Food in 2019

What we eat is the most feasible way we can impact our health. Think about it. You can do a lot of things to renew your health, but many of these, including stress reduction, are more difficult to reach goals.

Eating, on the other hand, is something we do several times a day, and something, that with small, simple steps we can begin to transform to provide greater support our overall health. There’s a misconception that exercise is the key to a lean, muscular body, but the reality is that what we eat has a much greater impact.

All this sounds familiar and maybe it is so much so that you have tuned it out. But there are many good reasons why all of us should come back to this basic element of our health as we start the year. Here’s one good reason that is not too well known: body fat and cancer risk.

A December 2018 article in JAMA Oncology reports on a 16-year study of 3460 women and the association of increased body fat and breast cancer risk. What’s fascinating about the findings is that there was a 23% increase in breast cancer in postmenopausal women who were ideal weight but had higher body fat.

This is so interesting and important. People often start to work out to lose weight. What they don’t realize is that body weight is not the only thing to be looking at. In fact, one can be ideal body weight and still be clinically obese based on body mass composition. Your body mass composition has a tremendous impact on overall health. Cancer risk goes up with greater body fat.

And food is a critical component when it comes to body mass composition. This week you have taken a major step in being as healthy as possible by working out.

What about your eating?

Did you know that there are some basic principles that can help guide you make the best possible food choices?

Ask Maribel this week about this. Set up an appointment to figure out your body mass composition. Get curious.

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