Uncle Dan!

I couldn’t be happier to announce the arrival of my new nieces Ella Marie and Teagan Avery at 6:20 a.m. February 16th! They were born at 32.5 weeks, but are big for twins and are very healthy. Ella weighs 5 lbs, 13 oz. and Teagan weighs 4 lbs, 9 oz.

They are being monitored in the NICU, but are already breathing on their own and feeding!  Their parents Pat and Aimee Kehres are doing great and are very excited with their arrival. 

Click here and here to see videos of the twins.

Chocoholic's Day

With Valentines Day right around the corner there is no better way to show someone you love them than with a box of chocolates…or is there? How about with a box of healthy chocolates!

In 2004, researchers put together a diet called the Polymeal. Their research showed that if this diet was followed closely and eaten everyday, it would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by a whopping 75%. One of the key factors to improving heart health is… chocolate! The diet also included wine, fish, nuts, garlic, fruits and vegetables.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, contains flavanols. Important compounds that promote healthy blood flow, flavanols reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Unfortunately, not all chocolate contains enough cocoa to promote good health. Only chocolate containing 70% cocoa or higher has enough flavanols to provide health benefits. You can tell how healthy chocolate is by how it tastes -- the more bitter it is, the healthier it is.

Try to stay away from milk chocolate, white chocolate and any chocolate mixed with caramel or other sweets since they don’t contain any of these health benefits. As I often have to remind my fiancé… moderation is key!

Friday Favorite: Food, Inc.

“Imagine what it would be if, as a national policy, we said we would be only successful if we had fewer people going to the hospital next year than last year?” says owner of Polyface Farms, Jole Salatin. “The idea then would be to have such nutritionally dense, unadulterated food that people who ate it actually felt better, had more energy and weren’t sick as much… now, see, that’s a noble goal.”

Featured in the film Food, Inc., Salatin lets his livestock graze on grass, the way nature intended, his animals are healthier, he uses sustainable, eco-friendly farming practices and Polyface Farms meat tastes better.

Directed by Robert Kenner, Food, Inc. was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary and is a must watch for anyone that cares about their health and wants to learn more about the food system. In the past 60 years, food has been produced at a rate much faster than we have ever seen in history – at a cost of our health.

Global food production is primarily controlled by a handful of multinational corporations with a stronger emphasis on business than health. These corporation’s goals are to produce as much food as possible at the lowest cost and largest profit margin. Putting health as a number two priority has led to 1 in 3 Americans born in 2000 developing early onset diabetes; among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2.

To change our current food system and improve our health, the public needs to demand healthier food and fix our current systems. In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164.

Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield Farms says “When we run an item past the supermarket scanner, we’re voting.”

Want to know why a fast food hamburger costs more than a head of broccoli? Rent or buy Food, Inc. Visit FoodIncMovie.com for more information, watch the trailer. 

Friday Favorite: Omega-3

Omega-3, Omega-6, fatty acids, fish oil… what does all this mean? Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids need to have a balanced ratio in our body. Ideally it is good to have a ratio of 4:1 or less of Omega-6 to Omega-3 acids, but recent studies show that 95% of foods consumed in the U.S. are processed, driving this ratio up to 20:1 or even 50:1 in some people.

Keeping a balanced ratio helps reduce inflammation, and inflammation can lead to a variety of conditions ranging from mild back pain to heart disease and cancer. Eat more green vegetables, grass fed meats, cage-free farm fresh eggs, wild game, fresh fish, flaxseeds, chia and hemp seeds. Avoid processed foods that have high amounts of Omega-6’s including grain, flour, corn, seeds, seed oils, grain fed meat and eggs, and farmed fish.

Besides healthy eating, supplementing your diet with high quality fish oil is very beneficial. It is important to take a high quality fish oil supplement to be sure it does not contain high levels of mercury.

Squash that Nasty Little Bug!

As winter is well on its way you start to hear more and more people say “There is a nasty bug going around.” While it is true that you can catch a cold or flu from someone else… why doesn’t everyone in contact with that person get sick? The people who avoid the "bug" have a stronger immune system and typically take proactive steps for staying healthy during the winter months.

Here are some quick tips to avoid catching that nasty bug going around:

• Get Vitamin D3 from the sun or a supplement  – have you wondered why warmer countries don’t seem to have a cold and flu season? It is because of the extra sunshine they get in the winter, aka Vitamin D. For those of us who don’t get sunshine daily, it is important to supplement with Vitamin D3.
• Move, lift weights, run, walk, dance – do whatever you want, just MOVE!
• Think positive, eliminate negative thoughts.
• Cut back on or eliminate sugar and grains including pasta, bread and cereal. Be sure to stay away from high fructose corn syrup.
• Eat more green vegetables.

Our bodies are built for health and they are only sick when there is a stressor on our bodies -- physical, chemical or mental. Ideally, you shouldn’t get sick if you take the stress off your body.

If you get sick often and can’t seem to kick a cold or flu, it is important to reevaluate the stressors in your life. It could be the foods you are eating, the thoughts you are thinking, the exercise that you are (or are not) doing. All of these factors play a role in whether you get sick or not.

Partners in Health - Haiti Earthquake Relief

In October 2008, I went to the Dominican Republic on a chiropractic mission trip. There was a group of about 100 of us that worked in the areas around Puerto Plata and adjusted thousands of people.

Many of the people I visited were Haitian people that left their country hoping for a better life in the Dominican. Visiting these villages, I met some of the kindest people, living in third world conditions. I cannot even imagine the conditions they came from in Haiti, or what their country is going through now after the earthquake.

From now until February 7th, 10 percent of all supplements and protein powder sales at Kehres Health Products will go to Partners in Health, a non-profit providing health care to thousands of people in Haiti. Founded by Dr. Paul Farmer, a Massachusetts native and Harvard graduate, PIH has ten hospitals throughout Haiti.

To learn more about PIH, visit www.pih.org.

Human Hamster Wheel

With the New Year well on its way gyms have been packed with people trying to fulfill their New Year’s Resolutions.

You can walk into about any gym and you will see people lined up on treadmills, stair steppers, ellipticals, bikes and many other cardiovascular machines doing the same repetitive exercise for 45 minutes to an hour. We have always been told that 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day is very healthy for us. While this type of exercise is absolutely healthier than doing nothing, it isn’t as healthy as it could be.

Our bodies are very smart and have the ability to adapt to exercises that are at the same intensity for a very long time. This is basically your body’s way of putting on the cruise control saving as much energy as possible. This is why you see people on the treadmill for 45 minutes, day after day, and yet they just can’t seem to drop those extra pounds.

Unless you are training for a triathlon, marathon or other long distance races, the best possible thing to do while working out is to simply switch up your workout. Stay away from exercise that’s going to be a repetitive motion at the same speed for a long period of time. Keep your body in suspense and don’t allow it to predict what your next move is going to be. Some ideas include lifting weights with 15 minutes of cardio between sets, burst training (alternating sprints and walking) and trying out new classes at the gym.

Remember any exercise is better than no exercise, but if you are looking to get yourself into your best possible shape don’t be a hamster on a wheel!  

Vitamin D

You may remember your mom telling you to get outside and get some sun when you were little. And she was right! When UV-B rays from the sun hit your skin, it alters a form of cholesterol turning it into vitamin D3.

It isn’t as easy to get Vitamin D anymore because so many people work inside all day, live in areas of the country that don’t get a lot of sun, wear sunscreen all the time and don’t spend enough time outside. It is estimated that 85% of the American public, and 95% of senior citizens, are Vitamin D deficient. Also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” Vitamin D is a critical nutrient as deficiency of it has been linked to almost every health condition known from heart disease to cancer to multiple sclerosis. Optimizing your Vitamin D levels is one of the most powerful things you can do naturally to protect your health and boost your immune system.

As different parts of the country get different amounts of sunlight throughout the year, and as everyone’s skin pigment is different, the best rule of thumb is to go outside and get some sun (without suntan lotion as it prevents 95% of Vitamin D production) until your skin turns light pink – not red. In sunny Florida, this may be only ten minutes, but in Michigan in the winter, it could be 45 minutes. And if you don’t get a chance to get outside, you can supplement with Vitamin D3.

Most people need between 2,000 IU to 10,000 IU of Vitamin D a day to achieve beneficial levels. However, the average American only gets approximately 300 IU a day from their diet -- which is why deficiency and disease linked to low Vitamin D levels is so prevalent.

Visit Kehres Health Products to learn more and purchase Vitamin D3.