This week's post is going to introduce you to our summer blog series on transforming your nutrition (and possibly your life)! A tall order for sure!
Attention to nutrition has been a part of my (Dr. Doug) life since I was about 13. One day, my mom came home (it was just her and I in the house at the time), and said it was time to get healthy and start eating better. In one fell swoop, she replaced my Trix with granola, hamburgers with chicken, white bread with wheat bread.. and hey, what happened to the chips and ice cream? I wasn't worried about what we ate; I was just fine with all the food in the house! That was almost 40 years ago - what my mom started has trickled down and changed shape over time - but the underlying principle is and always has been the same: how you eat affects your health, if not now, then later in your life for sure. I can attest to this both personally and professionally.
How about you? Are you eating the same way you did when you were 13? Better? Worse? For so many of us, what we eat is a reflection of our own little cultures (family and friends). In today's busy world, we sometimes simply eat what is placed in front of us, or what we can make or pick-up easily from the grocery store or fast food restaurant without really thinking about it. There may have been a time in your life where you spent a lot of time considering your food choices, or those of your children, and did a pretty good job, but that has slipped away.
My own journey towards nutritional eating has taken a number of different paths over the years, but I would consider that most of them have reflected a combination of the following:
- Current scientific literature
- Our economic position in life
- Available emotional energy
As a practitioner, and through this blog, I can definitely help you with Number 1 (scientific literature) and give you some ideas on Number 2 (how to stretch your dollar regarding food choices) but Number 3 (emotional energy) is all up to you! I have spent a lot of time talking with people over the years about how food impacts their health, and you know what? EVERYONE AGREES! But not everyone makes a change. I would be lying if I told you I always make the right choices - I have had my share of watching the scale go up and down, and my energy and health ebb and flow with it. If you decide to work through this summer's blog series, I promise we will be doing it together and it won't stop when I start a different topic in the fall. Hopefully, we can lay down a foundation for you to move further on in your own journey to feeling, looking and being healthier.
Between now and next week's blog, take a few minutes to jot down answers to the following:
- Do you have some concerns about the food you eat?
- If you had to give your average food choices a grade (A, B, C, D, F), what would it be?
- If you currently have some concerns about disease, pain, obesity or overall phsycial condition (energy, fatigue, etc.), how likely are you to make changes (Very Likely, Likely, Fat Chance!)?
So, consider the question posed at the beginning: Do You Recognize Your Food? Is it a friend or foe? Ride along with us this summer as we explore how to eat for your optimal health!
To Your Good Health!
Doug Williams, D.C. Care Chiropractic Lafayette, Indiana