At Blum Center for Health, we’ve noticed that our adult patients tend to eat less and less protein as they get older. Some people lose their taste for it, while others find it too hard to digest animal meat. And most people aren’t as familiar with eating vegetarian protein like beans, nuts, and seeds. But protein in the diet is crucial. It’s broken down into amino acids that are critical for good immune function, among other things. Plus, protein will help you feel full, keep you from getting hungry and is a cornerstone to all weight loss programs. A breakfast smoothie is a great way to make sure you get the protein you need.
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Food As Medicine: Antioxidants
At the core of functional medicine is prevention. Using food as medicine is the key to giving your body the nutrients it needs to function optimally.
But, not just any food will do! You want to make sure you eat the very best quality foods you can get your hands on. Thankfully, nature offers the most amazing abundance of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep you healthy and vibrant.
So, let’s zero in on antioxidants. What are they? What do they do? And, where do you get them?
Free Radicals
Antioxidants are plant or phyto-chemicals that protect your cells and tissues from damage caused by electrically charged molecules, a.k.a. free radicals. Cell and DNA damage is at the root of most diseases – including: autoimmune disease, cancer, and chronic inflammation. Antioxidants act like natural sponges, mopping up these free radicals to protect your cells and DNA from damage. This is why it is so vitally important to get as many antioxidants into your body as you can.
Antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables as well as herbs. So, be sure to eat your garnish – it doesn’t just make your plate look pretty, it can help keep those free radicals at bay!
Organic vs. Conventional
Also, choosing organic over conventionally-grown will give you the best antioxidant punch for your buck. The reason for this is that when left to their own devices, plants give off their own natural (phyto) chemicals to keep the bugs away, increasing their antioxidant goodness! On the other hand, with conventionally-grown produce, pesticides are used to keep insects from eating away at the plants, so since they don’t need to work as hard to keep the bugs away, their antioxidant power is way less. Also, pesticides in your food come into your body and increase the free radical damage to your cells. This is another reason to go organic when possible.
It can be challenging, -and costly- to eat organic all the time, so to help you make the best choices, the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list includes fruits and veggies with the most pesticide residue, in which case, you should choose organic. EWG also lists the Clean 15 fruits and veggies that don’t necessarily need to be organic, since they have been found to have the least amount of pesticide.
Nutrient-Packed Options
Now that farmers markets are popping up all over, you will have an amazing array of fresh, local, and nutrient-packed choices. So, ditch the processed foods and go for foods bursting with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that keep the inflammation in your body low, and your immune system strong. It’s as easy as:
· eating fruit as part of a breakfast smoothie, as dessert, or a quick portable snack
· having at least one raw green salad a day, either as a side dish or, as a main course adding healthy protein and good fats
Antioxidant Support
A busy lifestyle can sometimes make it harder to get the necessary nutrients. We get it, so we’ve made it easier by developing two BlumBoxes that when taken together give you the antioxidant punch you need to keep your immune system strong, and your cells protected. Our Once Daily Multi Packets give you the basics you need every day, which include your multi, vitamin D, and fish oil. And our Immune & Antioxidant Support Packets give you additional EGCG, Lipoic Acid, A, C, E, and zinc.
So, avoid the pharmacy – and, instead go to the farmacy for your medicine!
farm stand
Q by Equinox: Veganism’s Surprising Skin Effects
A vegan diet, if not supplemented correctly, can cause surprising and unwelcome effects on the skin. The issue arises with a lack of protein.
“‘A lot of people eliminate meat and animal products in an effort to be healthier, but you really have to know how to eat right to make being a vegan work for you,’ says Susan Blum, MD, MPH, a functional medicine specialist.”
Read on for details on how you can be sure to balance your diet correctly and protect your skin, here: q.equinox.com.
Simon & Schuster’s Tips on Healthy Living: Why You Need to Clean Your Gut, Now
The power of a healthy gut, while known by those in the field of functional medicine for many years, is just now coming to light for many people as well as doctors and dieticians. Dr. Susan Blum explains in an interview the health benefits of cleaning your gut, and why doing so can reduce and possibly eliminate many health issues you may be facing.
“The importance of a healthy gut has become news in the last decade. While those of us in functional medicine have known this for longer, recent studies have shown the medical community conclusive evidence that the health of the gut has the power to drive inflammation throughout the body—certainly for autoimmune diseases, but also for other inflammatory conditions like osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.”
You can read more here: www.tipsonhealthyliving.com.
Yahoo! Shine: Why You Need to Clean Your Gut, Now
In an interview with Yahoo! Shine, Dr. Susan Blum shares insight into the four-step program she used to treat her own serious autoimmune condition and help countless patients reverse their symptoms, heal their immune systems, and prevent future illness.
“We need to shift our thinking away from calories to the idea that food has function, and we need to choose our food based on the information it brings into the body.”
Read the interview in its entirety, here: www.shine.yahoo.com.
FoxNews.com: 5 weird signs you’re vitamin-deficient
There are many ways your body tells you that you are vitamin deficient. You can recognize the signs, and Dr. Susan Blum of Blum Center for Health can show you how.
“With today’s diet of processed foods, it’s easy to become vitamin-deficient, either by not eating enough of the right foods or not absorbing them properly due to digestive issues,” says Dr. Susan Blum, the founder of the Blum Center for Health and the author of the new book The Immune System Recovery Plan.”
Read more here: www.foxnews.com.
HuffingtonPost.com Weddings: How to Avoid Getting Sick Before Your Wedding
Wedding planning can be a stressful time and there is much to do, but it’s important to put “taking care of your health” high on your to-do list. Dr. Susan Blum of Blum Center for Health shows you how to avoid getting sick before one of the most important days of your life.
“It’s hard to put down the guest lists and crawl into bed, but sleep is one of your most important defenses against nasty bugs. Get your zzz’s and don’t overwork yourself during flu season–stress harms your ability to fight viruses.”
Read the article in its entirety here: www.huffingtonpost.com.
MindBodyGreen: Why Women Are More Likely To Get Autoimmune Diseases
Women are more likely than men to suffer from autoimmune diseases, and it seems that estrogen is a contributing factor. There are steps you can take to help your liver produce “good” estrogen to protect your body from these diseases.
“We’re beginning to understand that there are different kinds of estrogens in the body and they each have different effects on your cells and health.”
Read the full article here: www.mindbodygreen.com.
Lohud.com: Rye Brook Doctor Blends Medicine, Nutrition
Lohud.com, a news site powered by the Journal News, covers The Blum Center for Health and explains how Dr. Susan Blum is changing the face of medicine in the Rye Brook, NY area.
“Her center is designed to provide hands-on experience with a healthy lifestyle, where food is regarded as a fundamental component of medical care. All patients meet with a nutritionist and learn to make connections between how they feel and what they eat.”
To read the article in its entirety, click here: www.lohud.com.