We have produced this video outlining the facts and opportunities for treatment and research studies at Liver Specialists of Texas.

View all of our You Tube videos here.

The bottom line: if you have any risk factors for hepatitis C, you need to be tested. It is not part of you annual examination, and you have to ask to be tested. Risks include, intravenous drug use, intranasal drug use, blood transfusions before 1992, tattoos, body piercing, needle sticks, and high risk sexual behaviors.

New therapies are available with over a doubling of the cure rate, as well as opportunities for hepatitis C research. New drugs are being developed at our center. Call 713-794-0700 and talk with our hepatitis C treatment team for more information and opportunities.

Day 1
A New Year, a New You

Day 2
Eating Salad for Breakfast

Day 3
Navigating the Grocery Store: Inner vs Outer Isles

Day 4
Foods Never to Eat 

Day 5
Foods Healing Power

Day 6
The Low Down on Wheat

Day 7
Gym Rules 

Day 8
Charles Barkley and Weight Watchers 

Day 9
Blueberries: A Superfood to Love

Day 10
Benefits of Coconuts 

Day 11
It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Day 12
Adding Eggplant to Your Diet

Day 13
Wondering About WonderBread 

Day 14
How Bad is Read Meat: Dr. Galati and Matt Patrick KTRH Radio 

Day 15
The Value of Cross-Training

Day 16
MLK Holiday: Off

Day17
Talking Health and Wellness

Day 18
Ultimate Abdominal Exercise 

Day 19
Zucchini: Another Food to Love

Day 20
Beach Body 10-Minute Trainer

Day 21
Exuberant Animal 

Day 22
Dan Campolieta: Number 1 Meal: Breakfast

Day 23
Salad Dressing: Olive Oil and Vinegar 

Day 24
Beets: Good Nutrition

Day 25
Cuisinart Hand Mixer

Day 26
Health Benefits of Boxing

Day 27
Strength Training: Benefits of Lifting Heavy Things 

Day 28
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables: Dr. Galati Explains

Day 29
Paleo Playground: Chuck Garcia Explains

Day 30
Paleo Playground: Part 2

Day 31
Healthy Recommendations and Books We Like

When I am not running outdoors, I’m a gym rat.  I spend 4 or 5 days a week in the gym, and work out in some fashion for up to 45 minutes.  On weekends however, I prefer to spend my work out time outdoors at home with nature.

To break the monotony of the temperature controlled gym, I offer a workout that is consistent with the way our ancestors lived.  You breathe fresh air, and work every body part.  The equipment then is everything that surrounds us that was not manufactured in a factory.

I think you’ll find it is an excellent change from the indoor routine.

We discuss often the value of fruits and vegetables, and how to avoid all canned products. If you select veggies and fruit that are frozen, you need to see they are unprocessed, and free of added salt, sugar, unwanted seasonings, and added fat. If this is true, these products are fine.

Foods I like include the following:

• Birds Eye Steamfresh
• Whole Foods Frozen Fruit

Consequently, following a strength training program helps you develop and maintain lean muscle mass.  This increases your metabolism (not through chronic cardio) to maintain low levels of body fat, increase bone density, and prevent injuries that may be due to weak muscles or muscle imbalances.

However, it does not have to be complicated not take hours in the gym.  An approach of short duration (30 minutes) is fine.  They should be high intensity and conducted a few times per week.  Any more than that is a recipe for fatigue and burnout.  With just 2 focused 30 minute sessions per week, you can stay strong and keep your workouts fresh.

To boil strength training into its simplest form:  Simply lift heavy things. As nature did not invent weights in 5 pound increments, you don’t have to succumb to the same old same old in the gym.  Your body thrives on spontaneous workout habits.  Surprise the muscles; never let them know what’s coming next.  Gains are created when your muscles are challenged beyond what they are used to.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Some suggestions:  Suspend the gym for a while.  Find heavy things around the house you can lift and put down.  My Poland spring water jugs are 50 pounds.  I left one in each hand and carry them around the house.  I go into the woods near my home and lift heavy logs; then I put them down.  A high intensity short duration workout can go a long way.

If you do go into the gym, there are a few exercises that I find core to any routine:  lunges, deadlifts, squats, rows, pull ups, pushups, and planks.  Some of these require dumb and bar bells, others simply rely on your own body weight.  While I encourage a much greater variety of heavy lifting try to use kettle bells, ropes, bands, anything that changes the pace.

As a matter of habit, when you see something heavy, lift it.  If you are at a playground and see pull up bars, pull up; as many as you can.  Rest. Repeat.  Keep it simple…and heavy.   To hear the advice of a really muscular guy, click here.

Boxing is the Best of all Cross Training

He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.  The greatest?  Perhaps.  I will acknowledge that Mohammed Ali’s athletic abilities were legendary.   If you look at Ali and other boxers, you can’t help but admire their physique.  Muscular but trim, they not only look great with no shirt, they find an ideal balance between strength, agility, speed, balance and endurance.  Also, it’s not limited to their upper body.  Take a look at their legs; cut and muscular they derive a great deal of their fire power from the ground up.

Try boxing a round of 3 minutes non –stop; it’s exhausting.  However, I appreciate not everyone wants to box and either beat up or be beaten up by an opponent.  However, there are a few ways to realize boxing benefits without the punishment.

I found in my gym I can rely on many of the same training tactics of a boxer without all the physical abuse.  Fortunately, my health club teaches a variety of classes (group fitness rocks) which gives you the advantage of a personal trainer without spending tons of money.

One of the classes I take often is called NON CONTACT BOXING.  Boxing training classes like this became main stream a few years ago. People quickly realized the benefits on the cardiovascular system combined with toning of the muscles by these boxing training workouts. Tae Bo work out videos also popularized boxing and kickboxing exercises. Billy Blanks maintained his new found fame by providing an excellent video on how to box at home.  He also offers boxing gloves with bands attached to ensure good form while you punch.  Check out his website here. .   For additional boxing advice you can turn to click here .  It provides short cuts and techniques to quickly master the art and science of throwing (and taking if you wish) a punch.  If you want a how to, this YouTube video shows you.

Other classes called “Cardio boxing” teach innovative variations of jabs, power punches, defense, and fitness in the form of heavy duty aerobics exercise. You learn the proper execution of the punch and kick combinations for an intense workout that can help you become stronger and more confident.   When I started taking the class, I had no idea the importance of form when throwing a punch (at a bag or a protected instructor so no one gets hurt).  I was amazed at the amount of power you can generate.  Also, although you don’t always notice, your leg strength will improve as they are critical to generate the power that begins at your feet, move up the legs, and gets transferred from your core into your hands.

Normally, the combinations you perform on the blocks, jabs, and kicks are executed to an imagined opponent or on a heavy bag.  You may see classes where participants throw punches and kicks in the air. You will also find training classes that have the option of working with a partner that has padded hands.

Moreover, these boxing training classes improve your speed, resistance, and strength. Flexibility and the reflexes of the muscles are also enhanced. Repetitive motion on arms by sparring and jogging while you punch helps your arms and legs gain strength and power.  These movements also require you to develop balance and coordination that enables your body to be stable and maintain good form.

Positive results await you with boxing training. You will enjoy a physically fit body and will keep you in better shape. Whether at home or in the gym, give it a try.

A Must Have Tool for the Kitchen

I was at work this afternoon, and lying in the kitchen was a Cuisinart hand-held mixing contraption, the kind used to make smoothies and the like. I asked the nurse who owned it to how much it was, and was she pleased with it (my original question was to see if it could crush ice for smoothies I make at home in a blender-her answer was “unlikely”)?

Her explanation was that this was an excellent addition to her kitchen tool chest, and that besides making smoothies, she uses it to make food for her infant, puree vegetables and soups, and chop a whole lot of other items in the kitchen. Like me, she makes everything from scratch.

In an effort to promote good health and nutrition, an occasional gadget in the kitchen may be what you need to have a little fun there. I am sure the manufacturer has a cook book to accompany this product, giving the owner more ideas than they ever dreamed of, as to how to make good use of this tool.

For me, I am sneaking out this weekend to buy one for myself. Immediate uses? More latter…

If you own one, let me know the best use you have found so far.

To buy one, click here.

Beets are a Super Food

I eat beets; lots of them and most days.  Unfortunately, my family and colleagues at the office share neither my passion nor enthusiasm for this excellent vegetable.  What a shame.  They are missing out!

Beets originated in the Mediterranean. Like so many other colored vegetables, they started off being used primarily for medicinal purposes and grown solely for their leaves. It wasn’t until approximately the 1800s when beets became a common food (creative chefs in France then realized their amazing culinary potential).  In addition, their rich purple color adds a great visual appeal when accompanied with other foods. 

Part of the Amaranth family, beets, in particular the red-rooted garden beet are quite popular.  They can be found and purchased all year round, but they are primarily a winter vegetable and thrive most when grown in cooler temperatures. Beet season runs from June through October, so you will be able to eat delicious beets all through the hot summer and into the early fall. Summertime is when they are the tenderest. 

As nutrients go, they have detoxification qualities and are a great source of folate, which is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system.  Additionally, beets are a good source of fiber, and known to help protect against colon cancer, birth defects and heart disease.

Don’t miss out on these.  They are well worth it!  I often put them over greens and add goat cheese, broccoli, walnuts, and grilled chicken.  I then top them with olive oil and either Apple Cider, balsamic or coconut vinegar. 

For tips on how to cook beets, click here.

Read more about beets:
Worlds Healthiest Foods: Beets

Health Benefits of Beets

Consequently, I top all of my meals with olive oil, and mix it with any one of three types of vinegar:  balsamic, apple cider, or coconut.  All add a very unique taste and are excellent complements to one of nature’s great gifts, olive oil.

There are some really great apple cider vinegar products on the market that are used by health food enthusiasts everywhere, and they’re really good for you! But I think coconut vinegar may be even better because it comes from a source that’s naturally higher in minerals and other phytonutrients.

Although I am fond of all three types of vinegars, coconut is my favorite.  While it tastes great, here’s some facts that help the cause; no bottled dressing even comes close. 

Coconut vinegar is similar to other fermented vinegars such as apple cider and balsamic vinegars. It can either be made with coconut water or from the sap of the coconut tree. Coconut vinegar is a staple condiment in the Philippines, and is also used in some regions of India. Coconut vinegar is white and cloudy with a very pungent acidic taste and a hint of yeast. As with apple cider vinegar, coconut vinegar includes the “mother,” or culture of organisms that caused the fermentation.  The sap used to make coconut vinegar comes from coconut trees grown in volcanic soil rich with minerals. The sap contains phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, sulfur, boron, zinc, manganese and copper. It is especially rich in potassium. 

Not to mention, when added to olive oil for a salad, it is tastes great.  Who can ask for more?

For more information:
Coconut Vinegar
Benefits of Coconut Vinegar
 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/262961-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-vinegar/