We hear it all the time, lose weight for your health. Few people realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately, their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The study showed an obese 20-year-old white male, (5’10”)178cm and weighing (288 pounds) 130kg was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.

It is now well researched that a Western diet that leads to obesity may act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow, which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check to see if you are overweight or obese.

To find out your BMI, you need to divide your weight (measured in kilos) by your height (measured in metres) squared. If the result is greater than 25, your health may be improved by losing weight.

2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements.

If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires, you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner and infrequently eat from fast-food restaurants. Also, learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Colour your diet with a large variety of colourful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables.

There are seven different colour ranges of both fruit and vegetables, and by choosing between 5 to 9 servings from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and another disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Replace Animal protein with Plant protein.

Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a more prolonged sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of grains, legumes, beans and vegetables, especially mushrooms, are loaded with protein; for example,  lentil stew with vegetable or even a millet mushroom pilaf can be an excellent protein replacement choice.

5. Rev up your metabolism with activity.

If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well being, exercise is a crucial ingredient. Thirty minutes any physical activity, especially a brisk walk each day is recommended for adults. Children should be active for an hour each day.

6. Get support

To ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight. A study, “Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes,” shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the help of a weight loss coach could significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable significant risk of developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So it’s never too late to start, and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.

Make a healthier choices and extent your life expectancy…