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As adults we know the saying “you are what you eat”, but it is not until we become parents that the saying broadens to “your family is what YOU eat”.  Frightening, I know.  The quick bite to eat at the drive through when running late, the habitual bowl of ice cream at night and the ever nutritious cup of coffee (and if you only have one, you’re good) to start the day off become imprints on our children’s’ impressionable minds of what being “healthy” really is.

I pride myself on being up to date on nutrition for my children.  They have been given a largely organic, low sugar, whole wheat diet from birth.  My biggest frustration as a parent is their lack of, let’s call it “enthusiasm” for vegetables.  It has been a source of frustration every evening for the past four and a half years.  I’ve bribed, overly praised, made fun veggie kabobs, and even resorted to hiding veggies through puree in their foods only to find myself slowly giving up at times.  It was not until recently that I looked around our evening table to discover the leaders of our tribe, my husband and I, were falling short in the “health” department too.  We have three children under five, my husband works a demanding job and I stay home to do pretty much everything.  (There are my excuses)  Even with all that said what WE eat as a family effect every waking hour of our lives.  This is too important to say there is not enough time in the day.

My husband decided to begin the clear path detox program with his main goal being weight loss.  The wonderful, supportive wife I am (I am smiling while I write this) served foods he could enjoy on the detox which included mainly veggies, fruits and whole grains.  I was embarrassed when our daughter, who is four years old, says the first night “Why are you eating that”?  Are you kidding me?  Whole, nutritious foods cause alarm in our children, but Mc Donald’s was perfectly normal?  This only added fuel to our fire.  I have to say my husband is doing awesome on the program.  He is down over fifteen pounds (in just a few weeks), feels more energized and really thinking about what he puts into his body.  The best part is about a week into the program my children were getting excited about these wonderful, nutritious foods and adding new veggies to their diet.  I was shocked and a little speechless.  No coercing or bribes, just leadership and being a good example!

Parenthood is a noble calling when done right.  I always joke that I knew the answer to everything until the day our first born arrived and the moment she looked at me I realized I didn’t know much at all.  What I have learned so far is that the solution to most problems is less complicated than it seems.  If nutrition is something that keeps your parental brain awake at night simply add color to your plate.  Show your crew how enjoyable REAL food can be and take inventory of what you consume because the apple literally does not fall far from the tree.

Motherly Moments- Alexis, Chiropractic Assistant

The Clear Path Program

The Clear path program has two parts: 1) the 10 or 28 day detox phase and 2) reintroduction of healthy food phase. Each phase integrates a specialized product called medical food. This program is like resting your digestive system back to its original settings.

The detox phase is composed of eating a detoxing diet while eliminating foods such as sugar, soda, artificial sweeteners, dairy, caffeine, and meat.  During the 10 days most of your meals will consist of fruits, veggies and legumes (beans).  Additionally, during this time you will integrate a medical food called UltraClear Plus PH. This product is designed to help you liver pull out toxins while shifting your body’s PH to a more neutral state. (less acidic)  This step prepares you your body’s receptors and intestines for a new nutritional program.

The second phase of the Clear Path Program is to start reintroducing good nutrition back into your body again while taking a medical food called UltraMeal Plus 360 and UltraMeal Bar.  This medical food is nutritional support for the management of conditions associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.  The result of treating each condition is less body fat and more energy plus it helps your body create a state of better muscle building.  This comes with a guide (if needed) to guide you though a meal plan to fit your desired goals.

The Clear Path Program

The Clear path program has two parts: 1) the 10 or 28 day detox phase and 2) reintroduction of healthy food phase. Each phase integrates a specialized product called medical food. This program is like resting your digestive system back to its original settings.

The detox phase is composed of eating a detoxing diet while eliminating foods such as sugar, soda, artificial sweeteners, dairy, caffeine, and meat.  During the 10 days most of your meals will consist of fruits, veggies and legumes (beans).  Additionally, during this time you will integrate a medical food called UltraClear Plus PH. This product is designed to help you liver pull out toxins while shifting your body’s PH to a more neutral state. (less acidic)

The second phase of the Clear Path Program is to start reintroducing good nutrition back into your body again while taking a medical food called UltraMeal Plus 360 and UltraMeal Bar.  This medical food is designed to decrease the bad cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing the good cholesterol.  Also this medial food reduced inflammation and promotes lean muscle mass.  This comes with a guide (if needed) to guide you though a meal plan to fit your desired goals.

Clear Path Program includes:
UltraClear Plus PH
UltraMeal Plus 360
UltraMeal Bar
Quick start Guide to Detoxification
Ultra Meal Guide
Clear Path Case

Cost: $165.95

Chiropractic Thought for the Week:

Recent study shows that hamstring and lower limb muscle strain injuries can be dramatically reduced

A recent study shows that hamstring and lower limb muscle strain injuries can be dramatically reduced through the inclusion of a sports chiropractor in the traditional injury management programs adopted by sports teams which generally involve a mix of physiotherapy,  massage and strength and conditioning management. “The study lasted an entire season and involved 59 players from two Australian Football League clubs,” Dr. Wayne Hoskins, study author, said. “The group which included chiropractic management had a four per cent chance of a hamstring injury and a four per cent chance of a lower limb muscle strain. The group which received the traditional management  had a 17 per cent chance of hamstring injury and a 28 per cent chance of a lower limb muscle strain.” - BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Visit the Chiropractic Lifestyle Nutritional  Store

At first I thought the term medical food was just another way to market a product.  I have learned that to be classified as a “medical food” the food has to be designed and show to treat a specific condition.  It made more sense to me when I thought of it in terms of people in hospitals that are being fed through a tube are being fed medical food.  At that time they obviously have some type of condition which requires high quality nutrition to help them recover.

The detox program that I am currently going through incorporates medical food.  This food is desinged to treat the condition of Metabolic Syndrome. The metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include:

• Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
• Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
• Elevated blood pressure
• Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
• Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
• Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)

The purpose of incorporating this medical food with a detox type of diet is to help the body shift from an acidic PH while helping the liver pull out toxins.  Doing this is like resetting the body’s digestive system back to factory settings.  Once this is done it is time to incorporate healthy foods back into the body.  I do not have a Metabolic Syndrome but like most people I would like to have more muscle and less fat and this is a way to achieve my goals.  If you would like to check out this product just click on the link.  UltraClear Plus PH Medical Food

This is step one in a program called Clear Path.  For more information just call (913)768-0000

Understanding the balance of acid and alkaline in the body.

The cells of the human body depend on a balanced acid-alkaline pH. If any fluids are abnormal, digestive enzymes are rendered inactive, food does not digest properly, and allergic reactions can result. Food bound microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, parasites; molds, viruses, etc. are liberated in the body, which puts stress on the immune system.

The body is largely made up of water, a medium which is biologically useful in allowing nutrients, oxygen and bio-chemicals to be transported from place to place. This water-based medium can have either acid or alkaline properties that are measured by a graduated scale called pH (for potential hydrogen), wherein 1.0 to 6.9 is considered acidic, 7.0 is neutral and 7.1 to 14.0 is alkaline. The lower the pH number, the greater the acidity, and the higher the pH number, the greater the alkalinity. Optimally, we want the fluids in our bodies to have a neutral or 7.0-7.2 pH level. Under 5.3 you can not assimilate vitamins or minerals, it must be above 6.4 for maximum utilization and weight loss. Urine or saliva pH levels should be tested in A.M. prior to eating, drinking, or exercising.

Why should we be concerned about pH levels?

Since most of the body is water-based (50-60%), the pH level has profound effects on all body chemistry, health and disease. All regulatory mechanisms (including breathing, circulation, digestion, hormonal production) serve the purpose of balancing pH, by removing caustic metabolized acid residues from body tissues without damaging living cells. If the pH deviates too far to the acid side or too far to the alkaline side, cells become poisoned by their own toxic waste and die. Just as acid rain can destroy a forest and alkaline wastes can pollute a lake; an imbalanced pH corrodes all body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of veins and arteries like corrosives eating into marble. If left unchecked, an imbalanced pH will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain.

Ultra Clear Plus PH is a type of medical food that is specifically designed for a condition call Metabolic Syndrome. Besides helping the liver detox the body it will also lower the PH of the body.

Wellington, April 8 New Zealand - Giving birth might become an easier and safer experience through chiropractic techniques that are being researched by New Zealand specialists.  “We are working with a number of pregnant women here in New Zealand; and the University of Australia in Sydney, which is also involved in the study, is testing hundreds of women,” Dr Kruger said.  “We are using state of the art 4D ultrasound to visualize the pelvic floor of women, pre and post chiropractic adjustments. We want to see whether spinal adjustments can alter the way the pelvic floor works. That way, their health professionals can work with them before birth and take special precautions once they are in hospital, to give them the best chance of having a safe, trouble-free birth.”  New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association spokesman, Dr Simon Kelly, hoped the results would mean health professionals were able to offer pregnant women a greater level of preventive care and support.

Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables that are in the cabbage family

Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables that are in the cabbage family.  Cruciferous vegetables make up a large variety of vegetable choices.  The most commonly known cruciferous vegetables are broccoli and cauliflower.  Other cruciferous vegetables include horse radish, kale, collard greens, cabbage, brussel sprouts, turnips, rape seed (what canola oil is manufactured from), mustard seed, radishes, and one of my personal favorites, wasabi.

There is a direct link to cruciferous vegetable consumption and cancer prevention

Cruciferous vegetables contain a healthy amount of fiber and are packed with vitamins and minerals.  Most importantly, research is showing that there is a direct link to cruciferous vegetable consumption and cancer prevention.   In a 1996 research review in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 70% or more of the studies reviewed found a link between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer.  Specifically, a study performed by Ohio State University isolated phytochemicals that, not only may prevent cancer, but also inhibited existing cancer cells from spreading.  Researchers found colorectal, bladder and prostate cancer were three cancers in which eating cruciferous vegetables showed a lot of promise in the area of prevention.   They also found that people who consume cruciferous vegetables on a regular basis.had a decreased risk of cancers of the lung, liver and cervix.

So Powerful they could interfere with certain medications

It must be mentioned that some of the phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables are so powerful that they could interfere with certain prescription medications, as well as some thyroid conditions, so please check with your doctor or pharmacist before launching into a cruciferous vegetable feeding frenzy.  For the rest of the population, it makes perfect sense to add broccoli, cauliflower, and the many other varieties of cruciferous vegetables to our diet on a daily basis.

The Egg ….. If any all-natural food is most maligned, it has to be the egg.

Of all the natural foods, one may have the most falsely placed reputation for being unhealthy to eat. If any all-natural food is most maligned, it has to be the egg. For the most part, people are afraid to eat eggs for fear of increasing their cholesterol levels. The bottom line is that, while egg yolks do contain cholesterol, dietary cholesterol is not always a bad thing.

Eating a lot of dietary cholesterol doesn’t necessarily increase blood levels of cholesterol

Cholesterol is essential for healthy nerves and tissue cells in our body. Cholesterol also has an important role in fat digestion and absorption. Recent research has shown that eating a lot of dietary cholesterol doesn’t necessarily increase blood levels of cholesterol. As a matter of fact, a 25-year study by Arizona State University found that people who ate two eggs a day showed no increase in blood cholesterol levels, whatsoever. Researchers figure the main culprit in high cholesterol levels is saturated fat. Saturated fat is the fat that is found in animal flesh (beef and pork) and diary products (milk, cheese and butter).

Eggs are good for the eyes

The egg itself is one of the most complete foods on the planet. The nutrient content of the egg could solve most of the world’s nutritional deficiency problems. Eggs are high in many vitamins and minerals and have been found to contain the purest form of protein in whole foods. In addition, eggs are good for the eyes; their nutrients may protect against macular degeneration and lower the risk of cataracts.

Egg promotes healthy hair and nails

The vitamin and mineral content of the egg promotes healthy hair and nails. Also, interestingly enough, the egg is one of few foods that contain naturally occurring Vitamin D. Thankfully, nutritional research is improving the “reputation” of the egg. So much so, that we can once again sing the catchy advertising slogan, “The incredible, edible, egg!”

High Quality Protein