Yum, Fiber!

Wow!  I just had to write a note about a GREAT product I found at Trader Joe's.  I don't get down to Portland too often, but when I do, I always make it a point to stop in. They have great prices on really good, healthy foods.  They have their not-so-healthy fare as well, but I digress.  


I found something called "Fiberful Ends and Pieces."  It is a bag of the ends of the fiberful (basically fruit leather) bars they sell.  For a paltry 2.50 (I believe, don't have the receipt in front of me), you get an 8 oz bag of the trimmings from the various bars the sell.  The ingredient list has NO added sugar, and they actually use both fruits AND vegetables in their fruit leather product, along with some added fiber.  Each half cup serving is only 120 calories, 1 g of fat, 29 g of carbohydrates, 12 grams of fiber (!!), and 2 grams of protein.  Very good stats, if you ask me.  


That being said, they might be a bit of an acquired taste.  The are not terribly sweet, and do have a bit of vegetable-y taste.  I find them to be delightful, but I cannot eat the whole bag in one sitting (which is a good thing..)


Consensus:I will be snacking on these tasty little tidbits often, and I recommend others do the same!


Disclaimer:  I have no relation to Trader Joe's, and have not, in any way, been paid to endorse this product.  I don't even know who I would contact to get a sweet deal like that, it's just something awesome and healthy I found at a store.  

The Popover Diet?

So, I have always loved popovers, ever since I discovered them at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park.  Lovely, fluffy, eggy poofs of deliciousness.  They are so delicious, versatile, easy, inexpensive and..did I say delicious?  Oh I did. Right.  


Anyways, I was curious to discover why the popover holds such a mystical allure.  I had a hunch that they were nutritious, given the combination of flour, eggs, and milk.  So, being the investigator I am, I decided to plug a recipe into a nutrition calculator, and see exactly where they stood, nutrient-wise.  Using the following recipe:


1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup 2% Milk
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Tsp Salt


I plugged it into the SparkPeople Recipe Calculator.  The results?  For 6 Popovers, the nutrition information turns out to be 


134 Calories
4.5 g Fat
17.5 g Carbohydrates
5.6 g Protein


I then plugged THOSE numbers into the FitDay program, which will spit out the percentage of each component in calories, taking into consideration how many calories appear in a set unit of each component.


The results? 


 53% of Calories come from  Carbohydrates
30% of Calories come from Fat
17% of Calories come from Protein


This amazes me, because it is remarkably close to the RDA of 50% Carbohydrates, 30% Fat, and 20% Protein.  


I will admit to the occasional (OK, more than occasional) pat of butter and smudge of jam in the morning popover, but in general, popovers are a very nutritional-sound food.  And did I mention they are delicious?

Scam of the century?

As much as we chiropractors dont like to admit it, our profession still has a very strong stigma attached to it. That might partly be due to the chiropractors out there who abuse the doctor-patient relationship, maybe leftover from the olden days when chiropractic was still very unorganized and looked down upon by the medical profession (that bias still exists to a certain point, I think it is improving, however). I myself am a very open-minded individual, and don't listen to these negatives influences. I am a person who likes to see things for myself, and make my own mind up about such things. However, for those out there who need more convincing, here's how I see things: some people say chiropractic is a sham treatment. However, you have to take into consideration that chiropractic has been around for over a hundred years! Even though it might have a slightly sordid past, in economical terms, if a treatment doesn't help people, then it would have been snuffed out soon after it had started! The same goes for acupuncture, I dont see how people can bash a treatment that's been around for thousands and thousands of years. The saying "Don't knock it 'till you try it" is true! I actually had not been adjusted before I went to chiropractic college. Blind faith, if you will. The first adjustment is really the sun coming through the clouds, you don't realize what you're missing until you try it out. I really wish the minority of shady chiropractors would either clean up their act, or go into a different line of work, because they really hinder the progression of what is otherwise a great therapy. I've heard tell of a few chiropractors in the Portland are that have gone around "hard-selling" chiropractic, which basically means they go places and tell people they NEED to be adjusted or BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN!!!! That really makes me upset, on several levels. First off, nobody should be spoken to in that way, we are all competent adults, capable of making our own health decisions. Secondly, as I said previously, it just doesn't reflect well on an otherwise good profession. This rings especially true in Maine, where people are trustworthy, and expect the same in others. As a result of these chiropractors, a lot of people have written off chiropractic care altogether. I find that sad, and if I can spread the word that it's not as horrible as these shady chiropractors have made it out to be, I would like to do that as much as possible. I am a service-oriented person, and want to give back to the community as much as I can. If anybody has any good ideas of how I can do that, I would appreciate any suggestions! I have considered offering a week of free chiropractic care, with the stipulation of asking for a donation to go to the United Way of Portland, something along those lines. Does anybody think that would go over well in the area? I'm willing to do pretty much anything to clean up the image of chiropractic, because I think it's something that will benefit people immensely!

Tenacity of Hope

An official apology to Obama for hoodwinking his title, but I like it. Anyway, I was stumbling the other day, and I came across an interesting article. The premise was that in health care, a practitioner shouldn't necessarily be judged solely on his or her degree, but rather by their character. I find that to be relevant with any profession, but especially with health care. How many people have stories about a visit to the doctor..of any discipline..where they were made to wait for endless periods of time..in a waiting room..only to get ushered into a small exam room, and made to wait, and wait, and wait...only to have a hurried doctor burst into the room, spend 5 frantic minutes with the patient, and then the doctor just as abruptly flies out to meet his next patient? I don't believe this health care model to be beneficial for anybody involved. It cheats the patient out of valuable time to speak with the doctor about the patient's health concerns, and it greatly stalls the formation of a valuable doctor-patient relationship. It is also hard on the doctor, who may be forced to rush from room to room without the ability to adequately treat the patient. Who is to blame for this strange health care model that we seem to have fallen prey to? While it is not wise or prudent to point fingers, it seems that doctors should have the final say in how their office is run. I personally like to sit down and have a conversation with a patient, to get a feel for what their health concerns are, and to find a real solution that works for everybody involved. I fully acknowledge my limitations as a chiropractor. I do not write prescriptions for drugs. If a patient presents with a problem which necessitates the need for such intervention, I would find it my duty to refer the patient to the proper practitioner. However, I am a proponent for finding other ways of leading patients to their pinnacle of health, through lifestyle changes and mindful living. I guess my point in this is that it would benefit everybody to be mindful in their health practitioner choices, and to find someone that works for them, and to not be complacent in these choices. It is, afterall, a free market, and by voicing our desires for a better health care model, we are changing the world as we see it, one bit at a time.

Wellness

Let's talk a bit about what we can do to optimize our health. This is going to be a list of a few quick ideas to get started on optimizing one's health. It would be good to try utilizing a new idea each week, eventually building up to healthy lifestyle which will lead to a happier and longer life.

• Eat healthy. While a lot of diets have an 'all or nothing' mindset, its not always as clear-cut as one would imagine. I think we all have a basic idea of what is good and what is not. A lot of diets advocate shopping on the 'outside' of a supermarket. Eat more fruits and vegetables, healthy meats and dairy products, and whole grains. While this may sound monotonous, We pretty much do this already. Most processed foods are just combinations of the same few ingredients, sugar, refined grains (wheat and corn are the main ones) with artificial colors and sweeteners added to make the same ingredients more palatable. Do this on your own, and you have more control over what goes into your body, and save money in the meantime.Using this simple rule, you can come up with many ideas for healthy, nutritious meals.

• Move. Exercise plans are marketed as having the 'secret' to fitness, but its not really any more complicated then getting out and using your body to perform in a physical manner. Any exercise is better then no exercise. Start out small, doing as much as you can. Walk during a lunch hour, or maybe before and/or after work. It may seem bothersome at first, but after a few weeks you will feel the difference, and increased tolerance to exercise provides the ability to perform everyday tasks with ease that once may have been difficult to perform.

• Keep positive! So many of us are surrounded by negative influences in life. Whether it be a family member who likes to place a negative spin on life, an advertising ad poisoning our minds to think we are inadequate unless we purchase a certain product, or our own feelings of hopelessness, this kind of thinking prevents us from achieving the great things we can achieve in life. Do not hesitate in doing whatever you can to turn this influence into momentum for change. By removing negativity in our life, we are propelling ourselves to a more rewarding and fufilled life.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on thinking about how you can improve your life.