What do you eat Doc?

February 22, 2010

Institute For Medical Wellness Healthy Living Report

What do you eat Doc?

I often get asked, "What do you eat Doc?" What type of food do you eat?

The question should really be, "Doc, what do you not eat?"

The answer has changed over the years. But over the past ten years or so, I have come to the conclusion that a more natural, ancestral or "caveman" based diet is the healthiest way to eat.

No, I do not have Fred Flintstone as my personal chef, and I do not eat Brontosaurus burgers. Although I have been known to have a Five Guys burger, minus the roll of course!

When I go grocery shopping, I always read the ingredients. I refuse to eat food with ingredients I can not pronounce, or that I would not eat by itself. That goes for beverages as well.

So here is a quick quiz. I am going to list the ingredients of 5 popular beverages. See if you know the name of each. Answers will be at the end of the newsletter.

A: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sugar, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor.

B: Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), citric acid, natural flavor.

C: Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors, citric acid.

D: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate( preservative), natural flavors, caramel color.

E: Vapor distilled deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water, cane sugar, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), abscorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor, berry and fruit extracts (acai,blueberry, pomegranate and apple), magnesium lactate (electrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (b5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (b6), cyanocobalamin (b12).

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Interesting Article:

Please click on the link below for an interesting article.

Being happy, contented linked to reduced CHD risk

We have known for a long time about the link between depression and early heart disease, so this study is no surprise. I guess it is easier to study happy, contented people, than grumpy old men ;)

Click on this link for some audio to help get you in the right frame of mind!

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Healthcare Reform Update:

This week President Obama is hosting a Healthcare summit. At this summit, republicans and democrats will be putting forward their ideas on reform. Good idea, but terrible execution. If this summit is truly to be bipartisan, and is in response to the publics wishes for reform, then there should be no predetermined plan or template to start debate. The debate should be started with a totally clean slate. Then put everything on the table and hash things out to see if an agreement can be reached.

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Wellness Network Update:

Just a reminder. Everyone enrolled in a Wellness Program can receive one therapeutic massage at half price. That is $35 for a one hour massage, and $50 for an hour and a half.
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Before I give away the answers to the earlier beverage quiz, let us look at some of the ingredients, and I urge you to ask yourself, would you eat or drink any of these ingredients alone??

1) high fructose corn syrup- In my view, one of the worst types of sweeteners
2) caramel color- I wonder what this beverage looks like without it??
3) sugar- natural/, or heavily refined and processed??
4) phosphoric acid - yummy, that must taste good all by itself.
5) caffeine- natural, but this was an additive into the beverage, not present in its natural state.
6) citric acid - found in most citrus fruits.
7) aspartame- otherwise known as Nutrasweet
8) potassium benzoate- a preservative- what exactly are they preserving?
9) natural flavors- just what is "natural flavors" and why don't they list what they really are?

OK.....

I have made you wait long enough.

The answers are below:

A: Pepsi --- carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sugar, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor.
Not a significant source of other nutrients. What is it a significant source of????

B: Diet caffeine free pepsi ----carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), citric acid, natural flavor. 0 calories; states on label- Not a significant source of other nutrients. What is it a significant source of????

C: Diet caffeine free coke ----- carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors, citric acid. --- 0 calories; states on label- Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugars, Vit A,C, calcium and iron. What is it a significant source of????

D: Canada Dry Ginger Ale ----- carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate( preservative), natural flavors, caramel color. 12 oz can = 140 calories- 36 grams of carbs

E: Vitamin Water-XXX ---

vapor distilled deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water, cane sugar, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), abscorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor, berry and fruit extracts (acai,blueberry, pomegranate and apple), magnesium lactate (electrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (b5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (b6), cyanocobalamin (b12) - contains less than 1% juice- in a 20 oz bottle- 2.5 servings gives you 125 calories, all as carbohydrate, 25% of RDA of Vit B3,5,6,12, 250% of Vit C, and 50mg of berry and fruit polyphenols.

I have also included some other labeling from the beverage containers. Look at Pepsi and Coke.

Just what type of nutrition do they add to our bodies? The diet products contain no calories, but plenty of acid and artificial sweeteners.

Yuck!!

Ginger Ale and Vitamin Water provide calories, but all, 100% from carbohydrates, which as we all know now is sugar!!

I remember an ad campaign for Coca Cola in 1980.

"Coca Cola. It's the real thing". Now look at the ingredients above for Coke or Pepsi, as they are virtually identical, and tell me one thing that is real about either of them!

To Good Health!


Steven Horvitz, D.O,
Board Certified Family Practice
Founder of The Institute For Medical Wellness
128 Borton Landing Road, Suite Two
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Phone 856-231-0590
Fax 856-294-0311
www.drhorvitz.com

So Easy A Caveman Can Do It ???

May 27, 2009

So easy a caveman can do it??

No that is not my college yearbook picture !!! Although I would not mind the hair ; )

It is the popular caveman from the Geico commercials. In the commercials, the caveman acts like a normal everyday 21st century individual, until he sees the Geico slogan, "So easy a caveman can do it". Then he gets annoyed and I don't blame him.

But what does this have to do with your health?

Let me explain.

It is now 2009, and it goes without saying that we are more technologically advanced than our caveman ancestors. We have hospitals, doctors, surgeons and antibiotics. We have nurses, therapists, and a whole host of other healthcare providers, (just look at our Wellness Network), to help treat and cure disease. Our healthcare choices are plentiful. That may change if the federal government passes new healthcare legislation, but let me get back on topic.

So are we healthier than the caveman?

NOPE !!!!

Let me explain.

While we are more technologically advanced than our caveman ancestors, we still share over 99% of their DNA. So in essence, we are not that different, just more civilized? I know, another off-topic conversation.

Our 21st century diet and lifestyle are much different than our ancestors and not necessarily for the better!

Today I will focus on diet.

Our caveman ancestors lived off the earth and were known as hunter-gatherers. They did not go to Wegmans for their produce, Papa Johns for their pizza, or make reservations for dinner. They hunted and gathered for all their food on a daily basis. Their diet is said to have consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables, greens, nuts and seeds, as well as hunted wild game. They ate fish and foraged for eggs. Their nutritional status was heads and tails above present day man. Their foods contained no preservatives or added hormones. Today's processed foods, while having a long shelf life, easy to read nutritional labels and easy to prepare microwave instructions, has far less nutritional value than fresh food. Less nutrients in today's diet set us up for many Diet Related Diseases or DRD's. I am sure you have heard of the following DRD's:

Obesity
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Diabetes
Arthritis

There are many others but I think I made my point.

Oh well, I am on a roll so I'll make another point!

Did cavemen eat Cheerios? Bagels? Ice Cream? Pepsi? Pizza? ............. NO!

How bout eggs? apples? tomatoes? fish? chicken? .............. YES !!

Pearl of the day:

If you want to improve on, or prevent your Diet Related Diseases,

the solution may be,

"So easy a caveman can do it".

Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Board Certified Family Medicine
Founder of The Institute For Medical Wellness
128 Borton Landing Road, Suite Two
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Phone 856-231-0590
Fax 856-294-0311
http://www.drhorvitz.com/

To celebrate the end of the school year, for the month of June, all schoolteachers can receive $10 off a 1 hour massage, or $15 off a 1.5 hour massage from Julie Fischer, our certified massage therapist at The Institute For Medical Wellness. And if you refer a friend for a massage, you both will receive $5 off your next massage.

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