Add Five

About six years ago I started asking for a seven day food journal from my patients. Once  the assignment has been prescribed I take great pleasure in the look of sheer horror on patient's faces. The prospect of documenting all the ingestible evils that they try to avoid ever acknowledging to themselves or others is daunting at best. As I hand the blank journal to a patient I always state "No judgment, analysis or sudden dramatic dietary conversions.  Just write it down and forget about it." The reason for the disclaimer is because I want to see their true nutritional reality. 
One question patients often don't ask but are thinking as they leave with their food journal hanging limply from one hand is "Why would a chiropractor be interested in what I am eating?" It is an absolute truth that what they are eating will directly affect the results of their chiropractic care and the speed with which they make progress toward the goals that we set together. If I don't address the types of foods that are going into their bodies, and the ingredients that may cause inflammation to their joints and nervous system, I am doing them a great disservice. I think it is important to shed light on any limitations we may encounter due to the sub par food choices they may make. Don't try to deny it.  I have seen your journals. The bar is set absurdly low.

When I receive these crumpled, food-stained, journals and I spend time analyzing them several common truths emerge. The most pressing issues are not ones requiring the addressing of bad habits from patients' diets. The most pressing issues are that these food journals are lacking: lacking in essentials. Dr. James Chestnut DC observes that, when changing a diet, it is much easier to add a healthy food behavior then subtract an offending food item. People are emotionally attached to their food choices and taking that away from the start is a recipe for failure. So in this article and in most of the initial changes I suggest to patients we are going to talk about "adding" not taking away. 
 
When I write a Phase One Food Plan in response to these journals, I have found myself documenting several of the same "additions" over and over again. I considered that it might be helpful to write out these recommendations below. Therefore, if you want to make some simple additions to your diet to create better health and a greater response to your chiropractic care, you could get started right away.
 
What are people missing? We will stick to five basic "additions" in this article. The most important thing diets are missing is a good, natural, pure, non-contaminated source of omega three fatty acids: fish oil. A quality source of fish oil should be bottled at its source, infused with antioxidants at the time of extraction, collected from bottom-feeding fish to reduce or eliminate heavy metal toxicity and should be a pharmaceutical grade indicating that it is batch and lot tested on a regular basis. I assure you, taking a fish oil that is impure is worse then not taking a fish oil. It can be dangerous to your health to be ingesting rancid, heavy metal laden sources of omega three fatty acids and that is a lot of what is currently out in the market. Your options for a pharmaceutical grade fish oil are to purchase from a qualified health professional like a chiropractor or naturopath. If you must purchase over-the-counter, Carlson's and Nordic Naturals seem to be the most reputable brands.
 
The second suggestion has to do with the gross absence of fruit and vegetable servings from any meal throughout the day. Most patients document that if they do eat a veggie or a fruit they consume the same one day after day after day. Our bodies crave variety! A very strong suggestion is a good greens powder supplement that provides essential phytonutrients from wide variety of sources. That is not all you have to do however. There is the concept of "Fresh Fiber First", a wonderful rule to live by. "Fresh Fiber First" means that you take in some form of fresh fiber (fruit or veggie) before every meal. One suggestion is to keep a container of finely shopped veggies in the fridge for the week. Eat a couple of big scoops before each meal or snack. The benefits of this and a quality greens supplement taken in the morning include easier digestion, better absorption of nutrients, excellent cancer fighting agents, increased energy, and leaps in immune system ability. If you cannot get your head wrapped around the chopped veggie idea at every meal, eat at least one big multicolored (lots of different veggies) salad everyday.  
 
The third suggestion for healthier nutrition is water. We have all heard it and few of us get enough. A couple of recommendations to increase your water intake areas follow below: 

• Put out a full bottle of water by your bathroom sink in the morning. Get through one bottle with your morning routine.  Consider alkalizing it with a little lemon.
• Have a good stainless steel, one liter canteen. You can then measure how much you actually drink for the rest of the day. Most people grossly overestimate their H2O consumption. Three liters, in my opinion, is a good goal. If you start early in the day, this goal is easy to reach. Water is not only hydrating on the cellular level but also acts as an appetite suppressant, a muscle relaxer, and an energizer!
• Switch your other beverages out for water or at least start with a glass of water and then still see if you want that soda or juice. Try to mix all juices with water or avoid fruit juice altogether.
• For each cup off coffee consider yourself short a glass of water.  Caffeine is dehydrating and results in a greater need for water throughout the day.

The fourth suggestion is bugs! Lots of bugs. Our intestines, in the past, were well colonized with bugs that helped us break down and properly digest our food. Today we are no longer exposed to as diverse a group of those bugs because of our food choices and soil and produce quality. In addition, due to our dietary choices we are overrun with "bug-strangling" yeasts that greatly reduce our ability to properly process our food. It is war and the bugs need to be the victors. They need reinforcements on a regular basis, so supplementing with a high quality probiotic is essential with the poor food choices you people typically reach for. (A good probiotic in my opinion should come refrigerated to maintain the integrity of the bugs.)
 
The fifth suggestion is frequency. Too many food journals show up with two of the six slots for the day filled in. When I inquire to the patient about what they forgot to write down they correct me and let me know that they indeed ate only two times that day. Anyone that eats only two times a day is denying their body essential nutrients needed to function from morning to night. They have shut off the signals from their body to eat and are overriding them with caffeine, stress, and a busy schedule. These patients are inevitably overweight due to the slowed metabolism and insulin resistance that often results from the two carb-loaded-bingy meals they do end up blowing by the kitchen for. This is not conscious eating. If we are going to be in control of our well-being we must be conscious eaters. It means spending some time planning. It means eating within an hour of getting up even if it is just your greens formula. It means eating fist sized meals five to six times a day to keep that metabolism stoked all day. It means just enough food so that your digestive processes are not overloaded and can manage what you have given them. Be nice to your body. We are designed to fight off bacteria, parasites viruses, and gashes in our flesh but we have no innate defense against overeating, obesity or feast/famine type behaviors. Eat small meals several times a day and you will experience weight management, improved energy and immunity, better sleep and an elimination of those glycemic highs and lows that come from not managing your personal fuel.
 
Add, not subtract. That is the first approach to conscious, wellness-minded eating. This mindset will also aid in realizing excellent results with your chiropractic care. If you are eating better, you have decreased inflammation throughout the body, less aches and pains and better ability to hold and respond to the adjustments in which you are investing. If you have questions about the five additions for healthier living ask the doctor on your next adjustment, but be careful because we might just ask you to fill out the dreaded food journal!