The humble mushroom has been utilized as a core ingredient in a variety of recipes for as long as people have been cooking. It’s rich flavor has led it to become the second most popular pizza topping, and one of the most sought after delicacies for gourmet meals.
If your concierge family doctors at MD 2.0, offered you a drug that could cut your heart disease and diabetes risk, mitigate various pains including joint pain and migraines, prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections, help you lose weight, and keep you looking younger, how much would you be willing to pay for it?
Most of us have encountered heartburn, that aptly named condition that feels as if your heart is on fire. And many of us automatically turn to so-called “acid neutralizers,” either the older types of antacids (Tums, Rolaids, etc.) or the newer proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).
Given all the chemical additives which have appeared in our food over the last several decades, it’s no wonder that so many people have been trying to eat natural foods as often as possible. And unprocessed foods are unarguably healthier overall.
If one of your New Year’s resolutions includes improving your overall health, one of the best ways you can achieve that is through a healthy diet. But what exactly does “a healthy diet” mean? Too many people think “eating healthy” means dining solely on rabbit food: carrots, lettuce, and a serving of water on the side. This doesn’t have to be the case. Your concierge primary care doctors at MD 2.0 Jupiter in Jupiter, Florida, prefer to call it “sensible eating,” and the payoffs can be enormous.
Take, for example, Generic Lisinopril, which has been making people healthier for 20 years. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension—the DASH diet—is recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) because of its proven effect on lowering blood pressure in both hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients.
In addition to improving cardiovascular health, the diet has been shown to help prevent cancer, reduce the incidence of diabetes, and improve kidney health. Finally, and not incidentally, one of the “side effects” of the diet is effective short-term and long-term weight loss. For its general effect on health, U.S. News and World Report has ranked the DASH diet the best diet for seven years in a row.
So what are the features of the DASH diet? Rather than strict rules, it provides more in the way of guidelines. These include: eating more fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts, fish, poultry, whole grains, and low-fat or nonfat dairy, and less full-fat dairy products, fatty meats, sugar-sweetened drinks, and sweets. Consumption of less salt (sodium) is also encouraged, but not required. However, many of the recommended foods on the plan are naturally low in sodium, so a good deal of salt reduction occurs incidentally.
The impetus for the research came when medical science was focused solely on the effect of salt on high blood pressure. Researchers who designed the DASH diet wanted to look at the way a diet high in nutrients, not just low in sodium, would impact hypertension. The results were gratifying.
The DASH diet is rich in fiber, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, nutrients which improve the body’s electrolyte balance, thus relaxing blood vessels as well as promoting excretion of excess fluid, both of which result in lower blood pressure. It emphasizes variety, portion size, and natural foods. And by including a good balance of lean protein, it helps satisfy hunger and maintain energy.
The diet was originally developed in the 1990s as part of a research study designed to see whether blood pressure could be reduced through a dietary approach. The results were remarkable. Subjects were able to reduce their blood pressure significantly in just two weeks, and the less salt that was consumed the lower the blood pressure achievement.
Later studies found that the DASH diet also served to lower total LDL and cholesterol, and reduced the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, even years later.
So, if you’re looking for a diet that will improve your overall health as well as your waistline, you can’t go wrong with the DASH approach. There are myriad books available that provide the specifics, and sample menu plans can easily be found on the Internet. And of course, if you have specific questions about incorporating the DASH approach to healthier living, we can help you tailor the plan’s guidelines to meet your calorie requirements based on your weight, height, gender, age, and activity level.
This time of year, the halls, the malls, and many American kitchens are thick with the scent of cinnamon. The flavor and aroma trigger warm memories of childhood, recalling cinnamon in spiced teas and ciders, sprinkled over sugar cookies, or dusted atop a glass of eggnog.
Thanksgiving . . . friends, family, and feasting. And, for most people, the aromas of turkey, stuffing, and pies wafting through the house.
There are so many health-related supplements on the market these days (one figure puts the number at 55,000), with so many claims about their efficacy, that it’s hard to keep up.
Your concierge doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter, Florida, hesitate to rain on your Halloween parade, but we believe it’s important that you’re aware of the latest research on the possible role that sugar plays in cancer stimulation.
Approximately one percent of the population suffers from celiac disease, and their reaction to the gluten in even a small crouton can be diarrhea, abdominal bloating and pain, fatigue, seizures or migraines, severe weight loss, and many other unpleasant and even dangerous symptoms.
