Best and Worst Breakfasts for your Health

November 14, 2012 by

 

From Healthline: Fast-food breakfast sandwiches could be “a time bomb in a bun”—and eating even one fat-laden morning meal has immediate adverse effects on your arteries, according to a new study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress meeting in Toronto.

A high-fat diet is linked to increased risk for atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries due to plaque deposits), but the study suggests that damage that could lead to a heart attack or stroke may start sooner than was previously thought.

Just one day of eating a fat-laden breakfast sandwich–such as egg, cheese and ham sandwich on a bun – and “your blood vessels become unhappy,” said Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Todd Anderson, director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and head of cardiac science at the University of Calgary in a statement.

The study measured blood flow through the forearm in 20 healthy people (average age 23). The researchers mentioned that the sandwich used in the study contained ham, egg, and cheese but did not name the restaurant from which it came. The goal was to reveal the risks of eating a general type of widely available breakfast sandwich, not to point the finger at specific restaurant. The test was done twice: once on a day when they’d eaten two fast-food breakfast sandwiches of a type that available anywhere in the US or Canada, and again on another day when they’d fasted. The sandwiches contained a whopping 50 grams of fat and 900 calories.

Impaired Blood Flow Two Hours After Meal

Compared to volunteers who skipped breakfast, those who consumed the fatty sandwiches showed impaired blood flow in their forearms two hours after the greasy morning meal. That’s because their vessels were less able to dilate (widen) and deliver oxygenated blood to the heart.

While the effects from a single meal were temporary, over time such arterial changes could set the stage for a heart attack or stroke, the researchers report. They used a test called velocity time integral that measures how much blood flow can increase after a brief interruption (compressing the arm with a blood pressure cuff). The higher the velocity, the “happier” the blood vessels are.

While one cheesy sandwich isn’t going to do lasting damage, the researchers say that their results highlight the importance of limiting fat, cholesterol, calories, and salt to prevent heart attacks and strokes. A junk-food diet has also been linked to increased risk for dementia, a memory-robbing disorder that has been called “type 3 diabetes.”

What’s the Worst Breakfast of All?

Whether you’re looking to slim down, build muscle, train for a marathon, or just protect your health, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. And a fast-food morning meal is not the worse choice. Instead, the unhealthiest option is not eating a morning meal at all.

Not only do people who skip their morning meal—or begin the day with only a cup of coffee—have less energy, worse moods, and poorer memory those who eat breakfast, studies show, but they also face some serious health risks. First of all,they’re up to 450 percent more likely to become obese, which in turn boosts risk for a wide range of ailments, including cardiovascular disease—the leading killer of Americans—gout, joint problems, and even some forms of cancer.

A 2012 study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also reports that people who regularly skip breakfast have a 21 percent higher risk for type 2 diabetes. The researchers tracked about 29,000 men for 16 years and found that the increased risk remained even when body mass index was into account. Scientists suspect that a morning meal helps keep blood sugar levels stable during the day.

What’s the Healthiest Breakfast?

The right breakfast not only reduces risk for overeating later in the day, but also revs up metabolism, fuels your body and brain, and helps you maintain a healthy weight. For example, 80 percent of participants in the ongoing National Weight Control Registry study (which tracks more than 4,000 people who have dropped 30 or more pounds and kept them off for a year or longer) eat breakfast regularly.

Nutritionists advise including both lean protein and fiber in your morning meal, such as whole-grain unsweetened or low-sugar cereal mixed with non-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, or soy milk and topped with fresh fruit. Researchers at University of Texas at El Paso report that eating a filling breakfast helps people consume an average of 100 fewer calories per day, enough to add up to ten-pound weight loss over a year.

The Breakfast Food that Fights Belly Fat

Another study linked having whole-grain cereal for breakfast with reduced levels of cortisol, a stress hormone linked to both weight gain and a tendency to accumulate belly fat. A large waistline is the leading warning sign of metabolic syndrome, which quintuple risks for type 2 diabetes and triple it for heart attack.

95 percent of Americans don’t eat the recommended three ounces of whole grains a day, which you can get from a slice of whole-wheat bread, a 6-inch whole-grain corn tortilla, or a serving of cereal. The health benefits of whole grain include:

  • Longer life. A high-fiber diet can cut risk of death from cardiovascular causes by nearly 60 percent, according to a recent nine-year study of nearly 400,000 people ages 50 and older.
  • A healthier heart. Soluble fiber in oatmeal and out bran reduces LDL “bad,” cholesterol and total cholesterol.
  • Weight loss. Whole grains digest more slowly than refined grains, which keeps blood sugar levels stable rather than stimulating insulin.
Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic, diet, health and wellness

Children’s Headaches: Vision may Not be to Blame

November 14, 2012 by
When a child suffers recurrent headaches, a parent’s first reaction is usually to assume that bad vision is to blame. Current research now says otherwise. At Manning Wellness Clinic, Dr. Manning has treated many pediatric patients who present with headache symptoms. With proper Chiropractic care, we are almost always successful in offering the children a drug-free, gentle treatment to relieve their headaches. Headaches will often times interfere with a child’s ability to pay attention in school. Getting treatment sooner rather than later is key.

CNN: If your child gets recurring headaches and you think they might need glasses, you may be mistaken – a new study says children’s headaches are rarely triggered by vision problems.

The study, presented Monday at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s annual meeting, was conducted by researchers at the ophthalmology clinic of Albany Medical Center in New York. They evaluated medical records of nearly 160 children under the age of 18 who were being seen at the clinic for frequent headaches.

Researchers compared the exams of children with headaches to their earlier vision exams and other medical records. In 75% of the children, the vision test results were the same. No significant link was found between the headaches and a need for glasses – even if the headaches happened when the child is doing a visual task like homework.

“We hope our study will help reassure parents that in most cases their children’s headaches are not related to vision or eye problems, and that most headaches will clear up in time,” said Dr. Zachary Roth, who led the research team. “The information should also be useful to family doctors and pediatricians in caring for children and parents who have this common health concern.”

Researchers found in most cases, the children’s headaches resolved over a period of time regardless of whether the child got a new prescription for glasses or not. And those who did get new glasses were no more likely to have their headaches get better.

It’s highly unusual to find something wrong with the eyes when a child complains of headaches, says Dr. Daniel Neely, a professor of ophthalmology at Indiana University who specializes in pediatrics and the chairman of theAmerican Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus’ vision screening committee.

“The study is consistent with everyone’s clinical practice around the country. If the child has headaches the first stop should be their primary care doctor, and they will assess whether or not a comprehensive eye exam would be indicated.”

According to Neely, vision screenings – whether someone just measures the vision with an eye chart or with a vision screening device (camera-type devices called photo screeners) – should be part of a pediatric well-child visit .

“Some of them are very good about doing it and some of them are not very good about doing it, but the recommendation is that it should be done every year or two,” he says. ” … What we don’t recommend is that everyone get a comprehensive eye doctor eye exam unless they fail a screening or unless there is something in their family history that puts them at increased risk.”

Neely says if vision screening is not being offered as part of the well-child visits, ask for it – sooner rather than later.

“The reason that there’s a time factor on these screenings is because of a condition called amblyopia,” he says. “Young children less than age 7 are neurologically immature and if you have something significant affecting their vision, their brain will actually stop using the eye or both eyes and that becomes permanent loss of vision if not detected and treated. So the younger you identify them, the more easily you can treat them.”

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is very common in children and is responsible for more vision loss than all the other causes combined, according to AAPOS. It happens when the eye sends blurry images to the brain, confusing it and causing the brain to learn to ignore images from the weak eye.

And Neely says as children get older they are less likely to respond to corrective treatment. “So if you detect something at age 10 that was serious, it would be too late. And that, again, is why we want the pediatrician doing this, because by the time the kid gets to school that window of opportunity is closing. So a vision screening by the school nurse in first grade might be too late.”

Most pediatricians will do some variation of the screening at every visit, Neely says, but AAPOS recommends children have a documented vision measurement by age 5.

Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic, headache

Kale Chips Recipe

November 13, 2012 by

Great, easy recipe for kale chips

Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic, diet, health and wellness

Can Super Foods Help you Lose Weight?

November 9, 2012 by

Nutrition is something we tend to cover in almost all initial exams at Manning Wellness Clinic. We all know increased weight has an impact on the body, both physically and physiologically, but knowing we need to lose weight and actually doing it are two very different things. If certain foods can not only increase your nutrition, but help you to lose weight in the process, it’s a win-win. Read on…

(CNN) — When you’re on a diet, food consumes your life.

You can’t eat carbohydrates, so you think about them constantly. You can’t dig into your co-worker’s candy drawer, so M&M’s float across your computer screen like a desert mirage.

You skip the bar after work because that’s where the margaritas live. And forget snacking after 8 p.m.; that would be breaking diet rule No. 364.

“I’ve hated diets all my life,” says Lucy Danziger, who is ironically the author of weight-loss book, “The Drop 10 Diet.”

“If I tell you ‘Don’t think about this,’ that’s all you can think about.”

What if losing weight didn’t have to be so negative?

As the editor-in-chief of SELF magazine for more than 10 years, Danziger has seen every fad diet known to woman come across her desk.

Then, five years ago, the triathlete decided to ditch dieting all together and focus on choosing foods that would “pay her back.” She wanted to run, swim and bike faster, and she needed the proper fuel to do that.

Danziger started eating superfoods: foods like nuts, berries and whole grains that are full of fiber, protein and important nutrients. In less than six months, she dropped 25 pounds.

It’s certainly not a new nutrition concept: Avoid processed foods; eat more vegetables and fruits; replace white bread with wheat. But the idea of focusing on what you should eat, instead of what you can’t, could change the way we look at weight loss in America, Danziger says.

“We’re going to give you so many choices of what you can eat, you’re not thinking about starvation. … You’re thinking about feeding the engine.”

Danziger is big on metaphors. As she noshes on almonds in her office, she compares superfoods to premium gas for a car. “They have to do more than supply you with calories.”

So what makes a food “super”?

Eat the things you love, lose weight
What to eat after a workout?

Dr. Steven Pratt coined the term in 2004 with his first book, “SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life.”

According to Pratt, a superfood has three qualifications: It has to be readily available to the public, it has to contain nutrients that are known to enhance longevity, and its health benefits have to be backed by peer-reviewed, scientific studies.

Pratt lists salmon, broccoli, spinach, berries and green tea as a few of his favorites. His website, SuperFoodsRx.com, gives 20 more examples.

“These foods were chosen because they contain high concentrations of crucial nutrients, as well as the fact that many of them are low in calories,” the website states. “Foods containing these nutrients have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers.”

Weight loss wasn’t on Pratt’s agenda when he started supporting superfoods. Yet as he traveled around the world touting the brand, that’s what people were excited about.

“The most common thing I hear is how much weight people lost without trying to lose weight,” Pratt says. “It’s the non-diet diet. It’s food you can eat for a lifetime.”

Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says superfoods are healthy, but adding them to your plate won’t simply melt the pounds away.

“Yes, there are foods that are high in fiber, water and protein, and therefore promote satiety. … These are without a doubt recommended as weight-management friendly,” Moore wrote in an e-mail. “But to say that they boost fat loss may be taking it a step too far.”

Danziger agrees: Superfoods aren’t a free pass to eat as much as you want, whenever you want. Still, it would be pretty difficult to get fat eating spinach.

For Danziger, eating superfoods is about energy. She feels super after eating superfoods. She wants to work out, which in turn helps her sleep better, which gives her more energy and keeps her diet on track.

Pratt says that feeling is what keeps the superfoods trend strong.

“The better you feel, the more you do it. Your body will send an e-mail to your brain within minutes thanking it, saying, ‘I’m going to do better. I’m not going to get sick anymore.’ ”

After joking about injecting that feeling into his patients, Pratt turns serious. He’s been pushing superfoods since the mid-1990s, and still obesity rates and obesity-related disease rates are sky-high in America.

Pratt attributes most of that to the culture: It takes time and energy to make a change. Danziger says cost is certainly an issue for some people. But both experts agree the reward is worth it in the long run.

“At the end of the day, you invest in your wardrobe and your hair and your car and everything else,” Danziger says. “So invest in your body. Because it’s supposed to last for 100 years.”

Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic Tagged With: ,

Manning Wellness Hurricane Sandy Relief Drive and Raffle

October 31, 2012 by
Manning Wellness Clinic Hurricane Sandy Relief Drive
Even if you’ve never been to the NJ coastline or New York City, it’s impossible not to be affected by the images of devastation, outages, flooding, fire… The needs of the east coast, both financial and otherwise, will continue for some time to come. As always, The Red Cross will be at the forefront and in need of as much support as possible. Let’s do our part to help this overwhelming effort.
For each donation you make, you will be entered into a raffle to win a free adjustment! We’ll raffle  3 separate adjustments so your chances are tripled! You can donate in person or by calling the office (214-720-2225) and Diana can take your credit card information over the phone.
 
As you may know, both my wife and I are natives of New Jersey and New York so this event is especially poignant for us. Our relatives are still without power or heat, but we feel so lucky that everyone is safe. As for my wife’s beloved Jersey shore…it will just be a matter of time before it is rebuilt and open for business.
 The Manning Girls at The Jersey Shore, Summer 2012
We thank you in advance for your generosity,
Dr. Jeff and Meridith Manning
Manning Wellness Clinic
2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202
Dallas, TX 75204
Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic Tagged With: , , ,

Tech-Neck: Expert Offers Tips for Reducing and Avoiding Pain and Injury

October 10, 2012 by

Dr. Jeff Manning, a leading expert on a new technology-related discomfort called ‘tech-neck’, is featured in an interview on WFAA-TV in Dallas.

Click to watch:  Tech-neck is a growing problem, but Chiropractic can help

Tips from Dr. Jeff Manning, Manning Wellness Clinic; How to Reduce or Prevent Handheld Device Related Pain:

 

  • Limit the amount of time and frequency that you use your device. If you have to use it for an extended period of time, take breaks. Rule of thumb: Take a 5-minute break for every 15 minutes you use your device, and don’t type for more than 3 minutes straight.  Get up and walk around to stretch your muscles. One simple exercise is to tilt your head to one side (ear to shoulder) then to the other side, back to neutral, turn to look all the way to the right, then left.  Back to neutral, then lean head back and back to neutral.  Do all without raising shoulders. Don’t stretch forward…this only accentuates the poor posture your trying to avoid. Do it slowly, without straining. Repeat.

 

  • Be aware of your posture.  Pay attention to how you hold your device. Try to keep your wrists straight and upright. Loosen your grip when possible.  Alternate the fingers you use to type; if you most often use your thumbs, try to switch to your index finger as it allows you to keep the hands more relaxed.

 

  • Use a tablet holder: There are many on the market, but all have the common goal of securing the tablet at a height that is designed to reduce your need to keep your head bent down and forward. Keeping your device at eye-level will help to reduce neck pain and possible damage. It can also prevent what is know as “text-neck” or head-forward posture.
  • Listen to your body: If you are experiencing pain in your neck, back, shoulders, hand…or eye-strain, pay attention. Those aches and pains have a source, and in this case, it may be technology.  Overuse of handheld devices can also exacerbate an existing or old injury so be aware of what you are feeling. Don’t’ fall into the trap of, ‘If I ignore it, maybe it will go away’.
  • Seek help: If you are experiencing discomfort, don’t wait, seek professional help.

 

 

Dr. Jeffrey Manning, DC

Manning Wellness Clinic

2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202

Dallas, TX 75204

214-720-2225

www.manningwellness.com

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: back pain, Dallas Chiropractic, neck pain, tech-neck Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stress: No Two Chiropractic Patients are ever the Same

May 21, 2012 by

 

Think about you feel when you’re stressed: Are you in pain? Do your muscles tighten? Do you eat more or less? Is your stomach in knots? Are you short of breath? Are you forgetful? Sad? Though our symptoms differ, one thing remains the same: Our bodies feel the impact of stress and one way or another, our bodies will tell us they need help. Without help, the stress, not unlike black mold, will invade our systems. It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, headaches, ulcers, digestive disturbances, backaches and nearly every other condition known to mankind.

Stress is a nervous system reaction that causes your heart to beat faster, your muscles to be tense, your stomach to tighten, and your hair follicles to stand up, all as a way to prepare your body for an emergency. When you interpret a situation as stressful, whether it truly is or not, your brain triggers this reaction by sending a signal over your spinal cord and nervous system to every cell of your body.

Where your body breaks down from stress may depend on whether or not you have a condition known as vertebral subluxation. A vertebral subluxation is a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nervous system which can affect your health on every level whether you have symptoms or not. If you have this in your spine, your body is already pre-stressed.

Some people deal with stress through deep breathing, meditation, exercise and healthy food choices–all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle to counter-balance stress, but if your nervous system is pre-stressed, the slightest deviation from the perfect stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful tailspin. Removing this pre-stress causing subluxation can improve your resistance to daily stressors dramatically.

Research shows that it only takes the weight of a dime to reduce nerve transmission. Additional research has found that nerve compression can exist without pain and can cause deterioration within two weeks.

In this pre-stressed condition, your body becomes more vulnerable to outside stresses while other people may be much more resistant. The location of the subluxation can determine what types of symptoms, if any, you experience. For example, someone with nerve interference in the upper part of the neck might feel headaches, have allergies, or a stiff neck. Because the nerves fibers that come out of the upper neck also go to the entire body, pressure here can literally cause or mimic nearly every symptom or disease you can name.

Interference to the nerve supply in the lower back can cause a backache, leg problems and also affect ovary, prostate, bladder or bowel function. Interference to the nerves in the middle of your back can affect your heart and lungs or cause tension, stomach problems, digestive disturbances and discomfort.

“I have adjusted patients who have come in for lower-back pain, but then reported to me that they were able to sleep better…or no longer felt numbness in their fingers…or in a recent case, my female patient reported that her menstrual cycle seemed to be ‘kick-started’ after being adjusted,” reports Dr. Jeff Manning, DC, of the Manning Wellness Clinic in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Manning adds, “Although that patient was shocked, I wasn’t; I know that removing interference within the body can have incredible, widespread results in fertility and health overall.”

The scary part is that like most serious conditions, vertebral subluxations can cause stress for decades without any symptoms. This is when serious problems occur, many of which could have been avoided by eliminating this pre-stressed condition right away. The birth process, childhood falls, sports injuries and poor lifestyle habits are just a few causes of subluxations. Rather than getting to the cause and removing this underlying problem, many people attempt to chase their symptoms away with drugs, or another type of quick fix, and then wonder why their condition returns. Removing the cause and optimizing the function of your nervous system is a better immediate and long-term plan.

Regardless or your symptoms, a chiropractic examination can locate pre-stressed areas in your spine that may be affecting your health on every level.

Crisis care–only receiving care when you are hurt–is one way to deal with stress, but a much better option is to remove the subluxation and stress from your body and keep it as a part of your lifestyle. This will help you to reduce stress, increase activity and happiness, live more, and enjoy the quality of life you deserve.

 

(Excerpts from TFP, Inc and www.100yearlifestyle.com.)

Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Manning Wellness Clinic Top-Secret Chiropractic Yelp Reviews

May 14, 2012 by

We know that Yelp has some top-secret algorithm that it uses to filter reviews, and while there seems to be no rhyme or reason, we have 6 (yes, 6!!) 5-star reviews that are filtered, or basically unreadable and un-findable unless you are a Yelp regular and know to look for them. But, we are SO proud of what our patients say about us, and we feel that they say it best. So, without further ado, here they are: (By the way, if any of you are Yelpers and have any ideas as to why these reviews are hidden, please shoot us a note and let us know)

6 Filtered Reviews for Manning Wellness Clinic

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

5/8/2012

I have to say that I’ve been going to Manning Wellness Clinic for over 2 years now, and I have  been 100% satisfied every time.  I had been to a chiropractor before, but it wasn’t that great.  Dr. Manning not only has helped my headaches and sports injuries, but he truly listens to you at every visit.  He is so attentive and caring, and I love that they are expanding with massage and accupuncture.  I’ve never tried it, but I think I’m going to have to give it a shot!

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

4/24/2012

Found Wellness clinic online and felt compelled to write to let others know of the relief I am feeling.  I was in excruciating pain when I first went to Dr. Manning.  I have had only 3 visits and I can honestly say my pain is just about gone.  I had been to several other doctors and no one seemed to be able to help me. I would highly recommend the services I have received at his office and will continue to seek his treatments whenever I am in pain.    Thank you so much for helping me to live without the daily pain.

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

4/1/2012

Sooooo, I’ve been to several chiropractors over the years with a variety of results, then I found Dr. Jeff and my treatment and results jumped to a new level that I didn’t know existed!  After many years of “pain management” with previous chiropractors (which I was grateful for) I started my regimen with Dr. Manning and my back issues improved to a degree I did not think possible.  Then eventually ALL of my pain and discomfort just left.  Now with the occasional wellness/maintenance visit I have been able to stay healthy and pain free for over 5 years now.

Recently I have pampered myself with some of their other wellness offerings such as massage therapy (highly recommended) and acupuncture.  I’ve been impressed with both.  They have truly assembled a quality staff of talented professionals.

Dr. Jeff THANK YOU!  You and your staff are amazing and I truly appreciate what you did for me and my quality of life.

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

3/11/2012

Dr. Manning is, at once, one of the most competent and caring physicians I’ve ever encountered.  Because of his diligent work to improve my overall health, my visits now are infrequent, usually brought about by a quick injury.  His equally quick accommodation is efficiently respectful of my time and, because he actually pays attention and clearly cares, we never must start from scratch.  In the currency of relationships, there is no richer an investment in wellness than the affordable and amiable services of Jeff Manning.

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

3/2/2012

I know that when I visit Dr. Manning, I will be listened to and helped.  I had a hand issue that was troubling me a few months ago.  Because of Dr. Manning’s skills and patience, I had use of my hand the next day.  Dr. Manning is easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable.  I would highly recommend going to him for care!  It is rare  to find a doctor so invested in his patients.

Dallas, TX

5.0 star rating

3/1/2012

I never trusted a chiropractor until I met Dr. Manning.  A friend referred me after I complained of a life-long problem with acute headaches.  Although initially skeptical, I became a converted patient after a few sessions with Dr. Manning.  My entire family now sees him regularly, and I consider him an essential part of our wellness care.

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Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Staying Healthy with Chiropractic: All Germs are Not Created Equal

April 20, 2012 by

We’ve been taught by our mothers, and our mothers by their mothers, and so on, and so on, and so on: Wash your hands! But I remember, and it wasn’t too, too long ago, when as a kid, straight from the playground, dirt under the nails, I’d eat my lunch. We didn’t use hand sanitizers at every turn, and we seemed to do just fine. I’m not saying hand washing is not important–it is–but there can be a limit and we have to keep in mind that our bodies, when healthy, can put up quite a fight. The following article from Parenting really says it all:

 

It’s understandable that parents want to keep their children’s environments clean, especially when kids are young. Moms wash bottles in hot water, clean pacifiers that fall on the ground, and take dirty things out of their kids’ mouths. But overall, when it comes to germs, most people have it backward: With relatively few exceptions, they are good for our kids. Keeping things clean is smart, but going crazy using antibacterial hand soaps, buying antibacterial kids’ toys and other products, and overusing antibiotic medications is actually killing off the microbes that can help strengthen the immune system. Antibacterial products may help to reduce some infections, but they also promote the growth of drug-resistant organisms and weaken the good bacteria within us. Rather than focus on killing germs, we need to think about how to encourage their growth.

Supporting the “right” bacteria can have a huge health payoff for your kids: fewer ear infections, tummy aches, episodes of diarrhea, urinary-tract infections, and food allergies. It can even help kids fight off coughs, colds, and fevers. Here’s how to ensure your kids have enough of the good stuff:

Feed your kids right. Give them foods that naturally contain helpful organisms. These include yogurt, pickles, dark chocolate, and feta cheese. In some cases , it may be useful to give a probiotic supplement (available at most pharmacies and health-food stores) containing beneficial live bacteria. All of these foods and supplements are fine to give kids starting at around 6 months. There are other foods to include in their diet that don’t actually contain good germs but help to nurture them: garlic, onions, asparagus, whole oats, whole wheat, honey (for children over age 1), and bananas.

Make safe and smart choices. Keep your kids away from cigarette smoke; exposure can kill off favorable bacteria. As for antibiotic drugs, don’t insist that your pediatrician prescribe them when he says they’re not necessary. These drugs eliminate both good and bad bacteria. If your kids do have to take antibiotics, make sure they get probiotics, too, to restore the body’s supply of good bacteria.

Keeping the body’s bacteria in balance doesn’t take a lot of effort, but it can have big benefits. Starting these habits young can help keep kids healthy for life.

Filed Under: Dallas Chiropractic Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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