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INTEGRIS Health On Your Health Blog

Check back to the INTEGRIS Health On Your Health blog for the latest health and wellness news for all Oklahomans.

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Is Fruit Sugar Bad for You?

When it comes to sugar, many of us immediately think of the refined white crystals found in our favorite desserts and sweet treats. However, there's another type of sugar that often raises eyebrows – fruit sugar.

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Egg Substitutes to Use During Egg Shortage

The days of picking up a dozen eggs for a couple bucks at your local grocery store are long gone – at least for now. Egg prices are soaring to unprecedented levels due to a combination of a severe bird flu outbreak, rising inflation and supply chain issues. For many families, eggs are now either too expensive or increasingly hard to find on store shelves.

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How Does Moringa Tea Compare to Other Teas

Moringa tea has become a popular choice for herbal tea drinkers due to its nutritional value and health benefits. Unlike green or black tea, this caffeine-free drink contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants known to support immunity and improve energy.

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Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss: Does It Work?

Intermittent fasting has taken the health and wellness world by storm, earning attention as an effective method for weight management and improving overall health. But is it just another fad, or does it actually deliver sustainable results?

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Gymtimidation: How to Overcome Gym Anxiety

Embarking on the path to better health through fitness is an empowering decision, but the mere thought of stepping into a gym can be an overwhelming challenge for many. The pervasive phenomenon known as "gymtimidation" often casts a shadow, making the gym environment seem intimidating and hindering individuals from realizing their fitness goals.

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Protein Coffee: Are There Benefits to Drinking Protein Coffee?

Protein coffee, often called "proffee," has become a buzzing trend among fitness enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike. Combining the stimulating properties of coffee with the boost of protein, this drink blends functionality and indulgence. But what makes protein coffee so popular, and is it really worth the hype?

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Weight Loss Options for New Year's Resolution

At the start of the new year, many people set out with a heartfelt resolution to achieve a healthier weight. This common aspiration often marks the beginning of a journey toward improved well-being. For those considering weight loss, both surgical and medical options present viable paths to success.

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What Causes Food Aversion?

The older you get, the more eating seems second nature by putting food in your mouth and chewing. As a child, though, trying and experiencing new foods isn’t that simple. Food aversion describes food refusal by a toddler or young child despite having the fine motor skills to do so. Children with food aversion typically have a limited diet and are highly selective in what they eat. They may have a particularly strong dislike for a food while also enjoying other foods.

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Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B12?

Essential for everything from energy production to neurological function, vitamin B12 serves as a cornerstone for maintaining vitality and wellness. However, many people may not realize they're falling short of this crucial vitamin, leading to potential health issues. In this blog, we’ll delve into the pivotal roles that vitamin B12 plays in your body, highlight foods high in vitamin B12 and explain why some people have issues absorbing this vitamin.

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Healthy Tailgating: Recipes and Tips to Enjoy this Football Season

As football season kicks off, so does the tradition of tailgating. The hours leading up to kickoff is a time to gather with friends and family and indulge in food. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be sidelined in favor of game-day treats. We'll show you how to keep the flavor and fun alive while making smarter choices. Our tips and recipes will help make your tailgate both enjoyable and nutritious. ​

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Is Ozempic Safe for Weight Loss?

In this blog we talk to Brian Herritt, M.D., a bariatric surgeon at INTEGRIS Health Weight Loss Center about Ozempic and whether it is a safe option for weight management.

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Breakfast: Is It the Most Important Meal?

Breakfast: it’s the most important meal of the day! Right? This popular platitude has been echoed time and time again, but what kind of scientific support is there to back it up? Breakfast helps many people kick start their day with energy, but some morning meals can do more harm than good.

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What is Volume Eating?

This eating philosophy is also sometimes referred to as the energy density approach. It’s all about evaluating foods based on nutrition, calorie density and fiber content. Foods with a lower calorie density contain fewer calories per gram than high-calorie-density foods. Fiber content is something to pay attention to because fiber keeps you feeling full.

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How to Shop for Higher-Protein Foods

There are changes to make when shopping to make adding more protein into your diet easier. Whether it’s revamped products that feature more protein or existing products that are healthier alternatives, consider these swaps the next time you’re at the store.

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Are Low Carb Diets Healthy?

Finding a diet that works best for your body can involve trial and error, but once you find a diet that does work well for your body and your lifestyle, staying in peak physical health becomes much easier. We explain what a low-carb diet entails, who it might be good for and who it might not work well for.

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Why Couples Gain Weight and How to Reverse it

Maybe you’re approaching a milestone anniversary and as you take stock of your beautiful relationship and flip back through old pictures, you notice something. Ten or fifteen somethings parked right around your middle. And you’re not the only one. Your sweetie looks a little less svelte than when you met. How did this happen? Can it be reversed?

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What is the Difference Between Serving Size and Portion Size?

Serving size and portion size are often used interchangeably, but the two terms are different. To help avoid confusion and to help establish healthier eating habits, this blog will dive into why it is important to know the distinction between serving size and portion size.

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Food Choices That Impact Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common diseases Americans live with. The latest figures show about 11 percent of the population has type 2 diabetes and an additional 96 million American adults have prediabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. While there isn’t a magic food to prevent diabetes, eating the right combination of healthy carbohydrates, fats and proteins can help you in the long run.

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Benefits of an Anti-inflammatory Diet

Diet and exercise are terrific tools for managing chronic inflammation. While you may not be able to prevent chronic inflammation through diet and exercise alone, you can certainly choose foods that inhibit your body’s inflammatory response. You can also make inflammation worse by eating certain foods.

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Are Plant-Based Coffee Creamers Healthier?

These days, most of the milk or creamers in the dairy section don’t even contain any dairy. That’s because plant-based creamers are on the rise. What’s all the fuss about, though? Are they really that much healthier than half-and-half or heavy cream? We answer these questions and offer ways to make your own plant-based creamers at home.

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Are Meat Sweats Real?

Meat sweats is an unofficial phrase used to describe excessive perspiration when eating large quantities of any high-protein food – not just meat. Most often, meat sweats describe fatty foods such as steaks or barbecued meats.

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Eleven Reasons You Always Feel Hungry

Feelings and physical sensations that come with true (physical) hunger are low energy, an empty-feeling stomach and even fatigue. The longer it’s been since you last ate, the more noticeable the sensations will be.

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Ten Healthy Foods to Eat Right Now

As we enter the fall and winter months, there are lots of things to look forward to: Sweater weather, holidays, football, chilly mornings and cozy evenings. It’s also a great time to revamp your diet according to the season. Soups and hearty stews, while not very appealing during Oklahoma summers, are perfect for cooler temps. Done right, they can be warming, tasty and packed full of nutrients.

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Are Your Healthy Snacks Actually Junk Food?

There are a lot of foods perceived as “healthy” that are packed with hidden calories and sugar. Despite your best efforts in choosing healthier snacks, many choices might be sabotaging your health and your weight.

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Is There a Link Between Obesity and Brain Function?

Being obese comes with a long list of health risk factors that include diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, lung disease and 13 types of cancer. For decades, these effects have been well known. Researchers have discovered a new link between obesity and brain function.

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How Dangerous is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a disturbing epidemic in the U.S. The number of children who suffer from it has more than tripled since 1980. This means the future health of our children is dire as they suffer from diseases that were traditionally reserved for adults - diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. The good news is that childhood obesity is reversible.

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How to Eat Complete Proteins in Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

Eating more veggies and fruits is never a bad idea, just be sure to incorporate enough complete proteins. Without them, you might feel sluggish and lose muscle mass. Fortunately, a little menu planning can help you include enough complete proteins in your diet.

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The Basics of Portion Sizes

Believe it or not, dietitians often rely on non-culinary images such as tennis balls and hockey pucks for portion control references. Once you master those, you’ll soon have more than a "sporting" chance of perfecting portion control.

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Are Healthy Energy Drinks Really Healthy?

What exactly constitutes a healthy energy drink, and are these products even good for you? This blog will examine what you need to know about these natural options.

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Is Maple Syrup Better than Sugar?

Is maple syrup superior to table sugar? We sought out the answer to those questions by diving into more detail about how sugar affects your body and analyzing the potential health benefits maple syrup has over other options.

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Smoothie Recipes: How to Make Healthy Options at Home

We share what you need to know about smoothies, including what to include to make them healthy and which ingredients to leave out.

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What to Eat With IBS

Certain foods can make IBS symptoms worse. Choosing what to eat can be a chore, so we put together a comprehensive guide on tips for dealing with IBS, what to eat, what not to eat and some recipes for you to try at home.

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Superfood Powders: Are They Worth the Hype?

In a world full of culinary choices, many people simply don’t like to eat fruits and vegetables. Instead of losing out on vital nutrients necessary to carry out bodily functions, powdered versions of these whole foods have found their way onto store shelves and online marketplaces as a way to bridge the gap.

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Magnesium: What It Is and Why We Need It

Magnesium helps keep our heartbeat steady and our bones strong. It supports a healthy immune system and aids the function in our nerves and muscles. It helps us make protein and regulate blood sugar. It’s absorbed in the gut and excreted through the kidneys.

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12 Health Food Trends in 2022

As the emphasis on home cooking continues into 2022, people are getting more creative in the kitchen. We share a list of 12 health food trends to keep an eye out for.

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Want to Optimize Your Diet? Choose these Fruits and Vegetables

If you’re looking to add more protein to your diet, don’t count vegetables out. There’s a common misconception that the only way to boost protein is by eating more meat. Plenty of vegetables pack a protein punch.

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7 Tips for Taking Exercise Slowly

People who enjoy regular exercise feel better, sleep better, tend to eat better, have decreased incidence of diseases like type 2 diabetes and some cancers and they maintain better mobility as they age. And it doesn’t take as much as you may think.

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Best and Worst Foods to Eat Before Bed

Bedtime snacks are one of life’s little pleasures, something to look forward to. Savvy snackers also know that a bedtime snack is an opportunity to boost their nutrition, further their dietary goals and help ensure a better night’s sleep. Poor bedtime snack choices can thwart comfortable sleep, cause you to wake during the night, undermine a day’s healthy meals and even exacerbate conditions like heart disease or diabetes.

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Sneaky Sources of Added Sugar

There’s a common misconception that sugar is only present in foods known for being sweet – sugary drinks, desserts and candy. Yes, these are the obvious culprits. But what about the ketchup you dunk your fries in, the dressing you generously drizzle on your salad or the bread you use for sandwiches?

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The Health Benefits of Walking

We discuss how walking can improve various aspects of your mental and physical health and how many steps per day you should take to experience benefits.

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