The Physician’s Perspective: Celebrate May... and your health! |
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The month of May is named for the Roman goddess Maia who oversaw the growth of plants. The emerald is the birthstone in May, which symbolizes success and love. The UK celebrates May as National Smile Month. May also celebrates National Recommitment Month. What a great way to think about making May the month to recommit to health by using Lifestyle Medicine to address the root causes of disease, rather than just treating illness symptoms. If you are on medications, use this month to be healthier so you can reduce the amount you need if approved by your physician. If you are not on medications, use this month to be the healthiest you can so you never have to start any. |
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In Lifestyle Medicine, we recognize that 80% of chronic diseases are caused by lifestyle habits. This means we have control of our own health. We can choose to prevent, slow, and reverse many chronic diseases by making the healthiest lifestyle choices possible every day.
Success happens when we eat a variety of healthy whole plants while avoiding animal products and processed foods. How serendipitous that May 19th is World Plant a Vegetable Garden Day and the 20th is Pick Strawberries Day. It is actually true that an apple a day can help keep the doctor away.
Moving more is paramount to being healthy. Exercise and movement even decrease cancer risk! The first Saturday in May happens to be National Fitness Day, and May 21st is National Bike to Work Day. Find ways you can move more every day in May, and throughout the year, so that you can be as physically and mentally fit as possible.
Another component of Lifestyle Medicine is to stress less. Sleeping well, smiling, and laughing more, along with other techniques, will make you healthier. May 3rd is Garden Meditation Day. Talk about de-stressing. Not only would you meditate, but being out in your garden and in nature also helps decrease stress. May 16th is Love A Tree Day, and May 30th is Water a Flower Day! Put those days on your calendar to remind you to meditate, love a tree (by planting one or just being near a tree), and water flowers. You may feel better and be healthier those days.
In Lifestyle Medicine, we advocate avoiding toxic substances. May 31st is Memorial Day and World No Tobacco Day, so if you smoke, May is the time to quit. Think of what other toxins you can avoid or stop during May so that you can be happier and healthier!
Finally, an essential component of Lifestyle Medicine is to love/be loved more. This can happen by engaging more in our family units and communities. May 18th is Visit A Relative Day. Your family can be that which you are born into or that which you make. Make a plan to visit with friends (who can be considered your chosen family) in person. If you have blood relatives who make your life better but live far away, reach out to them by phone or on Zoom that day.
Finding a purpose or a reason to get up every morning will make you healthier. My "purpose" is to help others live happier and healthier lives. Thank you for letting me share these suggestions with you so that you can have a wonderful May and year.
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Stuffed Peppers with Spinach & Mushrooms
In addition to being appealing to the eye, these stuffed peppers pack a delicious nutritional punch! Stuffed with whole grains, beans, mushrooms, spinach, and herbs your mouth will be watering as your body is flooded with phytonutrients.
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Ingredients:
- 6 large bell peppers
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup oat bran
- ½ tsp marjoram
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 10 oz or more of fresh or frozen spinach
- 10 oz mushrooms
- 1 jar tomato sauce (I like Muir Glen Roasted Garlic)
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Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a pan large enough to hold the peppers, so they won’t stick.
- Wash, slice, and sauté the mushrooms until the juices are reabsorbed and they are fully cooked. Then set aside.
- Steam or water sauté fresh spinach, or thaw frozen, and set aside.
- Prep the peppers by slicing the tops off so they can be placed back on top, and clean out the seeds.
- Place the peppers standing up in the pan on top of the sauce.
- Next, prepare the filling. Using a food processor to chop the walnuts into tiny pieces, pour into a large bowl, and set aside for later.
- Process the garbanzo beans and brown rice in the food processor until a coarse mash forms.
- Add the mash to the walnuts and then stir in the oat bran, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, liquid aminos, and mustard.
- Now comes the fun part! Mash the mixture together with your hands until it is well mixed and sticks together.
- Divide the mixture into six equal pieces and place each piece into a pepper. Push it down into the pepper so about ¾ of the pepper is filled. (You may have some mixture left over, depending on the size of your peppers)
- Top with a little bit of sauce, then add spinach and mushrooms, top with more tomato sauce, and replace the top of the pepper.
- Cook for 45 – 50 minutes, or until the tops start to brown.
- You can heat up the remaining tomato sauce to serve on the side, or over the sliced stuffed peppers.
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5 Tips For Healthy Weight Loss Through Whole Food Plant-Based Eating |
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Weight loss is a common topic and desire for so many people. Part of the reason that extra weight is so prevalent in our communities is that the processed food that is so readily available is literally manufactured to make us crave them. So, not only do we crave the processed food -- but the food we’re craving is bad for us, leading to weight gain!
There is good news. Eating the right foods and transitioning to a whole food plant-based diet will alleviate the cravings. There are many tools available to help with this process. Here are some tips if you are using whole plant-based foods to lose weight.
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Focus on what you CAN eat -- not what you can’t. What you can eat includes lots of fiber-rich foods! Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes take center stage. There are so many delicious ways to prepare these foods. Have fun with it!
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Pay attention to calorie density. Whole plant-based foods are full of nutrients and are less calorically dense. This means you are actually able to eat more in volume when sticking to real, fresh, plant-based foods! At least half of your plate should be loaded with non-starchy vegetables.
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Remove oils, salt, and sugar from your cooking ingredients. These are all so common (especially in American cooking) but are truly not needed. Use spices and low-sodium broth for flavoring and cooking instead of oil and salt. Your taste buds will get used to it and you’ll enjoy the actual flavor of foods more than ever.
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Stay active. In conjunction with fueling your body, add activity! After filling your diet with fresh whole, plant-based foods -- your energy level will likely increase. Enjoy this perk and get outside for a walk, bike ride, or go for a swim. Whatever you choose, adding activity to your days will help you feel better and lose weight.
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Use a support system. If you have a partner or friend who is also committed to plant-based eating, let them know you’re starting this journey and ask for their support. It’s fun to have someone to cook with and to share recipes and successes with. If you don’t have someone like this yet, look for online communities or consider working with a lifestyle medicine doctor to get started. Once your friends and family see how great you look and feel, they’ll likely want to learn more!
Remember this is a lifestyle. Think of this as a journey for your health -- a permanent change, not a quick scheme. Losing weight through whole-food plant-based eating will impact your health in many positive ways, not simply through weight loss. There will be days that are harder than others, but any setbacks should not be seen as failures. Rather, determine what the challenge was that day and better prepare yourself for the next.
If your health could benefit from weight loss, our PlantBased TeleHealth physicians are here to help. The doctors each successfully embarked on their own whole-food plant-based journey at some point! They are now passionate about helping others achieve their own health goals and optimum wellness.
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