Wholehealthdentist

12/01/2022

I was sick, or recovering from being sick, pretty much the entire month of November. I had zero energy for any sort of post-worthy meal preparation. It’s December now, and I’m mostly phlegm-free, so I decided to join the St. Jude’s 62 miles in December challenge. It’s been awhile since I’ve run regularly. The first time I tried to run, I ran for about 32 seconds before I gave up. But after a couple years, I got up to more than 10 miles at a time, and then settled in to running 2-4 miles a few times every week. Lately I’ve been… busy. But I’m committed to reinstating that habit. I didn’t enjoy getting up at 4:30 today. But I did it anyway. I wanted to post my treadmill stats to draw attention to the calorie burn. It means next to nothing. Not because calorie burn calculations are inaccurate on machines (which is true) but because calorie burn calculations are inaccurate in our bodies. We don’t run on calories. We run on nutrients. Just as we can’t consistently gauge how far $8.83 worth of gas with get us in our cars, we can’t accurately gauge our progress based on calories, or the “cost” of nutrition. The benefits of exercise go far beyond the calorie burn (come on… only 218 calories for nearly a half hour of consistent running?). Exercise supports mitochondrial health by placing stressors that cause them to uncouple (temporarily suspend normal energy conversion functions), which literally wastes fuel and activates mitochondrial synthesis (mitogenesis), supplying your cells with more and more energy-producing powerhouses. Exercise is also a form of hormesis (a stressor which challenges our cells just enough, but not too much, to promote health and longevity rather than damage). One way exercise accomplishes this task is through sirtuins, proteins sometimes referred to as the “guardians of the genome.” Sirtuins promote DNA repair and autophagy (the elimination of badly damaged cells) which greatly enhances our health and longevity. So next time you worry that your mechanically reported calorie burn seems disappointing compared to the effort you put in… fear not. Your cells know what you’ve done, they appreciate it, and they’ll reward you accordingly.

11/15/2022

We have been SUPER sick… so I just got back to cooking some yummy gourmet this evening. Tonight we had “mine and theirs” versions of sushi bowls.

One large wild caught salmon (about a 1.5 lb salmon), season with Kinder’s Butcher Seasoning and Kinder’s Teriyaki Marinade (on their portion - I left this off of mine) and place in air fryer 330 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook 2 cups basmati rice (I used spring mix lettuce instead of rice for mine)

Meanwhile-while, take one package wild caught shrimp (Mine had probably 30 medium shrimp) and cook it with plenty of olive oil, garlic salt, and some dried cilantro.

Meanwhile-while-while, prep some spicy Mayo using Primal kitchen avocado oil Mayo (I’m excusing the fact that it’s packaged, because it’s all whole ingredients and no additives) with hot sriracha. I had a can of wild caught crab, so I combined some of this spicy Mayo with the crab.

Meanwhile-while-while-while, cook up some shelled edamame and cut up some cucumber. I de-lectinized my cucumbers by peeling them and gouging out as many seeds from the middle as possible.

Satisfyingly enough, this all kind of finished cooking/prepping at the same time.

For the kids, I placed the cooked salmon with teriyaki directly on the cooked rice, crunched up some organic Nori, and topped it with shrimp. I layered one big scoop of that goodness next to some spicy crab, edamame, cucumber, and Nori, and then I added extra spicy Mayo on top. They made “sushi” out of the Nori wrappers and had fun doing it, too!

For mine, I plated a bed of spring mix, salmon, shrimp, spicy crab, cucumber, edamame, broke up some Nori pieces, and added coconut aminos and more spicy Mayo. Freaking delicious.

Health Factor: 9/10 A few lectins with the cucumber and edamame, but this is really full of so many omega 3 fats.. wild caught seafood is so, so good for you!
Tastiness: definitely 10/10
Affordability: 9/10 for about $5 per serving! This was easily 8 servings for just over $40- so really not bad at all! ($15 salmon, $10 shrimp, $7 crab, $5 veggie extras, $1 rice, $1 Mayo and spices, $3 Nori sheets… as you can see kids liked it so much, leftover made it into bento boxes for lunch!)

11/11/2022

I talk a lot about health and nutrition, and I try to bring it in to my practice of dentistry as much as possible. As passionate as I am about promoting overall health through proper diet and education, here is something I’m equally passionate about… enhancing beauty, building confidence, and helping patients become the best version of themselves! I love my job !

11/08/2022

Oh, holy crap. My precious.

Steak and eggs on steroids. Actually, on grass-fed butter, polyphenol-rich olive oil, MCT-filled goat feta, and inulin and FOS (prebiotic fiber)-rich onion, with a side of pasture raised, Omega-3-filled eggs. Did I say holy crap?

Place a heap of grass-fed (preferably goat, as this was) butter in with one large onion. Begin to brown the onion. Season a 1-inch thick steak with preferred seasonings (today, I used Kinder’s All Purpose Butcher) and place that into the pan on medium-high. Drizzle olive oil all over steak and onion. Leave the steak be for four minutes, while stirring onions occasionally. Flip steak and time another four minutes, continuing to stir the onions. Remove steak and cook onions further or until desired (I like ‘em nice and charred and juicy). Remove from pan. Cook two eggs in the pan, being sure to pull all the good bits of cooked and charred goodness in with the eggs. I like over easy, so it’s a quick process. Plate all that goodness and crumble some goats feta cheese on top. Yeah, holy crap.

Healthy Factor: 8/10 (again, my take on saturated fat is that it has nothing to do with heart disease… and neither does cholesterol. Actually, there’s a ton of evidence that LDL is protective for the brain so long as you don’t have a diet high in sugar… it’s the glycosylated-LDL that causes issues. Not LDL itself… so eat the dang fat!)
Tastiness: 10/10. Holy crap.
Affordability: 8/10. I actually scored on this. Found these grass finished steaks for $7 at Grocery Outlet… and they’re huge! Add another $2 for onion and egg and you’ve got delicious gourmet for $9 a pop. Holy crap.

11/04/2022

I think I’ll call this one a tostada. My husband says it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. I used the cilantro lime chicken from a previous recipe (included in the last pic) and I made “tortillas” and guacamole to accompany it.

For the tortilla:
4 tablespoons almond flour
2 eggs
A few good shakes of cumin
A few good shakes of chili lime seasoning
3/4-1 cup of A2 milk
Mix in a blender and get a large skillet heated to medium-high with a little olive oil. Pour 1/3 of the mixture in and let it bubble 3-4 minutes before flipping. Grate 1 oz A2 cheddar on the cooked side after flipping and let melt, then give it a final flip to crisp up the cheese. This is all a LITTLE technique sensitive, so don’t get frustrated when it’s difficult to flip.

For the guac:
2 avocados
Juice of one lime
Garlic salt to taste

After air frying the chicken, I poured the sauce into a skillet and reduced on medium heat until it thickened. I added the chicken chopped up to the skillet to combine with the sauce.

Layer “tortilla” with a ton of guac, chicken mixture, top with more guac if you want, and garnish with cilantro. Delish!

Healthy Factor: 8/10 - all great ingredients but could use some veggies as a meal
Tastiness: 1000/10
Affordability: 7/10 (about $24 for ingredients to feed 3-4 people)

11/03/2022

Tonight’s Deliciousness: Za’atar Chicken and Veggies

Mix 1/4 cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons za’atar seasoning (available on Amazon), 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp minced garlic. Take half of the mixture and toss over one onion, cut into wedges, and one small package of broccoli. Place on a lined baking sheet. Take the remainder of the marinade and cover 3 lbs pasture raised chicken thighs with the mixture (I always use a ziplock and shake to cover). Place the chicken on the same baking sheet. Add several whole cloves of garlic. Douse the entire pan in more olive oil and sprinkle with additional salt- about two more tsp salt. Bake at 425 for 40-45 min.

Serve with salad:
Two romaine lettuce heads, chopped; one small can diced olives; a few ounces goat feta cheese, crumbled; purple onion sliced; chopped walnut pieces; plenty of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

You’re getting some delicious omega 3s, polyphenols, melatonin, and cruciferous veggies to feed the gut and more!

Healthy Factor: 10/10
Tastiness: totally 10/10
Affordability: 7/10 ($20 chicken, $5 broccoli, garlic and onion, $1 worth of oil and spices, $3 lettuce, $2 feta, $1 olives … $32 for 4 servings= $8 per person)

11/03/2022

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkPDFlUgcEz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Dr. Kristin Tagre, DDS shared a post on Instagram: "Watch me lose 130 pounds and gain a love and appreciation for life that I’d never experienced before! We all know it takes proper nutrition to lose weight and be healthy, but we often don’t give enough credit to mindset. Mindset and mental heal...

11/03/2022

This one’s for my sister- a super quick, easy, delicious way to eat lectin- and grain-free.

Method:
Chop up sweet potatoes and place into a large ziplock; douse them in olive oil (I did six sweet potatoes and probably a good 1/4-1/3 cup of olive oil) and several shakes each of paprika, garlic powder, and salt. I use a lot of garlic. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the yams evenly. Bake at 425 for at least 30 minutes or until preferred crispiness.

Pat the steaks dry (I cooked two steaks, about 6oz cuts each, and one inch thick. I find 1 in thick steaks cook the most predictably). Season each side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place olive oil to heat on medium- medium-high depending on the stove. I find with my gas stove, medium is better, whereas with an electric, medium-high works well. Place steaks in heated oil, four minutes per side without disturbing, for a perfect medium rare. Remove steaks and add TONS of garlic and more olive oil as needed. I probably used a good 1/4 cup of minced garlic. Brown slightly, then add mushrooms. I used a large container. Once soft, add balsamic vinegar and reduce until slightly thickened. Pour that over the steaks, with extra balsamic if desired. Serve with sweet potatoes.

This gives you a good source fats, prebiotic fiber (gut microbe food), melatonin and polyphenols. Happy eating!

Health Factor: 8/10 - I don’t believe the widely held notion that saturated fat is “bad” and causes high cholesterol and heart disease. In fact, there is a wealth of literature that disproves it, placing the blame instead on sugar, specifically fructose. However, animal protein does stimulate a mechanism in our cells which leads to cellular growth, and that can lead to cellular aging and disease if in excess. Plant protein doesn’t seem to have much affect on this mechanism. (Any nerds who want to know, study mTOR and its effects within the cell).
Tastiness: You already know! 10/10
Affordability: 5/10. This is a pricier meal, because grass finished beef is EXPENSIVE. This particular cut and recipe runs about $20/ person. So it’s a nice splurge every now and then.

11/03/2022

No package November is well on its way!!! Pro tip: substitute half the lettuce in your salad for arugula. Arugula isn’t a lettuce; rather, it’s a cruciferous vegetable like cabbage or broccoli. As such, in addition to providing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, arugula provides a form of prebiotic fiber to your gut microbes, thus feeding the good bugs in your gut! Happy digesting!

11/03/2022

What you gonna dress up as this year, doctor? “Whatever I FEEL like I wanna do, GOSH!”… By the way, some health advice here… “I see you’re drinking 1%. Is that cause you think you’re fat? Cause you’re not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to.” Eat the fat… just make sure it’s A2. And don’t eat the TOTS! Peace out!