For me, getting to a healthier place later in life was a series of steps, which followed a larger series of missteps. Most of these steps were so small, that no blame can be assigned. Not to me, not to doctors, not to my parents, or genetics. Of course, this only leaves the lunch ladies to blame. My steady diet of chocolate milk and ice cream was the only use of any lunch money I ever spent. I could see the food pyramid right on the wall as I made those purchases. It was all downhill from there…

As it turns out, I can’t really blame the lunch lady. Luckily, all the answers are on the internet. And the best answer for me was a combination of several solutions. The video below from Ken Berry wasn’t the first diet change I tried, but he enforced many of the concepts that I had been successful with. Dr. Berry is a prolific YouTuber, and not everything he says is perfect, but the PHD approach makes much more sense than anything else I’ve read.

Another very positive experience I had was with a physician specializing in metabolic health. Her diagnosis was made by the analysis of blood labs and also use of an InBody 270 Body Composition Analyzer. The enemies were carbs and sugars.

As we roll into 2024, I continue to make strides towards health goals, not just via diet, but also regular exercise and interactions with humans. There is always room for improvements, so I will have no shortage of health topics to cover. Below is a list of just a few I’m working on now:

• How to tailor time restricted eating to a daily schedule

• How to monitor insulin resistance, and how frequently to do it

• How to validate sources of information (Good, bad, and insane)

• How to build the best supplement and vitamin regimen

• Are protein powders real, good, bad?

• How to source a local meat processor that is affordable