The New Year Nutrition blog was written by certified lifestyle medicine physician, Dr. Laura Varich. 

I have incredible news for you as we begin a new year: you have the power to improve your health and even reverse chronic disease. It is not too late for you to get back into the driver’s seat on your journey to better health. When, as a practicing physician, I discovered the potent effect of lifestyle and nutrition on health (often more effective than medications and without the side effects), I was so amazed that I changed my career to serve as a voice for this powerful, health-affirming message.

And the evidence keeps building, with a steady stream of new medical research supporting this message. For example, we now know that with simple lifestyle changes, you can normalize blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar and weight. You can lower inflammation and the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia, autoimmune disease, and diabetes, all while increasing your “health-span” (the healthy years of life). Here’s the really great news: all of these benefits result from easy, enjoyable changes that guide you back to the healthy life that humans were meant to live – eating beautiful, nutrient-rich foods, connecting with the outdoors, and moving naturally. In the coming months, I will be offering classes at the Center for Health & Wellbeing that will guide you to a healthier heart and body weight. 

We all know it can be difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. It turns out that it is not our lack of exercise or our lack of willpower that drives weight gain; rather, weight gain is, in large part, driven by cultural, environmental, and evolutionary influences. While many elements conspire to cause weight gain, recent medical research tells us how factors such as calorie density, your microbiome, and the timing of your meals and snacks can be optimized to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It is time to look past the fads and quick fixes and focus on the simple lifestyle changes that will best provide you with a healthy weight and improved overall health for life.   

And what could be more important than the health of your heart? We now know that 80 percent of cardiac disease is preventable, with certain lifestyle factors even shown to reverse heart disease. This is something that heart medications rarely achieve but simple lifestyle changes can. You have the power to prevent (or even reverse) the number one cause of death for American men and women. Now, the latest medical research can guide you to make empowered, healthy (and enjoyable!) dietary and lifestyle changes which will lower your risk of heart disease.  

Register for these (and future!) sessions designed to educate, inspire, and provide actionable steps to propel you to your best health HERE.

Laura Varich, MD is the founder of Fresh Physician, a website that grew out of a desire to turn the tide on the chronic diseases such as weight gain, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and many others that have become rampant in our society today. Dr. Varich’s in-depth research within the medical literature revealed that there is hope for improved health for us all. Dr. Varich is a certified lifestyle medicine physician and it’s her life’s goal to share the information that she discovered on how whole-food, plant-based eating is the way to turn around chronic disease, and also how simple and delicious this way of eating can be.