Tuesday's Q&A in Lafayette LA - 7/22/14

I absolutely love when our patients in Lafayette LA are "up-to-speed" with current healthcare trends, pertaining in particular to NUTRITION. Whether they've picked up a tasty-tid-bit of info. from one of the many documentaries we show in the waiting room, or they read an article somewhere, nothing brings me more joy than when patients provide me with a list of healthy foods they are newly accustomed to eating. However, media sometimes has a negative effect on the progression of wellness and it causes much confusion about what's a health food and what's not, so your doctors at Modern Chiropractic have to engage in some re-education, to guide patients (and parents of our younger patients) on their journey to sustainable and optimal health.

Here are 10 foods that are most often mistaken for health foods - and the truly healthy, nutrition options to trade them in for:

1.Juice Boxes

On one hand we "high-five!" you when you have quit drinking soda but then we still pout when we discover that soda has been replaced with processed juices from a box. The problem is that most fruit juices come up nutritionally short, because they deliver little in the way of fiber, plus loads of extra sugar you don't need, unless you are planning on participating in a triathlon (in which case extra sugar is warranted). If its fruit your crave: EAT WHOLE FRUIT. If you want a drink, pour yourself a glass of fruit-infused water (simply place a glass jug of filtered water in the fridge with whatever fruit fits your fancy! Watermelon, mint and cucumber are DELISH). But whatever you do, don't kid yourself into thinking that juices are a nutritional swap for whole fruits, because they're not. Instead, set a good example for your kids, anyone you live with (including yourself!) by eating your fruit and drinking water.

2. Gatorade

"Gatorade is thirst aid - for that deep, down body thirst!" The slogan is stuck in my head from numerous commercials I've seen marketing Gatorade over the years. But the truth of the matter is that unless you have just finished an Ironman race, ELIMINATE all commercial sports drinks from your list. They're full of sugar, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and numerous mysterious ingredients that do little to support health. Unfortunately the weird chemicals that are hiding in Gatorade are totally undermining your health! Until recently, Gatorade contained brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, a suspected carcinogen used in flame-retardants! Instead, replenish your body with water, not chemical cocktails!

3. Energy Bars

You can pretty much walk into any mass market retailer these days and find "energy bars" right at the register near the candy bars. Convenient as they may be, they're crummy substitutes for real food. Even the high-end bars tend to be heavily-processed sugar-bombs with hardly enough protein or fiber to make them worth eating. And lower-end bars are worse, made with cheap, genetically-modified and/or pesticide-soaked ingredients (soy, oats, nuts, fillers, etc.), then glued together with seemingly "healthy" but actually sugar-packed coatings like milk chocolate, yogurt, etc. Do yourself a favor and assemble a few small bags of homemade granola or organic trail mix (This is SO easy - just stick to a simple formula = fruits + grains + nuts + seeds + sweets, for example, our favorite is: dried cranberries, oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, mini dark chocolate chips.) And keep a supply in your work bag, desk, gym bag and wherever else you can hide it to grab a handful when hunger hits and give yourself a healthy energy boost.

4. Whole Wheat

Millions of people are still fooled by the idea that anything with whole wheat slapped on the label means it's good for you. In a nutshell: it's not. The overwhelming majority of our whole-wheat products these days are, like the energy bars mentioned above, heavily-processed, sugar-packed and made with factory-farmed, sometimes genetically-modified ingredients, raised in nutrient depleted soil and drenched in pesticides. If that weren't enough, modern wheat is our biggest dietary source of gluten, which much of the population is either sensitive or allergic to, whether they're aware of it or not. Gluten-sensitivity can trigger digestive problems, chronic inflammation and disease, making whole-wheat, anything but a health food. Ideally, the wisest way to support your health is to kick all wheat altogether. But if bread is an absolute must for you, make every bite truly nutritious with bread from sprouted grains such as "Eziekiel bread" or simply make your own - it's easier than you think.

5. Soy

When I say soy is not a health food, I'm talking about the typical genetically-modified, pesticide-doused soy you find blended into countless processed foods found at the supermarket. The easiest way to purge soy from your diet is to eliminate processed foods, as well as the more obvious sources like soy milk, soy cheese, etc. No matter what, when eating soy products (edamame, soy milk, soy sauce, etc.) you want keep the portion sizes small and don't eat it every day; once or twice a week is plenty.

6. Fake Butter, Margarine & Diet-Butter-flavored sprays

No matter what your momma told you, margarine isn't a health food - and just because it has low-fat does not, I repeat, DOES NOT, mean it belongs in your body as a healthy alternative to real butter. Butter substitutes are filled with cheap, processed vegetable oils, fillers and artificial ingredients, all of which can take a serious toll on your heart and arteries. Instead? Switch to real, grass-fed, organic butter. It's delicious, satisfying and full of good fats. Butter is also a good source of health-enhancing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps protect against cancer and encourages muscle growth, plus vitamins A, D and E, all of which are essential to good health.

7. Factory Farmed Fish

Everybody knows that fish is a good way to get your protein and good fats. Problem is, we're often not eating the right kind of fish - because we assume that our favorite restaurant is serving the healthy stuff - BIG MISTAKE. The only fish you should consume is WILD fish (which literally means it is not raised in a factory farm where fish are raised in cramped, filthy tanks and pens, prone to illness, which necessitates feeding them drugs, antifungals and/or pesticides to encourage survival till harvest time. With a life like that, it's easy to see why these stressed-out, drugged-up, poorly fed creatures make an unhealthy meal - even more so when the fish is then processed, battered, fried, rolled in breadcrumbs, frozen and shipped to your local Albertsons, Winn Dixie and Wal-Mart. Compared to their wild-fish counterparts, farmed fish deliver roughly 20% less protein, twice as much inflammation-boosting omega-6 fatty acid, fewer omega 3's and far fewer nutrients overall. The easiest way to solve this conundrum is to ask for "Wild Caught" fish wherever you grocery shop and dine-out. Rouses has a large selection of wild-caught, environmentally sustainable fish in their frozen section and most "farm-to-table-concept" restaurants such as Jolie's Bistro label this on their menu.

8. Diet soda

If you're still drinking diet soda, it's time to wake up! You are literally causing yourself osteoporosis (and a whole host of other health challenges), so get a bone-density and pour that stuff down drain! Diet soda is a man-made chemical cocktail, devoid of nutrition, full of sodium and made with artificial colors that only a mad scientist could love. It's also loaded with anything-but-natural sweeteners, which have been shown to have an appetite-triggering effect - so you're likely to eat more, not less! Need another reason to kick the can to the curb? Diet sodas undermine health: according to a University of Minnesota study, just one diet soda a day was associated with a 36 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. And other studies have established a link between diet soda use and bone density loss. My advice? Drop soda altogether and switch to water, or unsweetened tea which will actually deliver health benefits.

9. Pretzels

A favorite among dieters for their seemingly nominal fat and calorie count, pretzels have a dark side: they're a salt, corn oil and flour bomb that spikes blood sugar and delivers no nutritional value. And 20 minutes after scarfing down a few fist-fulls, you're hungry again, so what's the point of eating them in the first place? If it's that crunch you need, munch on raw veggies, baked apple slices, kale chips or a handful of nuts. As long as your snacks are delivering nutrients, and not chemicals, or spikes in your blood sugar - You Win.

10. Commercial Frozen Yogurt & Smoothies

Everybody likes a treat now and then, but it seems like these days there's a frozen yogurt place or smoothie shop on just about every corner. Most commercial fro-yo and smoothie joints pack their treats with sugar, so they can easily hook you and keep you coming back for another fix. So, how to treat yourself? Trade fro-yo for a small container of unsweetened, plain full fat yogurt and add a scoop of nuts, chopped fruit and a squirt of honey. And if it's a smoothie you're craving, tell them to hold the sugar, which often gets tossed into the blender when you're not looking. Ask for your own custom, simple smoothie made only with unsweetened almond milk or water, ice, fruit and greens or protein if available to insure you're getting only the essentials. Ultimately, though, the best ones you can make are the ones you make yourself! Which brings me to this week's recipes… Get yourself a Nutribullet or Vitamix and see for yourself how delicious and easy at-home smoothies can be!

Kale Creamsicle

• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 whole orange, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup water
• 1 scoop organic egg white protein powder
• 1 cup ice cubes

Combine kale, orange, water and puree on high speed; Add protein powder, then ice cubes & serve

Choc-coconut Milkshake

• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 6 ice cubes
• 2 tblsp. Chia seeds
• 1 tblsp. raw Cacao powder
• 1 tblsp. raw honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Blend all ingredients for 2 min.

By Francesca Marino