• constipation
• elevated blood pressure
• elevated blood sugar levels
• muscle cramps
• wheezing (asthma)
• heart arrhythmias

Adequate magnesium intake has also been shown to lower your risk for a stroke.

How do I get enough magnesium?

It is recommended that you consume at least 400 mg daily.  You can get it from food and also supplementation.  With busy schedules it may be easier to supplement.

Foods rich in magnesium include nuts and seeds, beans, whole grains and leafy green vegetables.  Some examples are:  Pumpkin  and squash seeds have 151 mg in a 1 oz serving.  Brazil nuts 1 oz. 107 mg.  Oat or wheat bran 1 oz. 103 mg.

If you want to supplement, a good magnesium is important.  Standard Process has a great product.  You can get it at our office.

One word of caution, is that calcium blocks magnesium absorption.  So if you are taking calcium you will need to take a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or come in to our office.

The post Magnesium Deprived? appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

It isn’t man made, or baked or torched.

It comes from the Islands.

It is sweeter than any cookie and better for you than many other fruits.

Did you guess what it is?

Yes, it is the pineapple!  And you are probably making a mistake picking it out.  The Ripeness has nothing to do with color, green or gold.  It has everything to do with smell.  Smell the Base of the pineapple.  You want a light pineapple fragrance.  Then pull on a green leaf, if it comes out easy the pineapple is ready to eat.  So if you have a sweet tooth, eat some pineapple.  It has half the glycemic level of a cookie and tastes great.  Plus it has an incredible anti-inflammatory enzyme bromelain.  So instead of reaching for that candy bar, reach for some pineapple.

The post What is the Greatest Dessert Ever? appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

You’ve heard the old saying, “don’t microwave food in plastics”. But that may not be the worst of it.

Public health officials recently sounded the alarm in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, saying that the 6,000 plus chemicals in plastic wraps, cap and carton linings, synthetic containers- virtually any packaging, are likely leaking into food and posing long-term health risks.  Even scarier: Science  is only beginning to expose the extent of those risks.

To make matters worse, those “safe” BPA-free plastics (BPA is linked to both cancer and diabetes) may not be safe after all. A new Center for  Environmental Health study of BPA free sippy cups found in them other chemicals as hazardous as BPA itself.

What to do? “Try to eat fresh, organic, unpackaged foods, and avoid heating in plastic, non-stick or silicone ware.  Don’t store in plastic either.  Glass or foil is preferable.

The post Hold The Plastic appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

Choosing brain healthy foods that will help you lose weight can also help you be smarter and happier.

You have probably noticed how the foods you eat affect your mood and energy level.  That is because food is a drug.  If you eat three donuts for breakfast, about half an hour later you are going to feel foggy, and spacey. Food can make you sleepy.  Have you ever noticed that after wolfing down a huge lunch you feel like you need a nap? For some people, foods can trigger mood, temper control attentional or emotional problems. This may be due to hidden food allergies or sensitivities.

Food can also make you feel great.  Eating brain foods can lift your mood, improve your focus and attention, and give you good energy that lasts all day long.  For example, if you are feeling anxious or down in the dumps, sniff lemons.  Research has shown that the scent of lemons has antianxiety and antidepressant properties.  In addition, foods that boost levels of the feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine stabilize mood and rev up your energy.

The post Brain Healthy Foods appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

By Sarah Petersen, M.D., Pediatrician

5 OR MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Aim for five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. These strategies can help you encourage your kids to make healthy food choices:

• Show it. Be a role model – eat your vegetables!
• Choose it. Let picky kids choose which veggies to serve at meals.
• Stock it. Stock the fridge with small bags of cut – up fruits and veggies; then grab and go. Stock the freezer with frozen veggies; they steam quickly and perfectly in the microwave.
• Try it…again. It can take 7 – 10 tries before children become comfortable with new food.
• Grow it. Studies show that kids eat more fruits and veggies when the produce is home – grown.

2 HOURS OR LESS OF SCREEN TIME
Multiple forms of media have become a part of everyday life for most families, but they should be used in moderation. Studies show that American kids spend an average of four hours a day in front of a screen, which can have negative effects on a child’s learning and development.

The 5-2-1-0 program recommends that children over age 2 spend less than two hours each day watching television, on a computer or playing video games. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 avoid screen time altogether.

1 HOUR OR MORE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Children need a minimum of one hour of physical activity each day. This doesn’t need to be accomplished all at once. As an example, kids will benefit just as much from walking to school for 10 minutes in the morning, riding their bike for 20 minutes in the afternoon, and going swimming with the family for 30 minutes in the evening.

A child who exercises during the day will sleep better through the night. Regular exercise helps improve a child’s ability to handle emotional and physical challenges; contributes to increase self-esteem; has a positive impact on academic performance; and promotes a strong heart, muscles and bones. Children who exercise are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, and consequently, their risk for type 2 diabetes is decreased.

0 SUGARY DRINKS
Children get little nutritional value from juice (even 100 percent juice) and certainly no nutrition from soda. Most juices contain a large amount of sugar, and even chocolate milk has more sugar than is healthy to be a child’s daily fare. All this extra sugar increases children’s chance of becoming obese.

The goal: Make the switch to water. One way to get children excited about this transition is to allow them to pick out their own water bottles at the store.

The post Healthy eating for kids: Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

WATER…..
Water should be at the top of everyone’s list for tricking your body into feeling it is full. Drink an 8 oz glass of water before you eat to fill up your stomach.  Drink at least 64 oz daily. And avoid soda as it is empty calories.

SIZE MATTERS ! !
Down size your dinnerware, but keep your utensils and glasses tall.

LET FOOD COLOR POP
The bigger difference between food color and plate color the less likely you’ll  be over-serve yourself.  Example: Serve tomato soup in a white bowl: you’re more likely to dish too much if it’s in a red bowl.

MONO PLACE SETTINGS
Participates in a research study found they ate less food when the tablecloth and dishware were the same color as the tablecloth.

100 CALORIES ?
The bite-size snacks really work. A study found that participants ate 25% fewer calories when eating from a 100 calorie pack than from larger bags of snacks.

TURN OFF THE TV
The more distracted we are, the more we eat.  Participants who ate while watching TV felt less full after eating than those who ate without any distractions.

OUT OF SITE, OUT OF MIND
The further away from you and the less visible food is, the less likely you are to eat it.  Keep sweets in hard-to-reach cabinets and office snacks in drawers.

CUE THE AMBIANCE
Dim the lights and turn on some music.  A Cornell University study found that doing this cause diners to eat 18% less..  They also rated the food as more enjoyable.

KEEP YOUR MOUTH BUSY
You may be keeping track of your dinner calories, but did you remember to include the bites you took while cooking? Try chewing gum or sucking on a cough drop as you’re preparing your meal.

USE YOUR ILLUSION
Don’t underestimate the power of imagination.  A 2010 study showed we actually eat less of a certain food if we imagine eating it before we eat it.

PIECE OF MIND
A 2010 study showed that cutting food into smaller pieces can trick the brain into thinking we’re eating more than we actually are, so we eat less.  Cut sandwiches into four pieces, and break candy bars into bite-size pieces.

The post Food Tricks For Your Mind appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.

By Dr. Wade Thompson

Do you know how to do the new math?  It’s the healthy new equation using Omega fatty acids, by which to live a healthy anti-inflammatory life. There are two numbers you need to be aware of and each one is important to your overall health. It’s 2-1.

What is 2-1?  This is the balance of omega 6s to omega 3s we should be putting into our bodies daily.  However many Americans are using an equation of 20-1, meaning we are putting 20 times more omega 6’s fatty acids as omega-3 fatty acids into our bodies

Omega- 6s and 3s are important for things like brain health, bone health, and skin and hair growth.

While omega-3s reduce inflammation, consuming too many of the wrong kinds of omega-6s actually increases inflammation.  Many chronic conditions in America are due to inflammation throughout the body.

Where do these omega fatty acids come from?  The 6s come from consuming massive amounts of processed food made with safflower, sunflower, soybean and cottonseed oils.  Many of these come from commercial baked goods.  Example, bread, pastries, noodles, pizza and pasta.  When we load up on these foods, we wreck the omega-3/omega-6 balance that’s essential for good health.

Putting too many omega-6s in your diet could be a contributor to heart disease, artery blocking blood clots and damaged brain cells and inflammation.

You can incorporate omega-3s into your diet daily by eating lean proteins such as chicken and fish, fresh whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as utilizing a good omega 3 and 6 supplement.  Always remember, not all vitamins are created equal.  You should always get your vitamins and supplements from a reliable, trustworthy source.

As always, too much of a good thing tips the scale of balance. Omega-6s are vital to our health but the equation of 2-1 is important to remember.  Changing our thoughts, changes our habits, and that will change our health.

The post The new math is 2 to 1 appeared first on Thompson Family Chiropractic.