Here's a healthy meal....a big salad, roasted beets and butternut squash, and Wild Alaskan salmon
I recently listened to an interview with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon called “The Key to Longevity”. Any guesses what this key is? Muscle mass! Dr. Lyon has been researching and helping patients build their muscles for years. While I’ve heard some of it before, this information really
impacted me this time. Here are some key concepts she shared:
To build muscle mass, eat sufficient protein, and do resistance training (aka strength training), such as lifting weights, push-ups, etc.
As we get older, we need to eat MORE protein, not less as some believe.
Your chance of surviving all diseases, even cancer, increases as your muscle mass increases.
Insulin resistance actually begins in skeletal muscle. Building muscle through eating more protein and doing resistance training improves insulin sensitivity and lowers risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
For most people, she recommends 1 gram of protein for every pound of ideal body weight. So if your ideal body weight is 130, you need about 130 grams of high quality protein per day.
To get an idea of how much protein you are eating, you can enter your food on a free online nutrition tracker such as cronometer—it just takes a few minutes to sign up: https://cronometer.com
Quotes from Dr. Lyon:
“I really want you to take to heart that you need to focus on high quality proteins, and if you are vegan or a vegetarian, that you need to then supplement with something — some branched-chain or essential amino acids — in addition to your meal."
“…the current recommendation is very low for exercise. When I say very low, it's 150 minutes per week. That could be 30 minutes, five days a week of exercise … I would say that's probably the bare minimum that anybody should do, not the optimal … is likely not going to be enough."
“I think doing this in-person with a professional trainer is really where you're going to get your benefit, because they can watch you. They can determine what moves you need to do.”
If you search for “strength training” or “resistance training” on You Tube you will find lots of ideas, but if you’re a novice, it’s always a good idea to talk to your health care provider before starting. And as Dr. Lyon said, a trainer or coach is always helpful.
One more tip..Dr. Ed Bauman, founder of Bauman College, advised our class to balance each serving of meat, fish, or poultry with 2 servings of vegetables. Take a look at the picture above for a good visual.
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