Month: April 2013

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How to Eat Clean

eat clean

It is a shame that modern medicine has largely ignored one of the best weapons against disease- nutrition. At True Health Family Chiropractic, we hope to guide patients to regain control of their health outside of our office by eating well and by eating clean, health promoting foods.

The first step is to actively remove all of the unhealthy food choices in your house so you have room to fit all of the good things you are going to buy. To successfully improve the quality of what you eat, remember we often eat what’s convenient, and if you buy it and keep it in the house, you’ll eat it – so don’t buy it in the first place. The following are some basic ground rules to follow when eating clean.

Eating Clean Checklist:

  • Eat more organic and/or local fruits and vegetables, and remember the fresher the food, the more potent the nutrients
  • Drink more pure filtered water (Divide your weight by 2, aim to drink that number in ounces)
  • Eat hormone and antibiotic free meats and dairy (Choose products where animals live as close to their natural state as possible -free-range, cage-free, grass-fed, raw milk etc.)
  • Eat foods that have not been genetically modified (Click here for a non-GMO shopping guide)
  • Eat more alkaline foods (lots of vegetables)
  • Lower your intake of inflammatory/mucus producing foods (dairy, sugar, wheat)
  • Eat more raw foods that contain powerful enzymes and phytonutrients (try juicing)
  • Eat more fresh whole foods and less processed man made foods
  • Eat or supplement anti-inflammatory foods (Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, flax seed)
  • Increase the amount of good bacteria in your GI tract by eating foods high in fiber and supplementing with probiotics
  • Eliminate soft drinks, sugary drinks, and artificially sweetened drinks loaded with neurotoxins
  • Eat a handful of raw nuts/seeds everyday
  • Limit caffeine intake to one cup of coffee/day, instead aim to drink up to 3 cups of green tea

AND For a detailed grocery list of nutrient dense, fresh, whole (or in some cases minimally processed) foods which promote optimal health, click here.

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Weekly Health Round Up

Welcome to True Health Family Chiropractic’s Weekly Health Roundup, where we’ll take a look at what’s making news in the world of health.

Research of the Week

This week we look at the research of Ria Chhabra, a middle school student who after hearing her parents argue about the value of organic foods, was inspired to create a science fair project to try to resolve the debate. The research tracked the effects of organic and conventional diets on the health of fruit flies. By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally raised produce.

Interesting Articles

Yahoo News has a very cool article that shows how chiropractic care can benefit more than just us humans. It tells the story of Dr. Gene Giggleman, a veterinarian who once thought chiropractors were quacks. Since then, he says he’s straightened out thousands of dogs and cats, not to mention the occasional snake, hamster, gerbil and guinea pig. The vets say any human or animal with a spine-related problem can benefit from an “adjustment.” I agree.

Food for Thought

From food containers and utensils to water bottles, plastic has become a permanent fixture in our everyday lives – but it’s one that comes with serious consequences. All of these plastic chemicals are now finding their way into your body and the environment, where they are accumulating over time. Dr. Mercola offers a guide on how to recognize the plastics that are hazardous to you as well as offering tips on how to cut down on your plastic use.

Blog Posts Worth Reading

From Mashable comes 10 Touching Acts of Kindness at the Boston Marathon. It’s great to see firsthand accounts of people who stepped up to help in a moment of tragedy. As Patton Oswalt wrote after the bombing: “So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘The good outnumber you, and we always will.'”

Time Capsule

A year ago on the True Health blog we looked at a the benefits of breastfeeding to your baby. This has been by far the most popular article on our blog (it’s been “pinned” on Pinterest over 5000 times(!), and has over 250 likes on facebook.) Needless to say, it struck a cord with moms – and for good reason. From the article: “Recently, published evidence-based studies have confirmed and quantitated the risks of not breastfeeding,” the authors stated. “Thus, infant feeding should not be considered as a lifestyle choice, but rather as a basic health issue. As such, the pediatrician’s role in advocating and supporting proper breastfeeding practices is essential and vital for the achievement of this preferred public health goal.”

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5 Tips For a Better Sleep Tonight

 

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report they occasionally do not get enough sleep, while nearly 10% admit to experiencing chronic insomnia.

Getting a good night of sleep is one of the cornerstones of health, your body needs this time to repair and heal. Six to eight hours per night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, and too much or too little can have adverse effects on your health. Research shows that inadequate sleep can have disastrous effects on your weight loss efforts, impair your concentration, and weaken your immune system.

There is good news though, because starting tonight, you can improve the quality and quantity of your sleep. Here are 5 ways to get back on track: Continue reading “5 Tips For a Better Sleep Tonight”

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Weekly Health Roundup

healthWelcome to True Health Family Chiropractic’s Weekly Health Roundup, where we’ll take a look at what’s making news in the world of health.

Research of the Week

A new study finds that over-diagnosis of reflux in infants leads to needless medication, which is generally ineffective and could have long term implications. As I’ve written about before, research shows that parents of infants using chiropractic care for colic reported fewer hours of crying per day and difference was statistically significant. We also know that the addition of probiotics has been shown to help with symptoms of colic.

Interesting Articles

I talk a lot about taking control of your health. The reason being is that today we have infinite possibilities, and and our health can suffer as well as benefit a great deal for it. For example, we have the option of sitting on the couch all weekend watching a netflix marathon, or we can be outside. Here’s a great article that offers 8 tips on how to take control of your health. The article focuses on a excellent concept; health integrity -an honesty to one’s self, a commitment that begins and ends with one’s self, an inner compass that has nothing to do with the outside world.

Food for Thought

Eating fruits and vegetables in season makes sense – they are at their peak freshness and have to travel the least distance to your plate (and they taste better). But how do you know what is in season when? The solution is a food calendar, and Eat Seasonably has created a great interactive one -the pinwheel shows what’s in season by month; the outermost ring shows what’s particularly delicious at that time:

Blog Posts Worth Reading

Blenders and juicers are great tools to help any kid eat more nutrient dense foods. However, lots of parents are unsure as to which is better. This is a great blog post on blenders versus juicers, and which will work best in your house for your kids.

Time Capsule

A year ago on the True Health blog we looked at a natural approach to ear infections. This is one of the most common reasons I see children in my practice –  there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. Research has shown that close to 80% of children treated with a series of chiropractic adjustments did not experience another ear infection within the six-month period following their initial visits.