Question: The past few weeks you have repeatedly mentioned foods such as chicken and oatmeal. Do you ever eat anything else?

        Answer: I continue to mention chicken and oatmeal because they are a couple of the many foods that I eat and suggest that other people eat for optimum health.

        With more than 300,000 deaths per year in the United States attributed to poor dietary and activity habits, this country needs to make some serious changes. The amazing thing is that simple changes with simple foods can achieve great results.

        Simple is the key term because if you look at any person who exercises and eats right, chances are his or her diet is very simple, with treats thrown in once in a while for fun.

        The foods I mention are “clean” proteins — white meat poultry; fish; egg whites; starchy slow-release carbohydrates such as oatmeal; plain baked sweet and white potatoes; whole grain brown rice; fibrous carbohydrates such as broccoli, asparagus and green beans and leafy-green salads and moderate amounts of fruit and good fats such as flaxseed and safflower oil.

        When eaten consistently, these foods produce phenomenal results in terms of overall health and disease prevention. When paired with consistent exercise, healthy eating is the No. 1 prevention for disease and premature death.

        I'm not saying you can't have a “cheat meal” sometimes — you can. But remember, your mind forgets about all the bad food that you eat, but the body remembers every single morsel.

       Contact certified personal trainer Dave Patania at davpatania@aol.com.

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