We are celebrating one year at Balanced Health! This month’s Newsletter recaps an exciting year it’s been and as always has a great health tip and recipe for you and your family to enjoy!

February 1st marks the one year anniversary of Balanced Health Chiropractic!!! 

It has been an exciting year getting to know all of you. Thank you for your dedication to want to better your lives through improved health! This past year, has been an amazing opportunity to help each of you achieve proper neurostructural correction, along with, educating you that Chiropractic care is so much more than pain relief. Chiropractic care can help with overall health and function; and allows your body to do what it is supposed to do at the highest level possible. 

We are continuing to grow at Balanced Health. Over the past year we have learned many ways to better our patients experience with us. 

Dr. Casey is currently putting the finishing touches on her International Chiropractic Pediatric Association certification! Dr. Casey will be the only ICPA certified Chiropractor in Marshall. This is a 200-hour certification that she has spent learning to better take care of her smallest patients; just another way she is pushing herself to always be better and better serve her patients families! Our focus at Balanced Health is getting individuals and their families to a better balanced health. This will expand in the years to come, as we look forward to seeing more families!

So much to be thankful for in our first year, but none more than helping you, our patients because without you wanting a better way of life, of course this wouldn’t be possible! 

Lets talk about healthy fats! 

Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids because the body isn’t capable of producing them on its own. Therefore, we must rely on omega-3 foods in our diets. There are actually three different types of “omega-3s”: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The preferred sources are DHA and EPA. While omega-3s are now artificially added to multiple kinds of processed foods— peanut butter, baby formula, cereal and some protein powders, for example — it’s still best to get your omega-3s from whole, real food sources

Other foods with Omega 3’s/Healthy Fats: 

1. Coconut oil, Grass fed butter, Ghee
2. Salmon
3. Avocados
4. Eggs
5. Nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts 
6. Spinach
7. Brussel sprouts 
8. Chia seeds - add theses to your smoothie in the morning! 
9. Flax seeds

Food is the best source to get omega 3’s into our bodies. But, if you struggle with eating these healthy fats, supplements are your next step. Make sure the supplements are high quality and food based supplements! We do have a high quality brand available in our office.

• Get fats in your body right away in the morning. It gets your body ready to use and burn fat. This helps your blood sugars stay regulated throughout the day, meaning no energy crashes!! 

Why am I so concerned about healthy fats? 

** These are so important when you are under Chiropractic care. These healthy fats help lower inflammation in the body and also help with nerve regeneration! 

Ways to add fats to your morning: 

• If you like coffee, add the coconut oil, grass fed butter, or my new favorite trick is to add fat bombs to your morning coffee.
• Avocados, spinach and eggs for breakfast. 
• Smoothies - you can add chia seeds, flax seed, avocados, nuts

Chocolate Butter Fat Bombs

Ingredients

1 pound salted butter, preferably grass-fed

1/2 cup cacao powder

5 tablespoons honey, preferably raw

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Allow butter to soften by leaving it out at room temperature for a few hours. (Or sticking it in a sunny place, or gently warming it in the toaster oven, etc.) You want it to be squishy but still solid.
2. Add butter, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract to your food processor or mixer. Process until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
3. Spoon mixture into silicone molds, or simply drop spoonfuls onto a flat surface lined with parchment paper.
4. Place in freezer until bites become firm (generally 30 minutes or so), then remove from molds or parchment paper. Store in the freezer or fridge. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Fat Bombs

Ingredients

2 cups refined coconut oil (doesn’t have the coconut flavor)

1/2 cup cacao powder

6 tablespoons raw honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. You want to be adding coconut oil that is easily scoopable but still completely solid.
2. Add coconut oil, cacao powder, honey and vanilla extract to your food processor. Process until all ingredients are evenly mixed, stopping the food processor once or twice to scrape down the sides.
3. Taste the mixture to be sure that the flavor is to your liking. If desired, you can add more honey or salt as necessary.
4. If you are using silicone molds, you want your coconut oil mixture to be easily pourable. If it's too thick/solid, it's harder to evenly fill the molds. If necessary, you can process for a little longer to make the mixture a little thinner.
5. If using silicone molds, lay out your molds on a cutting board, then use a ladle to fill all the molds with the coconut oil mixture.
6. If using a surface lined with parchment paper, use a spoon to drop dollops of the mixture onto your surface.
7. Carefully transfer molds or surface to your freezer and freeze until fat bombs are solid, then pop out and store in a lidded container in your freezer. Repeat process until all fat bombs have been frozen.
8. These will keep in your freezer indefinitely. You can also store them in the fridge, if you prefer. Do not try to leave these at room temperature for more than a few minutes--coconut oil melts at 76 degrees, so they will get quite soft at room temperature!