We all know we’re supposed to eat better – right?  Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.  Every two years the amount of information on nutrition expands by two fold. Yet, American’s waist lines are also expanding.

Yet despite a wealth of knowledge available to Americans on the subject of nutrition, obesity, cancer, heart disease and diabetes are all on the rise. Sixty percent of Americans are now considered obese! If we know so much about nutrition, including calories, fat, protein, and sodium, why do Americans continue to decline in health? Simply because the “Standard American Diet” (SAD) is far from healthy! Highly processed packaged foods that are mass-marketed to the busy families of today are typically high in refined fats and sugars, low in fiber, full of simple carbohydrates, and rarely resemble real food in any way.

Reading the labels, we find words like monosodium glutamate, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates and nitrites, preservatives and artificial flavors and colors. These ingredients are unnatural for the human body to digest and are slowly chipping away at the health of our nation.

Where can you start? Ask your chiropractor for a list of truly healthy foods that you should look for at the supermarket. Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, good proteins, pure water, and unrefined sugars will become part of your weekly grocery list. Your chiropractor may also suggest nutritional supplements to complement a healthy diet, or fill in the gaps due to previously compromised health.

Add one new, nutritious food each week. Try a vegetable your family may not have eaten before. Buy a loaf of delicious 100% whole wheat bread. Consider replacing some of the sugar in your favorite home baking with honey. Roast a chicken, using sea salt and fresh herbs. If you have children, involve them in the shopping and cooking process, it will help them open up to new foods!

A great way to look at your plate is to divide as follows:  half should be vegetables, one fourth as complex carbohydrates, and the other one fourth as lean protein.  Follow this and you will have amazing results.

Shop with information and confidence, knowing that your future vitality is in your hands! Good nutrition helps reduce chemical stresses to our body; therefore reducing subluxations and helping your body maintain your chiropractic adjustments.