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

whole foods

10 Fun Food Facts!

1.  Aspartame breaks down to formaldehyde in the body–yep, the same chemical we use to embalm dead bodies!

2.  The same chemical that gives tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin or ibuprofen.

3.  The term Pound Cake comes from the literal pound of butter used to make it.

4.  There are about 100,000 bacteria in 1 liter of drinking water

5.  Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties.  Mixed with milk, it can be used as an antiseptic for the skin

6.  Two twelve ounce servings of juiced apples, pears, carrots, celery, and leafy greens has twice the potency of 1 dose of an over-the-counter laxative.

7.  1.2 billion pounds of potato chips are consumed each year in the United States.

8.  A baked potato (with skin) is a great source of dietary fiber (4 grams)

9.  A typical American eats 28 pigs in his/her lifetime.

10.  A well-done steak with charred portions contains much higher levels of carcinogens than a medium or rare steak.

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Day #2 Menu

 

Kicking off the day with this beet strawberry smoothie. Very simple and clean recipe. I’ll throw in some hemp seeds for a little protein. http://www.refinery29.com/beet-recipes?page=4   Warning:  This could turn your pee RED (sorry, I mean urine).  So don’t call the Doctor’s office thinking you have a urine infection or kidney stone.

Emma –the Smoothie Ninja

Lunch

So I got a mango in my Green Bean Delivery Bin this week and I realize this wasn’t on the Smoothie Fest shopping list but I thought I would post it for any of you Green Bean customers that had no idea what to do with it–like me.  This was pretty easy and one of the least difficult smoothies to make!

 

2 cups ripe mango chunks (from 1 to 2 mangoes)
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cups unsweetened coconut water
Pinch of cayenne powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.

Serves 2. Per serving: 159 calories; 1 g saturated fat; 0 g unsaturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 39 g carbs; 256 mg sodium; 3 g protein; 6 g fiber.

 

 

Dinner-Recipe for kale and broccoli with caramelized onions! What’s your favorite way to prepare kale?
http://greenbeandelivery.com/healthytimes/recipes/kale-and-broccoli-with-caramelized-onions/

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Day #1 Menu

I’m going to have to confess that I’m only going to do 2 meals daily with smoothies considering that I have a 13yo and a 5yo at home that I will have to cook for this week and will be greatly tempted by the real food they are eating.  I will however make a whole food paleo based dinner for the family and will share that with you.   I will post any weight loss at the end of the challenge and am planning to go as long as I can in this endeavor.  I know Amy plans to do a full 10 days—I am planning on taking it one day at a time as that is our philosophy here.  Baby steps!  Remember-we are all in this together and are human!  So here we go with day one!

Breakfast:  Mixed in my NINJA—-5 strawberries, 1/2 banana and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds

Lunch:  1 stalk kale, 1 cucumber, 3 apples with 2 tablespoons of chia seeds—all juiced in the Omega 3 rather than the NINJA

Dinner:  1 pkg grass fed chicken breast sautéed in butter and olive oil with 1 stalk broccoli, 1 zucchini, 1 cup (cooked) whole grain rice and 1 egg–

All the cool kids in the back of the bus!!!!!!

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Smoothie Posse Shopping List

Ok guys—we have 3 days to start preparing menus for the Smoothie Fest–Here is a basic shopping list created by Amy our Smoothie Posse Queen—-Start composing your lists and I will be reposting juicing information as well although you don’t have to juice for this.  I am planning on using my Ninja and I know Amy used her Nutribullet.

 

Liquid bases

unsweetened soy milk (GMO free) unsweetened oat milk unsweetened yogurt- greek or soy green tea- decaf or regular pomegranate juice

Frozen produce

mango, all types of berries, pineapple, kiwi, cranberries

Fresh produce

fresh fruit- bananas (cut them up and freeze them), pomegranite greens- spinach, kale, and/or beet (this will turn your pee red)
pumpkin (or use canned but fresh is better)
fresh ginger root

Pantry

chia seeds
hemp seeds
unsweetened shredded coconut
nut butter(s)- peanut, almond, and/or cashew. shoot for unsweetened pumpkin (or use fresh)–we determined last week that fresh is better!

Spices and things

turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla bean if you want to be fancy. None of these are necessary.

 

Game on guys!!! Let’s do this Marines!

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Guess Who’s Back? Back Again? Dee is back–tell a friend!

Remember Dee?

Dee fell off the wagon for a while–heck don’t we all?  I’m not sure I’ve had a CLEAN eating day since Thanksgiving!   That’s not even mentioning the half a bottle of wine I probably polished off that day.  How is that for toxic calories?   But remember, it doesn’t have to be black or white and all or nothing.  It’s about meaningful eating and wanting to be a better version of yourself.  This counts in all aspects of life, not just eating and exercising.  It’s about individual behaviors, decisions, and not about outcomes.  I am responsible for how I look and feel today!  Nobody else forced me to eat badly, skip exercise, or allow negative thoughts to arise.  I did that all myself.   There is no quick fix in the game of life and dieting isn’t just a hobby!  Or at least it shouldn’t be–save that for something that is actually fun and not such hard work!  Our good blogger, hilarious writer, and real friend Dee emailed me that she is back in the game!  She missed the team spirit and wants to play–so let’s get inspired by her spirit  and rededicate ourselves as well.

Dee writes:

Taking a quick-lunch break to check in. I have been AWOL again but I just noticed that Dr. Angela re-linked my blog and I have a co-worker who has agreed to work with me in the area of accountability. There is a saying that people don’t do what’s expected, they do whats inspected. This is true for me. So, thanks to Dr. Angela and my new accountability partner (you know who you are) for helping me help myself.

This blog has really been a blast for me, and was a great tool in helping in my weight loss efforts. Last November/December I lost nearly 20 pounds and plan to do it again. Actually, if successful, I’ll be losing the same 20 pounds. Frustrating to admit, but I will never give up. I will make better choices and I will get control of my weight.

I shouldn’t admit this, but I really love Dr. Phil-isms. As much as I try, they always pop into my brain when relevant. So, I have to say that “the only way to fail, is to quit trying.” Check back for new posts this weekend.

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The Definition of Insanity

I think counting calories sucks!!!!  It doesn’t really work–just look around and see the number of overweight people in our country and you will be convinced.  As Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  So what we are doing isn’t working.  We need to really be focusing on the quality of our food.  Math and getting caught up with numbers is wasted energy.   Ask yourself?  Is weight loss really a good hobby?  How many of us spend too much time thinking and obsessing over our weight?  Use these next few tools at the grocery store this weekend to help you out.  Remember that the “Fooducate” app for your smart phone can help you out too.

 

1.  How many ingredients are in it?

2.  Is it organic?

3.  How much sugar is in it?

4.  Does it contain any artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, MSG, chemicals ETC?

 

Organic foods are nutrient dense, safer for the planet, and are grown with more care.  Forget those nasty free radical causing chemicals that make snacks low-calorie—-Let’s just eat real food folks!  As Sean Croxton says–Let’s JERF (a great verb in my opinion)–Just Eat Real Food!

Stay tuned for the big holiday challenge–more to come tomorrow!

 

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Mediocrity

Another great post by Kevin Deeth—be sure to visit his site.

Social Acceptance of Mediocrity

I read this article the other day and thought it was just plain awesome. I wanted to share it with everyone to hopefully encourage people to exercise and stay active.

“I have a list of sayings that make my blood curdle, and “hey now, at least they’re up and moving” is close to the top of that list. We’ve all heard it before and probably have said it ourselves, but if you think about it, it’s depressing to see how that saying has become a norm nowadays.
           We now live in a society where doing the bare minimum required to keep your heart beating is supposed to earn you a pat on the back and a sugar-free cupcake (don’t worry, its only 100 calories…guilt free!). Since when did getting off the couch and moving around become an acceptable form of exercise? You may say, “Hey, at least they are moving around”, and yes, you’re right, that is the least they can do–but the problem is that they shouldn’t be stopping there.  Getting off your ass should be the thing you do when you wake up, not the physical highlight of your day.
90% of the time, I hear this saying when discussing those who walk as their main form of exercise. Sorry, but walking 15 minutes is NOT a workout; it’s a warmup for your warmup. Just for comparison, Alexander’s army marched over 5000 miles from Thessaloniki to the Indus river. That isn’t even counting the stops at tourist attractions or the journey home.
How long would this take you at 15 minutes a day?
Seriously, what happened to the grit that people used to have? My grandpa would call those people “the old breed”. When he lived in Africa, he would run 9 miles to school and 9 miles home everyday, with no shoes. See if you can get one of your fellow Americans to do something remotely intense for even 9 minutes before crapping out, but not before they congratulate themselves for at least “getting off the couch”.
Folks, you shouldn’t be fine with doing the least amount of work. Putting in the least amount of effort will get you the least amount of results. It shouldn’t be enough to simply walk around, you should be challenging your limits almost daily. I understand if you have a debilitating injury that limits your mobility, but most people don’t have debilitating injuries, they are just bloated and lazy.”
Directions on walking, in case you forgot.”
Conclusion
I really enjoyed reading this. I see this in the gym all the time. People get dressed in their “workout gear”, grab a sugar loaded gatorade, and sit on the bike and pedal at a slow to moderate pace for 15-20 minutes before calling it a day. 100 calories-burned later and mission accomplished. I get the same reaction when i talk to people about this. “well, at least they are in here trying”. I would much rather have people burn 100 calories playing with their kids or doing something active in the community then doing a moderate cardio routine like this. However, we live in a lazy society where convienience and luxury take priority over physical well being and activity. Do yourself a favor and surround you and your family with a group of people who live an active and healthy lifestyle so they hold you accountable when you say you are going for a 15 minute stationary bike ride and claim it to be a “workout”.

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

From South Bend,
Kevin

kdeeth21@gmail.com

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Guest Blog, Nutrition Leave a comment

Simply Become Who You Are

The “Simply Become Who You Are” cookbooks are in and now available for only $10.00.  These cookbooks are complications of recipes received by you wellness warriors over the last 16 months.  Many thanks go out to all of you skinnies that have helped contribute and participate in keeping our Wellness Program going.  The cookbooks make a fabulous gift for the holidays as I can’t imagine a better gift than giving someone the gift of health.  We only have around 50 copies left so get a move on!  The book has hundreds of recipes of healthy cooking options!  The books aren’t vegan or paleo but they are easy recipes that can be modified to fit the type of whole foods you are trying to incorporate into your diet.  Free of artificial ingredients and additives is how we roll!  Whole foods baby and eat your veggies!!!!

Call and reserve one today or stop by and pick one up at the office.

Michelle or Kathy  317-217-2626

Also a quick reminder that the IU West Fall Farmers Market will be held this Friday November 2nd from 10:30 to 2:00pm to get locally grown inexpensive whole food ingredients.  Happy cooking!

Another big reminder—The Biggest Loser contest will start Nov 1st!!!!  We already have many enrolled so get signed up!

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Genetic Roulette

Here is the trailer to Genetic Roulette which will help explain a little about GMO’s and why our food is making us so sick!  The version above is closed captioned and the one below is subtitled in spanish.

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

Indiana Persimmon Pudding

It’s that time of the year to harvest those Indiana persimmons.  Many of my patients make that traditional persimmon pudding and have offered to share their favorite recipe.  We have modified it some to make it a little friendlier to the Angela MD plan.  Persimmons have wonderful health benefits in that they contain the tannins catechins and gallocatechin which are antioxidants and help improve lipid metabolism.  They also contain the anti-tumor substance betulinic acid.  There is no fat in persimmons and they are loaded with vitamin c and calcium.  They also contain the substance Zea Xanthin which is thought to help with age related macular degeneration.  Cooked persimmons are used in many other cultures as a treatment for diarrhea.

Traditional Indiana Persimmon Pudding

2 cups persimmon pulp, removed from the skin

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar  (substitute with agave syrup)

2 cups all-purpose flour (substitute with 2 cups gram flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups milk (substitute with almond milk)

1 egg  (pastured and organic)

1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for buttering dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×9 baking dish and set aside

Stir the baking soda and sugar into the persimmon pulp and set aside.  This mixture may thicken as it sits… that’s ok!

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.  Add to the persimmon mixture all at once and stir until flour is almost completely incorporated.

Whisk together milk, egg and butter and add to the persimmon and flour mixture.  Batter will be very loose.  Pour into the baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour covered with foil, or uncovered.  If you make the pudding covered, you’ll have a very wet and moist pudding.  If you bake the pudding uncovered, you’ll have a drier pudding topped with a bread like crust.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

 

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