Tag Archives: lifestyle

8 Things You Can do To Help Prevent a Stroke

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According to the CDC, stoke is the fifth leading cause of death in America, claiming over 130,000 lives annually. While there is no sure-fire way to ensure you will never have a stroke, there are several things you can do to decrease your modifiable risk factors for stroke, drastically lessening your chance of experiencing one. Things like age, ethnicity and genetics cannot be changed, but let’s take a look at the things that are within your control to change in order to help lower your risk of having a stroke:

  1. Keep those numbers down – Are your blood pressure and cholesterol a little on the higher side? You should work at bringing those numbers down to the normal zone, as they can be key contributors to stroke, as well as heart attacks.
  2. Wine more (in moderation) – drinking too much alcohol (an average of 2 or more glasses daily), will significantly raise your risk of stroke. However, studies show that drinking one glass of red wine daily or a few times weekly may actually help lower your risk of stroke (a substance in red wine called resveratrol seems to play a part in stroke prevention).
  3. Get off the couch! Leading a sedentary lifestyle raises your risk of developing a stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, as well as other serious conditions. Activity is an integral part of any balanced, healthy lifestyle, so get out there and find your favorite exercise activity today!
  4. Shed those extra lbs – Carrying extra weight also compounds the risks of being sedentary, so if you have both those things going on, try to shed those pounds as you get more active!
  5. Quit smoking – Smoking is linked with many life-threatening conditions, and stroke is no exception. Your risk of having a stroke is also significantly raised if you are a smoker.
  6. Manage other health conditions – Uncontrolled diabetes or heart conditions can also lead to a stoke because of the added strain placed on the body when things like blood sugar or blood pressure aren’t controlled. Also, those with atrial fibrillation (a type of arrhythmia) should ensure their condition is well managed as it can also add to your risk of having a stroke.
  7. Lower your stress – Chronic stress isn’t good for anyone in any way. Perpetually spiking cortisol and adrenaline levels appear have a part to play when it comes to stroke risk as well as many other health conditions (as does depression). So, try to find a stress management plan that works best for you today, or talk to a doctor if you think you are depressed.
  8. Tweak your diet – Just as it is important to get enough exercise to help ward off scary medical emergencies like a stroke, your diet plays an equally as essential role. High cholesterol foods like burgers, cheese and heavy creams should only be eaten as treats, and you should concentrate more on produce, fish and whole grains to lower your health risks.

Thus concludes our look at stroke prevention, thanks for visiting DocChat!

Tips for Managing Asthma in Winter

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Winter can be a tumultuous time for asthmatics. Between the cold air, Christmas trees and backed-up dust, many asthmatics experience a noticeable spike in symptoms this time of year. So, what can be done?

Have Your Puffer Handy

This one sounds obvious, but many moderate-to-severe asthmatics let themselves become a little forgetful sometimes about medications and that is not ideal. Asthma can be a life-threatening condition, claiming over 4,000 American lives annually, so the condition is not one to trifle with. Just the same as an anaphylactic person would always carry their EpiPen, an asthmatic should never go anywhere without their puffer. A good rule of thumb is to put a rescue inhaler in each purse or bag you use regularly, another in your car, as well as having a few around the house.

Avoid Sub-Zero Workouts

The cold, dry air of winter can wreak havoc on hypersensitive lungs. Cold air acts as a trigger for asthma or COPD by causing the airways to narrow (bronchial constriction), which makes it much more difficult to breathe. Exercising outdoors in cold temperatures increases this risk twofold by adding the already-present dangers of physical exertion on asthmatic lungs to the constriction caused by the cold. It is not a good idea for asthmatics to exercise in cold weather, but if you must, wear a scarf over your face and take your puffer beforehand (and take it along with you while you exercise, in case of an attack).

Avoid Winter Triggers

It goes without saying that you’ll have an easier season if you do your best to avoid triggers that usually cause attacks for you. While summer poses more dangers for many asthmatics such as pollen and humidity, winter carries its own respiratory risks. Aside from cold air, some common winter asthmatic triggers include:

  • Wood burning stoves – Not all asthmatics react to smoke, but many do. Wood smoke is thick and can be a major trigger for an asthmatic enclosed in a home with a wood-burning stove going.
  • Christmas trees – it usually isn’t the tree itself that causes any problems, but the types of mold growing on them. Mold is a common trigger for those with asthma or allergies.
  • Forced air heating – forced air heating can cause problems for asthmatics because it can create issues with mold as well as constantly stir up dust mites.

Rework Your Management Plan

Sometimes attempting to avoid potential triggers isn’t enough to keep your asthma under control in the winter. If you are finding more wheeziness, coughing or chest tightness than usual, talk to your doctor (or one of ours!) today to look at readjusting your asthma management plan for the season.

Thanks for visiting DocChat! Stay happy and healthy.

Hobbies That Can Double as Exercise

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Plenty of people love exercising, but are you one of the many who finds it to be more of a chore? Well, you know you have to exercise – so perhaps choosing hobbies that have workouts built into them would be a more engaging way for you to get your sweat on! What better type of hobby than one that clandestinely helps your reach your daily or weekly exercise goal? Some of the many hobbies can double as exercise sessions include:

  1. Gardening can be a great workout if you’re tending to your whole yard. Between squatting down near the ground, getting up and down, walking around outside, mowing your lawn, lugging mulch and other tools around, you’ll be sweating in no time flat.
  2. Carpentry for home renovations is often one of the most intense workouts going. Whether you are using your triceps and biceps to saw and sand wood, walking back and forth between the garage and work-site for tools all day, climbing up and down ladders, hammering nails into place or holding heavy wood and other materials up to be secured, you are definitely working out while you’re working on a project! (Just be careful of repetitive motions like hammering that can cause tendinitis).
  3. Sailing or kayaking are beautiful, serene ways to get fresh air in your lungs, a breathtaking view in your eye-line while engaging in a great upper body workout. With sailing, kayaking and fishing, you have to use multiple upper body muscles to row, hoist sails or haul up heavy fish. Kayaking is a particularly good workout as you are constantly rowing side-to-side, using your triceps, biceps, obliques, abs and overall core to propel the vessel forward.
  4. Mural painting or sculpting may seem like a stretch, but if you are a mural painter you know it can be exhausting on the arm muscles. You can certainly engage all kinds of muscle groups if you are painting a large area like a house or wall. You are always reaching, getting on and off the ladder or scaffolding and re-positioning it to start painting the next spot. You must have discipline to paint like that for hours at a time. Similarly, those who sculpt rock know how much of a core workout it can be. Chipping away at stone with a pick or pneumatic tool requires you to re-position yourself constantly around the piece to ensure it can be displayed in the round.
  5. Drumming gets the heart-rate up while utilizing your entire body. Your legs are constantly pumping the pedals, while your arms are non-stop working all the elements from high hats right across to the floor tom (and everything in between). Not only do you need coordination, but you also need a pretty strong core to pivot around the kit, tirelessly working each limb in its own small pursuit of a beat.
  6. Berry picking can be pleasant to grueling, depending on how long you go, how large of an area you span, how heavy your buckets are and whether you are picking in the heat or on a nice overcast day. This is a workout-hobby most can do with ease, but it certainly can be challenging to constantly crouch down near the ground and then spring back up to move to a different spot for hours at a time while lugging gallons of berries. Forget lunges, try berry picking to really work those glutes!
  7. Beach scavenging is a relaxing and scenic way to exercise while pursuing a hobby. Some people scan the beach for driftwood, or for beach glass, or simply for oddities like dried out sand-dollars. Regardless of your goal, beach scavenging can be great for light exercise. You’re walking the whole day, occasionally squatting to pick up items of interest, and often carrying around buckets of items or your gear which can be beneficial for adding resistance.

So there you have it! Did any of these hobbies appeal to you? If so, start one tomorrow to set your new hobby-turn-exercise routine in motion! Getting fit while you’re having fun can’t be beat! Thanks for visiting DocChat! We hope you’ll be back soon.

 

Here’s Why You Should Try Getting Fit With HIIT!

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High intensity interval training (HIIT) is taking off as of late as a favored exercise method. It combines low-to-moderate activity intervals with high intensity ones. HIIT also allows people to work as their own personal trainer, incorporating a variety of different exercise moves into each workout.

How Does HIIT Work?

HIIT consists of very quick bursts of intense exercise, usually between 20 seconds to 2 minutes, followed by a short 10 second to 1-minute recovery period that is slower-paced, or sometimes even stationary. This activity pattern is often repeated for 20-45 minutes.

Is HIIT Effective for Weight Loss?

Yes, very. Because HIIT keeps your heartrate up while kicking your metabolic rate into overdrive, your body will be burning calories long after the workout has ended. If executed correctly, HIIT can actually burn more fat in less time than many other straight-cardio workouts.

What About Different Ability Levels?

Herein lies the true beauty of HIIT, nearly anyone can do it because it is 100% modifiable. If you have exercise induced asthma, arthritis or another mobility impairment, you can stick to more conservative exercises within your range of ability for the high intensity portions that still keep the heartrate up enough to make the exercise beneficial. Conversely, if you have no physical limitations, you can go full-on-pro-athlete during the intensity intervals!

What Types of Exercises Can You Incorporate in HIIT?

You can basically work any moves into HIIT, which is another perk. Some of the popular intensity moves are:

  • Incline push-ups
  • Jumping squats
  • High knees
  • Jumping jacks
  • Bicycle crunches
  • Sprinting

What Are Some of the Other Benefits?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, some benefits of HIIT include:

  • Aiding cardiovascular health
  • Increasing stamina
  • Helping burn fat while retaining muscle

One last benefit of HIIT is the convenience. It is a workout that can be completed in as little as 20-30 minutes, which is an amount of time that almost anyone can spare daily. It also can be done anywhere; you don’t need a pricey gym membership to get fit with HIIT! So why not give it a try today? Thanks for visiting DocChat!

 

Medical Conditions That Can Cause Weight Gain (Part 1)

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Most often weight gain is simply that, we all fluctuate in our weight over the course of a lifetime, but sometimes it can be caused by an underlying health concern. If you’ve been exercising and eating the same as you always have but notice the pounds piling on, you may want to look into the following conditions:

  1. Dysthymia (chronic depression)

Also known as persistent depression disorder, dysthymia can cause unwanted weight gain because the brain releases higher levels of cortisol when depressed, which has also been linked to weight gain. If this steroidal hormone is constantly being released over long periods of time it will very likely adversely affect one’s waistband.

  1. Cushing syndrome

Cushing syndrome is a condition that develops from an over active pituitary gland. It causes a collection of unpleasant symptoms including unwanted and sometimes significant weight gain. Because Cushing syndrome presents as multiple smaller diseases, it is often misdiagnosed initially.

  1. Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune condition whereby the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. This underproduction negatively effects the metabolism leading to such symptoms as unwarranted weight gain, lethargy, face puffiness and a slower heart rate.

  1. Oedema

More commonly known as fluid retention, oedema causes different parts of the body to retain fluid and swell which can increase the number on the scales. This can be a symptom of different underlying diseases such as diabetes, a side-effect of a medication or can even be caused by PMS.

  1. Cirrhosis of the Liver

Cirrhosis of the liver is a life-threatening condition that causes the liver to malfunction, ceasing to carry out its routine tasks. This leads to inflammation of the liver and fluid retention which often takes the form of weight gain. Cirrhosis is often caused by alcoholism but sometimes develops as a result of a separate health condition.

  1. Acromegaly

This rare condition is marked by excess production of the human growth hormone (HGH), most often due to a pituitary adenoma. Symptoms include weight gain, fatigue and enlarged organs and body parts. It can cause other health complications as well such as diabetes.

These are just a few of the medical conditions that can lead to unsolicited weight gain, stay tuned tomorrow to read about 4 more, as well as some non-disease causes of weight gain. If you have any medical concerns or questions about any of these conditions, feel free to sign up for a video conference with one of our highly qualified DocChat physicians. Thanks for visiting DocChat today!

 

12 Tips For Fitness Success (Part 1)

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There are many things you can do to help ensure better fitness success. Some of which include:

  1. Find a fitness buddy  

    Choose wisely when it comes to finding a buddy to hit the gym or sidewalk with. Choose a friend who shares an interest in the fitness activities you enjoy, and one who will encourage you to continue working out instead of opt for the drive-thru instead.

  2. Carve out “fit-ortunities’ wherever you can find them  

    You don’t necessarily need a solid free hour to exercise. In our fast-paced world, few can routinely carve out large chunks of time to make it to the gym, but that needn’t be the case. If you find 10 minutes between appointments, then another 10 later on for a cardio burst, and maybe 10 more for some pre-bed yoga, you are doing great!

  3. Make sure you’re decked-for-success  

    You won’t want to workout if your shoes and clothes are uncomfortable or inappropriate for the activities you wish to do. Invest in some good quality, well-fitting sneakers and some breathable workout clothing so you can work out in comfort and style.

  4. Pump up your playlist

    By tailoring your tunes to suit your workout, you could burn even more calories. If you are listening to your ‘slow chill’ playlist, you’ll likely be more laid back, but if you are listening to your motivational (or “pump-up”) playlist with upbeat music, you may push your workout a little harder. Good music can also distract you from the workout at hand as well, which is helpful for those who don’t love working out as much as others may.

  5. Document your journey  

    Another fitness success tip is to take before and after photos. Take one when you really start to get into your fitness journey so you can see how far you’ve come later. This will really help make your progress tangible, and help to encourage you to stay the course and continue toward your goal.

  6. Avoid the daily weigh-in

    Daily weigh-ins may work for some people, but more often than not they can be discouraging. Weight fluctuates daily, starting lower in the morning and steadily changing throughout the day. Many factors can effect these daily numbers which can lead to false readings. Weekly or biweekly weigh-ins can show more drastic changes which can be encouraging (or can serve as motivation to work harder), and get a better idea of your weight minus daily fluctuations.

Thanks for visiting DocChat! Keep an eye out for Part 2 next! We hope you’ll be back soon.

Lifestyle Tips To Help Restless Leg Syndrome

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RLS is a troublesome sleep-disrupting condition with neurological elements that causes the legs to involuntarily move, or causes strong urges to move the legs while at rest.

There is Still A Lot To Learn About RLS

It is still quite a mysterious condition to medical professionals, though it appears to often be associated with other chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and arthritis. There is no known ‘cure’ for RLS, but there are many things that can be done to help manage the condition. We’ll take a look at lifestyle changes that can help reduce RLS symptoms in this post, and natural remedies plus medical management options in the following post.

Diverse Treatments For A Diverse Condition

While the condition affects everyone slightly differently, symptoms of RLS are usually extremely unpleasant and frustrating, and can impede quality of life if not controlled. There are various treatments for symptom management. Each person may require different treatments or combination thereof to manage their particular symptoms. These treatments can be medical, homeopathic or lifestyle-based.

Lifestyle Changes That May Help

  1. Take a hot bath nightly to help relax muscles. Try infusing it with lavender or chamomile bath salts for a more relaxing experience before bed.
  2. Keep your mind busy, especially when you are sitting still as symptoms often worsen at rest (busying the brain helps via distraction and also because it stimulates other areas of the brain which can redirect it from signaling pain or unpleasant sensations to your extremities).
  3. Get half an hour to an hour of daily exercise – studies show that moderate daily exercise can help RLS symptoms greatly (but don’t overdo it, vigorous exercise may actually negatively impact the condition).
  4. Try low impact, stretching-based exercise like yoga or tai chi to help control muscles and relieve symptoms. Yoga in particular has shown great promise in RLS management.
  5. Control stress – stress is a major trigger of RLS. Work to bring down your anxiety and stress with relaxation techniques. Check out our Stress Busters post for some good stress management tactics.
  6. Focus on sleeping well – get into a relaxing nightly routine. Some light reading before bed may help (not on blue-lit screens before bed), or have a nightly cuddle or backrub before slipping into the sheets around the same time every evening.
  7. Keep your feet warm – it appears RLS occurs more in people who often have cold feet (or poor circulation), so keep those feet warm in the nighttime with socks, slippers or extra blankets on the foot of the bed.
  8. Examine your diet – are you consuming foods that keep you awake? Try going for iron and magnesium rich foods instead of sugary, processed ones.
  9. Try to cut down your intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine as they have all been linked to worsening of RLS symptoms.
  10. Stretch it out – routine stretching can significantly help manage RLS. Try stretching the leg straight out and bending the toes back several times a day to help stretch the hamstrings. This can lessen Charlie horses and leg cramps that are often associated with RLS as well.
  11. Timing travel and other seated activities during times of the day when your symptoms are at their quietest can help make these activities easier. Make sure to take plenty of standing, walking and stretching breaks when you have to be seated for long periods of time.
  12. Try keeping a symptom diary to track when your RLS is at its worst to see if there is a correlation between your symptoms and temperature, certain foods or certain activities.

Keep an eye out for our post on home remedies, alternative treatment and medical options for RLS next time! Thanks for visiting DocChat!

5 Foods With Anti-Inflammatory Properties

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Many chronic conditions such as arthritis are the product of recurrent systemic inflammation. While it is important to stick to any treatment plan recommended by your doctor, making certain diet changes can help cut down on swelling and pain as well. Some foods that contain natural anti-inflammatory components include:

  1. Tart Cherries

Hundreds of years before mainstream medication hit the counters people were using cherries to combat inflammatory afflictions like arthritis (particularly gout). Is there merit to this tasty traditional remedy? Empirical studies are proving there is. In one Boston study of 633 gout sufferers, a group who ate 10 daily cherries saw a 50% lower risk of gout attacks over a two-day period than their non-cherry contemporaries. Another study on cherry juice for osteoarthritis sufferers found that patients who drank 16oz of tart cherry juice daily showed a significant decrease in such symptoms as pain, swelling and stiffness. Moreover, they showed lowered levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation marker commonly associated with arthritis. So the proof is in the (cherry) pudding!

  1. Holy Basil

Holy basil, also known as Sweet Thai basil is a subtype of the common household spice that comes from India. Holy basil has a myriad of impressive medicinal benefits, including anti-inflammatory, stress reducing, and even more impressively, antihistamine properties. One experiment with Wistar rats associated the ingestion of Holy basil with mast cell stabilization, lower IgE levels and inhibited release of inflammatory markers in the rats. It may not be an appetizing juxtaposition: spices and rats, but the study does illustrate how impressive Holy basil is as an anti-inflammatory food choice! So it certainly couldn’t hurt to start adding holy basil to your spice rotation. For information on other superstar spices check out our article on healthful spices.

  1. Salmon

Oily fish such as salmon are among the best foods to eat, especially if you have a chronic inflammatory condition as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, one of nature’s best anti-inflammatories. The benefits don’t end with your joints, one 2009 University of Hawaii study showed a 23% decline in cardiovascular disease in a group of men who ate boiled or baked fatty fish several times a week as compared to those who did not. Health professionals recommend eating at least 4oz twice weekly of oily fish such as salmon or mackerel to reap some of these healthful benefits.

  1. Olive Oil

Medical researchers have discovered that a compound in olive oil called Oleocanthal can inhibit the formation of the inflammatory enzymes COX-1 and COX-2 in the body. Olive oil mimics exactly what NSAIDS like Advil do to reduce pain and swelling by blocking these detrimental inflammatory enzymes. It is suspected to have a noticeable impact on both acute flare-ups and chronic arthritic inflammation when taken daily.

  1. Cilantro

Cilantro is a health powerhouse herb which has long been used for its anti-inflammatory effects on such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory stomach conditions and even cardiovascular disease. Cilantro has also been celebrated for its diabetes, cancer and cholesterol fighting components. Cilantro is also packed to the gills with phytonutrients and anti-oxidant flavonoids, so stock up your spice cabinet with this stuff today!

More Anti-Inflammatory Choices

Other anti-inflammatory foods include beets, fruits (especially berries for their abundance of anti-oxidants), broccoli, celery and garlic. Stay tuned for our future article on inflammatory foods to avoid if you have issues with swelling.

If you have any questions or concerns about inflammation or medical treatment options for inflammatory conditions, feel free to sign up to DocChat today for a video consultation with one of our highly qualified, board certified physicians! Thanks for visiting DocChat!

Are You Struggling With Fatigue?

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Millions of Americans struggle with either chronic or temporary bouts of fatigue. It can be quite debilitating when you don’t have the energy for even the most inconsequential daily activities. Most people jump to the conclusion their fatigue must be due to an undiscovered underlying physical health condition, but much more often fatigue is a by-product of an unbalanced lifestyle.

Non-Medical Causes of Fatigue

  1. Exercise imbalance: If a person exercises excessively or not enough daily, they may develop ongoing fatigue. It is important to achieve a good exercise balance.
  2. Medication side effect: Certain medications such as antidepressants or blood pressure medications can cause fatigue, so be sure to keep track of how your meds could be effecting you.
  3. Sleep problems: insomnia is a common reason for fatigue. If a person never enters deep REM sleep, they are never really getting enough sleep to properly sustain them. If you have trouble sleeping, visit your doctor (or one of ours!) soon for help.
  4. High stress lifestyle: a workaholic or person who leads a high stress lifestyle is often a candidate for developing fatigue. It is important to find ways to better manage stress because excess cortisol can keep you in a perpetual state of exhaustion, wreaking complete havoc on your sleep cycle.
  5. Unhealthy diet: eating too much junk food and not enough nutritionally valuable foods can lead to sleep problems and general lethargy. It is important to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and limit  intake of things like caffeine.
  6. Alcohol, smoking or recreational drug use: Alcohol and drug use can be very detrimental to the body. Heavy alcohol use alone can lead to multiple chronic health problems, including sleep problems and fatigue. Smoking can impair proper sleep functioning as well.

Balance Your Lifestyle

To tackle non-medical fatigue, you should always ensure you prioritize the following areas of your life: get adequate sleep (7-9 hours a night), practice healthy eating, quit smoking, limit alcohol and caffeine intake, check on your medications, exercise the recommended 30-60 minutes daily, and keep your stress in check. Leading such a balanced lifestyle will not only help reduce fatigue, but can also help other areas of life, as well as improve overall wellbeing and helping reduce the risk of acquiring certain health problems.

Potential Underlying Health Conditions

While fatigue is most often due to lifestyle factors, it can be a symptom of an underlying health condition. Some of these include:

  • Lung disease
  • Anemia
  • Thyroid disease
  • Celiac Disease
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney failure
  • Chronic pain diseases
  • Sleep apnea
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Restless leg syndrome
  • Vitamin deficiencies
  • Cancer
  • Concussion
  • Arrhythmia
  • Insomnia
  • Cardiovascular disease

Menopause or other hormone imbalances can cause fatigue as well.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is another underlying medical reason for fatigue. CFS is a troublesome (sometimes debilitating) and largely mysterious disorder that afflicts over 1 million Americans. CFS can be caused by deficiencies, immune dysfunction or hypotension, among other things. Some symptoms of CFS include impaired mental function, insomnia, hypersomnia, muscle pain or weakness, lack of physical stamina, headaches or inability to feel rested after sleeping adequately or excessively. There are no tests to diagnose CFS, so doctors largely rely on patient history and symptom presentation. Some treatment options include antidepressants, sleeping pills, physio and psychological therapy and lifestyle changes.

When To See The Doc

You should see the doctor when experiencing any kind of fatigue so he or she can rule out any underlying medical conditions or help you with medication adjustments. Or you can sign up to DocChat today to access our excellent board certified physicians via a video consultation 24/7/365. Thanks for visiting DocChat!

 

 

This Or That? 5 Better Protein Choices

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Protein is an essential nutritional building block that is sometimes misunderstood. People often think they can eat any source of protein to gain all the benefits, but many foods are high in saturated fats which can counterbalance the healthful effects of protein. Protein is integral for cell, tissue and organ health, building muscle, converting amino acids to energy, maintaining skin, nail and hair health and helping fight disease. Some better protein choices include:

  1. Choose Meat Wisely

    Even though it contains protein, red meat is also high in saturated fat and has been linked to several serious health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. If it is meat you’re craving for your protein fix, stick to lean meats such as skinless chicken or turkey, and keep portion sizes limited to that of a deck of cards.

  2. Tofo Or Not Tofo?

    One better than lean meats may be tofu. Tofu is an ancient pressed soya that originated in China thousands of years ago. It is very popular among vegans and vegetarians as a meat alternative protein source. Tofu is a fabulous source of protein as it contains 8 essential amino acids. Tofu also contains isoflavones, healthful plant-based chemicals.

  3. Bring On The Tootin’

    Beans are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. They are fiber powerhouses, sources of healthy fats and packed to the brim with protein. Beans may be a better source of protein than certain foods that are high in saturated fat such as dense whole grain breads. This ‘magical fruit’ may make you toot, but a little gas may be well worth the immense health benefits and high protein content of beans.

  4. Be Picky About Your Dairy

    Dairy has long been hailed as a champion protein food group, but unfortunately many dairy products are high in saturated fat which can be counterproductive especially if you are trying to lose or maintain weight. Choosing options like skim milk, skim yogurt or Greek yogurt are better dairy choices. An 8oz glass of skim milk contains 5 grams of protein and few calories.

  5. Something Fishy

    Fish is another excellent source of protein, among other amazing health goodies such as omega-3 fatty acids. Most fish is also quite low in saturated fat which is another selling point. Research suggests at least 2 servings of fish a week can aid overall health in many ways.

  6. Aw, Nuts!

    The last installment of better protein choices to make are nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds both very rich in protein, fiber and can help cut down on ‘bad’ cholesterol. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin E. They are both better protein alternatives to store-bought power bars. Why go synthetic when you can have a handful of bite-sized natural protein goldmines?

Thanks for visiting DocChat! Keep an eye out for future “This or That” posts!