Health and Wellness Newsletter
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IN THIS ISSUE
Influenza
Orange Foods
Chemical Experiment
Recipe of the Week
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Issue: #40
September 22, 2014
Beach Moss


Volume 4, Letter 40
 

September 22, 2014

  

Influenza season has begun. Early cases are being seen already on the east coast. In contrast to last week and EV-D68, influenza is a yearly nightmare. It claims 10's of thousands of lives a year in this country among the elderly and very young populations. 

 

Every year I blog about this virus primarily to keep it on your brain. There is never a time to ignore this virus and its potential to cause havoc. 

 

Things that I think of as critical to avoiding this infection:

 

1) Keeping your vitamin D level greater than 50 ng/ml is an important way to prevent influenza infections. 

2) Eating healthy and getting adequate sleep to keep your immune system in great shape. 

3) Taking a good quality probiotic daily.

4) Wash your hands throughly for 20 seconds with soap and water. Especially in high risk areas like schools. 

5) Eat lots of fresh citrus and colorful yellow, red and orange foods for adequate vitamin C.

6) Maintain adequate zinc levels in your body for a healthy immune system. Zinc is commonly found in beef, lamb, wheat germ, spinach, seeds, mushrooms, nuts, beans, pork and cocoa.

7) Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth helps avoid viral transmission.

8) Take elderberry syrup if you feel that you have been exposed to the virus. 

9) Stay well hydrated and keep your system stout by drinking 1 ounce of water per kilogram of body weight a day. 

10) Stay positive mentally and be happy.

 

Finally, High risk groups should get a flu vaccine and avoid the risk. Who is high risk?: pregnant women, children less than 5 years old, people with lung diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, immune defects, hear disease and more. See list. 

 

If you contract the virus, then what should you do???

 

Medicines that are antiviral for the influenza virus seem to be of limited value in the average healthy adult or child over age 5 years. High risk groups can still benefit from these medicines to control a potential bad outcome. 

 

Follow 5/6/8/9 above and rest.


Dr. M

 

Orange Foods

From the Detox Challenge, Dr. Diana Minich has been discussing how orange foods help benefit the human experience. 

Orange Foods


 

Orange foods help protect the immune system, eyes, and skin, and reduce the risk for cancer and heart disease.

 

The Food List


 

When you look at the food list, you will find many orange-colored foods to include into your daily eating.  Orange fruits include apricots, cantaloupe, mango, nectarine, oranges, papaya, persimmon, and tangerines. You can eat these fruits fresh or dried; however, note that store-bought dried fruits will most likely have sugar and sulfites added. Read the label carefully to be sure there is no added sugar. If you are sensitive to sulfites, as some people are, it is best to avoid sulfite-treated fruits.

 

Orange vegetables on this list are acorn squash, orange bell pepper, butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. Keep in mind that several of these vegetables are relatively higher in sugar (like carrots) and even quite starchy (like squashes). Therefore, you will want to eat these foods in a mixed meal with other foods that will blunt the spike in blood sugar that may result after eating these foods. Adding some oil to these foods will bring down the glycemic response, as will adding protein to the meal.

 

Some of the richest sources of carotenoids include carrots, mango, papaya, and pumpkin. Finally, you will notice that turmeric root is on this list-an important food as well as a spice when it has been dried into a powder. Turmeric powder contains curcuminoids, which are potent anti-inflammatory compounds. You may want to sprinkle turmeric or grate turmeric root into stir-fries, onto meats, or even into a smoothie!

 

Ways to get more orange foods:

  • Have a sweet potato instead of a baked white potato
  • Sprinkle turmeric powder onto vegetable stir-fry
  • Put orange slices into your water pitcher
  • Drink carrot or orange juice instead of soft drinks
  • Have a clementine, tangerine, nectarine, or peach as a mid-morning or afternoon snack
  • Puree carrots, butternut squash, or pumpkin and use as a soup base
  • Make a tropical fruit smoothie by blending fresh cubed mango, papaya, and orange in a base of coconut milk with your choice of protein powder
  • Make a trail mix containing dried orange fruits like apricots, mango, and papaya

Nutrients in Orange Foods

 

Beta-Carotene

When most people think of orange phytonutrients, they think of beta-carotene, and when they think of beta-carotene, they think of carrots. Beta-carotene is important because it can turn into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A has many functions, such as promoting healthy vision and supporting the immune and inflammatory systems, cell growth, reproduction, and bone health. There are actually several plant compounds that convert to vitamin A in the body (also called carotenoids) under the right conditions; beta-carotene is just one of these.

 

Most food sources of vitamin A are of animal origin such as seafood, eggs, fish, and dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese. If you are a vegan or do not eat certain animal products, it will be essential for you to eat high carotenoid-containing foods. These foods tend to be colorful: red, orange, yellow, and green. It may not be enough to have carotenoids as your sole source of vitamin A because many factors can limit the conversion of carotenoids into beta-carotene, such as genetic disorders, digestive issues, excessive alcohol use, toxicity, and certain prescription or over-the-counter medications.

 

To get the highest amount of carotenoids like beta-carotene from your food, it's best to cook some foods. Carotenoid-containing vegetables that are higher in fiber require the heat of cooking to free the carotenoids from the food matrix (including the fiber). And once you've liberated the carotenoids from the food by cooking, you need fat to shuttle them into the body. Carotenoids are fat-soluble-they must be eating with fat to become more available to the body. Therefore, cooked carrots drizzled with olive oil is an ideal way to maximize absorption of the beta-carotene in those carrots in the gut.

 

Bioflavonoids

Another important group of phytonutrients associated with orange-colored foods is the bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are found in oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, clementines, peaches, nectarines, as well as in yellow-colored foods like lemons and pineapple. In contrast to beta carotene, bioflavonoids are water-soluble, so they don't require cooking or fat for best absorption. In fact, cooking could be detrimental as it can lead to breakdown of these important compounds. Bioflavonoids are important because they work together with vitamin C to reduce the risk of heart attacks and cancer. They also help maintain strong bones/teeth, healthy skin, and good vision. It is often the case in nutrition that you see vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals working together to create the best effect!

 

To the deliciousness of orange foods!



Dr. M
Chemical Experiment
Fastfood Experiment
Week 11
 
I will post the progress of this process monthly from now on. 


Recipe of the Week

Nicole's Green Monkey Smoothie

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Frozen banana

1 Scoop of protein powder

1 Tbsp of peanut or sun butter

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 cup of frozen greens (kale/swiss chard/spinach)

4 Ounces water

 

Directions:

 

Blend. Serve.

 

Kids love it.


Dr. M

 

 

 

 

 

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Copyright � 2010-2014 Christopher J. Magryta, MD. Readers, please note: The information provided in this newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice and treatment provided by your physician or other healthcare professional and is not to be used to diagnose or treat a health issue.


 


Chris Magryta
Salisbury Pediatric Associates
Touchstone Pediatrics