There’s an 83-year-old neurosurgeon named Joseph Maroon who has a great story I’d like to share with you today.
At age 40, he was feeling pretty out of shape. Climbing a flight of stairs was a real struggle for him. He was eating lots of fast food and not really exercising much. Plus, he was feeling pretty bummed with his dad passing away.
But then, a friend suggested he try getting outside and running to help boost his mood.
And you know what? It worked!
He started making small changes to his lifestyle, like exercising more and eating healthier.
By the time he was 53, Dr. Maroon had signed up for his first Ironman Triathlon! And since then, he’s done eight in total. He even came in second place in his age group for a big triathlon event.
What I thought was maybe the most impactful of his story was how he changed up his nutrition. He follows something called the Mediterranean diet, which you’ve probably heard of. It’s not really like a “diet” where you have to restrict yourself. It’s more about making healthy choices on what you eat.
Here’s what the Mediterranean diet looks like:
- Lots of fruits and veggies
- Whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat bread
- Beans and legumes (like chickpeas and lentils)
- Healthy fats, like olive oil
- Balanced levels of fatty fish and red meat, but not too often
This diet is well rounded and could help you too. It has been shown to help lower the risk of problems like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Maroon also stays away from ultra-processed foods. If you think about it, overly processed foods are pretty hard to make in your home. They usually have a lot of extra stuff added to them, like salts, sugars, and unhealthy fats. You can tell when something is ultra-processed if it doesn’t really look like its ingredients. Think about protein low quality protein bars or hot dogs.
Ultra-processed foods can cause a bunch of health problems, like cancer and heart disease. Plus they are terrible for your teeth, your breath, and your gums. Even though they have been very tempting for me over the years, I find my teeth have much less plaque when I limit my intake on them.
He also cut down his sugar intake. Obviously, too much sugar isn’t good for you. It contributes to all sorts of health issues, like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, it can disrupt your blood sugar levels, which isn’t good either. We began to notice this in the office when we started doing saliva testing at preventative dental check ups.
Lastly, Dr. Maroon avoids trans fats. These are the bad fats that can mess with your cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. They used to be in a lot of packaged foods, but many brands have stopped using them, such as margarine.
I hope these tips have been helpful to keep you on track for a healthy mouth and healthy body. Let us know what’s working for you!
Have a great weekend,
(I wrote you this message on my iPhone, so please excuse any typos 🙂
