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People hear a lot about the dangers of ‘processed foods’ and are often told not to eat them. We’ve been examining many of our client’s diets and are finding that several are still eating these ‘processed foods’! Upon questioning, we found that most of the clients simply didn’t think of the foods they were eating as ‘processed foods’. Therefore, in this post we will explain what we mean by the term ‘processed foods’ and why they are detrimental to your long-term health.

What Are Processed Foods?

‘Processed foods’ include any food products that have more processing than shipping, handling, washing, drying, simple mixing or dehydrating. Through processing, these foods lose many vital nutrients, especially minerals. Some companies try and ‘fortify’ or ‘enrich’ their processed foods with added vitamins and minerals, often times trying to replace some of what has been lost. However, most times two to three times more nutrients are lost than are replaced, and often times, they are replaced with synthetic variants of the nutrients that are far inferior to the original product.

It would be like taking your home from you and replacing it with a large cardboard box – you may be able to live in it, but not nearly as well or as comfortably as before. So it is with processed, fortified/enriched foods – your body may be able to use some of the nutrients, but the original product would be far superior. Therefore, we encourage all our clients to eat whole foods in as close to the natural state as possible. This means eating foods that are grown, shipped to you and eaten in a relatively short period of time and with little else done to them.
So what foods are considered processed foods?

A quick look at the label will tell you if the food you are looking at is processed. If it is fortified or enriched, contains flour or sugar, or has any additives, preservatives, colorings or any ingredient with a number in it (!) it is processed. Here is a partial listing:

A special note on bread:
ALL breads are processed foods. Those containing whole grains are slightly less processed than plain white or wheat bread. Only breads claiming ’100% whole wheat/grain’ and are sprouted are the least processed.

It is not at all unusual to feel some resistance at this point, particularly if you regularly eat many of these processed foods. And we are not talking about totally eliminating these foods (at least not at first); think about processed foods like a condiment, something you have as a side dish in very small amounts to augment or complement your meal. In fact, by focusing more on eating whole, unprocessed foods, you will naturally and easily crowd out and eliminate these processed foods.
So what do you eat?

Raw and cooked fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and organically raised fish, fowl, wild game and lots of water and herbal tea. You can obviously eat whatever you desire, but the fewer processed foods in your diet, the healthier you will be and the more you will be able to enjoy a vibrant and disease-free life. In addition, making sure you properly digest your food will insure you get the most out of it; chew your food until it is a liquid. For additional support, take Ortho Digestyme – 1-2 capsules with each meal.

See our recipes for some great ideas on enjoying the natural path to optimal health.

This time of year brings sniffles, colds, coughs and more into the home.  Nothing is more important to a parent than keeping their children healthy. Luckily, there are two very simple things that have proven extremely effective at improving kids’ immunity and substantially reducing illness. Those two things are vitamin D and probiotics.

Vitamin D – Super Protection

Vitamin D is getting a lot of press these days, as low levels have been linked to numerous disorders including rickets, depression, pain, cancer and immune suppression. Even more telling is that research is showing that the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) is nowhere near high enough to protect against a majority of these illnesses. For example, an analysis of the medical literature found that at least 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D3 per day is necessary to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.¹

One of the challenges with taking the necessary amount of vitamin D is the outdated acceptable upper limit for vitamin D3 consumption, which was set at 2000 IU. However, researchers point out that more recent studies have shown that 10,000 IU is the safe upper limit.² Sunshine is a great source of vitamin D – research shows that you need at least 30 minutes of sunshine on your bear arms, legs and face without sun block at least 3 times per week to get adequate vitamin D3. For most of us, this simply isn’t possible from autumn to spring, so high quality vitamin D3 supplements can fill in the gaps.

Vitamin D levels can and should be monitored to insure optimal levels and to adjust supplementation. This is a simple blood test that can be done at any hospital or clinic. The test you should request is called 25 (OH) Vitamin D and ideal levels are between 40-60 ng/ml.

Probiotics to Supercharge the Immune System

Most people don’t think of probiotics or the health of their gastrointestinal system (i.e., GI tract or gut) as an integral part of their immune system. However, it is probably the MOST important component. Research has shown that as much as 70% of your immune function originates in your gut, and a major component of that system is the organisms that live in your GI tract. These organisms (mainly bacteria and yeasts) not only help you digest and absorb nutrients, they protect you from most of the bacteria and viruses you may be exposed to.

In fact, research has shown that daily probiotic supplementation is a safe, effective way for children to reduce fever, runny nose, cough duration and incidence and antibiotic prescription use, as well as the number of missed school days due to illness.³ The numbers are even more amazing.

Relative to placebo, kids taking a combination probiotic reduced their incidence of fever 73%, coughing by 62%, and runny nose by 59%. Antibiotic use was reduced 84% relative to placebo, and kids taking probiotics missed almost a third fewer days of school than those that did not.

What this all means is that you can help your kids be much healthier, especially during the cold and flu season, by giving them the right amount of vitamin D and a high quality, multi-strain probiotic. Here’s what we use:

Bio-D-Mulsion Forte – 1 drop (2000 IU) every other day for children 3-5 years of age; 1 drop daily for children 5-12 years of age; 1 drop twice daily for kids older than 12 years old as well as for adults.

FloraBoost – 1 scoop daily (mixed with juice or water on an empty stomach) for kids between 15-60 lbs.; 1 scoop twice daily for kids 60-100 lbs.; adults should use Ortho Biotic – 1 capsule 1-2 times daily on an empty stomach.

Please feel free to contact Dr. Chad if you have questions regarding this post.  Be healthy – be happy!

References

1. Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, Grant WB, Mohr SB, Lipkin M, Newmark HL, Giovannucci E, Wei M, Holick MF. Optimal vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention: a quantitative meta analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2007 Mar;32(3):210-6.
2. Hathcock JN, Shao A, Vieth R, Heaney R. Risk assessment for vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):6-18.
3. Pediatrics. August 2009;124(2):e172-9.

This is a quote from Mitchell Katz, MD, Director of Health for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. That alone is telling, but what is equally important is that these acid-suppressing medications are known to cause many other health conditions.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most commonly prescribed medications and include:

• Omeprazole (brand names: Losec, Prilosec, Zegerid, Lomac, Omepral, Omez)
• Lansoprazole (brand names: Prevacid, Zoton, Inhibitol, Levant, Lupizole)
• Dexlansoprazole (brand name: Kapidex, Dexilant)
• Esomeprazole (brand names: Nexium, Esotrex)
• Pantoprazole (brand names: Protonix, Somac, Pantoloc, Pantozol, Zurcal, Zentro, Pan)
• Rabeprazole (brand names: Zechin, Rabecid,Nzole-D,(NEHAL PHARMA Pvt. Ltd.), AcipHex, Pariet, Rabeloc)

A recent article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine demonstrate that in addition to an increased risk of pneumonia, a well-known side effect of PPIs, these medications are also associated with other side effects, including increased risk of bone fractures and an increase in Clostridium difficile infection, which is a cause of severe diarrhea.

Common sense gives us some insight into why this could occur – stomach acid is necessary to properly break down and absorb minerals; it is also one of the main ways our bodies protect us from harmful microbes (including bacteria, viruses and fungi) that we consume with our food. Therefore, a lack of stomach acid would inhibit proper mineral absorption and increase the likelihood of offensive microbes entering our body successfully.

There are many ways to improve digestion and eliminate the need for PPIs, including:

• Relax before and during meals
• Chew your food until it is a liquid before swallowing
• Drink minimal liquids with meals, especially sodas and iced beverages
• Drink about 4 oz. of water every 30 minutes throughout the day (except with meals)
• Eat organic whenever possible
• Eat your veggies! Start with steamed vegetables and increase raw vegetables as tolerated.
• Consume legumes everyday
• Eat ripe fruit in season daily
• Decrease your consumption of meat and dairy products

If you’d like more information see our GI Disorders: Acid Reflux/GERD Health Department. In our clinic, we have been able to eliminate almost 60% of acid reflux/heartburn by increasing hydration and proper chewing alone – that’s pretty amazing and it’s free.

While it is true that all medications have side effects, there is no level of side effects that is acceptable when you don’t actually need the medication.

References:

Arch Intern Med. 2010 May 10170(9):747-48, 765-71, 751-58, 772-78, 784-90, 779-83, 749-50.

Image courtesy of:

Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Gut-Immune Connection

The gut is a key part of the immune system – this is where the body is constantly exposed to toxins and foreign antigens, including those originating from foods as well as those from the environment. In fact, recent studies have shown that the gut flora (the trillions of bacteria, yeasts and other microbes that reside in your gut) is paramount in the development and regulation of the immune system. It is estimated that the gut accounts for up to 70% of your immune function, so paying attention to your gut health is a key component to optimizing overall health.

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

Large clinical studies have shown the potential for probiotics to strength the immune system; these are the ‘good bugs’ that help keep the GI tract running smoothly. Balancing gut flora will lead not only to a reduction in common winter infections, but also decreased inflammation in general because inflammation is an immune response (we’ll have a blog on this coming soon). Unfortunately, gut flora can be disrupted by many factors, including many medications, improper diet, fever or illness, alcohol consumption, and many others. Keeping the flora in balance can be aided greatly by the use of probiotic and prebiotic supplements.

There are a million probiotics on the market, some are good, most are crap (pun intended). Unfortunately, a good quality probiotic is hard to distinguish from a poor-quality probiotic just by looking at the label. However, a couple things you can look for:

• Be sure the probiotic has multiple strains of live organisms. Even though lactobacillus acidophilus and bifido bacterium are the most prevalent in the small and large bowel respectively, there are other strains that have proven beneficial.  One in particular is saccharomyces boulardii, which is a yeast that has been shown to eliminate potentially pathogenic microbes in the gut.
• Live cultures and enough of them. Probiotics are live cultures, so product freshness is top priority. The label should list the bacteria strains in ‘CFU’ (colony forming units) or state ‘live organisms’. If it lists them in ‘mg’ the product is unlikely to be much use to you. In addition, you lose a LOT of good bacteria on a daily basis (in fact, about 60% of each bowel movement is dead gut flora), so a good supplement should provide at least 15 billion live organisms/CFU per dose.
• Guaranteed potency at ingestion – because no matter what the label says, you need a guarantee (backed up by testing) to insure that you’re getting what you paid for.  A good product should give you this guarantee and be able to back it up with test data (if requested).

We recommend Ortho Biotic – it is a high-potency, multiple strain probiotic that has guaranteed potency at ingestion; in addition, it doesn’t require refrigeration (you should still keep it in a cool place – like your countertop out of the sunshine), so it makes remembering to take it much easier.

No matter what probiotic you choose, be sure to take it on an empty stomach – remember these are live cultures made up of protein, so if you take them with food, they will be digested like food, leaving very little of the probiotic left to help with balancing your gut flora.

Feeding Time

Prebiotics, like fructooligosaccharides (FOS) provide food for the ‘good bacteria’ in your gut. Many foods contain prebiotic fibers, including chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, raw garlic, leeks, onion, asparagus and wheat bran. Alternatively, one can supplement Prebiotics (this can be especially important in cases of active infection and/or diarrhea) – we recommend Probioplex Intensive Care (powder or tablet).

Chew-chew!

The final component of a healthy GI tract (and therefore optimal immune function) is to make sure you are breaking down your food properly. This means that you chew your food enough and produce enough digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. This insures not only proper digestion, but the acid and enzymes also kill any unwanted bacteria or microbes in or on the food you are eating (washing the food before you eat it doesn’t hurt either).

In general, you should chew every bite of food you put in your mouth until it is a liquid. For most foods, that means you should chew at least 30 times before swallowing, and before you put any more food in your mouth. This takes some getting used to for many people, but it can make a world of difference, not only for your digestion, but also for your immunity.

photo credit: Hygiene Matters

It’s that time of year again – the kids are back in school, the leaves are starting to turn and the drug companies are blitzing the airwaves with ads to get your flu shot. Whether or not you decide to do so, there are many natural ways to boost your immune system and significantly reduce your risk of getting sick and/or staying sick.

Boost your Vitamin D Levels

Almost everyone in the upper Midwest has low vitamin D levels. We’ve tested hundreds of people and only a handful had adequate vitamin D levels (and they were all supplementing with at least 4000 IU/day of vitamin D3). Get tested (the test you want is called ‘twenty-five hydroxyl vitamin D’ or ’25 (OH) Vit D’) – you want your level to be between 50-60 ng/ml. If you are not supplementing, your levels are most likely (very) low. Here are two easy options:

Bio-D-Mulsion Forte – 1 drop twice daily (each drop contains 2000 IU of vitamin D3) with meals

Iso D3 – 1 tablet twice daily with meals

Feed the Good Bugs

Everyone has billions of microorganisms (e.g., ‘bugs’) that live inside their gastrointestinal tract that are intricately involved in your immune function. Imbalances in these bacteria can dramatically impact your immune status. Eating foods that promote the good ‘bugs’ like yogurt, kefir, fermented foods, fresh and cooked vegetables, beans, peas and lentils; and avoid foods that feed the bad ‘bugs’ like sugar, white flour products, alcohol, soda and trans-fats. In addition, taking a probiotic (i.e., good bugs) can help make up for any deficits; we recommend Ortho Biotic – 1 capsule 1-2x/day on an empty stomach.

Take Supplemental Support to Boost Your Immune System

Research has shown that the immune system benefits from adequate amounts of vitamin C and zinc. In addition, recent research has shown that certain mushroom extracts help the body identify and destroy foreign invaders (i.e., viruses and bacteria), keeping you healthier.

From October through April everyone at our clinic uses a product called ImmuCore on a daily basis (1 tablet 3x/day with meals). As you can imagine, we see a LOT of ill people on any given day and if we are sick, we can’t help very many people get well.

Doing these three things won’t guarantee you won’t get sick, but the research shows that it will drastically reduce the frequency, intensity and duration of whatever Mother Nature throws our way this cold and flu season. And that’s something we can all benefit from!

For more information, see the following:

Two Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Child’s Immune Health

Swine Flu/H1N1 and Flu Prevention Protocol and What to do if you have to take the vaccine

13 Tips to Prevent a Cold or the Flu the Natural Way

photo credit: DoubleM2

Click here to listen to Dr. Chad’s September podcast.

Links to items mentioned during the podcast: Continue Reading »

photo credit: timsackton

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photo credit: Charles Williams

Pain and depression make a dangerous pair. In fact, this combination can be downright deadly. But the reason may surprise you: Two common treatments could actually be to blame.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen have already been targeted as a common cause of gastrointestinal bleeding due to their ability to erode your gut’s protective lining.

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