Avoid the 3 Whites

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This tip is about getting regular. No, not that kind of regular. It’s time to get our routine to some sort of regular events, so we can plan out a healthy tomorrow.

Often there are times in our lives, vacation, back to school, trips, that we get out of our normal habits. This tip is about getting back in the swing of a routine. One of the big items we want to address is the nutritional changes through our day. After trips, or vacations we get out of the habit of eating normal healthy meals.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from our patients is their lack of ability to pay attention. Many people are frustrated with there lack of focus through the day, and I have a solution to many of the lack of focus problems that both adults and even children face.

One of the best ways to help eliminate lack of focus is to reduce and if possible eliminate the 3 “whites” from you or your children’s diets.

The three whites are “white sugar, white flour, white salt”

By eliminating some of the sugar and salt, many people are better able to concentrate and are much less scattered. The best way to do this is to watch what you or the kids are eating. This is especially true for breakfast. A good number of the cereals we feed ourselves or our children are LOADED with sugar (more than a can of coke per serving!!!) and then you are all hyped up on sugar and then crash around 10:30/11:00. Then you drag yourself through the next hour or jump on the early bird lunch and grab pizza or hamburgers and get the white flour/salt rush all over again are buzzing until 3:00 when you crash again and then we have to deal with our kids or grandkids going through the same routine!

Then as parents, we have to fight with the kids to get them to do their homework, and the kids seem exhausted and cranky and we wonder why.

Good nutrition can solve many of these problems and can help both ourselves and our children live happier, less stressed lives. So here are some straightforward tips to help aid nutrition in our diets.

Breakfast tips – steer clear of high sugar cereal. If available, try adding high density carbohydrates (they break down slower and last longer in the system) like bagels or the less processed breads (rye, wheat, pumpernickel, etc.).

Proteins are also recommended in small quantities (eggs, nuts, etc).

Lunch is a little more difficult- learn what is available and then choose wisely. If it’s a high sugar, high white flour meal (i.E. Pizza, hamburger, etc) you might want to choose something else, or at least add a fruit or vegetable to take with it. If you get used to eating the same thing then change it up to keep it exciting and nutritional. fruits can be a great snack (grapes, strawberries, bananas, etc.) and have a good amount of natural sugars so we can get rid of any sugar craving without ingesting too much processed white sugar.

Dinner – Everything in moderation. Meals that are good for you are usually good for everyone involved, even the kids or grandkids. If they’re not great for you, they are even worse for the children. So pay attention to dinner. Also, dinner should be a smaller meal since many of us are not exercising after the last meal of the day, and are often falling asleep after we eat.

As always, fruits and vegetables are highly recommended for any time of the day, and should constantly be on hand for snacks and cravings.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of fruits and vegetables you can call our office and we can get you the information you may need. Call the office and we can get you covered (336) 887-9460.

We also offer a nutritional support program that is available at no cost to children participating in a National Nutritional Research study. If you are interested, give us a call and we’ll give you more information.

Until Next Time,