The 20 Core Competency Standards

The 20 Core Competency Standards 

Competency # 1 - 20 What You Should Know The 20 Core Competency Standards 

 1.  Know Thyself:  Your BMI (wt in lbs)/(Ht in inches)2  x 703  =  < 25 or BETTER: Your Waist to  Hip Ratio < .9 for men, .85 for women. Waist size  Men < 37,  Women  < 31.5 

 2.  DASH Diet:  Dietary Alternatives to Suppress  Hypertension a.   9 servings of Fruits and Vegetables/day b.   3 servings of dairy/day c.   two 3 oz servings of white meats d.  beans, little oil, rare sugar 

 3. Portion control: Knowing a serving and meal size 

 4. Eat Breakfast and other good eating habits 

 5. Understanding the Glycemic Index 

 6. Fiber: 

 7. Brain Health 

 8. Good Fats and Bad Fats 

 9. Avoiding Trans Fats 

 10. Avoid Fructose: Be a “Sugar Buster” 

 11. Eat For Color:  Flavonoids 

 12. Vitamin D: The New Supervitamin 

 13. Other Vitamins: Folate and the Busy Bs 

 14. Supplements:  Which should you take? 

 15. Nutrition Density Score 

 16. Snacks and Bingeing and other Hidden Behaviors 

 17. Eating Out Tips 

 18. Making a safe nutritional environment: why exercise is part of it 

 19. Interpreting food labels 

 20. Cooking for optimal health: choosing, substituting and managing good food a.  How to shop for the best nutrition b.     Learning Other Cuisines: Chinese, Indian, African, Caribbean,  Japanese, Mediterranean 

 WWW:  What Will Work for Me!  I’m working on much of this list myself.  My first step is succeeding.  My waist size did not get bigger this year.  Hurray.   I would love to lose weight, but what the heck, I at least broke even.  And each day I count my fruit and veggie servings.  So, competency one and two have a start with me.  How about you?

This column is written by Dr. John E. Whitcomb, MD, Brookfield Longevity, Brookfield, WI. (262-784-5300)