The Importance of Vegetables

This is a box from Terra Organics - probably 1/3 of our veggies for a week.

I like to tell my practice members that there are lots of different ways to eat.  There is no one diet for everyone.  My own current choice of diet is a hybrid of paleo and primal, the latter being a paleo derivative designed by Mark Sisson, and made popular by his website, and his book, The Primal Blueprint.  I will cover this eating style more in future posts.

What I'd like to discuss now is the importance of vegetables in our diet.  When I design a meal for myself, or look at what I'm about to eat, I have two questions of about equal importance for me.

1) Where is my protein coming from?

2) What veggies are we having?

Vegetables are the bulk of my diet.  I eat nearly all vegetables.  They have the highest proportion of nutrients to calorie, making them what we call, a nutrient dense food.  This makes them far superior to almost anything else in terms of giving us the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that we need.  We also get, by eating the whole food, all of the other things within vegetables that we don't know yet are good for us but will probably discover somewhere along the line.  I say this because I don't have a recommendation on which vegetables to eat.  I usually just suggest that people a lot of them, and vary it up.  Don't stick with one or two, but experiment with a plethora of different types.  You don't really need to make sure you have your bases covered every single day. Have you ever noticed how a child could love a particular food one day, but not stand it the next?  They are likely (until they get older and develop a sweet/carb tooth) choosing foods based on nutritional needs.

You don't need to know that eating blueberries has been shown to decrease the fat around the midsection to know that they are a whole food, and a berry, and in moderation, can be a part of a healthy diet.  I don't try to keep track of which veggies stave off which cancers, and just try to eat with variety.

Now, some rules for vegetables.  In general, you want to buy organic and local.  The advantages are numerous, but studies have shown an improvement in nutrient composition in organic veggies by as much as 40% over conventionally grown.  And by avoiding pesticides and other harsh chemicals, you really are making a better choice for yourself and the environment.  The other thing you avoid when you eat organic is the possibility of genetically engineered foods.  These foods are dangerous, and have been banned in several countries.  Just say no!

Again, buy a variety of vegetables and learn how to cook them.  Get them fresh preferably to frozen.  As for cooking them, you can eat them raw, and some are probably better that way, but some studies have suggested that we can extract more of the nutrients through gently cooking them, which will also eliminate some of the anti-nutrients that are present in just about all foods.

If you have any questions, make sure you drop them in the comments box below, and as I'm still figuring this blogging thing out, I'll try to get to them as best I can.  Thanks!

Chiropractic Wellness and Crisis

What is Chiropractic wellness?  What does it mean to be in wellness care?  And why can't I just wait until a crisis happens, and then try to take care of myself?

These are great questions.  Not everyone understands the concept behind wellness.  Most people respond very well to pain, and for very good reason.  Pain is a wonderful motivator.  It's designed to be so, and provides great messages to you about what needs to be taken care of.  But taking care of your body only when you have a symptom is a bit like only exercising and watching what you eat when you feel that you are overweight or too weak.  Wellness is the consistent action steps we take in order to maintain our health, or even to continually improve it over time.

We exercise to keep ourselves fit.  How come fit people are fit?  Because they exercise consistently.  (I didn't say constantly!)  And to take it to the somewhat ridiculous, do you get to stop eating once you've eaten once and you're full?  No!  You have to eat every day to maintain your health (except for some fasting programs, which do have some health benefits - more later!).  If you get a good night's sleep, are you done sleeping for the rest of your life?  Of course not!

Chiropractic works like that.  It's fantastic at helping the body to heal itself from injury or disease that causes pain and other symptoms, but where it really shines is in keeping the body health so that it can heal faster and more readily in the face of any crisis.  Crisis happens.  We don't know how or when, but it happens.  The fitter you are when that crisis happens, the easier you will heal, the less it will cost, and the faster your life will return to normal.  If you are getting regularly adjusted now, you will not need as much care when a crisis happens as if you hadn't been.

Cars require maintenance.  Constant use has a wear and tear effect on them which requires cleaning, oil changes, tire changes, tune-ups, and a myriad of other little things.  All of these things help to keep the car running better than it would otherwise.  Regular maintenance also helps to delay the onset of major problems to the vehicle.  If you don't get tire changes, eventually you will blow a tire or run off the road when it rains.  If you don't get oil changes, eventually the engine will seize.  This same outlook follows us around with a special caveat.  We are living beings that can adapt to the world around us.  This gives us a much better longevity and ability to learn, grow and evolve from every experience we have.  Cars only get worse over time, even with regular maintenance.  With regular chiropractic care, you can get better and better and better.