Report Provides New Sugar Recommendations For Adults

A teaspoon of the stuff might help your medicine go down, but exceeding your recommended sugar intake could lead to obesity, heart disease, and not-so-healthy eating habits. But how much sugar is sweet, and how much turns your health sour? For the first time ever, the American Heart Association (AHA) has released guidelines giving people an idea of what a healthy daily sugar intake really is.

The AHA statement makes the point that added sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup or ordinary table sugar added to sodas, breads, and other processed foods, are likely responsible for the increase in calorie consumption and the subsequent rise in obesity of the past few decades. Furthermore, people who have unhealthy sugar intake levels also consume lower levels of vital nutrients, such as zinc, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. And one study has suggested that too much sugar could raise blood pressure levels. The report also notes that over the past 30 years, we’ve consumed an average of 150 to 300 more calories per day than we used to, 50 percent of which come from beverages. And our physical activity levels remain unchanged, so those extra calories don’t get burned off.

Surveys have also found that the average American consumes around 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar every day. According to the new guidelines, we should really be eating a fraction of that amount…

The recommended sugar intake for adult women is 5 teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar per day, for adult men, it’s 9 teaspoons (36 grams) daily, and for children, it’s 3 teaspoons (12 grams) a day. Wilmington, NC is a “sweet” place to live but watch the amount of sugar in your diet…stay healthy! Schedule an appointment with Dr. McGraw to discuss your nutritional concerns!

“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.”

~ English Proverb

Congratulations to all of the runners at The Quintiles 1/2 and full Marathon this weekend in Wilmington, NC! Dr. McGraw and Dr. Bradburn spent a busy weekend providing Active Release Techniques before and after the races! Athletes benefit from  active release therapy to get sore or injured muscles moving again, and to generally improve athletic performance.

Active Care Chiropractic is a proud sponsor of the 4th annual Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon and Half Marathon! Good luck to all of our patients…See you at the finish line!

Obesity is a bigger health crisis globally than hunger, and the leading cause of disabilities around the world, according to a report published in the British medical journal The Lancet. Some food for thought…

Gentlemen, is there a problem with your wallet?

The problem IS your wallet. Have you looked at your wallet recently? Many are an inch thick or more. Most people carry their wallet in their back pocket. Then they sit on that wallet sometimes all day long, causing their pelvis to be shifted on one side for the majority of the day. The result is often pain in the back and hips and sometimes even sciatica on that side. Try keeping your wallet in your side pocket or carrying it!

Daylight Savings Time! Go ahead…adjust it!

The Key To Sitting Successfully: Stand Up

From computers to smart phones to iPads, our beloved electronic devices are crippling our posture and contributing to back pain and joint problems. Fortunately, there are a few strategies – such as changing your position often– that can address a lot of these potential problems and help keep you more fit and properly aligned.
As miserable as back pain is, that may be the least of your worries if you spend a significant portion of your time on your duff. Sitting may actually cut years off your life. Lack of exercise is sitting’s evil accomplice. The more you sit, the less your body wants to move.

According to a study in the British Medical Journal, reducing the average time you spend sitting to less than three hours per day could increase your life expectancy by two years, which is a significant decrease from the 4.5 to 5 hours per day the average American now spends on a chair or sofa. An analysis of 18 studies showed that people who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least. Sitting has actually joined smoking and obesity as an important risk factor for chronic disease.

The basic remedy is to stand up – but you have to do this frequently if you spend a lot of your life in a chair. Change positions often – at least every 20 to 30 minutes – and maintain proper torso alignment, regardless of what position you’re in. Sitting, especially while doing computer work or texting, tends to result in leaning forward with your head, neck, shoulders and upper back. The key is to teach your body to support itself in a more neutral position, without over-correcting. Wilmington, NC …  Stand Up!