Tired of the yo-yo dieting? Tired of making resolutions that don’t stick? The hottest new trend in dieting is to, well, stop dieting. Instead, it’s time to take steps toward whole body wellness and set yourself on a path to enjoy health and vitality year after year. Our experts have the answers.
The year 2020 ushered in the unknown and the stress of adaptation in an ever-changing environment. When the ball dropped on 2021, all anyone could think about was a return to normal. Of course, 2021 was anything but normal. With 2022 in full swing, traditional resolutions are being redefined.
According to a 2021 survey, weight loss isn’t at the top of the resolution list in 2022. In fact, multiple surveys found that this year, most people are focused on spending more time with the people they love and doing activities that make them happy. Financial resolutions ranked at the top, along with healthier eating and more exercise. Though nutritious eating and physical activity will support weight loss goals, most respondents said their focus on these goals is part of a larger strategy to achieve a wholistic sense of personal well-being and overall improved mental health.
Several factors influence well-being, including a healthy gut, hormonal balance, and taking measures to reduce your risk of chronic disease. The new you this year could be the best you for many years to come. This guide has all the tips you need to achieve your healthier living goals from the inside out, including insights from leading experts in nutrition, detoxification, and hormone health.
Achieve a Healthy Gut with Daily Detoxification
Over the last few decades, science and medicine has come to understand that the gut, a.k.a., your gastrointestinal system, plays a very vital role in your total health, how well you age and general well-being. There is a very distinct connection among the gut, brain, and immune system.
The foods you eat impact the state of your gut, which is home to millions of microbes and bacteria that support brain and immune function. Certain foods can support helpful bacteria while other foods can kill off colonies of key microbes, fuel inflammation and prohibit the body’s natural detoxification process. This can lead to autoimmune conditions and diseases, chronic upset stomach, brain fog, fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, and more. Many times, the distressing symptoms often associated with aging or stress are related to the foods you eat.
Dr. Jim LaValle, author of more than 40 books on medicine and health, including the bestseller, Cracking the Metabolic Code, is an expert in helping people enjoy a fuller, more balanced life through nutrition, physical activity, proper supplementation, and hormone balance.
To truly achieve a healthy gut and live your best life now and for many years to come, Dr. LaValle believes in a nutrition plan that supports the body’s natural detoxification process, including nutrients that support your liver, kidneys, and gall bladder. He also emphasizes the importance of reducing your intake of toxic foods, like gluten and sugar to help prevent inflammation and reactions that advance the aging process.
The Foods to Eat to Detoxify
This year make your New Year’s resolutions stick by making these foods part of your routine. These fruits, vegetables, and herbs are easy to add in small quantities to salads or as a dish or garnish with a meal.
• Beets
• Parsley
• Green Pears
• Green Apples
• Garlic
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Dandelion Leaves
• Asparagus
• Flax
• Chia Seeds
Dr. LaValle also emphasizes the importance of fiber and water in the diet. The average person scarcely consumes enough fiber daily to meet even the minimum recommended requirements set by the U.S. government. You should be getting around 40 g of fiber daily, meaning you need to eat about 20 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. That’s tough to do even for the most devout wellness enthusiasts. That is why it is important to add flax seed and/or chia seeds to your meals and snacks or supplement fiber in your daily water intake.
Drinking plenty of water is also essential to overall health and detoxification. Dr. LaValle recommends adding lemon or lime to at least half of your daily servings of water. This will help with acid-base balance in the body and support purification. Strive for 100 ounces of water per day, but don’t get discouraged if you only get 64 ounces. Sixty-four is a very reasonable place to start and make strides toward more.
If you’re making resolutions this year or want to establish habits that will support health and high-quality longevity, detoxification and balanced nutrition are foundational and the best first place to start.
The Vital Role of Hormone Balance
Hormonal imbalance is another vital part of getting well and staying well. A myriad of lifestyle factors coupled with aging can cause hormones to become imbalanced. In some cases, that body produces too much of a certain hormone, leading to a disruption in the delicate balance of hormone health. For most people, levels of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone decline as part of the aging process, leading to an increased risk of disease, along with many of the discomforts typically associated with aging.
Feeling like less than perfect is one thing, but when you feel sluggish, tired, moody, or anxious day in and day out with no end in sight, your well-being is not so well. Symptoms like these may be coupled endless joint or muscle pain, sleepless nights, the inability to build or sustain muscle tone, weight gain, low libido, hot flashes or night sweats. Whatever your combination of symptoms—this is not the “you” that you want to be this year.
Terri DeNeui, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, founder of EVEXIAS Medical Centers and EVEXIAS Health Solutions, is a leading expert on hormonal health. She trains practitioners how to help their patients experience the highest quality of life, prevent disease, and get rid of the uncomfortable symptoms that commonly accompany aging through hormone balance.
The solution to hormone imbalance is often a combination of hormone therapy, lifestyle changes, and ongoing conversations with your practitioner. Your body will go through changes as you age that is why it is important to get lab testing to assess your hormone levels and work closely with a practitioner highly trained and certified in hormone balance and therapy. After reviewing your labs, medical history and discussing how life has changed for you personally, your practitioner will design a treatment plan specific to your needs and lifestyle.
Treatment plans may include hormone pellet therapy, nutraceuticals, gut health, and other therapies that will ensure you achieve your health and wellness goals this year and for many years to come. Hormone balance has been linked to reduced risk of a number of chronic disease associated with aging as well as relieving symptoms of hormone imbalance,
If you are ready to truly change your life this year, it’s time to talk to a practitioner about your symptoms and find out if a hormone imbalance may be keeping you from living your best.
Get Well and Live Well
EVEXIAS Health Solutions (EHS) is an emerging leader in preventive medicine and functional health and wellness solutions. The EHS team is dedicated to helping you embrace your wellness goals at every stage and age in life.
The EHS Medical Board is growing and comprised of experts in the field of preventive and functional medicines. Each has dedicated their careers and research to developing therapies and technologies that support the transformation of patient health. Discover how EHS can change your life.
