Tag: nutrition

Explore and Feel the Pride

You’ve done it! You’ve decided to undertake a new physical activity. Perhaps it’s an endurance activity like running, cycling, or swimming. Or maybe it’s an activity that requires more strength and balance, such as weight training or yoga. Maybe it is not even a physical activity. Let’s say you’ve committed to an academic pursuit, such as a course through a school or university or even a self-education venture. How about a project at home or work?

Whatever it is that you have decided to tackle, you will derive significant benefits from it. First, there is the joy of the activity itself. This is especially true when you begin to get into a state of flow, also referred to as “getting in the zone.” You know what I’m talking about, right? What an incredible feeling! Physical activities have their own set of remarkable bonuses. We are likely all familiar with the “runner’s high” that occurs due to the release of the body’s endorphins. These feel-good chemicals produced by our own bodies during exercise bind to the same brain receptors that opioids do. However, unlike pharmaceutical opioids, these will create a positive state of mind without the potential for dangerous side effects. In addition, exercise often gives your muscles that awesome feeling of being “pumped.”

Another benefit of beginning a new venture is a sense of accomplishment and pride when you’ve completed all or even part of it. And finally, there is the discovery, learning, and growth that goes along with new pursuits. I personally find this aspect exceptionally rewarding. I thoroughly enjoy reading non-fiction books because discovering new ideas exhilarates me. Last year, I attended an emergency medicine conference on airway management. I acquired a great deal of knowledge and had the opportunity to sharpen my skills and learn a few new ones. I experienced a wonderful feeling of satisfaction on my drive back home. 

I encourage not only physical activities but also exploring and expanding your horizons so that you may learn new things and experience personal growth. Have you been thinking about beginning a new form of exercise or committing to a project or academic course? Kudos to you! Move forward with it and reap the many rewards.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and found it informative. Please feel free to pass it on. Until next time…be well. 

Photo Credit: Jarod Lovekamp/pexels.com

Search For the Fun Stuff

Do what’s fun!  Regarding food and exercise, eat the foods and participate in the activities you enjoy—those things that excite you and leave you feeling fantastic. This was the main idea in my last post.

However, it’s not always easy to find the foods that make your mouth water and the types of exercise that resonate with you. Sometimes, it takes a little work, along with trial and error. There are likely many healthy foods and varieties of physical training out there that you find dull, boring, or just plain dislike, and that’s okay.

I’d like you to understand, though, that it can sometimes take several exposures to a food or activity before you begin to enjoy it. Yes, it is possible to dislike something initially but then grow to appreciate it over time. Moreover, I’ve read that it can take eight to twelve exposures to a new food before you begin to savor it. A few tips: trying new foods as part of recipes can create a more pleasurable experience. Additionally, engaging in physical activities with friends can make them much more gratifying.

What happens if you have tried something many times and still dislike it? Well, that’s okay. Continue to be flexible and try something else. There are countless options for healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds) and so many different forms of exercise that you can try. I encourage you to explore and experiment until you find the right things for you. 

When I began my journey into healthier living, I started adding broccoli and peppers to my diet. At first, I was not a big fan and didn’t really care for their taste. However, I knew they were good for me, so I gave them a chance. I persisted in eating them once or twice a week and soon found that I was genuinely enjoying them. Now, all these years later, I am still eating and savoring these vegetables. 

So, as I mentioned above, explore and experiment with the innumerable choices available until you find those that are perfect for you. And when you do, go out there and relish them!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and found it informative. Please feel free to pass it on to anyone you feel might benefit.

Photo Credit: Michail_Petrov-96/istockphoto.com

Which Consequences Matter to You?

ThamKC/istockphoto.com

One day this past summer, I was driving a friend home, and he was hungry. I stopped at a pizzeria, and he bought a meatball parm hero that he began eating on the drive. At one point, he took a bite, and a small piece of meatball, along with some sauce and oil, dropped out of the sandwich and onto his shirt. He immediately tried wiping it off with a napkin and was understandably upset because he thought his shirt might be permanently stained. 

As I glanced over at him, a thought popped into my head. Yes, he was justifiably concerned that his shirt may be ruined. However, what about the other consequences of that meatball hero? He was eating a sandwich filled with sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Although these substances would increase his risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, he did not seem disturbed about these potential health outcomes. Why was that? Why was he more concerned about what the sandwich did to his shirt than what it could potentially do to his health?

The major reason lies in the various types of consequences. His stained shirt was an immediate consequence. It happened at the time he was eating it, was quite obvious, and thus connected to the sandwich. However, the possible adverse health consequences mentioned are not so apparent. If they are going to occur, they will likely not arise for five, ten, or even twenty years. Those would be considered delayed consequences, occurring so far into the future that it would be exceedingly difficult to link them to the sandwich. 

Immediate consequences clearly have an enormous difference in impact compared to delayed consequences. Let us imagine that the opposite was possible for a moment—that immediately after eating the sandwich, my friend suffered a heart attack. If this was the case, I could pretty much guarantee that he would never eat a meatball parm hero again. 

I realize that I’ve made a bit of a stretch here. Eating a single unhealthy meal is not going to have unfavorable health effects, even after years have passed. However, consistently consuming unhealthy foods will most certainly increase the risk of poor health. The impact of each meal will add up over time until the outcomes become apparent. 

Please remember the difference between immediate and delayed consequences and their importance in your life. Just some food for thought (pun intended).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you enjoyed it and found it informative. If you know of anyone who may benefit, please feel free to share it.

FitMinute Podcast

I had a great conversation with Gabrielle Mazar on her podcast. The episode was called “The True Impact of Lifestyle on Your Health” and a lot of valuable information was shared.

Topics discussed include the importance of awareness about the foods you eat (they may not be as healthy as you think), the pillars of a healthy lifestyle and the reasons why your genes do not control your destiny.

Please click the link below to if you’d like to listen:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-true-impact-of-lifestyle-on-your-health-with/id1443979121?i=1000624591144

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or via the Contact page of this website.

Enjoy and be well!

Commercials that Raise Questions


Max Rahubovskiy/pexels.com

A few weeks ago, while I was taking a break from a busy ER shift in the doctor’s lounge, the television was on, and commercials were airing. The first two were promoting popular fast-food restaurant chains. The third was an advertisement for a chocolate cookie produced by a famous cookie company. Finally, the fourth was touting the benefits of a well-known prescription medication to help control the metabolic derangements caused by type 2 diabetes (DM2). 

Watching this sequence of promotions, I was struck by how absurd and illogical this seemed. As many of you may be aware, DM2 is predominantly a disease of lifestyle—individuals develop this disease by consistently eating unhealthy foods. It is preventable and reversible by living a healthy lifestyle. And here were three commercials endorsing foods that can lead to the development of DM2, followed by a commercial advocating for a medication that can help control the damage created by DM2, which, of course, was caused by the foods advertised in the preceding ads. 


Please realize that I am not telling anyone what they should and should not eat—that is a personal choice. I share this story because it stirred my thoughts and raised questions in my mind, and I hope it does the same for you. 


Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope that you enjoyed it and found it informative. Feel free to leave comments and also feel free to share it with anyone that you think may benefit from it.

Revel in the Journey

Krivec Ales/pexels.com

In recent posts, I’ve written a lot about goals and mentioned how having positive and worthwhile objectives is fantastic. Moreover, while striving for and achieving milestones is euphoric, something else should be recognized and appreciated—the process.


Your journey toward your goal should be an enjoyable one. If you have an exercise goal and have committed to activities such as walking, running, biking, or swimming—love the feelings. Enjoy the feeling of your heart racing, of breaking a sweat, of the burn in your pumping muscles, and of that “runners high.” It truly is exhilarating. Although I work hard during an intense exercise session, I feel invigorated and focused. Even a leisurely walk with my dogs provides me with feelings of well-being and clarity. 


If you want to genuinely live a healthy life and have a goal of eating well in addition to being physically active, then eat healthy foods that you enjoy. Fill your plate with colors and flavors that make your mouth water. There are countless ways to prepare vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains into delectable meals. Eating fruits ȧ la carte is also a wonderful experience. I often bite into a juicy apple or pop some grapes into my mouth and relish a sweet and savory moment. There’s nothing quite like eating foods appreciated by both your taste buds as well as the rest of you. 


Revel in the incredible and healthful experiences that you create for yourself.


Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you have enjoyed it. If you know of anyone who might benefit, please feel free to share it.

Got Fiber?

Viktoria Slowikowska/pexels.com

In my last post, I wrote about fiber and its many health benefits. I mentioned that it lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. I also stated that it reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and several types of cancer. As an added bonus, it makes you feel fuller sooner and without increasing your caloric intake.  

I stated how many different types of fiber are the food of choice for the 39 trillion bacteria living in our gut—our gut microbiome. Moreover, a thriving gut microbiome is responsible for many of the health benefits of fiber. When the bacteria in our gut are presented with different types of fiber, they produce small molecules called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Aside from providing several of the health miracles described earlier, SCFAs also provide 70% of the energy needed by the cells of our colon, which will keep them functioning well. 

To digress for a moment, have you ever heard of leaky gut syndrome? I certainly have. Over the years, I’ve had many patients who have told me they have this condition. But what exactly is a leaky gut? I mean, how does one’s gut leak? Well, it all comes down to the health of our colon cells. These cells are held closely together by molecules called tight junctions. If these junctions work normally, the colon cells will be held closely together. If these junctions are not operating as they should, the colon cells will separate, and there will now be spaces between cells. Substances within the gut, such as bacteria, bacterial toxins, and molecules from food, can now move through these openings and find themselves outside the gut. This, my friends, is a leaky gut.

You may wonder why it is such a problem if these things “leak” out of your gut. Well, the fact that 70% of your immune system lives just outside the gut is one big reason. When your immune system encounters these things, it can lead to allergies, excessive inflammation, and even autoimmunity. Furthermore, the muscles and nerves within the gut can be adversely affected, leading to distressing symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain. 

Once again, I’d like to point out that you can lower the risk of developing many diseases and also allow yourself the opportunity to feel fantastic through the simple act of eating whole, healthy foods.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you enjoyed it and found it informative. If so, please feel free to share it. 

What’s All the Fuss About Fiber?

Ella Olsson/pexels.com

What do foods such as broccoli, peppers, bananas, and apples have in common? Sure, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are essential to good health. The other indispensable component that they have is fiber. 

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about fiber. But, why is fiber so important for good health? What IS all the fuss about fiber? That is a terrific question, and I’m glad you asked.

Books can and have been written about the benefits of fiber. In this post and the next, I will distill down a few of the critical points. 

You’ve probably heard that fiber can help you poop regularly. That’s true, and that is an important benefit of fiber. However, there is so much more to fiber than just helping to keep us pooping regularly.

First, it’s important to understand that our bodies cannot digest fiber, and we get no calories directly from fiber. Having said that, one of the things that fiber does is that it increases satiety. That’s right; it makes us feel full without increasing our caloric intake. That is a great thing in and of itself. Fiber also increases insulin sensitivity, which decreases the risk of diabetes. It lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. It also reduces the risk of heart disease as well as several cancers, such as colon cancer.

Now, if we can’t digest fiber, how does it work its miracles within us? Another great question—you’re on a roll. Fiber is actually the food of choice for the 39 trillion bacteria that live in our guts, also called our gut microbiome. Further discussion on that in my next post. Fun fact: 39 trillion microbes are living in our guts. Do you know how many human cells your body is made up of? About 30 trillion—give or take a trillion. Think about that—your body is likely composed of more bacterial than human cells. Amazing, right?

Moreover, we have an important relationship with these gut bacteria, and they are vital for good health. Thus, it would behoove us to give our gut bacteria what they need to thrive. And as mentioned earlier, their food of choice is fiber—many different fiber types. 

Where do we get lots of different kinds of fiber? It comes from eating a variety of plant-based foods, especially whole plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, oatmeal, flaxseed, and whole wheat pasta. Fiber is only found in plant foods. Animal foods have zero fiber. 

One last thing: if you currently don’t eat many fiber-containing foods and want to start, that is fantastic. However, there is an important warning. Let’s say that your only source of fiber is something like a banana a day. If you go directly from that to eating five or six servings of fiber-containing foods the next day, you will likely feel pretty bad. You may experience abdominal pain, bloating, and feel gassy. The best way to increase your fiber intake is to do it slowly. If you’re starting low, then please go slow. 

Solely by the simple act of eating whole, healthy foods, we can help improve and maintain excellent health.

Next time: Fiber part II.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it informative. If you did, please feel free to share it.

The Swap Challenge: Week Four

Welcome to the end of the final week of the Swap Challenge!

I hope everyone was able to swap out at least one unhealthy meal for a healthy one each week over the past month. More importantly, I hope that you found it delicious and satisfying. 

This week I’d like to share a tuna recipe without the tuna. It uses chickpeas and vegan mayonnaise and is delicious.

You can find it here: Chuna Salad Sandwich.

When I made mine, I didn’t have the pickles, and it was still mouthwatering.

If you are just beginning your journey to a healthy lifestyle, I hope this was a great start for you.

Be well!

The Swap Challenge: Week Three

How are you doing for week three of The Swap Challenge?

I hope that you have swapped out at least one unhealthy meal for a healthy one this week and are feeling great about it. 

This week I made sweet potato-black bean enchiladas. This recipe was a bit more involved, but definitely worth it! 

You can find it here: sweet potato-black bean enchiladas.

One more week to go!