Tag Archives: nutrition

Straight, No Chaser: Basic Diet and Nutrition Tips

March 31, 2016Diet and Nutrition, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, nutrition, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

There’s so much clutter in information you receive about healthy eating. This Straight, No Chaser is a refrigerator-quality post-up that gives you practical steps and choices to make in several critical areas—intake of fluids, plants, proteins, grains, salt and junk food. We just want you to know the fundamentals of health through eating. The more of these you can check off as part of your dietary inventory, the healthier you’ll be. After all, diet is about 75% of the game of health; either your food is nourishing or poisoning you.

Fluids

Drink water as your primary beverage.
Enjoy coffee or tea without excessive sugar or other additives.
Avoid sugary beverages. These are a dangerous source of “empty calories,” meaning they lead to weight gain with little or no nutritional value. This increases your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Drink alcohol in moderation if at all. It is true that alcohol has some health benefits, but moderation is key before you introduce the negative health consequences of overconsumption.
Limit daily intake of dairy products to 1-2 servings/day.
Ease up on juices, as they’re very high in sugar content.

Plants

When in doubt, you won’t go wrong eating plants; a plant-based diet is your healthiest option.
Make half your plate vegetables and fruits.
Learn to cook with healthy plant oils, like olive and canola oil.

Protein

Pick most or all of your protein from healthy choices such as fish, chicken, beans, nuts and seeds, and tofu. Eating these choices in place of red meat and processed meat can lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Avoid burgers and hot dogs.
Limit red meat—beef, pork, or lamb—to twice a week or less (if you must at all).
Replace your red meat intake with seafood.
Avoid processed meats such as bacon, cold cuts and hot dogs. They significantly raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer.

Grains

Grains are not essential for good health.
Any grains you eat should be whole grain. They are not as prone to increasing your risks for diabetes, and they better assist your weight loss efforts.
Whole grains include products such as brown rice, whole wheat bread and whole grain pasta. Whole grains lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Salt

We get more than enough salt in our diets without adding salt. Lose the salt shaker!
Your dietary intake of salt should equal about one teaspoon of table salt a day, which you’ll obtain without thinking about it or ever adding additional salt.
Think you’re a good cook? Prove it. Lose the salt, both when cooking and on the table. Use spices, herbs and oils instead.
Rethink all those condiments. Soy sauce, ketchup, pickles, olives, salad dressing and seasoning packets are typically very high in sodium. Seek out low-fat, low sodium alternatives, or sprinkle enough of the condiments to produce the taste you want instead of using the entire packet.

Calories

We’ve discussed calories and calorie counts at length. Refer to this edition of Straight, No Chaser for a review. Take special note of the above foods; they encourage weight loss.

Junk food

In a word, no. See the above discussion on “empty calories”. Junk food (and you should include sugary drinks in this category) contains lots of calories and next to no nutritional value. Furthermore, it doesn’t make you feel full, so you tend to overeat, leading to more calories and more health risks.
Save desserts for special occasions, and eat just enough to enjoy the occasion. Sometimes just a taste will ease that sweet tooth.
Substitute healthy snacks when you have junk food cravings. Fruits, a handful of nuts or whole grain crackers can do the trick if you give them a chance.
Substitute a serving of your favorite fruit for those routine desserts.

Please remember that diet isn’t enough. You must stay active, as discussed here. A healthy diet with regular physical activity keeps your weight in check.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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Straight No Chaser: Gluten, Wheat and Celiac Disease

December 10, 2015Gastrointestinal, General Health and Wellness, Diet and NutritionSterling Medical Advice, 844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, celiac disease, Diet, exercise, gluten, healthy eating plate, nutrition, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

One of the reasons I enjoy writing this blog is it brings me closer to understanding you. As you respond to posts or query me, I get to better appreciate the breadth of your concerns. I realize that much of what physicians do in clinical practice is talk AT you. Sometimes physicians assume that you know better because we do. Your issues often involves uncertainty about the nature of your symptoms, and, in real-time, you tend not to appreciate that symptoms are incredibly non-specific, meaning the same set of symptoms show up in multiple diseases and conditions (as you’ll noted from the picture below featuring possible symptoms of celiac disease). Many times, you’ll be researching a topic on the Internet, see symptoms you have and say, “That sounds like me! That must be what I have.” The relationship of symptoms to disease really isn’t anywhere near that linear.
Weight loss is an example of something patients think about differently than physicians. When a patient wants to lose weight, s/he may think of everything under the sun from the latest diet craze, surgery or other potential “quick-fixes.” On the other hand, a physician will parrot something about calorie control, healthy eating and exercise, assuming you know better than to entertain miscellaneous information aimed to strike fear into your hearts or give you false expectations. (If you need a refresher on that consideration, check here.) In many of these instances, physicians may never even address your questions, because we’re so busy promoting the standard of care.
This month, we’ve been discussing nutrition with probably a dozen different blogs posted on various topics. Do you think the most common questions I’ve received have involved application of the healthy eating plate or simple tips to healthier eating? Nope. They’ve been more along the lines of esoteric concerns – or at least concerns that only affect rare segments of the population – so much so that physicians typically wouldn’t even think to discuss them with patients.
Two such discussions involve the consumption of gluten and wheat. Let’s answer those questions and clear up any confusion you may have. Thank you for your willingness to engage in straight talk. Indeed, your concerns are real, and our mission at Straight, No Chaser and www.sterlingmedicaladvice.com is to get you the information and advice you need.
What is gluten?
Gluten an important protein found in all forms of wheat, barley and rye. It is also found in other foods such as deli meats, soy sauce, vitamins, some chocolate, some toothpaste and imitation crab. For the purpose of this blog, let’s relegate your wheat concerns to gluten.

Why do I care about gluten?
You probably don’t and probably shouldn’t, unless you have a specific disease called celiac disease, which is related to the adverse effects of an extreme sensitivity to gluten. Some humans (only some and not many at all) have difficulty digesting gluten. In fact, the ingestion of gluten in those with celiac disease can cause damage to the intestinal lining, causing chronic (ongoing, continuous) diarrhea and abdominal pain. This can result in potentially life-threatening concerns, but it only occurs in less than 1% of the population.
The other reason you may have heard about gluten is the existence of a diet craze based on avoiding gluten (having to do partially with limiting carbohydrates).
Why is this an issue?
As societies have moved to diets with higher consumption of refined wheat flour, the sensitivity to gluten has expressed itself more often. As is often the case, when you over consume or are overexposed to substances, danger ensues. That is not the same as saying you need to avoid any and everything on earth that could potentially cause you harm.

Do I need to give up wheat and gluten completely?
Absolutely not, unless you have celiac disease or demonstrated allergies to these substances. This is simply another example of your needing to understand the issue. As with most overstated concerns, solutions are to be found in the same principles of healthy eating described throughout Straight, No Chaser. (Feel free to research our many topics by typing your topic of interest into the search engine over on the right side of the page.)
In this instance and others, what happens all too often is folks create new problems running from other, perceived ones. Substituting high-calorie, high-fat products for wheat and other products containing gluten is not a healthy decision and has been shown to increase weight gain and the risk of diabetes. The principles of any successful efforts to diet remain the same. Your best bet is to learn principles of healthy eating and incorporate calorie control and exercise into your regimen. Embrace moderation across the board, and enjoy learning to make healthy eating an adventure by adding variety to your meals.
One final caveat: There’s nothing wrong with, and potentially much to gain from, asking your physician about your individual risks for celiac disease. Just understand that unless you have the symptoms (e.g., diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, headaches and joint pains to name a few), you likely will cause your physician to scratch her or his head.

Straight No Chaser: Gluten, Wheat and Celiac Disease

March 26, 2014General Health and Wellness, Diet and Nutrition, Gastrointestinal844-SMA-TALK, celiac disease, Diet, exercise, gluten, healthy eating plate, nutrition, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

Straight, No Chaser: Healthy Eating Tips

March 25, 2014Diet and Nutrition844-SMA-TALK, Diet, healthy eating plate, nutrition, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, whole grainsJeffrey Sterling, MD

If you want to eat healthy, you really must learn about and try to eat in accordance with the Healthy Eating Plate. It doesn’t get more complicated that that, and you shouldn’t attempt to make it much more complicated.
Today, I’m going to speak on recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which I’m building upon for your success. These bakers’ dozen of tips represent simple, easy-to-do tasks to keep your meals healthy.
1. Eat at home. This accomplishes so many things. If you eat at home, you know exactly what you’re eating. That quality control is important, and it allows you to both save money and get creative in your pursuit of health.
2. If possible, take the cooking out of your hands. Those of you with less self-discipline would do well to simply express your healthy desires to your loved one. Give her or him directions on your health goals and eat what’s brough to you.
3. Use a smaller plate. This act with help you with portion control. If you’re one of those who must finish your plate, this will help prevent you from overeating.
4. Stop eating when you’re full. The body actually is trying to tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re not. Try to overcome that voice in your head that tells you “finish your plate.” Calorie control is the vital component of health.

5. Make half your plate colorful fruits and vegetables. If you just remember dark green, red and orange colors and consistently full of nutrients and healthy, you’ll do well. Think of tomatoes, sweet potatoes and broccoli as examples.
6. Eat slowly. Even if you’re not chewing each morsel 20-25 times before swallowing, learning to savor your food will improve your eating experience and promote a sense of fullness and satisfaction with smaller portions. No, it won’t necessary make you want even more.
7. Lean. Protein. Limit your red meat. Learn to appreciate lean meats, such as chicken, turkey and seafood. Beans and tofu are also excellent protein sources. When you do eat beef and/or pork, ask for lean cuts.
8. Seafood, not see (more) food. Make it your main course at least twice a week.

9. Whole grains. Just say the words and look for the words. When you’re buying breads, look for 100% whole grain. At a restaurant? Specifically ask for whole grains in your breadbasket. You cannot assume your breads are whole grain otherwise.
10. Avoid the extra fat. There’s no good in eating healthy if you cover the goodness with heavy sauces, gravies, syrups or salad dressings. Ask if low fat, low-calorie alternatives exist.
11. Got dairy? Learn to move beyond whole milk. Fat-free, low-fat, soy or almond milks (or yogurt without a daily drink) are all better options and provide the same amount of calcium and other nutrients without all the fat and calories.
12. Satisfy your sweet tooth in a different way. Learn to enjoy a fruit cocktail, yogurt parfait, baked apples or other healthy options as your dessert. All you’re really wanting is a dab of sugar anyway!
13. Learn variety; build your choices. Have you ever tried mango, kiwi, lentils or kale? If so, did you give up after the first taste? Many healthy foods need to be prepared to your liking. Think seasonings and preparation. Get creative!
Whatever you do, fast food is not the option. Invest a touch of time into these very simple tips and undo the bad luck to be found if most of your diets.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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