This week I’m sharing my top 5 most viewed posts of 2016. I’m not surprised that any of these were the most popular because a couple of them are among my favorites too. (Well, ok, they all are.)

Here is number 4- some advice I borrowed from another physician blogger. Dr. Mary Brandt writes a blog for medical students and residents and I thought this blog post contained good advice for anyone. It’s quite simple- even a doctor can understand it. We’re like everyone else- we may know the right thing to do, but putting it into practice presents a challenge. That’s why I recommend-

How to (not) eat like a doctor.

Despite food intake being one of the most important factors affecting our health, if not the most important, physicians are notorious for eating poorly. We don’t intentionally make poor food choices, but we fail to intentionally make good food choices. Most of the time, poor eating habits are tied directly to our education and work.

Doctors in training- medical students and residents- have no control over their schedules so they often don’t know when, where or what they will eat. We don’t do much better when we start practicing.  When we are an hour behind schedule (yes, we are well aware that we run late and we don’t do it just to ruin your day) and an emergency patient walks in, we just accept “there goes a decent lunch”, if we get to eat lunch at all.

I’ve learned from my patients that physicians are not unique in this way. In the midst of busy lives with work, school, kids’ activities, church, clubs and just maintaining life, food often gets low priority on our schedules.

So, to help you with this dilemma, I am sharing advice from another physician blogger, Mary L. Brandt, MD who writes wellnessrounds. She is a Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics and Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine and a practicing pediatric surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital .  Her blog mostly addresses issues pertinent to medical students and residents but in this post she outlines a 5 step plan for healthy eating that anyone can use. In summary her 5 points are

1. Make a plan
2. Make a shopping list
3. Shop once for the week and (when you can) prep ahead
4. Use your day(s) off to cook things that might take a bit more time and freeze some for other days
5. Keep a few “instant” healthy meals in your pantry

Think this sounds like a lot of work? Well, it is, but so is being sick, or trying to lose weight after you’ve gained too much. Or as Dr. Brandt says in her post (speaking to medical students and residents remember)

“If you can learn how to take out a gallbladder or care for ill patients in the ICU don’t you think you can learn how to sauté a few vegetables???”

Here is her plan to help you start

Eating Well at Work 

Please return tomorrow for the third

most viewed post of this year.