Healthy eating on the road to a healthy lifestyle

Imagine you're a car. Perhaps you're a shiny new car in perfect condition, or maybe not. You could be a car that came with "factory defects," such as a chassis problem or suspension issue.

Now imagine that car, defects and all, mostly driving on rough, unpaved roads. After a while, what condition do you think that car will be in? Or rather, how long do you think it will last?

This is similar to us.

Some diseases are "written" in our genes, and unfortunately, they may manifest at birth or shortly thereafter, other diseases take years to show up.

Can you think of any? Here's a hint: it's one of the leading causes of death worldwide and typically manifests around the age of 50, give or take. The answer is diabetes mellitus.

The paths of life

While most diseases have a genetic component, it is often the environment (like the rough or paved roads in our car analogy) that triggers their manifestation. It can colloquially be said: 

"Genes load the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger."

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It's no coincidence that lifestyle-related deaths have significantly increased over the past decades. 

At the turn of the last century, infectious diseases like tuberculosis and measles were the main causes of death. 

Today, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, both closely linked to lifestyle, are among the leading causes.

What are the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine refers to the evidence-based practice focusing on improving health through changes in six lifestyle pillars:

• Diet
• Physical activity
• Sleep hygiene
• Substance use
• Interpersonal relationships
• Stress management.

Science has long studied these pillars and how they influence health, showing that changes can significantly impact our well-being.

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What does science say about diet?

The quality of our diet affects our health to varying degrees, but the key takeaway is that what we eat influences our health. For example, consuming a lot of saturated or trans fats (often referred to as "bad fats") and sugar is associated with a higher risk of chronic degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. These fats can be found in certain animal products like lard and pork rinds, or in ultra-processed foods like some snacks and fast food.

Conversely, science tells us that a high intake of fruits and vegetables, which provide numerous vitamins, minerals, and fiber, is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases.

More than just diet

Have you wondered what science says about sleep, stress, interpersonal relationships, substance use, and physical activity? Surprisingly, these five pillars are also closely linked to health.

For instance, science tells us that the quality and quantity of sleep significantly affect body weight due to physiological changes in hormones that tell our brain whether we are hungry or full.

All lifestyle pillars play a crucial role in our health. Science shows that living with high stress, poor sleep, poor diet, limited physical activity, and harmful substance use can lead to health deterioration.

Changes for the worse

You've likely noticed that lifestyles have drastically changed over recent decades:

Diet

There's an increasing presence of ultra-processed products in grocery stores.

Mobility

We move less, mostly traveling by car or bus, rarely walking or cycling.

Work

Work hours are longer, rest is scarce, and stress is on the rise due to lack of downtime. 

Rushing in the mornings, often just grabbing a coffee or a snack bar, and rarely have time to prepare meals or bring food to work, opting instead for quick service or fast food.

We spend most of the time sitting at our desks looking at our computers. The only time we see sunshine is on the way to our car before leaving for work.

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Once you’re out of the office, it’s dark again and the only thing you want to do when you get home is sleep, just to repeat the same routine. There seems to be no time left to exercise.

The pace of life

We don't have time to eat healthily or exercise, which only adds to our stress. Our diet is predominantly fried or ultra-processed. 

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We walk less than 3,000 steps a day and spend most of our time sitting. The result? Over the years, this lifestyle leads to diagnoses like diabetes mellitus, and even when medication starts, lifestyle often remains unchanged.

You control the pace of your lifestyle

Lifestyle refers to how we live:

• Our behaviors.
• Our interactions with others.
• How we eat.
• Our physical activity.
• Our sleep habits.
• Our substance use.

Conclusion

The good news is that improving our lifestyle is within our grasp and not as hard as we might think.

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