Alegent Health Wellness Blog

The scoop on salt (recipe included)

In less than a week February 2012 will be recorded in the history books. For me, it is the end to a busy month. Since I work for Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute, it is a month of many requests for presentations focused on nutrition and heart disease or nutrition and preventing heart disease. This year sodium was the popular topic request. Early in February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new report on sodium consumption in the United States. The report estimated the salt … Continue reading →

Chocolate: the Dark Secret

Valentine’s Day is approaching. The store shelves are stocked with heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate. It is the time of year when the news stories remind us of research indicating that chocolate is a healthy choice for our heart … but is it really a health food? Let’s look at the facts. What is chocolate? Chocolate is extracted from a cacao bean, and it contains chocolate liquor. A hydraulic press separates the liquor into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Extra whole milk or extra cocoa butter is added to … Continue reading →

Depression and Heart Disease

With Valentine’s Day approaching, Alegent Health is talking a lot about heart-related issues. Not so much the romantic side of the heart, but issues surrounding heart disease. Bergan Mercy Medical Center is hosting a Heart and Vascular Health Fair on Saturday, February 18th, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. regarding health-related issues. I’m looking forward to it because I’ll be there! You might be wondering how mental-health and heart disease are related. I know my last blog was on marriage and relationships – the other, more romantic side of heart-related … Continue reading →

Super Bowl Sunday: Make the Healthy Choice, the Easy Choice (recipes included)

The Super Bowl is approaching. It’s a time to gather with family or friends to enjoy the game, commercials, and of course, food. So, how do you celebrate this yearly event? That’s the question I asked some co-workers and some participants attending one of my community presentations. As you can imagine, the answers vary widely from, “I do not watch football,” to “I have a good time at a local sports bar.” Some people also reflected on this date from their experiences with their family. They recalled a fun time as … Continue reading →

Healthy Marriages

I recently received a few emails requesting I write about how to have a healthy relationship – specifically a healthy marriage. Long-term, committed relationships like marriage can start out great and, over time, depending on what life throws at us, can become impaired, argumentative, and disconnected. It’s always wonderful to see marriages that have stood the test of time. Why some marriages last and others do not is usually based on many factors including the physical and emotional health of the individuals in the marriage, each one’s understanding of what … Continue reading →

54321 Go! (recipe included)

While watching the local news last evening, I saw a most interesting ad. A mom and her two children were exchanging questions and answers. The son asked for some chips and his mother’s reply was, “Have a banana”. The daughter asks for a soda, and the mom provides bottled water. The son asked for his video basketball game. His sister replied, “Go outside and play the real one”. A couple more exchanges followed, and the summary was to practice 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I discovered that Alegent Health is … Continue reading →

DASH to a Wellness Plan

During the course of my daily work, I frequently receive consumer questions. Many of the questions concern the latest food, juice or weight loss plan advertised on infomercials, TV shows, books, magazines, or TV news. (The number of questions has declined a little since Oprah no longer has a daily TV show). Imagine my surprise when I read a news story that U.S. News and World Report magazine rated the DASH diet as the number one diet. Why was I surprised? The DASH diet has solid research and it is has … Continue reading →

Setting SMART Goals For 2012

Here’s hoping your New Year is starting off well. This past week, being the first week of a new year, several of my patients have reported setting new goals – resolutions – for themselves. Most goals revolve around self improvement – losing weight, exercising more, and eating healthier. Some are choosing to carve out more time to spend with their children, volunteer, or read more. These are all excellent ideas, and I commend anyone who is working toward improving their lives. Setting new goals at any time of the year … Continue reading →

Trends and the Challenge to “Doing”

The New Year has arrived, and we are saturated with articles on goals and resolutions. According to the radio announcers that I hear while driving to work, polls indicate that reducing weight and exercising are the top two goals and resolutions. Then they quickly banter among themselves that by the beginning of February, most people will have stopped achieving these goals. I find this yearly conversation to be negative and self-defeating. Instead of adding to this discussion, I want to provide a different prospective. First I need to announce that … Continue reading →

Two new recipes for a healthy new year

Throughout my many years of living, I have been blessed to use health care for yearly check-ups or yearly screening tests. Since the car accident, I have been a frequent flyer to Alegent Health’s ER (Bergan and Midlands), my doctor’s office, and Alegent Home Care. I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals and staff for their excellent care. I also want to thank my co-workers for their support and prayers. It is a wonderful day to feel good and return to life and work. Just returning … Continue reading →