Washington Park Chiropractic

Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC

As a mom & a Chiropractor I have a strong interest in kids & food.  Ideally families all sit down together at the table each night for dinner.  Additionally, it is ideal to serve your kids what you eat.  However, working parents often find it hard to feed kids a well-rounded, variety of fresh foods daily.  It is important to realize that part of learning to eat is developing habits.  For example, kids will tend to want to eat the same food 5 nights in a row.  The purpose of this post is to hopefully point parents in the right direction when are feeding our children “Kid Foods”. 

Here are a few ways to make serving “Kid Foods” healthier: Read the rest of this entry →

The purpose of food is to provide our body with the fuel it needs to do what we require in a day, however, so much of what we consume is pre-packaged and overly processed, leading to a lack of actual nutrition. One of the key factors in living a wellness lifestyle is making wiser dietary decisions; and eliminating casein from your diet may be something for you to consider.

What is Casein?

Casein is a protein found in milk and dairy products, but is also used as a binding agent in many other foods. Technically it is a phosphoprotein that accounts for nearly 80% of the proteins in cow’s milk and cheese.

Why Eat Casein-Free?

Eating casein-free, when combined with a gluten-free diet, has reportedly had very positive results for those who have an autistic spectrum disorder, such as: autism, Asperger’s syndrome, atypical autism and pervasive developmental disorder.

Additionally, many people that have assumed they are allergic to milk may actually be suffering from a casein allergy. The problem with a lack of awareness as to the true allergy is that casein is found in more than just dairy products. This “binding agent” has technical uses as well as edible and has been used in paints (including fingernail polish), other cosmetics and even glue (or industrial adhesives).

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There are valid reasons for putting your kids to bed at a reasonable hour, not the least of which is that it guarantees them adequate sleep.

It also conditions them to stick to a schedule and gives you a little much-needed time for yourself after tending to their needs all day.

 Here’s another important reason to get the kids off to bed: Too little sleep can lead to a bad habit: overeating. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reduced sleep time (less than six hours compared with more than eight) is associated with an increase in energy consumption – often in the form of snacks – without any increase in energy expenditure. In other words, if kids sleep less, they tend to eat more, but don’t expend energy during the extra time they’re awake.

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By: Emily Cooley

I’ve started noticing that as the week progresses, my coffee intake slowly increases from 1 cup on Monday to 3 by Friday. So in an effort to decrease the amount of caffeine I consume, I have tried to find other energy-altering foods. Here’s just a taste of what I discovered:

There are numerous foods that have been tested and proven to help improve concentration and brain function. You can literally eat your way to improved concentration.

Whole Grains for Concentration and Brain Activity

Whole grain foods, such as oats, buckwheat, popcorn, barley, wheat berries, and more can help with your concentration. These foods have been proven to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, through increased blood flow, and this makes the brain more active.

By adding more whole grain foods to your diet, and especially snacking on whole grains between meals, you will notice that you not only have a greater level of concentration and that your thoughts are clearer, but also that your memory has improved.

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With time, research is revealing that nuts and seeds do not deserve their bad reputation. Absolutely, they are high in fat. But it’s the good fat, not the bad, and when eaten in moderation, their health benefits far outweigh the dangers of their fat content. The fact is, the more we learn about nuts and seeds, the more we realize that they’re one of our best snack food options.

Isn’t Fat Bad?

We know that nuts and seeds are high in fat. An ounce of almonds and sunflower seeds both have 14 grams, cashews have 13 and pecans have a total fat count of 20 grams. It’s when we consider what kind of fat they contain that we see the difference between these and other foods with a high total fat count.

Saturated fats are those that raise our bad cholesterol levels and increase our risk of heart disease and strokes. These are the fats that are high in most snack items and put our health at risk. An ounce of almonds contain 1 gram of saturated fats, and cashews and pecans have 3 and 2 grams respectively.

Where nuts and seeds are high in fat is in the mono and polyunsaturated fats, but these are good for us, raising our “good cholesterol” levels and typically containing essential vitamins like A, D, E and K.

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 It’s common knowledge that the school cafeteria has become just another franchise; foods aren’t healthy and well-balanced. Vending machines offer chips, cookies, sodas and all kinds of other junk foods that children shouldn’t be eating. This creates a challenge to parents that many have decided to ignore.

 Accepting that it’s a lost cause many parents have rationalized that the rest of their children’s meals are healthy and nutritious so they can be lax regarding lunch. This is a misconception, considering what is being served in the majority of school cafeterias.  

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