As I mentioned in my previous blog, the NY Times magazine published a provocative article entitled "Unhappy Meals". The author asked the question, "If we know so much about 'nutrition' why is it that our weights and our health are getting worse not better over the past 20 years?”
His 3 basic rules, which we've stressed in DocTalks to all health care consumers ring true more than ever:
Rule #1: Eat food that is real food that your grandmother would recognize (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, not processed products)
Rule #2: Not too much; we ALL eat too much, too frequently compared to 20 years ago.
Rule #3: Mostly plants; we eat too much animal fat, protein and need to eat like earlier cultures (Asian, Mediterranean) with plant-based diets.
In this week's letters to the editor, Dr. Mark Goldstein of Naples, Florida coins a new term which I love: "McLipitor Syndrome". His comments are particularly timely as I prepare to deliver DocTalk #6 devoted to the top 10 prescription drug classes - their lifestyle causes, their alternatives and optimal use when indicated.
He states: "I call it the McLipitor Syndrome. Patients feel they can eat whatever they want as long as they take a statin drug to lower cholesterol. Because of time constraints, physicians may spend little time counseling lifestyle change, which can work as well as or better than the best drugs for heart disease, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure."
Dr Mark says it all. Eat right (or at least better), move everyday (shoot for 30 minutes), quit or don't start using tobacco, modest (if any alcohol use) and learn healthy responses to stress and pressures of everyday living. Still the "best medicine"!
Have a great week.
Dr Mike
