Dump the Soda - Choose Water Instead | Remington Chiropractic Newsletter

Turn off those pesky computers and electronic toys and get outdoors! Long days and warm temperatures mean you can go for an evening hike or bike ride and plan a family picnic and badminton game for the weekend. In the winter months you can enjoy sledding, cross country skiing, downhill skiing or even an old-fashioned snowball fight! For more information on county parks, go to parkhere.org.

Dr. Pamela Wells

Free Workshops

Talk about fun! Hula hooping isn’t just for kids anymore. Fitness centers are adding “hooping” classes and adult size, weighted hoops make it easier to master. Hooping strengthens your core, gluteal muscles and legs. It’s a great warm up for running or circuit training or can be a stand alone cardiovascular exercise.

Go to hooping.org for more information on how to get started and even how to make your own hoop.

The 100 Year Lifestyle

If you or your children are still drinking sodas, now is the perfect time to say “good riddance!” As more and more adults and children struggle with obesity, doctors are targeting sodas and sweetened drinks, the largest source of sugar in the American diet.

To help families make the switch, several local health organizations have teamed up to educate parents and kids that water is your best choice to stay hydrated during any season. Try it with a squeeze of lemon or sliced strawberries for a refreshing change. Go to sodafreesummer.org to track your soda-free days and enter to win cool prizes.

What About Diet Soda? Don’t be fooled by slick marketing encouraging diet or sugar-free drinks as a healthy alternative. Artificial sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and trick your brain into craving even more sweet stuff.

Why is High Fructose Corn Syrup so Bad? A recent study by Duke University Medical Center found that increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup (the sweetener found in most drinks) was associated with scarring or fibrosis of the liver in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Even more alarming is that doctors are seeing more and more children being diagnosed with NAFLD, a condition for which there is no treatment.

Fructose, naturally found in fruits and vegetables, is metabolized differently than glucose. There is no insulin response to convey it into cells to be used as energy. Fructose is metabolized in the liver, which turns it into glucose first, and then if there is no need for glucose, into triglycerides (fat).

Food Rules

by Michael Pollan

# Avoid foods that have some sort of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top 3 ingredients.

# Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.

# Buy your snacks at the farmer's market.