So, I am in the health & wellness profession and it is my philosophy to get healthy from the inside out. That includes mind, body, and soul. Now without sounding like a total nusto preacher I wanted to make a post about supplementation.
For years we have been told that we don't need to take vitamins, and the water recommendations are such that you should drink when you are thirsty, and artificial sweeteners really aren't that bad for us. But look around people, we are in the middle of an obesity epidemic, and we certainly didn't get here overnight and without cause. It is being found more often that a lot of people are vitamin D deficient, especially in the Midwest where I live because we don't really spend much time outside in the winter months. So many people have cancer, heart disease, chronic inflammation in some form or another, and there IS a reason for it: we eat like crap and expect our bodies to keep running at top notch.
I personally love my vegetables, I drink a lot of water everyday (about 120 oz. or more), I exercise at least 3 times a week, usually more, and I know I'm not THE healthiest person on the earth. I still have chocolate cake once in awhile (like last Saturday at the Iowa Chiropractic Society banquet) and I'm not perfect. No one is. This is why supplementation is so important. What is supplementation? Well, what I'm referring to is making sure that you get all of your daily vitamins & minerals that your body needs to just run daily functions at 100%. Supplements can be anything from physical performance enhancing supplements that professional athletes take to keep their bodies in top condition to supplements that bodybuilders take to make their muscles grow super huge.
But what about the rest of us? What about us regular Joes? There are tons and tons of options out there, but what I'm going to talk about is what I use personally. If you've ever stayed up late watching infomercials or those paid tv programming on the weekends you've maybe heard of Shakeology. Now, I'm very much like the rest of the world, I'm skeptical until I do research for myself or have a personal experience with something. So this is mine...
My sister started drinking Shakeology last fall, and she was telling me how great she felt, and how much energy she had, blah blah blah, and I brushed her off. She was in the middle of eating healthier and exercising and I chalked it up to that, and said I could replicate her Shakeology with my protein powder & a banana to make a meal replacement and lose weight. Well, I started looking into what is in Shakeology and I was blown away. We carry a 'green drink' as we affectionately call it, at our clinic, it's full of superfoods, and I make myself choke it down pretty much only when I feel myself getting sick. Why? Because it tastes a lot like what it's made of 'green super foods' and I don't really like the taste, so I'm never consistent with it. Well, shakeology has almost all of the same ingredients of our 'green drink' plus so much more. It has 18 grams of protein, which doesn't make it a protein shake, but it means that if you use it as a meal replacement you're going to feel fuller longer. It has 70 super foods, the equivalent of which would be like going through a salad bar 5 times and filling your plate with all of the healthy greens and veggies you could find! There is also probioitics & prebioitics in it, which are fantastic for digestion, building your immune system, and GI regularity. I speak with patients on a daily basis that have either some form of GI tract irregularity, or irritation. Pro & prebiotics are fantastic for building up and balancing your gut flora for better digestion & regularity. It's also made from ALL NATURAL WHOLE FOODS, there are no artificial flavors, sweeteners, and NO SOY!!! I haven't posted yet on my feelings for soy, but I've eluded to the fact that I don't agree with people that tell you it's healthy for you.
I started drinking Shakeology at about the middle of February 2016 after I bought their 7 day sample packet to figure out what flavor I'd like best. By day 2 I was looking forward to my daily shake, it tasted really good, and I let my kids sample each flavor along the way as well. My son liked every flavor, my daughter and I liked every flavor except for one. The biggest thing I noticed was as I went through the 7 days, I started to feel less cravings for sweet foods (which to me is huge because I have a serious sweet tooth). After I made my first order of Shakeology, I began drinking it daily at about 26 weeks pregnant, so I wasn't drinking it to lose weight. What have I noticed personally besides less sugar cravings? Added energy, I don't reach the 3 p.m. lull where I feel sleepy and like a need a 'pick me up' anymore. I have energy to get through my 30 minute workouts, which is huge these days at almost 36 weeks pregnant. I have less indigestion/heartburn when I drink it, and it's easier to choke down than my usual handful of vitamins. I look forward to drinking it because it tastes great, but also because I know I'm doing a good job taking care of myself and baby A when I drink it!
So, what does all of this mean? This supplement is full of your daily RDI of vitamins and minerals, it's the equivalent of 5 trips to the salad bar (which is always good news to people that don't eat their veggies) it has 70 super foods, and it's great for your digestion. So who would this be good for? ANYONE who is alive. It's a great way to make sure your kids get their daily nutrition, it's fantastic for people that don't eat their vegetables (or at least the recommended 5-6 servings daily), it's amazing for people who are diabetic because it's full of nutrition but extremely low on the glycemic index. It's great for athletes that constantly put their body under stress through tough workouts and need to fuel themselves with good nutrition. People who are trying to lose weight, this is fantastic as a meal replacement, it ensures that you can stay the course of healthy eating, helps curb cravings, and keeps you on track with your daily intake. Why? Because when people diet, they generally cut calories, and in turn cut out vital nutrients, so they can stay excited about their low calorie eating plan for a while initially, but after about day 10 (if they make it that far) they throw in the towel because their body is not getting everything it needs, and they start to crave other foods to try and fulfill those needs. This is a fantastic supplement for anyone with any kind of inflammatory disease as well, it's full of healthy nutrients, no added sugars, nothing that feeds the inflammation, so people with arthritis, fantastic! This supplement is wonderful for elderly people...why? Well, as we age, a lot of people are less active, therefore their metabolism slows down, and they begin to eat less, some people lose their appetite altogether, and so they don't get everything they need in a day to stay healthy, and slowly, the cycle begins that they do less and less, eat less, and you watch them just sort of waste away. Well, it doesn't have to be that way.
I am passionate about taking care of the human frame, in all facets. Nutrition is one of my most beloved topics, and yet it is beyond frustrating the disconnect that our society has with realizing how much the food that we put into our bodies affects how our body responds. Most people would never put a coca-cola in a baby bottle for a week old child right? Well, why not? Because they KNOW that it has no nutrition to offer that baby. Yet, we give young kids and ourselves soda amongst other atrocious food options hand over fist on a daily basis! I would love to follow all of my friends, family, & patients around all day and help them make good food choices, but that's obviously not realistic. Shakeology is truly the best answer across the board in my world to help get people healthy. Let's say you continue eating normally, but you drink Shakeology every day, at the VERY least, you're getting one meal that has dense nutrition, and you're doing good things for your body. Eventually people will begin to feel better, healthier, and then maybe take that next step in filling their day with even more great choices, at least that's my HOPE! As a holistic doctor it is my moral obligation to help and educate people on how to keep themselves healthy, and what things they can do for themselves. A lot of people aren't ready to take control of their lives & their health. For the majority of people that find themselves stuck and in a place where they want to get healthy but are overwhelmed and need direction, this is a great place to START! I would love to help anyone and everyone looking to get healthy, and if this is you, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.
www.beachbodycoach.com/DRJENNCHICOINE
