Three Dangerous Food Additives to Avoid At All Costs

The food we eat is more processed than ever before. This is due to the way our food gets to our table and how our food industry has developed over the past 50 years. Additives are used mostly to preserve, stabilize, and manipulate our food, but they can also lead to ill effects on our health. Even major chain restaurants such as Panera are wising up and taking the time to rid their menu of additives.   Here are the top three on my list to avoid!

Hydrogenated Oils

Food manufacturers began using hydrogenated oils to increase the shelf life of products and to save on costs. When a liquid unsaturated fat is manipulated into solid form, hydrogen is needed to stabilize the oil. This is how trans fats are made. These hydrogenated oils increase your LDL Cholesterol and lower your HDL Cholesterol, a good way to create increased stress on your cardiovascular system.

Common Culprits of hydrogenated oils include:

·         Margarine

·         vegetable shortening

·         packaged snacks

·         Prepackaged baked good

·         Fried food

·         Coffee creamers

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Glutamate is a naturally occurring amino acid that the body uses and needs. However, synthetic manipulation and processing of glutamate produces a form that is not found in nature and can be a toxin when ingested. Common symptoms from people that ingest MSG included headaches, flushing, poor attention, and weakness in the arms and legs.

Common Culprits of MSG include:

·         Soy sauce

·         Chicken Flavoring

·         Seasonings

·         Soy Protein

·         Corn Starch

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is an extract from a red seaweed that is used as a thickener or emulsifier to improve the texture of ice cream, soy milk, cheese, and other processed foods. Research has shown that carrageenan causes inflammation and that’s a big problem considering inflammation is the underlying constant for major diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Common reactions to carrageenan include skin rashes and digestive disturbances.

Common Culprits of Carrageenan include:

·         Flavored milk

·         Cottage cheese

·         Cream

·         Ice Cream

·         Yogurt

·         Non-dairy milk replacements (such as soy, coconut, or almond)

·         Certain deli meats

Let these lists serve as a guide.  Cleaning up your diet can feel overwhelming at first until you learn to recognize these harmful additives.  Take a few minutes while you’re out at the grocery store to read the labels of the foods you purchase.  Replacing foods that contain these additives with products that don’t can make a big difference in how you feel and function day to day.

There are only two weeks left before Election Day on November 8th, and for most people that day cannot come soon enough. According to the American Psychological Association, half of Americans report that the 2016 election has been a source of SIGNIFICANT stress. This is the current reality that most of us are dealing with regardless of which side of the aisle you are supporting.

What can we do about Election stress, or any stress that we encounter?

Luckily for us, the human body is designed to deal with stressors, big or small. Within our bodies, there is an Automatic Operating System (aOS).  The sole purpose of the aOS is to organize our systems (i.e. digestive, cardiovascular, and immune) to combat and adapt to stresses that we encounter on a day to day basis.

As an (extreme) example, if you find yourself suddenly locked in a room with a hungry lion, how would your body react in that moment?

Your heart rate would increase, the blood in your body would be directed to your limbs, and your brain would be focused on an escape (flight) or a way to fend off (fight) this hungry threat! Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, would flood your system. This is the flight or fight response of your aOS. When we encounter stress, this system kicks into gear to varying degrees depending on the level of stress that we are under.

Taking care of your aOS, will improve your body’s ability to handle stress. Beyond that, studies show that a higher functioning aOS is linked to increased positive emotions. In other words, your capacity to adapt to stress dictates your capacity to be happy.

What is something you can do today to help you with Election Stress Disorder or any other stresses in your life?

One of the easiest ways to stimulate your aOS is mindful meditation. Meditation balances out the fight or flight responses in the body and promotes rest and healing. You can learn more at our Introduction to meditation class on November 1st. Click here to find out more.

In our office, we offer NeuroStructural Corrections that remove structural obstructions to the aOS. This is often the missing piece of the puzzle in our body’s ability to adapt to stress. With the latest methods of analysis and detection, we can help your body adapt to any season, even Election season.

 

Inflammation – your body’s greatest defense – can also be its greatest enemy.

Fire is one of man’s greatest tools. It can power large factories and keep our homes warm. At the same time, if unchecked and out of control, it can burn down thousands of acres of trees in a day. A small spark can cause an electrical fire that can destroy a home in an instant. Inflammation, like fire, can be very useful in certain situations but detrimental in others.

“In a healthy situation, inflammation serves as a good friend to our body,” says Mansour Mohamadzadeh, PhD, director of the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology at the University of Florida. “But if immune cells start to overreact, that inflammation can be totally directed against us.”

Let’s start by looking at the benefits of a healthy inflammatory response:

1. It’s the body’s healthy response to outside threats like stress, inflections or toxic chemicals.
2. It helps in protecting a wound or fighting off an illness. The swelling, redness, and warmth are signs that your immune system is sending white blood cells, immune cell-stimulating growth factors, and nutrients to heal the affected areas.
3. It prepares you for battle. Your body releases C-reactive proteins in response to inflammation. This is a natural part of your body’s biological “fight or flight” response to stress.
4. Inflammation is a healthy and necessary function for healing.

 

However, chronic and unchecked Inflammation can cause or is linked to:

1. Damage to your gut lining, causing good nutrients to escape the blood and allowing pathogens to invade.
2. Damage to your joints.
3. Higher risk of heart disease.
4. Higher risk of cancer.
5. Higher risk of depression.
6. Difficulty losing weight.

 

What can we do to prevent your body’s greatest defense from becoming your body’s greatest enemy?

1. Make sure your aOS (the control system for your inflammatory response) is working properly.
2. Remove any foods that cause an inflammatory response i.e. gluten and dairy.
3. Get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
4. Our bodies are designed for movement.  Make sure to get 20-30 minutes of exercise daily.

If you are suffering from Chronic Inflammation please call 904.310.0064 or visit our website (www.precisionchirofl.com) to schedule a complimentary consultation. Our job at Precision Chiropractic is to make sure you have a high functioning aOS so your body works for you, not against you.

The last installment in our series about Brain health will be focused on a specific part of your central nervous system called the Brainstem. The Brainstem is the junction point between the brain and the spinal cord. It consists of three components: The medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain.

Why are we so concerned with this area of the brain?
The answer is: this is where your aOS resides.
Your aOS (automatic operating system) controls all of the basic life support for your body including:

• immune system
• heart rate
• blood pressure
• digestion
• hormones (The chemistry in your body)

Your aOS allows your body to properly adapt to any environment, stress, and situation that you may encounter on a day to day basis.

As an example, if you were to fly from Jacksonville to Iceland, your aOS would adapt by shivering to generate heat in order to make up for the temperature difference. Your aOS would also protect your vital organs and brain by drawing blood away from your extremities and into your core.

The brainstem is so important that it is protected by the skull AND the first two bones in your neck.
However, if you have a traumatic event such as an accident or fall, it can create an Abnormal Shift in the neck that directly obstructs your brainstem, which would prevent your aOS from doing its job properly. This can lead to many diseases and Secondary Conditions such as:

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Constipation/diarrhea
• High/low blood pressure
• Autoimmune disorders
• Lethargy and fatigue
• Anxiousness
• Brain fog

Here is the bottom line: Chronic obstruction of your body’s aOS severely limits your ability to be healthy and ultimately can lead to many bodily dysfunctions and diseases. Taking care of your aOS is the BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to be proactive for your brain and overall health.

For a complimentary consultation please visit our website or call us at 904.310.0064