4 Ways to a Healthy Gut

Digestive distress is extraordinarily common in the American population.  This distress ranges from indigestion, gas, bloating, to more severe disease states such as Celiac's disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn's disease.  Regardless of the diagnosis, some tried and true methods exist for restoring balance to the digestive tract.

The "4R" Program is one I have been following for several years now. 

1.  Remove irritants to the digestive tract such as caffeine, alcohol, food allergens, and/or over-the-counter pain relievers.  I use manual muscle testing as well as saliva testing to determine food sensitiviies or allergens.  Or, you can use a rotation diet to help you identify if any foods are making you ill. 

2.  Replace what the body is missing i.e hydrochloric acid from the stomach, pancreatic digestive enzymes, or bile salts from the gall bladder.  When the body is missing these essential elements to digestion, they body cannot digest the food it consumed.  This sets the stage for any number of digestive ailments. 

3.  Reinoculate by re-introducing the beneficial microbes/bacteria into the digestive tract.  These include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccoromyces boulardii to name a few.   My preference is to use kefir, kombucha, fermented veggies, and/or yogurt as the food sources of these beneficial microbes.  However, when necesssary, I use Standard Process whole food concentrates to re-inoculate the gut. 

4.  Repair the damage to the gastro-intestinal lining.  Inflammation of the digestive tract must be repaired, otherwise the body will never properly heal.  I recommend homemade bone broth, castor oil packs, fermented veggies, cabbage juice, slippery elm, and glutamine to address the inflammation.

My preference is always to use foods as the basis for healing, but at the same time, I regularly use whole food vitamins to facilitate the healing process. 

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.
Raleigh, NC



Raleigh Chiropractor Recommends Castor Oil Packs

One of the most useful home therapies I recommend to patients is the use of castor oil packs. I've read that humankind has been using castor oil packs for about 3000 years. During the Middle Ages, castor oil was known as the Oil of Christ.

 I recommend castor oil packs for their detoxification and anti-inflammatory properties. The packs can be applied to the lower abdomen for assistance with digestive distress (constipation, IBS, chronic indigestion and bloating), menstrual cramps, uterine fibroids, UTI prevention, cystitis, as well as to the breasts and liver. The heat provided by the castor oil pack helps to provide warmth to organs that are over-stimulated. The pack also has strong detoxifcation qualities and has been known to assist with bile flow in the liver and inflammation in organs or joints. I do not recommend using the packs on the head.

To make a castor oil pack, you’ll need a good quality castor oil, a wool flannel, hot water bottle/heating pad, plastic and rags/towels. Most natural food stores sell both the castor oil and wool flannel

First, cut in half a plastic grocery bag and lay flat. Pour or soak the flannel in the castor oil until saturated but do not let it drip. Lay the soaked flannel across the abdomen and place the open plastic bag on top. Next, place a rag or old towel on top and then the hot water bottle/heating pad. Lie still for 45-60 minutes. When finished, remove the flannel and wash the area with a solution of baking soda and water. Beware that castor oil can stain so keep away from clothing.

I generally recommend the castor oil pack every 2-3 days until symptoms improve.

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.

Raleigh Chiropractor Recommends Eating Beets

Beets are a wonderful food not only for general health but especially for liver health. Now that summer is winding down, I’m starting to think of the root vegetables which generally color my plate in the fall and winter. The most common beet available is the red beet, but golden beets are also available.

To get the most out of beets, I recommend eating the red beets. Beets pack a nutritional punch for the liver because they contains phytonutrients called betalains and betaine. The phytonutrients are supportive and protective of the liver and a healthy liver is vital to keep the body fit, trim, and young.

Not only are the beets themselves healthy and tasty but beet greens are fabulous as well. When I grow beets in my garden, I choose varieties that have abundant green leaves on the top.

Since many people are unfamiliar with beets and how to prepare them, I have some website suggestions for more information
• The World’s Healthiest Foods: http://www.whfoods.com/
• Issue 10 (November/December 2009) has a great article called Just Beet It
• One of my favorite blogs has information on roasting beets, http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-beets/, plus making beet hummus http://www.elanaspantry.com/beet-hummus/.
• http://sites.google.com/site/spiritualfoodcsa/food-a-pedia/beets

Roasted beets and butternut squash (or sweet potatoes) are a staple in my house during the cooler months of the year. Sauteed beet greens make a tasty side dish to any meal. I also make a beverage called Beet Kvass, which is for the more adventurous beet eaters  Email me at drgreenfield@yahoo.com for more info on the Kvass. The only thing I don’t recommend is eating beets from a can. Canned food has little nutritional value. Fresh is always best.

I was not an adventurous eater as a child or even a young adult. I remember the “yuck factor” when tasting a pickled beet while in my early 20s. But once I taught myself to cook and experimented with vegetables, I learned to love beets and beet greens. I encourage you to give beets a try.

And a final note…if you eat beets, please be mindful that the color of your urine and stool will turn red. So, no, you are not bleeding, it’s a result of the beets!

Happy Eating!

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.

Beets from my garden, 2009

How I eat organic

I’m very proud of how healthy I eat.  It hasn’t always been this way but I’ve evolved to truly appreciate the quality of my food.  I would say at least 95% of my diet is organic.  How do I do that on a budget?  Let me share some of my practices.

First of all I grow as much of my own produce as possible.  During this past winter I had my first cold season garden.  I grew several different types of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, carrots and turnips.  Even though it was a long, cold winter, all I used was 4ml plastic over my containers and I ate fresh food from my back yard all winter long.   I was amazed at how easy it was.  In my opinion, it’s simpler and less work than a warm season garden.  But having said that, I love my summer garden.  I have several types of tomatoes and peppers growing, plus cucumbers, melons, and squash (summer and winter).  By growing my own food, it saves me time and money since I’m not running to the grocery store as frequently. 

I’m also trying to eat food in season and that is produced locally.  This past winter I didn’t eat any fresh tomatoes or zucchini as they weren’t in season.  Food like this has to be trucked in from places like California, Argentina or even China and that just adds to the carbon foot print of the item.  Plus the cost is quite high during the off season.  That said, I do like bananas and avocados and will indulge in them intermittently. 

Many of my patients that do not grow their own produce participate in Community Sponsored Agriculture or CSAs.  You can learn more about them at www.localharvest.org for more info.  Papa Spuds is very popular in the area as well as http://www.theproducebox.com/. 

I buy as many food items as possible in bulk whether from a natural foods store or online.  I buy my beans, nuts, seeds, and grains in bulk and store them in ½ gallon mason jars at home.  I no longer by canned beans as that is significantly more expensive then buying the dry beans.  I keep my eye on sales flyers as well.

As for meat and dairy, I get most of mine from farmers.  There are farmer’s markets all over the Triangle and are a great place to get meat that has been from humanely treated animals without the use of hormones or antibiotics. 

For most of this year, Earthfare has had an email/coupon program that you sign up for and every Wednesday they email you a coupon for an item in the store.  Twice now I’ve gotten a free pound of shrimp.  Organic coffee, ice cream, produce and many others I can’t recall right now have been available free with these coupons.  Go to Earthfare.com to sign up. 

I believe both Whole Foods and Earthfare offer case discounts on items in their stores.  I believe it’s 10% in both stores.  This is another way of buying bulk and making fewer trips to the grocery store!

Lastly, there are coops available to participate in.  At work, we have a coop/buying club that about 7 of us participate in with Frontier Natural Foods Coop and Wilderness Family Naturals.  Check the companies out online to learn how to start your own buying club.  Other opportunities for buying clubs can be found through http://www.montanawheat.com/ and http://www.organicsproutedflour.net/.  I’m constantly looking for more opportunities to pass on to folks.  So, if you know about a buying club/coop opportunity, please let me know at drgreenfield@yahoo.com.  It’s a fantasy of mine to start a non-profit, community owned food coop in the area!