Welcome to a Life
of Love and Balance!
The 4 Pillars of Love guide our journey:
At our heart, we believe in nurturing the soul and body.
Lively Nutrition
Love starts with how you feed yourself. Fuel your body with love and wholesomeness to nourish your physical and spiritual health.
Optimal Relationships
Building strong and harmonious connections with loved ones enhances the love that surrounds you.
Vital Stress Management
Life's challenges are inevitable, but how you manage them makes all the difference. Embrace mindfulness, meditation, and self-care to navigate stress gracefully and keep love burning bright.
Essential Sleep Habits and Exercise
A loving heart thrives in a healthy body. Regular exercise and sound sleep habits create the ideal foundation for a love-filled life.
The key to our philosophy is balance. With these Four Pillars of Love, we invite you to create a life that's harmonious, joyful, and steeped in love. Come, join us on this beautiful journey of wellness and well-being.
Meet Dr. Riz
Rizwan H. Bukhari, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a highly skilled vascular surgeon who is board-certified and specializes in treating a range of vascular issues. These include aneurysms, carotid artery stenosis, lower extremity arterial blockages, gangrene, dialysis access grafts, and varicose veins. He founded North Texas Vascular Center, offering diagnostic services and minimally invasive outpatient procedures to prevent amputation and limb salvage.
With a focus on preventative care, Dr. Bukhari recognizes the impact of lifestyle choices on his patients’ health and has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of poor diet and exercise habits. As an advocate of lifestyle medicine, Dr. Bukhari promotes using food as medicine to prevent, halt, and sometimes even reverse disease.
Dr. Riz became board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2019. Today he is a guest speaker on the topic. He has a segment on Healthy Lifestyle Solutions Podcast titled DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE, where he educates listeners on the risk factors associated with chronic diseases. He makes lifestyle recommendations using the six pillars of lifestyle medicine.
With a patient-centered approach to care, Dr. Bukhari is committed to improving his patient’s health and quality of life. Through his expertise in vascular surgery and dedication to lifestyle medicine, Dr. Riz offers his patients a comprehensive approach to disease prevention and management.
About Maya
My name is Maya Acosta, and my journey to founding Love In Balance, formerly Plant-Based DFW, has been deeply rooted in my health and wellness experiences. I’ve always been interested in health, but I truly understood its potential when I discovered the transformative power of nutrition.
Before I embarked on this path of plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine, I faced many health challenges. I battled weight issues, hypothyroidism, and adrenal fatigue, affecting my overall well-being. But these were not the only health issues I grappled with. Cystic acne, extreme menstrual cramps, restless leg syndrome, and panic attacks were constant companions in my journey.
The turning point came in 2012 when I stumbled upon a book that would change my life forever: “The Starch Solution.” Within the pages of this book, I began to grasp the incredible potential of whole plant-based foods. This newfound knowledge ignited a spark, beginning my journey toward better health.
In 2013, my husband and I had the opportunity to listen to Rip Esselstyn speak at our local Whole Foods. His message resonated with us and reaffirmed our belief in the power of plant-based nutrition. It was then that I made the conscious decision to make a complete change in my lifestyle, and by 2016, I was fully committed to this transformative journey. I experienced firsthand the remarkable impact of dietary changes on our health.
As we witnessed the incredible improvements in our lives, my husband and I realized we needed to share this information with his patients. We learned that a shift towards a plant-based diet could rapidly improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar, hypertension and, over time, even reverse chronic diseases. This realization was a pivotal moment for us.
Our personal experiences and the knowledge we gained lit a fire, propelling us to co-found Love In Balance. We wanted to ensure that others could access this life-changing information and embark on their journeys towards better health and balance. Through this organization, we aim to inspire and empower individuals to make informed choices about nutrition, exercise, and stress management, ultimately leading to a happier and healthier life. Our story is a testament to the incredible potential of plant-based food and Lifestyle Medicine, and it’s a journey we’re passionate about sharing with the world.
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