The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

How healthy is a pumpkin? Super healthy! As it turns out, pumpkins are far more than just something fun to carve on Halloween. You can argue that they're a nutrition powerhouse packed with vitamins proven to lower the risk of cancer, boost to the immune system, and help promote a healthy heart, lungs, and kidneys. Take a journey with "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll to a pumpkin paradise and learn everything there is to know about these delicious fall favorites. He travels to Butler's Orchard, a 300-acre farm just outside of Washington, D.C. to speak with third-generation grower Ben Butler about picking the perfect pumpkin for both cooking and for carving. Plus, explore the growing process and take a trip inside of their massive farm store where you can find just about anything you want that's made with pumpkin — even soap! You'll also learn about dozens of varieties of pumpkins and how a lot of them are downright bizarre! Some look like red neon mushrooms while others look like giant peanuts and something out of an alien invasion! Dietitian Lee Crosby also carves up pumpkin nutrition facts! Everything from beta-carotene to vitamins A and C to fiber and tryptophan (yes, that thing that makes you sleepy) is on the table! Fun fact: The can of pumpkin in your pantry may not actually be pumpkin at all. You'll find out why on the show! Follow Twitter: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PCRM / @Veggie_Quest IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PhysiciansCommittee / @LeeAtVeggieQuest Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.

What are the scariest foods? You know, the foods that are to be eaten at your own risk! If you're going to eliminate anything from your diet, these terrifying foods are a great place to start. Join "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll as he sits down with Dr. Neal Barnard on this special edition of The Exam Room™ to unearth the chilling list. The "Scary Six" foods are guaranteed to put you at a high risk of being six feet under. They've all been disturbingly linked to a host of deadly diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more! Follow Twitter/IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PCRM Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.

Certain foods can not only help prevent breast cancer but can also dramatically improve the odds of survival once a person is diagnosed. Conversely, other foods have been proven to increase the risk of developing the disease. In this very special edition of The Exam Room™, "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll sits down with Dr. Neal Barnard to discover the foods that have strong cancer-fighting properties and which foods to avoid to keep the risk of developing the disease as low as possible. Dr. Barnard also shares how a recent flight got him to re-examine the way we view breast cancer awareness. It is critically important that we continue searching for a cure, but he says there should also be an increased emphasis on preventing the disease. Studies show that many of the nearly 41,000 estimated deaths in the U.S. in 2018 are preventable through diet and lifestyle changes. Also, Dr. Asha Subramanian returns to the program to discuss breast cancer from not just the perspective of a physician, but also from that of a woman and mother. Dr. Subramanian and Chuck then touch on how a plant-based diet can significantly lower the risk of developing breast cancer, even in women with a strong genetic link to the disease. The effects of age, obesity, race, and animal fat is also examined. Follow Twitter/IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PCRM Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.

An apple can be ideal snack when you're trying to lose weight, but its health benefits go way beyond keeping a slim waist. In fact, apples are packed with tons of nutrients that can help improve your health and keep the doctor away. In this episode, "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll sits down with dietitian Susan Levin to discover everything that makes up an apple and how each of those vitamins and minerals can affect your health. We're talking about everything from fiber to calcium to amino acids to vitamins A-K and the THREE forms of sugar found in apples! But what about that sugar? Doesn't an apple have the same amount as a candy bar? Yes, but keep in mind comparing the two is like comparing … well, apples and candy bars. The way your body processes the natural sugar found in fruit and the refined sugar found in many candies is night and day. Fun fact: Apples contain the amino acid tryptophan which is commonly blamed for causing drowsiness after Thanksgiving dinner. Follow Twitter/IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PCRM Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.

Cooking without oil is a new practice for many of us. Who hasn't been taught to add a splash of it to the pan before turning on the stove? And what about adding a spoonful to boiling water when making pasta? Indeed, whether it's olive, vegetable or any other type of oil, it just seems to be in every recipe in the book. Since all oils are high in fat (1 gram of fat has nine calories) can be a problem for those trying to lose weight and maintain their overall health. Research also shows oil poses a significant risk to diabetics as it interferes with insulin's ability to move glucose into the cells. So, how can you cook without it?! "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll and welcomes plant-based chef Dreena Burton to the show for a lesson. Dreena has collaborated with Dr. Neal Barnard on a number of projects, including his Cookbook For Reversing Diabetes. Plus, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Chuck revisits an interview with dietician Lee Crosby, R.D., L.D. from an episode titled The Meat-Cancer Connection. For Lee Crosby, R.D., L.D., the connection between meat and cancer hits close to home. The Barnard Medical Center dietician shares her own story of finding a lump in her breast at a young age and turning to a plant-based diet as a result. Following the dietary changes the mass showed no signs of growth. As time passed, she reverted back to the standard American diet only to have the lump quickly grow. The mass was then removed and now she's now devoted 100 percent to a plant-based diet. The lump has not returned. Lee will also share her delicious top 5 healthy meat substitutes. Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on The Exam Room™ by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on iTunes, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating. Follow: @PCRM / @ChuckCarrollWLC

Should you be eating nuts? Many have sworn them off from their diet because of their high fat and caloric content. Others are just nutty about them and claim they are the key to living a longer life. So who is right? "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll and dietician Lee Crosby attempt to crack the shell of this case! In this episode, you will learn which type of nuts are the healthiest and how they can play a pivotal role in combatting heart disease, cancer and diabetes. For such a small food, they can pack a mighty nutrition punch! You'll also hear just how many nuts you should eat every day to avoid gaining weight. Plus, celebrity chef Toni Fiore stops by for a chat. She chronicles her rise from humble culinary beginnings to hosting Delicious TV's Totally Vegetarian and authoring Totally Vegetarian: Easy, Fast, Comforting Cooking for Every Kind of Vegetarian. She's also the host of the VegEZ podcast. In This Episode The healthiest varieties of nuts Tips to make sure you don't eat too many The link between nuts and lower risks of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer The link between nuts and lower cholesterol The link between nuts and longer lifespans Getting Omega-3 fatty acids from nuts The fiber content of nuts How vitamin E in nuts can prevent arterial blockage How nuts help prevent atrial fibrillation The health benefits of: Macadamia nuts Pecans Peanuts Walnuts Brazil nuts Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Share the Show Please pass along what you've learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on iTunes, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.

Two of the nation's top cardiologists on the forefront of plant-based nutrition join "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll! Dr. Kim Williams and Dr. Andrew Freeman share their unique approach to helping patients understand the link between what they eat and their heart health. Their revolutionary approach to medicine came only after they improved their own health switching to a plant-based diet. Now they're witnessing countless patients experience the same drastic change. Many of them have even reversed heart disease. Dr. Williams is the former president of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Freeman is the founder and co-chair of the American College of Cardiology's Nutrition and Lifestyle workgroup. In This Episode Why plant-based diets are the future of preventative medicine The link between the standard American diet and heart disease How a plant-based diet can reduce and eliminate the need for cholesterol lowering drugs How a single patient's extraordinary recovery changed the way Dr. Williams viewed plant-based diets How the doctors' own health improved after eliminating meat and dairy from their diets Why people are so sensitive when it comes to changing diets How to help patients better understand how what they're eating effects their health How you can lower your risk of developing heart disease Please subscribe to The Exam Room™ and leave a 5-star rating! Follow: @PCRM / @ChuckCarrollWLC

Austin Aries is a vegan phenom! He's wrestled for WWE. He's been in a match at WrestleMania, won championships across the world and become one of the well-known professional wrestlers today. But his biggest accomplishment is adopting a plant-based diet after growing up in the dairy capital of the United States. He was born in Wisconsin, where people are so devoted to dairy they put cheese wedges on top of their head! In this special episode, he and "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll talk about his motivation for making the dietary change and the effect that it has had on his career. Even though he turned 40 years old, Aries is in the prime of his career and still wrestling as if he was in his mid-20's. He credits much of that to eating a plant-based diet. You'll also learn his secrets for keeping it healthy while on the road for hundreds of days each year. Anyone can benefit from these tips! This show was taped live at Café of India in Washington, DC.

What a student eats affects everything from their health to their academic performance! Research shows that students may have lower grades because of unhealthy high-fat, low nutrient-dense diets. Yet, school lunch menus are still overflowing with an abundance of pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets, and milk every day. That is why an increasing number of parents are learning that healthy vegetarian school lunches can be a powerful way to boost their child's health and confidence. In this episode, "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll sits down with nutritionist and vegan parent Susan Levin to find solutions to combat exploding childhood obesity rates and get plant-based options on the lunch line! Naturally, we couldn't do this show without sharing some fun recipes. Dig in! Also, Dr. Jia Xu is on a mission to make his home country a healthier nation. Hear his extraordinary story of biking across China to raise awareness for the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Through the 2,500-mile ride, Dr. Xu introduced thousands to the Mandarin-language 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program and his trips have become legendary! He's become somewhat of a celebrity, too! In This Episode How to fight back against rising childhood obesity and diabetes rates How unhealthy is the "classic" school lunch? How a plant-based diet may help boost grades An idea of what the ideal school lunch looks like Examining the current nutrition guidelines for school cafeterias The link between cancer and processed meat served in schools Tips for introducing children to vegan and vegetarian diets Ways to get children involved in the kitchen Recipes! Please subscribe to the show if you aren't already. Thank you!

You know that saying about eating your feelings? Well, it's even more true than you could ever imagine. Our mood is affected by every bite we take! In this episode, "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll sits down Lee Crosby, R.D., L.D. who reveals how to turn that frown upside down with food! Happiness can be linked to what's in your stomach, but you might be surprised by what food it should be! You'll also learn whether "comfort food" is really comforting. Plus, Dr. Michelle O'Donoghue joins the show to share her personal story of a plant-based diet completely changing her battle with multiple sclerosis. Her passion has driven her to become a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. O'Donoghue has become a beacon of hope for others with MS. In This Episode The link between meat and bad moods and depression Why vegetarian diets help lower stress and anxiety How fruits and vegetables help make you happy How certain carbohydrates promote happy feelings Why vitamin D is essential to smiling The role of food in fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) The foods we should be eating to be happy! Follow: @PCRM / @ChuckCarrollWLC Podcast website: https://www.pcrm.org/podcast