Body Composition Analysis And Your Percent Body Fat
Above 15% is a high body fat content in a male. Our best trained male athletes are 5-10% body fat. For women, the ideal range is 10-15%, but no higher than 20%.
Body fat content is one of the most powerful determinants of the rise in cholesterol and blood pressure as well as blood sugar above 130 (the correct levels). That is, the proper Preventive Medicine goal: a blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar of 130 or less.
Body fat content is powerfully affected by any kind of oil-margarine-fat-butter-cheese-meat-fried foods-pastries. Anything with fat in it. For your interest, chicken and fish both have 20% fat. Skinless chicken breasts have the same cholesterol content as a T-bone steak.
The correct health promoting diet (can be) delicious and lowest fat diet is whole grains, vegetables, beans and fruit (G-V-B). Nothing is prohibited 100%, but the macrobiotic approach of brown rice-steamed vegetables-beans with 6 oz. of fish every other day per week is an absolute ideal. An excellent cookbook is The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner, available in our office for $11.00.
Calories alone above basal requirements (about 1,700 per day in a man and 1,400 per day in a woman) including sweets, white flour breads-cakes-cookies, fats as a whole, dairy products (yogurt-cottage cheese-milk-cheese-butter) also tend to raise the body fat content and therefore cholesterol-blood pressure-blood sugar above 130.
Body fat content above the maximum allowable of 15% for men and 20% for women is also likely related to the development of cancer, gallstones, diverticulitis, arthritis, back problems, depression, hypoglycemia and diabetes, yeast infections and a generally reduced level of endurance-resistance.
Exercise, ideally with weights and a Nordic Track cross country ski machine and whatever other healthful exercises you enjoy. Follow the above diet and exercise progressively and as much as you can to move towards wellness. Start with one minute of exercise every other day and increase your exercise by 1 minute per week to 50 minutes 1 day in 1 year. Do not buy and bring home that which you should not eat (smoke or drink). Get your body fat content rechecked to test your progress.
I didn't write the rules, I'm just telling you what they are (the Natural Human Design).
H. Robert Silverstein, MD
Hartford, CT