6 Common Mistakes to Achieving Health

 by Dr. Iva Lloyd, ND

Health is complicated and it is getting even more complicated and difficult to navigate all the time. Part of the complication is due to the increase in environmental toxins, chemicals in food and personal care products and the widespread exposure to wireless technology. Another part is the tremendous onslaught of social media posts promoting quick fixes for health concerns all the time.

The following are the ten most common mistakes that I find with good intentioned patients. 

Food and Diet Concerns

1: Lack of nutrients.  Somewhere along the way the logic to proper food and eating has been lost. Too often people are choosing diets that remove a food group or they are eating too few calories to sustain optimal health. Everybody requires adequate calories and balanced nutrition which means adequate protein, starch, vegetables and fat.  Assuming a moderate level of activity, most adults between 120 and 150 pounds require about 1400 calories a day, those between 150 and 180 pounds require about 1600 calories and those between 180 and 200 pounds require about 1700 to 1800 calories day.  If you are active on a daily basis it is important to increase your calories to account for what you are burning during exercise. In general the ratio to a healthy diet is 1/2 vegetable, 1/4 protein and fat and 1/4 starch. Most people should limit fruit to one or two servings a day. I encourage you to check out the role of the different groups to ensure that you are supporting all aspects of health.  The main food groups are carbohydrates, protein, fats and oils, dietary fiber and fruit.

2: Carbonated drinks. A Perrier may be beneficial when having a high-protein meal, but carbonated drinks should never be used in place of water.  The trend of fancy carbonated drinks, soda-streams and even carbonated kombucha has gone way too far. Check out my Notes from Field – May 2022 where I talk about the pros and cons of carbonated drinks and why they are best to avoid. 

Lifestyle Concerns

3: Inappropriate movement. Movement is essential to health. Many systems of the body, such as the lymphatic system, only move when you move.  For some people the inappropriate movement relates to a lack of movement; whereas for others, it refers to too much movement. My blog on Movement – Top 5 Things to Remember is a good resource for those that are struggling to include movement as part of their daily routine. If you are someone who is really active, I encourage you to ensure that you are accounting for the calories that you are burning up during exercise, if not you will use up your hormones as an energy source.

4: Poor or inadequate sleep. Adequate sleep is critical to health. The challenge is that sleep can be impacted by so many things – mental unrest, specific foods or dietary regimens, high or low blood sugar, hormone imbalances, pain, EMF exposure or even the temperature, light or sound of your bedroom. I encourage you to read my blog on Sleep – Top 5 Things to Remember and check out NDHealthFacts to learn more about sleep. Most people that struggle with sleep need to address it from a few different perspectives in order to get a handle on sleep. Addressing sleep issues can be challenging, but sticking with it is always important.

External Factors

There is a growing concern over the toxins in air, water and food. The World Naturopathic Federation has a great website that focuses on environmental toxins.  I encourage you to check it out: WNF Environmental Website.  A few of the environmental toxins that I encounter in practice are:

5: Wireless technology on the body. We are all being exposed on a daily basis to tremendous amounts of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs don’t just refer to cell phones and computers, it includes wireless networks, televisions, smart meters, radios, power lines and many other devices. Check out my blog on Wireless Technology, or the WNF website for information on the various health impacts. What I see mostly in practice is an increase in vertigo and dizziness, changes in blood pressure, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, difficulty concentrating and changes in mood. The most important thing to remember about wireless technology is to keep it off the body — which means avoiding Bluetooth earbuds, wireless watches and resting your cellphone on the body.

6: Air fryers. I recognize that air fryers are a new trend.  My concern, through observation more so than research, is that air fryers add to the body being dehydrated.  There are also growing concerns about the carcinogenic particles that are created by air frying. As many of you know, ensuring that people are adequately hydrated is a significant focus in my practice.  Hydration doesn’t just come from drinking water, it includes the necessary fats and oils in the diet and a diet that has a lot of vegetables.  Using a cooking method that cooks food by dehydrating just doesn’t make any sense. Most websites that promote the benefits of air fryers do so by stating that air frying is better than deep frying food. My recommendation is to focus on baking, grilling, stir-frying and boiling food versus either deep frying or air frying.

This blog focuses on the lifestyle and external factors that I commonly see in practice that impact health. In future blogs we will discuss the impact of emotional trauma, especially those that we hang onto over time and that weigh us down emotionally and physically.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your naturopathic doctor.