There is no better way to rejuvenate your health than by eating more nutritiously. In fact, even a few simple changes in your diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on your health and can also prevent a variety of health problems in the future.

Little Changes can go a long way

Lifestyle Changes

• Exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes three or four days a week.
• Eat out more sparingly. Food preparation methods in restaurants often involve high amounts of fat and sugar.
• Brown-bag your lunch to control your fat and sugar content while adding nutritious fruits, vegetables, and grains.
• Limit your intake of alcohol and quit smoking. Drinking alcohol excessively and/or smoking hinder your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your food.

Dietary Changes

• Eat more raw foods. Cooking and canning destroys much of the nutrition in foods. With the exception of canned tomatoes, which can help prevent prostate cancer, 1 fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables always have more natural vitamins and minerals.
• Select organically grown foods when possible, because they have lower amounts of toxic elements, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
• Consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Whole-grain breads and cereals, beans, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables are good sources for fiber. High-fiber diets can help prevent digestive disorders, heart disease, and colon cancer.
• Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol are dehydrators. Don’t substitute them for water.
• Remember to consume dark green vegetables, oils, nuts, and seeds, which are sources of magnesium, fatty acids, and many other vitamins and minerals.

Supplements

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dietary supplements are not substitutes for foods, nor can a person sustain good health by just taking vitamin and mineral supplements. When taken properly, however, supplements can plan an important role in achieving optimal health. If you are considering nutritional supplements, don’t self-prescribe. We utilize available blood work and symptom surveys that help us determine what vitamin deficiencies you may be experiencing. Murphy Chiropractic typically recommends doctor-grade nutritional supplements from Biotics Research Corporation and Zorex. Both companies have strict manufacturing protocols using whole organic food. They are specifically formatted for optimal absorption into your system.

References

1. Pohar KS, Gong MC, Bahnson R, Miller EC, Clinton SK. Tomatoes, lycopene and prostate cancer: a clinician’s guide for counseling those at risk for prostate cancer. World J Urol. 2003 May;21(1):9-14. Epub 2003 Mar 22.
2. Economic Characteristics of the Dietary Supplement Industry: Final Report. In “U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition” March 1999.