Dr. Monica Aggarwal

Do we need to stop eating salt to be healthy?

CardioMinute /

More important than considering the salt is thinking about the sodium. The body needs some sodium to contract and relax muscles, conduct nerve impulses and maintain water balance. The body gets sodium from food. There is sodium in most foods including in fruits like bananas. That is not a bad thing.

The problem is that people are eating too much sodium, close to 6,000 mg of sodium per day and eating too much sodium can be associated with high blood pressure and fluid retention. Many people need to work on cutting back the amount of sodium they are taking in to somewhere closer to 2,000 and 3,000 grams per day and even more if you have high blood pressure or heart failure. That can be done by cutting out processed foods and removing the saltshaker from the kitchen table. Eating out is another big source for sodium. To give you an idea of how much salt people are eating, a teaspoon of salt has 2000 mg of sodium in it. People develop a taste for lots of salt and it takes time for those people to realize that food is quite delicious with a whole lot less salt. At the same time, most of the time, it is not necessary to have no salt. If you eat natural, whole foods and add a little salt to your family cooking, you are going to be in good shape.

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Episode 8: The Making of Chef AJ

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope” I had the pleasure of speaking with Chef AJ.

Chef AJ is such a delight. What I love about AJ is that she is so creative in the kitchen, brutally honest and not afraid to talk about the not so nice parts of life. As we discussed in this show, she is a “graceful ram”. AJ and I spoke about her childhood. We talked about how she entered the plant based movement during a time when vegetarianism was not celebrated. We talked about her great show. One of the questions I had for was how she approaches the person who says that they don’t like cooking or that it is hard to cook for one person. These are real issues that hold people back. It was great to hear how she approaches these issues. This podcast was really fun to do. I am thankful for the work she is doing.

About Chef AJ

Chef AJ has been devoted to a plant-exclusive diet for nearly 45 years. She was the host of the television series Healthy Living with CHEF AJ which aired on Foody TV. A chef, culinary instructor and professional speaker, she is the author of three bestselling books, The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss: A Revolutionary Approach to Conquer Cravings, Overcome Food Addiction and Lose Weight Without Going Hungry, Own Your Health and The 10th Anniversary Edition of Unprocessed, all which have received glowing endorsement by many luminaries in the plant based movement.

Chef AJ was the Executive Pastry Chef at Santé Restaurant in Los Angeles where she was famous for her vegan, sugar, oil, salt and gluten free desserts which use the fruit, the whole fruit and nothing but the whole fruit. She broadcasts CHEF AJ LIVE! on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter daily. She is the creator of the Ultimate Weight Loss Program, which has helped hundreds of people achieve the health and the body that they deserve and is proud to say that her IQ is higher than her cholesterol. In 2018 she was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame.

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Do you need stents if we see clogs in the heart?

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Do we need stents if we see clogs in our hearts? Not always. In the setting of the ACUTE HEART attack, you will need an urgent treatment which requires a stent often. But in those people with stable symptoms, non-emergent, you don’t necessarily need a stent. It depends.

First, many plaques can be treated with aggressive medical and lifestyle therapy. We only consider stents when you have failed optimal medical therapy in a person with stable symptoms. Many people can be managed with medications and don’t need stents. Remember, stents do not make you live longer; they only make you feel better. If you have no symptoms, then why do you need a stent? If you have symptoms, such as chest pain or angina, lifestyle changes and medication are FIRST LINE. Stents should only be considered when people have symptoms despite optimal medical therapy and lifestyle changes or the symptoms become unstable. Just because you have a clog, doesn’t mean you need a stent.

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What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

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Body Mass is a quick way to assess someone’s height-weight ratio. It is measured in kilograms over meters squared. If you have a BMI over 25 you are considered overweight. If your BMI is greater than 30, then you are considered obese. Many people think that Asians should have a lower #BMI threshold (≥ 23) to be considered #overweight because they appear to have increased chronic illness at lower BMIs. It is not perfect thought because people who are very thin with a low muscle mass can still have a central obesity and be at higher risk of disease.

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Episode 7: Moving Medicine Forward with Dr. Michael Klaper

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope” I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Michael Klaper.

It was a true pleasure to speak to Mike about his transition to eating plant based. He talks a lot about how he made his transition—that it took some time to change completely, reminding all of us that change is hard but change in good. Perhaps, because he took some time to transition himself, it makes Dr. Klaper a better doctor—teaching future physicians to meet people where they are. We had a lovely conversation about transition, but also talked about judgment, time and patience. We ended the conversation about Mike telling us all about his initiative to move medicine forward. He now spends his time educating future physicians about the importance of nutrition in healing. Cant wait for you to hear it!

Michael A. Klaper, M.D. is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He has practiced acute care medicine in Hawaii, Canada, California, Florida and New Zealand and for the past 35 years has been focusing upon health-promoting food and lifestyle choices to help reverse disease and prevent the need for hospitalization and surgery. A long-time radio host and a pilot, Dr. Klaper has served as nutrition advisor to NASA’s programs for space colonists on the Moon and Mars. At his website, DotorKlaper.com, visitors can find practical insights into nutrition and healthy living through his numerous articles and videos as well as subscribe to his free newsletter, “Medicine Capsule.” Along with an active telemedicine practice, Dr. Klaper’s passion and professional focus is his “Moving Medicine Forward” initiative to incorporate the teaching of applied nutrition into medical school education worldwide.

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What is a Plaque?

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Do you know what the word heart plaque means? The job of blood vessels is to expand and constrict, depending on whether you need more or less blood to your organs.
If you have risk factors, your soft blood vessels can get damaged. Your body creates a band aid over the damaged area. Then cholesterol connects to the band aid and plaque is formed. This is the start of heart disease.

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What is a Coronary Artery?

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Have you ever heard of coronary arteries? When we are talking about coronary arteries, we are thinking about heart attacks, clogs or stents in the heart. The coronary arteries sit on the heart and provides blood flow to the heart. If you don’t get good blood flow, then the heart can die in the area causing a heart attack.

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What are Heart Palpitations?

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Do you get flutters in your chest that you worry about? Palpitations are extra heart beats that people feel occasionally. Many people have them when they drink alcohol or caffeine. They can also be associated with stress, dehydration and illness. If you have frequent symptoms, you should see your physician.

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IHeart Radio Interview

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I really enjoyed doing a podcast for Iheartradio called Care Walks with the amazing host, Holly Robinson Peete. We talked about improving food and nutrition practices to reduce arthritis symptoms. This was a fun one and hopefully, will get people to make healthful changes.

I often remind people that everyday, a little bit more. Change is hard but change is good. Make a few changes and then watch the difference. It will be totally worth it when you can walk pain with less pain and feel more energized!

Take a listen here and tell me what you think.

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What is Heart Disease?

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Does the term heart disease confuse you? Heart disease is an umbrella term for many heart conditions. But classically, heart disease refers to when arteries in the heart get clogged.

Heart Disease Solutions Workshop

Combining lifestyle and medical solutions through a holistic approach you’ll gain the tools you need in the fight against heart disease.

Learn More

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