WOODRUFF, Wis. (WJFW) — You’ve probably heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
While it’s an oversimplification the idea rings true.
In tonight’s edition of Feel Great Today we’ll hear how small healthy habits over time can make a big difference.
“I think that diet plays a role in just about every aspect of your well-being,” said Dr. Joelle Wennlund who is a Gynecologist at Aspirus Woodruff Clinic. “And I think that it needs to have a lot more attention paid to it.”
She says focusing on mindful eating, portion control and steering clear of fad diets are a few ways to improve your overall health and sustain long-term weight loss.
“When you look at different diet plans and follow people over a time, they all pretty much end up back at the same place. those diets that I’m referring to are Atkins diet, low carb, high fat a number of different diets along those lines,” said Dr. Wennlund. “They are also not associated with any other great health benefits.”
She says another problem with restrictive diets is you can become deficient in certain vitamins and minerals.
“For example, when patients become vegan or vegetarian, they can become deficient in both iron and Vitamin B12 and not be aware that those often need to be supplemented,” said Dr. Wennlund.
She says small substitutions can go a long way, such as swapping unhealthy fats for healthier ones.
“The more we can eliminate the saturated fats and instead replace them with our unsaturated fats things that are healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil in addition with some other oils. That’s tremendously helpful in reducing our risks for cardiovascular disease and other medical problems.”
Dr. Wennlund says if you are looking for a healthy plan for long-term success the Mediterranean diet is one of the best.
it limits red meat and focuses on vegetables, beans, nuts whole grains and fruit.
“With the Mediterranean diet we can see a reduction in blood sugar we can see improvement in the cholesterol profile we can see a reduction in blood pressure.”
Another way to stick to your healthy eating goals is by preparing your meals ahead of time.