Do you read food labels?

Do you eat healthy food?

These two questions lay the basis for our misunderstanding of healthy diets.  First, reading food labels is a common starting place for most people who would like to become more health conscious.  It is a place that we know we can look for information about the food we are eating.  However, the information contained in this area is sometimes deceptive.  This occurs due to number watching.  People look at the RDA's for vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein, fats, etc... to assess the quality of what they are eating.  Value is placed by consumer on certain statistics in the RDA section and a choice is made whether to purchase that food for our family or yourself. 

That brings about the second question of whether your food is healthy or not.  The valuation of RDA statistics will often time lead us down the wrong road.  The ingredients section lists some vital information that reveals more of the story.  To a certain degree this part is the most important part of a label.  Navigating the information on the label can be simplified by understanding a few simple guidelines. 

Here are some general guidelines that will help you make a great decision when shopping:

1. If you can buy organic food; buy it and eat it.
   1. Organic produce contains more nutrients per serving than conventional produce.
   2. Conventional produce has pesticides in and on it, organic produce has far lower levels in and on it.
   3. Organic food has less additives.
   4. A decreased toxic load from food is very important, especially for children.
2. If the ingredient section lists ingredients other than food (i.e.fruit, meat, vegetables, etc…), be skeptical.
   1. Food additives, whether they are "vitamins" or minerals are often derived from sources other than food.  These chemicals are not the same as food and the body knows the difference.
3. If the food does not look like it did when it was harvested (meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruit, etc…) you should limit your intake.
   1. When food is changed from its original shape, it limits the shelf life.  That usually means that it has been processed to some extent as well.  The more your food is processed before you get it, the more likely it will be laden with more chemicals.
4. Always buy organic meat & poultry, and wild fish & shellfish when you can.  Especially if you are eating organ meat (heart, liver, etc…).
   1. Growth hormones, faulty feeding techniques, and food additives make conventionally raised livestock and farmed seafood a poorer and more toxic choice.
5. If in doubt, leave it out of your diet.
   1. Trust your instincts.  Don't trust the label claims like: No Trans Fats, No Cholesterol, Low Carb, No added sugar, All natural, etc…  These are bold-faced sales tactics designed to distract you from the often long list of additives in the food.  Cholesterol is not a concern if you are eating the correct amount of vegetables.  There are no trans fats in food grown from the ground or in animals.  Trust yourself and not the marketing.

Dr. Richard Robles, DC

231 N. Euclid Ave.

Upland, CA 91786

For more health information and service info please visit:

www.LucidForce.com

www.UplandChiropractic.com

www.UplandAcupuncture.com

We offer chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy services in Upland, CA and Sherman Oaks.

We have opened a new location at 231 N. Euclid Ave. in Upland, CA.  We are proud members of the Upland Chamber of Commerce.  We are accepting new patients for all providers and look forward to serving the community.  Visit us online at
www.UplandChiropractic.com
or
www.LucidForce.com 

Please call today to book your first appointment!

(909) 949-0155

Diabetes is a group of diseases in which defects in insulin production, activity, or both cause high blood sugar (glucose) levels. The three most common types of diabetes account for 95-99% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Type I Diabetes Mellitus (previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM] or juvenile-onset diabetes) accounts for 5-10% of all cases of diabetes in the U.S. Type I diabetics lack the ability to produce insulin due to autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells located in the endocrine cells of the pancreas. Onset typically occurs in children or young adults, but can develop at any age. Although there are no known methods to prevent Type I diabetes, some risk factors may be autoimmune, genetic or environmental.

Type II Diabetes Mellitus (previously called noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes) accounts for 90-95% of all cases of diabetes in the U.S. Type II diabetics typically develop a resistance to insulin, followed by the eventual inability to produce the hormone effectively. An increased predisposition to develop Type II diabetes is associated with obesity, older age, a family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. Prevention of Type II diabetes has been associated with weight loss and an increase in physical activity.

Gestational diabetes develops in some pregnant women and is hallmarked by intolerance to glucose (higher that normal blood sugar levels). Occurrence of gestational diabetes is more common among obese women, those with a family history of diabetes, and is more frequently seen among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians. Additionally, gestational diabetes increases the likelihood of the woman developing diabetes by 20-50% over the next 5-10 years and approximately 5-10% of women with gestational diabetes will be diagnosed with Type II diabetes postpartum.

Type II diabetes is a disease of adaptation due to the inability of the body to appropriately handle the stress of consistently fluctuating blood sugar levels, resulting in insulin resistance. The American diet has changed significantly over the past century as technology and industry have provided more convenient ways to provide food to even the most rural areas. Along with an increase in readily available food sources, the incidence of insidious diseases such as Type II diabetes, obesity, syndrome X (metabolic syndrome), and pre-diabetes have also increased. So, when making healthy changes to the diet and lifestyle of you and your family remember: in general, the more processed a food, the less inherent nutritional value it contains.

Dr. Richard Robles

www.lucidforce.com

Reference:

For more traditional information regarding diabetes, please visit:

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general05.htm#what

True nutritional content and functional food

Much of the focus today, with respect to the nutritional content of food, is placed on how much of a given vitamin or mineral it can provide and the calorie content. This small picture of food analysis ignores several important aspects related to the promotion of health. Food is more than just calories, vitamins and minerals. An interesting fact is: despite fortification & genetic alteration of foods to target dietary recommended daily intake values, the morbidity rates from chronic conditions, such as diabetes & obesity, continue to rise. To appreciate the effectiveness of food we need to step back and look at the larger picture. The first step to this realization is understanding that vitamins are more than just antioxidants. For example, vitamin C (a.k.a. ascorbic acid) is a complex structure which contains factors such as bioflavinoids, rutin, and enzymes which are preserved by an antioxidant (ascorbic acid). In truth, the many health benefits of vitamin C are eliminated with synthetic vitamin C supplementation or fortification, which only constitutes the antioxidant portion of the vitamin C complex, namely ascorbic acid. Stepping back from this picture it becomes apparent that what you see is not always what you get. The nutrition label on a box of cereal, for example, may indicate that a serving contains 50% of the recommended daily value (RDV) for vitamin C. However, more than 90% of the time it is rated by ascorbic acid content. Now consider broccoli. A serving of broccoli crowns contains 130% of the RDV for vitamin C (ascorbic acid) as well as the constituents of the vitamin C complex which help maintain vascular integrity & make blood vessels tougher and more durable (vitamin P factors), promote coagulation (vitamin K), and increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood (J factors). The trade-off is not worth it if you can prevent it.