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Health and Dieting Tips

A person eats salmon, one of the foods that increase quality of life according to Richfield Medical Group.

Foods That Are Linked to Improved Life Quality

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When it comes to crafting an overall healthy life, several key factors emerge. Namely, diet, sleep, and exercise can have profound effects on longevity, organ health, and even energy levels throughout the day. If you can prioritize and master these elements, you are positioning yourself remarkably well for a long, healthy life.

Diet can be the trickiest (and most controversial) of these factors. Health trends change with each passing year, and many Americans are constantly searching for ways to lose weight quickly. While many diet gimmicks have faded away over the years, certain healthy foods have stood the test of time. Backed by decades of research, we can confidently identify several key groups that have far-reaching and long-term health benefits. Here is a list of top foods that could increase your quality of life.

Fish

Various seafoods such as salmon and trout are delicious options that come with numerous benefits. Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help form new cell walls. Omega-3s are also associated with lower blood pressure and reduced plaque buildup in arteries, decreasing the chance of heart attack and stroke.

Fish like salmon are also high in iodine and protein to make this meal heart- and brain-healthy.

Olive Oil

While olive oil must be enjoyed in moderation due to its high caloric content, it  has numerous health benefits that can increase your quality of life. Olive oil is anti-inflammatory, which bodes well for the prevention of various long-term diseases. Many ailments and chronic conditions can be traced to persistent inflammation, so addressing this potential risk is critical. One study conducted on more than 7,000 patients found that a 10-gram increase in olive oil consumption per day correlates with a 7% decrease in early death.

Green, Leafy Vegetables

A meta-analysis of 13 studies found that regular consumption of dark, leafy greens lowered the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by nearly 16%. Leafy greens are also associated with increased mental clarity and a reduction in risk of age-related macular degeneration. The antioxidants present in kale, collard greens, and arugula also help protect your cells from free radicals and may help lower the risk of heart disease and even cancer.

Nuts

A wide variety of nuts hold immense potential to increase quality of life. Walnuts, for example, reduce inflammation, lower the risk of cancer, and promote healthy aging. Almonds are loaded with essential nutrients such as Vitamin E and magnesium, as well as fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Get creative when it comes to incorporating nuts into your diet – there are dozens of attractive and healthy options, including macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, and even coconuts.

Berries

Berries are some of the more popular healthy foods due to their sweet and tart flavor profile, small size, and beautiful color. Blueberries are powerful sources of antioxidants, and strawberries are packed with Vitamin C, manganese, and fiber. The vitamins and minerals present in berries not only help maintain energy and promote strength, but are also associated with improved memory and slowed mental decline.

Beans

Plant-based diets are a great way to mitigate inflammation in your body, but it can be difficult to get the recommended amount of protein without some intentionality. Legumes are an excellent source of plant-based protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Beans also contain healthy-aging nutrients that reduce the risk of premature death.

Whenever you make dietary changes, you should consult with a primary care physician near you. Your family care doctor will be able to advise on best practices for elimination diets, testing for allergies, and other food-related considerations.

Prioritize Your Health with Richfield Medical Group

Work with a primary care physician who has your overall health in mind. Our family care doctors  use a patient-first approach, dedicated to meeting your family’s health care needs with effective and convenient treatments. We are happy to help you devise a diet plan that fits your needs and strives towards your goals.

If you’re searching for a primary care physician in the Twin Cities, our team of providers is here for you. Whether you need an annual checkup, a same-day appointment, chronic symptom management, or other family services, we can help. Schedule an appointment to start living a healthier life.

A woman sleeps comfortably in her bed thanks to holistic healthcare she received from Richfield Medical Group in Minnesota.

How a Sleep Schedule Can Revitalize Your Health

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Ancient wisdom and modern medicine agree that sleep is vital to our health. Sleep gives our bodies a chance to perform essential restorative actions. Unfortunately, modern life can make getting a good night’s sleep challenging. Work and family stressors, busy schedules and other factors can gravely impact the quantity and quality of our sleep. Just as proper planning and preparation can help develop healthy eating habits, creating a dedicated sleep schedule can help you find the healthy sleep habits that you need to revitalize your health. 

In creating a sleep schedule, it’s important to set aside 7-9 hours for rest each day, beginning and ending around the same time. Make your bedroom a dedicated space for sleep, banishing TVs, phones and other electronic devices before bed. Establish a routine each night that involves a gentle activity like yoga or reading to wind down, getting cleaned up and dressed for sleep and a set “lights out” time. Maintaining your sleep schedule and bedtime routine should improve your sleep health, and in turn impact other systems positively. Keep reading to learn the ways a sleep schedule can revitalize your health.  

1. Boost Your Mood

Sleep has a profound impact on your mood. You may notice that even after one or two nights of poor rest, you feel more irritable, stressed or sad. Small inconveniences may seem like major crises after just a couple sleepless nights. Then, after getting adequate rest, your mood returns to normal. This is common. While a poor night of sleep here or there is common, even with a dedicated sleep routine, studies have shown that prolonged disturbances in sleep or abnormal sleep habits can lead to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Insomnia is a major predictor of many other psychiatric disorders. Establishing and maintaining a sleep schedule helps retrain your body’s circadian rhythm, restoring balance to your mood. 

2. Maintain Healthy Brain Function

Consistent, healthy sleep habits are vital to several aspects of brain function including cognition, concentration, productivity and performance. While you’re sleeping, your brain basically takes care of the housekeeping. Your nerve cells are able to reorganize themselves while your  lymphatic system filters out toxic byproducts built up by the central nervous system. Sleep is also believed to contribute to memory by converting short-term memories into long-term memories and sending unnecessary information and clutter to the trash folder. Setting up a sleep schedule gives your brain time each night to perform these vital functions, allowing you to think faster and more effectively during the day. Without proper sleep you’re more susceptible to errors that can undermine your job performance and even put you in danger of injury or harming others. 

3. Improve Your Physical Health

Several of our bodies’ systems require adequate sleep to function properly. Poor sleep habits can have grave consequences for your metabolic, endocrine and immune systems. Sleep has been shown to prevent insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Sleep also regulates your hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin triggers your body to crave food while leptin tells your brain you’re full. Without sleep, your ghrelin hormones don’t shut off and leptin is suppressed which can result in struggles with weight management. Sleep is also the time that our body’s cells repair and replicate, including antibodies, immune cells and vital proteins. Sleep deprivation, therefore suppresses the immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Due to the increased risk of weight gain, insulin resistance, anxiety and inflammation, sleep deprivation is also linked to heart disease. So like the Dalai Lama says, “Sleep is the best medicine.”

Stay Healthy with Richfield Medical Group

Richfield Medical Group takes a holistic approach to our patients’ health. As a family practice, we strive to provide both excellent care and helpful information to empower our patients to better overall health. Establishing healthy sleep habits through a sleep schedule is a great way to improve your overall health and support your existing treatments for other conditions. 

If you believe you may be struggling with a sleep disorder, such as insomnia, our friends at Whitney Sleep can evaluate your symptoms, identify the root causes and provide the treatment you need to achieve the rest you deserve. Effective healthcare is a team sport. You, your healthcare team at Richfield Medical Group and specialists like those at Whitney Sleep are all working together with the same goal in mind: a healthier, happier you. To make an appointment with us or to learn more about improving your sleep, please contact us today at https://richfieldmedicalgroup.com/. 

A physician inspects the inner ear of a male patient for a blog titled Why Men Over 30 Should Prioritize Their Annual Check-Ups by Richfield Medical Group

Why Men Over 30 Should Prioritize Their Annual Check-Ups

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As a person ages, they inevitably begin to encounter more health issues than they did when they were young. Contrary to what some men may think, yes, it happens to them, too. It is widely acknowledged that men take considerably fewer trips to the doctor than women, and are much more likely to forgo the yearly checkup with a primary care physician than women are.

However, as we will unfortunately see, men may have even more reasons to prioritize their annual physical. If you are a male over 30, here are some key reasons why you should get to the doctor at least once per year.

Men Have a Lower Life Expectancy

According to the CDC, women live an average of five years longer than men in the United States. What accounts for this sizable gap? For one, men put themselves in harm’s way to a much higher degree. Men are multiples more likely to work dangerous jobs such as construction, mining, firefighting, and military service. Men also develop psychologically later in life as compared to women, leading to a much higher percentage of young adult men engaging in violence, drug use, and driving under the influence.

But one-time events are not the only aspect to blame for the age disparity – men are also, on average, less socially connected than women. Research shows that meaningful social community is correlated with longer life.

Men Face Unique Health Challenges

In addition to somewhat self-inflicted challenges, men also face a myriad of risks that are inherent to their lives, through no fault of their own. For example, men are generally larger than women, increasing their risk for heart disease, joint issues, high blood pressure, and falls in old age. Despite the fact that depression is slightly more common in women than men, men are more likely to commit suicide than women. Men are also 50% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease and are at higher risk for various other ailments. Diseases such as prostate and testicular cancer also claim thousands of lives per year.

For all these reasons, it is easy to see why an annual wellness check with a primary care doctor can be lifesaving for men.

Many Issues Can Be Detected Early

In medicine, one the best possible outcomes for a disease is early detection. For many diseases or ailments, if the early indicators of a health risk are noticed by a health care provider, there is often enough time to develop a treatment plan to reduce or even eliminate the issue. In some cases, the adjustment can be a simple lifestyle change like getting more sleep or avoiding certain foods. However, as time progresses and diseases take hold, they become more difficult to reverse.

For example, identifying the risk of diabetes based on eating habits and family history can be critical to rerouting towards a healthier life and avoiding the disease. Similarly, for issues such as mild joint pain, measures can be put into place early to avoid stress and misuse, as opposed to identifying the problem years down the line, leaving no other option than a joint replacement.

A simple yearly checkup that covers basic health tests can literally save a man’s life. If you are a man, or you are looking out for one, avoid the temptation to shrug off the doctor’s visit for another year.

Schedule Your Check-Up with Richfield Medical Group

The qualified physicians at Richfield Medical Group would be happy to arrange a wellness check for you. Our staff is dedicated to improving the lives of our patients through best-in-class treatment: we offer in-person visits, as well as telehealth virtual consultations for some services. At Richfield Medical Group, we are ready and able to provide your family with the answers and the care you need. Please call our clinic at 612-861-1622 to schedule your appointment, or visit us online at richfieldmedicalgroup.com to learn more.

A clinician assisting a patient at Richfield Medical Group of Minnesota

Can Diet Really Help with My Chronic Health Problems?

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Chronic health issues such as various heart diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer are among the most prominent causes of death in the United States. In 2019, for example, these four diseases accounted for nearly 1.5 million deaths. If we wish to solve these issues that take so many of our citizens too soon, we need to look at the underlying causes of these diseases.

Thankfully, as the body of research on these topics improves every year, we learn more about how these causes of death can be prevented. One of the main areas of consideration is diet. When properly addressed, there is substantial evidence that diet can help prevent and even reduce the symptoms of chronic health problems.

Aren’t Chronic Diseases Outside of My Control?

Many patients believe that their risk for certain diseases like cancer and heart problems are chiefly out of their control. While genetics plays a role in health status, and a confirmed family history of a certain disease can certainly indicate an increased risk, a substantial portion of these ailments are preventable through lifestyle changes.

Heart.org estimates, for example, that up to 80% of cardiovascular disease cases are preventable. With that in mind, it is an obviously worthwhile objective to explore prevention methods, as this disease alone costs a combined $1 billion per day in health care costs and claims hundreds of thousands of lives.

Diet and Chronic Health Issues

One of the most impactful, and often easiest to address, methods to prevent chronic disease is diet adjustment. The CDC identifies poor nutrition as one of the leading risk factors for chronic diseases, and much of the Center’s preventative literature revolves around diet.

The scientific community has published many studies showing that a healthy diet can prevent chronic health problems and markedly reduce risk of these issues occurring in the first place. Even more exciting, research also shows that lifestyle modification such as diet improvement can “mitigate disease progression and reverse existing disease.”

So, in short, the answer is “yes” that diet can help you with the chronic health issues you may be facing, as well as prevent future chronic problems from arising.

What Steps Should I Take?

What exactly can you do to pursue a healthier life through diet? Some basic tips include:

  • Consume generous amounts of fruits and vegetables
  • Avoid sugar and sweetened beverages
  • Limit sodium
  • Eat whole grains in their natural form
  • Avoid excessive calorie intake

If you abide by these guiding principles, you will generally move towards a healthier lifestyle and begin to prevent or even reverse chronic health issues.

However, everybody is different, and every body is different. The specific health choices that are best for you should be discussed with a trusted health care provider. Your doctor can dive into deeper detail regarding mitigation of your chronic issues as well as dietary recommendations that work best for you.

Prioritize Your Health with Richfield Medical Group

If you have lingering questions about your chronic health issues, the physicians at Richfield Medical Group would be happy to help you. Our staff is dedicated to improving the lives of our patients through best-in-class treatment: we offer in-person visits, as well as telehealth virtual consultations for some services. At Richfield Medical Group, we are ready and able to provide your family with the answers and the care you need. Please call our clinic at 612-861-1622 to schedule your appointment, or visit us online at richfieldmedicalgroup.com to learn more.

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RICHFIELD, MN 55423

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