Unless you claim the extraordinary, the ordinary claims you! ~Donald Epstein, DC

Whether you are just looking to start your family, or you are busy running your kids from activity to activity, we all desire for radiantly healthy lives for ourselves and our family. Here are four of the eight essentials I recommend for radiantly healthy and extraordinary lives.

Hydrate

It is common nutritional advice that we should drink plenty of water. In fact, we have all been told the best way to properly hydrate is to drink 8 glasses of water per day. While this is still good advice, in 2009 Dr. Gerald Pollack identified a form of water, called Gel Water. Unlike the forms of water we are familiar with (solid, liquid, gas), Gel Water contains an extra Hydrogen ion. Gel Water is water from sources such as fruit, vegetables, cacti, collagen, and chia seeds. The reason Gel Water is more effective in keeping us hydrated is that is is slower to absorb and therefore stays in our body longer. While I don’t suggest getting rid of your water bottle, adding Gel Water to your routine is a great way to improve your hydration and overall health. One easy way to add Gel Water is to squeeze fresh lime juice into your water. Another is to add chia seeds and/or collagen to your morning smoothie.

Eat your Fruits, Veggies, Fat, AND Sugar

Obviously a diet high in fruits and veggies is important for radiantly healthy dads, moms, and kids. Again, these are a source of Gel Water that will keep you hydrated. Many of those veggies are also high in fat soluble vitamins. In order to benefit from those important nutrients, add a swirl of olive or (my favorite) avocado oil to your salad. I personally love roasted veggies! While I was born in the mid-west, roasted okra is by far my favorite! I toss frozen okra slices in a combo of butter and coconut oil. I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast (which adds a cheesy flavor), and some parmesan cheese, and roast in the oven til the edges are crispy.

Now, you probably noticed I also said eat sugar. No, I’m not suggesting you eat all the sweets you want! While most of us get an overabundance of one type of sugar (processed), there are eight sugars found in plant sources that are essential for cell to cell communication and overall function of our bodies. Many of these sugars are prebiotics.

Prebiotics make a hospitable environment for healthy gut bacteria to flourish. Another example of the importance of sugar is the roll it plays in conception. Glycosylation, the process by which sperm and egg join together, requires sugar!

Gratitude

Sometimes the most simple ways to be healthy elude us because we are so focused on what we don’t have. For couples who are struggling to conceive or families who are facing health issues, gratitude is an important thing to focus on. Start a gratitude journal. Before you go to bed, rather than being on Facebook or watching TV, take some time to write down five things from your day that you are grateful for. You can also use a dry erase marker to write on a bathroom mirror each day to tell your family why you are grateful for them.

Get Connected

Getting checked by a chiropractor on a regular basis is the key to getting and staying connected. Your brain and nerve system are designed to control and coordinate the function of every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. Interference to that function will lead to decreased function and health. Chiropractic is designed to help your nerve system and body to reconnect so you can be radiantly healthy!