In an era in which we are bombarded with media articles about “pink slime” in school cafeterias and pizza being considered a vegetable because it contains tomato sauce, it is natural for parents to want to provide healthy alternatives to the lunches provided by schools. But this provides a challenge. What should we pack in their lunch boxes? And how do we get them to eat it? I know some parents who show their kids a children video to encourage them to eat healthier, as it can be both informative and educational too. Once you get your kids into this habit, then they’ll be carry this on as they get older.
According to Dr. Jeff McQuaite, a Doylestown pediatric chiropractor, the importance of nutrition for school-aged children cannot be overemphasized. Numerous studies have shown that kids who eat nutritionally balanced lunches do better in school, behave better and miss fewer days of school because of illness. Balanced lunches – including foods from each of the major food groups – can help kids to keep their brains alert and their energy up during the long school day, and prevent sluggishness and energy “drop outs” due to low blood sugar. A recent study by JAMA Pediatrics showed that children residing in states with stringent nutritional standards for school meals had lower rates of obesity than those living in states with more lax regulations.
Fortunately, there are dozens of websites on the Internet that provide tasty yet nutritional recipes for kids; just do a search in your favorite browser for “healthy school lunch ideas” and you’ll be able to find hundreds of new recipes to try and many ideas for how to make them more appealing. Here are a few general ideas to get you started:
Try to include at least three of the four major food groups – grains and breads, meats, milk and dairy, and fruits and vegetables – in each meal. A balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats and other nutrients will help to keep kids’ energy up during the afternoons.
Consider alternatives to the same (to kids) boring old sandwiches. You can use bagels or pita breads or sourdough rolls, or prepare “roll ups” using flour or corn tortillas. Instead of processed meats and cheese slices, use cookie cutters to cut up healthier meats that you prepare yourself or healthier cheeses into shapes that entice your kids to eat them.
Encourage your kids to be part of the lunch-planning and lunch-preparation process. They’ll be more likely to eat and enjoy lunches that they helped to choose or prepare. Also, it provides an opportunity for you to teach them more about nutrition, and what is healthy for them.
If your kids are prone to snacking, include healthy snacks like dried fruits and nuts, or make your own. Instead of pre-made packets of crackers and cheese, consider making your own, using healthier whole-grain crackers and real cheeses, instead of white-flour crackers and “cheese food.”
Variety, variety, variety. Instead of a sandwich, consider creating a “dipping lunch” that is all bite-sized and can be dunked in a healthy sauce. You can package up the various ingredients in inexpensive plastic containers. For example, you can combine carrot and celery sticks with a ranch dressing dip, or strips of chicken with a tasty honey-mustard sauce. Cottage cheese, yogurt, guacamole, or hummus can also be healthy dips.
These are just a few ideas from your chiropractor in Doylestown for “spicing up” your children’s school lunches. Use them as a starting point for creating more ideas of your own. Work with your kids to find the things they like best, and chances are they’ll both eat them, and enjoy them.
According to the National Institutes for Health Statistics, lower back pain and headaches are the most common ailment among Americans. People spend almost $50 Billion a year on remedies and treatments for their aches and pains.
Lower back pain causes can come from all sorts of avenues. From arthritis to osteoporosis to disc problems, there are dozens of possible causes.
It’s worth finding out the source of the pain. It’s a big difference to experience the occasional lower back pain because you overdid it in the garden vs. experiencing chronic pain that won’t go away. In either case, you want to get relief right away.
Chiropractic care is a gentle means of adjusting your spine so it returns to its rightful place relieving pain and pinching. Many people find success with chiropractic care and don’t require surgery. Others use it in conjunction to help their surgeries be more successful.
Your chiropractor will work with you to determine your lower back pain causes and create a treatment plan.
A Quick Overview of the Back
The spinal column is made up of 30 bones, tissues, ligaments, and nerve endings. Between these bones are the discs that act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae which cushion the discs. A flexible spine improves your range of motion and protects your back from injury.
Getting Older and a Sedentary Lifestyle Can Contribute to Low Back Pain
This combination is the reason for all types of health issues.
As you get older, you lose muscle tone and bone strength which means your lumbar region (lower back) works harder. This makes it’s easier to strain your muscles when you move something heavy or do vigorous exercise.
Additionally, the discs in your back become less flexible with age and produce less synovial fluid to lubricate the bones.
Then there’s sitting. You’re probably not surprised to find that sitting too much can contribute to lower back pain. So, if you sit at a desk all day and then sit in the evening too, you’re setting yourself up for back pain.
For one, be aware of your posture. Computer work typically causes people to sit hunch forward. This contributes to rounded shoulders and sometimes a chin jutting out which can lead to more pressure on your lumbar region. Investing in a supporting chair can make a big difference.
Some people find a gaming chair is ideal in this situation. Gamers tend to sit in front of dual screens for long periods of time, similar to the amount of time you may sit at your desk. A gaming chair provides comfort and support to your lower back and neck, the same places you may be having issues with so it may help.
Between the normal aging process and today’s sedentary lifestyles, it’s a perfect storm for nerve irritation or bone lesions.
One other reason you might be experiencing back pain is because of an accident. If you have sustained a back injury as the result of the negligence of another person you might be able to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
Here’s How Chiropractic Care Works
Dr. McQuaite will start by discussing your medical history. You’ll share your symptoms and lifestyle. He’ll also examine your posture and take x-rays to see what’s inside. The X-rays will illustrate the cause of your chronic lower back pain. If you have the beginnings of arthritis it will be visible, so will nerve damage, unhealed scar tissue, and dozens of other possibilities.
From there, your chiropractor will recommend a course of treatment. That treatment plan can cover things like heat and cold therapy, a number of visits, and more.
How Quickly Will You Find Relief?
Relief varies for everyone as conditions are different but many find some pain relief after their very first visit. After a few weeks of regular visits, you may find the pain lessens and you have more mobility than you did before.
Of course, making some other adjustments in your lifestyle will contribute too. Regular moderate exercise like walking will help. Not only does moderate exercise help keep you fit, but also, it releases feel-good endorphins in your body which are natural pain relief.
Other adjustments such as your sitting posture and height of the computer can also help. Your monitor should be eye level to take the strain off your neck from bending forward for hours at a time.
You don’t have to live with chronic lower back pain. Discover your lower back pain causes and find relief with a chiropractor.
