In this episode of Momlight, I sat down with Dr. Robert Graham, founder of FRESH MED that is pioneering a whole new way of treating patients for radiant health. We talked about the integrative medicine approach and how the FRESH FIVE are the key pillars to health.  Dr Graham rightfully believes that “food plays a major role not only in the treatment of existing diseases, but also in health promotion and disease prevention.” Dr. Graham is the real deal as he is one of the less than 20 doctor/chefs worldwide helping patients thrive by combining conventional medicine with an integrative approach.  Dr. Graham is a Harvard-trained physician, Board Certified in both Internal and Integrative Medicine and has over 15 years of clinical experience. Dr. Graham received a Master’s of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health while completing fellowships in General Internal Medicine and Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School and Medical Education at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also completed course-work in Mind/Body Medicine, Positive Psychology, Lifestyle Medicine, Culinary Medicine, Botanical and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2018, Dr. Graham became a rare breed of doctor chefs as he obtained his culinary degree from the Natural Gourmet Institute. In the summer of 2016, Dr. Graham started FRESH MED, an integrative health and wellness center at SHIFT WELLNESS, where he currently sees patients. FRESH is an INTEGRATIVE HEALTH practice that represents a paradigm shift from the conventional approach of "a pill for an ill" to one that "addresses the root cause of disease." The FRESH model of healthcare combines the best of conventional medicine including diagnostic testing, tools and technologies, as well as clinical nutrition, functional medicine, health coaching (grounded in positive psychology), complementary therapies, and extensive and innovative testing.  Dr. Graham believes healing should be a fully collaborative meaningful partnership between the doctor and the patient, and believes wellness is just as important as treatment. To learn more about Dr. Graham and to work with him as a patient, visit https://www.freshmednyc.com/dr-robert-graham-integrative-medicine-nyc.

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Jed Fahey to talk about sulforaphane, arguably one of the most beneficial plant-derived phytochemicals currently known to man. Dr. Fahey (who will soon retire from his successful career at Johns Hopkins Medical School) is a world expert on sulforaphane and other plant-derived compounds called isothiocyanates that have tremendous benefits for our health. I may be biased but this episode truly feels akin to attending a lecture at a world-renowned university on an incredibly important subject of human health, namely leveraging the potency of some of the most powerful plant-based compounds to prevent disease and optimize our health. You will learn about sulforaphane and a similar compound found in the moringa tree. We discuss how to ingest these plants for optimal benefits,  the mechanism of action that confers health benefits, supplements, and caveats around TREATING rather than preventing diseases like cancer with these compounds. Get your notebooks out, get comfortable and let's dive deep into the health-boosting magic of plants. Dr Fahey is a nutritional biochemist with broad training and extensive background in plant physiology, human nutrition, phytochemistry and nutritional biochemistry. He is currently the Director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at Johns Hopkins Medical School, where plant-based cancer prevention agents are being developed. His research addresses the induction by phytochemicals, of cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant responses in mammalian systems. His work draws on elements of natural product chemistry, enzymology, nutritional epidemiology and clinical research to develop nutritional strategies for chronic disease prevention in humans. Many of these studies deal with the glucosinolates and isothiocyanates that are found primarily in cruciferous vegetables and in a nutritious tropical tree called the drumstick tree or Moringa oleifera. Other work focuses upon a variety of flavonoid and phenolic secondary metabolites from ginseng, honey, ginger, ashwagandha, black cohosh, and other plants. BRANDS DISCUSSED:  Kuli Kuli Moringa that is bringing high quality, organic moringa from Africa to the US and empowering women farmers in the process. Use code CHIEFSPICEMAMA for 15% off at www.kulikulifoods.com Avmacol sulforaphane supplements (note the caveats discussed in the episode that supplementing with high doses may be counterproductive once full blown cancer has already developed). 

As the chief medical resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz was crushing his goals professionally, yet personally, his health, anxiety levels and confidence were at rock bottom. When he started dating his now wife who ate a plant-based diet, he became intrigued and decided to give it a try. Taking baby steps away from his standard American diet, Dr. B began to experience a monumental shift in his weight, energy levels and gut health! When he dove into the scientific literature, he was astounded to find scores and score of studies linking plants to optimal gut health and began incorporating this evidence into his gastroenterology practice. The transformation he witnessed among his countless patients propelled him to write FIBER FUELED, his latest bestselling book on the science behind why a plant-forward diet is the ONLY way to have a healthy gut and bullet proof overall health. In this episode, Dr. B shares his top tip for optimal gut health, why gut health is intimately linked to every aspect of overall health, why FIBER is the game changer, issues with fad diets and trends, supplements that are hype versus genuinely helpful and common myths that are holding us all back from the gut and overall health we all deserve. You will finish this episode empowered and inspired to begin to transform your health TODAY. You can learn more about Dr. B and his inspiring work at www.theplantfedgut.com , pick up your copy of his bestseller FIBER FUELED, and follow him on instagram @theguthealthmd

Jules Horn was living on a predominantly animal protein heavy diet in the hopes that it would deliver fitness and health results for him as a successful NYC based model. One day on set in Miami, he looked great on the outside but felt lousy on the inside and began chatting with his photographer, who recommended Jules switch to a whole food plant based diet. Jules made the switch overnight (that's the kind of guy he is) and hasn't looked back since. Now Jules is on a mission to help the world experience the transformational power of a vegan diet through his own story and awe-inspiring metamorphosis. Jules is also focused on educating us that more isn't always more, that fad diets and trends do more harm than good and ultimately, once we realise that there is a connection between the food we eat, planet earth, all living beings and our own internal energetic vibration, we will see why a plant based diet is the sure shot way to health and happiness. You can catch Jules on Instagram where he shares inspiration for how to live an elevated, conscious, plant-based life. 

As we find ourselves in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, the burden of chronic disease has become an important consideration. Diabetes is one of the underlying conditions that increases the severity of coronaviral infections and yet, when it comes to treating diabetes, there is more confusion than there is consensus. Importantly, the prevailing paradigm states that carbs are bad and fat and protein are good. But Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH are here to enlighten us that the science tells another story. A large body of scientific evidence that goes back as far as the 1920s suggests that for insulin resistance (the underlying common denominator in all forms of diabetes), it is saturated fat NOT carbohydrate that is the problem. In this enlightening, informative episode, Cyrus and Robby take us through the science and reveal their revolutionary, highly effective program, Mastering Diabetes, that has helped thousands of people reverse insulin resistance whilst celebrating earth-grown, nutritious carbohydrates (hello fruit and veggies) and unlock their true vitality for a long, disease-free life.  Pull out your notebooks, buckle up and have a listen. And while you're at it, check out their amazing new NYTimes best seller, Mastering Diabetes, and follow them on Instagram @mangomannutrition @mindfuldiabeticrobby

When Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, he refused to resign himself to a life of medication and mere symptom management. Putting on his ex-cop detective hat, he dug deep for root cause solutions and discovered Whole Food Plant Based nutrition. A couple months into this new diet, his diabetes was reversed, including vision loss! Since then, Eric is on a mission to bring the power of food as healing medicine to Brooklyn and New York City residents. In this inspiring episode, Eric shares his journey overcoming diabetes and why he is now a passionate advocate of plant-based nutrition for the health of our bodies and our planet. You can learn more Eric and his story here. For the past three decades, Eric L. Adams has served the residents of Brooklyn as borough president, state senator, police officer, and coalition builder. In November of 2017, he was reelected for a second term to represent all of Brooklyn as borough president. Born in Brownsville and educated in the City’s public school system, Eric is committed to ensuring Brooklyn’s bright future by helping each and every Brooklynite reach his or her full potential. Eric has worked to make the popularity of Brooklyn’s brand translate into prosperity for the over 2.6 million Brooklynites that call the borough home. He is a big believer in the power of connections, of bringing together people in need of services with resources that have long existed but have been underutilized. As a legislator, Eric’s record in the New York State Senate was one that underscored his strong commitment to the rights of those from every walk of life, including protecting the right to privacy, supporting marriage equality, defending a woman’s right to choose, as well as fighting for students’ rights, workers’ rights, and animal rights. His work involved efforts to prevent racial profiling, gender discrimination, domestic violence, and elder abuse.

In this powerful episode I sat down with Pia Schiavo-Campo also known as @MIXEDFATCHICK to talk about how we can learn to love, honor and embrace ourselves no matter our size. Pia is a fat writer, social justice warrior, style enthusiast, and a certified coach. She is also co-author of the book, Love It!: 234 Inspirations and Activities to Help You Love Your Body. You might be familiar with her by way of the Internet, public speaking or from features in Good Morning America, People magazine, and Yoga International Magazine. She made waves through the web with Chronicles of a Mixed Fat Chick, a blog that questions conventional notions of beauty and empowers women to take up as much space as they damn well please while dismantling the patriarchy. Pia believes that when women work together, they can heal and lead the world. While writing articles about body image, she has also spent the last ten years working in social justice at both the direct service level and policy level. She is currently a partner, and brand strategist with the social impact firm, Momentum Solutions Team. Pia is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She is Black and Sicilian, speaks Italian fluently, and lives in South Los Angeles her awesome husband, Will and hilarious son, Paolo. 

Dr. Marvin Singh was a classically trained MD who began to feel frustrated with the tools at his disposal to help patients with chronic disease. When a colleague at Johns Hopkins Medical School turned him onto an Integrative Medicine fellowship to expand his tool kit, his medical practice and his own health changed forever. Dr Marvin Singh is now one of the very few integrative gastroenterologists focused on personalized medicine in the world. Instead of focusing on just nutrition, Dr. Singh invites us to think of gut health the same way we think of overall health i.e. impacted by a host of factors ranging from sleep, stress status, toxin exposure, exercise, social relationships and diet. Dr Singh's ultra personalized, cutting-edge functional medicine Gastroenterology practice, Precisione Clinic, uses a highly customized, individualized approach to helping patients address the root cause and optimize gut health. Precisione conducts virtual or in person visits and is a truly revolutionary approach to gut health optimization and disease prevention. Learn more about Dr Singh and his innovative approach at www.drmarvinsingh.com 

Nir Eyal knows a thing or two about the power of technology and other distractions to suck us in. As the New York Times bestselling author of Hooked: How To Build Habit Forming Products, Nir began noticing how the very technology he admired for all the good it could do in the world also had the power to distract us from the things we valued. When a sweet and poignant exchange with his young daughter was something he couldn't even remember because of 'a ding' from his phone, he knew he had to come up with strategies to manage modern day distractions in a sustainable way.  In this true gem of an episode, Nir helps us understand that distraction is not a modern day challenge but something that has plagued humanity for centuries (it's just taken different forms). Nir discusses the internal triggers that drive us to get distracted in the first place and how we can manage them. He also teaches us how to hack back habit forming apps and technology so that they can serve us instead of us serving them. My favorite part of the conversation was Nir's advice on raising indistractable kids (take notes)! Instead of seeing ourselves as victims of 'evil' technology, Nir's framework leaves us empowered so we can move forward with our goals while enjoying the benefits of technological advancements. In a time when so many of us feel helpless and paralyzed by omnipresent distractions, INDISTRACTABLE is a breath of fresh air and hope so we can become the masters of our health, happiness, productivity and ultimately, our lives.  Follow Nir and his valuable insights at www.nirandfar.com , on Instagram @neyal99 and check out his amazing, ultra helpful book Indistractable wherever books are sold. 

Acupuncture has been around for centuries but still evokes a 'this is woo woo' reaction from many. It turns out that the science is catching up to this ancient practice and even institutions like Harvard Medical School recognize it's utility as a healing tool.  In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Shari Auth to help demystify acupuncture and herbal medicine for us. And if you're in the NYC area, I HIGHLY recommend getting a session with her at her beautiful new spa WTHN. I felt completely rejuvenated after my treatment!  Sought after by clients from around the world, Dr. Shari Auth, has been a leading holistic health practitioner in New York City for over two decades. Her signature treatments combine ancient wisdom from global traditions with scientific knowledge and deep intuition to treat a wide range of conditions including chronic and acute pain, mental health, women's health, insomnia, digestion, and postural issues, among others. Dr. Auth has studied the healing arts globally from China to India, Peru, Thailand and beyond – becoming steeped in ancient healing practices that have woven the rich tapestry of her healing practices today. She studied at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and is a licensed and NCCAOM certified Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. She has a Master’s in Herbology and is a Board Certified Chinese Herbalist also with extensive training in Vedic and Western herbs. Among her many other accreditations, she is a licensed massage therapist, guild-certified in the Rolf Method of Structural Integration and a Faculty Member of the Swedish Institute, NYC. She founded The Auth Method of Therapeutic Massage and has trained thousands of practitioners on this method. From her work at Deepak Chopra’s Center in Southern California to her own wellness practice in New York City, Shari has attracted celebrity clientele with her signature blend of acupuncture, herbs and bodywork. Learn more about Dr. Shari Auth at https://www.shariauth.com/about Learn more about WTHN at https://wthn.com/ Follow Dr. Auth on social https://www.instagram.com/drshariauth/?hl=en