have a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, this is not the only diet or eating guidelines that we encourage, if you have specific questions you should meet with your primary care provider to tailor a specific program. We personally like these guidelines and the added health benefits. Have you heard the phrase “you are what you eat?”. We live in a world where access to foods with preservatives, fast food, processed foods, and a stressful busy lifestyle are easier to access than healthy choices. These types of food and lifestyle cause weight gain, chronic health illnesses, and fatigue.
There are 10 very basic guidelines that should be utilize when implementing into this lifestyle change. Remember you do not have to do this all at once you can try implementing certain guidelines each week to make it easier to maintain. Remember this is not a Fad or a quick fix diet, it is a lifestyle dietary change. You may not see immediate weight loss, or even feel extreme effects, but after making these small minor changes your body will start to change for the better. This will help to give you energy, overall health and well being, and in the meantime just may help add years to your life!
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