Emmitsburg Osteopathic Primary Care Center
121-123 West Main Street, Rear Entrance
P.O. Box 1219
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
301-447-3310

Healthy Eating

Citizens, I urge us all to go against the pressure to buy and eat foods that mean to do us in.  Everything I see on TV and along the road speaks of white bread or muffins or buns.  Those same promotions may show a little lettuce, tomato or onions, but not before the thick fried or broiled meat (chicken, beef, turkey) is drenched in bacon and cheese and maybe even mushroom gravy.  It is almost impossible to enjoy these offerings without jumbo fries or fried onion rings.  This is mixed with the value of a soda or juice.  If we decide to be frugal we may substitute the fries for potato or corn chips.  We even try to ingest and invest in the somewhat lower calories versions of these same foods. 

To have these treats maybe once a month or even every two weeks is not a bad thing.  To feel this is the “bread by which we live” is an entirely different subject.

Osteopathic medicine holds as one of its essential tenets that the body is self-healing.

Of course there is genetics to contend with, but there is much we can do to transcend some of our genetic hitches by a healthier lifestyle.  There are literally hundred of thousands of food stuffs out there that can give us the protein, bio-flavonoids, vitamins, minerals and fiber that we need to be come resilient. We use about 10 foods to sustain us through life.  Clearly we are missing out on a lot of nutrition and health.

Further, while juices and sodas can give us a quick lift, we should be mostly already made fit by drinking good water: at least an ounce for every kilogram of weight. To calculate how much water in the American system: take the weight in pounds and divide by two, that number is the number of ounces of good water to be enjoyed each day.

How is this for a plan?  Each week we will learn to enjoy a new food, one with a color other than brown or yellow. We add it to our diet.  At the same time we delete one portion of the stuff we love, but we know will add useless calories (e.g. Pretzels).  Each time we do this we give ourselves a gold star for being brave enough to go out on a limb for our health.  Each week we shop a little different than the week before.  Sometimes it will just be a simple matter of getting a bag of nuts and having fun cracking them open and eating the good meat inside.  Sometimes it will be adding a different vegetable to our usual meal.  Sometimes it will be eating a fruit when we were thinking of a chocolate bar.

As time goes on we will notice we are just a little thinner, have just a little bit more energy, sleep just a little bit better, have fewer colds.  One day down the road we will teach our children how scrumptious and fun good, healthy eating is: a tradition is born.