If you can’t find Dr. Woodbury in the office at Healthy Steps Therapeutic Lifestyle Center or the Bariatric Clinic, he may be tending to his gourmet garden. No mater what the season or climate, it is always exploding with seasonal fruits and vegetables. With the fruit of his harvest always comes delicious and nutritious recipes.  Check out what is cooking at the Woodbury’s today… spiced up Healthy Fajitas!

Healthy Fajitas – a la chef Dr. Robert Woodbury

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Lb. organic chicken tenders (3-4 oz per person)
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 white onion, sliced 1/2” thick pieces
• 1 orange, red and green bell pepper, rough chop
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp smoky paprika
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp smoky paprika
• ¼ tsp salt and pepper
• 1 ½ tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl combine the cumin, cayenne pepper, smoky paprika, sugar, salt and pepper. Rub theseasonings liberally to fully coat the raw chicken.In a large skillet, add 2 Tbs olive oil and set the flame to medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for5-8 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (should look opaque all the way through and slightly browned on the outside). Set the chicken aside.

In the same skillet, add 1 Tbs olive oil. Toss in the onion and bell pepper and cook for 6-7 minutes or until al dente. Add in the minced garlic and continue to sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken back into the vegetable stir-fry and cook until the mixture is hot.

Optional: 1)Toss the fajitas on a bed of lettuce to make a Fajita Salad.

                 2) Chop the leftovers and make it into an egg scramble for a meal the next day.

 Per Serving Account For: 1 Protein, 2-3 Category One Vegetables, 2 Oil/Fats

Purchasing a chicken to cook is no easy task. Given the myriad of brands and confusing labels, choosing the right bird has become more complicated than ever. 

When choosing chicken as a source of protein in your diet you must ask yourself:

How was it raised?

What was it fed?

Did it have access to free range?

How was the chicken taken to market and processed?

Water-chilled or Air-chilled?

Why is Air-chilled better?

How do I properly read the label of chicken?

Healthy Steps has chosen to recommend Metagenics for the quality and research that goes into their supplements and medical foods.  They are the only triple-certified GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) supplement company in the world.  This means that they must undergo audits by independent third-party organizations.

Metagenics states, “Doctors and patients have thousands of nutritional supplements to choose from—with a wide variation in quality and price. We focus on improving people’s health—not just selling pills. Our top priority is to make products that work. Because no matter how much you pay for a product, it’s too expensive if it doesn’t work. It’s rare for a professional nutritional product company to devote the scientific staff, labs, equipment, time, resources, and strict procedures necessary to achieve true quality status. We can’t imagine it any other way—people’s health may depend on it.”

Here is what they state about their quality standards:

Metagenics Measures Up to All 5 Quality Standards—and Beyond.

1. GMP[Good Manufacturing Practices]-certified manufacturing—the ultimate quality marker. If it’s on the label, it’s in the bottle—guaranteed.
2. Pure ingredients—identity tested on multiple levels. We accept nothing less than the best we can find. We quarantine each raw material then test each thoroughly to support quality, safety, and efficacy.
3. Safety-reviewed ingredients—we won’t create a formula without them. We don’t even think of using an ingredient in a formula without a thorough literature search on its predicted safety in use as a nutritional supplement.
4. Human clinical evaluations—the surest way to show effectiveness. The best way to test effectiveness and safety of a nutritional product is to see how it works with real patients.
5. Scientific staff and facilities—the best in our business. Not every professional nutrition company has its own staff of dedicated medical and technical professionals. We have one of the largest in-house scientific staffs—MDs, PhDs, and others—in our industry segment.

Here is what they state about their quality and value of their products:

Metagenics Added Measures to Maximize Effectiveness & Value

1. Appropriate ingredient form & dose—so you can be sure. Our goal is to use highly absorbable nutrient forms so the body has a greater chance of using it the way it should to promote health.
2. The right delivery form—to meet the demands of patients and appropriate to the ingredients. We don’t have a “one form fits all” policy. Not every ingredient should be made into a tablet or a capsule.
3. Tablets made for ultimate performance—for better results. Our tableting technology makes sure they disintegrate within a short time, to release ingredients for optimal absorption.
4. And we don’t stop testing even after we create the final formula. Every product batch is tested to make sure our high tablet standards are met.

http://www.metagenics.com/about/quality-difference

Calories are not meant to be confused with obsession…

…rather to be counted, in a healthy fashion.

It is important that we remain “calorie conscience”: awareness of your body’s proper caloric needs.

Calories are a unit of energy. It is important that we do not take in more energy than what we expend in a day. Otherwise, it will be stored as fat resulting in excess weight gain.

Check out Dr. Robert Woodbury’s VIDEO to learn how metabolism, exercise and bariatric surgery can help with the equation to weight loss.

Your body converts certain foods (ie. carbohydrates) into sugar that get into your blood stream. Foods that produce high levels of blood sugar are high glycemic foods. When you eat these foods, your body produces more insulin. When your insulin levels are high your body stores fat. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a  low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI of 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low. (Mendosa)

What is Insulin? Insulin is a hormone that is directly affected by the carbohydrates you eat. Insulin regulates fat metabolism and controls blood sugar levels.

What is Blood Sugar? Blood sugar is the fuel that all cells in the body use to make energy. It is important to maintain blood sugar levels for optimal health.

The Glycemic Load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low. (Mendosa)

Dr. Robert Woodbury’s Video on

GLYCEMIC INDEX vs GLYCEMIC LOAD

Sources: Mendosa

Dr. Robert Woodbury‘s wants to share with you one of the most spectacular articles, “Probiotics Help Gastric-Bypass Patients Lose Weight More Quickly“.

“New research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics suggests that the use of a dietary supplement after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can help obese patients to more quickly lose weight and to avoid deficiency of a critical B vitamin.

In a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, John Morton, MD, associate professor of surgery at the medical school, showed that patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass procedure tend to shed more pounds than those who don’t take the supplements. Probiotics are the so-called “good” bacteria found in yogurt as well as in over-the-counter dietary supplements that help in the digestion of food.”

Role of PROBIOTICS….

• Provide intestinal and digestive support
• Maintain a healthy balance of intestinal flora
• Support healthy immune function
• Helps with abdominal discomfort and bowel irritation intestinal and digestive support

Now see for yourself Dr. Robert Woodbury’s video on the IMPORTANCE OF PROBIOTICS

Dr. Woodbury is commonly asked:

• “How important are genetics to the result of bariatric surgery?”
• “Is obesity linked with your genetic predisposition?”

Take the time to watch DR. WOODBURY’s latest VIDEO as he answers these questions regarding the latest research from the Metabolic Applied Research Strategy (MARS) Group.

If Dr. Woodbury can’t be found in the office, your best guess is that he is GONE FISHING!

Watch this video of Dr. Woodbury on the river in Bend, Oregon.

Fishing is his ideal way of keeping an active lifestyle and enjoying the beautiful outdoors!

Purchasing, eating and cooking fish is not as scary as you might think…it is about time we lure you in to eat this healthy source of protein!

Why should I let go of my FISHY FEARS and eat fish?

• Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids

• Supports healthy blood lipids and cardiovascular health

• Helps reduce inflammation

• Keeps your brain and heart healthy

Are you curious as to how much of your body is fat mass vs. lean mass? Wondering where the water is stored in your cells? Are you loosing weight from the “proper compartments”?

At Healthy Steps Bariatric and Metabolic Center, you can get a reading of your body’s specific composition through a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. It is a method of assessing your “internal body composition”- the measurement of body fat in relation to lean mass.

This simple and painless test sends an electrical current through the body and gives a computer reading which discerns the body’s tissue and fluid compartments.

Why is body composition important to my health? Metagenics sums that up by stating, “Research has shown that body composition is directly related to health. A normal balance of body fat is associated with good health and longevity. Excess fat in relation to lean body mass, known as altered body composition, can greatly increase your risks to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more. BIA fosters early detection of an improper balance in your body composition, which allows for earlier intervention and prevention. BIA provides a measurement of fluid and body mass that can be critical assessment tool for your current state of health.”

Now see for yourself what Dr. Woodbury has to say regarding the importance of your BIA !

Dr. Woodbury Video – Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)

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Dr. Robert Woodbury, Medical Director of Healthy Steps Bariatric and Metabolic Center, recommends the Healthy Eating Pyramid. This pyramid was developed by Harvard University and designed to teach a modified Mediterranean Diet.

See Dr. Woodbury’s latest video on the Modified Mediterranean Diet!

Farmer’s Market and Mediterranean Eating with Dr. Robert Woodbury

A key to health is the abundance of colorful fruits and vegetables in one’s diet. The colors in fresh foods are the phytochemicals which help with metabolism, straining blood sugars and fighting inflammation.

So head out to your local Farmer’s Market while the food is still fresh, colorful and rich in nutrient density!

Visit your local Farmer’s Market! Sonoma County Farmer’s Markets Link