Program Coordinator’s Corner – August 2018
Eating to Live Well
Andrea Walther
andreawalther@creighton.edu
Program Coordinator, Department of Endocrinology and Gastroenterology
CHI Health Creighton University School of Medicine
Well-being has been a hot topic over the last few years in GME. There are so many ways we can work on our overall well-being. One area of our well-being which I have become interested in lately is nutrition. In the fast-paced world, we live in today, we get so many messages through social media, advertisements, and news reports of what is good for us to eat and what is not good for us to eat. The messages can be so overwhelming and confusing because of the misinformation that is communicated. We don’t always know what is true or not. We all are different and what works for one may not work for another. Finding what works for a person, within their lifestyle and body needs, is important for their nutritional well-being.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that at least half of all Americans live with at least one chronic disease, like heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. It is the leading cause of death and disability in America and it is what is driving up health care costs. One-way chronic disease can be prevented is by eating well.
Recently, through a nutritional class I took at Creighton University, I learned about whole food, plant-based eating and the benefits from it. We had to read a book called, “How Not to Die”, by Dr. Michael Greger. This book opened my eyes to how important it is to eat well. Chronic diseases can be reversed or slowed down just by simply making changes to your nutrition. It’s worth looking into, especially if you are dealing with a chronic disease or if you want to avoid getting a chronic disease in the future.
Below are a few websites that I would recommend for learning more about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet and how it reverses chronic disease. On these websites there are testimonials of people who have benefited from this way of eating. It is very interesting and worth the time to look at the websites.
Watch this video on YouTube from Dr. Lim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbH6TIdtZ3Q&app=desktop
A program coordinators job can be very stressful and if we can make a small change in our lives to feel better, we can make a difference in our over-all well-being. It is important that we take care of ourselves, so we have the energy to keep up with the demands of our position and of our home life. Take the time to learn a little more about whole food, plant-based eating and in the meantime, enjoy a salad!!