The Basic Science of Carbohydrates What are carbohydrates, and how do they increase our hunger and cause us to become overweight? Carbohydrate is the term for a wide range of molecules that are often categorized as starch, sugar or fiber. They are usually derived from plant leaves, roots, seeds or fruit. A few exceptions […]
How Processed Carbohydrates Fuel Your Hunger Part 1 Read More »
Weight loss can significantly decrease your chances of developing diabetes, and also significantly decrease your health insurance premiums. One of the largest health insurers in the nation, UnitedHealth Group, has developed an approach to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and to increase the health of the American public. This program is predicted to
Decreased Weight = Decreased Insurance Costs Read More »
Dairy is commonly forgotten for its protein content. All dairy has some form of protein, and some are higher than others. Cottage cheese is the dairy option with the highest amount of protein. A half cup serving contains between 100-120 calories, between 10-15 g of protein and a low amount of carbohydrates (3-6 grams). The
A No-Cook Type of Protein? Cottage Cheese Read More »
Not only are eggs the most cost efficient protein to buy, but eggs also have the highest quality of all protein sources. Protein quality is determined by a standard to the amount of essential amino acids in the protein. Within an egg, half of the amount of protein is found in the white, the other
Best Protein To Buy? Eggs. Read More »
For those readers that say that water is too bland, tea is too bitter, and coffee is only good when loaded with sweeteners, read this post to get that last push of momentum towards drinking all natural water. You’ve heard time and time again that drinking carbonated pop drinks adds calories quite quickly to your
Why Your ‘Diet’ Drink Isn’t Good for Your Diet Read More »
As many readers have argued, juice is good for you. Why not? It comes from fruit, and fruit is loaded with vitamins and nutrients that our body needs. Fact of the matter, juice is an excellent source of vitamins, but it is loaded with sugar. The sugar in juice may be one of the causes
Juice Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk Read More »
A low carbohydrate program is not entirely removing carbohydrates from the diet, simply reducing the amount. Breads are a high source of carbohydrates, and given that their main ingredient is wheat, (which is considered by the public to be a healthy grain) why should bread be considered unhealthy? Sadly, bread today is not the same
Avoid Bread in Your Low Carb Program Read More »
The approach taken on this blog is not the Adkin’s diet. Completely eliminating carbohydrates is not the intention, but more a reduction. Reducing the amount of carbohydrates eaten in a day and increasing protein in the diet is one of the best steps toward weight loss. Besides the benefits of weight reduction, reducing carbohydrates in
How to Start Your Low Carb Diet Read More »
Fast food restaurants are usually the quickest option for a meal, but unfortunately one of the more unhealthy options as well. With the average fast food meal ranging upwards of 1,000 calories or more it is no surprise that the ‘convenient’ meal choice hasn’t been too convenient on American’s waistlines. What would be a better
How to Make Fast Food Healthier Read More »
This argument is brought up more often than people realize. If you feel you are at a healthy point in your life then weight loss is not the direction you should be headed. But how can you get healthier? How else can you prolong your life? To what degree can you be healthy and live
I'm Healthy, Why Should I Lose the Weight? Read More »
I recently had the pleasure to travel to the beautiful city of Chicago to visit friends, dine at a few nice restaurants and escape the generally maddening pace of running my medical practice. During our visit we decided to go to Gino’s East to enjoy some of their famous deep dish pizza. Now, many of
When Deciding What to Eat, Be Sure To Make It ‘Carb Worthy’ Read More »
I recently had the pleasure to travel to the beautiful city of Chicago to visit friends, dine at a few nice restaurants and escape the generally maddening pace of running my medical practice. During our visit we decided to go to Gino’s East to enjoy some of their famous deep dish pizza. Now, many of
When Deciding What to Eat, Be Sure To Make It ‘Carb Worthy’ Read More »
Do you need to eat carbohydrates to fuel your body? No. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are digested in the intestinal tract and transformed into a molecule known as glucose; this is the substance commonly referred to as blood sugar. Glucose is utilized as a energy source primarily for the brain and a small amount for
Myth: You Need to Eat Carbohydrates To Fuel Your Body Read More »
There are many myths surrounding weight loss. It’s difficult to tell if the bits of advice about weight loss are true or false. One commonly encountered bit of advice is that drinking a glass of water before a meal will help you lose weight. Is this true? Yes, if you drink a lot of water.
Myth or Fact: Drinking Water Helps You To Lose Weight Read More »
This week there have been many articles circling the web relating to the issue of childhood obesity. The First Lady is pushing her “Let’s Move” campaign towards taking a community approach to changing the way children are living today. The senate is set to discuss limiting the access of junk food in cafeterias and vending
The Good and Bad of School Lunch Read More »
In a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers identified 4 factors tied to reduced disease risk: never smoking, having a body mass index (BMI) lower than 30, performing at least 3.5 hours per week of physical activity, and following a healthy diet. Participants with all 4 factors had a 78% lower
How To Prevent Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Attacks and Strokes Read More »
One of the few things patients can do is to ask their physician if there is a cheaper version of the medication you are being prescribed. If you take a once-a-day medication, there is often cheaper twice-a-day version that is just as effective. I try to always give my patients the option of the cheaper twice-daily version especially
How To Save Some Money When Visiting Your Doctor Read More »
I view the purpose of my blog as a source of scientifically valid and well-reasoned nutrition and health advice for my patients and I actively try to avoid entering discussions about health care economics and policy. But I believe the recent deterioration of health insurance benefits have crossed a critical threshold and are now a threat to
Does Your Health Insurance Put Your Health At Risk? Read More »
My recent post, Saturated (Animal) Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease has generated numerous e-mails and comments that seem to focus on the connection between our dietary cholesterol intake and the fact that vascular plaques that lead to arterial blockage also contain cholesterol. One read wrote, “If dietary fat intake doesn’t lead to increased cholesterol
A Reply To Comments About ‘Saturated (Animal) Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease’ Read More »
Ever since 1953 when a physiologist named Ancel Keys, Ph.D. compared fat intake and deaths from heart disease in seven countries including the U.S., the American medical establishment has clung to an unproven belief that saturated fat was evil. But in 1957, Jacob Yerushalmy, Ph.D. established this research was false and that Keys was guilty of only
Saturated (Animal) Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease Read More »
While obesity has become a prevalent issue in America, the many Americans that are obese may not realize how they have become the weight they are today. Energy balance has been demonstrated repeatedly by many different organizations as a way to maintain or lose weight. This energy balance is demonstrated by examining the amount of
Lifestyle May Be a Reason to Being Overweight Read More »
A recently published study from the University of North Carolina looking at trends in snacking behavior probably won’t surprise you: Almost all adults (97%) now report snacking at least once a day (up from 71% in the 70s) Adults are snacking more frequently per day. Our snacks contain higher amounts of salt and carbohydrates (dessert foods, salty
America, The Snacking Nation Read More »
Obesity is now a bigger overall threat to people’s health than smoking, according to results of the longest ongoing health study of adults in the United States. Obesity causes as much or more disease than tobacco, says the study, conducted by researchers from Columbia University and the City College of New York. It adds that
French Fries Are The New Cigarette Of Health Read More »
In terms of carbohydrates, an overall reduction of processed, simple carbohydrates in the diet is the best approach for weight loss while maintaining satiety. Specifically, the carbohydrate reduction in the diet should focus on consuming more protein and less bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and corn. Along with that list, a natural reduction of sugars and
Beans Are Good for You Read More »
For most of many of our adult lives, the common dietary recommendation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has consisted of advice telling us to reduce out saturated fat (fats coming from red meat and dairy products) intake. Reducing saturated fat was thought to be the primarily means of lowering our LDL-cholesterol (the ‘bad
"Just Say No To Low (Fat)" Read More »
FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals about a counterfeit and potentially harmful version of Alli 60 mg capsules (120 count refill kit). The counterfeit version contained the controlled substance sibutramine and did not contain orlistat, the active ingredient. Sibutramine is a drug that should not be used in certain patient populations or without physician oversight.
Caution: Counterfeit Alli Products Detected Read More »
Many patients I see in my practice are taking fish oil supplements and don’t really understand why they are beneficial but just that everyone seems to recommend taking them. Fish and certain plant and nut oils are common natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids are special molecules that have a wide array of
How Much Fish Oil Should I Take And Why? Read More »
One of the most intriguing aspects about reducing your carbohydrate intake is the surprising sculpting effect it has on your body. This seems to be most notable in women because they genetically carry a greater proportion of fat in the hips and thighs are much more apt to notice a change in how their skirt
Your Pants Will Feel Looser Before Your Scale Says You’re Lighter Read More »
One of the most intriguing aspects about reducing your carbohydrate intake is the surprising sculpting effect it has on your body. This seems to be most notable in women because they genetically carry a greater proportion of fat in the hips and thighs are much more apt to notice a change in how their skirt
Your Pants Will Feel Looser Before Your Scale Says You’re Lighter Read More »
Waking still fatigued in the morning in spite of sleeping for many hours is referred to as ‘non-restorative sleep’ and is one of the hallmark symptoms of a variety of sleep disorders. The most common sleep disorder is Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea causes abnormal breathing when asleep and leads to prolonged periods of low blood
Tired Even After A Long Night’s Rest? Read More »
Medical Disclaimer: The information presented on this website is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, and does not create any patient-physician relationship.
