Combating the Overwhelm and Burden of a Healthy Lifestyle
Occasionally I post videos to social media about “what’s been coming in the office”. A lot of times, I have found that people are struggling with similar issues. Whether it be back pain or headaches, or even the stress of work/family/life balance or combating the overwhelm of trying to do all the things – as a mom, parent, human being. You’re not alone my friend. And hence why I started sharing those similarities that I’ve seen, and then giving some insight into my thoughts on ways to help, and the insight of what my patients have actually done to help themselves.
This blog is sparked from an IGTV I did about the burden of a healthy lifestyle.……it’s a real thing. And it comes in the office a lot. And it’s usually accompanied by, “what do you and your family do Dr. Shannon”. Most often, I find that people know what they should do to be healthy. There are certain foods we can eat, and others we can avoid. There are certain activities and physical exertion levels we could achieve to promote health. And the list goes on. One big issue is that there is so much information. Another big issue is figuring out where to begin. Therein lies the overwhelm.
“You can either choose to be proactive and look into ways to define what health means for you and your family now, or you can be forced to make changes later.”
In an effort to combat the overwhelm, to find a starting point in the health journey, let’s begin with what my family and I do in terms of supporting our nutritional health through supplements and added nutrients. In a perfect world, we would get all the nutrients our body’s need from the food we eat. However, the food we eat nowadays is not as nutrient dense as what we’ve consumed in the past. The fruits and vegetables are coming from nutrient-lacking soil, as well at the animal products we consume. Because of that, it has become important to include nutrient supplementation in our diets. But guess what, which products to use, how to many to use, where to purchase them, and the science on the supplements is…..you guessed it…….OVERWHELMING!
Let’s keep it simple. I’m listing my top 4 supplements to support your body, promote health and wellness, what to look for in those supplements, and ways to keep it simple!
· Full disclosure: I share these items with you because this is what my family and I use, what works for us and our health needs, what I’ve done my research on and feel comfortable using, and yes there are affiliate links. This is not intended to be medical advice. Your health and wellness concerns need to be discussed with your healthcare provider before taking anything.
1. Multivitamin – Remember when we talked about the nutrient-lacking soil…….this is where a multivitamin comes in.
Key things to look for are:
· Allergen friendly – so no gluten, dairy, nuts, corn, etc.
· Quality - where the supplement is actually coming from/how it’s produced - I do prefer one that is made from whole foods and packaged in a capsule/tablet/gummy. There are so many options for multivitamins, so if it helps you narrow it down, look for a whole food supplement rather than a synthetic one. Here’s more info on synthetic vs natural nutrients.
· Folate vs folic acid – why am I focusing on one specific nutrient……30-40% of the population has a MTHFR genetic variant which means these people lack an enzyme to convert folic acid into folate. If they can’t convert it, then it accumulates and can be toxic in the body. Folic acid is what has been fortified in many grains and breads because folate deficiency is linked to neural tube defects (think cleft palate and cleft lip and spina bifida). It can be beneficial to check for folate vs folic acid on your multivitamin. Here’s more information on folate vs. folic acid.
The multivitamin that my family and I use is from Juice Plus. It really helps bridge the gap in making sure we’re getting enough fruits and vegetables. And as mentioned above, it has a food label, so it is whole food, and not just synthetic nutrients, and it contains folate (and a probiotic – coming up next, and there are omega options – coming up later). And my kids are part of the children’s health study, so they’re vitamins are FREE!
2. Probiotic – We have just as much bacteria in our body as we do cells (which are the building blocks of life)…….and bacterial strains and cfu’s (colony forming units) are important.
When we have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and healthy fats, our gut is colonized with healthy bacteria. When we have a diet rich in processed foods, trans fats, and lacks diversity, our gut is colonized with unhealthy bacteria. Our microbiome is part of our enteric (gut) nervous system, and you know the saying “gut feeling” well it’s true. Our brain and gut are in constant communication through our microbiome via in part by the vagus nerve (which can also impacted by the chiropractic adjustment!!)
More diverse strains of good bacteria, and lots of colony forming units are important things to look for in a probiotic. And side note: infants, children, and adults typically have different bacterial strains, so I recommend different probiotics for each age.
Here's a great article about the diversity of the microbiome and did you know – the first colonization of our microbiome occurs during birth!
Klaire Labs has wonderful probiotic products for all age ranges, and it’s what I sell in the office, and what my family takes.
3. Omegas – your brain is essentially fat…..so we need to make sure we’re getting lots of healthy fats.
Way back in the day, fat free was the way to go, but fats are the building blocks of our cell membranes, we use fats for energy, and they are needed for optimal NERVE FUNCTION, plus much more! Omega 3 fatty acids are typically lacking in our diets, and you can get them from fish, meat and dairy from grass-fed animals, flaxseed, walnuts, etc. The brain thrives off of EPA and DHA which are types of omega 3 fatty acids. And kids at different stages in life need different amounts of each.
Nordic Naturals has wonderful omega products for all stages of life. (Now the one we take also has vitamin D3 which is next on my list!) Juice Plus also has wonderful plant based omega options which cover a wide range of the fatty acids and are another good option. Here’s an article about the different types of omegas.
4 Vitamin D3 – is the sunshine vitamin that is an essential part of your skeletal system and interacts with your immune system.
For calcium to be absorbed, it needs D3 present in your body. But D3 is typically not found in many foods, except fatty fish (and of course fortified foods). Sunlight converts a chemical in your skin to produce the active from of D3, and this is why getting enough sunlight is needed for optimal D3 levels. Almost 42% of Americans are D3 deficient, so finding a great supplement can really help not only bone health but immune system health.
Again, I love Nordic Naturals, and the omega that we take also has D3.
This is just a start and is by no means an exhaustive list. Again, to combat the overwhelm, keep it simple, start with small things that eventually add up to big results. And as my mom always says, if you don’t invest in your health, no one else will 😊