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Completing the Triangle of Health with Better Nutrition
By Kathleen D. Baumgardner, D.C.
We know the body is a self-healing mechanism. It’s helpful to view health as a triangle with three components—structural, chemical and mental—forming equilateral sides.
When any of the triangle’s sides are out of balance, our health is compromised and difficult to maintain. Thus, we should be aware of all aspects of the triangle.
The Health Triangle
Structural: Pain from one part of the body could be caused by a misalignment in the spine. It’s important to detect and eliminate restrictions; and ensure proper biomechanics and posture. Utilizing specific exercises for rehabilitation at home can help stabilize and complement your care.
Emotional: The reduction of stress is a key factor in improving the body’s ability to heal. Utilizing breathing, visualization and relaxation techniques helps regain control over stress, enhancing the healing process.
Chemical: Try to remove as many distractions to the body’s healing process as possible. This includes lessening the dependence on unnecessary medications, and most importantly, improving nutrition.
Proper nutrition builds tissue and provides the basic raw materials for normal body function. For example, fats are needed to produce hormones; carbohydrates generate energy; and an appropriate amount of bacteria breaks food down properly.
Elements Of Poor Nutrition
It is interesting to note that the top three deadly diseases in the United States today are cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. The risks for all these diseases can be reduced with better eating habits. Improved eating habits result in less obesity.
Studies show that 61 percent of the U.S. population is overweight, and 27 percent are clinically obese, almost double the number of obese Americans in the 1970s. Society, social settings, business demands, government policies and our high-stress lifestyles have enabled us to reduce our nutritional priorities. Fast food has become a necessity for our chaotic lifestyles, and fast food restaurants make indulging trouble-free with their many “super-sized” options.
Many elements contribute to our lack of proper nutrition:
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Empty calorie foods contain large amounts of calories with a low value of essential vitamins, minerals and proteins.
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Processed foods contain much added fat, sugar, sodium and chemical additives.
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Fresh produce may have a decreased value of vitamins and minerals due to poor soil quality.
We have an inadequate intake of water, an increased consumption of animal fats and poor quality fats, and an increased intake of soft drinks, which are high in phosphates.
The Road To Proper Nutrition
The consequences of our deprived diets include poor anti-inflammatory effects, weak tissue repair and the degeneration of a general level of health, wellness and fitness.
You can make your own nutritional adjustments by:
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Eliminating foods that produce inflammatory responses, such as poor quality fats, hydrogenated or saturated fats, arachadonic acid found in animal fat and dairy products, and increasing the consumption of fish and poultry without skin.
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Sufficient vegetable, fruit and olive oil consumption insures an adequate intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients.
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Consuming carbohydrates in the form of complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain, fruit and vegetables) should be 40 to 50 percent of energy (calorie) intake.
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Reducing fat consumption to no more than 30 percent of total caloric intake and balancing it with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
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Consuming protein at approximately 25 percent of the daily energy or caloric intake. An adequate balance among carbohydrates, protein and fat insures proper glycemic regulation.
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Increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain and legume products.
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Decreasing the consumption of sugar and hidden-sugar rich foods, including alcohol.
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Decreasing the consumption of salt and hidden-salt rich foods.
source: adapted from Today’s Chiropractic (Sept/Oct 2002)