Eat Your Vegetables!

about me

I think it's important as a physician to practice what I preach when it comes to eating well and exercising. There's not a lot of time these days, but I love food and enjoy taking a little time out each evening for a good meal. In high school, I wanted to be a chef. Since deciding to be a doctor, I still get to use my knowledge of food and cooking to be healthy myself and to help my patients to be healthier.

Eating out is expensive and not very healthy, so I try to cook from scratch at least 6 days out of the week. FYI: eating prepared foods at home (canned soups, frozen dinners, deli meats, processed cheeses, etc) can be just as unhealthy as eating fast food. Remember, the more processed it is, the higher in fat, sodium and refined sugars it is likely to be. Also important: if you don't buy it, you can't eat it (my motto in avoiding the chip aisle at the grocery store). Making meals at home from scratch can be an easy way to lose a few pounds. Oh, and make sure you're eating breakfast! Studies have consistently shown that people who eat breakfast weigh less. Although I'm not sure that includes the subgroup that eats bacon, eggs, and sausage every morning...

Eating well does not mean dieting. Find what you love to eat that happens to be healthy. If carrot sticks aren't your thing, maybe it's not the best snack for you even though it's healthy. You're not going to stick with dietary changes if you have to force yourself to eat the foods with immense loathing. If you haven't been in the habit of eating much in the way of vegetables, it may be your technique that's holding you back from certain potentially delicious veggies (big difference between frozen steamed whole brussels sprouts and sliced fresh sprouts sauteed in olive oil with a hint of honey), so you may need to experiment a little but be honest with yourself if you don't like something. You shouldn't eat something just because it's good for you. You should eat it because you love it and it happens to be good for you. Remember, healthy doesn't mean bland or tasteless. Try to focus on foods that use lemon juice, peppers, garlic, low-sodium soy sauce, and olive oil as ways to add flavor rather than saturated fats, salt and sugar.

Don't restrict yourself too much. There is a firm place in my diet for olive oil, cheeses, wines, pastas, potatoes, and crunchy homemade French baguettes, along with fresh vegetables and whole grains. I can live quite happily without desserts, soda and potato chips, but not without a nice glass of shiraz with a sharp aged cheddar. Be honest with yourself about what foods are likely to cause you to 'fall off the wagon' if you get rid of them entirely, then make a place for them.

Becoming a vegetarian during undergrad after my father and grandparents were diagnosed with diabetes was an important change for me because it forced me to relearn how to cook. Like many, I had not been taught many healthy recipes by my parents. Recipezaar was a great site for me because I could try a lot of recipes without buying a lot of books. It wasn't very veg-friendly in the beginning, but the number of tofu and tempeh recipes has improved a lot.

For most people, becoming vegetarian is a great way to lose weight and improve your cholesterol profile. But not for everyone. Whether you're vegetarian or not you need to EAT YOUR VEGETABLES! Here's one that your parents probably got right. There's lots of meat substitutes that have become widely commercially available. See above for my processed foods rant. True, these faux meats have less fat and calories than real meats, but they simply aren't nearly as good for you as the fresh fruits and vegetables you'd be eating otherwise.

Finally, a bit about exercise. Eating well is only half the battle. Exercise has been found to be as effective as Valium in improving sleep and more effective than any drug we have at reducing blood sugars and increasing HDL (good cholesterol). Choose something you like. I like bike riding, yoga, kickboxing, and light weightlifting. Mix it up so you're not doing the same thing everyday. Here's the medical rule of thumb we use to advise our patients. For improving your health, start with 30 minutes 3 times a week. Move up to 5 times a week as you feel ready. To maintain weight, shoot for at least 40 minutes. Bump up the time to at least 1 hour if you're looking to lose weight. If you have heart problems, consult your doctor before starting any exercise program as you may require a cardiac stress test first.

Things I need more of for my own health: Vitamins (I know I'm not getting nearly enough calcium, Vitamin D and B12, but I just hate the taste of the multivitamin) and Fruits (good thing tomatoes are technically fruits, otherwise I'd be nowhere near the daily recommended amount).

Favorite Foods:

Make that Favorite Things:

Knitting: I'm working on a deep cowl-like sweater by Wendy Bernard right now. See her website knitandtonic.com for some patterns. She also has a new book out called Custom Knits. I hate finishing garments so I'm very excited about her techniques for sewing sweaters in the round with NO seams!

Podcasts: During med school I finally switched from Mac to PC and have just gotten very excited about podcasts. They have some great ones like Persiflagers ID Pusscast, Johns Hopkins PodMed, and Annals of Internal Medicine to keep me up-to-date on the latest medical research while knitting. Plus, some fun ones like The Bugle, Stuff you Should Know and WNYC's Radio Lab.

Reading: Besides medical stuff I'm halfway through the English Patient. I also have Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury on order from the public library. I'm also interested to read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen.

Plants: I had a 4-year-old dwarf Meyer lemon tree that I lost recently because I waited too long to bring it in after letting it enjoy the warm summer outside. Now it's empty container is sitting in the kitchen looking forlorn. I can't decide what to replace it with. I can't see getting another lemon since I feel responsible for the death of its predecessor, but I like the idea of a fruit tree since it lives in the kitchen. It has to be a dwarf variety and live in a warm climate naturally so it can spend the winters indoors. BF is trying to grow an avocado tree from a pit, but I'm not sure it's going to work out. It may take the rest of the winter to get a new tree in that pot.

Foods: cheeses, olives, crusty bread w/ olive oil, artichokes, red wine, asparagus risotto, tofu piccata and any kind of pasta. I'm not Italian, but I wish I was...

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