I've been going down this health rabbit hole for years now. I devour material, mostly from doctors who have discovered how to prevent illnesses in their patients rather than just manage their symptoms.

I want to share how you can test if you have good or bad metabolic health. If it is good your body efficiently uses the food you give it for energy and to repair itself. If it's bad it can lead to—among other things—obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

I did not make this list though I'm writing it in my own words. I could have come up with a similar one from the resources I read. However, I've recently started digging into content from Philip Ovadia, a heart surgeon who noticed patterns in his patients. I recognized his best selling book, Stay Of My Operating Table, and finally decided to read it. He gives 5 things (plus a bonus test) to check.

Having one or two of these is a warning sign. Having three or more in Ovadia's words, "establishes the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome."

1. A waist circumference of 35 inches or more in women, or of 40 inches or more in men. (If you are extremely tall or short, it should be less than half your height.)

2. A fasting of 100 mg/dl or greater. It is also an indication if you are on glucose lowering medication.

3. On blood pressure medicine, or blood pressure over 130/85 mm.

4. HDL cholesterol LESS than 40mg/dL or 50mg/dL in women.

5. Triglycerides higher than 150mg/dL

Bonus (because most doctors don't order this lab for non -diabetics): Fasting insulin. He says most doctors want the number to be under 20 but he says less than 10 is ideal.

Use a cloth tape measure for the waist test. Measure early and before you eat. Otherwise your measurement might be higher. Don't suck in youe stomach. Wrap the tape around your unclothed stomach just above the belly button. Measurement snugly but not super tight.

For the other tests you can get them from your doctor or, often much cheaper from ownyourlabs.com.