How we nourish ourselves through food is as fundamental to healthy living as the air we breathe and the water we drink. The decisions you make when you buy food can affect the health of yourself and your family.
Dr Spitz explains how eating properly can affect your health and weight.
What Can You Do to Increase Your Food Quality for Healthy Living?
Focus on Freshness for Food that Promotes Healthy Living
- Choose locally grown, organic produce whenever possible.
- Apples, grapes, green beans, pears, peaches, strawberries and spinach have been shown to have especially high pesticide residues.
- Wash your produce always.
Purge what is Processed for Healthy Food
- If it comes in package, read the ingredient list first and if it have 2 or more items you cannot pronounce, put it back.
- Avoid food preservatives such as saccharin, aspartame, and olestra.
- Eliminate the Artificial, this includes food dyes and ingredients like high fructose corn syrup (which can mask itself as the ‘exose’s of ingredients). Also avoid white flour, sugar, and salt.
When in Doubt, Shop the Seasons and Eat the Rainbow for Healthy Eating
Make sure you are getting enough antioxidants by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. They also contain important phytonutrients.- Know where your fish comes from. Unfortunately, fish, an intrinsically healthy food, often contains PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and/or mercury. Choose smaller fish, which do not bio-accumulate as many toxic chemicals and choose fish from more pristine waters such as those in Alaska.
- Eat free range chicken, cage free eggs, and Grass Fed Beef whenever possible.
- Staying in the outside aisles of the grocery store will allow you to access all of the fresh meats and veggies you need, while avoiding excess expose to overly processed foods.
After you make these smart food choices, enjoy eating and know you are doing your best for yourself and your family.
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Healthy Living: Food Video
By David Spitz DC
Dr David M. Spitz is the founder and clinic director of the Chiropractic Health Center of Bristol, located in Bristol, CT. Since 1982, he has treated thousands of patients for various conditions ranging from neck and back pain, to migraine headaches. He specializes in treating patients who have suffered whiplash injuries and/or back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
Dr Spitz was a volunteer EMT-I and a lieutenant for several years at the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department. He has lectured throughout CT on various topics including, chiropractic, stress management, headaches and preventing back injury in the workplace.
