Finding a New Primary Care Doctor

A Big Thanks To Leslie at Wellparents.com for this great advice Thanks to Leslie at Read more

The Rollercoaster of Life

Grandma: "I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like Read more

Sheltering at Home/Covid 19

Never in the last two decades of my career as a physician would I have imagined that we would be using the same mask to see patients all day and then sterilizing/recycling them at the end of the day. Read more

Turmeric Health Benefits

Have you ever wondered what the paste is applied to the bride and groom's faces and arms in Indian weddings?  It's actually the spice turmeric.  Turmeric is the ingredient in curry that gives it a vibrant yellow color.  Actually, Read more

COVID 19 Precautions

With the scare of COVID here in the USA now, I wanted to post a little info about boosting immunity to prevent contracting the virus. Here are some important facts about Covid-19 It is spread by contact with Read more

Natural Tips for Avoiding Colds

This cold and flu season is still upon us and unfortunately, many patients are still being plagued by these nasty viral symptoms.  Here are a few tips to try if you feel like you are coming down with something. Of Read more

Sherry's Story

Sherry has a great story.  She has been diabetic for years and she has made some massive changes!   "I have been on a lifestyle change. It has been a year following a ketogenic food plan.  When I started this journey Read more

Pharmacy to Farmacy

Many of you may know Erin-- the fabulous Pharm D that worked in our office a few years back.  Erin is a phenomenal gal and we embarked on the journey  into natural medicine around the same time.  As we both Read more

The Celebration Diet

Our friend Kate Chaplin has a charming book entitled “The Celebration Diet” that is a welcome addition to any plan to get healthy.  This blog embraces the mind, spirit, and body.  After all, how can your body be healthy when your mind is cluttered by stress and you start losing faith and spirit?  Kate offers some great ideas on how to center your mind to help improve your overall health!  You can purchase a copy at http://katechaplin.wordpress.com/  Here is an excerpt worth reading.  Thanks Kate for making a difference!

 

 

 

 

“Every January, I make a resolution to lose weight. The year starts with great progress; I am eating healthy and exercising. There are a few holidays and birthdays of long distance friends and relatives, but no parties or triple-layered chocolate cakes to dodge. Then BAMB! We are in February through June, otherwise known as my “weight gaining season”.

Valentine’s Day is the warm up. Some flowers and a few chocolates but I am still on track. What I do not realize is that the Ides of March are fast approaching. In which lies my father’s birthday and my birthday. Somewhere in March, there will be cake and ice cream. I think to myself, “It’s my birthday, I deserve a treat.”

No sooner do I reward myself than my anniversary approaches. “We have to celebrate our anniversary at a nice restaurant” I say. A few glasses of wine later the power to resist the sweets, fats and carbs are fading away.

May comes along with my husband, daughter, and brother’s birthday and they will definitely want cake and why not they each weigh a buck-twenty. Soon Mother’s Day approaches which inevitably will be a repeat of Valentine’s Day filled with flowers and candy. Before I know it, swimsuit season is upon us and I have gained at least ten pounds. It’s the celebrations that kill me. I knew I had discovered my Achilles heel and I had to come up with a way to celebrate without food”

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Green Living, Guest Blog, Humor, Nutrition, Uncategorized, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Deception in the Food Industry

Watch this little tidbit!  Very informative!

Posted on by Angela in Body, Call to action, Diet, disease, Nutrition, Uncategorized, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Father’s Day Anthem 2012

With Father’s Day approaching-I thought I might give a shout out to my own father! He may text and email me, however, I’m not sure he really knows how much I appreciate him! This man not only shaped my life, he formed my future. He is the influence that always said; “Make a career of what you love, be a professional so you don’t rely on anyone else to support you, and find a man who will always cherish you for being you.”  He also made me change a tire, check oil and tire pressure, and learn to drive a stick shift before I was allowed to ride in any car at sixteen years old! To my Dad on Father’s Day–I love you for being hard on me, making me tough, and telling me to mold my life out of reality!  I love you Dad!

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet Leave a comment

Peanut Butter Myths

Thanks Kevin for this post!  Patients ask daily about peanut butter and you sum it up beautifully.

Peanut butter is a household staple in the typical American diet. It is most commonly used on bread, fruit, vegetables, and crackers as a convenient and “healthy” spread. However, is peanut butter actually healthy? The short answer is yes, with shades of grey.

Important Things to Consider

1. NEVER buy peanut butter with fully or partially hydrogenated oils. This “ingredient” is in about 90% of commonly consumed peanut butters and is an immediate red flag that should be avoided.

2. There should never be more than 2 ingredients in your product. Peanuts and salt (preferably no salt added is the best option). Look for products with one ingredient, peanuts.  If no products have just one ingredient than opt for the product with 2 ingredients, peanuts and salt.

3. Always buy natural peanut butter with the oil on top. Yes, it is a little bit inconvenient to stir, but this is peanut butter in its natural/unprocessed state.

4. Dont be duped by marketing slogans such as “reduced fat” or “smart balance”. The only thing you should be looking at is the ingredient list.

5. Numerous studies have shown that people who regularly include nuts or peanut butter in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease or type 2 diabetes than those who rarely eat nuts.

6. Peanut butter is full of vitamins, minerals, and potassium and a great source of protein and calories. With that being said, if you are watching your total calorie intake keep in mind 1 serving of peanut butter (2 tbsp) has ~200 calories.

7. According to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, people who eat a diet high in foods like olive oil, avocados, and peanut butter are more likely to lose weight and keep it off than people following a more regimented, lower-fat diet.

Which Products To Avoid

Any peanut butter with more than 2 ingredients such as hydrogenated oils.

What To Choose

Natural Peanut Butters With Oil On Top And Contains Less Than 2 Ingredients

Notice the ingredients.  Peanuts… That’s it!

or

Natural, Raw, Almond Butter

  • The same principle applies to almond butter. Look for products where the ingredients listed are just almonds. Any unnecessary oils, sugars, or salts, should tell you to avoid that particular product which has gone through more processing with artificial additives to increase taste and shelf life.

Conclusion

Yes peanut butter is healthy. I use natural peanut and almond butter on broccoli, celery, half an apple, or half a banana.  Peanut butter paired with a fruit or vegetable can make for a great snack or side dish. Where people start to run into trouble is when they start mixing peanut butter with sugary jams and processed bread. 99% of Jam is fake/artificial sugar and when you couple that with 25-45 grams of processed carbohydrates from bread the once “healthy” peanut butter it can be transformed into a sugar and carb loaded nightmare. But to answer the question of the article,YES, 1 serving of natural peanut butter or almond butter is healthy as long as you are mixing it with the right foods.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any comments or questions.

From South Bend,

Kevin
Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, disease, Exercise, Nutrition, Organic, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

The Superfood Chia

Chia seeds are a favorite superfood!  The word Chia comes from the Mayan language and means “Strength.”  I’ll say strength  is what this power food offers on all levels.  Recent reports show that after taking chia seeds for a few weeks, arthritis sufferers reported decrease symptoms.  The high concentration of Omega-3 helps to lubricate the joints similar to fish oil.  The Omega-3’s are converted to prostaglandins in the body which have anti-inflammatory qualities.  Another advantage is in the detox area.  Chia has a swelling action in the colon similar to psyllium which absorbs toxins.  Thus, it regulates bowels and cleanses the colon.   The seeds are loaded with antioxidants to fight that free radical cousin Joe. (see previous post -Free Radicals)  They contain 20% protein which is a higher percent then wheat or rice for all you that ask how to get good protein without eating a ton of meat.  Chia helps stabilize blood sugar and provides fiber, zinc, and phosphorus!  It’s a winner on all levels!!! 

For more information on Chia seeds —visit http://www.eatalkalinefoods.com

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Green Living, Nutrition, Organic, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Eat Alkaline Foods

Thanks to Tatiana for allowing AngelaMD to share this great article and site!

Learn What Fruit Stickers Mean

When buying food, we look at the label to make smarter choices. But when it comes to fruits and vegetables, and since they don’t have a label, the choosing becomes a little harder. Well, that little sticker on fruits or vegetables that don’t come in a package has a lot of useful information. It tells you whether they have been conventionally grown, or are organic, or if they have been genetically modified. This is important information if we keep in mind that 7 out of every 10 items in grocery store shelves contain genetically modified ingredients.

The little sticker is called PLU code which stands for Price Look Up Code. These codes have been in use since 1990, and there are over 1300 universal PLU codes assigned. But they all follow some general guidelines, here they are:

  • 4 digits and begin with a 3 or a 4:produce is conventionally grown. This means that this produce was been sprayed with weed killers and chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
  • 5-digits and start with an 8: produce was genetically engineered or genetically modified. This means the produce’s genes were genetically altered to produce bigger, or faster growing, or better looking produces. Needless to say, this process is detrimental to the produce, and very dangerous to your health. Read the 4 tips to avoid GMOto learn more.
  • 5-digits and start with a 9: produce was raised organically. These are produces that have not been treated with chemicals and that haven’t been genetically manipulated. These are the safest produces out there.

To me learning the meaning of those codes on the sticker was a great discovery, and I wanted to share this because I would dare to say that most people are not aware of this information.

The PLU system is administered by the International Federation for Produce Standards, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association.

To illustrate the code use, here is an example:

  • 3440: Conventionally grown Pomegranate
  • 83440: Genetically Modified (GMO) Pomegranate
  • 93440: Organically grown Pomegranate

As you can see, the last four number are the same in all three codes. The last four numbers refer to what kind of fruit or vegetable it is.

Fruit sticker Learn What Fruit Stickers MeanNow to review and keep in mind, if it starts with an 8, stay away from it, it is man made, or man messed around with to be more precise. These produces benefit only the pocket of the company producing them. Their nutritional value has been altered and very much diminished, and they pose serious health treats to you.

If possible, one should try to eat everything organic. But since this is not always possible for different reasons, it is good to keep in mind which produces are more prone to absorb chemicals and pesticides, and so are recommended to be eaten organic. These produces are called the “dirty dozen”, and are:

  1. Celery
  2. Peaches
  3. Strawberries
  4. Apples
  5. Blueberries
  6. Nectarines
  7. Sweet bell peppers
  8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
  9. Cherries
  10. Potatoes
  11. Grapes
  12. Lettuce

When buying those produces, try as possible to get them organic.

On the other hand, the 15 produces that are considered the “cleanest” and that could be bought conventional are:

  1. Onions
  2. Avocados
  3. Sweet corn
  4. Pineapples
  5. Mangoes
  6. Sweet peas
  7. Asparagus
  8. Kiwi fruit
  9. Cabbage
  10. Eggplant
  11. Cantaloupe
  12. Watermelon
  13. Grapefruit
  14. Sweet potatoes
  15. Sweet onions

The reason why some products are safer than others to eat when grown conventionally is because these products do not absorb as much chemicals and pesticides, and so are not passing as many toxics to us as the “dirty” ones do.

I hope you liked the information presented, and I hope it will be of help the next time you go grocery shopping.

For more alkaline related articles visit  http://www.eatalkalinefoods.com

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Guest Blog, Nutrition, Organic, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment