35: Reducing Inflammation, Belly Fat + Sugary Drinks

We break Dr. Elizabeth Boham's wisdom into possible next small steps! Not sure about how to attack the inflammation that brings on disease or makes a fight with Covid more challenging? Listen in for doable next steps!

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One-Minute Gratitude Journal, Brenda Nathan

Show Summary:

• Functional Medicine – getting at root causes of disease and not just treating symptoms
• Inflammation - the root cause or at least accelerants of many disease processes
  • At a low level, it might not be noticeable but over many years, it becomes harder to ignore
  • It accelerates the aging process, and is implicated in the development of many diseases – things like cardiovascular disease, dementia, neurological diseases, etc
• Dr. Boham: balance our immune systems
  • How do we know if we have this chronic inflammation?
    • C-reactive protein, which we want to be less than 1
    • Also sed-rate (ESR), and both of these can potentially be done at our next physical or whenever we're having a blood test
    • But they're not perfect and so inflammation might also be noticed by being mindful of symptoms
  • Many potential symptoms as listed in the episode, but one more indicator of chronic inflammation is the waist to hip ratio –
    • How to measure it
    • Article about belly fat and COVID - Washington Post
  • Dr Boham prefers to start a counterattack using food
  • NOTE: Check with your doctor before making any changes to your health regimen or lifestyle
  • Monitor how our bodies feel after eating to see if we can notice inflammation; keep track and share with practitioner
    • Bloating, brain fog, and joint pain are common signs
  • Per Dr. Boham, our plates should be comprised of ½ non- starchy vegetables (eat the rainbow!), and then the other half should be comprised by a serving of protein, and then some starchy vegetables, fruit or whole grains as desired
    • Starchy/non-starchy vegetables article
    • If the protein source isn't high in fat, be sure to add healthy fat like extra virgin olive oil or avocado to the plate
  • Balance your blood sugar so in every meal
    • Have protein, fat and fiber at each meal
  • A baby step toward reducing our reliance on ultra-processed foods might be that we commit to spending a little more time looking at the labels of what we're buying in the grocery store
    • Look for few and commonly known/purchased ingredients
    • Look for lower sugar amounts
      • NOTE: the food industry regularly splits sugar up under several different names, so it's best to look at total sugar, including added and naturally occurring
        • The WHO recommends women eat fewer than 25g sugar per daConsider ditching the sugary drinks
          • • Doing this can quickly have a tremendous impact on health measures
• Consider adding in more gratitude (see link to journal)
• Carolyn's addition: celebrate any and all steps!!!

DISCLAIMER

Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking.