Regularly check in with your body by asking about your stomach, energy, skin, brain function, and sleep to understand your health status and be the CEO of your own health.
Start your day with protein and fat (e.g., an omelet, protein shake) instead of sugar or refined starches to optimize metabolic health, prevent blood sugar swings, and reduce cravings and overeating.
To break the cycle of hunger, fat storage, and metabolic dysfunction, eliminate starch and sugar for a period, such as with a 10-day detox diet, to reset your metabolism.
For 10 days, eliminate sugar, starch, ultra-processed food, alcohol, and caffeine, while consuming real foods like lots of vegetables, nuts, seeds, good quality protein, good fats (avocados, olive oil), and low-starch berries.
After an elimination period, reintroduce foods one at a time, slowly (e.g., three days per food), to identify specific triggers that cause adverse physical reactions.
Trust your body as the ‘smartest doctor’ by listening to its feedback when reintroducing foods or making dietary changes, as it will signal what works best for you.
Prioritize the quality of calories over just the quantity, as the information in food profoundly impacts your hormones, brain chemistry, microbiome, and immune system in real-time.
Choose foods that do not physiologically stress your body, as sugar and starch can raise stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, leading to negative long-term health effects.
Address the four pillars of health—food, movement, sleep, and stress—starting by optimizing your diet, then observing which symptoms remain to identify underlying issues.
Adopt a philosophy of ‘steady wins the race’ by consistently investing small efforts daily into your diet, exercise, and stress management, as these foundational practices yield significant long-term health dividends.
Aim for Vitamin D levels of at least 45 ng/dL (ideally 75-100 ng/dL) to support bone density, cardiovascular health, brain health, and immune function, potentially reducing flu risk by 75%.
Strive for a fasting insulin level of 5 or less, as this is ideal for metabolic health; levels between 5-10 are intermediate, and above 10 are indicative of significant insulin resistance.
Aim for an HbA1c level of 5.5% or less, as this indicates optimal average blood sugar and significantly reduces the risk of various chronic diseases.
On your basic cholesterol checkup, monitor your triglyceride to HDL ratio; if it creeps over 1, 2, or 3, it indicates increasing insulin resistance and higher risk of heart attack.
Aim for ApoB levels under 90, ideally under 70, and potentially under 50 if you have existing cardiovascular disease, as ApoB is a highly predictive marker for heart disease risk.
Pay attention to your fasting blood sugar; if it’s between 85-100 mg/dL (American units), you’re trending towards dysregulation, and if it’s over 100 mg/dL, you’re likely already in metabolic trouble.
Use the presence of belly fat as a strong visual indicator of potential insulin resistance and metabolic issues, even without a blood test.
Support detoxification by staying hydrated, consuming fiber (flax, chia seeds) and magnesium for regular bowel movements, eating detoxifying phytochemicals (broccoli family, garlic, onions, colorful fruits/vegetables), using sauna therapy, and considering N-acetylcysteine.
Engage in activities that promote regular sweating (if sauna is not available) and ensure consistent bowel movements to excrete toxins from the body.
Actively reduce your exposure to environmental toxins by using air filters, filtering your water, being mindful of air quality (e.g., using a mask in polluted areas), and avoiding touching receipts.
Clean up household products, prioritize organic foods, filter your water, use an air filter in polluted environments, and avoid plastic cups and bottles to reduce overall toxin exposure.
If sensitive to gluten, consider consuming wheat products from Europe, as they often use different wheat varieties (non-dwarf), avoid glyphosate, and employ longer leavening processes like sourdough, which can be less inflammatory.
If eliminating inflammatory foods doesn’t resolve symptoms, consider deeper root causes like heavy metals, mold, or other serious conditions, as these may require further investigation.
If on a budget, take a good multivitamin, a good fish oil (1g EPA/DHA daily), and 2,000-4,000 IU of Vitamin D3 (with K2 if possible) to cover common deficiencies, alongside eating protein/fat for breakfast, cutting starch/sugar, and regular movement.
Apply the same high standards to your own and your children’s diet as you would to a valuable racehorse, avoiding ultra-processed foods that you wouldn’t feed to pets.
Once you understand how certain foods or habits (e.g., alcohol, ice cream) impact your body, make conscious choices about their consumption, informed by that knowledge, rather than acting unconsciously.
Implement small daily changes to your health habits, as these compound over time and can lead to significant improvements, and it’s never too late to begin.
Recognize that food acts as medicine to support longevity, energy, moods, and happiness, influencing your biology in real-time.
Consider using a vagus nerve vibratory stimulator for a few minutes daily to achieve a significant stress reduction and reset your nervous system.
Be cautious with oatmeal for breakfast, as even steel-cut oats can raise insulin, adrenaline, cortisol, blood sugar, and triglycerides, leading to blood sugar crashes and increased food intake later in the day.