The start of a new year is always a good time to reset your body with lifestyle changes, changing your habits, especially around what you eat and drink. We all can make good excuses for eating and drinking the way we have over the week between Christmas and New Year, even when we suffer as a result. But it is unsustainable between New Year and Christmas.

Given that what we eat and drink impacts our health and well-being and determines our levels of energy, it has, along with sleep, a powerful impact on our effectiveness and the success of what we do. I have said many times before that the way we manage our energy is far more important than the way we manage our time. High energy people do not have a time management issue, for example.

Six years ago I had a heart check as a precaution, given both my parents died of  heart problems. The results, while not immediately over-worrying, did give me a scare that saw me referred to a cardiologist who wanted me to go on a cocktail of drugs. I resisted, especially after a treadmill stress test saw me perform extremely well. I argued against their strong and persistent advice, saying I wanted to reset my body with lifestyle changes.

I realised later why the cardiologist so strongly argued for the drugs when my research revealed that only 10% of people make changes to their lifestyle following a heart attack. He did not know that I would be any different and capable of change to that response of most people.

That was March, but by November all my blood tests were normal and have remained normal ever since. In fact my GP tells me that you don’t see cholesterol levels like mine in people my age unless they are on medication.

How Did I Get Those Outcomes?

I went vegan – for health reasons – and my partner came along with me although he is not as “committed” as I am. It is not my intent here to promote going vegan. I don’t believe you have to go vegan to be healthy but I do have some insights to share that may help you become more healthy without going down my path.

• I eat very little processed food now. So there are fewer chemicals, preservatives and additives going into my body.

 

• A large part of my diet is plants, supplemented by grains, nuts and legumes, the latter of which I ate little previously. I don’t think I ever ate the 5 vegetables a day that dieticians recommend. Now it is quite common for me to have a salad or a hot crockpot with anything up to 12 vegetables in it.

 

• I discovered that the secret to making vegetables interesting and very tasty is the sauces (healthy, of course) that you put over the top of them.

 

• I always had a large serve of natural yogurt with berries for breakfast. Now I have traditional rolled oats, cooked with half a squashed banana and fortified almond milk with berries on top. Rolled oats have been found to have a significant impact on the control of high cholesterol.

 

• I drink much more water than I ever did. I bought a Soda Stream to keep it interesting on occasions.

 

• While I always drank herbal teas, I now have a choice of 5 in my pantry and drink them daily. But I still use my coffee machine but regulate my drinking of coffee.

 

• I am much more conscious than I ever was of balancing my diet, being aware of the need to consume adequate amounts of protein, calcium, iron and amino acids, for example

 

• Probably the most controversial of my dietary changes is my abandonment of dairy. I drank great amounts of milk and even greater amounts of cheese of all kinds. I believe that dairy had a profoundly negative impact on my health. It has been interesting to hear so many people I know now reveal to me that they are dairy free because of reactions to it. I now drink and use fortified almond milk, one cup of which gives me a large percentage of my daily protein and calcium needs.

The downside of being a plant based eater is that it takes time to prepare and cut up vegetables and many people don’t feel they have time to do that. My answer was to purchase a super food processor that does it all. Next purchase is an air fryer. I also cook in bulk and have something in the freezer for those times I work late and can’t face cooking.

So What Can You Take Away From My Experience?

• You can stay with your fish, meat and eggs, making them one third of your plate, the other two thirds of your plate being vegetables.

 

• Eat more fresh, unprocessed food. Experiment with vegetables you’ve never eaten before, especially different coloured vegetables.

 

• Eat more nuts, grains and legumes. Nuts are great to snack on.

 

• Drink more water and stay hydrated. If you are feeling unwell and depleted, especially mid afternoon, drink water before taking a panadol. You may be amazed at the outcome.

 

• Check out what you are eating for breakfast. Is it energising you for the whole of the morning?

 

• Read labels on packaged food and then decide if you are going to buy. It is handy to have something in the pantry or freezer. That is my take away food. I am not a purist.

 

• If you are unwell, always look to your diet. It is far more significant than many health professionals give it credit. You may need more of something, or less of something.

Eating and Drinking is NOT an Antidote for Stress.

If you are in a high powered job, working long hours, overweight with no time to exercise, missing meals, or grabbing some fried food at the food court or a donut on your way to work because you got up late and didn’t have time for breakfast then this blog post is particularly important for you. You are taking risks with your health that may not impact you immediately but will in the future.

Don’t be one of those people who prioritises building wealth over looking after your health. Because when you retire you will find yourself spending that wealth trying to buy back your health.

The ball for 2023 is in your court. It can be a year that you turn your life around with lifestyle changes. You build healthy habits. You become high energy and inspirational to everyone with whom you live and work.