Palmer College of Chiropractic

Clinics

Nutrition

Proper nutrition, accompanied by exercise, posture, rest and periodic spinal adjustments, is a key to preventive health care. A balanced diet with plenty of water, vegetables, fruits and grains helps to prevent illnesses, including diabetes, gingivitis, liver cirrhosis, heart disease and some cancers.

This health information will highlight the importance of nutrition and help you start and maintain a nutritionally sound diet. An understanding of how nutrition affects your body is a good way for you to Take Charge of Your Health.

Reasons and ways to change your nutritional habits

Nutrition: a key to wellness

Nutrition is the science of food and other substances as well as the action, interaction and balance of different nutrients in the body. Your body's essential nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. Good nutrition helps you to digest, absorb, metabolize and excrete properly. It helps balance within the body's functions that leads to homeostatis. It may prevent illnesses such as diabetes, gingivitis, liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. On the other hand, bad nutrition from eating too many sugar, fat, protein and dairy products compared to complex carbohydrates leads to having less energy. It imbalances the body's functions that may lead to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers such as breast, ovarian and prostrate.

Food pyramid

Base your daily diet on the food pyramid, a model of nutritional eating and an updated version of the older nutritional model of the four food groups.

Fats and sweets
Limit your intake of sugars; they are empty calories without nutritional value.

Protein and dairy
Serve smaller portions: one serving should be two to three ounces (the size of a deck of cards) of cooked meat, protein or dairy products.

Fruits and vegetables
Include three to five servings of fresh vegetables per day, along with two to four servings of fresh fruit.

Grains, cereals, pasta and bread
Strive for 60 percent of your caloric intake, or six to 11 servings per day.

Water: the building block of life

• To sustain proper health, drink six to eight glasses of water daily.
• Wake up to a glass of water, instead of a cup of coffee. Your body needs to be replenished after a night's sleep.
• When exercising, drink water before you feel thirsty.
• Recognize the signs of dehydration: headaches, fatigue and dryness of the eyes.
• Especially during airline travel, drink plenty of water and fruit juices and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks because they boost your body's dehydration rate.

% Saturated Fat	% Polyunsaturated Fat	% Monounsaturated Fat
Here is a chart showing the makeup of common fats, which was adapted from the American Dietetic Association.

Good vs. bad fat

• All oils are 100 ­ percent fat. One tablespoon contains about 120 calories.
• Fats break down into four varieties:
  • saturated
  • polyunsaturated
  • monounsaturated
  • hydrogenated
• Two of these fats -- polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats -- are good for your body in small doses; others -- saturated and hydrogenated fats -- add only cholesterol and calories.

Tips for healthy food preparation

• Instead of frying foods, try microwaving, steaming, braising, broiling, barbecuing, roasting, baking, boiling, poaching or stewing.
• Trim the visible fat from meats, which includes removing the skins from poultry before cooking.
• Substitute flavors for salt and butter. Try sauces, dressings and marinades comprising plain, low or nonfat yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, herbs and spices.

Nutrition and Chiropractic

Chiropractors advise their patients to include nutrition as part of an overall wellness package.

When patients eat primarily fruits, vegetables and grain products in their diet, they are making a healthy decision. The overconsumption of foods high in fat, cholesterol, refined and processed sugars, salt and alcohol increases the probability of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Chiropractic and Your Health

Chiropractic is oriented toward preventive health care. Nutrition, rest, posture, exercise and periodic spinal adjustments add up to a healthy lifestyle. Taking responsibility for your health helps reduce the need for costly medication, surgery and/or hospitalization.

From its founding 100 years ago, chiropractic has been based on the premise that the human body has marvelous sustaining and recuperative powers. A healthy spine and nervous system assure that the body's recuperative powers can operate at their full potential.

The benefits of spinal adjusting to remove misalignment or "subluxation" have been confirmed by recent scientific studies, although the practice itself can be traced back into ancient history. D.D. Palmer performed the first true chiropractic adjustment of modern times in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa. Palmer College of Chiropractic, which he founded near the site of the first adjustment, today is among the leading educators of chiropractic professionals.

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