It took us a year to get there…but it is done! The plant-based menu is now available at the University of Florida/Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida for cardiac and vascular patients.
Usually, patients come onto the cardiac and vascular floors and get treated for their illnesses with medications and surgical procedures which are important and often life-saving. However, in most hospitals, there is limited to no education on lifestyle changes patients can make to be healthier after they leave the hospital-to empower people to help in their healing process. At Shands Hospital, patients will now receive education on lifestyle changes they can make to heal their bodies. Changes such as more activity, stress reduction, need for sleep and importantly, proper nutrition will be discussed. Multiple modalities of education will be provided; namely, the new plant-based menu, an education packet will be given to patients providing practical tools to make changes, patients will meet educators, and shown educational movies. So excited about all of these changes!
Tampa Bay Veg Fest has been named 1 of 10 must-attend veg fests in the entire country, and I had a great time discussing diet and heart disease. The crowd was amazing and engaged. Bravo!
Fiber one bars: marketed as 20% daily fiber and randomly the word “protein” sits on the front cover. Gives perception that these bars are really healthy! So what is in this box of goodness? Second ingredient is sugar. Third is palm kernal oil and palm oil. Later, we see soybean oil, canola oil and peanut oil. FIVE OILS! There is whey concentrate and milk (so milk in these–not a fan!). There is corn syrup (triggers leptin resistance and we dont feel satiated) because the sugar was not enough. There is maldodextrin which recall from previous food myths and has questionable health hazards. If the sugar and corn syrup were not enough, there is fructose–another trigger for leptin resistance. Then there are natural and artificial colors-more food additives. And caramel color so it looks pretty to eat. So where is the fiber? There is chicory root extract and soy protein and whey protein isolate and somewhere in there is listed whole grain oats. There is also partially defatted peanut flour. This was a new one for me, I have to admit. I had to go back to the chemistry journal to figure out what this was. Check this out:
“Defatted peanut flour produced by direct solvent extraction and partially defatted peanut flours produced by mechanical pressing have many potential uses in foods. The defatted peanut flour has a high protein solubility and is light colored, practically tasteless, and odor free. The defatted peanut flour has been evaluated as: an additive to increase the protein content of foods such as bread and other baked goods, macaroni, pancakes, and puddings; an extender in meats such as meat loaf and frankfurters; and an aid in preparing skim and full-fat (fat added) milk-like drinks and ice creams. The characteristics of this flour also make it useful in the preparation of protein concentrates (by air classification) and protein isolates. The partially defatted flour, with about 55% oil removed, is ideal for preparing full-fat, milk like drinks and can also be used in baked goods, ice cream, meats, and so forth.” So it is a food additive that adds protein content and is a thickener that gives the peanut taste. So that is how they are able to write PROTEIN on the box.
Americans dont suffer from protein deficiency. We suffer from eating too much sugar and oil. The sugar is what gives us highs and lows and makes us feel tired. It is NOT the lack of protein in our diets that makes us feel tired. Dont be fooled.
There are over 30 ingredients in this fiber one bar. We should never eat food with so many ingredients!
Popcorners. Marketed as “gluten free” and “wholesome in a chip.” Ingredients: second ingredient oil which is because they are fried. Then there is whey which is effectively cow’s milk–not a fan. Maltodextrin is a food additive which is plant based. It is like a simple sugar and has a high glycemic index. There is some data that maltodextrin is INFLAMMATORY. It changes gut bacteria and triggers inflammatory disease. Remember inflammatory diseases present to different people in different ways: some get ulcerative colitis or Crohns, others get type I diabetes, others get lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
What do we know about disodium phosphate. Not a whole lot. It is considered “generally safe” by the FDA. It is a food additive. It used to come from animal bones but now comes from rocks. It is an food “enhancer.” Inorganic phosphates are possibly unsafe–often used in pesticides. There has been data that it accumulates in the body and binds to calcium>>ultimately triggering kidney failure. Loads of foods that dont have this! Foods commonly that do are canned sauces, chips, packaged meats and cheeses to prevent spoilage. All of these additives…
So this is Cabot whipped cream. Says that the product is “Premium Natural.” There is even a dairy farm at the top as part of the marketing logo. First three ingredients: milk, cream and sugar which you would expect because it is after all whipped cream. Then there is mono and diglycerides again. And Carrageenan. It is extracted from a type of seaweed. It is a food additive that is used as a thickener in lots of milk, ice cream and other creamed product. There has been some recent data that links it to causing cancer. Hard to know what to do with it. Not enough data. This is what wedMD says about it “Carrageenan is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth in food amounts. There is a chemically altered form of carrageenan that is available in France to treat peptic ulcers. This form is POSSIBLY UNSAFE because there’s some evidence that it might cause cancer.”
Arnold’s Farmhouse Bread. Bread needs only 3 vital ingredients: flour, water and yeast. That is all that is needed. The more hardy breads have seeds and multiple types of grains. What is in this bread?
First tip: there are a lot more than 3 ingredients on this list. Second: what are monoglycerides? They are fats that are used as food additives to combine things that don’t easily blend together. They may have trans fats in them. What is sodium steroyl lactylate? That is another food additive to make oil and water stay in an emulsion and not separate. It is used to make bread more durable so it doesn’t break in travel. Third ingredient is SUGAR. Fifth ingredient is soybean oil. Seventh ingredient is molasses (sugar). So why do we need all this stuff: it is to keep the bread soft but hardy enough to travel and to prevent spoilage. Lots of additives to get soft bread to travel far distances? Buy your bread at a bakery. Watch out though. Even Whole Foods has bakery bread with unnecessary ingredients. Ask the bakery to print out the ingredients prior to purchase. Roots makes a fabulous multigrain bread. Bread alone makes a great bread. There are breaderies around that are fabulous and fresh. Find one in your area.
Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women. In fact, heart disease will kill more women than men. While we are getting better at decreasing heart disease deaths with improved medical care, prevention is the key to the improvements.
People often believe that they can eat whatever they want when they are young because heart disease is not something they have to worry about. NOT TRUE. Heart disease is not a disease of the elderly. It is a spectrum disease that starts in the young. If you look at Korean and Vietnam war soldiers autopsies, there were notable fatty streaks and cholesterol plaque in their heart arteries.
A study was done in JAMA in 1999 that looked at 2876 autopsies of men and women, ages 15-34, who died of external causes. Plaque was noted in ALL of the aortas (pipe that exists the heart and gives the body blood). More than 1/2 of the right coronary arteries (arteries that give blood to the heart so it can pump) in the 15-19 year old age group had plaque and more as the group aged. Fatty streaks were more notable in the black patients, than the white patients.
This is a compelling picture that shows the plaque in the heart arteries. The darker the colors, the more the plaque. Notice the plaque in the youngest group.
What you eat matters. What you feed your children matters. If you think you can feed your children McDonald’s or eat it yourself, think again. You likely already have plaque in your heart arteries. What can you do to change this? Change your diet, decrease the triggers for plaque and prevent inflammation. A moment on the lips, truly is a lifetime in the body.
Somebody sent me this great question and I thought I would post it:
Question: Hi Monica! My name is XX and I am on a plant-based diet for treating my RA. I am on Plaquinel and Sulfasalazine and don’t want to be forever. I have limited range of motion of my fingers. I struggle severely with elimination diet. I’m kind of a foodie. Being Vegan is easy, it’s giving up coffee and sometimes the sweet stuff that I struggle with. But I know RA is a bigger struggle. I think I have a mental/emotional block. Anyway I’m also concerned about my overall nutrition because I’m Vitamin D deficient and anemic (not the inflammatory kind). My CRP and ESR have been normal since day 1. All my labs look great in fact besides the above mentioned. I’m just looking for a Doctor who can kind me accordingly. Do you ever do skype consultations or recommend anyone. I live in Colorado but I’m from Baltimore! I appreciate you and the work you’re doing!
Dr. A response: Great question! The acidity of coffee in triggering a leaky gut is debatable. Coffee is considered an anti-inflammatory and in some studies there is suggestion benefit. in overall mortality. Specifically, chronic coffee consumption may bring down blood pressure, improve blood sugar and decrease plaque in the heart. I drink green tea daily and never gave it up. There is data on tea (both black and green) to show dilation of blood vessels and possible mortality benefit. I am okay with you drinking your coffee unless you think that it is triggering a reaction. Just don’t ruin the coffee with milk and sugar. I also think unprocessed sweets are okay once and a while. I for instance eat a nice dark chocolate periodically and enjoy it. Be creative. When food calls for sugar: add dates, maple syrup or banana. The things to be strict about in your diet are the “no meat and no milk.” Fish may be okay for some people and has a high omega 3 fatty acid content. But so many issues with pollutants in fish these days. Egg should be eliminated because increases cardiovascular risk and RA patients are at higher risk for heart disease. Most vegans are not anemic from low iron. You just need to eat lots of greens. B12 deficiency is possible and B12 has to be supplemented. Vitamin D is interesting. Lots of new data saying how important it is. But most people who live in the north are vitamin D deficient most of the year. Plus we use so much sun block–hard to avoid with the amount of ozone breakdown. Many people need to supplement with vitamin D tabs–not just vegans. Remember Vitamin D is not easy to get for anyone. It is just that in the US, we fortify our OJ and milk with vitamin D. Most almond milks are fortified as well. But if you are significantly low, you may have to supplement. Does that help?
People often talk about the costs of eating healthy. The discussion about how fast food is cheaper than healthy food comes up a lot in conversation. Is that really true though?
Recall my previous posting on calorie density. Bite per bite, the number of calories we take in with a burger will be so much more than with a veggie stew or a salad. But we feel full based on the amount of food we eat and therefore, often after eating that burger we still feel hungry. The volume of a burger is less than with a salad or stew and so we don’t often feel satiated despite getting in plenty of calories. That makes us eat more food than we need. Plus, with all of sugar and processed foods, we create leptin resistance so our body is unable to feel satiated. Leptin is the hormone responsible for creating the feeling of satiety.
Then, let’s look at the actual foods. The average price for a Big Mac, medium French fries and soda is $ 5.99. 1 pound of lentils (while you would never be able to finish) is $1.29. If you add rice, a 20 pound bag is $8.00. If you add a bunch of kale: that would add another $1-2 per whole bunch. Then, what about tomatoes or slices of pepper: add another 1$. Water: Free. So the rice and lentil dish with a salad on the side is cheaper than Big mac and fries plus you have plenty more for meals to come.
People often say that the burger tastes better. Is that really true? Our taste buds get used to and love what they see. The first time I ate Thai food, I hated it. Now I crave it. Your body needs time to adjust to a new palate. Your gut needs a chance to recover and restore. We can’t fall back on the fact that fast food is cheaper because it isn’t. It impacts both your wallet and more importantly your long-term health.
I’ll Share Nutritional Myths You Should Avoid, Foods You Need To Eliminate, How to Use Food as Medicine and How To Fight Inflammation To Live The Life You Deserve!
Yes, Dr. Monica! Upgrade My Health!
Visit Dr. Aggarwal In Person
Dr. Aggarwal sees patients in person through Advent Health in Winter Park, Florida.
Standard patient visits are typically 20-30 minutes for a new patient and 15 minutes for a follow up
Dr. Aggarwal takes medical insurance and can see patients eligible for Medicare.
Appointments can be scheduled by calling Advent Health directly at 407-894-4474.
