Metabolic Syndrome – Diet Guidelines Made Easy

If you have Metabolic Syndrome, or the risk factors for it, you need to think about what a Metabolic Syndrome diet should look like.  It’s never too late to change unhealthy eating habits, and in this case, it could save your life. 

Risk Factors

The risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome, or Syndrome X as it is sometimes referred to, are:

• high blood pressure
• low HDL (which is the good cholesterol)
• high abdominal fat, and diabetes 

Having any three of these health issues means you either have Metabolic Syndrome, or are at high risk of developing it.  This means your risk of developing cardiovascular disease is increased.

Eating a diet which includes high fat foods, more than two servings of meat per day and drinking diet soda on a regular basis, will also increase your risk.

The good news is that research has shown that you can change your level of risk, and can even change the fact that you have Metabolic Syndrome with a change in your diet.  Sounds simple enough, but what does that really entail?

Make Healthy Substitutions

In general, you have to eat healthy foods and you have to eat regular meals.  In specifics, instead of having apple juice, have an apple.  Instead of having a double cheese burger, have a grilled chicken sandwich with light mayonnaise, and eat the lettuce and tomato.  If you are going to use oils to cook some foods, use the good oils like olive oil and canola oil instead of vegetable oil.

Stay Away from Soda

It is a good idea to completely stop drinking any soft drinks.  Regular soda holds an abundance of sugar, and although it may seem contrary to what you have heard before, it is highly recommended that no diet soda products are consumed either.  It has been shown that there is a strong correlation between diet soda (along with other unhealthy foods) and Metabolic Syndrome. 

Eat Low Fat Dairy Products

Another interesting correlation is that eating low fat dairy products on a regular basis, even daily, can help lower your health risks of Metabolic Syndrome. 

Don’t Skip Meals

Eat breakfast every day, along with lunch and dinner. Skipping meals can actually have a negative effect.  It is about eating more frequent meals (around six a day) and making those meals smaller and healthier.  Setting a timer as a reminder to eat can sometimes help. 

Don’t Smoke

Another thing to remember is not to smoke (in case you haven’t heard that before).

Exercise

In addition to eating differently, you have to make sure you are moving every day.  For some, this may mean starting very small, such as walking at a slow pace, for five minutes per day.  From there, you can gradually increase your time and pace.  Of course, before starting any exercise routine, you will need to consult with your personal physician. Enlisting the help of friends and family can make exercising easier.

Related posts:

• Syndrome X & The Flat Belly Diet
• Metabolic Type & Weight Loss: How Does It Work?
• 5 Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome
• How to Diet with Nephrotic Syndrome
• Metabolic Syndrome and Its Affect on Your Weight