Monday, June 27, 2011

Don't "Choose My Plate"

As of June 2, 2011 our government has put out a new image to help us eat a more balanced diet. No more food pyramid. Hello Food Plate!

Why is it that we have to be told what to eat? Seriously. How is that Americans are so out of touch with their food? Well, it started ages ago with the introduction of packaged & processed foods when we gave up nutrition for convenience. To learn more about how this happened & continues to happen read, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. It's a fascinating read.

O.K. back to the food plate. I'm grateful that there are initiatives to help people eat a more balanced & healthy diet, but where is the science that says eating all these grains is beneficial & NEEDED?


This is what the plate looks like with actual food. WOW! 6 servings of grains are recommended & only 2 servings of protein. I sometimes have to scratch my head wondering what ties these scientists have to the pharmaceutical & food industries. Let's get real folks. Besides water, most of your body is made up of protein. Your muscles & organs & your tissues. The body breaks down proteins into tiny substrates called amino acids which are then used to rebuild your heart, your liver, your muscles, etc. It is a vital component to your health.

Carbohydrates in the form that most Americans are consuming them (processed) are troublesome (my nice word for what I really think they are). Once in your body carbohydrates are converted into sugar. And what does your body do with that sugar? Well if it doesn't get used up as energy, it gets stored as fat. Yup, fat! With government recommendations like this, obesity & massive health problems are the inevitable result.

In our office, we not only can help you have better structural alignment, but we can help you nutritionally as well. Dr. Terri has studied nutrition for several years now & can help you get a better handle on what you're eating. Sometimes we all just need a little nudge to start making better decisions.

One last thing. Of these 5 items listed below, which one of them would you least like to see destroyed or eliminated?

  1. Your car
  2. Your TV
  3. Your cell phone
  4. You job
  5. You health
If you answered number 5, what are you waiting for? Call 781-826-555 for a nutritional consultation.

~Dr. Terri

p.s. If answered anything other than # 5, you need help that I can't give you.