POLL: Improving your health requires more time, effort, money, etc. than you currently have in supply.
If you answered ‘Yes’, this blog is for you.
Did you know? Today’s kids are the first generation expected to live shorter lifespans than their parents.
Maybe you don’t know how to eat healthy, or think healthy food is too expensive. Maybe you don’t need to lose weight- so why bother changing your habits? It’s also possible that you perceive healthy foods as being less tasty(in this case you just need to learn how to cook). Regardless of your specific reasoning, this blog outlines the single easiest way to improve your health.
What options do you have? Sleep, exercise, meditation, nutrition, prescription meds… These either require effort on your behalf or come with potential side effects. In order to sleep more you try limiting pre-bedtime screen use or taking supplemental melatonin. To improve your fitness level, you hire a personal trainer, plan workouts, and research optimal exercise techniques. To change your diet? Well that’s a whole ordeal by itself.
Drum roll please…
The easiest way to improve your health is: CUT OUT refined sugars and carbs. You don’t need to change anything else about your diet; keep ordering the double-bacon cheeseburger, add that sour cream to your burrito, and drink your heavy, calorie-dense IPA. To see results, YOU DO NOT NEED to undergo any major lifestyle or dietary changes.
What is a refined carbohydrate? How is it different than a carbohydrate?
In the simplest terms, “refined” means “processed.” Over the last century, refined carbs have become commonplace in the US; lacking essential fiber, nutrients, and vitamins, studies correlate consumption of refined carbs with the increasing rates of Type II diabetes(https://bodynutrition.org/refined-carbs/-) and a host of other health problems.
Citing the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Increasing intakes of refined carbohydrate (corn syrup) concomitant with decreasing intakes of fiber paralleled the upward trend in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes observed in the United States during the 20th century” (<Source>). Consuming refined carbs leads to insulin and blood sugar spikes, which causes your hunger to return within a few hours.
What sorts of foods contain refined carbs?
Let’s take a look at some culprits in the traditional American diet. While it may be obvious that candy bars, soda, and Pringles contain refined carbs, lesser known refined-carb foods include white flour pasta, bread, and rice. It does not need to be complicated. As Chris Kresser suggests, “Eat Real Food.” My advice: try removing these foods from your diet for a few weeks. What do you have to lose?
Use Tupperware. Save your leftovers. Cook in larger quantities.
What effects should you expect from cutting out refined carbs?
“Within a few days, you should start sleeping better, have more stable energy levels throughout the day and experience improvements in your immune system” (Source).
Cutting refined carbs out of your diet will boost your quality of life and prevent chronic disease. In the US, 1 in 2 people have a chronic disease and 7 in 10 people die from one. Start by implementing the single easiest way to improve your health. It requires little effort, and the worst side effect you will experience is sugar craving… which is not going to kill you!
Can you think of an easier way to improve your health? Share it below!
Thanks for reading. Short and to the point today. I needed a break from researching the migration issue so I decided to approach a topic I’ve been very interested in recently.
I’ve been busy with class, starting a podcast, and developing a business plan for a start-up idea. Although blogging is a lower priority, I enjoy it, so don’t worry, more content is on the way. If you have any ideas or topics you’d like me to discuss drop a comment below!
A few of the resources I used for this blog:
Joe Rogan and Chris Kresser interview Nov. 8th, 2017. Here
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Here
Source for diagram: Types of Refined Foods
Chris Kresser’s New Book: Unconventional Medicine
Kyle Huber 