The holidays are notorious for leading even the healthiest astray which is why your family doctor Houston is providing you with the 5 worst foods to avoid during the holiday festivities.

Eggnog – With a single 8oz glass of egg nog you are tossing back a whopping 400 calories. That’s nearly as much as a double cheeseburger from McDonnalds. Add a shot of rum and you’re consuming as many calories as a Big Mac. If you can’t resist this holiday favorite – try cutting it in half with non-fat milk.

Canned Biscuits – This yummy dough comes in a can and can be turned into croissants and many other naughty treats. This, however, is loaded with heart-clogging trans fat which not only packs on pounds but increases your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Bucket Gift Popcorn – The famous tin cans of caramel, cheese, and butter popcorn is a huge diet flop. Popcorn by itself is actually a very healthy snack – full of weight-reducing fiber. However, the kind that comes in the holiday cans have been processed with loads of sugar and salt. Avoid these at all cost and substitute for the old-fashioned kind.

Cheese Ball – Your family practice Victoria TX doctor strongly advises that you stay away from this dense mix of cream cheese, nuts, butter and shredded cheese. This classic holiday spread is loaded with cholesterol and fat, making it extremely hard on your arteries and waistlines. Substitute the cheese ball for a low-fat mozzarella or high-protein goat cheese instead.

Mashed Potatoes – An essential for most holiday feasts, mashed potatoes are typically made with a whole stick of butter, a pint of cream, and a heaping of salt. If you didn’t prepare the potatoes be sure to limit your serving. If you are the chef then try whipping these up with chicken broth instead of cream and a low-fat butter or only a portion of what the recipe calls for. Usually it is enough to give the same holiday flavor.

Parents of student athletes should bring their children into their family practice Houston doctor for a heart screening in order to avoid traumatic health incidences set off by undiagnosed cardiac conditions.

A new study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011 found that surprisingly few student athletes are receiving any type of heart screening during their high school sports physical exams. While the risk of sudden cardiac arrest while playing sports is minimal – most of these types of deaths could be prevented through simple screenings.

“Although sudden death in a young person is extremely uncommon, every effort should be made to prevent this type of tragic death,” said Dr. Hugh Calkins, professor of cardiology and medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine told ABC news. “It is especially important for physicians to be aware of the importance of a family history of sudden death and also the importance of a history of a syncopal episode.”

Dr. Robert Myerburg, director of Cardiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine told ABC news that in most cases unless there is a specific form for doctors to fill out, cardiac screening gets missed by family doctors and parents.

According to national guidelines the screening for cardiac issues in young athletes should consist of a physical exam, listening to the heart, a blood pressure check and a medial history questionnaire. EKG’s are currently not recommended for routine screening, however this may change in the future.

If you have a child who is participating in athletic activities and have not yet received a comprehensive heart screening please contact your primary care doctor Houston at  our family practice Houston office for an appointment today by calling 855-IMC-DOCS.

During the holiday season it can be extra challenging to achieve your weight loss goals. Our IMC family doctor Houston clinic offers three tips on what to do in order to avoid weight gain and even drop a few extra pounds.

 
1. Eat fewer carbohydrates

Many holiday goodies, such frosted sugar cookies, ginger bread house, pies, biscuits, stuffing, mashed potatoes, are loaded with carbohydrates. Since these foods are plentiful and abundant during the holidays, it’s important to moderate your intake because if your body does not have an excess of carbohydrates to burn energy, your body instead burns fat. Just by avoiding heavy consumption of high carbohydrate foods “is enough to lead to significant weight loss,” says IMC family practice Victoria TX.

2.  Know if You Are Allergic

Many people have food allegories and don’t know it. As a result they eat foods that their bodies cannot properly process and digest. According to the IMC Houston Family Doctor Weight Management Program eating foods that you are allergic to can result in weight gain along with fatigue, nasal congestion, swelling, gastrointestinal discomfort, acne, problems with concentration and memory, and mood swings. Food allergies to yeast, dairy products, wheat and eggs, are most common. Allergy testing can be done in order to determine if there are foods that need to be removed from your diet.

3. Tune into Your Emotions

The holiday season is meant to be a very joyous time of year, but it can be difficult and stressful as well. Some people eat as a way to deal with emotional distress, stress, or depression so it’s important to pay attention to how you are feeling in order to see if you are eating for other reasons and when you are not even hungry.

As the days get shorter and colder, as children start coming home from school with the sniffles, and as office co-workers begin taking their sick days, we know that flu season has arrived.

 
The flu virus is something we have to deal with each year. Without a doubt the virus spreads around the world affecting the northern hemisphere between October and May, the coldest months of the year.

 
Our family doctor Houston recommends annual flu vaccinations as one of the best ways to prepare for flu season. Flu and flu-related complications can become serious and sometimes lead to hospital stays or, in rare cases, death.

 
The flu is one of the most common respiratory illnesses in the United States. The symptoms include chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness/fatigue, and general discomfort. The flu is easily and often confused with the common cold; however, the flu is more severe and is caused by a different type virus that can severely weaken the immune system. It can even lead to pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia.

 
According to the American Journal of Epidemiology on average the flu caused 41,400 deaths in the United States between the 1979 and 2001. Although the elderly, children, and those with weakened immune systems are at most risk, even health children and adults get very sick from the flu. In fact many healthy people spread it to other members of the family, friends, and co-workers.

 
Health experts at our family practice Corpus Christi TX office encourage everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine. It is easy to get from your doctor and it is the best way to protect yourself and those around you during this time of year.