Sure you can! This is a biggie for me since I love Tex-Mex!
First, here are some danger spots: Chips, Salsa, and tortillas primarily. For the chips and salsa, I recommend that if you HAVE to have it, do it this way: Take the basket of chips, take about 5 out and ask them to take the basket away. Then, break the chips into smaller pieces to dip in the salsa. After all, it's the salsa we're after, not the chip when we eat it right? Also, try to order as quickly as possible to minimize the time you're left in front of chips/salsa. And remember, you don't need an appetizer if you have chips and salsa, that will keep you from over indulging.
Most of these spots have GREAT fajita salads. Use Salsa for dressing. It will fill you up! If not, order fajitas, and avoid the rice, maybe eat only the fajita meat or chicken, mixed with the veggies and some guacamole. If you MUST have tortillas, try to eat only one, and eat the meat alone after that. Or, put a TON of meat into one tortilla and that should be enough. Also, many times (most of the time) fajitas for 1 is enough for two, so if two of you want fajitas, order for only one and you'll have plenty!
Often times you can get a GREAT grilled chicken dish with onions and bell pepper on it. That's a great way to go also. Try to avoid the rice as usual.
There's a few options, so if Tex Mex is your fav, you can now go there minus the guilt!! As always, in restaurants, be willing to ask for a "to go" box immediately and put 1/2 your meal away to take home to avoid too many calories!
Be Well!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Drink This Not That??
Are you kidding me? Read the article linked below, but ignore the "drink this instead of that" part. Stay away from all of that toxic stuff, except maybe for an occasional treat.
http://tiny.cc/n4qrR
http://tiny.cc/n4qrR
Thursday, July 2, 2009
More Drugs and Surgery
Yea that's the answer. Considering that we have more new drugs and surgeries available than ever before in the history of man, how's that working out for us? How much healthier are we? Read the obesity report below. In 1991 no state had an obesity rate of 20%. Now? Only 1 state DOESN'T!! Me thinks it's NOT working out well for us.
The problem is, in America, we have such a short term mentality about health. "A pill for every ill" is our thought process. So we pour more chemicals into our body, we take out body parts, I guess because we obviously have just too many body parts for our own good.
Remember, to BE WELL, we must Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well and Rest Well.
The problem is, in America, we have such a short term mentality about health. "A pill for every ill" is our thought process. So we pour more chemicals into our body, we take out body parts, I guess because we obviously have just too many body parts for our own good.
Remember, to BE WELL, we must Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well and Rest Well.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
We're FAT.
As a nation we are all growing fatter. A report that came out today saying that we as a nation continue to grow fatter. In 1991, no state had more than a 20 percent obesity rate. Today, the only state that doesn't is Colorado, at 18.9 percent.
Texas is #14 in the list of fattest states.
It's not just about the waist size, it's about what it does to our health! Do you want to have more health issues as you age? Then be fat, it's a guarantee, and not many things in life are guaranteed.
Here's part of the announcement from today.
WASHINGTON — Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.
It's time for the nation's annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there's little good news. In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
And obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year, and no state experienced a significant decline.
"The obesity epidemic clearly goes beyond being an individual problem," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust, a nonprofit public health group.
It's a national crisis that "calls for a national strategy to combat obesity," added Robert Wood Johnson vice president Dr. James Marks. "The crest of the wave of obesity is still to crash."
While the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds _ the oldest boomers _ than among today's 65-and-beyond.
The report provides one of the first in-depth looks at obese boomers, and its implications are sobering. This first wave of aging boomers will mean a jump of obese Medicare patients that ranges from 5.2 percent in New York to a high of 16.3 percent in Alabama, the report concluded. In Alabama, nearly 39 percent of the oldest boomers are obese.
Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner. But more recent research instead suggests that better treatments are keeping them alive nearly as long _ but they're much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese, Levi said.
"There isn't a magic bullet. We don't have a pill for it," said Levi. "It's not going to be solved in the doctor's office but in the community, where we change norms."
His group is pushing for health reform legislation to include community-level programs that help people make healthier choices _ like building sidewalks so people can walk their neighborhoods instead of drive, and providing healthier school lunches to help fight the childhood obesity that turns into adult obesity. The pending House and Senate bills address obesity in different ways; one provision would particularly target baby boomers.
Many states have begun programs to try to tackle obesity, and there are hints of improvements, Marks said.
"We're still getting fatter, but maybe a little more slowly than before," he said: Last year's report found obesity rates rising in 37 states compared with 23 this time around.
He's encouraged that 19 states have implemented nutritional standards for school meals that are stricter than the federal government's; in 2004, just four states did. Some are requiring nutritional information for restaurant food, he added.
States "recognize the solutions will lie outside traditional medical care," Marks said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long said that nearly a third of Americans are obese. The Trust report uses somewhat more conservative CDC surveys for a closer state-by-state look. Among the findings:
_Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row.
_Three additional states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, including Alabama, 31.2 percent; West Virginia, 31.1 percent; and Tennessee, 30.2 percent.
_In 1991, no state had more than a 20 percent obesity rate. Today, the only state that doesn't is Colorado, at 18.9 percent.
_The South is the fattest region. The Northeast and West are slightly slimmer than the rest of the country.
_Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children, at 44.4 percent in total. It's followed by Arkansas, 37.5 percent; and Georgia, 37.3 percent.
_Following Alabama, Michigan ranks No. 2 with fat boomers; 36 percent of its 55- to 64-year-olds are obese. Colorado has the lowest rate, 21.8 percent.
Texas is #14 in the list of fattest states.
It's not just about the waist size, it's about what it does to our health! Do you want to have more health issues as you age? Then be fat, it's a guarantee, and not many things in life are guaranteed.
Here's part of the announcement from today.
WASHINGTON — Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.
It's time for the nation's annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there's little good news. In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
And obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year, and no state experienced a significant decline.
"The obesity epidemic clearly goes beyond being an individual problem," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust, a nonprofit public health group.
It's a national crisis that "calls for a national strategy to combat obesity," added Robert Wood Johnson vice president Dr. James Marks. "The crest of the wave of obesity is still to crash."
While the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds _ the oldest boomers _ than among today's 65-and-beyond.
The report provides one of the first in-depth looks at obese boomers, and its implications are sobering. This first wave of aging boomers will mean a jump of obese Medicare patients that ranges from 5.2 percent in New York to a high of 16.3 percent in Alabama, the report concluded. In Alabama, nearly 39 percent of the oldest boomers are obese.
Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner. But more recent research instead suggests that better treatments are keeping them alive nearly as long _ but they're much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese, Levi said.
"There isn't a magic bullet. We don't have a pill for it," said Levi. "It's not going to be solved in the doctor's office but in the community, where we change norms."
His group is pushing for health reform legislation to include community-level programs that help people make healthier choices _ like building sidewalks so people can walk their neighborhoods instead of drive, and providing healthier school lunches to help fight the childhood obesity that turns into adult obesity. The pending House and Senate bills address obesity in different ways; one provision would particularly target baby boomers.
Many states have begun programs to try to tackle obesity, and there are hints of improvements, Marks said.
"We're still getting fatter, but maybe a little more slowly than before," he said: Last year's report found obesity rates rising in 37 states compared with 23 this time around.
He's encouraged that 19 states have implemented nutritional standards for school meals that are stricter than the federal government's; in 2004, just four states did. Some are requiring nutritional information for restaurant food, he added.
States "recognize the solutions will lie outside traditional medical care," Marks said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long said that nearly a third of Americans are obese. The Trust report uses somewhat more conservative CDC surveys for a closer state-by-state look. Among the findings:
_Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row.
_Three additional states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, including Alabama, 31.2 percent; West Virginia, 31.1 percent; and Tennessee, 30.2 percent.
_In 1991, no state had more than a 20 percent obesity rate. Today, the only state that doesn't is Colorado, at 18.9 percent.
_The South is the fattest region. The Northeast and West are slightly slimmer than the rest of the country.
_Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children, at 44.4 percent in total. It's followed by Arkansas, 37.5 percent; and Georgia, 37.3 percent.
_Following Alabama, Michigan ranks No. 2 with fat boomers; 36 percent of its 55- to 64-year-olds are obese. Colorado has the lowest rate, 21.8 percent.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
GOING GREEN
We're excited about Nanogreens, a greens drink with the potency of 8-10 servings of organic fruits and vegetables and loads of other healthy ingredients! Our staff had noticed increased energy, decreased healing time, better elimination and more! Combining it with NanOmega3's and/or NanoPro (whey protien) makes a phenomenally healthy meal replacement!
We're having a "GO GREEN" day at our office on June 19, 2009 with free taste tests and discounts on all our Nano products!
It should be a blast!! But more importantly, how many people will lead healthier lives by consuming 8-10 servings of organic fruits and vegetables????????? More than I can imagine! GO GREEN!!
We're having a "GO GREEN" day at our office on June 19, 2009 with free taste tests and discounts on all our Nano products!
It should be a blast!! But more importantly, how many people will lead healthier lives by consuming 8-10 servings of organic fruits and vegetables????????? More than I can imagine! GO GREEN!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Are you on Facebook??
If so, sign up to be a fan of our office page at http://tiny.cc/WrnLj
I have daily short blurbs about health and happenings at our clinic!!
If you'd like to receive a monthly newsletter via email, email me at dr.bruce@embarqmail.com and we'll get you on the program!
I have daily short blurbs about health and happenings at our clinic!!
If you'd like to receive a monthly newsletter via email, email me at dr.bruce@embarqmail.com and we'll get you on the program!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Eating A Healthy Breakfast: How Hard Is It?
I've had a few instances recently whereby I've had people trying to find out how to eat healthy to start their day. We know breakfast is very important, but unfortunately, many of our western breakfast regulars are not healthy. There is hardly a cereal out there that I would consider healthy. Most of them are quite processed and have the evil High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS) or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Even some juices touted as healthy such as V8 Splash have as their first listed ingredient HFCS. That is an ingredient that is particularly unhealthy and found to be a source of many different health problems. Do a google search on HFCS and it's harmful effects, I guarantee you will start looking for it in your food products.
Sorry, I digressed a bit there. Now, onto healthy breakfasts. I'll start with more complicated ones first, then to the easier ones. Try making a healthy Omelet with eggs and cheese of course, but add in some green pepper, mushrooms, spinach or other vegetable to go along with it. If you're like me and can't really make an official omelet, just scramble some eggs with that mixture in it. Get creative and try different things in your eggs. I sometimes just add in a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles in it for a bit of spice.
I would always suggest a serving of fruit in the mornings. We need fiber in all of our meals, and not from a fiber supplement. If you only add a supplement, then you are missing out on anti-oxidants that come with the fiber of fruits and vegetables. Try some oatmeal with some fresh (organic if possible) strawberries/blackberries/blueberries in them. whole grain cereals like shredded wheat with berries is a good choice too. You can also add in some ground flax seed into oatmeal and cereals for fiber and healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.
Fruit smoothies are a great way to start the day as well. Don't go buy them, most of the ones you buy use syrupy fruit concoctions that are not healthy. Instead, buy froze fruits (organic is best). You can get all kinds of berries, berry medleys etc in any grocery store. Put in a cup to 2 cups of frozen fruit. Add in some lowfat plain yogurt (about a cup worth). Then use a fruit juice like orange juice, pineapple etc along with some low fat milk (almond milk would be a great choice). You'll need to play with the exact amounts to make the smoothie to the consistency you like. You can also add in the ground flax seed to your smoothies, as well as a whey protein mix for added benefits.
Juicing is also good on occasion. 3 good sized apples, along with three carrots and a small piece of ginger root makes a tasty, tangy juice. It's not enough for a full breakfast by any means, but it's a good "side" dish. If you can get the Vita-mixer, it even pulverizes the fiber and has it in the juice too. For an added benefit, a bit of greens like kale or mustard greens can be added in too, but don't go overboard with that as it will make the juice too bitter.
With all juicing and smoothies, if you're diabetic, please consult your doctor and watch your blood sugar levels. Some may have a bit of a blood sugar spike, if so, use the smoothies as a side dish instead of a main meal.
Sorry, I digressed a bit there. Now, onto healthy breakfasts. I'll start with more complicated ones first, then to the easier ones. Try making a healthy Omelet with eggs and cheese of course, but add in some green pepper, mushrooms, spinach or other vegetable to go along with it. If you're like me and can't really make an official omelet, just scramble some eggs with that mixture in it. Get creative and try different things in your eggs. I sometimes just add in a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles in it for a bit of spice.
I would always suggest a serving of fruit in the mornings. We need fiber in all of our meals, and not from a fiber supplement. If you only add a supplement, then you are missing out on anti-oxidants that come with the fiber of fruits and vegetables. Try some oatmeal with some fresh (organic if possible) strawberries/blackberries/blueberries in them. whole grain cereals like shredded wheat with berries is a good choice too. You can also add in some ground flax seed into oatmeal and cereals for fiber and healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.
Fruit smoothies are a great way to start the day as well. Don't go buy them, most of the ones you buy use syrupy fruit concoctions that are not healthy. Instead, buy froze fruits (organic is best). You can get all kinds of berries, berry medleys etc in any grocery store. Put in a cup to 2 cups of frozen fruit. Add in some lowfat plain yogurt (about a cup worth). Then use a fruit juice like orange juice, pineapple etc along with some low fat milk (almond milk would be a great choice). You'll need to play with the exact amounts to make the smoothie to the consistency you like. You can also add in the ground flax seed to your smoothies, as well as a whey protein mix for added benefits.
Juicing is also good on occasion. 3 good sized apples, along with three carrots and a small piece of ginger root makes a tasty, tangy juice. It's not enough for a full breakfast by any means, but it's a good "side" dish. If you can get the Vita-mixer, it even pulverizes the fiber and has it in the juice too. For an added benefit, a bit of greens like kale or mustard greens can be added in too, but don't go overboard with that as it will make the juice too bitter.
With all juicing and smoothies, if you're diabetic, please consult your doctor and watch your blood sugar levels. Some may have a bit of a blood sugar spike, if so, use the smoothies as a side dish instead of a main meal.
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