I Need to Change My Diet: Can You Help?
If you’ve set your sights on dietary improvements, you’re far from alone. According to a survey of over 1,000 Americans, more than 50% of adults in the United States want to lose weight through lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier. Beyond weight control, smart dietary changes can go a long way toward improving your health and even elongating your life. In this way, improving your diet can serve as a powerful form of preventive medicine.
Dr. Jean Ann Beaton provides dietary guidance as a part of preventive care and weight loss support at her concierge practice, Dupont Private Health, in Washington, DC. Read on to learn more about helpful diet changes, as well as ways she can help.
Conditions a healthy diet can help prevent
Nutritious foods provide nutrients your brain and body need to function at their best. Healthy eating patterns have been linked with positive immune function, which can help you better resist or fend off issues like the common cold or flu, and reduce inflammation, which is associated with a broad range of chronic health problems.
More conditions a healthier diet may lower your risk for include:
Certain types of cancer
Heart disease
High cholesterol
Osteoporosis
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
If you carry excess pounds, losing weight through a healthier diet and lifestyle can also lower your risk for health problems, such as fatty liver disease, sexual dysfunction, infertility, sleep apnea , and osteoarthritis. These benefits are most pronounced when your lifestyle changes include additional steps, like improved exercise and sleep habits.
Helpful eating habits
There’s no one diet plan that suits everyone or completely does away with illness. That said, you can cultivate eating habits that contribute to improved overall health. Dietary habits you may want to consider include:
Eating balanced meals and snacks at regular intervals of time
Emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats
Limiting fatty meats, fried foods, added sugars, and refined grains
Seasoning food with herbs and spices, versus excess salt
Shifting to a whole food, plant-based diet that focuses on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fruits, may even help reverse chronic conditions, such as heart disease. A Mediterranean diet, based on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, fish, olive oil, and nuts, may bring similar benefits.
Benefits of professional support
It’s one thing to know you’d be better off eating healthier, and it’s another to actually implement appropriate and lasting changes. Changing your diet on your own isn’t often easy because of factors such as long-term habits, poor access to healthy food, unmanaged health conditions, and a lack of both support and accurate information about what actually works.
Dr. Beaton can help determine what dietary steps make the most sense for you, given your needs, preferences, and overall health. After a comprehensive physical exam and discussion of your medical history, current lifestyle, and goals, she can recommend practical and impactful changes. She can also support you along the way, helping you deal with any challenges that crop up, tracking your progress, and monitoring your health.
To learn more about diet changes for better health or weight loss, call our office today at (202)-978-6071 or click here to request an appointment.
