Dr. Sara Gottfried On What Matters More Than Your Life Span

Hormone whisperer and bestselling author, Dr. Sara Gottfried, knows that a long life isn't just about how much time you spend living, it’s about how good you feel while living out those golden years.

A good life is about quality and quantity; about learning to decode our bodies’ needs and deliver every day. .

Dr. Sara Gottfried is the three-time New York Times bestselling author of The Hormone Cure and The Hormone Reset Diet, and her latest book, Younger. Her upcoming book, The Brain Body Diet, will be released March 2019 and it's all about how to nurture our bodies from the inside out for many, many, many years of vibrant well being.

Discover a few key secrets to longevity from a pro we trust...Life Span vs.  Health-SpanLife span only focuses on age. But what is so great about surviving to 80 years old or more, if those later years of your life are spent drooling in a nursing home, unable to recognize your family and friends, diminished by chronic or debilitating diseases? That's why I want to shift the conversation away from life span toward the idea of health span: the period of time that you feel in your prime, free of disease.

Not only do I want to help people extend their years of life, but I also want to show them how to expand the period during which they are able to thrive, free from “disease-span” and in hormonal harmony.

The Keys To A Good Health-SpanHow you eat, move, think, sleep and supplement is key to a long health-span. The earlier you focus on improving all of these five aspects, the greater the impact on your health as you age. When it comes to foods, I encourage people to love up the B’s: bone broth (helps seal leaky gut), Brazil nuts (best source of selenium for your thyroid) and biodynamic wine (free of the toxins, like glyphosate, that are in conventional wine).

The Biggest Blocks To Good Health-Span

I would say that what you put on your fork has the biggest impact, both good and bad. The average American diet is high in bad fats and sugar that cause gain weight and “invisible” problems (such as inflammation).

Inflammation within all levels of your body’s cells and tissues leads to chronic health issues and sets you up for early aging. Use food as medicine.

Three Health Truths I Wish All Women Knew Only 10% of disease is genetic. 90% is epigenetic (how your genes react and talk with the environment they are in), which means you have the ability to control how you age.

Never let any doctor tell you that the symptoms you are experiencing are part of the aging process. Brain fog, memory loss, stubborn weight gain, loss of sex drive, depression, anxiety — all of these symptoms are rooted in how you take care of your body. Changing how you eat, think, move, sleep and supplement can reverse many of the “normal” signs of aging that women experience.

It is never too late to improve your health. Your starting point doesn't matter — you can positively impact your health-span with healthy lifestyle changes.

How To Improve Your Health-Span

Cut out sugar and other things that inflame you (usually grains and dairy).

Do HIIT four times per week.

Tend and befriend other benevolent women — it is the best way for women to reduce stress and it calls off the overactive immune system.

Track your sleep, and get seven to nine hours every night — this is non-negotiable. Use a sleep tracker to make sure you hit 90 minutes or more of deep sleep every night. That's as close to a panacea as we have in Personalized Lifestyle Medicine.

The Three Books Every Woman Should Read on Aging

My books! I would go with The Hormone Cure if you have hormone imbalance, The Hormone Reset Diet if you need to lose weight or Younger if you feel old before your time, even at 40 or 45.

My new book, Brain Body Diet, is about how to lower your body weight set point and reverse brain fog, burnout and memory loss in women starting in their 30s.

Check your stress level. I like the DUTCH dried urine test to measure cortisol (free and metabolized — you need both) and to measure how your control system for hormones (HPA Axis) is performing.

Know your blood sugar levels: Maintaining a hemoglobin A1C < 5% and a fasting blood sugar at 85 mg/dL or less is one of the most important ways to prevent chronic diseases such as prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia and even Alzheimer’s. My blood sugar went sideways in my 20s and my doctors looked the other way, telling me it was fine. A fasting blood sugar of 100+ is not fine.

Also, test vitamin D: Keep vitamin D levels at 60 to 90 ng/mL for optimal health-span. I discuss testing the top seven genes in my book, Younger. The main ones include: APOE (Alzheimer’s gene) and BRCA (Breast Cancer gene).

Loving these tips? Discover plenty more advice from Dr. Sara Gottfried on TCM here.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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