What did you have for lunch yesterday? If you are the
typical American, you had something along the lines of a burger, fries, chicken,
soda, pizza, etc. Now, let’s consider another question. What is the number one
complaint of my patients and people who attend my lectures? Across the board,
the answer is fatigue. It seems almost everyone I encounter would like to have
more energy.
So, what does this have to do with lunch? When
questioned, most people say they are more fatigued after eating lunch then
before. One of the major reasons for this is most lunches contain large amounts
of fats. Fats, especially saturated fats found in animal products (meat and
dairy), cause red blood cells to clump together. Red blood cells carry oxygen in
the body and when the red blood cells clump together they are not very effective
in carrying oxygen. This lack of oxygen causes the body to get tired. If you
want to put this to the test, tomorrow have a healthy lunch, maybe a salad with
an oil and vinegar dressing using olive or flax seed oil. Don’t limit yourself
to lettuce only; add carrots, radishes, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, or any other
veggies you prefer. Then notice how you feel that afternoon. The following day,
have a meal with a lot of fat. If you still eat meat, have a beef burrito with
cheese, a cheese and meat pizza, or a ham and cheese sandwich. Pay attention to
how you feel after this fatty meal. I feel confident that you will notice that
you had more energy following the healthy meal but felt tired after the
unhealthy one.
Eating lighter, healthier lunches will increase
productivity in your life. If you have children, this becomes equally, if not
more, important. Children’s performance is directly linked to their diet. For 19
years in my practice, I have counseled hundreds of families on how to improve
their mental functions as well as their health, especially their children’s .
One very effective way to improve mental function and over-all health is to
improve nutrition. Eating the foods you are biologically designed to eat can
take and average student, employee or family member and make them above average.
It can take an above average person and bring them to a whole new level.
Everyone benefits from giving the body the nutrients it needs. It’s important to
realize that most school lunches will adversely effect how your child thinks and
acts. I have spoken with numerous teachers who all agree that grades are
traditionally better in the morning classes (before lunch) than in the afternoon
classes (after lunch).
Some school cafeterias offer salad bars and
meat-free/dairy-free meals. If you child is going to eat in the cafeteria,
instruct them on how to make the best choices available to them. Also, when you
are eating out, follow these simple healthy eating rules. First of all, remember
that there is always something to eat. In 19 years of eating out and traveling
over the world, I have never been forced to miss a meal because there wasn’t any
food available that I could eat. If eating Mexican, have beans instead of beef.
If you are having Chinese, try the stir fried veggies, mu shu veggies, veggie lo
mein, veggies with tofu or veggie chow mein. Italian food also offers plenty of
healthy options, including pasta with marinara sauce, pesto with no cheese (see
my book “Eating Right For The Health Of It” for several pesto as well as over
200 other recipes that are vegan, wheat-free, hypoallergenic, easy to make and
delicious!), or just salad with Italian dressing. Thai food is also a good
choice and can be easily made without meat; just ask your server to use tofu
instead of the meat or that you want veggies only. The sauce and veggies taste
just as good as the meal with meat and might even be cheaper. Also, many
American restaurants now serve veggie burgers.
If you are packing lunch, make a peanut butter and
jelly sandwich. Keep in mind that you can also make your sandwich with almond
butter, cashew butter, or filbert nut butter. Be sure to use a 100% fruit jelly
and a healthy bread such as spelt bread (a bread made with spelt, a grain
similar to wheat, but much easier to digest and hypoallergenic) or Ezekiel bread
(a sprouted grain bread). Or try a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich without
the bacon. I also suggest canned organic soup, which can cost as little as $1.25
and is low in calories, low in saturated fat, is filling and is good for you.
Add a few carrot sticks, celery sticks and a piece of fruit and you will feel
better, live longer and enjoy every day instead of being tired and unable to
perform at your best.
Nutrition is important because it is the fuel that runs
you body. This, along with a properly functioning nervous system, is the
combination to achieve optimum health. If you have any back pain, head aches,
leg pain or arm pain, or if you don’t feel as healthy as you should, be sure to
get a thorough chiropractic evaluation to find out if you have a pinched nerve
that is preventing your body from functioning at 100%. By eating this way and
being sure your spine and nervous system are not malfunctioning, you avoid most
of the things that prevent you from being all that you can be (sorry US Army for
stealing).
