Nutritional Counseling

What can I do on a regular basis to support good nutrition and wellness and avoid frequent visit to the doctor?

• DRINK COLD WATER IN THE A.M. Start your day with a cold glass of water. Scientific tests have shown that drinking water on an empty stomach jump-starts your metabolism, helps your body digest and absorb vitamins, and assists in detoxification.
• TAKE ESSENTIAL VITAMINS & MINERALS Even if you cannot afford to purchase all of the herbs, vitamins, and minerals you need, at the very least you should make sure you are taking Calcium, B12, Omega-3, a multi-vitamin, and keep a natural antibiotic on hand for messy situations, colds, and flu’s.
• TRACK YOUR FOOD INTAKE Keep track of what you eat on a regular basis; create a food diary.
• FIND OUT YOUR BLOOD TYPE Ask your doctor to give you your Blood Type or have a test done to find out. The best food plans are based on blood types. For instance, a Type O might become deathly ill over time if put on a vegetarian or vegan diet, assuming they take in little to no protein. Type O’s are a blood type that require high amounts of protein; while dairy products have a tendency to cause them upset stomachs, acid reflux, constipation, and more.
• AVOID PROCESSED FOODS Try to avoid highly processed foods (candies, snack foods, convenience foods), or foods high in refined sugar or flour, as these tend to have low levels of important vitamins and minerals. (ex: Sugars are known to promote bone loss/deterioration. read more)
• EAT FRESH FRUITS Try to keep some fresh fruits around, and eat at least one fruit per day.
• FASTING It’s helpful to fast for a few days every couple of months, as this helps release toxins that are stored up from poor eating habits, irregular bowel movements (a healthy amount would be three or more times per day), etc.
• BLOOD TESTING Have it done every 6 months to a year. The results will inform you of any deficiencies or progress you’ve made through your diet and/or nutritional regimen.
• GET ADEQUATE SLEEP Make sure you’re getting adequate sleep, roughly 8-9 hours. Allow yourself an additional 15 to 30 minutes to fall asleep. Often we mistakenly insist that we’ve had 8 hours of sleep, when in fact, it may have taken about 30 minutes to finally drift off.
• MANAGE YOUR STRESS Learn to manage stress in productive ways. Sign-up for Yoga or take Martial Arts classes. Not only will they help alleviate stress and emotional conflicts, but you’d also be tackling the exercise your body needs everyday .
• ADOPT A PET If you don’t already own a pet, we highly suggest you look into adopting one. Whether you’re fascinated by turtles, ferrets, or iguanas, it has been proven that owning a pet increases happiness and overall health!

In order to stay healthy, what is a good basic supplement program? Each person is unique, so each person’s nutritional needs would also be unique to them. Having said that, a prudent course of action to stay healthy would begin with eating a healthy diet. This means to avoid highly processed foods (candies, snack foods, convenience foods), or foods high in refined sugar or flour, as these tend to have low levels of important vitamins and minerals.

A high quality multiple vitamin-mineral supplement is helpful to “fill in the gaps” in the diet. While other nutrients also may be helpful, it is important to remember our individuality and discuss the specific additional nutrients you might need with your nutritionally-oriented health care practitioner.

Why is it necessary to take vitamin supplements to be healthy? The simplest answer is because most people eat a poor diet. Studies show that the average diet in the US consists of too much fat, too much sugar, not enough fiber and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are eating plenty of calories, but they are often “empty” calories, meaning that they have very low levels of the essential vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy. Since the majority of meals in the US are currently eaten in restaurants or “on the run” it makes good sense to take a vitamin supplement to fill in the gaps in our diet.

While it is important to remember the value of a nutritional supplement in maintaining health, we should never think that taking a supplement replaces a good diet. In other words, the first and by far most important step is to improve the quality of our diet, and then take a supplement as a nutritional insurance policy to make sure we get all we need.

Why cant I get everything I need from my diet? There are several reasons for this. First, remember that as a society, our dietary habits have changed over the past couple of generations. A healthy diet consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Fruits and vegetables should be preferably fresh; fresh frozen is still good but not as good as “off the farm” fresh! Recent studies indicate that the majority of meals in the US are eaten in restaurants rather than in the home.

Restaurant food tends to be too high in fat and sugar. Additionally, convenience foods now make up a much higher percentage of the average diet than in the past. In some people well over 60% of their food is from so-called “empty” calorie foods (candy, sweets, chips, or other highly processed foods that contain very little real nutritional value other than calories). Remember that the more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a low nutritional value.

Another factor is the high stresses found in today’s fast-paced and busy life. The greater the external stresses, the higher the nutritional demands on the body. Eating a poor-quality diet robs you of the nutritional factors necessary to help you stay healthy.

Lastly, many people are simply unaware of how to shop for healthy foods. Convenience and taste become the major criteria for food selection, while nutritional value is given little attention, if any at all.

Many nutritional researchers point to the rising problems of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diseases of modern society as evidence of the deteriorating quality of the diet most people consume. If you have questions about your diet, it is important that you discuss them with your healthcare provider on your next visit.

Can you customize my session around a specific symptom or concern I have? This is a very common factor in our consultations. Many of us would like to target one issue in question, not just improve our overall health. When you inform our Health Care Providers what your primary concerns are, they can begin customizing your full plan geared specifically towards reaching your goals. Your happiness and improvement is of upmost concern, and we want to fulfill your expectations fully.

Where do vitamins come from? Vitamins are substances found in food that are required by your body to convert the food into energy. Since we cannot manufacture these substances, we need to get them from our diet. Unfortunately, the foods that many of us choose to eat have had most of the vitamins processed out.

As many as thirty or forty vitamins and minerals may be taken out of our food, a dozen added back, and the food is then called “enriched.” Generally the richest source of vitamins and minerals comes from fresh fruits, vegetables and grains; the worst sources are snack foods such as candy, chips, or highly-processed white flour bread or bakery items.

While these may be OK in small quantities, they make up a significant proportion of many peoples’ diet, which may put them at risk to nutritional deficiencies.

What do vitamins do in the body? In order to accomplish all of the thousands of day-to-day functions of your body, the food you eat every day must be converted into energy and raw materials (building blocks for muscles, bones, ligaments enzymes, hormones, and so on). To do all this, vitamins are required. Since we humans lack the ability to manufacture these critical nutrients in our bodies, we have to get them in our diet.

Generally, vitamins perform three major functions: 1. They are “cofactors” and catalysts for enzymes, which means they are required for the enzymes to do their jobs. The B-complex vitamins B1 and B2, for example are required for every function in the body that requires production of energy (which means every function!) 2. They act as antioxidants, which means they prevent highly reactive molecules called free radicals from damaging delicate cell membrane structure. Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants, protecting cell membranes from free radicals. 3. They act as “pre-hormones.” For example, vitamin D functions as a hormone to facilitate calcium uptake and utilization.

What do minerals do in the body? Minerals have very many important functions; life could not exist without them. Iron is required for the manufacture of the chemical hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood to all the cells of the body. Calcium is necessary for strong bones, and for transmission of messages within cells and from cell to cell. Magnesium is required for production of energy from the food you eat; and a selenium-containing molecule protects the body from damage by free radicals.

What are antioxidants? Antioxidants are a group of chemical compounds that protect against free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules produced naturally, or induced by exposure to things like radiation, certain chemical pollutants, or other sources.

When free radicals come into contact with healthy cell membranes, they cause damage to the membrane and may ultimately cause the cell to die. Antioxidants prevent this damage by “quenching” the free radical and thus helping maintain health and proper function of the cell. In food, antioxidants are often the substances that give food their color or strong flavor; this is why choosing a naturally “colorful” diet can be a very healthy idea!

Are minerals safe to take? Generally, Yes, in the ranges that most vitamins are available as supplements. Vitamins are divided into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. The water soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) cannot be stored by the body, so they are generally quite safe, even in quantities higher than you would normally get in your diet.

The fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A or D can be stored by the body, so it is possible to build up a level that could be harmful. It is therefore important that you discuss ALL your vitamin consumption with your healthcare provider, to make sure you are getting the optimal amount for your health while not running the risk of taking more than would be safe for you.

Are vitamins safe to take? While the levels of most vitamins and minerals recommended by your healthcare practitioner is considered safe, remember that too much of anything can be potentially harmful.

Even such life-sustaining things as water and sunlight have an upper limit of safety. While certain minerals such as calcium are generally quite safe even when taken in relatively high amounts, your body’s requirements for other minerals such as iron or selenium are much lower and therefore have a smaller safety range as well.

Be sure and inform your healthcare provider of all supplements, herbs or medications you are taking so the optimal levels can be determined for you, including an adequate safety margin.

Are herbs safe to take? Most herbs, when used according to longstanding herbal traditions, are not only effective but safe. Herbs have been used in the treatment and support of human health for thousands of years.

During that time much has been learned about what herbs can do, how to prepare them and which herbs are to be used for what purposes. In the hands of an experienced and qualified professional, herbs can work wonders! But herbs contain complex chemicals that, when used improperly, can cause harm as well.

It is important to remember that the fact that herbs do work also means that they cause chemical changes in the body (that’s how they work!) and that sometimes those changes may not be what is desired.

Caution is particularly advised during pregnancy, when taking herbs and pharmaceutical medications together, or when taking herbs for extended periods of time. For these reasons, it is always advisable to discuss all herbs or supplements you are taking (or considering whether to take) with your health care practitioner.

What is a “megavitamin/multi-vitamin?” A megavitamin/multi-vitamin is the term applied to a nutritional supplement that contains levels of vitamins and minerals much higher than what would normally be obtained from your diet.