Root Vegetables

In decades past, very few urban kids had ever even heard of a parsnip, a fennel bulb, or a bunch of kale. In those days, fruit and vegetable consumption typically consisted of apples, bananas, corn, potatoes, peas, and lettuce. Oranges were infrequent and grapefruit was a rarity. Today a veritable cornucopia of produce is available year-round, providing the possibility for substantial variety in a family's daily diet. But with the exception of families that include dedicated foodies, most diets could still be considered reasonably barren with respect to consumption of a range of healthful fruits and vegetables. Importantly, taking the single step of providing a variety of produce for the daily table will lead to multiple benefits in terms of health and wellness.

Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is so valuable that this daily habit ranks high on the list of federal health and public policy recommendations focusing on nutrition. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture has launched the ChooseMyPlate campaign to support public policy, highlighting the five main food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy. The ChooseMyPlate program recommends that fully one-half of every plate of food consist of fruits and vegetables.

Physiologically, all bodily systems, most especially the gastrointestinal system and immune system, depend on nutrition gained from fruits and vegetables. Consuming fresh produce daily enables the gastrointestinal system, that is, your stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, to process food effectively and facilitate the transit of food throughout the stomach and intestines. Deficiency of fresh fruits and vegetables will slow transit time, resulting in blockage, bloating, and compromised regularity. Similarly, immune system functioning depends critically on the availability of specific nutrients derived from fresh produce. These nutrients, known as phytochemicals, provide biochemicals that aid immune system cells such as neutrophils, macrophages, and natural killer cells in defending the body against bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic disease-causing invaders.

Nature has provided us with an easy means of identifying the types of produce that contain the most healthful nutrition: the more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the more phytochemicals and other nutrients it contains. For example, foods rich in phytochemicals include blueberries, carrots, greens such as kale and chard, broccoli, apples, oranges, beets, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Produce such as bananas do not contain many phytochemicals, but are still valuable sources of complex carbohydrates.

Thus, all of us, both children and adults, need our daily portions of fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, merely having this information is not sufficient. Action is required. A four-week trial of adding fresh produce to your family's daily diet should provide many indicators of the available health benefits of these marvelous foods. Such evidence will likely be sufficient to cause a healthful long-term shift in your family's dietary habits with numerous positive outcomes in the years to come.

Sources

1. Zhang YJ, et al: Antioxidant Phytochemicals for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases. Molecules 20(12): 21138-21156, 2015
2. Guillermo Gormaz J, et al: Potential Role of Polyphenols in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases: Molecular Bases. Curr Med Chem. 2015 Nov 27. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Ghosh N, et al: Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: Progress and Prospect with Herbal Medicine. Curr Pharm Des. 2015 Nov 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Location

Find us on the map

Office Hours

Monday:

Closed

Tuesday:

8:00 am-12:00 pm

2:30 pm-7:00 pm

Wednesday:

Closed

Thursday:

8:00 am-12:00 pm

2:30 pm-7:00 pm

Friday:

Closed

Saturday:

8:00 am-11:00 am

Sunday:

Closed

  • "I have suffered from severe back pain and migraines. The treatment has been very helpful and Dr Waisbrots adjustment are very gentle. He also treats my children. 2 of my children have had chiari decompression surgery and he has helped them tremendously."
    ★★★★★ Kim / Google+
  • "I feel very confident in the care Dr. Paul gives because of his wealth of knowledge related to the body, science and healing! Leah is the office manager and is very organized and quick to answer any questions about appointments and billing. Michelle provides professional therapy. All 3, along with the massage therapists, work together harmoniously providing an overall great experience."
    ★★★★★ Nancy / Facebook
  • "Doctor Paul continues to keep me on my feet. I stand, run, and coach all day, then typically toss a couple more hours in after school. His skills are awesome and his personality is engaging and pleasant. My wife and two kids both get proactive treatment as well and are very healthy."
    ★★★★★ Casey / Google +
  • "From fixing my frozen shoulder to keeping me active, Dr Paul and his wonderful staff have been there for me. I see them every two weeks now to maintain my good health."
    ★★★★★ Barb / Google+
  • "Awesome office. Wonderful doctor and Staff!"
    ★★★★★ Leah / Google +
  • "I have attended the clinic many times since the start of 2014. Doc was thorough in his examination and took lots of time to explaine everything to me. He is an excellent practitioner and is always positive and upbeat. His support staff operate like a fine-tuned machine and are cheerful and competent. I highly recommend this clinic."
    ★★★★★ Michael / Google+
  • "Amazing staff, friendly, clean and extremely knowledgeable. A++"
    ★★★★★ James / Google +
  • "Dr. Paul allows me to stay in great shape because I run, lift, and do so many plyometrics my core takes a beating. He fixes me up every time!"
    ★★★★★ Connor / Yellowpages.com
  • "I cannot praise Dr. Waisbrot and staff at Baker Chiro enough. I have been going to Dr. Waisbrot for five years and have had great success. I am a cyclist and have injured my back several times within that time and without fail, they have helped me get back to riding all without medicine, and in a very short time."
    ★★★★★ Bruce / Google+
  • "After two years of seeing three different doctors, having an MRI and several sets of xrays for my shoulder issue, Dr. Paul immediately diagnosed the root cause of the problem. I felt so much better the day after my very first visit. I have been raving about him to everyone I know. He also help my son with a knee problem. He has a wonderful personality as does his office staff. Highly recommend!"
    ★★★★★ RateMDs.com
  • "Dr. Paul is my guy. We bring the whole family in for superb treatment with a very engaging clinician and talented chiropractor."
    ★★★★★ Janel / Yelp
  • "I suffered for years with chronic lower back pain (L5,S1). Dr. Paul has given me new life! Absolutely, hands down, the most incredible chiropractor I've been to."
    ★★★★★ Bradley / Google+