Bright Start with Warm Water & Lemon

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Bright Start with Warm Water and Lemon, digestion, Dr. Tijana DC, Dr. Tijana Sefic DC, healthy.BEing family wellness, hydration, lemon, pH, vitamin C, warm water, warm water and lemon, Young Living Essential Oils

Starting your day off with a bang brings awesomeness to it! Morning rituals are a great way to jump start your day and align yourself for the remainder of your daily activities. In the last couple months, I have shifted my morning routine a bit, and have started drinking warm water with fresh lemon juice before I start on anything else. And if you have been following along, you can see that I am a big fan of all things lemon.

So not only is warm water and lemon a great way to nourish your body, but it is also gives you an opportunity to center yourself before the day starts in full force. So let’s see how we can combine the physical, chemical, and emotional benefits to improve your overall health with a simple morning ritual by being:

Vitamin boost: Lemon juice is high in vitamin C and potassium, as well as calcium and copper. These vitamins help boost your immune system to fight colds and potassium stimulates nervous system function.

pH equalizer: Even though, lemon on their own are acidic, once they are ingested and metabolized, they become alkaline. As discussed before, our bodies thrive in an alkaline environment and our health depends on it.

Digestion aid: The combination of warm water and lemon helps stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis (that helps move things in the intestines), which promotes regular bowel movements that are important for good health in order to rid the body of toxins. In addition, the warm water with lemon helps flush out the body system by increasing urination and removing toxins through urine.

Deep hydration: Starting your day with a hydration boost helps your body perform all of its appropriate functions. Deep hydration removes toxins from inside through the gut and outside through the skin; helps reduce the stress on the body with healthy and non-fatigued adrenal glands, and even promotes weight loss by fighting off hunger cravings.

So try it for a month, just squeeze a juice from half a lemon and mix it with a cup of warm water (not hot or boiling water!).

Share in the comments below which morning rituals you already practice, and if you already do the lemon water, what benefits have you noticed?

Have additional questions? Contact below in comments, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com,Website, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

If you do not already have a local chiropractor, call Dr. Tijana at 706.254.4579 to schedule your first appointment for YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY!

Control The Sweet Tooth

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adrenal fatigue, artificial sweeteners, autoimmune disease, blood sugar, cancer, candida, diabetes, Dr. Tijana DC, healthy.BEing family wellness, immune system, nutrition, pH, sugar, sugar cravings, weight gain

Sugar is a popular topic in nutrition discussion. Sugar goes unnoticed in the diet more than any other fat-building substance that causes hormonal and neurological chemistry imbalances, overall health detriment, and unwanted weight gain, and more.

Increased consumption of sugar may lead to negative and/or adverse effects on health, such as:

• Increased blood pH levels
• Raised blood sugar level
• Deprives the body of minerals and energy without any nutritional value
• Contributes to adrenal stress and fatigue
• Suppresses the immune system and promotes development of auto-immune diseases
• Decreased elasticity of skin, which may promote wrinkling and aging of skin, and eczema
• Contributes to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart problems, cancer, ulcers, gallstones, arthritis, and others
• May lead to osteoporosis and periodontal disease
• Contributes to overgrowth of candida, a fungal infection in the intestines, mouth, and skin
• May lead to addictive behavior and the urge to binge

Becoming more aware of where unnecessary sugar is contained is important to be healthier and full of life. Here is some ways to learning where and how to avoid it:

Sugar alcohols: not sugar, not alcohol. They are carbohydrates with structures that only resemble sugar and alcohol, and are considered nutritive sweeteners because they provide fewer calories when consumed. The list includes  isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, HSH, erythritol, sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol.

Avoid all artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners belong to the non-nutritive additives in food, and are chemically over-processed. In the United States, sweeteners fall under the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) list or as food additives under the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Drink more water. Increasing water consumption will help the body stay hydrated and there is no sugar calories involved. Limiting the juice consumption to one 6oz.-8oz. glass a day is a great option.

Make your own food at home. Eating out does not allow you as much control about what ingredients are used. Also, choose your restaurants wisely where the quality of the food and ingredients healthy.

Prepare your own salad dressings and sauces. An simple dressing can be prepared with olive oil, vinegar, lemon, salt, and pepper. If eating out, ask for the dressing on the side or for just olive oil and vinegar.

Watch your portion sizes. If you eat out regularly for work or social reasons, book your meals at restaurants where you know the portion sizes are small or only eat half of your meal and save the rest for later.

Avoid from processed & packaged foods. Check the food labels for the  ingredients is important. Many seemingly-healthy foods, such as health bars, cereal mixes, and other packaged snacks may contain high fructorse corn syrup, corn sugar, corn syrup, corn sweetener, dextrose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, malt syrup, molasses, cornstarch and other forms of glucose.

Choose your fruit wisely. Go for fruit with less sugar, which are typically smaller in size and more tart, such as blueberries, apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, and other.

Choose chocolate as an occasional treat. Choose dark chocolate or bitter chocolate for cooking. Chocolate also contains antioxidants and helps increase seratonin to elevate the mood.

Have questions? Contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Breathing: Conscious & Unconscious

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breathing, calmness, conscious breathing, Dr. Tijana DC, healthy.BEing family wellness, lungs, pH, respiration

Breathing is one of the few bodily functions which can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously.

The unconscious action of breathing is controlled in the brainstem, which automatically regulates the rate and depth of breathing depending on the body’s needs at any time. The conscious control of breathing is commonly practiced in meditation, yoga in form of pranayama, athletic disciplines in swimming and cardio exercise, as well as in speech and vocal training. In particular, diaphragmatic breathing is also used to play musical wind instruments; just as laughter, hiccups, yawns, and sneezes are breath phenomena.

The air composition breaks down to 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.96% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, helium, water, and other gases. Even though, the assumption is that we need a lot of oxygen, the body actually only needs 5%.

Breathing through the mouth can create several problems:

• A shrinking of the jaw -> resulting in crooked teeth -> having braces
• A lisp in children when they talk
• Sore throats, tonsillitis, and even ear infections because it bypasses the nasal filtration stages
• Respiratory problems that are misdiagnosed as asthma

Hyperventilating, increased breathing rate, creates physiological changes in the body, such as:

• Increasing appetite
• Creating a more acidic internal environment
• Decreased ability for high intensity exercise (with the mouth open)

During the night, we change sides in sleep naturally approximately every 30 minutes, which is due to the need to balance the breath through each nostril.

The lungs are the largest organ in the body. The total surface area is more than 100 square yards—the size of a tennis court, with approximately 300 million lung alveoli, the smallest unit of gas exchange. The delicate gas exchange membrane, or air-blood interface, is 1/50th the thickness of tissue paper.

Practicing a conscious breathing technique each day for 5 minutes will help you discipline yourself in order for it to eventually reach the point where this breathing technique becomes unconscious! You will be able put yourself into a more relaxed and calm state of mind and body!

 

Have questions? Contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

pH Balance for Optimum Health

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acidic foods, alkaline foods, Dr. Tijana DC, health, healthy diet, healthy foods, nutrition, optimum health, pH, pH balance

The functionality of our systems is highly dependent on the chemical fluids in our bodies. Each day we introduce more chemicals with additional increased stressors that pose growing demands, causing a higher incidence of chronic diseases. Establishing an ideal pH balance of alkaline and acid foods in the body is essential part of nutrition for optimum health.

A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH below 7.0 is acidic. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline. Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline (7.35 – 7.45). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease.

An acidic pH can occur from:

• an acid forming diet
• emotional stress
• toxic overload
• auto-immune reactions
• and any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients.

The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals.  If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build-up of acids in the cells will occur.

An acidic balance will:

• decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients

• decrease the energy production in the cells
• decrease its ability to repair damaged cells
• decrease its ability to detoxify heavy metals
• make tumor cells thrive
• and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness.

The natural way to balance the pH in the body is using proper nutrition. And to aid in the process, examine the list of foods below. It is also important to assess the foods that have a tendency toward creating alkaline compounds once digested.

Although, it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalinizing effect in the system. Note that a food’s acid- or alkaline-forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic; however, the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline, so lemons are alkaline forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion, but it leaves very acidic residue in the body, so like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming.

ALKALINE FOODS

ACIDIC FOODS

ALKALIZING VEGETABLES Alfalfa Barley Grass Beet Greens Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chard Greens Chlorella Collard Greens Cucumber Dandelions Dulce Edible Flowers Eggplant Fermented Veggies Garlic Green Beans Green Peas Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard Greens Nightshade Veggies Onions Parsnips (high glycemic) Peas Peppers Pumpkin Radishes Rutabaga Sea Veggies Spinach, green Spirulina Sprouts Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Watercress Wheat Grass Wild GreensALKALIZING ORIENTAL VEGETABLES Daikon Dandelion Root Kombu Maitake Nori Reishi Shitake Umeboshi WakameALKALIZING FRUITS Apple Apricot Avocado Banana (high glycemic) Berries Blackberries Cantaloupe Cherries, sour Coconut, fresh Currants Dates, dried Figs, dried Grapes Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Lemon Lime Muskmelons Nectarine Orange Peach Pear Pineapple Raisins Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tangerine Tomato Tropical Fruits Umeboshi Plums WatermelonALKALIZING PROTEIN Almonds Chestnuts Millet Tempeh (fermented) Tofu (fermented) Whey Protein PowderALKALIZING SWEETENERS SteviaALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS Chili Pepper Cinnamon Curry Ginger Herbs (all) Miso Mustard Sea Salt Tamari ALKALIZING OTHER Alkaline Antioxidant Water Apple Cider Vinegar Bee Pollen Fresh Fruit Juice Green Juices Lecithin Granules Mineral Water Molasses, blackstrap Probiotic Cultures Soured Dairy Products Veggie Juices ALKALIZING MINERALS Calcium: pH 12 Cesium: pH 14 Magnesium: pH 9 Potassium: pH 14 Sodium: pH 14

ACIDIFYING VEGETABLES Corn Lentils Olives Winter SquashACIDIFYING FRUITS Blueberries Canned or Glazed Fruits Cranberries Currants Plums** Prunes**ACIDIFYING GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS Amaranth Barley Bran, oat Bran, wheat Bread Corn Cornstarch Crackers, soda Flour, wheat Flour, white Hemp Seed Flour Kamut Macaroni Noodles Oatmeal Oats (rolled) Quinoa Rice (all) Rice Cakes Rye Spaghetti Spelt Wheat Germ WheatACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES Almond Milk Black Beans Chick Peas Green Peas Kidney Beans Lentils Pinto Beans Red Beans Rice Milk Soy Beans Soy Milk White BeansACIDIFYING DAIRY Butter Cheese Cheese, Processed Ice Cream Ice MilkACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS Cashews Legumes Peanut Butter Peanuts Pecans Tahini Walnuts ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN Bacon Beef Carp Clams Cod Corned Beef Fish Haddock Lamb Lobster Mussels Organ Meats Oyster Pike Pork Rabbit Salmon Sardines Sausage Scallops Shellfish Shrimp Tuna Turkey Veal Venison ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS Avacado Oil Butter Canola Oil Corn Oil Flax Oil Hemp Seed Oil Lard Olive Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Sunflower Oil ACIDIFYING SWEETENERS Carob Corn Syrup Sugar ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL Beer Hard Liquor Spirits Wine ACIDIFYING OTHER FOODS Catsup Cocoa Coffee Mustard Pepper Soft Drinks Vinegar ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS Aspirin Chemicals Drugs, Medicinal Drugs, Psychedelic Herbicides Pesticides Tobacco ACIDIFYING JUNK FOOD Beer: pH 2.5 Coca-Cola: pH 2 Coffee: pH 4 ** These foods leave an alkaline ash but have an acidifying effect on the body.

Alkaline Forming Foods
VEGETABLES Garlic Asparagus Fermented Veggies Watercress Beets Broccoli Brussel sprouts Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chard Chlorella Collard Greens Cucumber Eggplant Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard Greens Dulce Dandelions Edible Flowers Onions Parsnips (high glycemic) Peas Peppers Pumpkin Rutabaga Sea Veggies Spirulina Sprouts Squashes Alfalfa Barley Grass Wheat Grass Wild Greens Nightshade Veggies	FRUITS Apple Apricot Avocado Banana (high glycemic) Cantaloupe Cherries Currants Dates/Figs Grapes Grapefruit Lime Honeydew Melon Nectarine Orange Lemon Peach Pear Pineapple All Berries Tangerine Tomato Tropical Fruits WatermelonPROTEIN Eggs (poached) Whey Protein Powder Cottage Cheese Chicken Breast Yogurt Almonds Chestnuts Tofu (fermented) Flax Seeds Pumpkin Seeds Tempeh (fermented) Squash Seeds Sunflower Seeds Millet Sprouted Seeds Nuts	OTHER Apple Cider Vinegar Bee Pollen Lecithin Granules Probiotic Cultures Green Juices Veggies Juices Fresh Fruit Juice Organic Milk (unpasteurized) Mineral Water Alkaline Antioxidant Water Green Tea Herbal Tea Dandelion Tea Ginseng Tea Banchi Tea KombuchaSWEETENERS Stevia Ki Sweet SPICES/SEASONINGS Cinnamon Curry Ginger Mustard Chili Pepper Sea Salt Miso Tamari All Herbs ORIENTAL VEGETABLES Maitake Daikon Dandelion Root Shitake Kombu Reishi Nori Umeboshi Wakame Sea Veggies

Acid Forming Foods
FATS & OILS Avocado Oil Canola Oil Corn Oil Hemp Seed Oil Flax Oil Lard Olive Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Sunflower OilFRUITS Cranberries GRAINS Rice Cakes Wheat Cakes Amaranth Barley Buckwheat Corn Oats (rolled) Quinoa Rice (all) Rye Spelt Kamut Wheat Hemp Seed Flour DAIRY Cheese, Cow Cheese, Goat Cheese, Processed Cheese, Sheep Milk Butter	NUTS & BUTTERS Cashews Brazil Nuts Peanuts Peanut Butter Pecans Tahini WalnutsANIMAL PROTEIN Beef Carp Clams Fish Lamb Lobster Mussels Oyster Pork Rabbit Salmon Shrimp Scallops Tuna Turkey Venison PASTA (WHITE) Noodles Macaroni Spaghetti OTHER Distilled Vinegar Wheat Germ Potatoes	DRUGS & CHEMICALS Aspartame Chemicals Drugs, Medicinal Drugs, Psychedelic Pesticides HerbicidesALCOHOL Beer Spirits Hard Liquor Wine BEANS & LEGUMES Black Beans Chick Peas Green Peas Kidney Beans Lentils Lima Beans Pinto Beans Red Beans Soy Beans Soy Milk White Beans Rice Milk Almond Milk

The chemical aspects of emotions affects the pH balance. The alkalinity in the body is increased with meditation, prayer, peace, kindness, and love; whereas the acidity is increased with overwork, anger, fear, jealousy, and stress.
Balancing pH is an full body process through chemical, physical, and emotional aspects of care. The foods we are eating, the toxins we are ingesting, the state of the digestive system and its ability to break down the food, and the emotional state of a person will all affect the optimal health and wellness of the body.The chemical aspects of emotions affects the pH balance. The alkalinity in the body is increased with meditation, prayer, peace, kindness, and love; whereas the acidity is increased with overwork, anger, fear, jealousy, and stress.

If I can answer any questions, feel free to contact me on here or at drtijana.dc@gmail.com.

Yours in health, Dr. Tijana