It’s common knowledge that your diet can heavily influence how you feel. Your body sends signals to let you know that what you’re eating isn’t right for you. These signals could include a rumbling stomach, pain after eating or heartburn. But do you know all of the signals to look for? For example, problems between your shoulder blades can correlate with heartburn. Solving one problem often solves the other. Reading these signals on your own – or with Dr. Google – could mean self-treating with antacids, which could possibly aggravate the issue further.
As Dr. Adams puts it, “When we talk to patients about nutrition from the chiropractic standpoint, it’s talking about improving the function of the nervous system – which is how your brain communicates with your organs – to ensure you’re getting a good signal. Getting a good signal is important to making sure you’re feeling better, so making sure there are no restrictions or alignment problems interfering with the function of the nervous system is a good starting point.”
These signals are great indicators that a diet needs small changes, but they’re not enough to tell us exactly all of the systems that may need help. Nutrition testing is essential in making sure you’re getting the vitamins, nutrients and minerals to stay healthy and feel your best.
Advantage Chiropractic Clinic does this kind of nutrition testing so you can skip the guessing game of “try this diet for a few months, and see how you feel.” Instead, once we know the results of your test and create a nutrition plan, changes to your diet are expected to yield speedy results, like increased energy, better digestion and a general better feeling. While there is no one-size-fits-all diet, there are a few tips that you can follow to improve your digestion immediately:
1. While staying hydrated is important, drinking a lot of water during meals can dilute your stomach acid. This can cause bloating, IBS-type symptoms, heartburn or lethargy. This kind of heartburn is aggravated by antacids. Instead, make sure you’re drinking water before and after your meal, with small sips during.
2. Slowing down and thoroughly chewing your food can do wonders for your digestion. It will help your stomach break down food faster and more easily, making digestion a more comfortable experience. Remember: digestion actually starts in your brain!
3. Make sure that your “healthy” bars and smoothies aren’t sugar-packed, even if that sugar is synthetic and low calorie.
While these tips will likely help you feel better, they’re no substitute for having your body tested and your diet altered from there. Your chiropractors at Advantage Chiropractic Clinic can tell you what vitamins, diet and practices can help potentially get you off unnecessary medicine and have you feeling better than ever. Make an appointment today to start your journey to wellness.
Jun 19, 2018 at 6:13 PM
This is a great article!! I have changed my diet and it’s made a world of difference. Thank you Dr Adams.