3 food swaps to make right now for better health and nutrition, says doctor
Getting into the groove of living a healthy lifestyle — from consistent exercise to a balanced diet — can sometimes feel like a heavy lift.
Dr. John Whyte, WebMD chief medical officer in New York, recently spoke with Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview about the power of proper nutrition for healthy living.
"Food really is medicine," he said. "It's as powerful as a prescription drug. It impacts every system of your body."
Knowing what to eat and which diets to try can get "easily overwhelming," Whyte acknowledged.
The expert recommended starting with the following simple steps to get into a healthy routine.
Besides coffee or tea in the morning for caffeine and other benefits, Whyte suggested replacing every other beverage with water.
"We drink so many calories through sugary and sweetened beverages," he said.
Especially as the weather warms, indulgent drinks like sweetened lemonade or iced tea might taste delicious but have "a lot of calories," the doctor cautioned.
"You really want to replace those calorie-rich liquids with water," he said. "That's going to help you lose weight, and it's going to keep your blood sugar under control."
When deciding what to have for meals throughout the week, Whyte recommended replacing meat with fish at least one day per week.
Only 20% of people eat fish once a week, although the health benefits are major, according to the doctor.
"Replacing meat with fish — automatically it's going to be fewer calories," he said.
"It's going to have many more nutrients and minerals that your body needs. It's going to help with antioxidants, which are a good thing."
For those who might not enjoy eating fish, Whyte encouraged giving it a try, as there are a variety of "healthy fish" that can be cooked in different ways.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
"It really is a superfood, and that's an easy step that people can take," he said.
Weight gain can often occur due to "mindless" snacking, which often involves unhealthy options, according to Whyte.
"You buy foods that you're trying to avoid, so we have to stop doing that," he said.
The doctor suggested swapping out common snacks like chips and cookies for healthier choices like sliced vegetables and hummus.
"Try to focus on some unsalted mixed nuts," he recommended. "Prepare those healthy snacks so you have them."
Another key step to healthy eating is preparation, Whyte added.
"When you're hungry, you eat what's available," he said. "So, if you have more healthy options at home, you're more likely to eat them."
As the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has the nation re-evaluating what people are consuming, Whyte agreed that there are "lots of things that we need to be doing in order to make food healthier."
"There's so much food that we consume that's processed and, even more concerning, ultraprocessed," he said.
"It often seems to be more convenient. It's cheaper, it lasts longer," he went on. "And sometimes, I'm concerned about how long some of these foods last. What's in them that's allowing them to stay in your pantry for a couple of years?"
As an example, Whyte referenced "blue zones," areas of the world where people live to be 100 and have a low incidence of dementia and heart disease.
Residents in blue zones eat a primarily plant-based, whole-foods diet, he noted.
"Food really is medicine. It's as powerful as a prescription drug."
"They're not eating a lot of processed cookies, meats or snacks," he said.
"And that's where I think we need to have this important discussion as to how we have more healthy food. How do we make it more available? How do we make it economical for people?"
To decipher whether food is healthy or not, Whyte encouraged people to check food labels and note how many ingredients are unrecognizable.
"We need to move to this concept [of] more whole foods, foods that are less processed," he said. "That's going to make us healthier."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives
WASHINGTON — Calley Means has built a following within the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement by railing against the failings of the U.S. health system, often pinning the blame on one issue: corruption. Means, a top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , was hired as a White House adviser in March. He has used that perch to attack the nation's leading physician groups, federal agencies and government scientists , claiming they only protect their own interests in the nation's $4.9 trillion-a-year industry.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives
WASHINGTON (AP) — Calley Means has built a following within the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement by railing against the failings of the U.S. health system, often pinning the blame on one issue: corruption. Means, a top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was hired as a White House adviser in March. He has used that perch to attack the nation's leading physician groups, federal agencies and government scientists, claiming they only protect their own interests in the nation's $4.9 trillion-a-year industry. In recent interviews, speeches and podcasts he has called the American Medical Association 'a pharma lobbying group,' labeled the Food and Drug Administration 'a sock puppet of industry," and said federal health scientists have 'overseen a record of utter failure.' Means, however, has his own financial stake in the sprawling health system. He's the co-founder of an online platform, Truemed, that offers dietary supplements, herbal remedies and other wellness products. Some of the vendors featured on Truemed's website are supporters of Kennedy's MAHA movement, which downplays the benefits of prescription drugs, vaccines and other rigorously tested medical products. Kennedy has pledged to run the Department of Health and Human Services with 'radical transparency,' but Means has never had to publicly disclose his own financial details or where exactly they intersect with the policies he's advancing. 'It reeks of hypocrisy,' said Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, a health researcher at Yale University. 'In effect, he is representing another industry that is touting nonregulated products and using his platform within the government to financially benefit himself.' In a written statement, Means said his government work has not dealt with matters affecting Truemed and has focused on issues like reforming nutrition programs and pressuring companies to phase out food dyes. 'Pursuing these large-scale MAHA goals to make America healthy has been the sole focus in my government work,' Means said. Truemed helps users take tax-free money out of their health savings accounts, or HSAs, to spend on things that wouldn't normally qualify as medical expenses, such as exercise equipment, meal delivery services and homeopathic remedies — mixtures of plants and minerals based on a centuries-old theory of medicine that's not supported by modern science. The business model caught the attention of the IRS last year, which issued an alert: 'Beware of companies misrepresenting nutrition, wellness and general health expenses as medical care.' Truemed co-founder and CEO, Justin Mares, said in a statement the company is 'in full alignment' with IRS guidelines. 'Truemed enables patients to work with providers to use medical funds for root cause interventions like exercise and vitamin D to reverse disease under current law,' Mares said. The full extent of Means' potential conflicts — including his personal investments— are unclear because of his status as a special government employee. Unlike presidential appointees and other senior officials, special government employees are temporary staffers who do not have to leave companies or sell investments that could be impacted by their work. Also, their financial disclosure forms are shielded from public release. 'It's a big problem,' says Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush now at the University of Minnesota. Painter and other experts have raised alarms over a whirlwind of Trump administration actions to dismantle the government's public integrity guardrails. Still, part-time government employees are subject to the same law that bars all federal staffers from working on issues that could directly benefit their finances. When such cases arise, they must recuse themselves or risk criminal penalties. Means regularly opines on matters before HHS, including rethinking the use of drugs for depression, weight loss, diabetes and other conditions. Recently he's been promoting a new government report that calls for scaling back prescription medications in favor of exercise, dietary changes and other alternatives. 'If we rely less on our medical system, less on drugs, it necessitates the spiritual, cultural conversation about what we're doing to our children's bodies,' Means said in a recent podcast appearance. Experts note that government ethics rules are intended to both prevent financial conflict violations, but also the appearance of such conflicts that might undermine public trust in government. 'If I were running the ethics office over at HHS, I sure as heck wouldn't want anybody going around giving interviews and speeches about government matters that could have an effect on their own financial interests,' Painter said. A rising star in the MAHA movement Means' rapid rise reflects the seeming contradictions within the MAHA movement itself, which urges followers to distrust both big corporations and the government agencies which regulate them. Means rails against big pharma and food conglomerates, two industries that he says he spent years working for as a consultant in Washington. Means has no medical training. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he previously ran a bridal gown startup with his wife. He traces his passion for health care reform to the death of his mother from pancreatic cancer in 2021. Shortly thereafter, Means and his sister, Dr. Casey Means, took psychedelics together and had 'a mind-blowing, life-changing experience,' which led them to co-author a wellness book, launch separate health startups and begin appearing on podcasts. Casey Means was recently nominated to be surgeon general and has faced scrutiny over her qualifications, including an unfinished medical residency. Asked about her nomination, President Donald Trump said: 'Bobby thought she was fantastic,' adding that he did not know her. Meanwhile, her brother has stepped up his rhetoric for the MAHA agenda, recently declaring that Kennedy has 'a spiritual mandate to reform our broken system." While promoting the administration's accomplishments, Means does not shy away from plugging his own brand or those of his business partners. When asked to offer health advice to listeners of a sports podcast, Outkick The Show, in April, Means said: 'Read our book, 'Good Energy.'' He also recommended blood tests sold by Function Health, which provides subscription-based testing for $500 annually. The company was cofounded by Dr. Mark Hyman, a friend of Kennedy and an investor in Truemed, which also offers Hyman's supplements through its platform. Casey Means is also an investor in Hyman's company. 'If you're sick, most likely you have some kind of nutrient deficiency, some kind of biomarker that you can actually then target with your diet and your supplements,' Calley Means said. Like dietary supplements, the marketing claims on laboratory tests sold by Hyman are not approved by the FDA. The agency has warned for years about the accuracy of such tests and tried to start regulating them under President Joe Biden. Experts say MAHA entrepreneurs like Hyman are following a playbook common to the wellness industry: Identify a health concern, market a test to diagnose it and then sell supplements or other remedies to treat it. 'It ends up favoring these products and services that rest on flimsy grounds, at the expense of products that have actually survived a rigorous FDA approval process,' said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA official who is now president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Many of the items sold via Truemed, including sweat tents, cold plunge tanks and light therapy lamps, wouldn't typically qualify as medical expenses under rules for HSAs, tax-free accounts created by Congress to manage medical costs. The IRS generally states that HSA purchases must help diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease. Truemed allows users to request a 'letter of medical necessity' from a doctor, stating that the product in question could have medical value for them. Like other telehealth services, there's usually no real-time communication with the patient. The physician reviews a 'simple survey solution,' filled out by the Truemed user, according to the company's website. Industry representatives say customers should be careful. 'You need to be prepared to defend your spending habits under audit,' said Kevin McKechnie, head of the American Bankers Association's HSA council. 'Companies are popping up suggesting they can help you manage that process and maybe they can — so the debate continues.' Americans have an estimated $147 billion in HSA accounts, a potential windfall for companies like Truemed that collects fees for transactions made using their platforms. Means sees an even bigger opportunity — routing federal funds out of government programs and into more HSAs. 'The point of our company is to steer medical dollars into flexible spending,' Means told fitness celebrity Jillian Michaels, on her podcast last year. 'I want to get that $4.5 trillion of Medicare, Medicaid, everything into a flexible account.' Who benefits most from HSAs? Means' pitch for expanding HSAs echoes two decades of Republican talking points on the accounts, which were created in 2003 to encourage Americans in high-deductible plans to be judicious with their health dollars. But HSAs have not brought down spending, economists say. They are disproportionately used by the wealthiest Americans, who have more income to fund them and a bigger incentive to lower their tax rate. Americans who earn more than $1 million annually are the group most likely to make regular HSA contributions, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. More than half Americans with HSAs have balances less than $500. Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' would further expand HSA purchases, making gym memberships and other fitness expenses eligible for tax-free spending. That provision alone is expected to cost the government $10 billion in revenue. 'These are really just tax breaks in the guise of health policy that overwhelmingly benefit people with high incomes,' said Gideon Lukens, a former White House budget official during the Obama and Trump administrations, now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Expanding HSA eligibility was listed as a goal for a coalition of MAHA entrepreneurs and Truemed partners, founded by Means, which lobbied Congress last year, according to the group's website. Means said in a statement that the group focused only on broad topics like 'health care incentives and patient choice — but did not lobby for specific bills.' In total, the HSA expansions in Trump's bill are projected to cost the federal government $180 billion over the next 10 years. As HSAs expand to include more disparate products and services, Lukens says the U.S. government will have fewer dollars to expand medical coverage through programs like Medicaid. 'We have a limited amount of federal resources and the question is whether we want to spend that on health and wellness products that may or may not be helpful for wealthy people,' Lukens said. ___
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who should be taking weight-loss drugs? Doctors share best candidates
Weight-loss drugs continue to grow in popularity, with market researchers predicting that global demand for the medications could reach $150 billion by 2035. GLP-1 agonists — including semaglutides like Ozempic and Wegovy and tirzepatides like Mounjaro and Zepbound — are intended to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Recent studies, however, have linked these medications to additional benefits, such as a reduction in heart disease and dementia risk, as doctors recommend them to a growing number of patients. Scientists May Have Discovered Why The Pounds Come Back After Losing Weight Even so, recent Yale research found that only 3% of eligible adults received a prescription. Most adults who have obesity are good candidates for these medications, according to Dr. John Anderson, an internal medicine physician and diabetes specialist at the Frist Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. Read On The Fox News App "However, the most important group that we really want to address are the patients who have obesity alongside other comorbid conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and significant osteoarthritis," Anderson, who is also a board member of the Diabetes Leadership Council, told Fox News Digital. "Anyone who wants to lose weight who is obese is a good candidate, but from a medical standpoint, we're most concerned about this higher-risk patient population." Study Directly Compares Zepbound And Wegovy For Weight-loss Results To qualify for a weight-loss drug, the patient should first work with a physician to make lifestyle changes in the areas of diet, exercise, sleep and stress management, according to Dr. Michael Aziz, a board-certified internist and regenerative medicine specialist based in New York City. "A healthy, balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and low-sugar fruits should be the first step in weight loss," he told Fox News Digital. "But some people, despite their best efforts, can't lose weight. This could be related to injuries that prevent them from working out or a slow metabolism." Insurance pays for weight-loss medications if the patient's body mass index is over 27, according to Aziz. (Patients are considered overweight if they have a BMI of 25 to 29.9, and are considered obese if the number is greater than 30, according to the National Institutes of Health.) Beyond the high-risk groups, Anderson said he'd like to see these medications made "available and affordable" for a vast majority of patients impacted by obesity. "By treating obesity earlier, we can prevent disease progression," he said. "GLP-1s have been shown to reduce progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes by 94%, and significantly reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events." He added, "Obesity is connected to 200 comorbidities, including heart disease, kidney disease and 40% of all cancers, which is why addressing the disease early is key." Doctors Warn Of 'Trifecta' Of Chronic Illnesses Plaguing Americans After Maha Report Patients don't have to be diabetic to benefit from GLP-1 medications for weight loss, according to Dr. Wiljon Beltre, a board-certified bariatric and metabolic surgeon and the founder of Beltre Bariatrics in Orlando, Florida. "I also agree that patients with lower levels of obesity (BMI lower than 30) can derive great benefits from these medications," he told Fox News Digital. "These patients can turn out to be excellent candidates for GLP-1s, since they seem to lose weight faster and notice a change almost immediately." Several ongoing studies are exploring the use of weight-loss medications to treat a range of conditions, including alcoholism and addiction, Alzheimer's and dementia, liver disease, and more, according to Anderson. "The way these medications work is by slowing stomach emptying so that you feel fuller longer, but they also have feedback to the appetite center of hypothalamus in the brain, which turns off the food noise," he said. "Experts across the country are finding that it also seems to reduce cravings for alcohol in patients — that their reward center is turning off the desire for alcohol." More research is needed to confirm this effect, but Anderson said these drugs could potentially be "life-changing" for those battling addiction. Weight-loss Medications May Also Benefit Common Medical Problem, Study Finds Aziz noted that GLP-1 drugs have also been shown to reduce the risk of both heart attacks and stroke by 20%. "They also help to reverse a fatty liver and improve sleep apnea," he added. Diabetes and obesity medications are widely known to cause gastrointestinal issues in some patients — primarily nausea, with some reporting vomiting, constipation and diarrhea. "Most of those occur when doing dose escalation, and the vast majority are able to get through that," Anderson said. "This typically occurs early in therapy and tapers off over time." Patients with a family history of medullary thyroid cancer or pancreatitis should avoid these medications, according to experts. Pregnant women are also advised against taking them. Some patients have also reported a loss of muscle mass, hair thinning or shedding, mood changes and other unwanted outcomes. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "People should understand that GLP-1 is not a magic solution to weight loss, but one leg of a three-legged stool — it needs to be combined with healthy eating habits and exercise," said Beltre. It's also important for patients to understand that they cannot take these medications forever, the doctor noted. Many doctors, however, report that the benefits outweigh the potential side effects. "Importantly, I'm seeing many patients now able to participate in activities for the first time in many years following significant weight loss — ice skating, going on walks, canceling knee replacements and dropping blood pressure medications," Anderson noted. For more Health articles, visit Those interested in weight-loss medications should consult with a physician to explore potential benefits and article source: Who should be taking weight-loss drugs? Doctors share best candidates
