Cameron S. Askew, MD, PC

09/22/2025

High Protein Breakfast Ideas (good for morning or evening!)

Whether its hot or cold, here are some ideas to add variety and flavor to "breakfast" like foods but don't forget that you can have breakfast for dinner if that works for you!

Keys for success:
- tiny chopped & sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, mushroom, broccoli, etc)
- cooked ground sausage, turkey, tofu, etc.
- whisked eggs with/without cottage cheese for added PROTEIN
- chopped/dried herbs (garlic herb mix, cilantro, sage, basil, oregano)
- add greek yogurt or cottage cheese VS sour cream or milk/cream in your eggs/soups
- you can always add in unflavored protein/collage powder but focus more on WHOLE foods once you're past the first few months

REMEMBER: protein comes in lots of sources besides animal. Don't forget dairy, nuts/seeds, beans, and soy based vegan options.

Goal Protein: 60g if under 3mths post op. Focus on 80g+ after that to help with satisfaction and muscle maintenance/building. Muscle = metabolism and protein is the fuel along with strength training.

Egg bites are a perfect, protein-rich snack to have on hand for busy mornings Blending eggs with cottage cheese and shredded cheese, dividing the mixture among muffin cups and baking in a water bath result in a soft, delicate texture For the right consistency, use a blender to combine all the ingred...

05/17/2025

WORLD BAKING DAY - Pizza Party

After Bariatric Surgery, many patients worry their baking days are over, but NEVER FEAR, there is a wealth of recipes out there to make baking and "sweets" healthier and higher in protein/lower in sugar.

Here is a pizza recipe using less flour and cottage cheese. Don't worry, you can't take the cottage cheese once it's blended, spiced, cooked, and coated with sauce, toppings, and real cheese.

Protein Pizza Crust:
In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup flour of your choice, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano/Italian spices. For smoother dough, pre-blend cottage cheese. Dough may be a bit loose and shaggy. Add additional flour and knead gently on floured counter until more formed and smooth. Roll or hand press on greased parchment into pizza shape of choice.
Par-bake for 10min until set and slightly brown. Let it cool then add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake addtl 5-10min until melted or browned to your liking. You can also premake and precook these crusts to freeze for a later date - make mini pizzas.

TOPPINGS TIP: precook vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, and onions to prevent a soggy crust as the veggies release water as they cook otherwise. If you like spinach or arugula, wait until the last few minutes to add so it's not cooked to death.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

If you're missing beer with your pizza, try a low carb, Non-Alcoholic beer like Athletic or Blue Moon. Great flavor without the carbs, sugars, calories of regular alcohol.

For dessert: here's a high protein chocolate mouse to try.

This high protein chocolate mousse is sugar free, low carb and keto. Light, fluffy, rich, creamy. It's the perfect healthy dessert recipe!

05/02/2025

Ideas for CINCO DE MAYO

Grilled or ground beef, chicken, turkey, or sausage (combine two or more for added flavor and moisture as ground turkey and chicken can be very lean and dry out quickly if overcooked) w/ chipotle, adobe, chili spices

Plain Greek Yogurt vs. Sour Cream (for added protein)

Guacamole (healthy fat – see recipe below)

Diced tomatoes and cilantro

Shredded cheese

Grilled sliced bell peppers and onions (slow cook in skillet; add a TBS of balsamic vinegar to help caramelize for natural sweetness)

Low Carb/High protein chips or tortillas (1 serving) OR make a taco salad with mixed greens.
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GUACAMOLE

2 Avocados – diced/smashed

½ to 1 whole Lime – juiced

¼ c Red Onion - minced

Bunch of Cilantro – 2TBS minced ( tot taste )

Garlic – 1 tsp raw OR ¼ tsp powder (not Garlic Salt)

Salt & Pepper to taste

For spice – add dash of Cumin, Berbere, Chipotle, or Cayenne seasoning

*** Dip with carrots, celery, bell peppers, or low carb/high protein chips
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Agua Fresca de Pepino (Cucumber Limeade)

INGREDIENTS

5 cups water, divided

3 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

4 tablespoons granular sucralose sweetener (such as Splenda®), divided

DIRECTIONS

Blend 2 cups water, cucumbers, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons sweetener together in a blender until smooth.

Pour into a pitcher; add remaining 2-3 cups of water. Stir in addtl 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener to taste. Serve over ice.

04/23/2025

Habit Stacking

Today is National Book Day. Habit stacking is something highlighted in the book "Atomic Habits."
Habit stacking is something we've discussed in the office as a way to incorporate more water, protein, or exercise for example in small manageable ways.

"Atomic Habits" discusses how to build new habits/behaviors by using current daily behaviors as triggers/reminders to add something new in small manageable ways. Below is the video link explaining how to incorporate this into your life.

Come up with a list of things you do daily along with a list of things you'd like to incorporate or do more of like: increasing water, protein, or exercise. But remember, keep these things small initially because to be successful, it must be SMART - small/specific, measurable, achievable/attainable, relevant (to your goals), and time-bound.

Bring these to your next appointment and we can brainstorm more ways to do this and discuss your current successes.

Happy Humpday/Book Day!

Forming and creating new habits can be quite challenging. But it's even harder to build a consistent routine.In this video I'll be talking about habit stacki...

04/12/2025

Isometric Exercises for Muscle Strength

Classic "weight training" involves repetition of movement...bicep curls, squats, chest press, etc. While these are great for strength training, there is another form of strength training called "isometric exercises." This type of strength is often what you experience in physical therapy as it is ideal for joint stabilization post injury/surgery and can even be good for folks struggling with high and low blood pressure.

Isometric exercises involve muscle contraction/activation without moving the joints attached to those muscles. Imagine lying on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor, squeezing a ball or block between your knees. This activates your glute (butt) muscles, inner thigh and core muscles.
Holding a push up/plank position also does this by engaging your core and shoulders without actually pushing/pulling/pressing anything.
You can even use a tight circular resistance band and gentle press it apart and HOLD for 10-15 sec, 5 times. This can strengthen and stabilize the muscle and joint without the repetitive back and forth of doing 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Yoga videos that have you hold poses vs "flow yoga" is also a form of isometric strength.
Yoga with Adriene has some great options. Here's a playlist of recommended videos. (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLR2T7lbfO8N5DNlZSuG0_VPLcVULy3gh&feature=shared).

Here is another teacher doing a combo of light flow and pose holds. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC2Q6KynZi8).

Happy Pose Holding!

Tendon pain and dysfunction are common complaints among athletes and physically active populations. New research gives us greater insight into the benefits of isometric loading, and how isometric exercises promote tendon healing.

09/09/2024

Most of you are somewhat familiar with Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Zepbound at this point. This is a good article talking about the real medicines vs the false information on the internet especially TikTok about fad diets and work arounds for weight loss. Remember, if it seems too good to be true then it likely is.

If you feel like you’re struggling in your journey and not having the results that you wanted, please call the office to schedule an appointment versus going to online social media resources like these. I know we have a page, but the information we post is actually scientific and research based unlike many things posted on TikTok and other social media platforms where people are “paid”/given free things to tell you what you want to hear.

FYI Oat-zempic is a bad idea. Especially for diabetics as high carb intake, especially in the morning, can ruin your blood sugar control and hunger cues for the rest of the day. Remember protein first and protein always. This minimizes cravings and excess hunger throughout your day.

In people with diabetes, the "oatzempic" online diet fad may lead to increased glucose, decreased muscle mass, and malnutrition.

06/20/2024

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

Here are some high protein foods with a cool twist!

Check out these recipes for high protein/low carb ideas especially the protein style smash burger in a lettuce wrap, grilled chicken Caesar salad, Niçoise Grain Bowls, & Turkey-Black Bean Dip/Casserole.

IDEAS:
- place small chicken strips in whole romaine lettuce leaf "boats" then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of light Caesar dressing (or make your own; see below).
- try grain free tortilla chips, low carb tortillas cut in triangles then toasted, or romaine lettuce leaves to scoop the dip!

Homemade High Protein Caesar Dressing:

INGREDIENTS
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons turmeric
6 teaspoons dried oregano
4 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1c Plain Greek Yogurt (low fat)

Stay Hydrated! Add in sugar free electrolyte mixes to your water as the temperatures rise. Check out sugar free Keto Vitals on Amazon for a variety of flavors that are great over ice in the summer heat (ex. cherry limeade, pineapple coconut, and raspberry limonade).

Looking for a meal to keep you full while trying to lose weight? These high-protein, low-calorie meals are recommended by a registered dietitian.

05/24/2024

Konjac Root & Lupini Beans.....You've likely never heard of such things but these are great low carb/calorie (konjac) & low carb/high protein (lupini) foods that are often added to high carb foods like rice and pastas to balance out the glucose/carb/calorie blasting effects of them. Konjac unfortunately can be a bit sticky like rice noodles so the texture may be too gross; Lupini can be used alone or with with durum flour to create a balanced low carb/high protein pasta. I'm hoping to try out these new options soon as another non-vegetable pasta/rice substitute instead of cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash with your meat sauces ( remember real protein is primary ).

Konjac has been shown to slow down the time it takes food to empty from your stomach like the GLP1 injections and help with glucose/insulin balance which could indirectly help with T2DM. Here's the article if your needing help with sleep at night. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9858196/

Here is one of the combo regular/lupini bean pastas. Konjac has a variety of options.

Remember though, you need to eat REAL FOOD especially for your protein (i.e. animal meat, fish, eggs, yogurt, cheese, beans, nuts/seeds) over "protein pastas/protein chips/protein bars." Occasional consumption of extra protein carb foods is ok but shouldn't be your main source. Protein goals are 60g if

05/03/2024

Cinco de Mayo meets Star Wars Day

Whether your a guacamole/cheese dip fan or a Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader/Yoda fan, this weekend is built for both!

Here is my famous guacamole recipe, seasoned to taste AND an exercise idea while you're watching your favorite Star Wars movie this wkend.

STAR WARS EXERCISE GAME
1) Every time the light sabers come out, stand up and do body weight squats until the sparing match it over :)
2) Every time "the Force" is mentioned, perform 4 deep breaths in and out while lifting arms out, up, and overhead then back down through the midline of your body.
3) Every time "the Dark Side" is mentioned, perform 10-15 wall or countertop pushups.

Now for snacks....

GUACAMOLE
- 2 barely soft avocados, scooped and diced small if firm enough or mash with fork
- 1 lime, zested and juiced (more if you like the zing)
- 1/4 to 1/2 bunch of cilantro diced finely (stems are extra flavorful unless you have the "soap gene" for cilantro)
- optional (1/2 diced jalapeno fresh or in jar)
- 1 cup of halved/quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

** Dip with grain free chips, veggies, or tortilla chips if you can tolerate them.
For a Southwestern Layer dip.....
- guacamole made above
- use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream (more protein) + taco seasoning stirred in for more flavored
- refried black beans vs regular beans
- salsa of choice
- arugula or iceburg lettuce
- fresh shredded cheddar cheese
- top with jalapeno, cilantro, and diced green or red onion if you like

This healthy layer dip starts with a base of refried beans and is packed with fresh veggies. It’s the perfect dip for parties and/or game day snacking!