What made you start Ourlife Fresh?
For the past 20 years of my practice, I have had a special interest in obesity and its many complications, especially diabetes, and hypertension. It’s frustrating as a physician to see an overweight patient with “bad” laboratory values and know you could make it right with diet and exercise. So at the urging of friends and fellow physicians, I decided it was time to offer my patients an alternative to a never-ending list of medications and the more drastic approach of surgery. Ourlife Fresh is that alternative.
Why is Ourlife Fresh different from other programs?
It’s physician developed but more than that, we all know dieting is hard. You have to create a menu, go shopping, purchase the ingredients, measure everything, cook it, measure again – who has the time? At Ourlife Fresh we do it all for you. The Ourlife Fresh meals are never frozen and really delicious, plus they only take seconds to prepare – it’s like an instant weight loss plan. By eating the Ourlife Fresh meals, you are also learning portion size and proper food choices so that when you reach your goal weight, there is no transition; you’ve been eating healthy and you simply continue to do so. It’s about making healthy choices a natural part of everyday life – that’s how it’s different, that’s why it works.
What role do genetics play in a person’s health?
If someone has a poor family health history, that history is likely to repeat itself. Fortunately, a person’s diet, exercise and medications can make vast strides in helping him/her overcome genetic handicaps.
Do you think you can revolutionize healthcare?
Our goal has been a simple one: create a model that allows the primary care physician, using currently accepted national standards, to help their patients with diet, exercise and disease education. In the process, we will see better blood glucose control and improved lipids while at the same time minimizing medication costs. The healthier our society becomes, the lower healthcare and insurance costs will be. In addition to working with individuals, we are also implementing programs within private corporations and government offices. So far, we have clearly demonstrated significant annual savings, not to mention the ripple effect of future health savings such as reduced time off for employees and a more productive staff overall.
