Archive | Healthy Living

“Traditional” Eating: The cost of a candy bar

Don’t feel guilty when you pay for good quality grass-fed beef, soy-free chicken and eggs, and grass-fed, 100% raw milk and cream (hopefully it’s available) from farms, markets, and specialty shops.

You are actually paying a fair price and ensuring your family’s health.

The next time you’re at the grocery store, try this little exercise. Do a simple comparison by the pound of different foods. You’ll likely find that candy bars cost from $14 a pound to $22 a pound. Of course, nobody pays $22 for a candy bar, but that’s just because a candy bar never weighs a pound.

See how expensive just a “cheap” little candy bar really is?

Why is it that so many people spend lavishly on their homes, cars, and lifestyle, but when it comes to food they settle for the cheapest?

The true value is seen in the subtle long-term effects. Everything we eat either helps our body repair and replace cells, or it damages and degrades. The food we eat has a very direct effect on the health of our gut. Please remember whenever you eat anything, ask yourself the question, “Will this help or harm me and my children?”

Some things are worth our getting a good deal, but food quality should not be one of them. The American diet is said to be one of the worst in the world. Spend your money wisely. As the saying goes, “Some people spend their health trying to gain wealth, only to later spend their wealth to gain back their health.”

Preventing Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer and deaths in young people (in the prime of life!) as well as older people are increasing. Why?

A prime suspect is glyphosate (Roundup®). It is a toxic herbicide sprayed on crops. Roundup damages a child’s (and adult’s) intestinal flora (population of microorganisms). The result can create a “leaky” gut where partially digested foods “leak” out of the intestines into the blood and enter the brain and internal organs. These leaks make a body toxic-a perfect breeding ground for cancer.

Amazingly, this toxic, poisonous herbicide is still sold in garden supply stores. It is still legal! Government agencies are not doing their jobs. This toxic product should be removed from the market.

To ensure your child’s health (and your own) from Colorectal Cancer:

Only purchase organically labeled foods meaning they are non-GMO, grown without herbicides, pesticides and fungicides and not sprayed with Roundup after harvesting. Commercial breads and bread products are increasingly adulterated.

Roundup has been linked to more than leaky gut and intestinal diseases. Roundup has also been linked to autism, birth defects, Alzheimer’s, ADD, heart disease, depression, lymphoma, Parkinson’s and more.

Plastic is an Unnatural Material

Plastic can take over 400 years to decompose. WOW!

(In fact, this is a guess from the experts as we’ve never seen any plastic decompose as it hasn’t been around long enough.) Combine the fact that plastic isn’t biodegradable with the explosion in population numbers, that’s a scary amount of plastic.

As a species we seem to have gone totally plastic mad, the stuff is EVERYWHERE. It feels deeply ingrained in our society.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

These are the buzzwords that will assist you in reducing your plastic footprint in 2020.

According to The Economist, we now create 380 million tons per year of global plastic production. Since the 50’s only 9% of plastic has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated. The remaining has been dumped into landfills, or our natural environment.

Eat A Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet

Fundamentally this one also means eat less convenience foods. Often, convenience processed foods are sold in plastic packaging.

Eating a fresh produce plant-based diet means getting your protein from sources such as lentils, beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas). It can also act as a huge money saver, try purchasing these dried and see how much money you can save.

Supermarkets and grocery stores are also taking note and now making commitments to try and eliminate plastic packaging especially around fruit and veg. If they haven’t started putting something in place already, then it’s likely they will soon due to consumer pressure.

Use A Refillable Bottle

To cover your water needs in the office or at home also have a refillable water bottle instead of using single-use cups or bottles. The idea is that you never need to buy a bottle of water in a single-use bottle again.

Only Use Reusable Steel Straws Instead Of Plastic Straws

Plastic straws somehow end up in our oceans and can take up to 200 years to decompose! They find their way into turtle’s noses. It’s time we stop using them in restaurants, perhaps say ’no straw’ when you order.

Steel straws are brilliant to keep in the draw at home and are easy to clean. It can be a good idea to also carry one around with you for when drinking out. They are also better than plastic straws as far as straws go as they just feel more substantial than a plastic one.

NO straws is also an option!!!!

Take Reusable Fabric Tote Bags Or Backpacks When Buying Groceries

In the United Kingdom, customers are charged 5p per bag they take from the store. Canada is looking to ban them by 2021. San Francisco has started banning them all together.

Instead of using plastic bags, invest in fabric bags, backpacks or even a trusty wheeled shopping trolley. If you have a car, it can be a good idea to keep a bunch of spare fabric bags ready to go. Also, it’s good to think further than just grocery shopping, carry all your purchases from electronics to toiletries in tote bags too.

Use Soap Bars To Reduce Plastic Waste

Making the switch from bottle to bar is inevitable in the fight against plastics. Plastic shower and hand-wash bottles are used once and tossed away. There are lots of organic and natural scented soaps in the market that are both more environmentally friendly plus boasting that they have zero plastic waste. They can smell nicer and feel more moisturizing to your skin than a gel from a bottle.

Bulk Buy Wholesale Products Such As Oats, Dried Lentils/Beans, Pasta and Rice

Many dried foods can be purchased wholesale. Not only is this much cheaper, but it means you’ll have to purchase it less often and you’ll reduce your plastic purchases.

Glass jars filled with the dried foods also look chic in your home either on the side or when you look in the cupboard and will look in freshness.

Buy Boxes, Not Plastic Bottles

Purchasing juices, plant-based milks or laundry detergents? Opt for those sold in carton cardboard material over those in plastic. The cardboard options are much easier to recycle than plastic bottles, plus paper-based products decompose much easier. Even better would be to choose companies who source their cardboard sustainably or have a strong stance on deforestation.

Compost Your Plant-Based Waste

When eating a plant-based diet, much of your waste can be the scraps of the food itself. For example, potato or squash skin, the ends of vegetables, orange or banana peel or the ends of a cucumbers. Rather than natural waste taking up space in your garbage or rubbish, why not get a composter and dispose there? This reduces your contribution to landfills. Then every once in a while, you can dispose of and give back to the soil. The ground and critters will be grateful for the addition as the natural waste helps soil to retain moisture, enriches and helps to suppress disease and pests. Composting also encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that breakdown organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient filled material. Lucky critters, I guess.

Additional Ideas For Reducing Plastic

Do you have any other ideas to reduce plastic waste? Which one do you think will be the easiest to implement?

Let us know!

Eating Beef Kills More than Just the Cow

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION….HOW A BURGER KILLS MORE THAN A COW…from one of my vegan websites as they invite people to consider going meatless for a month.

It’s obvious that our food choices directly impact our health but they affect it in some less obvious ways, too.

One of the biggest drivers of deforestation is agriculture and, because animal products need a lot more land than plants to feed the same number of people, it’s animal agriculture that is hungriest for available land.

As global demand for meat increases, forests are increasingly destroyed to make way for farming, and the wild animals who lived there are displaced or killed. Humanity has wiped out 60 percent of all animal populations since 1970¹ and scientists warn that the Earth’s sixth mass extinction is underway.²

The damage does not end with the felling of the trees. Without the canopy overhead to protect it from sun and wind, the soil becomes fragile and can be washed away during periods of rain. Deforestation can render once-rich landscapes utterly barren, and animal agriculture is one of the leading causes.³

Does this actually affect us? Yes! Trees play a vital role in our survival by removing about 25 percent of harmful CO2 emissions from our atmosphere and giving us back the oxygen that we need to survive. And we need healthy soil to grow our food.

We can play our part in protecting trees, forests, wild animals, our climate, the soil and our own oxygen supply by cutting down/eliminating meat and dairy products from our diet.

Nourishing Foods

How often are you eating Nourishing Foods?

ONLY 27% of Americans cook on a daily basis even though 98% say they prefer meals prepared at home. Home cooking is the best because you have control over the ingredients.

Eating at restaurants means you are often eating GMO grains, rancid oils (such as canola, corn and other cheap vegetable oils) and weird chemicals such as artificial sweeteners and MSG.

At home we can have real sourdough bread, good oils and healthy fats.

We recommend you make it a habit to start batch cooking (pre prep that can be done on the weekend – think of chopping the veggies all at one time-making a sauce that can be used at least twice in different ways through the week – planning for leftovers by cooking a double batch that can be presented in a different way later in the week ( like chile as a lasagna ingredient/over baked potatoes/as the base of shepherd’s pie).

Make use of your slow cooker to cook while you are at work…and if you pre-prep on the weekend…you can grab a baggy of precut up seasoned goodness and just throw it in the slow cooker, press start and head off to work!!

OF COURSE, IT HELPS IF YOU TAKE A FEW MINUTES ONCE A WEEK TO DECIDE ON A MENU FOR THE WEEK THAT CAN INCORPORATE SOME OF THE ABOVE IDEAS AND MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER.

Check out our most recent recipe: Chickpea Artichoke “Bliss in a Dish”

Nourishing Traditions – The Good and the Bad

All traditional cultures consume lacto-fermented foods.

These foods supply enzymes that help digestion and beneficial bacteria that support good intestinal health and immune function. With that knowledge in mind, here’s another study showing the benefits of eating fermented food.

The Good – fermented dairy products may help prevent heart disease

Researchers in Finland found that fermented dairy products such as:

cheese
yogurt
quark
kefir
sour milk

may lower the risk of incident coronary heart disease in men. Conversely, the researchers warn that a very high consumption rate of non-fermented dairy products, like milk, could have the opposite effect and increase a man’s risk for heart disease. (1)

The Bad – fried foods

Consumption of fried chicken, fried fish or fried shellfish at least once a week (as compared with no consumption) is associated with a significant 12%-13% increase in cardiovascular mortality.

The type of oil used may be a factor. Cooking with olive oil, animal fats and coconut oil is preferred over corn, vegetable, soybean, safflower and canola oils. (2)

https://www.studyfinds.org/study-fermented-dairy-products-may-help-prevent-heart-disease/
Sun Y et al. Association if fried food consumption with all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal. 2019;364-k5420.

Are people under chiropractic care healthier?

Answer: Not only healthier but happier too!

Making chiropractic care a regular part of your life will help you and your family on many levels. Keeping your spine and nervous system free of subluxations (nerve interference) is good for your brain, organs, and entire body and mind.

Studies reveal that people under chiropractic care experience wellness in many areas of their lives. For example, chiropractic patients in two studies reported improved physical and mental/emotional health, better ability to deal with stress and more life enjoyment. (1-2)

Another study revealed that chiropractic patients reported improved physical functioning, less bodily pain, improved general health, greater vitality, better social functioning and improved mental health. (3)

Chiropractic has been especially effective with improving the life of the elderly. In one study of people 75 years of age and older, those under chiropractic care enjoyed better overall health, fewer chronic conditions, less days in nursing homes and hospitals, more mobility and were less likely to use prescription drugs than non-chiropractic patients. 87% of chiropractic patients described their health as excellent compared to just 67.8% of non-chiropractic patients. (4)

What can YOU expect?

Chiropractic care is individualized; the care you receive will be unique for your body and needs and the benefits you receive will be unique for you. Be sensitive to your body and communicate with us – tell us what changes you experience after your visits.

Marino MJ, Phillippa ML. A longitudinal assessment of chiropractic care using a survey of self-rated health wellness & quality of life: a preliminary study. JVSR. 1999; 3(2):1-9.
Blanks RHI, Schuster TL. A retrospective assessment of network care using a survey of self-rated health, wellness and quality of life. JVSR. 1997;1(4):1.
Owens EF, Hoiriis KT, Burd D. Changes in general health status during upper cervical chiropractic care: PBR report. Chiropractic Research Journal. 1998;V(1):9-16.
Study associates chiropractic with better health in the elderly. Today’s Chiropractic. November/December 1996. Originally published by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research.

Coffee Is Good for You

Up to 25 Cups of Coffee a Day Is Safe for Heart, Says New Study

A British Heart Foundation funded study found that drinking five cups of coffee a day, and even up to 25, was no worse for your arteries than drinking less than one cup a day. Further, coffee won’t increase stroke or heart attack risk. (11)

Drinking Coffee Could Lead to A Longer Life, Scientist Says

Whether it’s caffeinated or decaffeinated, coffee is associated with lower mortality, which suggests the association is not tied to caffeine.

Drinking coffee was associated with lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease. People who consumed a cup of coffee a day were 12 percent less likely to die compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. This association was even stronger for those who drank two to three cups a day – 18 percent reduced chance of death.

Gunter M et al. Coffee drinking and mortality in 10 European countries: a multinational cohort study. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017;167(4):236-247. doi: 10.7326/M16-2945

What Is the World’s Greatest Drugstore?

What would the world’s greatest drugstore be like? Well, it’ll have every drug and chemical you need to live a long, healthy life, free of disease, pain and disability. The drugs from this drugstore would never have a side-effect. This drugstore would be open 24 hours a day, never close and be at your beck and call – delivery would be instantaneous. Also, all the drugs would be free.

Well, such a drugstore does exist! It’s your own body!

Yes, every drug and chemical you need to live a long and healthy life is made by your body, in the exact right amount, just when you need it, 24 hours a day.

Your body makes drugs (chemicals) to raise your blood pressure and lower your blood pressure, relax you and make you hyper-vigilant (for example, when you are in danger); drugs to create inflammation and drugs to dissolve inflammation, painkillers and pleasure creators as powerful as heroin. Further, your body manufactures chemicals that create tumors and chemicals that dissolve tumors; chemicals to raise and lower your blood sugar; raise and lower your cholesterol and even … drugs to make you hungry, to make you feel satiated, drugs to build up bone, drugs to break down bone, drugs to build muscle, drugs to break down muscle, drugs to stimulate you as well as drugs to depress you.

These drugs are perfectly designed for your unique needs, your unique genetic expression – and they have no side-effects or adverse reactions.

Further, these drugs are made in the exact right amount and delivered to the exact part of your body that needs them at the exact moment it needs them. Some of these drugs are unique to you – no one else has them. No man-made pharmacy can do that.

Yes, get your body working at its full potential and it’ll provide you with all the drugs you need, in the right amount and tailored to your unique body – and all these drugs are natural and organic!

Americans and Canadians spend millions of dollars on tons of synthetic (unnatural) drugs each year. Every prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) drug has the potential to cause a bad reaction. In fact, tens of thousands of people die from reactions to properly prescribed medications every year. They are taking unnatural drugs because their internal pharmacy is not working to its fullest potential.

Chiropractic care, by correcting subluxations, helps to “wake up” your internal pharmacy so it will function closer to its potential. Subluxations are misalignments of your body structure that interfere with the energy and communication that travels over your brain, spinal cord and spinal nerves. Without proper communications your internal pharmacy may not get the right information to give you everything you need at a moment’s notice in the exact amount.

For your internal pharmacy to be working at 100% (or as close to it as possible) you need a body free from subluxations. For that reason, regular chiropractic care is needed by everyone!

Is your world’s greatest drugstore working at peak efficiency? Make and appointment today and find out! 517.627.4547

Is This The End Of Diet Soda?

Huge Study Links Aspartame To Major Health Problems; Sales Drop…

As concerns about health epidemics plague the nation, demand and sales of diet soda have plunged as consumers try to make better choices. As reported recently, Aspartame (the main sweetener for diet soda – check the labels) is regarded by scientists as one of the most dangerous ingredients used in our food supply, who have linked it to seizures and a host of other major health issues including fatal cardiovascular events. [1]

In a newly published study [2] (presented in 2014 at the American College of Cardiology, Washington D.C.), 60,000 women were sampled over ten years. It was shown that women who drink two or more diet drinks a day have much higher cardiovascular disease rates and are more likely to die from the disease.

“30% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, 50% more likely to die from related disease…”

In the largest study done of its kind, The University of Iowa concluded:

“…Compared to women who never or only rarely consume diet drinks, those who consume two or more a day are 30 percent more likely to have a cardiovascular event [heart attack or stroke] and 50 percent more likely to die from related disease.

This is one of the largest studies on this topic, and our findings are consistent with some previous data, especially those linking diet drinks to the metabolic syndrome,’ says Dr. Ankur Vyas… the lead investigator of the study.

…The association persisted even after researchers adjusted the data to account for demographic characteristics and other cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index, smoking, hormone therapy use, physical activity, energy intake, salt intake, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

On average, women who consumed two or more diet drinks a day were younger, more likely to be smokers, and had a higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure, and higher body mass index.” [3]

Soda sales slipping… Thankfully this study comes on the heels of reports of already slipping sales of diet soda, one of the largest aspartame markets.

According to Time Magazine’s 2014 report:

“One reason for the decline could be a growing awareness of the obesity epidemic in the US and growing health concerns surrounding sugar-sweetened beverages. According to Reuters, industry experts say the beverage industry is shrinking under the scrutiny. Even diet-branded drinks have suffered a loss of sales with concerns over artificial sweeteners.” [4]

Whatever the reason for the decline, this new study should only add fuel to the movement away from artificial sweeteners. There are plenty of natural sweeteners that people can choose that are regarded as much healthier than aspartame.

References:

[1] http://www.wesupportorganic.com/2014/04/why-aspartame-is-the-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-our-foods.html

[2] http://now.uiowa.edu/2014/03/ui-study-finds-diet-drinks-associated-heart-trouble-older-women

[3] https://now.uiowa.edu/2014/03/ui-study-finds-diet-drinks-associated-heart-trouble-older-women

[4] http://time.com/44282/soda-sales-drop/

This article originally appeared on WeSupportOrganic.com.

Lanjopoulos Chiropractic

Chiropractics, Yoga, Tai Chi, Healthy Living