At Mind Body Spine, Dr. Stephanie Louie takes a holistic approach to healing, health and well being. In addition to performing Chiropractic adjustments and prescribing exercises, this Victoria Chiropractor hosts nutrition workshops at her clinic to help educate patients about how the foods they eat can either help heal them or may be harming them.

“Our food choices influence our lives and our health,” says Dr. Louie. “The food you put in your body may decrease the pain you are experiencing because some foods are healing.”

Dr. Louie notes that some of our knowledge of how foods affect our bodies dates back to Hippocrates (~400 BC), the Greek physician often referred to as the “Father of Western Medicine.” In the last 100 years, however, as pre-packaged foods have infiltrated our diets, this conventional knowledge has taken a backseat to convenience. Additionally, fad diets have given some healthy foods a bad rap – particularly where fats are concerned. Olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil are all incredibly healthy. Animal fats can also be good for us, as long as they are high quality, unadulterated, unprocessed, organic, and free of antibiotics and hormones.

“Fat isn’t making us fat; it’s good for us,” adds Dr. Louie. “Saturated fat can be good from the right sources – we need cholesterol to live.”

Meanwhile, the real enemy to good health is largely going unchecked.

“Sugar is what’s harming us; sugar is killing us,” says Dr. Louie. “We know it contributes to cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Sugar also causes inflammation, which leads to pain. For a number of my patients, once they remove sugar from their diet, the pain goes away.”

Unfortunately, sugar in all of its forms, including glucose and lactose, is highly addictive and something most of us crave. It naturally occurs in grains, dairy and fruit, making it difficult to avoid completely.

“Do things the best you can in moderation,” advises Dr. Louie. “I follow a healthy diet 6.5 days a week, but I also have my cheat day where I eat what I want.”

She recommends her patients make one change at a time. In some cases, in order to reduce inflammation, she prescribes an anti-inflammatory diet, which means eliminating nightshade vegetables, including peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, and adding more anti-inflammatory foods, like turmeric and ginger.

Given the popularity of smoothies, Dr. Louie says that both green apples and berries are lower on the glycemic index. For those with a sweet tooth, the best sugar alternative is stevia.
As far as grains are concerned, quinoa is a good alternative to rice.

When planning a healthy meal, Dr. Louie suggests making vegetables the star of the meal, and particularly recommends eating lots of green leafy veggies grown above ground, including kale, spinach, broccoli and others.

“Go back to what your grandparents ate: whole, unprocessed foods,” Dr. Louie recommends. “Don’t be afraid of food, learn what’s in it.”

To learn more about nutrition and chiropractic care, check out Dr. Stephanie’s Louie’s website: mindbodyspine.ca. She provides relief for back pain – you don’t need to suffer.

DISCLAIMER

The suggestions and advice provided by Dr. Louie should not be relied upon in place of a Chiropractor professional assessment.