Is Stress Getting You Down?

We live in a very busy society. There are demands on us from work to perform well. Our families are demanding to help get the children’s homework done, cleaning the house, making dinner, laundry, opening the mail, and our ever favorite paying the bills. These demands build up on each and every one of us and sooner or later stress becomes an obvious character of our lifestyle. Our ability to concentrate decreases, our energy drops, and our sleep lessens with each day. If we can’t learn how to control stress it could start affecting our life in undesirable effects towards our health. What can we do to make life more live-able and more likeable? Believe it our not, our diet can have a major impact on stress. If we eat correctly, we take in all the nutrients or tools our body needs to function, we will be able to handle the stress easier. Just remember that in times of stress, our bodies actually use more micronutrients than normal.

First thing to do is to increase fruits and vegetables. I know you hear this all the time but they are loaded with nutrients for us. Very the colors of the foods you eat. Besides a beautiful plate of food you will have a wider variety of the nutrients in turn. Remember that fresh foods are better than frozen, and frozen are much better than canned which should be avoided with the exception only to tomatoes. Whole grains are always better than refined grains. Eat more lean meats like turkey or chicken. Use oils that are monounsaturated like olive or canola oil.

If we give our bodies the tools it needs to function everyday, we won’t feel the need to add false band-aids for energy everyday. Decrease coffee, soda, and sugars. Yes, they give us some energy but it is most definitely short term. Too much caffeine or refined sugar can make it harder to concentrate, make us irritable, or even give us headaches.

Adding a simple multivitamin and mineral supplement adds to our diet everything that we missed by foods. A good B complex is also needed of its central role in energy production.

Let’s add in some exercise. Did you know that people who exercise regularly are less likely to have depression, tension, and fatigue? Take the dog out for a walk. For one, the dog will love to get out and two, it makes exercise seem less like work and more fun. Take the kids out for a walk. It could be a beautiful time for some one on one. If the weather is bad, why not use the malls?

Give yourself some alone time. Nothing is better than a little meditation. It will give you focus, relaxation, and a positive mental attitude. A simple five to ten minute meditation will calm the mind and body. Find a quiet space and sit while putting one hand on your belly button and the other on your chest. Close your eyes and breathe in though your nose and out your mouth. Concentrate on your breathing and breathe in to the count of 4, pause, and breathe out to the count of 4. As you breathe, think of each body part relaxing from your toes, your feet, your ankles, your legs, and so on. Imagine all stress and tension leaving your body. When you have completed all areas of the body and feel relaxed, you have done your job.

Finally, get some rest. Make sure that you give yourself the time needed to get enough sleep and feel rested. Set priorities and remember that rest is one of them. When you go to bed, shut the TV off. SWEET DREAMS!!!

Are our fruits and veggies losing their nutrition?

A recent study from the Journal of HortScience February 2009 stated that recent decline of 5% to 40% of certain minerals in vegetables and fruits.1

Why is the nutrient concentration decreasing?

One answer may be in the differences in testing from many years ago like failing to completely clean the vegetables giving some differences in nutritional content. Another answer could be because we now be growing bigger fruits and vegetables but the nutrient content is not any more. Essentially, less is more. Also the the higher the plant yield the lower the nutrient content. Farming practices also use more chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides which allow the farmers to harvest the crops earlier giving less time for the absorption of nutrients from the soil. Let's not forget the fact that our soil is already becoming mineral depleted.

The health of our population is getting drastically worse. If we are what we eat, and all of the materials to build a healthy body comes from our food, then we are becoming short on our supplies. Our bodies can not function correctly if they don't have the correct tools to work with. If you didn't think taking a multivitamin was important before than hopefully this information will change your mind. By supplementing your diet with a simple whole food multivitamin, you can replenish the vitamins and minerals that are not getting supplied by your diet. I am not suggesting that you take a "pill" instead of eating a well balanced diet, I am just suggesting that you enhance your diet with a multivitamin.

1. Davis D. Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition: What is the Evidence?. HortScience. February 2009;44:15-19.

Dr. LeeAnn grew up on a farm near a small town in South Dakota. She was introduced to chiropractic care for first time at the age of four when a doctor relieved discomfort associated with a stiff neck. While in college, a chiropractor changed her life for the second time by relieving frequent, painful headaches that were plaguing her. Dr. LeeAnn graduated from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in clinical laboratory science and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. After working in a laboratory in Brookings Hospital, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a chiropractor and enrolled at Northwestern Health Sciences University. She graduated with a doctorate of chiropractic. Several years ago Dr. LeeAnn was struggling with lack of energy, and sinus and gastrointestinal issues. She experienced relief from her symptoms with the help of nutritional work, and is focusing on nutrition to help her patients the way she had been helped.

A normal, healthy body naturally heals from most types of conditions —whether illness or injury. When someone becomes ill or has a condition of any sort, a barrier to natural healing has developed and must be identified. No matter what supplements or recovery methods are tried, if the barrier is not identified and removed, optimal health potential cannot be reached. Typical barriers to the body’s health are a weak immune system, allergies and the effects of toxic chemicals and heavy metals on the body. If the body is not functioning to its greatest potential it can not achieve overall health and well-being while many issues from weight problems, poor digestion, allergies, or many other conditions from the bodies deficiencies develop.

The health of your body, your organs and individual cells are based on live foods (unlike soda, junk food, canned vegetables, food with preservatives, man-made foods, etc.). Malnourished bodies will crave food until the missing nutrients are replenished. Without these essential nutrients and minerals, the deficiencies and imbalances in the body can lead to a breakdown in immunity and a loss of the ability to cope with external stresses. Similar to fixing the cracks in the foundation of a house to build a solid, safe home, fixing the cracks in the foundation of your health can build a strong, vital body that can withstand stresses of everyday life.

Daily food intake choices and supplements help re-balance the body, give the body a solid healthy foundation, allow the body to have nutrients it needs to function optimally, and in turn help give more energy for a happier, healthier life. Many of the bodies underlying causes for the expression of many diseases (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, chemical sensitivities/allergies, and hormone imbalances) can be found in your body’s nutrition.