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Nutrition
We provide Nutrition and Wellness Care.
Are You Sending Your Body Mixed Signals for Health?
You truly are what you eat…and that starts with how food and other natural substances that complement the diet affect your cells and influence your health.
In the past, the main focus was on the nutrients we might be missing. That's still important. However, now scientists realize that there's a lot more to consider when planning our daily diets than just avoiding a deficiency. Healthy eating, nutrition, and other modifiable lifestyle factors can help you reverse the disease process and improve health.
Armed with the basic nutritional knowledge we've provided here, you and your health care provider can work together to develop the dietary and lifestyle prescription that's exactly right for you.
How Lifestyles Affect Your Body's Nutritional Intake
Despite a wide variety of foods, people today generally eat more but actually get fewer nutrients. Many common aspects of daily life can deplete the body of the nutrients it needs to function properly:
State of Health—illness, injury, intestinal issues, pregnancy
These things can rob you of nutrients by:
Increasing your need for certain nutrients
Causing accelerated nutrient loss
Impairing the absorption of nutrients from food
What You Eat Affects How You Feel
Processed foods and other unhealthy dietary habits can interfere with the dietary signals sent to cells throughout the body, which can lead to premature aging and disease. Addressing unhealthy eating patterns allows you to manage symptoms and even halt or reverse the progression of illness. Eating plans can also be tailored to specific conditions to maximize healthy signals—to help regulate blood sugar or reduce inflammation, for example.
Eating to Send a Healthy Message
Are 3 balanced meals a day enough to keep you healthy? Food is the preferred source of nutrients to supply you foundational nutrition needs for basic health maintenance. Knowing how to eat to maximize these nutrients will help you stay on a path of reduced disease risk.
As you probably know, the foods you eat can be broken down into 3 categories: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. They're all essential to health—but not every food supplies them in a "good" way. And too much of anything—even a good thing—is still too much. Work with your health care provider for suggestions on daily calorie intake and serving size suggestions to match your individual needs and activity level.
Some Fat is Good for You
Fat is a vital nutrient that your body needs for a wide range of biological processes, including growth, healthy skin, and absorption of nutrients. It's also an important fuel source. Eating the right fats, in moderation, will help you feel full faster, and in turn, decrease your appetite. They can even help lower your risk of heart disease by reducing your levels of total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
Good. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids (from coldwater fish, nuts, flaxseed oil) are healthy.
Bad. Saturated fat and trans fat (from animal products and processed foods) can be harmful.
Disease alert. Saturated and trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL cholesterol.
Protein is More Than Just Meat
Protein is a key component of practically every tissue in your body, including muscle, skin, hair, and other tissues. Proteins manufacture the enzymes and hormones that power digestion, metabolism, and tissue growth and repair.
Protein can be found in all meats and vegetables. Some are "complete" proteins (typically from animals) because they contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to build more protein. Others are "incomplete" proteins (vegetables, nuts) because they lack one or more essential amino acids.
Good. Lean cuts of meat, white poultry meat, whey protein, soy protein, nuts (in moderation), beans, reduced fat dairy products (or dairy substitutes).
Bad. Fatty cuts of meat, dark poultry meat, excess cheese or "whole" dairy product consumption, poultry skins.
Caution. Even lean protein sources can be prepared in unhealthy ways—battered, deep fried, or covered in fatty sauces or cheeses.
Carbohydrates: the Key to Healthy Eating
Carbohydrates are important sources of energy and can be found in most foods. Not all carbohydrates are beneficial, so choosing the right carbohydrates is essential.
Good. Better sources of carbohydrates are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. These foods are a good source of energy and provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals—as well as phytonutrients that are essential for good health.
Bad. Refined carbohydrates or sugars (white bread, white rice, pastries, sugary sodas) provide little or no nutritional value.
Caution. Even the best carbs can be prepared in bad ways. Overcooking can deplete nutrients, or they can be covered in cheese, butter, and fatty/sugary sauces that counteract their benefits.
Disease Alert. Over time, a steady intake of refined carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance, a harmful condition in which the body can't properly convert blood sugar into energy. Insulin resistance, in turn, can result in weight gain, low energy levels, diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions.
Fiber and Water: Filling You Up and Cleaning You Out
Good sources of fiber include bran, beans, brown rice and nuts, and green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, spinach). Your health care provider may also recommend a fiber supplement. Dietary fiber helps:
Promote healthy insulin and blood sugar response by slowing digestion, which helps to prevent a surge of blood sugar.
Create a feeling of fullness, helping you control the amount of food you eat.
Increase bowel motility, helping you empty what your body doesn't need more regularly.
Disease alert. Low fiber diets can increase the risk to insulin resistance, digestive discomfort, and more serious intestinal concerns.
Water helps to transport vital nutrients to, and export waste from, our cells. It's also necessary to moisten the lungs and respiratory tract, lubricate joint surfaces and internal organs, and ensure proper digestion. Like fiber, it can increase the feeling of fullness and aid in toxin removal. So it's important to make sure you're getting enough water every day.
Targeted Nutrients—Extra Help for Improving Health
The growing field of research in nutritional genomics—or nutrigenomics—has demonstrated the effects that nutrients and plant substances can have on modifying the expression of genes in favor of good health. This has led to the development of research-based nutraceuticals and medical foods that complement dietary approaches to address today's top health concerns.
"Boosting" Your Healthy Message with Nutritional Supplements
Even if you eat a nutritious diet, you might benefit from nutritional supplementation. Nutritional supplementation not only helps you maintain adequate nutrient levels. It can also help improve your health or manage chronic health conditions.
The following are key areas for targeted support along with some recommended nutrients:
Health maintenance—multivitamin/mineral, essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA), calcium, vitamins B, C, D & E, other antioxidants, phytonutrient complex, fiber, probiotics
Body composition—protein, conjugated linoleic acid, chromium, L-carnitine
Stress management—licorice, ashwagandha, rehmannia, ginseng, cordyceps, Chinese botanicals, homeopathic remedies
Women's health—indole-3-carbinole, isoflavones (soy, kudzu, red clover), Chinese botanical blends, chasteberry, choline, calcium, ashwaghanda, black cohosh, folate
Essential nutrients are necessary
Essential nutrients are those substances necessary for growth, normal functioning and
maintaining life. These nutrients
must be supplied by foods because
they cannot be made by
the body. In my research and
discussions with clients, I usually
extend the element of essential
nutrients to include other components
that are necessary for
human life. There are several
categories of essential nutrients
that must be addressed to attain proper nutrition and
better health.
These include the following categories:
Proteins -- primarily in the
form of amino acids.
Carbohydrates -- natural
sugars and starches.
Fats -- primarily in the form
of essential fatty acids.
Vitamins -- fat and water
soluble.
Minerals -- essential and
trace minerals.
Water-- the most important of
all.
Others -- oxygen, fiber,
specific anti-oxidants
I believe we need to become better
educated on how to care for
our body through proper nutrition,
digestion and elimination. Most
people take better care of their
car than they do caring for their
body. Now is the time to invest in
your health. It’s the best investment
that you can make. The
rewards are of the highest value.
Nutritional Supplements
AVED Multi
A complete high potency vitamin-mineral formula designed to give maximum support to the daily diet, all in a convenient two-per-day formula. Also available without iron.
Perfect Protein
Perfect Protein has the highest biological value of any known naturally occurring protein. It features cross flow micro-filtered whey protein, composed 25% of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Easy-to-absorb forms of amino acids support optimal absorption and nitrogen retention in an easy-to-use powder mix
Protein Fusion
ProteinFusion is ideal for those who are trying to increase protein intake and limit their consumption of high glucose (sugar) producing carbohydrates. ProteinFusion's low glucose carbohydrate profile is a balance of fiber, sugar alcohols, and glycerin designed to be low glycemic and easier on digestion, as well as taste great.
Endura
Endura is a patented† rehydration formula mix with a unique blend of electrolyte minerals that are found in muscle cells.
The Maximum Athletic Performance Program, (The Future of Sports Medicine) has been launched.
This Comprehensive Program Prevents & Treat Sport Injuries.
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Congratulations to Dr. Blum for being selected as the chiropractor to treat Rebecca Soni, winner of 3 Olympic Medals.
Congratulations to Dr. Blum - winner of 2008 Gold Standard Award from USA Swimming Sports Medicine
Also, Dr. Blum Treated 4 of the USC Swimmers who won Olympic Medals. Congratulations to: