Tips from the Blue Zones

-->Do you want to live the longest and healthiest life possible? Of course! In order to increase your chances of a long, healthy life it is beneficial to learn from people who have lived the longest and healthiest. Author Dan Buettner recently wrote The Blue Zones, a book about places around the world where the highest concentrations of centenarians live.
After a worldwide study funded by National Geographic and the National Institutes on Aging, Buettner determined the top 9 lessons from the healthiest, and happiest, 100 year olds.

• Move naturally while exercising
• Stop eating when you are 80% full
• Eat more vegetables, avoid processed foods
• Drink red wine in moderation
• Have purpose in your life
• Take time to relax and relieve stress
• Create a social network
• Make family a priority
• Surround yourself with people who have the same mission

Source: The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner

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Prevent Dry, Winter Skin

Winter brings many merry things – but dry skin isn't usually one of them. Dry winter air, heat from radiators and exposure to the elements all contribute to dry skin – but there are factors you can control, such as the types of foods you eat.

Your skin gives you a good idea about what’s going on inside your body. So a healthy body equals healthy skin.
How does this work? All the cells in your body are made up of fats and if you aren’t putting the correct types of fats into your body, your cells aren’t going to be as strong or function as well as they could be.

What are the correct types of fats and where do you get them? Two of the main types of fats in our bodies are Omega 6’s and Omega 3’s. We are suppose to have a 1:1 ratio of these types of fats. Currently, the average ratio of an American is 30:1 Omega 6’s to Omega 3’s. When these ratios are out of balance – it is unhealthy for your entire body, skin included.

To help balance the ratio, you not only need to increase the amount of Omega 3’s that you are eating, but also reduce the amount of Omega 6 fats. Omega 3’s are found in highest concentrations in green vegetables, grass fed meats and especially wild fish. Omega 6’s are found mostly in products that are made from vegetable oil, grain fed animals and processed carbohydrates.

Learn more about Omega 3's here. To purchase high quality Omega-3 supplements, visit Kehres Health Products.

Source: Dr. Mercola, mercola.com

This time of year is the worst time to get sick as we are all so busy, however it is when our immune systems are the most vulnerable as we tend to eat unhealthy, be in contact with more people, sleep less and exercise less.

Take these five steps now to avoid feeling run down and getting sick over the holidays.
1. Exercise
2. Healthy eating
3. Supplements
4. Sleep
5. Positive mental attitude

Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, a minimum of 3 times a week. When you exercise, it releases hormones to improve your mood, reduce stress, help you sleep better and is good for you body. No excuses!

Healthy eating: It may be tempting this time of year when you are around extra food and sweets -- but remember that the better you eat, the better you will feel.
Depending on what you eat, it will either increase or decrease the inflammation (pain) in your body.

Foods that increase pain/stress: Processed (white) grains, sugar, dairy, grain fed meats, trans fats, vegetable oil
Foods that decrease pain/stress: Vegetables (especially green ones), fruit, wild fish, grass fed meats like venison

Cutting out the sugar in your diet is the same as increasing your Vitamin C consumption… it helps your immune system!

Supplements: The majority of us don’t receive the nutrients we need from food alone. You should supplement your diet with at least Multi-vitamin, Fish Oil, Magnesium and Vitamin D.

Multi-vitamin 1-3 multivitamins a day
Fish Oil Anti-inflammatory
Magnesium helps to increase energy and metabolism
Vitamin D helps boost the immune system, typically you get it from the sun

Sleep: Stick to the same sleep schedule every night. Even on weekends, wake up around the same time you do during the week and take a short nap later in the day if you need to. It is critical to get 6 – 8 hours of dark, uninterrupted sleep.

Positive mental attitude: Mental stress = physical stress. Holidays can get stressful, keep your thoughts positive.

Exercise, eat healthy, sleep well, think positive and have a very happy holiday season!

Would you give your kids a glazed doughnut every morning for breakfast?

The majority of parents would say definitely not -- but many of them don't realize that the bowl of cereal their kids eat instead often has the same amount of sugar and nutritional value as a doughnut.

Recently on NBC’s Today Show, nutritionists studied the surprising amount of sugar in breakfast cereals and healthier alternatives. Cereals are full of sugar – and it is mostly brands marketed to kids that have the highest amounts. Reports show there is more sugar in some cereals than there is in a glazed doughnut.

A new study found many breakfast cereals for kids are loaded with 50 percent sugar. Those that top the list are Post Golden Grahams and Kellogg’s Honey Smacks. The cereal that contains the lowest amount of sugar is Cheerios, with one gram of sugar per serving.

Kids’ cereals should contain less than 10 percent of grams of sugar per serving. Cereals that contain 40 percent of grams of sugar per serving include Honey Smacks, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Trix, Golden Crisp, Captain Crunch, Cocoa Krispies, Reese’s Puffs, Honey Grahams and Lucky Charms.

Parents should look for cereals that contain wheat germ, oats or whole grain. The majority of cereals are made with excessive sugar, salt and processed grains – and with one-third of kids being overweight, starting their day with an unhealthy meal is one of the causes of childhood obesity.
Start giving your kids other options for breakfast. Why do we typically eat so much cereal for breakfast? Because it is convenient and marketed as a breakfast food. But is it best for us and our kids? No.

Healthy, fast and affordable breakfast meals include a vegetable omelet, steel cut oatmeal topped with blueberries or strawberries, a fruit filled whey protein shake or an egg over easy with whole grain toast. Your kids will feel better and be healthier.

High Fructose Corn Syrup -- better than sugar?

Many of you have probably seen recent ads or commercials about high fructose corn syrup and how it is natural and OK in moderation. Don’t be mislead by these claims, as it is worse for you than table sugar.

Dr. Mercola recently posted an article about high fructose corn syrup (a modified sugar) on his health Web site mercola.com. Here is an excerpt:
The Corn Refiners Association launched a $20 – 30 million marketing and public relations campaign trying to convince people that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a healthy alternative to sugar. And why has HFCS replaced cane or beet sugar? Because it is significantly cheaper than sugar.

Scientists have linked HFCS to the rampant epidemics of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the U.S., and medical researchers have pinpointed various other health dangers associated with the consumption of HFCS compared to regular sugar.

And to make matters worse, HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which is filled with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that HFCS accounts for roughly 41 percent of all caloric sweeteners consumed in the U.S.

Although HFCS is often found in pop, it is not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it you need to focus your diet on whole foods and, if you do purchase packaged foods, become an avid label reader.

The best and safest sweetener would be the herb Stevia, which you can find at your local health food store. (For more information about Stevia, e-mail Dan).

While these ads say that HFCS "contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients." Literally, that's true, but HFCS is itself an "artificial or synthetic" ingredient made in a lab. You could not manufacture it in your kitchen. Honey is "natural," the bees make it and all we do is bottle it. Maple syrup is "natural," the trees make it and all we do is boil it down and bottle it. Even beet and cane sugar are "natural" in much the same way. The farther we move away from these basic sweeteners, the closer we get to laboratory conditions.

All in all, the less sugar or sweeteners in your diet the better. But be extra careful to stay away from high fructose corn syrup. And don't fall for these misleading ads.

Fats, Protein and Sugar: the basics

Research has found that 70-98% of your health depends on your lifestyle! (Nutrition, exercise, stress)

What inspires you?  Stick it on your mirror, make it your computer background, remind yourself everyday of your inspiration

Fats: There are healthy fats, and they are a very important part of your diet.
• We now eat more than 60 lbs. of oils a year compared to 11 lbs. in the mid to early 1900’s
• Olive oil = for salads
• Coconut oil = for cooking
• Vegetable oil = bad

Protein: Eat lean meat, not grain fed sources of protein.
• Grass fed meat (wild game)
• USDA Organic Eggs
• Fresh Fish

Sugar: White Bread, white flour, white rice, cereal
• We consume 160 lbs. of sugar a year now, compared to 15 lbs. of sugar before the industrial revolution.
• Excess sugar is known to cause many diseases (i.e. obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary artery disease, etc.)
• If you have too much sugar in your diet you will not be able to burn fat.
• Too much sugar wears out your cells and brings your energy level down. Want to know the best anti-aging tip? Cut back on sugar.
• Step by step, phase sugar out. Don’t do it too fast or you will crash.

Different kinds of sugar: high fructose corn syrup, anything that ends in –ose (i.e. glucose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose). Also, aspartame, maldextrin, Splenda. No matter what form of sugar (or sweeteners) you take in, it all does the same thing.

Look at cereal, fruit yogurt, bread, crackers, ketchup, etc. . . . everything for grams of sugar per serving and look at the ingredient list.

Processed grains also break down into sugar. For example, white bread, white flour, white rice, pasta – any grains that are not whole, sprouted, steel cut or stone ground are unhealthy for you. Foods can have the label “whole grain” but still be made of enriched, bleached flour (which is white flour).

Rules to remember:Find something that inspires you
The farther it is from nature (the more processed), the worse it is for you
Avoid foods that have high fructose corn syrup or other sugars in the top five ingredients
Avoid foods that have ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce
Eat lots of vegetables!