Lifestyle and Wellness

Building muscle and strength are important for overall health. In fact, muscle mass has been shown to be a predictor of longevity, as shown in a study of older adults1. Building muscle improves quality of life and is the secret sauce for making life worth living. Strength training can allow us to participate in activities … Continue reading “5 Tips for Building Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet”

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend time in beautiful Colorado with some amazing people. These are friends from my Emergency Medicine residency program at Denver Health twenty years ago. We’ve stayed close over the years and have become closer with time. We live across the country and only get to connect occasionally, and … Continue reading “The Power of Friendship”

There’s a lot of evidence that plant-based diets are beneficial for people with autoimmune diseases. By flooding the body with colorful antioxidants, comprehensive micronutrients, and diverse fiber, people with inflammatory conditions can really benefit from this lifestyle change. Physicians have been using different versions of plant-based diets for decades now and noticed great improvements – … Continue reading “Plant-Based Diets and Autoimmune Disease – 7 Reasons You May Not Feel Better”

Systemic inflammation is intimately connected to our gut health and our microbiome. If we want to lower chronic inflammation, the microbiome is a good place to start. This is a whole paradigm shift in medicine, and it’s one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever learned. And, it works! 70% of our immune system lies … Continue reading “8 Tips to Support a Healthy Microbiome and Reduce Chronic Inflammation”

Follow the COVID-19 guidelines – SELF-ISOLATE is essential. Wash your hands and practice good hygiene. And then: Breathe – Breathe in slowly and deeply for the count of 5, hold for a second, and breathe out for the count of 5. Do this 6 times, and this is 1 minute. You can trigger your vagus … Continue reading “6 Tips Manage Stress and Support Immune Health during COVID-19”

Chronic inflammation has been shown to be the common link among the leading causes of death and disability, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmunity, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, asthma, allergies, and premature aging.1Diet and lifestyle choices actually make a significant impact on the amount of chronic inflammation we experience, yet it is often overlooked. We know … Continue reading “Chronic Inflammation and the Role of Diet”

Yoga is never something I did on a regular basis. I was too busy for that. I ran, biked, hiked, skied, took HIIT classes, did “Insanity” workouts at home. These were how I “relaxed” and spent my little bit of free time every day. I had no time for yoga. Poses and stretching. Really? But, … Continue reading “The Healing Power of Yoga”

I love my time in the kitchen. It’s meditative when I cut vegetables. It’s creative as I explore recipes and new dishes. It’s healing, because I use fresh, real, plant-based, anti-inflammatory foods. It supports local farmers whenever I can. It’s interesting as I play with new spices and herbs. It connects me with my history, … Continue reading “The Joy of (Real) Cooking”

Even a whole-food, plant based diet may not always be enough to reach your goal weight, although it’s a great place to start. For some, it can take an overall healthy approach and re-establishing balance to see improvements. These upgrades are essential for reducing inflammation, lowering oxidative stress, downshifting stress hormones, nourishing the microbiome, supporting … Continue reading “Creating Balance for Weight Loss”

February is the month of Valentine’s Day, but much more importantly, it is also heart awareness month. It is time to bring real awareness that heart disease is still the number one cause of death for both men and women in the US, killing more people than all cancers combined. For example, 1 in 8 … Continue reading “Happy Healthy Heart Month”

It’s a new year, and a great time to reset healthy eating. Call it a reboot, or a detox, but if the holiday decadence leaves you with food cravings, weight gain, fatigue, headaches, joint pains, and basically not feeling your best, it’s time to reset your eating. I’m talking about a healthy detox, and here … Continue reading “New Year Reboot: January Detox”

“If you concentrate on what you have, you will always end up having more. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”        -Oprah Winfrey 2018 was an incredible year, for so many reasons! I love taking a look at the end of the year of some … Continue reading “My Favorites of 2018”

The holidays can be one of the happiest times of the year, but sometimes it can feel like survival just getting through. According to the CDC, there are more deaths from heart attacks and strokes on Christmas Day and through New Year’s then any other time of year. This is likely from the excessive pro-inflammatory … Continue reading “Holiday Survival Guide – Have your Healthiest Holiday!”

This is the summer of the Joy of Missing Out -JOMO is the catch term. It’s gaining momentum this summer with individuals and big corporations such as Apple and Google. Instead of worrying what everyone else is doing, it’s all about disconnecting a little and focusing on living in the moment. It gives some steps … Continue reading “The Joy of Missing Out”

Wow, what an event! At our inaugural recipe swap, we hosted the entire Masiello Family!  Anthony Masiello shared how he transformed his life, when he set out to take back his health and lose weight. With the support of his amazing family, they have figured out how to make it work in their lives, and … Continue reading “Life Transformation”

Flu season is here in full force. It’s epidemic across the country, and especially in certain areas. What can we do to protect ourselves from getting sick? There are actually some important steps we can take. Whether or not we get sick depends on 3 key factors: the amount of the exposure, the virulence of … Continue reading “Fight the Flu and Common Cold: Supermarket Foods (Part 1)”

Thanks to everyone who came to the AVH Heart Healthy Cooking demo with Chef Martin Oswald! What a great turnout. A special thanks to the AVH Foundation for sponsoring this wonderful community event, to Sandy Holmes for all your hard work, and to Chef Martin, for taking the time to teach us all how to … Continue reading “Heart Healthy Cooking Tips”

Food has a powerful influence on our bodies. It turns on and off genes for inflammation. It changes our microbiome. It nourishes cells and facilitates healing, or it increases oxidative stress, free radical formation, and premature aging. It’s composed of nutrients to support the immune system, reverse chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity, diabetes, … Continue reading “Healing with Food”