Living through a pandemic has dramatically changed the perspective on health for many people. If you have been making small lifestyle changes in the past few years to improve your wellness, you may relate to this mindset without any struggle.
While taking care of your well-being through diet, exercise, and mindfulness, you may also want to learn more about preventative nutrition. The practice not only helps you live a healthier lifestyle but also increases your chances of steering clear of several worrisome conditions.
To help you along this path, here is a quick guide to preventative nutrition.
What is preventative nutrition?
Preventative nutrition refers to the practice of eating a diet that can reduce the risk of chronic degenerative diseases (CDDs). Since an unhealthy diet and obesity remain high-risk factors for these diseases, making a conscious effort to eat healthy food and maintain a stable weight can help you prevent or delay the development of these conditions.
Similar to understanding the effects of intermittent fasting, preventative nutrition requires you to learn how your diet can influence your body’s functions and weight gain. But this is a small learning curve that you can easily get through with the guidance of qualified experts.
Which conditions can the practice prevent?
Some of the chronic conditions that preventative nutrition can prevent or reduce the risk of include:
- Obesity and associated conditions
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Neurological conditions
- Erectile Dysfunction
What Kind of Changes Does Preventative Nutrition Require?
Preventative nutrition requires you to consume a healthy and nutritious diet that also helps you maintain a stable weight while letting go of foods that could impair your well-being in the long run. For some people, preventative nutrition may also involve taking supplements such as NAD+ that could boost their health.
Depending upon your family history, medical history, and overall health, you may typically need to make the following changes to your eating habits for preventative nutrition:
- Cutting down on fatty foods.
- Decreasing sugary foods.
- Reducing the intake of simple carbs.
- Increasing your fiber consumption
- Ensuring recommended daily intake of vitamins and nutrients.
- Improving your fruit and vegetable consumption
- Increasing your intake of whole foods
- Remaining hydrated with water
For some people, adopting these changes remains a walk in the park. For others, integrating these changes into their lifestyle is only possible with additional assistance, such as a weight loss solution.
Can You Start Preventative Nutrition By Yourself?
While you can make healthy eating changes to your diet at any point, you must tailor a preventative nutrition diet plan with the help of a physician.
You can think of it this way: It is easy to understand the health benefits of bananas, but learning how much of these delicious fruits you should eat in a day for ideal wellness requires the expertise of a qualified professional.
Reaching out to a physician who can guide you toward preventative nutrition is not that difficult. You can easily find a doctor in your local area for a face-to-face appointment. Alternatively, you can also get personalized consultations through an online physician platform.
Can other practices boost the effects of preventative nutrition?
Similar to how different components of fitness come together to deliver significant improvements in wellness, preventative nutrition also works wonders when complemented by other lifestyle changes that could help you lose excess weight and maintain a stable weight afterward.
These practices include, but are not limited to, getting regular exercise, lowering alcohol consumption, getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day, and quitting smoking.
Besides helping you manage your weight and lowering the risks of chronic degenerative diseases associated with obesity, these habits also help you steer clear of other risk factors that could contribute to the development of CDDs.
You can also turn to a variety of solutions to make these changes a part of your healthier lifestyle. These options range from using a personal fitness app to reaching out to a therapist.
But before you move forward with any of these practices, you must discuss your concerns with a qualified physician. By outlining your health goals and worries to a professional, you can determine if preventative nutrition is the right approach for you.