Facts not Fads

Some fad diets are low-carb or involve cutting out carbs entirely. That’s not exactly healthy, though, according to doctors. In fact, our diet must contain some carbs in order to get enough nutrients daily.

Carbohydrates are necessary for your body to obtain quick energy, while healthy fats and proteins are more of a long-term fuel source. Carbs are typically about 50 to 60 percent of your daily diet to get enough calories, nutrients and energy to your body, though with medical weight loss programs this value may vary.

Simple? or Complex?

Your carb intake should include healthy complex carbs, which take longer for your body to break down compared to simple carbs. Also, complex carbs give your body a nice, steady flow of energy. Simple carbs, on the other hand, cause you to experience energy peaks and crashes.

Whole Foods, Whole Fiber

Popular examples of carb sources include:

• whole-grain breads
• whole-grain or lentil/chickpea pasta
• barley, bulgur, buckwheat, quinoa, oats
• brown rice, faro
• whole fruits and berries
• vegetables
• beans, lentils, legumes

Read the Labels

Remember to read food labels to verify whole grain versions of these items, or better yet, preparing fresh whole grains and produce at home.

So, eat your healthy carbs--incorporating them into your healthy meals along with good proteins to reduce insulin spikes and hunger crashes--for a well-rounded diet. Be sure not to load up on too many carbs, though, which will cause you to gain weight. As with everything else, balance is the key here.

Need More help?

Still confused on what a healthy carb is, or how many carbs are healthy or unhealthy? Make an appointment with Dr. Oksana Aron today to discuss a healthy, weight loss plan by calling 718-491-5525, or booking online via WeightLossNYC.com

Labels: 718-491-5525, appetite, calories, carbohydrates, carbs, diet, diet plan, lose weight, new york, nutrition facts, ny, nyc, weight loss supplements

Women and Weight Gain

For women, weight gain happens throughout all life stages, but each stage contains its own set of reasons and risk factors. Review here--from puberty through menopause--how and why women may gain weight, and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage to keep off the weight.

Puberty

Teenage weight gain: Start healthy habits early

• The earlier a girl starts puberty, the more likely she is to be overweight or obese as an adult. If she starts her period before age 11, she is likely to weight between 9 and 11 pounds more than another woman who started hers after age 14. Additionally, as many as 26 percent of women who started puberty early were considered obese by age 30 compared with 15 percent of the other women.

• It’s difficult to imagine weight gain as a problem during childhood, but the childhood obesity epidemic proves this is an important time to start healthy diet and exercise habits that will last throughout the child’s adult life. It’s never too early to start. In fact, the earlier you start your child on a road to healthy living, the better!

Pregnancy

Healthy habits during pregnancy help post-partum weight loss

• Weight gain is expected during pregnancy, but you still have to proceed with caution and be careful not to gain an excessive amount of weight. Gaining 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy is usually the goal. Typically, a pregnant woman will gain 2 to 4 pounds in the first trimester, then 1 pound per week after that, but it depends on the woman’s pre-pregnancy weight because 1 pound per week may be too much for some. Your doctor will give you guidance on what your ideal weight during pregnancy should be.

• After pregnancy, many women’s bodies will hold on to 5 pounds of that gained weight, which may never be shed, but they generally will lose about 10 pounds immediately following delivery. They can lose 5 pounds a month in the next couple of months depending on the following factors: breastfeeding, diet and exercise level. By staying active, getting exercise, eating a healthy diet and breastfeeding, you can lose weight faster and easier.

Menopause

Hormonal changes contribute to weight gain

• Two-thirds of women are overweight by the time they reach their 50s. A drop in estrogen production is a possible cause, which causes the body to store fat, making weight loss more difficult.

• Weight loss can be more challenging for women after menopause, so it’s important to seek the help of your doctor to ensure you’re getting proper nutrition, exercise and remain in overall good health. By doing all of the above, you’re increasing your chance of maintaining a healthy weight and leading a healthier, happier life.

Fast Weight Loss help is here

Find answers to your questions on weight loss, weight control, nutrition and more, by visiting Dr. Aron at WeightLossNYC.com; or call to schedule your first appointment with Dr. Aron today at 718-491-5525 and learn new skills for weight loss success today.

Labels: 718-491-5525, breastfeeding, calories, childhood obesity, diet, exercise, healthy habits, new york, nyc, weight gain, weight loss, women

The Hunger Game

Our bodies are made of complex systems that constantly control and self-regulate countless aspects including temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and hunger…

Ghrelin: from the acronym GHR (“growth hormone-releasing peptide”) +‎ -lin (common hormone suffix), with an incidental pun on prefix greh- (“to grow”) and English growling.[1]

Energy and Hunger Management

As we have blogged before, ghrelin is a powerful protein that our bodies use to signal hunger to the brain, a naturally produced hormone which we can indirectly affect by application of some good habits.

• The One Easiest Weight Loss Tip Ever
• How Fatty Foods Drive Hunger
• Sweet Dreams of Weight Loss Come True

Medical weight loss addresses the hunger factor to help you reduce cravings and shed weight naturally by the body’s natural pathways. The benefits of losing weight may be obvious, yet worth considering some of the less familiar aspects as well.

• The Difference Losing 20 Pounds Makes
• Can Your Daily Schedule Cause Obesity?
• Lose Weight for your Wedding Day
• Health Benefits of Losing Weight

Manage Your Weight, Improve Your Health

You can discover how easy it can be to lose weight with physician supervision. Dr Aron is a bariatric physician — medical specialist in the field of weight loss.

Contact her office to schedule an appointment or Visit online at WeightLossNYC.com

Labels: 718-491-5525, appetite, diet, hormone, hunger, lose weight, medical, overweight, self-control

Start losing weight today

Looking to lose weight the fast and easy way? Well, aren’t we all… In addition to a healthy diet and exercise plan, try these weight loss tips and tricks to shed some pounds and stay on track with your weight loss goals. Better yet, these helpful hints require almost no effort at all.

Six Simple Steps

1. Rest up.

   Did you know? People who only get 5 hours of sleep can gain as many as 2 lbs. in 5 days. They also consume 6% more calories, according to a new study from the University of Colorado, Boulder. So be sure to catch some Z’s in addition to eating right throughout the day.

2. Start with a hearty breakfast.

   Curb those carbs in the morning and opt for a healthy egg-and-veggie scramble or omelette instead. Eating eggs in the morning instead of a bagel equals 264 less calories consumed the rest of the day, says a Saint Louis University study. Its protein can also help you stay fuller.

3. Don’t hold off on eating lunch.

   Some people let their hectic schedule dictate when they eat lunch, but that can affect your weight loss goals. Eating lunch late (after 3 p.m.) can cause you to lose less weight and have a lower insulin sensitivity. Even when eating healthfully, waiting too long to eat can undermine your diet’s effectiveness.

4. Think small.

   People eat 35% less when eating from a small, individual plate rather than serving themselves from a large platter in the middle of the table.

5. Remember what you ate.

   Thinking back on what you ate for your last meal and how satisfied you were can help you consume 30% less calories at snack time.

6. Ditch TV watching while eating.

   People who eat while watching TV consume 288 more calories per meal on average compared to those who don’t. This is an easy, no-brainer way to eat less.

Want to lose 10 to 20 pounds in a month, possibly more?

Dr. Aron is here to help: Get your own structured medical diet program and start moving towards reaching your weight loss goals. Call 718-491-5525 today or visit WeightLossNYC.com to book your first appointment.

Labels: appetite, brooklyn, diet, fast weight loss, food, lose weight fast, new york, ny, nyc, weight gain, weight loss

Fat that does a body good

Believe it or not, fat is a healthy part of your diet. The trick? Choosing the right kind, which helps you stay full, prevent overeating and keep the weight off.

When checking the nutrition facts on your food, scan for “monounsaturated fat” and “polyunsaturated fat”—these are the good fats.

Stay away from saturated and trans fats, which cause weight gain, and can elevate your cholesterol and put you at risk for disease. (Saturated fats should be less than 10% of your calories.)

Add these foods to your diet for a healthy and delicious way to lose weight

1. Olive oil—Not only a healthy source of monounsaturated fat, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and raises good HDL cholesterol.

   Try it: on salads and as a butter substitute

2. Nuts—packed with protein, unsaturated fats and omega-3s, nuts are a perfect satisfying snack. All you need is a small serving each day of walnuts, pecans, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews or almonds (the size of a shot glass).

   Try it: mixed in with salads and steamed veggies

3. Avocado—Avocados are high in heart healthy unsaturated fat, helping you feel satisfied. They may also help lower your LDL cholesterol by as much as 17 percent when consumed daily.

   Try it: on sandwiches and spread over toast

Do You Need to Lose Weight?

Get weight loss tips and a medically proven diet plan from Dr. Oksana Aron — Bariatric physician who can help you lose weight without surgery or fad diets. Call today at 718-491-5525 for your initial consultation or book online at WeightLossNYC.com

Labels: appetite, cholesterol, diet, diet tips, fat, lose weight, new york, ny, staten island, weight loss

Avoid Unhealthy Habits

To lose weight, you already know what to do: eat right, diet, exercise, and the pounds will come off, right? It’s not always that simple.

Aside from making these healthy lifestyle choices, you need to address the psychological aspect of weight loss. It’s just as much a physical switch you have to make as a mental one.

Follow these 3 tips for your weight loss success:

Eliminate cravings

What’s your #1 weakness, the one treat that foils your dieting plans every time, guaranteed? Whatever it is, keep it out of your refrigerator or pantry to remove the temptation or craving.

Whenever you’re grocery shopping, skip the aisle if you can and certainly, don’t buy it! This is your first step in keeping the weight off and avoiding those vices that contribute to weight gain.

Avoid tantalizing images of bad food

Ever heard the term, “food porn?” Well, it’s called that for a reason. If you’ve ever salivated over a Pinterest board of ooey-gooey chocolate-chip cookies or drooled over a foodie blog’s Instagram of their latest dish while out on the town, you understand the danger!

Scientific research shows that viewing these images can actually make you feel hungrier—and overeat as a result. Instead, look at delicious images of healthy food to inspire your own homemade creations of health-promoting meals to make a healthier difference.

Swap bad cravings with good-for-you ones

It’s easy to say avoid unhealthy foods, but you may still crave them. Rather than deny yourself, satisfy those cravings in a healthier, savory way with alternatives.

If you realize the reason you crave a certain candy bar is because you want something salty or you crave the crunch of almonds, try a small handful of almonds or walnuts instead.

Rather than grabbing a fast-food burger, make turkey burgers with extra-lean meat ahead of time, topping it with fresh veggies in a variety of colors (how about leafy romaine lettuce, white onion, tomato, sprouts, and a little bit of avocado and mustard?) When you get home from work, it will be an easy leftover dinner night. Now that’s fast food, and you don’t have to wait in line for it, either!

Dr. Oksana Aron can Help, call 718-491-5525

Need help figuring out what’s healthy and what’s not? Get started on a weight loss plan that gets results, personally designed for you by Dr. Oksana Aron, by calling us at 718-491-5525 or book online via WeightLossNYC.com

Labels: 718-491-5525, appetite, brooklyn, cravings, diet, diet tips, dieting, food, healthy habits, lose weight

Heath Risk factors and Diet Choices

[T]he typical American diet is shortening the lives of many Americans. Diet-related deaths outrank deaths from smoking, and about half of U.S. deaths from heart disease – nearly 900 deaths a day – are linked to poor diet. The pandemic highlighted the problem, with much worse outcomes for people with obesity and other diet-related diseases.

Read that again … Global study finds bad diets are responsible for more deaths than smoking … As such, medical experts view proper diet as a pivotal component of patient health.

• Food as Medicine Consider your food choices as your direct first line of medical benefit (or demise!)
• Quality of Calories An essential component of Dr Aron’s Medical Weight Loss Programs is to focus on quality calories to account for the quantity of calories.
• Diet and Lifestyle Counseling Getting proper guidance for which direction a patient should go to achieve healthy habits for both food and fitness, are also a core component of our programs.

Easy Steps

You can take some simple steps on your own on your road to overall health:

• Limit Saturated Fats and Avoid Trans Fats These items are top targets on the diet do not call list! These are fats from meats, cheeses, and even coconut and palm oils
• Whole Grains Whereas cutting overall carbs is key, steering away from processed grains and choosing whole grains like brown rice over white rice, can make easy and helpful swaps.
• Go Green with leafy green vegetables, though the list of veggies is limitless, including broccoli, sweet potatoes, beets, okra, spinach, peppers.
• Fruits provide fiber and more, despite their sugar content, so factor accordingly. Best to eat the whole fruit over drinks and smoothies which remove the beneficial fiber and concentrate the sugars

TL;DR: High fiber foods provide the most benefit in helping you feel full so you can eat less. So start your meal with your fiber and protein before reaching for the sweet or fat items.

Dietary and Lifestyle Counseling

Visit Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center at WeightLossNYC.com to learn more about her Medical Weight Loss programs and start a guided weight loss program under her expert physician supervision.

Labels: cardiovascular health, diet, health, healthy habits

Whole Grains, Fresh Fruit, Fiber

After 4 months of Dr. Oksana Aron, M.D. WeightLossNYC program I have lost 30 pounds from 220 to 190. There was a lot of struggle at first experimenting with a regular healthy diet plan but with the help and guidance of Dr. Aron I’m now on the right track of a regular daily regimen of fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains with plenty of fiber. My goal is to lose another 20 pound and get back to a healthy weight of 170, and a 33 inch waist.

Patient Review by Richard B., 6/28/2021 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Start Now

Visit Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center at WeightLossNYC.com to learn how her medical weight loss program can help you.

Labels: diet, lose weight, nutrition, patient review

Why Vegan?

Vegan diets have been shown to have a number of health benefits, including weight loss. Vegan diets are typically lower in calories and fat, and higher in fiber and nutrients than traditional diets.

A study published in the journal Obesity found that people who followed a vegan diet for 12 weeks lost significantly more weight than those who followed a standard low-fat diet. The vegan dieters also had lower body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference.

Similarly, a study in the journal Nutrition Journal, found that people who followed a vegan diet for 18 weeks lost significantly more weight than those who followed a vegetarian diet. The vegan dieters also had lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and insulin levels.

These studies and others suggest that vegan diets can be an effective way to lose weight and improve overall health. If you are considering trying a vegan diet (or any diet) for weight loss, consult with Dr Oksana Aron to help you make sure that you are getting the nutrients you need and that your diet is safe and healthy.

Health Benefits

Some additional benefits of vegan diets for weight loss patients inclulde:

• Vegan diets are typically lower in calories and fat. This can help you create a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss.
• Vegan diets are higher in fiber. Fiber can help you feel full, which can help you eat less.
• Vegan diets are typically higher in nutrients. This can help you improve your overall health, which can make weight loss easier.
• Vegan diets are more environmentally friendly. This can be a motivating factor for some people.

Nutritional Needs

If you are interested in trying a vegan diet for weight loss, it is important to make sure that you are getting enough protein, as most plant-based meals cannot provide enough protein. Protein is essential for weight loss and muscle building. You can supplement protein from a variety of natural plant-based sources, such as beans, lentils, tofu, and tempeh.

For menstruating women, make sure you have enough iron. Iron is important for carrying oxygen in the blood. You can get iron from a variety of plant-based sources, such as dark green vegetables, beans, lentils, and fortified cereals.

It is also important to include enough calcium. Calcium is important for strong bones and teeth. You can get calcium from a variety of plant-based sources, such as dark green vegetables, beans, lentils, and fortified foods.

Switching to Vegan

If you are interested in trying a vegan diet for weight loss, start slowly. Don’t try to change everything overnight. Make small changes over time, such as adding more plant-based foods to your diet. Discuss with Dr Aron — she can help you make sure that you are getting the nutrients you need and that your diet is safe and healthy.

Start or update your medical weight loss program now, view hours and schedule online at WeightLossNYC.com. With a little planning and effort, you can successfully follow a vegan diet for weight loss, or enhance your current diet plan to one more supportive of reaching your weight loss goals.

Labels: diet, diet tips, dieting, easy weight loss, protein, vegan, women

What are carbs?

A popular theme in weight loss is "cutting carbs" — but not all carbs are the same. In fact you need to eat carbohydrates as a regular part of your diet. So why the bad rap?

There are two types of carbs—simple and complex.

Simple carbs have just two sugar molecules, and they are rapidly digested. …

Complex carbs have more sugar molecules and take longer to digest. [T]hey’re often paired with fiber and other nutrients…

Sugar: The simplest carb molecule is sugar, naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Sugar molecules are named ending in -ose, so look for names like sucrose, fructose, lactose, etc.

Starch: A more complex unit made of many sugars is commonly called starch, found in grains, legumes and vegetables.

Fiber: As sugar is recognized to be a culprit in weight gain, here is the difference: Fruits contain fiber, which is the fundamental difference of eating fruits as juices vs whole. Fiber is the most desirable of carbohydrates, one should seek to maximize vs reduction of the other two, especially added sugars and worst being refined sugars.

The terms "low carb" or "net carbs" often appear on product labels. But the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t use these terms, so there's no standard meaning. Typically, the term "net carbs" is used to mean the amount of carbs in a product excluding fiber…

What to do?

Carbs are an essential part of your diet, so the goal is to go for the fiber - whole fruits and vegetables will fill you up and provide the most nutrition and meal satisfaction. Favor lower fat versions of dairy products, and introduce beans, lentils and legumes as a vegetable protein source free of saturated fat.

Carbohydrates and protein both contain 4 calories per gram, so it’s the portion size and type of carb that matters for weight gain.

Weight Loss Diet

Consult with Dr Oksana Aron at her Medical Weight Loss Center in Brooklyn for guidance on the proper diet for achieving your weight loss goals and overall health improvement.

Labels: diet, diet tips, dieting, easy weight loss

Types of Fat

A much maligned part of our diet is fat, but not all fats are the same. Focusing on more favorable while reducing unfavorable fats from your diet is a wise choice.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that less than 10% of calories a day should be from saturated fats. The American Heart Association suggests a goal of 5% to 6% of daily calories from saturated fats.

Fats are easily categorized by their food chemistry - with "saturated" fat carrying the weight of most undesirable - coming mainly from meats and even coconuts. Included here are whole milk products and other high-fat dairy goods, and most notoriously baked or fried foods prepared with saturated fats.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the more favorable fats, the former found in various plants foods and oils such as avocadoes, almonds and other types of nuts and seeds, the latter most popularly in fish and fish oils. You may have heard of omega-3 and omega-6 oils, you should strive for a favorable ratio of these, as omega-3 tends to be underrepresented in many diets.

Balanced Diet

The important point about diet is proper amounts, favoring healthy fats over unhealthy fats, and consuming high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables to help you feel full and improve your microboime.

[E]ach gram of fat has 9 calories. That's true for all fats. So calories can add up quickly, even with healthy fats. For example, walnuts are a healthy snack high in polyunsaturated fats. But just a dozen walnut halves contain about 160 calories — more calories than in one large apple.

Some simple rules, starting with favoring plant based food sources, with the complication of heating oils is they can in turn produce trans-fats which are most harmful of all.

• Choose olive oil to saute vegetables
• Consider canola oil for searing and stir frying.
• Favor "oily" fish over meats, or choose lean meats (remove skin etc)
• Select low-fat dairy products.
• Fill up on whole fruits and vegetables, even as snacks

Watch out for processed foods, which often contain saturated fat, and read nutrition labels of "low-fat or fat-free" items which may instead have sugar and other artificial ingredients.

Lose Weight

Work with Dr Oksana Aron to develop a proper diet for you: Visit her practice website to learn more about how medical weight loss can help you reach your weight loss goals.

Labels: diet, easy weight loss, omega 3 fatty acid, red meat

Dream Meme

A new study in the journal Obesity looked at what happened to sleep quality when healthy young men ate nutritious meals vs. junk food. Even though both groups slept the exact same number of hours, eating junk food disrupted the quality of deep sleep—making it more shallow and less restorative.

Short-term consumption of a more unhealthy diet alters sleep oscillatory features that regulate the restorative properties of sleep.

This matters because restorative sleep is necessary for hormone production, a healthy metabolism, graceful aging, brain function, mood, and more.

Low fiber and high saturated fat and sugar intake is associated with lighter, less restorative sleep with more [disruptions].

Health Benefits Add Up

Diet and health in public health posed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) affirmed:

Strong and consistent evidence demonstrates that dietary patterns associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease are characterized by higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and seafood, and lower consumption of red and processed meat, and lower intakes of refined grains, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages relative to less healthy patterns.

Considerable evidence supports the stance that proper diet matters, and you can make simple and meaning changes to your health by making the right food swaps in your daily diet.

Randomized dietary intervention studies have demonstrated that healthy dietary patterns exert clinically meaningful impact on cardiovascular risk factors, including blood lipids and blood pressure. Additionally, research that includes specific nutrients in their description of dietary patterns indicate that patterns that are lower in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and richer in fiber, potassium, and unsaturated fats are beneficial for reducing cardiovascular disease risk.

Looking to Improve Your Health?

Schedule a consultation with Dr Oksana Aron via her practice website, Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center and find how you can lose weight easily via physician supervision. Her clinical evaluation and guidance can help you improve your fundamental health metrics in the course of participating in her medical weight loss program.

Labels: diet, dieting, low fat, nutrition, sleep, sugar

Healthy Weight Loss

Losing weight doesn’t mean starvation and suffering. Real weight loss requires that you maintain proper health and nutrition every day. Finding the proper balance of nutrition and calories is key to success. Include a medically proven diet plan as part of your way to weight loss success. -Dr Oksana Aron

What you eat is more than just calories and nutrition, it also can affect systemically many aspects of your body and health. A key component to this is keeping your digestive tract healthy and replete with healthy bacteria, or microbiome.

There are more than 40 trillion bacteria in the body, essential for everything from digesting food to protecting against infection… We need a diverse microbiome to improve our gut health and have a healthy gut … ‘One way we can encourage this microbial diversity is by consuming a varied and colourful diet, and avoiding eating the same thing every day, even if it is healthy…’

Gut-Healthy Options

1. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir, along with tempeh and miso and kombucha offer support for favorable bacteria.
2. Avocados are a popular staple and for good reason, they source 13g of fiber and healthy vegetable fats providing good balance for your diet.
3. Asparagus is a good source of vitamin K, and prebiotic fiber - also found in garlic, onions, oats and artichokes.
4. Chia and Flax seeds both very popular sources of soluble fiber, easy to include into your diet via toppings on yogurt or mixed into smoothies.
5. Oats has shown good support in many forms, with 5 grams fiber per 50 gram serving.
6. Pears host pectin which binds to cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract and slows glucose absorption by trapping carbohydrates.
7. Lentils and other legumes including peas, chickpeas, and kidney beans are another vegetarian fiber source, with one cooked cup of lentils yielding 15 grams fiber.
8. Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and others are rich in antioxidants and fiber, plus effortless to add to your diet either on their own or added to just about anything.
9. Ginger offers anti-inflammatory properties stimulates improved digestion.
10. Inulin, a natural source of plant fiber, is recognized by the FDA as a natural food additive to boost dietary fiber.

Best Diet for Gut Health

From the list above and more, include high fiber and plant-based foods into your diet, looking at 30g fiber per day. Balance out the above with vegetables, fruits, nuts seeds, whole grains, legumes and of course salads. Also look to lower inflammation: manage stress, and avoid processed foods, refined sugars and excess fats.

Importance of Gut Health

Digestive health is more than just calories and nutrients, your body reacts to everything you consume. Serotonin and immune responses, as well as sleep quality are found to have links to your digestive system. More obviously, weight gain and other inflammatory responses are the counter to good health. With proper high-fiber diet, you will find need to snack and binge will be greatly reduced, and your body will also be better able to focus on nutrient absorption and clearing out waste.

Medical Weight Loss

Dr Oksana Aron specializes in medically supervised weight loss programs to help patients lose weight where other methods have failed. Visit Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center website to learn more and schedule your initial consultation.

Labels: diet, nutrition, vegan, vegetarian

Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a popular and tasty fruit/vegetable - on their own, or cooked into sauces and other preparations. Any way you slice them, tomatoes add up to a great nutritional boost and healthy meal helper.

Tomatoes are high in vitamin C

1. One cup of tomatoes gives you 2.2 grams of fiber … 8 percent of the daily-recommended level.
2. Vitamins! One tomato gives you a whopping 28 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement. One cup of tomatoes gives you 15 percent of the daily-recommended B6 and 12 percent of recommended iron.
3. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a phytonutrient that has numerous health benefits, like lowering prostate and breast cancer risk, and aids in healthy skin. Hint: Cooked tomatoes offer the highest lycopene levels.
4. Tomatoes contain a lot of water, making them filling. A sliced tomato with [many variations] … makes a satisfying low-cal snack.
5. …[Tomato juice] may lower levels of inflammatory compounds. Inflammation is associated with many chronic diseases, such as cancer, arthritis and diabetes&helip;

Even stirred up as tomato sauce, you can find bottled tomato sauce comes chock-full of vitamin C and antioxidants like lycopene, revered for reducing oxidative stress in the body. If in a hurry, choose an organic tomato sauce (bottled in glass to avoid BPA). Look for very little added sugar, a downside of many bottled options.

Make it your own

Whether store bought or home-made, you can dress up your own recipe for success by stirring in some toasted walnuts for flavor boost, or adding cooked lentils for protein punch:

Just one half cup of cooked brown or green lentils contains a whopping 9 grams of protein. As with walnuts, you can use cooked lentils to [enhance] the sauce without adding any saturated fat or isolated soy proteins. Like other legumes and beans, lentils contain ample iron, which will be made more bioavailable in combination with the vitamin C of the sauce’s tomato base.

Mix up your tomatoes so many ways to get their potent nutritional benefits while filling yourself up with solid natural produce.

Read More from Dr Aron on Weight Loss Diet and Nutrition

• Dr Aron Website: Weight Loss Diet and Nutrition
• Dr Aron blog: Look for Antioxidants
• Dr Aron blog: Watch out for hidden sugar

Start Losing Weight with Dr Aron’s guidance

Visit WeightLossNYC.com to learn more and book your initial consultation and start losing weight with her expert physician supervision.

Labels: diet, easy weight loss, nutrition, nutrition facts

Boost Your Diet

With reduced caloric intake, it is essential that nutrition improves to account for the reduction in food quantity.

Digestive enzymes break down ingested food into usable proteins, fats and carbohydrates to provide nutrition and healthy metabolic processes. With aging or illness, digestive processes may also decline, leading to nutritional deficiencies and inflammatory conditions.

Digestive enzymes are classified based on their target substrates:

• Lipases split fatty acids into fats and oils.
• Proteases and peptidases split proteins into small peptides and amino acids.
• Amylases split carbohydrates such as starch and sugars into simple sugars such as glucose.
• Nucleases split nucleic acids into nucleotides.

A special formulation of 8 natural digestive enzymes which helps to supplement these important enzymes that play a vital role in digestive health:

Natural sources of Digestive Enzymes

Several natural sources of digestive enzymes are beneficial to our health.

These natural sources of digestive enzymes aid in the efficient digestion process and may also provide other health benefits due to their fiber content and micronutrient value.

• Fruits and vegetables such as papaya and pineapple contain proteolytic enzymes that help break down proteins into smaller compounds for easier digestion.
• Fermented foods contain lactase which is an enzyme that helps digest lactose, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
• Honey is a popular source of amylase — an enzyme that breaks starch down into simple sugars.

Different types of Digestive Enzymes

Knowing what types of enzymes are available can be a helpful tool when looking into how to break down the best food you consume.

• Amylase helps break down carbohydrates, and are released from the pancreas and small intestine, aiding in the digestion of starches, such as bread, cereals, and pasta.
• Betaine helps break down fats and is found in foods like beef, eggs, and dairy products and assists in proper digestion these types of foods.
• Bromelain, found in pineapple, helps break down complex proteins allowing us to benefit from their component nutrients.
• Diastase, also produced by the pancreas, helps break down complex carbohydrates, and helps us absorb and properly utilize these types of carbs.
• Papain is a digestive enzyme derived from the papaya plant that helps break down proteins. Papain helps us to digest meats, poultry, and fish easily.
• Pancreatin is another digestive enzyme that helps break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Pancreatin is produced by the pancreas, aiding our bodies in breaking down these essential nutrients.
• Pepsin is one of the main digestive enzymes which helps digest the proteins in food. Pepsin breaks down proteins into smaller parts to enable absorption into the body.

Additional Digestive Enzymes

• Cellulase is essential for breaking down cellulose fiber found in many plant-based foods and extracting nutrients.
• Lactase breaks down the milk sugar lactose. Some people have trouble digesting dairy products and lactase supplementation can help reduce symptoms.
• Proteases also break down proteins to be used as essential building blocks for many processes in the body.
• Lipase targets fats, helping us both extract necessary energy from them and break them down into forms we can use more effectively.

Weight Loss Nutrition

Work with Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center to target your weight loss goals and structures needed to reach your goals.

Dr Oksana Aron is a physician specialized in medical weight loss — helping people lose weight who have struggled with other methods and need clinical help.

Labels: diet, diet plan, lose weight, nutrition, nutrition facts

No more excuses

To see some weight loss results, exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand. If you’ve never been athletic, there’s still hope--because even just a little bit of exercise can do wonders for your health and weight loss goals. Here’s how.

Easy does it

You don’t need to be a marathon runner. In fact, you’re better off jogging and doing moderate exercise if you want to lose weight. The best part? All you need to do is exercise a few times a week to get some traction in your weight loss scheme.

Check out these facts:

1. You may live longer

   Specifically, an encouraging 2012 study of 52,656 American adults found that those who ran 1 to 20 miles per week at an average pace of about 10 or 11 minutes per mile … lived longer, on average, than sedentary adults. They also lived longer than the group (admittedly small) who ran more than 20 miles per week.

2. You can lose more weight
   • In one study in Denmark, a group of overweight men lost more weight when they exercised moderately for 30 minutes several times per week compared with men who worked out twice as long. They also ate less than the men who exercised more.
3. You can have more energy
   • In the same study, those who exercised longer sat around more during the rest of the day than those who exercised moderately. Those who exercised for 30 minutes a day seemed to be more energized.
   • Moving around, stretching and being more active during the day all add up! Even if you are active for 10 minutes a few times per day, a few days per week, that counts as exercise too--and every little bit helps.

Just do it

• The whole point is to not sit around too much being inactive, watching TV or using the computer. Find new ways of doing things (typing while standing, playing with the kids outside more or walking upstairs more often) to burn those extra calories. You’ll not only lose the weight, you’ll also get to enjoy life more when you improve your lifestyle and extend the number of days you get to live!

Make Your Move

Get actionable tips and support structures for weight loss from Dr. Oksana Aron Medical Weight Loss Center in Brooklyn NYC. A licensed bariatric specialist physician, she’ll set you straight on what you need to eat and do to lose up to 10 to 20 pounds of more each month. Call 718-491-5525 or book online for your initial consultation.

Labels: brooklyn, diet, easy weight loss, exercise, healthy habits, lose weight, new york, overweight, weight loss

Ketogenic Pizza

Came across this gem, a nice spin on pizza dough, topped with a traditional pizza sauce.

New Twist on Dough

Ketogenic twist on classic pizza dough, topped with sauce and more to suit. Make, bake and enjoy.

Double boil or microwave the mozzarella to soften it for the dough blend, whereas the sauce need not be heated, the pizza will all be baked along with whatever toppings you like. Prepare the dough on parchment paper.

Dough

• 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella shredded & melted
• 4 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tps italian seasoning
• 1 egg whisked

Sauce

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1-1/2 tsp oregano

Toppings

Reddit user pietyp shared this recipe; Toppings whatever you like … mine was rotisserie chicken chopped up with mushrooms broccoli and red onion. [See photo] I did use some almond flour when forming the base just to give that semolina-look. It was honestly perfect. Definitely recommend..

Healthy Recipe Ideas

Find more recipes on our blog via keyword: recipe, or visit website.

Labels: carbohydrates, diet, ketogenic, recipe

Ahoy! Ahoy! ⛵

Enjoy this simplest of “recipes” we think all ages will enjoy.

Just find the veggies and dips you like and have at it!

Instructions: Gather veggies and spreads (here we used hummus) and some toothpicks. Hollow out vegetables and cut off the bottoms so they can lay flat. Assemble the boats with toothpicks and sail shapes as desired. And that’s it!

Seasonal fun, for all seasons

We loved this find just had to share with you as an all purpose healthy party snack, or anytime, nobody is watching, right? Have fun creating your own flavorful fleet!

Choose healthy meals, or make more at home

View more recipes on our website or blog.

Learn more about healthy dieting and safe weight loss with Dr. Aron.

Source: Oh Happy Day, https://ohhappyday.com/2012/05/veggie-boats/

Labels: diet, healthy foods, nutrition, recipe

Trying to cut back on bread is challenging, here is a fun a simple recipe you can try and adapt to suit your needs. Psyllium fiber is a soluble dietary fiber with clinically demonstrated health benefits.

Use of psyllium in the diet for three weeks or longer often lowers blood cholesterol levels in people with elevated cholesterol, and can lower blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Use of psyllium for a month or longer may produce a small reduction in systolic blood pressure.

Fiber is good for you because it is not absorbed, instead helps move food through your digestive system and other health benefits.

Ketogenic (Keto) Bread

Versatile low-carb, gluten-free, keto bread featuring psyllium fiber can also be used for BBQ hot dog or hamburger buns or even for garlic bread.

Yield: 6 rolls

Ingredients

• 1.25 cups (5 oz) almond flour
• 1/3 cup (1.75 oz) ground psyllium husk powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp sesame seeds optional topping

Instructions

Preheat oven 350°F (175°C); also boil the water.

1. Place dry ingredients in a bowl; Add vinegar and egg whites, mix.
2. Add the boiling water, blending with a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Dough should remain thick.
3. Shape dough into 6 rolls. (Tip: Apply a little olive oil to hands first.)
4. Place on a greased baking sheet. Top with optional sesame seeds.
5. Bake on lower rack in the oven for 50–60 minutes; rolls should be a bit firm on bottom.
6. Top and serve as wish.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour

Nutrition per bun: 165 cal, 12g fat, 2g net carbs

Keywords: Bread, Low-Carb, Wheat-free, Breads, Gluten-Free Low Calorie Diet

Labels: carbohydrates, carbs, diet, healthy foods, recipe

Healthy Diet Plan

Food awareness is important for all of us. Whether or not you are trying to lose weight, you still need to be concious of the calories you consume and quality of the nutritional content.

Nowadays, with food labels as available as they are, they don't always capture the complete picture of the quality of your food, most notably the source and processing of the ingredients, as well as informed knowlege of the additives and non-food ingredients therein.

Best Steps

Your best diet plan starts with choosing real foods with minimal processing, and solid nutritional value. Ideally, if you like to cook, you are able to steer yourself to healthier recipes and freshest ingredients. If cooking is not an option for you, you can still work within your plan and fill in as many healthy options as able, such as a fresh salad bar instead of packaged foods, etc.

Food Journal

Keeping a food diary can be a powerful insight tool, as well as a habit tracker, for what, when and how you are eating. Choose a method that works best for you:

• Paper Journal This may be the easiest way, as you can just jot down what you are eating and other observations, and go back to fill in any details when you have more time.
• Online (free) The USDA provides a national database that is most often the source for many other websites, tools and apps. You can access their database to get current food facts, via their MyPlate app.
• Other apps Many third party food trackers are available if you are more inclined to do your research for which one suits your personal style and needs. Some are visual, some more technical, some incorporate fitness tracking and more. Ideally what will work best is what is easiest for you to maintain on the go, and not be bogged down trying to keep up with a fussy app. Popular apps include Lose it and My Fitness Pal and many more popping up every year.

Thick and Thin

Most importantly now is what to log in your journal (or app). Hopefully, as Dr. Aron advises, you are eating at a mealtime in a relaxed setting, eating mindfully not rushing thoughtlessly at your desk or tv. You can facilitate this in your log:

• Why am I eating
• How hungry I am
• Where I am eating
• How I am feeling
• and of course, What am I eating

Include portion sizes and calories as minimal facts, with fat and other elements as you wish to track. Consider any condiments, and snacks and more — be honest with yourself, this is a guide for you only.

Labels: 718-491-5525, calories, diet, diet plan, fast food, healthy foods, nutrition facts