We have all heard this before... "You are what you eat." Well, as summer is about to set in and vacations begin, this little phrase becomes even more important. Often times we view summer as a time to relax, kick back and do what we want when we want.

Many people find themselves traveling a lot more and stuck with extremely busy schedules. Folks will throw out their much more structured lifestyle that they operate with during the majority of the year and tend to sacrifice many good choices. During the summer months we have a great opportunity to do better with our eating habits. Gardens start to produce fresh fruits and vegetables, and farmers markets open up again this time of year.

Many chiropractic patients in Ardmore will often ask me what the best diet to follow is. I really dislike the word "diet" being associated with the way you should be eating, but here is my opinion and why it is the right set of guidelines to follow. You may or may not be familiar with the Paleo Diet. People often see the Paleo Lifestyle as a super-clean, version of the famous Atkins Diet; lots of lean meats,no carbs, no dairy, lacking in variety, and expensive. These opinions are not entirely true.The FACTS are: Paleo is clean, but you CAN have carbs, avoid self-deprivation, and you can even keep your fats too!

The name Paleo stems from the Paleolithic era which was a pre-historic period when early man began to emerge. This is why it is sometimes called the Caveman or Evolutionary Diet. It came about as scientists were studying how early man ate and how their eating affected their health status. Scientists found that conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes were nearly absent in our pre-historic past, and researchers wanted to determine if diet played a role. The cornerstone of the Paleo Diet, is restriction of items such as grains, sugar, and processed foods, while encouraging consumption of vegetables and meat as primary energy sources. This is a sharp contrast with the food pyramid of the early 1990's, where grains, breads, and pastaswere the principal sources of calories in the Standard American Diet, appropriately abbreviated"S.A.D." The problem is that S.A.D. has led to unprecedented rates of obesity and chronic disease in epidemic proportions. Researchers have found that because our early ancestors were hunters and gatherers, our genes innately evolved to digest meats and vegetables easily. On the otherhand, since sugar and carbohydrates were much harder to find in nature, we have little to nogenetic protection against the harmful effects of the massive amount of carbohydrates that we eat in today's agricultural society.

So what does that mean for you? It means that foods that you can readily find in nature are partof the Paleo Diet, since that's where our ancestors found food. Our genetics have evolved toprovide our bodies with the necessary enzymes and biological machinery to handle meats,veggies, and fruits in a highly efficient and effective manner. Still, carbohydrates are not theenemy. In fact, they are essential for the body in small portions similar to what you would find infresh fruit. However, grains and plain sugar bombard our systems with so much glucose at onetime that our bodies often become overwhelmed. This is a major factor contributing to theincreasing rates of obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Inflammation and many othersecondary conditions.

As a structural chiropractor, I take care of patients on a daily basis who must decrease inflammation and their overall body weight in order to maintain healthy and balanced spinalstructure and function. As an individual's weight drops and the inflammatory response of the body diminishes, the spine will have greater protection from disc degeneration, arthritis, and other degenerative issues. While my primary focus and expertise is in Structural Correction, I recommend the Paleo Diet because of its focus on fresh meats and vegetables, providing a scientifically sound way fo rmost people to eat for weight control and optimal health.

As you can see the summer months truly bring about the opportunity to get started with the Paleo lifestyle, since we have an abundance of local fresh fruits and vegetables at our disposal.It also gives you the opportunity to act a little like a caveman and plant gardens, or search outlocal produce. Plus, you can make little mini-vacations out of your summer days by visiting local farms in the area.