The Physician’s Perspective: Focus on Women's Health |
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My intention is to educate women on health topics related to nutrition. Both women and men will learn or review some of the important facts of nutrition with an emphasis on an anti-inflammatory diet: whole plant food based.
What makes me so interested in women's health? I am doubly Board Certified as an OB/GYN and Lifestyle Medicine. I also have a Master's Degree in Obesity and Exercise Physiology. I worked as an OB/GYN for over 27 years and had the chance to work with women of all ages. I incorporated the importance of exercise and movement with my patients due to my background, yet never was I trained to understand the significant impact of our western diet on our health.
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Don’t get me wrong the exercise and movement is good and removing fast food, excess carbs, (the bad ones) was helping somewhat. However, it is only when I became involved with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine that I realized how much I could change and improve the health of my patients with a focus on a whole food plant-based diet. It is therefore my reason to continuously trigger interest on how to improve your health and that of your loved ones with an accent on nutrition. It is with great pleasure that I now have the chance to practice with a group of like minded Physicians at Plant Based TeleHealth. We all share this desire of helping our population getting healthier focusing on a whole plant based diet. I am proud to be part of this growing field of Lifestyle Medicine Physicians.
My story as a physician is revealing. It showed me the importance of what we eat and using diet as a vital sign to your health. I offered a safe space to review the pros and cons, as well as clarifying misconceptions and perceptions on what we should eat or not eat, calories in and calories out (very confusing for some) and no, there is no quick fix like most of them would like to think when it comes to … losing weight. In itself a healthy diet does not really have a good definition as I have experienced with my own patients.
Here is an important fact from a study published in Lancet (a very prestigious scientific worldwide journal):
“Our findings show that a suboptimal diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risks globally, including tobacco smoking, highlighting the urgent need for improving human diet across nations. Although sodium, sugar, and fat have been the main focus of diet policy debate in the past two decades, our assessment shows that the leading dietary risk factors for mortality are diets high in sodium, low in whole grains, low in fruit, low in nuts and seeds, low in vegetables, and low in omega-3 fatty acids; each accounting for more than 2% of global deaths.” If you read between the lines, this means a diet that gravitates more toward Whole Plant Foods.
With that in mind, I am greatly interested in the Lifestyle Medicine approach and that is why I joined the Plant Based TeleHealth group of Physicians. These Physicians recognized the importance of nutrition in helping people to improve their health. We represent the future of Medicine and I begin to tell you the pleasure we all have to assist you gaining back your health.
I want to use this important message and invite you to keep an eye on our 8 weeks review on a topic related to the impact of diet and in our case whole plant food diet on women’s health.
In the meantime, if you are a woman, a woman with teenagers, a group of women (yes your significant other as well) and you would like to start on this new journey but don’t know where to start, I encourage you to communicate with us at plantbasedtelehealth.com. We offer personalized but also group visits to start on a journey of a whole food plant-based diet with our PlantpureRx program. It is actually very fun to share this new life with people you know and love.
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Rainbow Cabbage Slaw
This salad is sweet and crunchy, bright and beautiful, and makes eating colorful vegetables fun! Even non-salad eaters enjoy this salad, so it's a great option to take to a summer cookout.
But...it’s good any time of the year (not just summer), so keep it in rotation all year as a way to eat more cruciferous veggies!
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Ingredients:
For the Salad:
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded Options: Can shred in a food processor, thinly slice, or buy pre-shredded
- 2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 apple, chopped
- 3 TBSP raisins
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds lightly toasted or raw
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup raw nuts (I especially like pecans, but any will do)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 apple, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
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Instructions:
For the salad:
- Combine cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, one chopped apple, raisins to a large bowl and toss together.
For the dressing:
- In a high-powered blender, add pecans, almonds, water, the other chopped apple, and vinegar. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss until well-coated. Start with adding a small amount of dressing, and add more as needed.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and/or pumpkin seeds and serve.
- Can store in a sealed container for 24 hours, as this salad gets better over time!
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Navigating Summer Social Events While Eating WFPB |
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With the summer in full swing -- and many people making up for lost time planning social gatherings this year, you may find yourself struggling to stay on track with health goals and new habits that you've worked hard to achieve. Here are some pointers to up your chances of success! You can still have fun while enjoying and sharing healthy choices.
1) Plan ahead. Develop a strategy ahead of time if you have a planned outing where you know there will be a lot of food and drinks that you're trying to avoid. Especially if it's not a "pitch-in" type event --consider eating a nutritious meal beforehand or taking something to snack on if there aren't good choices. Or, if you're going to a restaurant, Google the menu beforehand and decide what you'll order, and then stick to it before you get tempted. Sometimes the sides on the menu can make up an entire meal.
2) Take along a healthy dish to share (and to eat!) Cookouts hosted by friends or family are a great opportunity to bring along a favorite healthy dish to eat -- and share! Think of this as an opportunity to show your friends or family how delicious plant-based food really is! Be sure to make one of your favorites in case there are not a lot of other options for you.
3) Focus on veggie trays, salads, and fresh summer fruits. Luckily, most summer events include some delicious fresh fruits and salads because they are easy to prep and bring to social events. If your plate is filled with vegetables and grains but no hotdogs and mac&cheese...good for you!
4) Mocktails! Refreshing, hydrating...and won't leave you tempted to binge on junk food. While people often still enjoy alcohol in moderation while eating whole-food plant-based, remember that a couple of drinks may end up leaving you craving sugar and feeling more tempted to indulge in less healthy options. After all, alcohol impairs our judgment. One way to avoid this pitfall is to fix yourself refreshing fizzy water garnished with sliced fresh fruit. It looks festive and does not give you a headache or lead to bad decisions. 😉
5) Give yourself grace and move forward. Finally, if you do find yourself indulging in some foods that aren't what you normally try to eat...remember that one bad choice does not cancel out all your efforts and progress. Think about how you can be more successful the next time and focus on the fact that good health is a journey.
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