You can have a positive effect on your health with some simple, straightforward guidelines. These are health tips, not necessarily weight loss tips.

1. You can have a positive effect on your health with some simple, straightforward
guidelines. These are health tips, not necessarily weight loss tips. But making sure your body has
the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs is the first step to losing weight.

2.  Pop-your frozen entree onto a glass plate
or dish before microwaving. The thin
plastic containers used for frozen foods
have already been through several
degradations when formed, then loaded
with hot prepared food, and then frozen.
The degradation of plastics caused by
extreme heat and cold have been linked
to cancer. If you must heat your food in
them occasionally, do so, but NEVER
reuse them over and over. The same
advice goes for your plastic water bottle.
Never freeze it!

3.  Otherwise known as NutraSweet,
aspartame was pronounced “safe” by the
FDA only after political manipulation by
the system in 1981. Although the
government declared it safe for 20 years,
they have now quietly downgraded it to
“probably not safe” after several lawsuits
were filed against the makers of popular
vitamins, sodas, yogurts, and gums. Long-
term studies show a direct correlation
between its use and lung cancer in
women, the primary users of sugar
substitutes.

4.  Sodas either offer you lots of high-
fructose corn syrup (leading contributor
to diabetes) or artificial sweeteners (their
use correlates to higher cancer rates).
Why play Russian roulette with these
empty calorie drinks? Soda also
dehydrates you so you actually need more
water, not less, when drinking them. Why
put dirty brown chemical water into your
body?

5.  The ONLY positive effect on pre-cancerous
cells is a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
5–6 is a minimum

6.  Not the egg whites! You know the whites
that are nutrition less white flour, white
sugar, potatoes. A baked potato, if
topped with low-fat items might be OK
once in a while but white flour and white
sugar items like cookies, cake, donuts,
scones, muffins and bagels add a ton of
empty calories with no nutrition to your
diet. You can literally eat these items all
day and stay hungry. If you eat bread,
make sure it is 100% whole wheat or
whole grain.

7.  Not all fats impede weight loss. Good
fats such as olive oil and omega-3 oils
from fish like salmon and tuna give your
body a positive boost in many ways.
Avoid solid fats such as butter, lard and
shortening. Another fat to avoid:
anything used in a fast food restaurant
where oils in deep fryers are often used
way beyond any nutritional value.

8.  If you don’t currently exercise, start
moving in some way for 10 minutes every
day. Our bodies were meant to move
emotions they shut down if they aren’t
given a range of … joints and muscles
begin to atrophy, backs stiffen up, hearts
lose strength. Even the busiest executive
can find 10 minutes in the beginning of a
new fitness plan to take a short walk or
hop on a stationary bike. Another
alternative: put on some music and dance
before your day begins or ends or even
while making dinner. The idea is to make a
start, however limited you think your time
is.

9.  Yes, extreme exposure can cause skin
damage but human beings need the
vitamin D they get from the sun. Doctors
are often prescribing mega doses of
vitamin D because their patients have
been using such a high level of sun block
that they wound up deficient in D. In the
winter and in northern regions, this is
especially important. If the sun peeks out
on a grey winter day, run out and grab
some rays — — without sunglasses! Don’t
look directly at the sun, however, just
bask in the rays and, if temperatures
allow, roll up your shirtsleeves and open
your collar.

10.  Negativity breeds more negativity. Our
bodies hear every thought we think so
don’t get sucked into coworkers’, friends’
or family’s toxic venom. Your job is to
maintain the best possible attitude about
yourself, your health/fitness and the
world in general. If you listen to
negativity, jealousy and discontent all
day, no wonder the gym doesn’t look
inviting at 5 p.m.!

11.  Feeling compelled to eat, drink or
otherwise avoid life limits your power of
choice. If you feel you cannot stop
certain behaviors that are detrimental to
your health and well-being, it may be an
addiction. Addictions include food,
alcohol, drugs, excuse-making, emotional
drama, procrastination, TV, inactivity…
anything that impacts your health in a
negative way.

12.  A multi-vitamin cannot make up for
poor food choices but it can help you
get some of the nutrients you need. I
recommend a quality multi from a
reputable dealer, not drugstore type
vitamins, which have been shown to
have lots of fillers and ineffective
ingredients. Good brands are Usana,
Shaklee, Nature’s Sunshine. Women
over 40 need calcium supplements as
well.

13.  First, you’ll need to determine how much
you need. It will probably be between 7
and 10 hours per night for an adult. Only
about half of Americans get the sleep
they need each night. Lack of sleep is
one of the biggest components of
overeating. When you are not fully
rested, you’ll eat more in an attempt to
get the fuel you need to make it through
the day. The truth, however, is that no
amount of caffeine, sugar or fat will
make up for inadequate sleep.

14.  What really feeds you at a soul level?
What calms you and makes you feel
valued? It might be a bath, a book,
meaningful conversation, time alone, a
nap, a cup of tea or playing with your kids
or grandkids. The key is to discover what
feeds your soul and makes you feel
satisfied in life.

15. Natalie Sansonetti