Northwest Primary Care Clinic Advises Seasonal Eating For Cold and Flu Season

November 21, 2016 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

Portland, OR: Grain Integrative Health, a northwest primary care clinic in Portland, OR has developed a seasonal eating program to address the rising number of flu infections in recent years. As days shorten, night becomes colder and Autumn provided a bounty of edible plants, the Portland area has a large volume of farm offerings to reduce the costs of healthy eating. The doctors at Grain Integrative Health help patients find local farm resources, CSA’s and learn how to cook foods that prevent illness. Dr. Kates-Chinoy explains that darker, colder days lower the immune system’s defenses.

Fatigue is the clinic’s number one chronic symptom that patients report when they establish care at Grain Integrative Health. Cold should encourage people to eat foods that warm their bellies, bone broths (a recent craze in the Portland area), Pho (a Vietnamese bone soup filled with rice noodles), and other types of stews utilizing local produce such as squash, pumpkins, late harvest tomatoes and beans. Dr. Baum notes that “Nature provides what the human body needs in each season; when you eat seasonal foods you invest in your health and contribute to environmentally-friendly eating pattern. Our providers think environmental health is critical to human health.”

Winter recipes welcome squash- acorn squash, butternut squash, delicata squash, kabocha squash and of course pumpkin. Squash varieties each have slightly different nutrient profiles but all are high in fiber, which can help patients feel full longer and may reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Dr. Baum says the “Orange flesh of the squashes and pumpkins contain carotenoids, an essential nutrient for optimal immune system function. We try to focus our patients on utilizing their money to purchase healthy foods, rather than vitamins or medications, to heighten defenses against viruses and bacteria. The mineral zinc is found in high amounts in squash, particularly in the seeds. Roast the seeds like your grandmothers did when you were a kid. Cooking food at home is the best medicine.”

Winter also brings Brassica vegetables: kale, cauliflower, and cabbage and brussel sprouts. Dr. Kates-Chinoy notes, “Brussel sprouts, turnips and kohlrabi contain a high amount of sulfur, necessary for detoxification pathways, to help keep mucus thin which could prevent colds. Their high antioxidant levels may reduce inflammation and they contain vitamin C, a potent nutrient in cold and flu season.”

The doctors are quick to point out that most know garlic is healthy, but so are other vegetables in the allium family. The primary care doctors at Grain Integrative Health recommend leeks in their patients diets; leeks contain sulphur and vitamin C and pack an extra punch with an important antioxidant called manganese. Dr. Oltman notes “Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are excellent sources of minerals like potassium and magnesium but you have to eat the skin. Sweet potatoes and yams contain a huge amount of carotenoids that help boost immunity.”

Grain Integrative Health is a primary care clinic located in the Belmont-Richmond neighborhood in Southeast Portland, Oregon. The team of doctors are collaborative and they offer comprehensive primary care, collaborating with patients, specialists and accepting most insurance plans. The doctors want patients to bring great seasonal vegetables into their kitchens for their health.

###

For more information about Grain Integrative Health, contact the company here:

Grain Integrative Health
Lindsay M. Baum
503-445-8114
info@grainintegrativehealth.com
4246 SE Belmont St Ste 5
Portland, OR 97215