Mission Functional Medicine

This should keep me busy! The squash you see in the front is delicata squash which you can find at your local grocery store. I cut it up skin and all and bake it with olive oil and salt and pepper and it is delicious!

For Everyone who completed the 30 day plant challenge, bring in your logs and collect your prize!

I just ate some dandelion greens that I cooked with some onions. I hope my liver appreciates my suffering through that side dish. Does ANYONE on this planet actually like the taste of dandelion greens or are we all suffering through them to improve our bodies ability to detoxify? Does anyone have a good dandelion greens recipe?

Wanted to post some pictures of my kids cooking class! I forgot to take pictures of the foods! The kids were absolutely amazing. Very adventurous eaters. They sampled and rated homemade potato chip, BEET hummus and carrots, banana zucchini muffins, spiced chick peas, chocolate pudding made from avocado, pure organic fruit bar from Costco,quinoa salad with arugula and dates and pomegranate smoothie. Thank you all you participated!!

Hot Topic August 2024: Light Exposure at Night and Increased Risk of Diabetes Learn how light exposure at night affects our circadian rhythm and and may have an increased risk of diabetes.

It was a tie between my homemade potato chips (recipe and pictures later) and Pomegranate Plunge Smoothie at the Kids Cooking Class

Pomegranate Plunge Tropical Smoothie Pomegranate plunge tropical smoothie is healthy and refreshing, prepared with tasty ingredients like pomegranate juice and cranberries.

Need some opinions
Below is my meal plan for thursdays kids class. What do you guys think?

Beet Hummus with peppers, cucumbers and carrots
Crispy Carrot Fries
Home made Potato Chips (sweet and white potato)
Quinoa Salad Challenge (any kid who tries this gets a prize)
Banana/zucchini Nut Muffins
Chocolate Pudding ( made from avocados) with whip cream (dairy free)
Berry Ice Cream (dairy free)
Pomegranate plunge smoothie

Tomatoes from my garden

Olive Oil- One of my favorite medicinal foods!

Work on adding in 2-4 tablespoons per day of high poly phenol content olive oil (>350 polyphenol count).

A recent study In US adults, showed higher olive oil intake was associated with a lower risk of dementia-related mortality, irrespective of diet quality.

JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(5):e2410021

Add in Olive oil for your heart, blood vessels, blood sugar, joint pain, cancer risk and ALSO your BRAIN!

We have received a couple of messages that the tracker for the 30 Plant Challenge is hard to find, so I have made a new link to make it easier to find.

Go to missionfunctionalmedicine.com, hover your mouse over Resources, and click the link for 30 Plant Challenge Tracker. The file will be downloaded to your device.

Mission Functional Medicine Mission Functional Medicine is a medical practice owned and operated by Laura Lawson DO. Dr. Lawson practices a blend of traditional and functional medicine.

Hi Everyone! Keep eating those plants!

Brassica vegetables. The name sound as bad as my opinion of them when I was a kid. This family includes broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, kale, turnips and arugula.

This family of vegetables have many different health benefits.
• Decreasing the presence of harmful bacteria in the gut.
• Good source of fiber, vitamins (A, C, and K), minerals (calcium, potassium, and iron), and antioxidants
• Antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, immunomodulator, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective
• Research suggests that sulforaphane, found in broccoli, may help reduce inflammation by inhibiting the activity of certain enzymes that promote inflammation in the body.

Antibiotics (Basel). 2023 Jul; 12(7): 1157.

Spotlight on Walnuts

Not only are walnuts a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber but they also can decrease risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Our friends in the gut microbiome Bifobacteria and Firmicutes like walnuts. One study showed that people who ate walnuts had less harmful clostridium bacteria and increased levels of bifidobacterial and firmicutes. The “dose” in the study was 21 walnut ½’s per day.

From the book Eat to Beat Disease by William Li

Another breakfast idea that is quick and easy. Found these at Costco. My kids love them.

This recipe is a great way to try brussel sprouts. Even the kids ate them

Sweet Chili Roasted Brussels Sprouts These sweet chili Brussels sprouts are a nice twist on plain vegetables — after roasting, these are glazed with Thai chili sauce and soy mixture for a tangy, slightly spicy flavor.

My breakfast this morning.
Plants-avocado, mint, date

This Mint Chocolate Shake Is Delish AND Super-Healthy This dairy-free mint chocolate shake packs healthy fat from avocado + antioxidants from raw cacao powder.

have not made it yet but its on my list to try!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash | Ooh La La It's Vegan Sweet potato breakfast hash, made in one skillet & loaded with herbs & fresh healthy vegetables. A skillet breakfast recipe you'll love.

One study on 6 women showd that two Kiwi fruits per day for 4 days increased lactobacillus by 35% within 24 hours of eating the Kiwi. This bacteria makes small chain fatty acids which help maintain a healthy gut lining and they improve glucose and cholesterol metabolism.

From the book Eat to Beat Disease by William Li

Today is the Official Start to the 30 Plants Challenge!

My goal is to inspire people to eat healthier and to show how foods can be used to improve your health.

The challenge is open to anyone and the prize can be claimed by anyone. You do not have to be a patient of Mission Functional Medicine to participate.

The Rules

1. This challenge does not involve taking anything away. We are ADDING healthy things.

2. You must eat thirty different plants per week. They can be foods that you already have in your diet.

3. Variety is the spice of life and the more diversity of plants you have in your gut microbiome, the more health benefits you may have.

4. Recipe ideas and information about the health benefits of some common foods will be posted throughout the month. Sample menus to be posted on Mission Functional Medicine's Webpage

5. What we consider Plants
nuts, legumes, all vegetables, all fruits, seeds, beans, and spices

6. Exclusions: Rice, nut milk, soy milk. You CAN consume these substances, they just don't count towards your 30.

7. Foods can be repeated from week to week but try to vary the diet and add some different things each week. And Track what you are eating so you can qualify for the Prize! One free pass to the Revive Room at Mission Functional Medicine.

Found some great recipes on Rebecca Katz Website. https://www.rebeccakatz.com/kitchen-home. She has Andrew Weil's Cashew Scream recipe on her website and a number of other tasty sounding recipes.

Home — rebecca katz ◦ kitchen Rebecca Katz is a renowned culinary innovator celebrated for her artful fusion of health-conscious ingredients into delicious dishes that nourish both body and soul. Browse My Recipes Featured Soups & Broths, Veggies Magic Mineral Broth™ Soups & Broths, Veggies Soups & Broths, Veggies Beverages Sp...

One of the recipes I used for this week. I make this without the pesto to save time and they taste amazing. With the pesto they are even better!

Reasons to decrease processed foods in the diet

• Increased cancer risk. A five-year study of over 100,000 people found that every 10 percent increase in consumption of ultra processed food was associated with a 12 percent higher risk for cancer.
• Too much sugar, sodium and fat. Heavily processed foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. These ingredients make the food we eat taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Lacking in nutritional value. Heavy processing strips many foods of their basic nutrients, which is why many foods today are fortified with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Calorie dense and addicting. It’s very easy to overindulge in unhealthy food and consume more calories than we realize. For example, an Oreo cookie contains about 50 calories, while an entire cup of green beans is only 44 calories. Processed foods like these are also designed to stimulate our brain’s “feel-good” dopamine center, making us crave more of them in the future.
• Quicker to digest. Processed foods are easier to digest than unprocessed, whole foods. That means our bodies burn less energy (hint: calories) digesting them. It’s estimated we burn half as many calories digesting processed foods compared to unprocessed foods. This fact combined with the calorie density of processed foods in general can make it easy to pack on the pounds.
• Full of artificial ingredients. There are about 5,000 substances that get added to our food. Most of them have never been tested by anyone other than the company using them. That includes additives to change color, texture, flavor and odor as well as ingredients like preservatives and sweeteners.

My food diary for this week AND the tracking sheet are located on missionfunctionalmedicine website under resource section.

30 Plants per week CHALLENGE

For the next 30 days starting July 15th, I challenge you to ADD in 30 different vegetables, seeds, nuts, fruits and/or legumes to your diet.

For those who complete the challenge and provide proof of your success (food diary tracking sheet can be found on missionfunctionalmedicine.com website) you get 1 free pass to the Revive Room that is housed in Mission Functional Medicine AND even better a healthier more robust microbiome!

Almost everyone is aware of the health risks of processed foods.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, 32 percent of our calories comes from animal foods, 57 percent from processed plant foods, and only 11 percent from whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease are just some of the consequences of our standard American diet of ultra-processed foods.

Over the course of the next five weeks, my hope is that you will experiment with different whole foods, try out some new recipes and learn about some of the research on the health benefits of a variety of whole foods.

I will be making a number of posts over the next 5 weeks to encourage, support and provide you with ideas and learn some simple ways to improve health and decrease risk of disease.

Week of July the 8th-Get Inspired, menu plan and prepare. Invite friends to join you on your quest.

Week of July 15th- Week 1 of the challenge

Week of July 22 nd Week 2 of the challenge

Week of July 29th. Week 3

Week of August 5th Week 4 of the challenge

Avoid the long waits at Urgent Cares. We have 5 open acute care spots today and tomorrow! Call 540-450-5743 to get a spot.

Who is up for a 30 day gut microbiome building challenge that DOES not involve medications or supplements!?

Hey check this out. I'm going to try this this week. I will report how it tastes!

Mojito Mocktail This Mojito Mocktail is a non-alcoholic drink made with fresh lime juice and mint simple syrup. It's a refreshing summer drink recipe!

Love this post by Mark Hyman!