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.

The Truth About Sunscreen

While we know that sunscreens prevent sunburns, beyond that simple fact surprisingly little is known about their safety and efficacy. The letters SPF mean “sun protection factor” and refer only to protection against UVB radiation, which burns the skin. It has nothing to do with UVA radiation that penetrates deep into the skin, accelerates skin aging and may cause skin cancer. 

It’s also important to note that no SPF (not even 100 SPF) offers 100 percent protection. The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal (SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent). A sunscreen’s SPF number is calculated by comparing the time needed for a person to burn unprotected with how long it takes for that person to burn wearing sunscreen. So a person who turns red after 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure is theoretically protected 15 times longer if they adequately apply SPF 15. 

So, what’s the problem with sunscreen? As a society we have been taught to avoid the sun -which helps our bodies naturally produce Vitamin D- and instead put chemical laden lotions on in hopes of reducing one type of cancer (skin) that is not commonly fatal. As a result, Americans are now vitamin D deficient which can lead to a multitude of health problems. Continue reading “The Truth About Sunscreen”

How to Beat Seasonal Allergies Naturally

Somewhere along the line, we started believing that seasonal allergies were normal (perhaps it was the endless bombardment of allergy drug commercials), and that they are something that an individual is going to have to live with for the rest of their life, while medicating themselves. Seasonal allergies are far from normal, and the fact that they are so common means that many do not have an optimally functioning body.

Here are some tips for beating allergies this and every spring without relying on pill popping: Continue reading “How to Beat Seasonal Allergies Naturally”