Happy Earth Day!

Keeping our environment healthy is closely linked to keeping us healthy. This Earth Day, commit to making one change that will benefit the earth -- and your health.

I recently watched FRESH, a new documentary featuring Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin that celebrates farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. I highly recommend it, it is available at www.freshthemovie.com.

Freshthemovie.com recommends FRESH actions you can take for Earth Day:

1. Buy local products when possible, otherwise, buy organic and fair-trade products. Ask your grocer or favorite restaurant what local food they carry and try to influence their purchasing decisions. You will support your local economy and small farmers, reduce your exposure to harmful pesticides, improve the taste and quality of your food, and protect the environment from fertilizer and pesticide run-offs.
2. Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food. When at a restaurant, ask (nicely!) your waiter where the meat and fish comes from. Become a modern day hunter and gatherer. Eventually, as more and more customers ask the same question, they’ll get the message!
3. Avoid GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)! When buying processed food (anything packaged) buy organic to avoid GMO. (Since almost all the soy, corn, and canola in the US is genetically modified, over 70% of all processed food contain GMOs from by-products of these grains.)
4. Drink plenty of water, but avoid bottled water when you can. Water bottles pollute the environment and bottled water is often mere tap water. Plastic is harmful to your health and to the environment. Buy a reusable water bottle (stainless steel is best) and invest in a good water filter.
5. Grow a garden, visit a farm, volunteer in your community garden, teach a child how to garden. GET DIRTY! Have fun!

Watch the trailer for FRESH.

Spice It Up!

This article was originally posted on 360mainstreet.com.

Most people have a natural pharmacy in their homes and don't even know it—the spice cabinet. Spices not only add excellent flavor to your food, but they are loaded with health benefits. Although they have been used for years as natural medicine, they are sometimes overlooked as a health food. One of the easiest ways to take your health to the next level is by adding some spice to your meals!

Here are a few of my favorite spices:

Cinnamon not only tastes wonderful but has many health benefits associated with it. One of the most important benefits of cinnamon is its ability to help regulate blood sugar. It also has been shown to help reduce pain, stiffness and bad cholesterol. Cinnamon is also great to help relieve stomach discomfort from excess gas. Try putting cinnamon in your tea or on foods such as quinoa or oatmeal.

Garlic has been thought of as a super spice for years, and it does more than just keep vampires away. In more than 1,200 pharmacological studies, garlic has been shown to be an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antihypertensive, and antiparasitic, and it can lower lipid levels. It has also been shown to help prevent the common cold and help with weight loss. To receive the most health benefits, crush or chop garlic and don't put it in the microwave. I add garlic to the majority of the dishes I prepare. One of my favorite ways to eat it is to mash the fresh garlic with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then use it as a bread dip.

Ginger has been touted as a cure-all in Ayurvedic (traditional medicine originally from India) and Chinese medicine for years. One of its most common uses is as a natural remedy for an upset stomach. Ginger has been shown to be more effective than Dramamine in treating sea sickness, and another study showed that almost 75 percent of pregnant women who used ginger received relief from morning sickness. Nearly every morning, I drink green tea with fresh crushed up ginger in it.

Turmeric is my all-time favorite spice. It has a unique flavor and seems to have unlimited health benefits. Typically used in curry dishes, this bright yellow spice is a staple in India. Known for its tremendous anti-inflammatory properties, it has been shown to provide pain relief just as powerful as most over-the-counter pain medicines, such as ibuprofen, but without the side effects. Inflammation in the body can lead to such problems as asthma, heart disease and cancer, so you can see why this spice can work wonders! Try putting turmeric on eggs or mixing it in with stir fry.

All of these spices (and many others) are available at most local grocery or health food stores. Instead of relying on margarine, table salt and other unhealthy additives for flavor, add spices to your daily foods to transform them from average foods into super foods. To get the maximum health benefit, put your favorite spices right next to the stove where you will see them and are more likely to use them regularly. So, the next time you are cooking, remember to spice it up!

Burst Out of Your Workout Rut

This article was originally posted on 360MainStreet.com

Have you ever noticed someone at the gym on the treadmill day after day but who doesn't seem to be getting in any better shape? They are probably stuck in a workout rut.

Different types of exercises and workouts cause your muscles to develop differently. For example, sprinters are typically very muscular as they are built for speed and power, whereas marathon runners are thin and lanky since their muscles are built for endurance.

We have been told over and over that to get in shape you need to exercise for an hour a day, but more isn't always the answer—especially if it is a repetitive exercise (unless you are training for a marathon).

Burst training, also known as sprint training or interval training, can typically provide the missing link to a workout routine. Most people think that doing sprint workouts is only for high-level athletes, but sprint workouts can be very effective for anyone at any age. This type of workout helps build more lean muscle on your body, which increases your resting metabolic rate, allowing you to burn more calories than you would if you didn't have that extra lean muscle mass. This is why those who have more muscle just seem to have an easier time maintaining their weight.

Interval workouts can be done not only by running, but by bicycling, swimming, rope jumping, weight lifting or any other form of activity that alternates fast bursts with rest periods. Never skip a warm-up period before burst training because the warm up is very important to avoid injury. It is also important to incorporate stretching into your cool down period.

Here is a typical pattern of burst training:

Warm up

Set:
20 seconds full intensity
20 seconds low intensity/rest
20 seconds full intensity
20 seconds low intensity/rest
20 seconds full intensity
20 seconds low intensity/rest

2 minute rest period

Repeat the entire set three times

Cool down

Apply burst training to your current form of exercise, or try a new form of exercise in intervals. Not only will it take less time, but you will see faster results from your workouts. Remember to always switch up the type exercise you are doing so you can burst out of your workout rut!

Pass the Cabbage Please!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m sure many people are thinking about their evening feast of corned beef and cabbage (and possibly some green beer). While corned beef isn’t the healthiest food you could choose – cabbage can be considered a super food.

Cabbage is a great source of indoles, which is a health promoting compound that has been found to help regulate estrogen in a favorable way in both men and women, that is likely to reduce the risk of cancer.

The pigments that give red or purple cabbage its color contain anthocyanins, which are molecules acting as strong antioxidants helping to fight free radicals.

Along with all of its other benefits, cabbage is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K and high amounts of fiber are just a few of the long list of health benefits. Not bad for one of the lowest calorie foods on earth!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and be sure to hold the corned beef and load up on the cabbage!   

Vitamin Water or Sugar Water?

From vitamin water to weight loss cereal to Omega 3-enriched waffles, it seems like every food is trying to claim a health benefit. But are these items really healthier for us?

While enhancing food and drink with extra vitamins seems like it would be to your advantage, it often comes at a cost. For example, one of the biggest problems with a vitamin-enriched drink is that it typically contains a lot of sugar to improve the taste. The nutrition label of Vitamin Water by Glaceau, heavily advertised as a healthy beverage, shows that the drink contains 13 grams of sugar per serving, but there are 2.5 servings in each 20 oz. bottle. That means there are a whopping 32.5 grams, which is nearly seven teaspoons of sugar in each bottle of Vitamin Water—nearly as much as a 12 oz. can of soda.

The ingredients list is another clue that Vitamin Water is an unhealthy beverage. Listed from greatest to least amount, Vitamin Water’s first and second ingredients are water and crystalline fructose (sugar). There is more water and sugar in this beverage than any other ingredient—including vitamins.

When reading nutrition labels, basically anything that ends in the letters '–ose' is going to be a sugar, including fructose, sucrose and glucose. With the average American consuming between 160 and 200 lbs. of sugar a year, increased sugar consumption is currently a major health issue in the United States. In excess, sugar is poison to the body and creates unwanted stress that can lead to health problems ranging from depression to diabetes to obesity.

Besides the excess amount of sugar in Vitamin Water, it is important to examine the vitamins the drink contains. Today, many people do not get the proper amounts of nutrients from food alone, so supplementing is a good option, but it is important to note the quality of vitamins. The only regulation there is right now to monitor vitamin quality is the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Certification by the National Products Association. In the future, the FDA is planning on requiring all vitamin companies to have this certification. Until then, it is best to ingest vitamins from companies that are GMP certified—rather than from sources where uncertified vitamins are injected into food or drink.

Is Vitamin Water just sugar water in a pretty package? In my opinion, yes. So save your money and drink purified tap water instead. If you are interested in supplementing, choose Good Manufacturing Practice-certified vitamins and avoid consuming the excess sugar that comes with Vitamin Water. 

Published on 360mainstreet.com.

What’s in Your Fridge?

Set yourself up for healthy eating success by stocking your fridge with the right food. When hungry, people typically just grab the first thing they see. When you stock your fridge with healthy food, you are more likely to eat healthy.

As mentioned in the video, replace processed butter or vegetable spread with ghee. And substitute coconut milk for regular milk in smoothies. To learn more watch the video.

Click here to learn more about shopping for healthy foods.

Whey it ain’t so! The Health Benefits of Whey Protein Powder

Anti-aging research is always looking for the fountain of youth. Although they may never find the actual fountain there has been some pretty interesting research published recently.

A lot of the new research focuses on telomeres. Bundles of DNA found in every cell, telomeres are like very long ribbons that shorten naturally with age. Similar to biological clocks, the longer your telomeres are, the longer you will potentially live!

As of now, there is no way to slow the shortening of these telomeres (whey it ain’t so!), but you can avoid accelerating their shortening. Living an unhealthy lifestyle, eating processed foods, having chronic mental stress and not exercising are all examples of things that could possibly shorten your telomeres. 

Another way to prevent the acceleration of your biological clock is to consume more glutathione. Found in whey protein, GSH increases the integrity of telomeres and protects them from stressors like free radicals. Not only is whey protein a source of GSH but it’s also one of the most potent sources known!

Dr. Mercola named whey protein one of the Top 7 Foods That Slow Your Aging. To learn more about telomeres and life span, watch this 10 minute video.

Kehres Health & Chiropractic in Saginaw carries high quality whey protein available in vanilla, chocolate and unflavored. To order contact us at 989.607.4322 or drkehres@kehreshealth.com

Beer Gut or a Big Gulp Belly?

Everyone knows that if you drink too much beer, you will end up with a “beer gut.” What most people don’t know is that sugar in the form of fructose or high fructose corn syrup is processed almost the exact same way as alcohol in our bodies, which can also lead to these large bellies. 

The number one source of calories in the U.S. is from sugary drinks – mostly in the form of fructose or high fructose corn syrup. The corn refiners association claims that HFCS is no different than typical sugar when it comes to metabolism and obesity. But more and more research is coming out showing exactly how fructose is metabolized, which is more like alcohol than it is sugar.

When you eat or drink fructose, almost all of the calories are turned directly into fat, compared to glucose which is mostly used by your body for energy. One of the only differences between fructose and ethanol (alcohol) is that alcohol is metabolized in your brain causing the buzzed feeling.

As most people know to drink alcohol in moderation or not at all, the same applies for sugary drinks such as orange juice, soda or food products that contain fructose or HFCS especially as it turns directly into fat.  

The average American currently drinks 60 gallons of soda a year… so be on the lookout for Big Gulp Bellies and start preventing your Big Gulp Belly now!