Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) International Foundation

Connecting with experts from around the world on the Future of Healthy Diets at PAN International - Physicians Association for Nutrition First Conference. Great event, great location, superb networking , e.g with Wall Street Journal featured Doctor and Chef Robert Graham, MD, MPH, Chef !

PAN International @Climate Week NYC, an inspiring and uplifting experience for all attendees, our board chair Kerstin Plehwe, Dawn Moncrief and Allan Kornberg. Looking forward to #planetaryhealth exchange and valuable impulses for #foodsystemtransformation! Stay tuned for more updates and please do sign up for PAN International - Physicians Association for Nutrition for future updates as this channel will stop to be updated end of the month.

How are things going with the plan to eat more legumes? In case you’re struggling, don’t give up. Here comes a super delicious recipe idea that is so versatile and whipped up in just a moment. We love to serve it with whole grain crackers, veggie sticks, on top of whole grain bread, or even as a salad dressing. That way, you'll see how easy it is to incorporate beans more regularly. This is also great to share with your patients who are looking for simple, yet delicious ways to enjoy them.

Are you eating beans regularly? 💡Legumes, which is actually an umbrella term for all kinds of beans, lentils, and peas, are great little powerhouses. The pulses (which are the edible parts of legumes) contain plenty of dietary fiber, plant-based proteins, and crucial micronutrients like folate, iron, phosphorus, and unsaturated fatty acids. With their valuable nutritional profile, regular consumption of pulses can have positive impacts on your health. Dietary fiber can promote a healthy gut and, together with protein, help with weight loss. It could also positively impact diseases like type 2 diabetes and benefit heart health, and may even prevent them. Incorporating beans, chickpeas, and the like is an easy step to feed a happy gut and promote your overall health. But be aware: Don’t jump from not eating any beans a day to a large amount - this might end in digestive issues, as your gut bacteria have to adapt to this new source of fiber. Slowly introduce them to your meals and increase the amount over time to prevent you from feeling sluggish. Apart from our health, legumes also promote planetary health. 🌍 They release fewer greenhouse gases and can sequester carbon in soils. They even make their own nitrogen, therefore needing less fertilizer and leaving nitrogen-rich soil, which is great for other plants. Which pulses are your favorites and how do you cook them?

Are you eating too much salt? 🧂 The World Health Organisation recommends consuming no more than 5g salt (or 2g sodium) a day, which is about a teaspoon of salt. This amount is easily reached and often overstepped with our daily eating habits. Most of the salt does not come from your home-cooked meals, but from things like restaurant food, processed food, ready-made meals or even bread (yes, there’s more salt in it than you think)! But why is this so concerning? Eating too much salt can increase your blood pressure and lead to hypertension in the long term, the number one risk factor for major conditions like cardiovascular diseases.😣 To keep it short: Try to eat more home-cooked meals, aim for whole, plant-based foods and switch salt for herbs and spices. Those are three easy-to-implement tactics to reduce your salt intake.👍 On a bigger scale, we need to make food manufacturers more accountable to reduce the salt content of their products. The ready-made meals report which we endeavoured shows how a new EU policy could require large companies to adapt their products to health and sustainability standards and the resulting positive impacts. You can access it via https://lnkd.in/e4TDxR9p

Ever heard the saying "food is medicine"? 🩺🫚 A recently published article in Nature Medicine highlights the significant impact of nutrition on health outcomes, both positive and negative. Unhealthy dietary habits are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive disorders. Key risk factors include high intake of salt and saturated fats, and low intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. We’ve explored those critical topics already, e.g. in our Mini Modules. Conversely, a well-balanced diet can substantially enhance well-being. Whole plant foods are rich in bioactive compounds that support various bodily functions and maintain health. Emerging evidence supports the potential of dietary interventions as effective tools for disease prevention and management. However, further research is essential for broader clinical adoption and integration into healthcare practices. We strongly advocate for more science-based approaches to nutrition and health. Have you observed any clinical outcomes related to dietary changes in your practice? For further reference: Venkatesan, P. Food is medicine: clinical trials show the health benefits of dietary interventions. Nat Med 30, 916–919 (2024). https://lnkd.in/dMgmgSdD #NutritionMatters #FoodIsMedicine #NutritionInHealthcare #PlantBased #WholeFoods

A small step for you, a big leap for your health and the environment! Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce food-based emissions significantly! By swapping animal-based foods for plant-based alternatives and boosting intake of whole plant foods like vegetables, grains and legumes, you can contribute to lowering emissions in the food sector. We do need a change in our food systems - urgently! ☝️ To promote this change and to foster greater interest in plant-based nutrition, we initiated the Green Food Experience to bring plant-based nutrition to university campuses all over the world. 🌍 A Green Food Experience offers an opportunity to connect with students you may have never met, raise awareness about nutrition and its impact on environmental health, and enjoy time together. We assure you: You don’t want to miss out on this! Learn more about our initiative via https://lnkd.in/egkyZ42M #GreenFoodExperience #ShareFoodOpenMinds #PlantBasedEating #PlanetaryHealth #NutritionMatters

What can we learn from the Blue Zones? The Blue Zones are regions in the world, which have a particularly high amount of old people. And by old we mean “really old” - lots of them get 100 years and older! 🧓 How can you live that long? Researchers identified quite a few healthy lifestyle habits from those 100-year-olds that might lead to a longer, healthier life. Here’s what we can learn: 🌱Eat plenty of plants - people in the Blue Zones eat a great variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and legumes. And: They stop eating before they feel too full. 👣Move your body - regular, low-intensity movements like walks or gardening are part of every day. 🌀Reduce stress - have you tried meditation, yoga, journaling or other mindfulness activities? 🫂Surround yourself with loved ones - deep relationships are a great priority. 💫 Find your purpose and connect in a strong community. By embracing healthy lifestyle habits we can cultivate a healthy, longer and more fulfilling life. Yes, genetics may play a role, but this is not everything. What is your key takeaway from this? #BlueZones #NutritionMatters #HealthyLifestyle #Longevity #PlantBasedNutrition

How can we ensure adequate B12 intake? ☝️Vitamin B12 is crucial for vital functions like red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis, energy production and neurological function. Therefore it’s very important to avoid deficiency, especially for people at risk (we discussed this in a previous post, check our feed). Most people get their B12 from animal products. Those contain B12 because it is produced by microbes inside their guts. There are some foods like algae, which might contain it as well, but as of today, we do not know how readily available B12 from these sources is. This means: Everyone eating little to no animal products should take a Vitamin B12 supplement, and this is also recommended for the elderly - regardless of their diet. ⚠️Before you buy a supplement, please consult your doctor or other healthcare professionals with appropriate background to assess your current B12 status. Then, the dose (if necessary) can be matched with your individual needs. In our practical guide on vitamin B12, we gathered further information on how to prevent and treat deficiency, how to assess B12-status as well as facts about the function, absorption, bioavailability and more. It is aimed at physicians, dietitians, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals treating people following plant-based diets. 👉Get your copy of our practical guide now: https://lnkd.in/d2yZYfuv As a patient, you can also send this to your doctor to support his work with patients eating a plant-based diet. #VitaminB12 #PracticalGuide #NutritionInHealthcare #PAN #NutritionMatters

🧠Did you know that Alzheimer's disease can develop unnoticed for years? It progresses in different stages. In the preclinical stage, you may not yet have any problems with memory loss or similar. In the meantime, however, pathological changes are already occurring in the brain. Dementia develops when everyday tasks such as driving or cooking become a problem. But there is good news: if you recognize Alzheimer's early and change your lifestyle habits, you can slow down the mild cognitive decline and even halt the progression of the disease for years! 💡If you're looking for ways to help your patients and promote brain health, read our latest blog post on Alzheimer's disease: https://lnkd.in/eK3VMJEi #AlzheimersDisease #MiniModule #PANAcademy #BrainHealth #NutritionInHealthcare