Thanksgiving is a holiday that puts one thing on everyone’s mind: Food. Family and the original meaning of the holiday notwithstanding, food is a centerpiece. Be it cooking food, eating, overeating, or falling asleep after the huge meal you just ate, food is at the very core of the holiday. With that in mind, this is one of the most critical times of the year to maintain your diet. Foods high in sugar and sugar-forming products are especially popular during Thanksgiving—from whipped cream-covered pumpkin pie to carbohydrate-rich stuffing—which makes maintaining a healthy diet extremely difficult. Overindulging in sugary foods has been shown to lead to diabetes, which is actually on its way to surpassing heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States.
Read these tips to learn more about how you can avoid this disease:
Avoiding Sugar and Sugar-Based Foods
During the holidays, it can be difficult to keep track of how much you are eating. The best thing to do is to aim for small portions, choose the right foods, and avoid anything you think will derail your progress, such as sweet desserts and rich dressings. If that means an extra helping of broccoli and potatoes and skipping the pie at the end, then that is what you should try to do. Everyone is different, so you should pay attention to how your weight is affected by different amounts of food and different caloric intakes.
Ways to Help
Worry not! There are some things you can do to reverse the damage and put yourself back on track to a healthy lifestyle.
Here are a few things you can try:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes, three times a week – Not only does regular exercise promote good health and digestion, but it also increases your sensitivity to insulin and immediately utilizes some of the glucose in your blood. Both of these things can help with mitigating the potential for diabetes or other endocrine disorders.
- Acupuncture – Studies have shown that Acupuncture treatments have a significant effect on the levels of blood glucose present in patients. Additionally, a 2010 meta-analysis was able to prove that Acupuncture is also a viable treatment for insulin resistance, one of the triggering factors for Type II diabetes.
- Change diets – Like it or not, diet heavily influences type II diabetes. It’s time to cut out the simple carbs, fruit drinks, and sodas. In fact, it might serve you well to cut out bread entirely, as well. There is no single catch-all diet to help you lose weight, but avoiding bad foods is 90% of the work.
Michael Forman is committed to finding a solution for your dietary and metabolic needs. In addition to trying to manage your glucose levels with Acupuncture, you should consider optimizing your nutrient intake with Nutrition Response Testing. After testing for what your body needs, you can begin to supplement the nutrients that are lacking.
If you would like to shed the weight and, more importantly, begin to live healthily, contact Michael Forman and his team of specialists at the Restorative Health Center in Miami to schedule an appointment. With a combination of Acupuncture and Nutrition Response Testing, you may finally be able to begin your journey to a healthier you.
305-741-2102