Pay your health a little extra attention this Spring!
Spring is a great time to rethink your diet, physical activity, sleep routine, and much more.
With milder temperatures, more sun, and wildlife sprouting everywhere, the arrival of Spring in and of itself can put an extra kick in your step. It’s a time of possibility, a time to take stock of the habits that might be holding you back from being who you want to be — and to form new habits that help you become a better version of yourself.
Spring can be a really good time to reevaluate! And that includes giving your health and wellness routines a once over. You may even find that resolutions made in Springtime are easier to follow than the ones you try to implement in the cold, bitter winter months.
If you want to pay your health and well-being a little extra attention this Spring, but don’t know where to start, here are some tips to get you started.
Fill your Plate with Fresh, In-Season Produce
Spring and summer are a great time to incorporate more fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables into the diet. Warmer weather produce, like mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, and berries, are all packed with micronutrients the body needs and thrives on.
I recommend visiting farmer’s markets and shopping for organic produce when possible, especially for fruits and vegetables that you eat whole from the outside, like apples or cherries. It’s also great to focus on getting healthy fats from produce and whole foods — like avocados, nuts, and seeds — rather than from refined oils and fried foods.
New Jersey has always flourished with an abundance of unique roadside markets of all sizes. Thankfully, when living in NJ, you don’t need to become a gardener to access fresh and organic food. We are lucky to have such a diverse amount of local Farmer’s markets that push out fresh, organic, and healthy fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Here is a link to the best 2021 Farmers Markets in NJ, and a link to other advertised farmers markets covered by News12 last week.
Be Mindful of Opportunities to Overindulge
Warmer weather often brings outdoor gatherings like picnics and barbecues, which can come with unhealthy foods like processed meats, sugary ingredients, fatty fried snacks and alcohol.
Processed meats, such as hot dogs, sausage, cured meats and some ground meats, have been linked with cancer regardless of how they are cooked. Nitrates or nitrites—chemical preservatives added to processed meats—can become carcinogenic during the curing process or when digested. They are listed on nutrition labels, and all health experts recommend avoiding them, especially in large amounts.
That doesn’t mean becoming a vegetarian, but everyone should limit their intake of meat, particularly red meat and processed meats.
Red meat consumption should be limited to 11 to 18 ounces per week. Studies have shown higher rates of colon cancer in people who consume more than 11 ounces per week. The best red meat portion is about four ounces, or the size of a deck of playing cards.
Another important precaution is to watch your alcohol intake at outdoor gatherings. Again, you don’t have to avoid it completely; but stick to one alcoholic drink a day if you’re a woman and two drinks if you’re a man (with fewer being a healthier choice).
Best Booze selections
The good news is that you don’t have to give up alcohol when socializing at picnics or cookouts to be healthy, although moderation is important. Remember that alcohol definitely can (and will) lead to weight gain, among other potentially harmful side effects, so make sure to drink alongside food, have water or club soda in between drinks and choose the right kind of booze.
Which Booze to AVOID:
Certain types of alcohol will pack on the pounds more than others, so here is the list of booze and drinks to definitely avoid or minimize:
Beer: is much higher in carbohydrates and calories than other choices, and will not only make you feel bloated but will also pack on those holiday pounds. If you’re just having one, you’re probably okay, but drinking a lot of beer for multiple days will likely leave you feeling not-so-healthy.
Sugary cocktails: Most mixers that come with cocktails are best avoided, as they are often packed with sugar and other harmful chemicals, coloring agents, etc. It is better to stick with cocktails that contain only a few ingredients that are free of added sugars. Not to mention, this will improve any potential hangover you might have the next day. Some common examples of these types of cocktails include margaritas, pina coladas, mudslides and martinis. Specific mixers to avoid include sodas, syrups, diet sodas, tonic water and energy drinks (just to name a few).
Wine coolers: This is an easy one to explain, as they are simply packed with sugar. This category also includes hard lemonade (like Mikes), Smirnoff Ice, etc.
Liqueurs: Flavored liquor (liqueurs) also have a very high sugar content. Stick to plant-based, sugar-free or low-sugar, gluten-free liquor options.
Ciders with added sugar: While certain hard ciders are better than others (ones that are fermented, for example), many brands are quite high in sugar. Dry ciders are typically lower, and brands that are particularly high in added sugars include Angry Orchards, Wyders and Woodchuck. We’ll get into some better options below.
Which Booze to CHOOSE:
Wine: While there is some disagreement in the health world about how much you can actually benefit from wine (some studies show that the antioxidant, resveratrol, found in red wine can prevent damage to blood vessels), it is one of your better options. White wine does not offer the same health benefits, but those who are sensitive to the tannins in red wine might do better with white. The key to drinking wine is to remember that one serving equals 4-5 oz, so drinking the whole bottle isn’t really the idea.
Champagne: is simply wine that has been fermented a second time, therefore making it more carbonated. In fact, 4 oz. of champagne has only 1 gram of carbohydrate and zero grams of sugar, so it isn’t a bad option, either.
Potato Vodka: Vodka is a distilled spirit that is made by fermenting either grains, potatoes or sugars and fruits. Potato vodka is popular in the Paleo diet community, and great brands include Voyd and Blair, Tito’s, Chopin, Blue Ice, Cold River and Monopolowa (among others).
Regular Vodka, Rum, Gin or Whiskey: These spirits come in second to potato vodka, but are obviously more commonly found when you’re out. They are totally gluten free, are relatively low in carbohydrates and are sugar free, as well.
Mezcal or Tequila: are close cousins, as both are derived from the agave plant. They are gluten free, sugar free and very low carbohydrate, and one of the best booze options out there.
Low Sugar Hard Ciders: As discussed above, a low sugar hard cider can be a great option. Cider is a fermented alcoholic beverage that comes from fruit (usually from apples or pears), and some great, lower sugar brands include Colorado, ACE, Strongbow and Crispin Ciders. Remember, the drier, the better.
Which Mixers Are SAFE and Low Calorie?
Club soda
Fresh lemon and lime juice
Muddled herbs such as basil, ginger and mint
Fresh berries and veggies
Coconut milk
Coconut water
Coffee
Honey (in moderation)
Avoid Carcinogens, not the Grill this Summer
Summer brings with it the smell of burgers on the grill. While studies show that grilling meat can form carcinogens, there are ways to avoid these potentially cancer-promoting agents without avoiding the grill.
Grilling meat can produce two types of carcinogens: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). HCAs form when any muscle meat—animal flesh as opposed to organ meat—is cooked at high temperatures. PAHs form when fat drips from the meat onto the flame. The chemicals rise in the smoke and flames and cling to the meat.
But that doesn’t mean spending the summer avoiding backyard barbecues. There’s a big difference between cooking thoroughly and charring. You don’t have to form carcinogens to cook to an internal temperature of about 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
These tips will help you reduce grilling cooking time, temperature and carcinogens:
Choose lean meat, remove skin and trim fat to reduce drippings.
Marinate meats in a lemon- or vinegar-based marinades. In one study, marinades reduced formation of HCAs on grilled steaks by 57 to 88 percent. Thick marinades that contain honey or sugar can cause meat to char, forgo these and eat cleaner and healthy. If you must use a marinade with sugar ingredient, apply them only in the last two minutes of grilling.
Steam or bake meat (two to five minutes) immediately before grilling to release juices that could drip onto the flame. This has completely eliminated PAHs in beef or chicken in research studies.
Grill foods on a cedar plank to avoid the smoke and flames from directly coming into contact with your food.
Don’t place meat directly over the flame.
Don’t press the meat while it cooks. This releases drippings onto the flame.
Clean the grill and replace charcoal after every use. Residual meat and fat drippings can continue to cook and become carcinogenic.
Stay Hydrated
When it’s warmer outside, your body can lose more moisture through sweating, even if you don’t feel yourself getting sweaty. Dehydration can pose serious health risks if severe — and even if you’re just mildly dehydrated, it can cause fatigue, low energy, and headaches. To help prevent dehydration, it’s important to take proactive steps to drink enough water throughout the day, such as by keeping a water bottle handy at all times.
Another potential benefit of drinking enough water is that it may help you avoid overeating. Drinking a glass of water prior to eating sometimes helps quell some of those hunger cues.
If you’ve let your hydration habits slip (or you never glugged a ton of water in the first place), now’s the perfect time to get back on track. After all, it’s right before summer, when you’ll naturally be thirstier as the weather warms up.
It’s a worthwhile personal challenge. Our bodies are roughly 60% water, so even the slightest bit of dehydration can negatively affect how we function, from energy levels to digestion and even immunity. Staying hydrated will also improve your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, as well as keep your digestive system regular. Adequate water is important for healthy gastrointestinal functioning, as it helps break down food and keeps stool soft, helping you stay regular.
If you’re not drinking enough, it pays to sip more. Even mild dehydration is linked to more fatigue, less alertness, and a lower mood. What’s more, studies show that upping H2O intake may help adults with obesity, reduce body fat, and lose weight.
It’s clear that most adults generally don’t get enough water — on average, those in the United States drink about 39 ounces per day, according to the CDC. For adults of a healthy weight, divide your weight in pounds by two — the result is the number, in ounces, she suggests drinking in water per day. For an adult woman who weighs 130 pounds, for example, the target amount of water would be 65 ounces per day. Now, some of this will come from food, some from fluids like coffee and tea, but most should be water. Know that it is possible to drink too much water, as that can deplete sodium levels in the body, which are a necessary electrolyte for heart and muscle function.
If you’re vowing to drink more H2O, you’re in good company. It’s a personal challenge for MOST people. Simply put, water is the most effective way to hydrate your body. Not only do soda and juice contain sugar and calories, which aren’t good for your overall health, they are difficult for your stomach to digest, which can aggravate dehydration.
Get Outside and Get Moving
Getting enough physical activity every day is really important. It can be as simple as taking a brisk walk down the block or spending some time gardening. Any activity that gets your bones and muscles moving can help.
There is no debating the health benefits of physical fitness. Getting regular exercise helps prevent heart disease and other chronic illness, improves mood, reduces stress, improves sleep, and more. In order for adults to reap those benefits, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.
That time commitment may seem like a tall order in your busy life. But the good news is that you don't have to book sessions in a gym to get in shape. Outdoor exercises are just as effective as indoor ones, can be more fun, and have some other appealing advantages. Do we reap extra benefits though from activity done outside?
Yes, we’re genetically programmed to enjoy the outdoors! It engages all of your senses, and it has a big effect on your mood and self-esteem. Getting outside can boost vitamin D levels, thanks to the sun. And if you’re walking or running on uneven terrain, it can engage more muscles and improve your balance compared with moving on a flat surface.
I tell people to have a goal in mind, start slowly, and work up to their potential. Outdoor exercise can be adapted to anyone's level of fitness.
Reset your Sleep Schedule
If dark, cold winter days have thrown your sleep schedule off track, use Spring as a reset.
One bad habit to break is spending lots of time in front of a computer or phone or laptop just before bed. These devices turn on your brain and make you think it’s time to wake up.
Other ways to clean up your pre-sleep routine include: not exercising or eating large meals within two hours before bedtime, avoiding alcohol for at least four hours before bed, and avoiding caffeine in the afternoon. And definitely do get up at the same time each day — ideally with exposure to light right away. Consistently waking up at the same time day after day gets your body and that routine — and it becomes easier to stick to.
If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep: Keeping the place where you sleep really dark and cool can be helpful.
Check in with your Doctor
Spring is a great time to make sure you’re up to date with recommended health screenings, and and to check in with our office to discuss any health concerns you have.
It’s important to get an annual physical, not only if you have chronic medical conditions, but also to stay healthy. This annual visit can be a time to get screened for heart disease — and to discuss ways to stay healthy.
Some tips for your annual appointment: Go through your medication list with us — both to make sure any prescription drugs you are taking are working as they should, and to see if they are still needed. The benefit of being in regular contact with our office is that we will be familiar with your health history if you do get sick at some other point throughout the year.
So, are you ready to turn your health around this Spring?
I hope today’s newsletter was insightful and informative about ways you can pay your health a little extra attention this Spring. Whether you are healthy with an amazingly healthy immune system, recovering from illness, or striving to make better decisions and taking back control of your life, we are here to help you along the way.