Melbourne Chiropractor Discusses Healthy Eating

Category: Fitzroy Chiropractor

1. What is ‘healthy eating’?

Healthy eating is determined by the foods that add to or subtract from your health.  They either nurture, support, cleanse and energize you; or strain, drain, clog and fatigue you.

A major consideration for choosing the healthier options is the degree to which your food is processed.  Processing of food begins with what has been done to the food while in its early growth farming stages, to how it is harvested and stored.  Processes and chemicals are used to protect the crops from disease and pests, as well as enhancing speed of growth, increasing quantities available from crops and storage ability.  These very chemicals designed to enhance product production may have an unhealthy impact on your health

2. What is the ‘Diskin Life’ approach to healthy eating?
In addition to what you put into your body in the form of food, there are other factors that determine its health value.

Where do source, how do you source and how do you cook your food?
Do you buy high quality fresh organic produce from local farmers’ markets, or from massive major retailers whose produce may be kept in long term storage and shipped from overseas?  How do you store your food? Do you use plastic containers and wrapping materials that may leach toxins in warmer temperatures, or sealed glass containers kept in a cool storage?  There are many options for heating and cooking foods.  There are so called fast methods like microwaves that have suspicious health risks.  There is even controversy about cooking with electric induction, with concerns the current goes through the food.  Natural gas as a source of cooking seems to carry the lower risks to damaging your food and health.

3. When, where and how do you eat?

These two significant factors determine if your food is a health benefit or hazard, is time of the day you eat and your eating environment.  There is a lot of support for eating, contrary to most western cultures, so instead of eating your biggest meal late in the day, your main meal could be best for you early in the day, tapering off in quantity and digestibility as the day progresses.  Your eating environment includes factors that influence your digestibility and enjoyability of your food.  These include your physical comfort, minimising any distractions, you focusing on the tastes, textures, sufficient chewing and most of all enjoying your food and eating experience.

4. What are the signs that what you eat is negatively affecting you?
Since what you eat is supposed to add to your health, any signs that your health is being challenged could be coming from your food.

The most basic of feedback is by being aware of your usual patterns and noticing changes not related to other environmental factors.  Typical patterns to notice are your moods, concentration, energy levels, sleep, bowel movements, weight gain or loss, and noticing the more obvious bloating, indigestion, gas, heartburn or other body pains.

This is on the proviso that you haven’t changed your physical activities, and are not being differently challenged mentally or emotionally.

5. How can you improve your approach to healthy eating?

1. What is your ‘why’?
The best achievable and sustainable changes result from a clear and powerful objective.  Why do you want to change your eating patterns?  Answering this why will fuel more directed and inspired actions.  Is it for weight loss, greater energy, quality of life, or other personal objective?  What about about your internal organs?  You know your organs generally don’t give you any warning signs until they have been affected for a long time.

2. One percenters
Once your why is determined, a plan of action is called for.  Where you may want a fast result, it seems the most lasting outcomes are achieved by incremental changes, I call one percenters.  These are small changes that are easy to implement, that are not painful to incorporate, and yet as they are sustainably built on; they do result in significant shifts over time.

3. Trustworthy advisors
Be selective where you source your advice.  The best source for any advice is from people who personally model their advice by walking their talk.  An unknown internet testimonial or advertisement for fast acting products, doesn’t equate to a legitimate professional and tailored solution.

4. Integration
A healthy balance and mix of healthy living practices ensures better results.  We find four behavioural patterns that synergistically support and give momentum to each other in relation to healthier living.  At Diskin Life we classify them as move better, eat better, think better and respond better.  The first three are obvious, and the fourth refers to ensuring your body is working optimally to be able to process and coordinate the other three practices.  Respond better is achieved with your nerve system upgrade sessions, where we synchronise and reprogram your repeating and ingrained patterns for fresh and more resourceful ones.

Dr. Ari Diskin is a US trained Healthy Life Doctor of Chiropractic, with over 30 years professional experience, having cared for over 10,000 people.  He uses Network Care as part of his 3 Step Vitality Program, in Melbourne Australia.