An e-mail the other day reminded me…I think it was Michael Pollan speaking…of the value of circular shopping, or selecting items from the perimeter of the store. A common marketing technique is placing items that have the highest profit where we will notice, and hopefully purchase. Whether they are of healthful value is not the primary motive.
What does this have to do with nitric oxide? Of wellness, for that matter?
It has become very apparent, to those who will see, that the state of nutrition in our nations supermarkets is abysmally poor. People continue to buy, and of course the manufacturers will continue to produce at a cheap cost, “foods” that are designed to provide calories and little in the form of nutrition.
As I daily discuss food choices with patients, many of them far beyond frustration as they try to lose weight and improve their health, I see the results of the industrialized food machine. Foods processed to shift the balance toward Omega 6 fatty acids and away from Omega 3’s. Foods packed with energy in the form of cheap calories and stripped of healthy nutrients. Foods that appeal to our genetically misapplied lust for energy in the form of fats and sugar.
For my family we have discovered that the best choices are found in the local markets that specialize in “organic”, locally grown and sustainable, nutritious food. Yes it is more expensive…in the short term…however with some extended vision it is easy to deduce that the savings are there. Not only is there the reward of greater health, less disease and decreased dis-ease care costs…but the immediate appreciation of flavor and well-being is quite noticeable.
The larger stores (you know the names, so I won’t bother listing them)…pack the center aisles with highly processed food-like products. Very tasty for the most part, but the negative is an insidious decline in health and a not so subtle ballooning of our national waist line.
Our body will create healthy cells with a proper balance of fatty acids. Our circulatory system will respond with a wealth of wellness if supplied with nutrients found in thoughtfully grown fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. One estimate was that a serving of spinach 50 years ago had 20-30 times the nutrient value of most spinach today. To find and consume similar nutrition now…will require some attention. Our brains will function better with proper levels of DHA and EPA…nutrients found in the healthier foods…not the cheapest.
Sure we can supplement, and of course I would be the first to recommend some good choices, but it starts with what is found in our daily meals. Supplements should “supplement”…not replace healthy choices or absolve us from the discipline of being nutrient-smart. We can greatly assist the healing capacity of the body by creating a foundation of wellness based on good food and nutrition.
I have a passion for nitric oxide science and research. I love learning more about what nutrients lead to healthier lives, bodies and minds. I also know and try to remember that the best overall plan was and is as simple as recalling what my grandmother put on the table. She may have not known the scientific reasons…however she did know the result!
Be well and IN-JOY the journey! (Oh, and shop the perimeter today!!!)
Perry
Dr. Chinn is a 1986 Life University graduate (Marietta), has been practicing for 37 years, currently in NW Montana. He has served as a board member and vice-president of the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society. As a Gonstead technique diplomate, Dr. Chinn is authorized to teach and coach the Gonstead system to other doctors of chiropractic. He is the author of Symphony of Wellness and Soaring Beyond Fear (www.PerryChinn.com), his book Symphony of Wellness (now in an expanded 3rd edition) focuses on the science and benefits of the Nobel Prize winning science of nitric oxide for cardiovascular health and whole body wellness. He is available for keynote speaking and coaching. Dr. Chinn can be reached at DrPChinn@gmail.com