THE WIND IS WHIPPING IT AROUND THIS AFTERNOON. WELL, MARCH IS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH. THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO REEVALUATE YOUR DIET AND LOOK FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE IT. DR. ERICA ROTH, GIVEN INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN WITH THINK HEALTH CARE HAS SOME PRETTY GOOD IDEAS. THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY, DOCTOR. THANK YOU. I’M HAPPY TO BE HERE. HEY, DOCTOR, LOTS OF FOLKS RELY ON FAST FOOD. A COUPLE DAYS A WEEK, SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK. WHY IS THIS NOT OPTIMAL? WHAT CAN WE DO INSTEAD? ABSOLUTELY. THE PROBLEM WITH OUR SOCIETY TODAY IS IT IS A FAST LIFE. WE HAVE WORK ALL DAY. PTA MEETINGS, AND THEN WE PICK UP THE KIDS FOR A SOCCER AND IT’S NEVER ENDING. SO FAST FOOD BECOMES A MEANS TO FILL OUR BODY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE CALORIES IN THE FAST FOOD DON’T ALSO PROVIDE NUTRITION. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE WHAT COMES WITH VEGETABLES SUCH AS VITAMINS AND MINERALS, AND OFTEN PROTEIN. SO WORKING ON EASY FOOD AND MAKING THAT THE CENTER AS OPPOSED TO FAST FOOD IS GOING TO HELP WITH YOUR DIET AND HEALTH OVERALL. DR. HOW DO WE MAKE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TAKE CENTER STAGE WHEN WE PLAN MEALS? I KNOW THEY’RE OFTEN FORGOTTEN. ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK THE CORNERSTONE TO PREPPING EASY MEALS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK SO YOU DON’T GO TO A FAST FOOD IS BUY MEAL PREP ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN YOU HAVE MORE TIME. SO GRABBING THOSE VEGETABLES AT THE STORE AND MAKING SURE THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS CHOP THEM UP AND PUT THEM IN EASY CONTAINERS MAKES IT VERY EASY TO GRAB AND START PUTTING IN STIR FRY OR PUT IN THE MICROWAVE FOR AN EASY SIDE. ONE THING I ALWAYS RECOMMEND IS GETTING YOUR KIDS INVOLVED. USUALLY THE KIDS ARE THE PICKY EATERS AND DON’T LIKE THE VEGETABLES, BUT IF THEY’RE IN THE KITCHEN AND THEY HAVE A HAND IN CRAFTING THE NUTRITION, CHOOSING THE SPICES AND HERBS THAT GO ON THE VEGETABLES, THEY’RE MORE INCLINED TO EAT THEM. AND THEN IT BECOMES A CELEBRATION OF THEM AS WELL. THERE YOU GO. LOTS OF PEOPLE MADE THOSE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. YOU KNOW, END OF MARCH NOW. HOW IMPORTANT IS PROTEIN IF YOU’RE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. PROTEIN IS A CORNERSTONE IN WEIGHT LOSS AND MAINTAINING THE CURRENT WEIGHT THAT YOU ARE AT. PROTEIN MAKES YOU FEEL FULL LONGER AND FASTER. IT PREVENTS THE SPIKE OF GLUCOSE WHEN YOU EAT CARBOHYDRATE RATES, WHICH THEN CAUSES AN INSULIN SURGE THEREAFTER. WE ALL KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A CAR CARB MEAL AND SOME PASTA AND THEN CRASH A FEW HOURS LATER. SO PROTEIN PREVENTS THAT. IT GIVES YOU MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO YOU CAN BE TRUE TO THOSE RESOLUTIONS. YOU MADE TO WORK OUT AND GO ON THAT WALK AT THE END OF THE DAY. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, DO YOU SEE A HEALTH SHIFT HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY? FOOD KIND OF AS A PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE? ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THIS IS MORE ON THE GROUND WITH THE PATIENTS THAT I SEE. THEY KNOW THAT CERTAIN FOODS MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER AND SOME DON’T. SO THEY’RE ALREADY ALTERING THEIR DIET. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO AS PHYSICIANS IS RECOGNIZE THAT FOOD AND NUTRITION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF MEDICINE. WHAT WE PUT IN OUR BODY. SO IF WE START THERE, THEN LONG TERM, 20, 30 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, WE’RE GOING TO SEE SOME FANTASTIC IMPROVEMENT IN THE RATES OF CONDITIONS SUCH AS DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE. ALL RIGHT, GOOD. DR