Road to Wellness starts with good nutrition

MEEKER I The focus was on food at the Meeker Rec Center’s first Road to Wellness class of the season. Not on the lunch provided for the class, but on ways to use food – nutrition – to improve health.
Dr. Amy Que, nutritionist, chiropractor and acupuncturist at Meeker Chiropractic, shared “Eight Steps to a Healthier You” with the assembled group. The steps include familiar things like, “drink more water” and “increase leafy green vegetables,” but also offer reasons, research, and case histories that explain why these simple changes in diet are so important. For example, approximately 75 percent of Americans are in a state of chronic dehydration. Research indicates drinking plenty of water can prevent some diseases and improve the healing process.
Dr. Que’s mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer a little more than six years ago. Que compiled information on nutrition and herbal medicine to accentuate the treatments her mother was undergoing in Boston. According to doctors, her response to the treatment was better than any of the other patients in her group. Today, she is cancer-free.
Que encourages strict label reading. Foods that appear healthy aren’t always the best choices. For example, just because an item says “whole grain” on the package doesn’t mean whole grains are a significant part of the ingredients. Words like “yeast extract” and “natural flavors” are code words for monosodium glutamate, which is known to cause headaches and other unpleasant side effects.
“If you can’t pronounce it, you probably don’t want to eat it,” Que said.
For people who feel overwhelmed by the idea of making drastic changes to their diet, Que said to take one step at a time, implementing the changes gradually. For people who can’t fathom never eating out or having dessert again, she endorses the 90/10 rule – eat healthy foods 90 percent of the time, and the other 10 percent have whatever your heart desires.
Que works with her husband, Dr. Mike Que, at Meeker Chiropractic. The office is located in the Halandras Building at 733 Main St., or call 970-878-5957.
The Meeker Rec Center’s Road to Wellness program will be offered on the third Thursday of every month and will cover different topics related to health and fitness in every area of life. The $5 fee includes lunch. Call 878-3403 or visit www.meekerrecdist-rict.com for more information.