Get Fit Or Die Trying? There Are Better Ways.

I was scanning the obituaries the other day (a sure sign I'm over 50) and saw side-by-side stories on two recently deceased individuals.

Both very different stories and very different people.

The first one was of a gentleman who'd passed away peacefully at the age of 94. He was a pioneering research scientist in the field of nutrition who was still working into his eighties. His specialty was Essential Fatty Acids, indeed he named them "Omegas."  Likely he really loved what he did for a living and practiced what he preached.

The other obit was of a women, who, apparently, also practiced what she preached. And died doing it. This gal collapsed of a heart attack at the gym, doing her daily workout. She was 44. One person remarked, "She was really healthy as far as we knew." She was considered quite "fit."

Hmm... that's doesn't seem quite right in my book. "Fit" means sound mentally and physically healthy. You don't drop dead of a heart attack at 44 if you're healthy.

So, what's my take-away from this? When it comes to exercise, don't overdo it. It's not the end all be all for "Fit"ness. In fact, fitness experts recommend at least a day off a week from active training. Walking doesn't count - a daily walk is beneficial.

And when it comes comes to nutrition, maybe look at the guy in the first obit again... he specialized in the field and lived until he was 94.

Now, I'm not saying food, or what we ingest is more important than exercise.

They are both very important and together make a world of difference. For most people who want to make a change, it's a lot easier to start exercising than it is to change eating habits.

For starters, it's cheaper. You just need to get a pair of shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather and take a walk.  Or if you can't walk, swim. Whatever gets you out of your chair. Then, when you can, add in some resistance training. As in, get some dumbbells to start with and do simple exercises.

That's enough to start. And you'll do great things for you body.

It's the eating healthy thing takes more work.

Someone told me recently that when asking their MD for advice on proper diet, he was told this: "Eat food that rots. And nuts."

Oh, if only it were that easy. I mean, that's a start, but that doctor is clearly someone who isn't trained in nutrition! It's a good sound bite, though.

Teaching people how to incorporate nutrition in their life is one of the things I help individuals with in my practice quite regularly. You can save a lot of time and money by seeking knowledgeable people. And we all like to save time and money!

Organic or Conventionally Grown Food: Is There A Difference?

I don't know if you heard about the recent Stanford University study which compared vitamin and mineral levels in organically grown versus conventional foodstuffs.

Here's the jist:

Produce, dairy and meat were analyzed and compared and they found that there was very little difference between conventional and organically grown items.

It's not hard to believe that not much difference was found, actually, because in most croplands in the United States, the topsoil has been severely degraded over the last 50-100 years. I'd much rather see differences between long-standing organic farmland such as the rice-growers "Lundberg Farms" in California and a box of instant rice from the shelf. With that, there's so much more at stake than vitamin/mineral status.

I've eaten organic products since picking up tiny, spotted apples in a Nutrition World at Har-Mar Mall in Roseville... that's Roseville, Minnesota, not California. This was way before the USDA standards were imposed in 2002. Matter of fact, America's oldest certification program, Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (I love the acronym, MOGFA), was formed in 1971.

I think it's important to point out what national standards regulate. The following are prohibited in organic products: artificial colors, flavors and preservatives; added growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, insecticides, sewage sludge (do you remember the fight over that? the good guys won), radiation and genetically modified foods (GMO's).

Sounds like stuff you don't want in your kitchen, on your table, or in your mouth, right? So before I give you my opinion on the findings, I just want to point out that even if the thought of eating this stuff doesn't bother you, just having less of a toxic load in the environment they're produced in is better in general. Be kind to Mother Nature. As one of my patients put it recently, "It's better for the earth, too!"

But back to the study. It was a "meta-analysis," which means that the results of a bunch of papers were added up. One of my issues with the study was pointed out by the "Organic Consumers Association," an advocacy group based in Finland, Minnesota. They discovered that there were papers included in the study which pre-dated the onset of the USDA standards formulated in 2002. This harms the credibility of the data, obviously. If there are no standards in place, there's no way to compare products.

I would not stake my decision of whether or not to eat organic foods on this study's findings. The chemical residues and hormones in conventional products and the integrity of the farmland which is being threatened by the use of GMO crops is a much more important issue to base a decision. Where is that study, eh?

Well, it's time to go make dinner: Organic rice with tofu, homemade pesto with homegrown basil, yummy stuff. Must have some veggies in the fridge to throw in there...

Tips To Avoid Harmful BPA Exposure At Home

This week's post will be much shorter and easier to read, I promise. If you read last week's blog post, you know how dangerous exposure to BPAs are; and you also know that BPAs are in a TON of everyday items. 

So, here's my list of tips to Avoid BPA Exposure At Home.

I hope you find it helpful!

1) Food and beverage containers are the biggest source of BPA exposure. DO NOT store food in plastics that are labeled with a "7" (that little triangle on the bottom of the container that has a number in the middle).

FYI, most of the plastic sold out there in retail outlets for this purpose is labeled "5", which has NO BPAs. Also safe in this regard are numbers "2" and "4."

 

2) When requesting a "doggie bag," check to see if there is a number on the bottom (if it's a plastic container.) If it happens to be a "7," ask the waiter to line it with aluminum foil before the food is placed in it. I know, aluminum has it's own problems, but the BPA risk trumps it, in my opinion.

3) This one is commonly known. Do not heat food in a microwave oven using plastic containers. We don't know all of the risks involved with heating plastics, so it's just better to be safe than sorry. Personally, we don't have a microwave!

4) Throw out any battered, scratched or dented plastic containers, especially ones used for food and beverages storage. Just toss it. As number "3" above states, we may not know all of the risks. Just saying...

5) If you use canned foods regularly, switch to a company that stopped using BPA in 1999: Eden Foods. Organics cost more, but it's worth the extra cost. And Eden Foods isn’t necessarily making any more money - using a plant-sourced resin costs Eden Foods 14% more to produce. (And no, we don't own stock in the company.)

6) Especially for parents of bottle-feeding infants: Use powder formula. In the September/October 2010 issue of Mother Jones Magazine, liquid formula was cited as having one of the highest levels on BPA. Developing infants are highly susceptible to damage. You might want to check out the article for more information.

Hope you find this information empowering and enlightening! Share it with your loved ones!

Next week, I'll sort out the facts on a recent multi-vitamin study.

Healthy Eating and Healthy Living! 

Dr. Jeanne

http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com  

Office: 612.259.7323  

Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!

Licensed vs. Certified: Theres a BIG difference

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Did you know...

There’s a difference between being "Licensed" and being "Certified"?

I know, I know… I’m sure it's not a question you've been burning to see addressed in this blog, or anywhere else. However, I will occasionally see a doctor advertise him/herself as a "Certified Doctor of Chiropractic" or a "Certified Chiropractic Doctor."

The fact is, being “certified” means very little. I myself, along with my partner in life and business, Dr. David Monson, both have probably a dozen certifications between us. And although we learned very useful information earning them, as far as what we can or cannot do to assist people trying to maintain their health, or reduce musculoskeletal pain syndromes, it doesn't legally mean anything.

All that being said, certification isn't useless. It typically means that you've been to a weekend or series of weekend seminars, often passing a test at the end and have new services to offer patients. Some certifications are quite rigorous, and some require yearly classes to keep current. But what you really need to make sure of is that your doctor is licensed.

Licensure involves a weekend long test to become an official Doctor of Chiropractic – where – after 4 years of intense schooling, you get to put a little D.C. after your last name and start helping patients. Pretty cool, right?

The test is HARD. Plenty of it is hands on – you have to prove that you know all aspects of handling patients: from taking a history, through a physical examination, making a diagnosis, x-ray analytical skills, spinal adjusting, physical therapy questions… you get the idea.

Chiropractic licensing started with Kansas and North Dakota in 1913 and ended with Louisiana in 1974. And in my home state of Minnesota there was an attempt as early as 1905! (We’re so ahead of the curve!) By the mid 1920's, two dozen states had licensure and 43 by the end of WW2. It’s now available in all 50 states of the US, but it’s also interesting to note that each state has it's own "Scope of Practice." Kansas has probably the most lenient scope, and they can even call themselves Chiropractic Physicians. Not so in Minnesota. We are officially called Doctors of Chiropractic.

You can check out information on each states "Board of Chiropractic Examiners" website. Not too difficult to understand, even for this non-lawyer!

So, the moral of this story is that when choosing a health care provider, you should know the difference between Certified and Licensed, and if your doc is certified but not licensed – then he is or she isn’t a doctor!

Make sure you tune in next week - Dr. David is going to write a post about ergonomics and how it affects you.

Yours in health,

Dr. Jeanne Masanz, DC

http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com 

Office: 612.259.7323

Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!