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Dr. Power Asks...
If you have a fever, are you sick or healthy?
Chiropractors love asking this question because it gets to the root of the chiropractic difference. Turns out fevers, vomiting, coughing and even sneezing are all healthy responses. It means your body is working correctly. Taking medications to suppress these natural processes can actually prolong your recovery.
Would you rather feel good or be healthy?
Ask most people in Portland and they want to feel good. Careful! Would you take medicine that makes you feel good, rather than vomit to expel improperly prepared food? Every chiropractic practice member knows that you can't measure your health by how you feel. True health is when your body works as it should.
Fiber and Roughage
You hear a lot about how you need fiber in your diet, but just how important is fiber to your body and how does it help you?
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily fiber intake of 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women for anyone under 50; for those over 50, the numbers are 30 and 21 respectively. However, many get only about half that amount each day.
Eating the proper amount of fiber has significant health benefits including:
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower incidence of constipation
- Feeling of “fullness” that can lead to weight loss
- Reduced risk for colon cancer
- Reduced risk for diabetes
Natural fiber is the best way to increase fiber intake in your diet, making “artificial” fiber supplements unnecessary. Some of the best sources of natural fiber include:
- Nuts – one of the best sources of fiber. Eating a handful a day is a great way to add natural fiber to your diet.
- Vegetables - Fibrous vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, squash, eggplant, asparagus, cucumbers and Brussels sprouts provide the most benefit. If the vegetable has skin or seeds – these make it even more fiber-rich!
- Fruit – Leave the skin on please because it is a major source of fiber! The seeds in berries are also a major source of fiber! You should definitely help yourself to several servings of these each day!
- Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds all provide an excellent source of fiber and they make a great snack too!
- Legumes – Beans, especially green beans as opposed to the dried variety, are a fiber-filled food.
Keep in mind that it is important to make sure you drink plenty of water each day in order to make the fiber you eat more productive.