GayHealthBlog.com

HIV: Food IS Medicine

If you're HIV-positive, it's essential to work closely with your physician to maintain your best possible health and wellness.

But what can you do outside your doctor's office to help maintain or enhance your overall health? The answers could be found in your grocery and health food stores, says holistic nutritionist Sally Kravich, M.S., C.N.H.P., author of Vibrant Living: Creating Radiant Health and Longevity.

“Food is medicine, there's no doubt about it,” says Kravich, who's worked closely with many clients who are HIV positive.

"An individual can do a lot to support themselves in addition to their medical treatment."

“To support your immune system, arm yourself with the best food containing the highest quality nutrients, along with maintaining a positive attitude. An individual can do a lot to support themselves in addition to their medical treatment."

When it comes to your diet, Kravich suggests four essential tips to enhance your overall health:

Support the Liver

Whether you're on HIV medication, or struggle with drug addictions, or even if you're newly diagnosed and medication-free, you must support your liver, says Kravich. “The liver is the hardest working organ in the body. It processes bacteria, viruses, drugs, medications, environmental toxins, along with being a digestive organ” says Kravich, who points to necessary daily supplements like milk thistle, dandelion and beet root to cleanse and strengthen your liver.

In addition, make sure to have plenty of Vitamin B12 (minimum of 2,000 mcg per day). Grape seed extract is a powerful anti-oxidant to add to this combination and much easier on the colon than large doses of Vitamin C.

Drop the Sugar

Sugar lowers the immune system and feeds unhealthy bacteria, fungus, mold, and parasites, which seriously impair your body's ability to defend itself from HIV. “If you need to sweeten, go natural,” with Sugar in the Raw, Agave nectar, Stevia or raw honey, says Kravich.

Take a Probiotic Acidophilus Combination

To counteract unhealthy bacteria (fungus, mold, parasites, etc.), take a probiotic supplement which will help your body absorb essential nutrients from food and enhance and strengthen your immune system.

"It is absolutely essential to take probiotics if you are on any drugs or medications," says Kravich. Unhealthy bacteria flourishes in the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed, so take a daily dose of this friendly probiotic bacteria for intestinal and immune support.

Make a Shake

To keep your muscle tone strong, you must have plenty of protein with amino acids. Making a daily protein shake is one of the easiest ways to keep protein levels up, says Kravich.

For a simple shake include:

--A simple protein powder, preferably organic whey, rice or hemp

--L. Glutamine (which aids the digestive system)

--A liquid base of rice mik, almond milk, or carrot juice

--A greens powder (which adds essential minerals)

--Natural fruit such as blueberries and banana OR papaya/mango and banana

--Mitch Rustad

The Secret to Vibrant Health and Fitness

What's the real key to more vibrant health and a fitter body?

Though there's no 'once size fits all' approach, creating optimum health comes down to what you eat, how you breathe and—ahhhhhhh—taking time to properly stretch, says Brigitte Malaaya Britton, H.N., a holistic nutritionist, organic gourmet chef and author of The Mega Way.

But there is no getting around it—what you eat is the cornerstone to more vibrant health, says Britton. "It's human nature to look for the quick fix, and unfortunately there's more emphasis in society on weight loss than health."

We asked Britton to elaborate on her unique approach to health and well-being. Here are some excerpts from that interview:

How do you really know if what you're eating is helping or hurting your health?

Food is supposed to energize you, not sedate you. If a meal sedates you, you're eating the wrong foods. If you're eating right you should feel great after a meal. Think of it this way: you put fuel in your car to keep it running, not to shut it down. Your body is the same.

What are five foods that we must include in our diets to stay fit, lean and feeling good?

First, let me mention two things that are essential for better health—fiber and water. Fiber helps your body achieve overall balance; it eliminates toxins and wastes in your body, helps eliminate cravings for bad foods and gives you more energy. It even helps your body burn fat! And without enough water, your body can't flush away toxins. Water is essential.

What is Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic health is about much more than just eating your veggies. In part two of our conversation with renowned holistic nutritionist Sally Kravich, M.S., C.N.H.P., author of Vibrant Living: Creating Radiant Health and Longevity, we discuss the “concert” of things that can help orchestrate vibrant health and well-being.

"Holistic nutrition really is a concert of all of these different aspects. It’s really allowing the body to heal in it’s own natural way."

To hear audio highlights of this interview, click below

Listen to or Download Sally Kravich Holistic Nutrition

What exactly is holistic nutrition?

Holistic nutrition is about the body being able to heal itself through nutrition, so it’s whole. It’s giving the body nutrients and foods that will help the body to repair.

We’ve heard a lot about the mind body connection and how your thoughts can affect your health. How can food do the same?

The body has to be fed foods that have the ability break down and provide minerals and nutrients, absorb those minerals and nutrients and eliminate the waste. It’s the same with the mind, we need nutrients for the mind, or positive thoughts and we want to release the other thoughts.

PODCAST: EAT GREAT, LOOK GREAT

In our youth and celebrity-obsessed culture, everyone wants to look younger, hotter and better than everyone else. For many, looking good is the main reason to eat healthier, with increased energy and better overall health running a distant second.

Want a tip? Get rid of all fake food-- non-dairy creamer, margarines, artificial sweeteners, packaged foods. Then increase your vegetables.

But regardless of your reasons for deciding to tweak your eating plan, here are some fast, easy tips to creating the ideal daily diet. We talked to renowned holistic nutritionist Sally Kravich, M.S., C.N.H.P., author of Vibrant Living: Creating Radiant Health and Longevity, in search of nutrition advice that will help you look and feel younger, boost your immune system and create vibrant health.

To hear audio highlights of this interview, click below

Download Sally_Kravich_2_4_08

We're all interesting in starting our day feeling great. What's an ideal breakfast?

I like to have some kind of protein, but it’s going to depend on someone’s digestive system. Someone could start the day with a protein shake, but not the standard one from a package and they add milk or water. I’m taking about starting with a base of fruit juice or water or almond milk and water, a healthier base. A shot of Pomegranate juice is great to get some antioxidants. Then throw in some good protein powder, maybe with some flaxseed oil or green nutrients or powder. That’s your super-shake and for a lot of people a great way to start the day. It’s easy.

I also really like yogurt, especially plain yogurt. I don’t like anything with aspartame at all. Avoid that completely! Diet soda will tear your health down real fast. I recommend pure food, not fake food, and those sweeteners fall in the fake food category. Plain yogurt with fresh fruit and a little cereal thrown or ground flax seeds in works well. Oatmeal with nuts and apple thrown in is great. You always need a fruit or veggie in there to break down the other foods. You could also have a vegetable omelet or poached eggs with a piece of dark bread and grapefruit. Those are things that are good to start the day.

If someone wanted to have to most healthy lunch possible, what would you tell them to eat?

Two different things. Protein is best. It’s best to have your heaviest meat and protein in the daytime. So if somebody is a red meat eater, that’s the best time to eat it. If you look at your plate as a circle, half of the circle needs to be vegetables and the other half is two-thirds protein and also a healthy starch like sweet potatoes, butternut squash or brown rice, something not high on the glycemic index. So sandwiches are not that great.<

How do men and women differ when it comes to healthy eating?
For women, they’re not going to go for the red meat as much. I tend to tell women to go for the salad and protein at lunch, whether it’s salad with veggie protein like avacado, sunflower seeds or pine nuts, then adding some grilled fish or chicken. It's about keeping their proteins simple and making sure the good fat is there as well.

Can you give us a guide to an ideal evening meal?
Dinner should be your lighter meal. They work best even as full vegetarian meals, or maybe soup and a salad. The heavier proteins are better during the day. You don’t have a lot of time before you sleep to digest and you want to sleep well so keep it light—fish, veggies and some brown rice or a total vegetarian meal.

Is there just one super tip you can offer to help us eat healthier?
Can I give you two? First, get rid of all fake food, non-dairy creamer, margarines, artificial sweeteners, packaged foods that have a shelf life that have no enzymes and can’t break down in your body. Get rid of those foods. Cookies, chips, etc., ger rid of them.

Then increase your vegetables. Include something that’s dark green like spinach or kale or arugula, something orange, like butternut squash or carrots. I think parsley is essential, because it actually cleans your urinary tract. Celery is really important for breaking down fatty matter so it’s really important for the body. Anything red, from beets to radishes to tomatoes, that have the different carotenoids and betacaratenes; they are all found in vegetables and they keep your immune system healthy.

My bare minimum number of servings of vegetables is four to six servings per day. For ideal health we need six to eight servings a day (one cup is one serving, with a variety of the colors previously mentioned).