Ben G

Boosting the Immune System

The human immune system is a wonderful thing. It responds quickly when we’re injured (the swelling around a sprained joint or a small cut), it attacks microscopic invaders like viruses and bacteria, and it even stores information that helps it fight future infections. It’s a beautiful protector that we’re partially born with and partially develop throughout our life.

Unfortunately, our lifestyle often undermines that system. For instance, stress weakens our immune system. So does a lack of sleep. Being sedentary can lead to immune system dysfunction. And depression, anxiety — even grief — take their toll.

As does our Western diet, which is filled with processed and ultra-processed foods but low in immune-boosting ingredients. While many people are correct in connecting nutrition with a strong immune system, the relationship between the foods we eat, and our body’s defensive shield is far more complex than simply drinking orange juice, taking a supplement, or chicken soup during cold and flu season.

Foods that Cause Inflammation

Bad diets damage our immune system in surprising, contradictory ways. Processed and ultra-processed foods, for example, are linked to inflammation – a component of our immune response.

When we get hurt or have an infection, there’s a localized immune response: Blood flows to the area, small blood vessels dilate and white blood cells rush in to fight the infection and begin repairing damage. The process raises inflammation levels as a result, which is normal, even necessary.

But sometimes our immune system stays active long after the initial response is over and no longer needed. This is called chronic inflammation – and it’s harmful. Chronic inflammation is linked to many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease, obesity, depression and autoimmune disorders. It also impairs our immune response, making it more likely an infection can take hold.

What’s the connection between diet and chronic inflammation? Specific foods like red meat, sodas, simple carbs like white bread, pasta and pastries, fried foods, some vegetable oils and processed meat contribute to inflammation. Studies link sugar (including high-fructose corn syrup), trans fats (often found in processed foods) and red and processed meats to inflammation and disease.

How You Should Eat for A Stronger Immune System

As we get older, the problem gets worse. Older Americans who are frail, obese or malnourished tend to experience a weaker immune response. Diets heavy on convenience foods tend to be short on essential micronutrients that strengthen our immune system.

Micronutrients include vitamins — A, B-complex, C, D, and E — and minerals — calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. A balanced diet that is comprised of good sources of micronutrients (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products and lean meat, poultry, and fish), along with soluble fiber (legumes, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes), healthy fats (avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds) and healthy proteins (lean meats, poultry, and fish) can actually boost your immune system.

This is one reason health experts promote the Mediterranean diet. It’s loaded with immune-boosting foods such as olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains while limited in processed foods and red meat. The Mediterranean diet also is credited with maintaining a healthy gut – another key element of strong immunity.

Foods that Boost Your Immune System

The best way to absorb these nutrients and reap their benefits is by eating them as part of a healthy diet, as opposed to taking supplements. Here are some examples of immunity boosting foods that you can integrate in your diet:

Citrus vegetables like peppers, and fruits like papaya are significant sources of vitamin C, which is thought to improve the production of white blood cells.
Orange vegetables — carrots and sweet potatoes — have beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A and supports your immune system.
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and arugula are powerhouses of vitamins that help your immune system including A, C and E. They also have fiber, which supports the growth of certain valuable microbes that in turn help your immune system.
Many seeds and nuts contain vitamin E, which helps modulate your immune system. They also have trace minerals like selenium, phosphorus and magnesium, which have been shown to boost immunity.
Dairy products, particularly milk and yogurt, and along with mushrooms and some fatty fish also are good sources of vitamin D, which has anti-inflammatory properties and helps balance and regulate the immune system.
Ginger and garlic, common cooking ingredients, are high in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial benefits – all beneficial to the immune system.

What about alcohol?

Finally, alcohol also affects your immune system in several ways. It can destroy microbes in your digestive tract that support your immune system. It also leads to inflammation. The more you drink, the greater the effect.

Nutrition is just one factor — an important one — in our immune system’s health. In addition to eating well, we also need to exercise, keep our weight in check and manage our stress. Doing all these things can be a recipe for immunological success.

Now, you should remember that life is about moderation. While my next recipe is not the epitome of health, it offers a variety of micronutrients that can boost your immune system while still offering zeal in your life!

Shrimp linguine with broccoli and garlic whole grain bread:

Saute garlic, butter, and 1.5lb peeled shrimp in your cast iron skillet. While this is cooking, bake frozen broccoli at 425F for 15 minutes and boil whole grain linguine pasta for around 10 minutes.

Once the shrimp has finished cooking, add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the skillet and stir in 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 spoonful at a time. Add freshly ground pepper, salt, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and 3 tablespoons chopped bail.

In the final 5 minutes of the broccoli bake, throw in your sliced whole grain bread that is covered in mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with garlic powder. This was a fan favorite in my house and even tempted my toddler, which is saying something! Remember to use whole grain pastas and breads for the extra nutrient punch.

Cutting Back on the Booze

Many people enjoy an occasional boozy indulgence. Unfortunately, our recognition of the risks related to drinking are often underestimated. Did you know that alcohol consumption is linked to multiple cancers, mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, and overall risk of mortality? Let’s dive in.

Alcohol and its metabolite acetaldehyde are carcinogens linked to numerous cancers including breast, head and neck, melanoma, liver, prostate, gastric, and pancreatic. It is also implicated in fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. In fact, cutting back on alcohol consumption is one of the best ways to prevent fatty liver disease from transitioning to cirrhosis or hepatocellular (liver) cancer. Alcohol consumption also increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, depression, dementia, chronic pain and arthritis, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), gout, and neuropathy. I cannot tell you the number of times alcohol has contributed to neuropathy in my clinic. This stuff is toxic to the body!

The impact of alcohol on human physiology also affects the way you feel and perform. First, alcohol calories are essentially “empty” calories as they hold no nutritional value. Think of every drink as an increase in adipose tissue deposition (fat), unlike when you consume calories from other nutritious sources that are converted to glycogen, a stored carbohydrate that’s good for exercise capacity. Second, alcohol inhibits the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients including thiamine, vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc. These essential nutrients are necessary for blood cell formation, metabolism, and immunity. This can impede muscle growth, muscle recovery, and memory via negative impacts on the hippocampus where learning and memory processing occurs. The impact of alcohol on human physiology doesn’t stop here. It also destroys your REM sleep and leads to chronic fatigue. Heavy alcohol use will impact these components the most. You aren’t functioning at peak performance if you drink alcohol.

What is a safe amount? The correct answer is none. Previous research argued that moderate use of alcohol was safe and potentially offered protective health effects. These studies were wildly flawed in controlling for co-morbid conditions and other confounding variables. However, partaking in an occasional drink with friends is not bad. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends women drink no more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day. The recommendation is no more than 2 beverages per day for men. This is not averaged over a week. This is the max recommended amount of alcoholic beverages per day. Regarding types of alcohol, red wine is arguably the “best” form of alcohol due to the antioxidant polyphenols it contains.

Now we need to understand what is classified as 1 beverage. Many of my patients incorrectly tell me they drink 1 cocktail per night but, when questioned further, are actually drinking closer to 1.5 or 2 cocktails per night based on volume of alcohol. Here is a table from the CDC to help you understand what one drink is by volume:

The first step in understanding heavy alcohol use is to define heavy drinking. It is also important to understand that you can be a heavy drinker and not have alcohol use disorder (ie. alcoholism). Alcohol use disorder is defined as heavy alcohol use plus impairment in self-control, physical dependence, social problems, and risky use like drinking and driving.

The patterns listed below are considered heavy drinking and are highly tied to alcohol use disorder and alcohol related bodily harm:

For women: 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more drinks per week.

For men: 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more drinks per week.

Before we talk about cutting back, it is important to remember that you should discuss quitting alcohol with your physician before beginning this journey; stopping alcohol consumption abruptly can be life threatening and I am not offering medical advice here. One method many people have found helpful is to have no heavy drinking days. Meaning you intentionally never drink more than 4 (women) or 5 (men) alcoholic beverages in a day. Committing to this has actually been shown to improve how heavy drinkers feel and function – it’s also used as a positive outcome in clinical trials, in addition to abstinence. Another method I have utilized to help patients cut back on alcohol is to replace alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic beverages. I frequently recommend heavy beer drinkers replace 1 can of beer with 1 can of seltzer water. They still enjoy the fizzy burn as it goes down and you can still “crack the can.” This method will help you slowly cut back on the number of alcoholic beverages consumed per day.

Another method I recommend to heavy drinkers is to establish an accountability partner. You need to acknowledge that you have a drinking problem and ask your spouse, friend, or coworker to hold you accountable in cutting back. Tell this accountability partner your drinking limit and ask them to intermittently confirm your commitment to this journey. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings can help you locate an accountability partner and offer exceptional resources for drinkers. Another successful method to cut back is by setting a drinking limit before going to the bar. Bonus points if you tell your accountability partner this limit! Medications, such as naltrexone, disulfiram, and semaglutide, are also used in some people to curb alcohol cravings. Finally, treat alcohol like an addiction (it is!) and avoid people or places that you recognize as negative influences on your drinking patterns. If you always have 4 beers when you go to Buffalo Wild Wings, then consider getting the BDubs to-go and enjoy your Blazin’ wings at home!

Jalen Williams – a member of the OKC Thunder 2025 NBA Championship team – recently had his first beer which was widely publicized after the championship game. His response: “[It] was my first time drinking, ever… I had shots, champagne, beer: it was all disgusting. I’mma stick to Shirley temples.” You can be the champion of your life and quit drinking alcohol too!

Now, remember that everything in life is about balance. While cutting back on alcohol consumption is a sure-fire way to improve your health, it is important to remember the other components of a healthy lifestyle that I’ve discussed in previous blog posts. While many posts focus on dinner preparation, this post will break that trend and introduce you to my favorite breakfast.

I have no idea what to call this but, as many of you know, I’ll throw about anything in a bowl and see how it tastes. This is a winner.

Add boiling water to 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Let sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes then fold in 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of flavored Greek yogurt (I like mixed berry). This meal has enough protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates to keep you satiated until lunch while giving you a fantastic energy and anti-oxidant boost from the blueberries.

Which diet is best?

Many of my patients ask me which diet is best to help them lose weight, live longer, improve physical prowess, reduce blood sugar, among many other reasons people choose to diet. They’re often shocked when I tell them I don’t like the word ‘diet.’ The term insinuates that you will be operating a very strict food regimen for a short period of time to achieve a desired effect. Think about your friend or coworker that said they were going on the ‘X’ diet for ‘Y’ reasons. You can fill in the blank because we all know someone (assuming you haven’t done it yourself) who has said this phrase. What was the end result for this person? I’m willing to bet they’re no closer to their ‘diet’ goals today than they were when they began their journey. This is not to say that I haven’t had patients who are successful at achieving their health goals through a specific diet plan – in fact, I’ve had many! But, this is not the majority. Most can’t sustain their diet for more than 6 months and, unfortunately, many regain their initial body weight by 4 years.

A healthy lifestyle, whether you need to lose weight or biohack, should be specific, measurable, achievable, time-bound, and SUSTAINABLE. I’ll repeat the last word – SUSTAINABLE. Strict diets can be counterproductive to achieving your ultimate health goals. While this may be a carnivore based regimen (I don’t recommend this for cardiovascular reasons in most people), it could also be a Mediterranean or plant based regimen for others. The key is that everyone is different. Intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, social, and religious beliefs often dictate how a “normal” diet looks. This is where your physician or nutritionist can help guide you.

So, where do you start? I prefer to educate my patients based on what is known to be healthy standards.

Protein: Most information available online recommends adults eat 0.8g protein per kilogram of ideal body weight. However, this is the minimum amount required to prevent a protein deficiency, which can lead to bone fractures, poor muscle mass, and increase risk for falls. Most adults without kidney disease should be closer to 1.5-2g protein per kilogram of ideal body weight in combination with physical activity to maximize health. For reference, a 5oz chicken breast is around 40g protein. One cup of greek yogurt is 17g protein. One cup of cooked black beans is 15g protein. Protein shakes can easily get you to your goal protein and are easy to drink on the go for the busy workers. I like to drink my protein shakes between patient encounters.

Fiber: The goal should be 30 grams of fiber per day. Insoluble fiber is in many foods including whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables. A diet high in fiber is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and multiple cancers including colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and gastric. While I do recommend eating whole grains daily, I prefer to get my fiber from fruit and vegetables because most people are grossly deficient on the consumption of these. Raspberries and blueberries are the most fiber dense with 8g per cup. Apples have around 4g in a medium sized apple. Kale has roughly 5g per cup and broccoli has 3g per cup.

Water: The proper amount of water consumption differs by person and activity level. However, a good starting place is 1oz water per kilogram of body weight. This would be the minimum recommended volume for most people. Again, discuss with your physician first as this may differ depending on the presence of comorbid conditions like kidney failure, cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, or use of certain medications. Those who work in hot environments or are highly physically active should be closer to 2oz water per kilogram of ideal body weight. A rough evaluation of your hydration level can be determined simply by standing up from a seated position. If you get dizzy with standing, you may be dehydrated.

You’ll notice I left out carbohydrates. This was intentional. While the body cannot survive without glucose, a carbohydrate required in the production of ATP (the main energy carrying molecule in the body), it is a common misconception that we should limit the amount of fruit in our diet due to the high carbohydrate content. Don’t fall into this trap. While you should discuss this with your physician, the benefits obtained from eating fruit (and their respective complex carbohydrates) are far greater than the potential risks. Further, think about all the other high glycemic index foods you eat in a day and figure out which ones you could replace with a high quality piece of fruit that will help lower your risk of an innumerable number of diseases. I do not condone a diet high in simple carbohydrates. Examples of simple carbohydrates are white breads, chips, candy, syrups, white pasta, white rice, etc. These foods are considered high glycemic index foods and will quickly wreck your dietary and lifestyle goals.

If you can achieve the above quantities of protein and fiber (from varied sources including fruit, vegetables, and some whole grains) and limit the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet, there’s a good chance you will be eating a well balanced diet. The good news is you don’t have to be perfect with your diet. In fact, I would argue that you should NOT be perfect with your diet. Enjoying some cheat meals is not a bad thing. The important component is that you eat a cheat meal (or any meal for that matter) in moderation. Aim for 1 cheat meal per week or less and stay committed to your goals. Share these goals with your family and friends for extra credit!

This recipe is a family favorite in my house. We call it the black bean special. I think it’s special because it is a one pan dish (meaning easy to make!) and is super healthy and flavorful. This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, “How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss” by cardiologist and lifestyle medicine expert Michael Greger, MD. I highly recommend this book as well as its precursor, “How Not to Die.”

Boil 1 cup of dry quinoa in equal parts of chicken broth and water for 5 minutes. In the boiling water, add 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, Then, mix in 1 bag of frozen broccoli florets and cover for an additional 8 minutes. With two minutes remaining, add 1 can of drained/rinsed black beans. An alternative to the quinoa would be farro (higher in fiber than quinoa) or brown rice. Share your recipes and book recommendations below!

Obesity and Diet

Welcome back, friends. Let’s talk about nutrition and obesity.

Most people recognize that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other conditions. However, many don’t truly understand the burden of body weight on overall health. For instance, obesity is now the leading cause of liver cirrhosis in the United States. You heard that right – it’s not alcohol use anymore. Obesity also affects your immune system, sexual health, and brain health. It is even associated with dementia. A 2017 systematic review incorporating over 589,000 people found a 33% increased risk of dementia in people with obesity compared to the non-obese.

Unfortunately, obesity is very common and afflicts over 40% of all Americans. The great news is that it is never too late to start losing weight. Even if you already have diabetes, coronary artery disease, history of stroke, or non-alcoholic cirrhosis, you can still improve your quality of life through weight loss. Numerous studies have shown that weight loss in people with obesity can reduce joint pain, improve energy and mobility, enhance fertility, and increase self-esteem and mood.

A diet high in fruit and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts have repeatedly been shown to improve body weight compared to many fad diets like Atkins and carnivore diets (although these do have their place for some people). While many diets are useful for lowing weight, the goal should be to select one that is sustainable in your life and that does not increase your risk for other diseases. Weight loss through a whole food, plant based diet even occurs independently of exercise routines. A large component of the success many people have with weight loss while on a whole food, plant based diet is a result of the caloric density of plants compared to animal products. Another component leading to improved weight loss include the high protein and fiber nature of legumes and other plants which result in improved satiety.

One recipe I recently discovered is loaded salad. You’ll find the recipe below:

Mix 2 large handfuls of spring mix lettuce with half a cup of feta cheese. I added a half cup of cooked chickpeas for added protein but you can substitute this for grilled chicken if you prefer. Next, blister a large handful of halved cherry tomatoes in a pan with olive oil. While the tomatoes are cooking, begin preparing three over easy eggs. Add both of the items to the salad with a drizzle of black truffle hot sauce (or any other smoky hot sauce). Top with a small handful of mixed nuts to get your serving of unsaturated fatty acids for the day. Mix thoroughly so that the salad begins to slightly wilt from the heat of the cherry tomatoes and egg yolk. Enjoy!

You’ll win extra perks if you use farm fresh eggs. There is some evidence that farm fresh eggs have reduced cholesterol and more amino acids compared to commercially produced eggs. This may be due to the length of time it takes for commercial eggs to get to store shelves and then your counter compared to farm fresh eggs. Here’s a picture of Lucy, Lizzo, and Butter (our backyard hens) that supported this recipe!

Exercise as medicine

The first marathon occurred in 490BC when an Athenian ran 26 miles from the battle of Marathon to Athens announcing the phrase “Victory” following successful defeat of the Persian army. The marathon was revitalized nearly 2500 years later in the 1896 Olympic games held in Greece. The winner had a time of 2:28:50. A picture of this race is depicted below. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of runners have completed the grueling 26.2 mile marathon across the world.

While running a marathon is an impressive feat and show of physical prowess, you don’t need to achieve this standard to improve your health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends U.S. adults obtain 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Moderate activity includes brisk walking, playing tennis, water aerobics, dancing, or pushing a lawn mower. You don’t need to run a marathon to improve your health.

In fact, exercise is associated with reduced fatigue, stress, low back pain, and risk of falls. it is also associated with improved cholesterol, cardiovascular health, sleep, mental health, insulin sensitivity, biological health, pain perception in those with osteoarthritis, and sleep. Exercising 150 minutes per week has been linked to a 25% and 30% reduction in breast cancer and colon cancer, respectively.

These effects are amplified with more exercise. Impressively, achieving 150 minutes of brisk walking per week results in ~2.5 years of life gained. This increases to ~4.5 years of life gained with 500 minutes of brisk walking per week. These effects mediate inflammation in the body (IL-6, C reactive protein, TNF-alpha), gut microbiome through increased availability of short chain fatty acids, insulin sensitivity via the GLUT4 pathway, and cardiovascular health through increased nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor production. As a result of these health benefits, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine now argues that physical activity should be a vital sign measured at your doctor visits. Kaiser Permanente healthcare system did this with over 1.7 million patients!

Although the goal should be to exercise at least 150 minutes per week, or 30 minutes 5 days per week, you should not be discouraged if you cannot achieve this due to your schedule or current physical health. For instance, if I did not have 30 minutes to exercise consecutively in a day, I would not exercise at all due to my own mental barrier. I’ve changed this negative perspective towards those busy work days and now will get at least 10 minutes of power walking before work, at lunch, and when I get home from work if this is all I can do. The key is to get your heart rate up. Many of my patients will take is to bring your lunch to work and walk while you eat. This is achievable if you set your mind to it.

Another barrier many people have is fear of physical activity due to current low levels of fitness. If this is you, the answer is to have SMART goals. S: specific. M: measurable. A: achievable. R: relevant. T: time-bound. For example, if you are currently walk less than 1000 steps per day due to pain, then you need to make a SMART goal specific to your current state. I would recommend taking small steps first. In this scenario, your SMART goal may be the following: ‘I will walk 1500 steps per day and perform chair yoga (look it up, it’s free on Youtube!) for 10 minutes each morning for 2 weeks.’ Once this goal has been accomplished, you expand upon the previous SMART goal and create more challenging SMART goals. More advanced athletes should also have SMART goals to accomplish at least the minimum standards of 150 minutes per week.

Finally, you need peer support (or peer pressure if you are a glass half empty kind of person). This should come in the form of family and friends as well as your personal physician. Tell your friend that you are on an exercise journey to reduce your risk of breast or colon cancer. Bring them on your next lunchtime power walk. Ask them to be your accountability partner. This should also come in the form of your physician. Physicians who are physically active are more likely to encourage and counsel patients on healthy lifestyles compared to inactive physicians. They also have real-world physical activity experience and tips that can help you along your lifestyle journey. Finally, having a physically active physician can provide first hand experience and counsel to help you improve. You should always ask your physician before starting any physical training program. Find your accountability partner, create a team, and share tips on how you improved physical activity in your life below. Here’s a picture of my team from a recent race.

Let’s talk about your heart!

Welcome back to the My Healthy Living blog, friends. One of the most common conditions I see is cardiovascular disease in my Internal Medicine clinic. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the leading cause of death in the United States and has almost certainly affected you or a family member directly. For the naysayers who believe it won’t happen to you; over 48% of Americans greater than 20 years have cardiovascular disease, defined by the presence of hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, or congestive heart failure. This is likely an under-representation too because there is currently no clinical practice guideline that recommends a screening for coronary artery disease in an asymptomatic patient. Go to the doctor and ask about heart health!

Only 28% of Americans eat the CDC recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day (1 serving = banana or bell pepper for size reference). This means that there is lots of room for improvement! Interestingly, the risk of heart disease decreases by nearly 25% in people who eat these fruit and vegetable serving recommendations. This risk reduction is independent of other lifestyle changes like physical activity, smoking cessation, and weight control.

However, don’t assume that all plant based diets are going to prevent you from having that widow maker heart attack. Eating an unhealthy plant based diet -primarily refined carbohydrates (white bread/pasta) – is linked to a 32% increase in cardiovascular disease compared to a health plant based diet. The goal should be to eat 5 servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables, 1-2 ounces of nuts, and 2-3 servings of legumes (1 serving = 1/2 cup cooked) per day. Plants contain phytochemicals which help with antio-xidation (think cancer prevention and anti-aging effects) as well as anti-inflammation. These phytochemicals are not found in animal products.

One way I have personally helped hundreds of patients improve their diet is through making slow, intentional changes in their lives. Evaluate how many servings of fruit you eat per day. If you only eat 1 apple per day, you won’t keep the doctor away; I know… I know… I’m a dad. If this is the case, I would encourage you to start with 1 apple and 1 banana starting next week. One way I have personally achieved this is by eating a piece of fruit on my way to work and bringing 3-4 more pieces of fruit (think easy to eat fruit like apples, bananas, oranges) with me to work. When I see the extra fruit on my desk, I’m encouraged to eat them throughout my busy day. This is easy and achievable for anybody. For the skeptics that say it’s too expensive to eat this much fruit, I ask that you compare the cost of a large bag of apples or oranges that will last you at least 3-5 days on this plant-based diet to your daily Starbucks or breakfast burrito you picked up on the way to work.

Let’s make this lifestyle change together and prevent cardiovascular disease! Leave your plant based recipes below and let me know your preferred way to prepare chickpeas.

Here’s my dinner from last night. It included a significant amount of protein, insoluble fiber, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, and vegetables. I ate my 5 servings of fruit while at work.

Ingredients:

One can chickpeas
Yellow onion, diced
Bag of frozen broccoli
Bag of brown rice
Teriyaki sauce

Recipe: saute the onions with some garlic until fragrant. Add the drained chickpeas and continue browning for 3-5 more minutes. While the chickpeas are warming, steam the broccoli and prepare the rice. I prefer the boil-in-a-bag rice for simplicity. Finally, combine all of the cooked ingredients into a large pan and add the desired amount of Teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!

Hello World!

Welcome to My Healthy Living blog, friends! My name is Ben Greiner, DO, MPH and I am a board certified Internal Medicine Physician in Tulsa, OK and Officer in the Army National Guard. I have over 50 peer reviewed publications, most of which focused on lifestyle behavior change and chronic disease management. Health is my passion and livelihood. Contrary to some perceptions of physicians, I WANT my patients and their family members to live a healthy life. Lifestyle change has the potential to improve energy, libido, cardiovascular health, memory, and mood and may even result in you requiring fewer medications.

After practicing medicine for many years, I’ve realized people are paralyzed in their journeys to improve health. Most recognize that improving nutrition and physical activity are necessary for weight loss or health optimization, but fail to achieve their health goals despite this knowledge. Worse, many people receive bad or even dangerous information online, from their local hairdresser, or even a healthcare professional.

This blog is designed to summarize lifestyle medicine techniques and help you – the busy mother, father, son, husband, patient, military member – accomplish your health goals through easy, straight-forward techniques I’ve used to help many of my own patients. Each blog post will include tips and tricks you can use to achieve sustainable health results. Most importantly, I am on this lifestyle medicine journey with you – join me and you too can experience the benefits of healthy living.

Disclaimer: No post on this site should be construed as medical advice. You should always consult your physician before starting nutrition or physical activity changes.