DR KEVWE'S BLOG

Salads refer to a cold mixture of various raw vegetables +/- fruits, served with a cream or oil dressing and only recently have I personally experienced/realised why these colourful plants should be a constant in the diet of every individual. Like many ignorant people out there, I used to think salads actually only referred to coleslaw-( popularly known as vegetable salad ) or a mix of chopped up fruits (popularly known as fruit salad) and were only necessary for adding flavour to rice meals or dessert, with regards to the fruits 😄. Not until I started working in British Hospitals,did I realise that salads, were mostly a mixture of nutritious raw vegetables and fruits that could make all the difference between a healthy and unhealthy diet. Admire the lovely salad on flick this Saturday Evening and find out below why you must make such a constitution part of your regular diet.

📷: Salad, Coleslaw & Lasagna  by @drkevwe (www.instagram.com/drkevwe)

* Great Source Of Dietary Fiber:
Experts have identified salads as one of the best sources of nutritional fiber - portions of plant derived food that cannot be completely broken down by digestive chemicals. This fiber or roughages as sometimes called, pass down from the small intestine to the large intestine to help the forming stool develop better bulk that can be easily passed out. The suggested cause of bowel cancer in many cases, has been linked to the longterm absence of dietary fiber in the diets of many victims. How this exactly can happen is long medical grammar for another day; if you don't mind. The simplest realtime explanation of this benefit is appreciated when you wake up for 3 consecutive days feeling constipated, until you grab a salad or any other source of dietary fiber like cornflakes/cereals or even oranges and eventually experience the greatest intestinal relief of your life in.....you know where.

📷: Salad & Prawn Mayo by @drkevwe(www.instagram.com/drkevwe)

* Wonderful Source Of Vitamins & Vital Mineral Salts:
Vegetables and fruits, the major components of salads, are confirmed excellent sources of vitamins and vital mineral salts in the body that play very important roles in a multitude of stabilising chemical activities that must occur for everyone of us to feel well overall. Ranging from: skin and bone maintenance to body electrical impulse transfer (nerve conduction) to overall brain function or even general organ function-sexual organs not excluded, a proper balance of vitamins and mineral salts in addition to other factors, will give you the right fix and put your body in a position to function optimally. There is no better way to explain it. Only a trial can convince you.


* Excellent Dietary Option For Weight Loss & Maintenance Of Healthy Body Fat:
Are you one of those battling with weight loss or struggling to maintain a healthy diet to normalise your Cholesterol levels for better blood pressure or blood sugar controls? Have you ever been in a situation where, you really wished you could keep your eating as healthy as possible but circumstances just wouldn't permit?  The Doctor has asked you to reduce or cut out starchy carbohydrates for dinner which must not be eaten later than 7pm/19:00 but you wake up really early to go to work and remain so busy all day that, the only opportunity to eat anything major is late night after you close and you feel starchy carbohydrates are the only filling option right? This is exactly the concern I have gotten from a lot of patients in the past but say no more; a colourful portion of salad served with your favourite  barbecue fish or grilled chicken or turkey...etc.... will do the magic.

👀: Wikipedia

In conclusion, all of the above grammar can be summarised in the fact that, with salads you can't go wrong diet wise. There are different types and when eaten alongside your favourite fish or meat or whatever, you will certainly get as full as you want, yet remain as healthy as possible.

By: Dr. Oghenekevwe Daniel Ogidigben

REFERENCES:
* WebMD| 4 Healthy Reasons To Eat A Salad Today

* HuffPost| Sex And A Salad

Oprah Winfrey’s line of packaged foods, O, That’s Good!, just dropped four varieties of frozen cauliflower crust pizza, which have 1/3 of the flour in the crust replaced with cauliflower puree. The pizzas are the latest additions to this packaged comfort food line launched by Kraft Heinz and Oprah last year, featuring tasty eats such as mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.



Cauliflower pizza crust has become a superstar food trend over the past few years, driven by consumers who are looking for gluten-free, low-carb, or vegan crust options when they order or pick up a slice or a pie. But are Oprah's cauliflower crust pizzas as healthy they sound? Here's the lowdown.



 The four varieties in Oprah's new line include Supreme, Five Cheese, Fire Roasted Veggie, and Uncured Pepperoni. The most nutritious option is the Fire Roasted Veggie, which comes in at 280 calories per serving (1/5th of the entire pizza), 9 grams of overall fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 4 grams of fiber, and impressive amounts of vitamin C.

While this pizza won’t derail your healthy eating habits, it does pack in 20% of your daily sodium levels, which is consistent with most other frozen meals.


The three other varieties are less impressive. Each racks up 320-330 calories per serving (1/5th of the pie) and are higher in total fat, saturated fat, and sodium. The Five Cheese has 25% of the saturated fat you're supposed to consume in an entire day, while the Uncured Pepperoni has 30% of your daily sodium allotment.

If you want a healthier cauliflower crust pizza, many other options are made with more cauliflower and less flour than Oprah’s pies. You could also easily make your own, or you can buy pre-made cauliflower crusts from Caulipower or The Healthy Crust brands. A serving (half a pie) of Caulipower Veggie Pizza gives you a larger portion at fewer calories, lower levels of saturated fat, and a lower sodium count than the O, That’s Good! slices.

The cauliflower crust trend shows no signs of slowing down, as low-carb eaters use this veggie as a replacement for flour, rice, and other foods to help cut calories and carbs while boosting fiber and essential nutrients. You can even now buy cauliflower-based baking goods and cake mixes.

No wonder cauliflower is so popular. It's a nutritional all-star, providing fiber, vitamin C, potassium, B vitamins, and antioxidants—all at just 25 calories per cup. Using cauliflower in place of grains in a pizza crust or as a substitute for rice helps slash calories while upping the fiber and nutrients of the overall recipe.

Whether you have some extra weight in your upper arms or rear end, it makes sense that targeting those areas with exercise—curls for your arms, lunges for your butt—would slim them down.

Weight-loss experts refer to this as “spot reduction.” But it turns out that in most cases, this kind of laser-focused weight loss isn’t possible. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that six weeks of intensive ab workouts did nothing to slim the exercisers’ midsections. A related study found that 12-weeks of one-armed workouts resulted in less loose skin in the trained arm, but zero fat loss.



Working out just one part of your body probably won’t slim it down, but some body parts are more likely to shed fat when you exercise. Your stomach is one of them.

“Some fat deposits are more metabolically active than others, and those may be more responsive to exercise interventions,” says Arthur Weltman, a professor of medicine and chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of Virginia. “Abdominal fat in particular is one of the most metabolically active fats.”

When you exercise, your workouts trigger the release of hormones, Weltman explains. The higher the exercise intensity, the more of these hormones your body pumps out, and the more of that metabolically active fat you lose. (Some of Weltman’s research suggests that high intensity interval training (HIIT), in particular, may slim your midsection.)

If you have fat stored in your gut, arms and chest, a lot of your fat is metabolically active, so it will likely respond to exercise and diet changes, he says. That’s especially true of your abdominal fat. The bad news is that extra fat in these regions is also linked with a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other ailments.

On the other hand, if you store excess fat in the hips, butt and thighs, that fat is not metabolically active. You have a lower risk for many diseases, “but that fat is very hard to reduce,” he says.

What type of exercise is best for targeting the tummy? One study compared strength training to aerobic training in terms of fat reduction in different parts of the body and found that while aerobic training—running, swimming, cycling—led to greater whole-body fat loss, resistance training targeted abdominal fat in particular.

In a nutshell, spot-targeting fat isn’t very effective—in most cases. But if you’re trying to lose fat around your stomach, a mix of resistance training and high-intensity aerobic exercise, along with a healthy diet, may help reduce your belly fat.

At least 12 deaths in the last two years have been linked to a popular treatment for obesity, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned in a letter to health care providers earlier this week. In most cases, patients died within a month of having a liquid-filled balloon inserted in their stomachs, a procedure that limits the amount a person can eat and helps them feel fuller faster.



Two types of liquid-filled balloon systems have been on the market since 2015: the ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System and the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System. These balloons are inserted via a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure and are inflated with a saline solution once in place in the stomach.

The balloons are designed to remain in place for several months, while patients receive counseling on diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle changes. In clinical trials for both devices, patients lost at least twice as much weight with these procedures than with diet and exercise alone.

But in August 2017, the FDA issued a warning about seven deaths that had been linked to the two types of liquid-filled balloons. At the time, the FDA said that it wasn't clear whether those deaths were caused by the balloon systems, but that it was looking into the possibility.

This week, the agency revealed that five more deaths had been reported since last year’s warning, several of which were linked to perforations of the stomach wall after balloon implantation. In addition to the deaths, other complications related to the placement and use of these devices—such as inflammation of the pancreas, and the balloon filling with air or more liquid and getting too large—have also been reported.

The FDA approved labeling changes last week to reflect this new information and is encouraging doctors to closely monitor patients with intragastric balloons for complications. Health care providers should also talk with their patients about symptoms that could be signs of serious problems, the FDA said, and advise them on what to do if those symptoms occur.

But the letter does not discourage all use of the Orbera and ReShape balloons. “While these devices remain an appropriate treatment option for some patients with obesity, patients should always discuss with their doctors which treatment option is best for them,” said William Maisel, MD, director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in an FDA brief.

Aurora Pryor, MD, director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center at Stony Brook University in New York, treats patients with both Orbera and ReShape, along with other forms of bariatric surgery. She says doctors and patients should take the FDA’s letter seriously, but that overall, complication rates from these devices remain low.

“Any death in a patient raises red flags and concern, but you also have to consider the large number of people who are using these balloons and look at that proportionately,” says Dr. Pryor. Hundreds of thousands of these balloons have been implanted worldwide, she says, compared to just 12 deaths reported. In statements, Orbera and ReShape manufacturers cited mortality rates of lower than 0.01% and 0.06%, respectively.

“You can’t say that this is a completely safe operation—there are definitely some risks involved. And for a fair consent process, you have to discuss these things with your patients,” says Dr. Pryor. “But I do think if you’re aware of these complications, and you’re looking out for pain and other symptoms, these things can be managed if identified early.”

Liquid-filled balloons are one of several options for patients considering surgical treatments for obesity. Patients who fit the criteria for traditional weight-loss surgery—usually a body mass index of 40 or higher, or 35 with other health problems—can also opt for a gastric bypass or a sleeve gastrectomy.

Like any surgery, these procedures also come with risks. But they’re generally considered very safe: One 2012 report found that mortality and complication rates for both gastric bypass and sleeve procedures were lower than those generally associated with gallbladder or hip replacement surgery. And according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the mortality rate during the 30 days following bariatric surgery is around 0.13%.

“If people meet the parameters, I will strongly encourage them to have either a sleeve or gastric bypass procedure, as those are the most studied to be effective for weight loss,” says Dr. Pryor. “If somebody has a lower BMI or they don’t qualify for surgery or aren’t interested in surgery, that’s where other options, such as balloons, come in.”

A newer balloon system, called Obalon, is swallowed rather than inserted endoscopically, and is then filled with gas rather than with liquid. At this time, the FDA is not aware of any deaths or serious adverse events related to these newer devices, an agency spokesperson told Health via email.

Monks are some of the most revered members of society here in Tibet. They are viewed as the ultimate source of spiritual guidance, and—with their radiant beauty, and abundant, youthful energy—the pinnacle of optimal health. For this latter reason, it is often found that even those who do not subscribe to any particular religious faith are longing to emulate these holy men. And since we are what we eat, we’re digging into the details of a traditional Tibetan monks’ diet in an effort to become more like these men we hold in such high esteem.

Lacking fresh produce on the plateau, it's acceptable for Tibetan monks to dine on "clean meat".

First thing’s first, what exactly do they eat?

Tibetan monks are known to eat a diet high in vegetables and fruits, limiting their intake of proteins, fats and starches. Their approach to the consumption of foods such as eggs, butter and cheese? Eat the bare minimum, only enough to meet the body’s needs. For this reason, healthy individuals who have their nutrient requirements met go without these richer foods for periods of time, only returning to consuming them when need be.

The question of whether or not eating meat is acceptable is a perplexing one because there is no clear cut answer. Many Buddhist monks abide by vegetarianism, but then there are some, particularly those of the Yoga Tantric branch, who believe it is acceptable to dine on “clean meat,” especially since some regions of Tibet have sparse availability of fresh produce. For meat to qualify as clean, the individual who is to eat the flesh cannot have seen the animal from which it comes been brought to its death. In this same vein, the eater must be certain that the animal was not sacrificed directly for him- or herself.

Also of note, those who opt to eat meat will only consume cloven-hoofed animals (read: deer, antelopes, goats, sheep, cattle and gazelles), and will only do so when they can purchase them directly from the market.

Typical staples of a Tibetan monk’s diet include salads, beans, lentils, noodle soups, and stir-fried or steamed vegetable dishes. Simple and always seasonal, as they believe that which is presently growing on this earth is the exact food we are meant to be eating at this time of year for optimal nourishment.

The approach to consumption

To really understand a Tibetan monk’s diet, it may be more fruitful to look at how they eat rather than the minute details of the food itself.

Food combining
Keeping starches, fruits and vegetables separate from meat dishes, including fish and fowl, is key. It’s believed that the starchier foods (like bread, rice, and pasta) do not sit well in the stomach when consumed with foods higher in protein because of the difference in the ways these foods get digested.

To break down starchy foods, the body needs an alkaline environment, whereas to break down something like a steak, it requires a very acidic landscape. So, when you introduce two foods that promote opposite conditions in the stomach that cancel each other out, you end up with a neutral, ineffective environment. As a result, nothing gets digested well.

This is also why fruit is to be kept separate from other foods, because of the quicker rate at which it is broken down. The rule of thumb? Always eat fruit thirty to sixty minutes prior to other foods, to prevent internal distress. When your digestion is off, this tends to manifest immediately as pain and bloating of the stomach, and, importantly, the Tibetan monks believe that in the long term this can lead to a shorter lifespan.

Mono-Diet
In line with their beliefs surrounding food combining, the monks often spend chunks of time eating just one type of food as a type of cleansing practice. This utterly simple approach to feeding oneself is found to be easier on the stomach because it ensures there is no clash in terms of digestion. Examples of foods that have been eaten by monks in this style are bread, watermelon, potatoes, squash, carrots, and even meats.

Chew slowly
When you take the time to ensure you thoroughly masticate, you’re giving your body a heads up that food is on its way down to the stomach. This signal starts the process of digestion as those necessary juices that help break down your food become active and promote optimal nutrient absorption. Remember - the more work your teeth do, the less your stomach has to. So for less bloat, chew, chew chew.

Not too late
Because the process of digestion requires energy from the body, the monks are careful not to feed themselves late in the day. Optimal sleep is a priority for them, and this requires a slowing down of the bodily systems, a state of relaxation. This state runs contrary to the one signalled by the body when it receives food. So, ideally, the last meal is consumed prior to sundown, a few hours before laying down to rest.

Eats as a group and in silence
Eating is often done at the same time every day, and always following the practice of meditation. So, when monks come together at mealtime, they are still in this state of prayer and deep relaxation. Although they are eating communally, they take their meals in utter silence, which keeps them focused on their food and their satiation, making sure not to overeat.

No snacking or sneaking
Since it is tradition to come together and treat the feeding of oneself as a sacred act, sneaking food between meals when one is alone is simply not apart of the food philosophy. It is not mindful and therefore not done.

Why do they abide by this style of eating?

Aside from optimal digestion promoted in their food combining and slow, conscious eating style, there are a number of other benefits that come from eating like a monk in Tibet.

Namely, vibrancy and vitality. With pure, whole foods making up the entirety of the diet, that leaves no room for processed junk, which leaves us feeling sluggish, lacklustre and prone to sickness. In place, we’re consuming colourful, live foods that are nutrient-dense and give us back that long sought after youthful vigour.

In addition, we get spiritual benefits from eating in this way. Learning to treat mealtime as a communal, sacred experience makes us thankful for what we are consuming, and promotes sociability. Plus, in reverting to eating such unprocessed dishes as those enjoyed by the monks, we can appreciate the beauty of simple, meek food, coming to understand that we do not need fancy foods to satisfy us. With that mindset shift, we become free from food trends and can find solace in knowing we can survive on poor man’s meals like lentils and beans.

A traditional meal and drink to try

String Beans with Potatoes
This hot dish is comprised of predominantly beans and potatoes, which are cut into small strips so that they match in shape and size with the beans. To enhance taste, the vegetables are fried in oil. The mélange gets its delectable flavour from the onions, herbs and spices the veggies are sautéd in: garlic, paprika, ginger root, and chilli peppers. At the end, boiled tomatoes and chunks of tofu are added, along with a splattering of soy sauce, a dash of red pepper and salt, and a sprinkling of finely chopped green onions.

String beans are fried with potatoes

Yak Butter Tea
Butter is regarded as one of those special ingredients in Tibet, the only that combines nicely with both starches and proteins, and capable of producing the miraculous results it does when added to black tea. Mountain climbers have come to rely on yak butter tea—made traditionally with black Pemagul tea—when they embark on expeditions. They claim it wards off plateau sicknesses and brings them immeasurable energy. You can make your own using any black tea you may have, and adding in butter, milk and a dash of salt.

A Tibetan monk is making yak butter tea

We can’t wait to try incorporating more Tibetan meals into our daily routine and begin experimenting with the monks’ mindful approach to ingesting food. Remember: slowly, thoroughly and in humble quantities. Curious about other areas of a Tibetan monk’s lifestyle we can benefit from? Try meditation, sleeping eight hours, taking baths, and engaging in regular exercise.