Raising healthy kids is a great effort, and a great responsibility, and a great value at the end of the day.  We have been blessed with healthy kids.  But the blessing comes from the fact that we have worked our butts off, and the reward has been healthy kids.  Blessed that what we thought would work, has worked.

In my practice, I have blessed with endless stories of children with croup who have been healed, children with asthma, who no longer have asthma, children with chronic ear infections, who are free from ear infections, children with eczema, who are free from eczema, and the list goes on and on and on.

We adjust spines, we free nerves, and healing begins.  We test food allergies, we desensitize those allergies, and children are healed.  We push good nutrition, we focus on building that, and children are healed.  The body works well when given a chance.  Most parents don’t know what it means to really give it a chance.  I find myself holding my tongue on a weekly basis, sometimes a daily basis, because I am confronted with a moment where a parent is describing an unhealthy/sick child.  The treatment of the child, and ultimately the lack of healing and health.

I am not saying that I would just rip into every parent’s story, but in so many cases, if you pull back and listen, you can see that the family is in a trap.  Treat with a NON curing medicine that is addressing the symptom.  The body gets used to that medication, and needs it sooner and more often.  Steroids are such a good example; assist the body in such a significant way, how could it not want that the next time?

But the topic of my Sprout is about eating.  My wife and I are writing some material to assist the focus on healthy kids, but more specifically, healthy eating kids.

The sad truth, is that it is easy if you start at 6 months or so.  That first bite of food… your doctor says cereal.  I say no.  I say low glycemic vegetable… you know, the one that is going to get spit out of their mouth 11 times before the 12th attempt finally sticks.  If you don’t have patience in this arena, your child will end up with apples in their diet first, just because they eat it.

“Look honey, she is eating apples!  Oh my…. get the camera, this is so great!”

Of course they are eating apples, besides the texture in their mouth being an issue, it is the sweetest thing they have ever had in their mouths.  But this is where it all starts.

It moves to raisins and cheerios.

High glycemic carbs become the mainstay.

Your kids are now ruined for healthy foods.

So the point is not that they are ruined forever though, it is just that they now need a path back.  And you sadly made your job twenty times harder… but you made it more urgent than ever.  You really need to be sure you get your kids diets fixed.  A healthy home is built on the food being eaten.  I love Juice Plus as a supplement for the kids, and the reason I say so, is that the only change that it made in my kids (well, only obvious or measurable change), was that it increased the range of raw vegetables that they enjoyed eating.

But supplementation is just that, it is not the end, just a means to an end.  An assistant along the path.  So if your kids do not eat healthy foods, and they are 5-6 years old or older.  You now have to take daily steps and win battles.  At least one time a day, every day, you need to introduce a food that is new or newer.  Dinner – broccoli.  Let me give you the words.

“On your plate there is some steamed broccoli with grass fed butter and sea salt.  Next to that there is some raw broccoli.  I want you to take a bite of the steamed broccoli now.  You don’t have a choice, you are going to eat it.  If you spit it out, there will be a consequence.”

“Great, though you looked like you were dying, you got that down ok.  Now, the raw broccoli, do the same.  Good, not to bad.  So which do you think is better?  Now eat two more bites of that.”

And just like that, the battle is won.  You need to fight it again the next day, and the next.  Eventually, you are going to need to control the high glycemic carbohydrate as well.  The same concerns that I preach about for adults, begin with children.  Insulin receptors begin downgrading.

The CDC efforts from 2009 have demonstrated that at least 191,000 children in the US have type II diabetes.  The type that develops from poor diet.  And the research suggested it was growing.

It is all very serious, and we need to change this.  You are my target market, your kids can be health leaders, and they can influence the children around them by making wise decisions in front of other kids… PARENTS.  Yes, in front of their parents is the key.

Join my mission, become part of our team, help the world eat healthy.  Join our mission of spreading the news of Juice Plus, and drive the idea of eating healthy fruits and vegetables.

Be blessed and be well! – Dr. E

As many of you know, I am a tower garden using, aquaponics developing, home growing clean eater.  I like having my fish pond feed my vegetables, though, once again, I did not push early enough this year to get any real bounty.  And I have serious issues with shade right now… some trees need trimming!

But as I considered putting an article out about my gardening today, I thought I would hold off on my own yard, and spotlight one of Mike Adams articles instead.

Check this out, and follow the link to read it all –

Health Ranger unveils Food Rising Mini-Farm Grow Box grow system in new video

The Food Rising Mini-Farm Grow Box (www.FoodRising.org) is a non-electric, open-source food production system that can be easily constructed using common tools and parts.

The system is:
* 100% EMP-proof, using no circuit boards.
* 100% non-electric. Requires no electricity whatsoever.
* Key parts needed for the system can be easily scavenged almost anywhere (a paper clip, a pencil eraser, etc.).
* Eliminates weeding.
* Grows food in less than half the space of soil agriculture.
* Grows food at waist height; eliminating bending over.
* Uses about 1/20 the water of conventional soil agriculture.
* Produces highly nutritious food with higher mineral density.
* Can grow vegetables, fruits, herbs and even root vegetables (with an adaptation to be released later).

Credit for the teaching of “non-circulating hydroponics” belongs to Professor B. Kratky at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. His academic paper describing this technology is linked at the home page of FoodRising.org.

Health Ranger invents 3D printable components that make the system work

The key component of the system is the self-watering float valve, and to make this sytem easy to make yourself, I designed a 3D printable automatic water-leveling float valve designed around common parts that can be easily scavenged or acquired:

* A pencil eraser
* A paper clip
* A garden hose washer
* A common vitamin bottle

Using almost any 3D printer (and the correct filament, which is called “t-glase”), any person can print their own self-watering float valve and use it to grow their own food with very little effort and at very little cost.

In the following video, I unveil the Food Rising Mini-Farm Grow Box. More detailed videos are coming soon.

Click here to watch on YouTube.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/048727_Food_Rising_grow_box_Health_Ranger_revolution.html#ixzz3h45gDihq

I love that there are so many easy steps to clean eating.  I pray that you would be blessed and well –

Dr. E

By Dr. Mark Richards

Summer is nearing an end and things are going to start to be “normal” once again. I’m referring to my daily routines. During the school year I was doing great, I’d get myself up and dressed, get the kids up and dressed and on the bus, which would leave me a good 45 minutes to relax with a coffee and my Bible before heading off to work. My meals were pretty much the same throughout each day, with a planned dinner, that was healthy, tasty and aligned with my goals to pursue health.  I would get to the gym 4 days each week and I was accomplishing things with my health I never thought I would.  Everything was great.

I love routine, probably to a fault. My wife will tell you when she wants to throw something new into the mix, even something simple I always have that initial reaction to push against it because it will disrupt my precious routine. When summer hit, it was a major blow to my routine, and my health. We tried a number of times to get back to planning our meals, but it just didn’t happen. I’d get to the gym here and there, but not consistent at all. Add a vacation or two and then everything was a mess. To be honest though, I can’t blame summer and my lack of routine as the only reason I’ve struggled this summer, ultimately it was a lack of commitment, which I could say, my routine made up for that lack of commitment before, maybe.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the beginning of school, even though I’ll have to wake up an hour earlier every morning to get the kids ready, and fight with getting homework done in the very small window of time we’ll have each night with other activities. I’m looking forward to getting back that routine, and committing myself, and my routine back to my family’s and my health. I’d encourage you to do the same. If you’ve found you’ve been slipping with being committed to your health over the summer, use this time to create a new routine that makes the time for health. Make exercise a regular thing with a set spot in your week, plan your meals so you don’t fall into the trap of “quick and easy”, and be sure to get in and get adjusted on a regular basis to ensure you are functioning optimally. Don’t put this off. Get it started right, the first day of school get yourself back on track.

-Dr. Mark

The 60 Day Turnaround preaches that there should a significant focus on water first and foremost.  Afterwards, you can do what you want as long as you continue to stick with this very special and important focus that we start with water, and end with water each day.

I was recently told about an ancient health secret from the Asian realm, where 20 + ounces of water were consumed each day, and followed with a period of no food for at least 45 minutes.  It sounded a lot like intermittent fasting, which I have spoken about, where you eat nothing up until about 4pm.

The real goal that I see as a key to water first thing, is to neutralize acids from the evening, and to bring about a more alkaline body.  As many of you know, alkaline is a better environment for all health than acid.  This relates to cancer and a plethora of other conditions, thus it is a very wise thing to pursue.  To perpetuate this change further and faster, the addition of lemon in the morning glass is a great start.

Detoxification – the health buzz word for celebrities in the last 5 years.  It is a real thing too however, not just a marketed term that has no real bearing on life.  So what is this crazy word that has now been equated with celebrity weight loss?  It is actually the process of assisting elimination of toxins.  If toxin inflow is greater than toxic outflow, the accumulation of toxins must occur, thus toxic load increases, and detoxification (the assisting of outflow) is necessary.  This holds true for an estimated 80% of adult Americans.  (Don’t even begin to wonder why cancer increases every single year when we put this knowledge out there)

So what are you supposed to do?

Every morning, you should drink a large glass of water, as the first thing you do.  Afterwards all you need to do is wait.  Wait before eating or drinking anything else.  Just wait.  I keep a large glass by my bed, and when I wake up in the AM, down it goes.  Cool piece to this… you can start tonight/tomorrow.  No barrier to entry on this one.

Be well and Be blessed. Saving The World – Dr. E

Do your workouts build your core?  Do they make your spine stronger, and more resilient?  I believe one of the most valuable components of your workout, can be the value to your core.   The reality is that anybody working out, is doing something positive for their core, but what you do can mean a world of difference.

The question “does it increase my core strength”, is one that can be answered by “does it tax your core?

This picture is my dead-lifting (simple lift where you pull the weight from the floor until you are standing straight.  There is a ton of core competency required to maintain your spine at a stable place while pulling a heavy load.  In this pic I was working up to a max load.  495# Which is the most I have ever lifted.

I am pretty happy as a 43 year old to be able to lift 2.5 times my bodyweight.  But I am equally as happy to be able to run a 6 minute mile, and knock out 50 pull-ups without stop (kipping, not as impressive as what you pictured).

My point in sharing the celebration with you, is to help you get the importance of seriously training your core.  I say this, because when I started CrossFitting, I had never really put my core to the test like I do now.  I could squat 400#, but not to a depth that mattered.  And when I finally had full understanding of it all, I realized that my core stability was lost at a certain depth.  I no longer could maintain myself in a strong position, thus my back collapsed forward, putting undue stress on my spine, and I was forced to stop 5-6″ before I got to a parallel position with my thigh.

Last week, two days before I lifted the dead-lift in the picture, I was able to squat 405# with my hips about 4″ below the point of parallel.  This is because my core was stable in the “hole”, at a point of great stress.

How do you get your core strong?

Many people look to pilates and yoga for core strength.  And to that I would say, good job, great start, you will definitely gain core strength while developing the very important flexibility that I so sadly lack.  But I will also say, not enough.  Just like my training isn’t enough to give me the flexibility I need (which is why I dabble in yoga, I just need to get more committed), your training should give you more core stability.

Now, if we are comparing to the general population, we are both way ahead in both assets (flexibility and strength).  But my goal is not to compare to the very sad average of this country, but to the potential that we have.  I think the greater question should be…

Why do I need a strong core?

I know that this kind of seems like a silly question, yet many don’t have a “real” answer.  You just accept it because you have heard it.

It’s important to have a strong core.

Yet when you ask most people about their core, they will immediately consider their ab muscles.  Which are important, but not the core.  So the core refers to the center, just like an apple core, the part that surrounds your spine.  This is so ridiculously important because its your spine people!  Come on!  So why have a strong core?  Because it will protect you from an endless list of bad things.  From simple back pain, to spinal stenosis, to paralysis and early death.

So back to HOW DO I GET IT STRONG?

I prefer a mix of gymnastic movements, which I commonly prescribe because they are easy to explain and develop:

• plank or planche holds
• sit-ups and more difficult variants (GHD bench sit-ups)
• L sits or holds (look like h holds with most people)
• Lever development training (look that up, just more of the above and more intense)
• Squats with load
• Dead-lifts

These basic movements (and you get the plank hold from standard push-ups as well), will get your core nice and strong.  Just be careful not to hurt yourself along the way.  You know you are susceptible… and it is your spine.

Be well and Be blessed!  – Dr. E

Have you ever stopped to simply smile at the summer?  When I was pre school aged children, it rarely mattered.  The summer, just one part of the year when there is no rhyme or reason to our business flow.  One day we are busy, then nobody for the next three.  But now, well now, summer is a gift.  A gift from God to give families time to get really tight.

I have already enjoyed so much time with my eldest, as she is reaching an age of greater maturity that has allowed me the freedom, to give her the freedom, to stay up later each night.  Its been a ton of fun.  These are the days of memory building, these are the days of freedom!!

The only problem… where does health fit in?

Health tends to go away most summers.  The rules that we use to guide ourselves, to make wise decisions, these rules slip by the wayside, and then, before you know it, we are completely out of control.  I know most of you have not completed a 60 Day Turnaround.  Still in its relative infancy, I have probably only taken about 250 people through it thus far.  But if you have some ideas of what I teach, you should consider applying some of these rules to your summer.

Take control of your decisions 5 out of 7 days, or 90% of the day.  Something that keeps you on a path towards health with your diet.  Then push your exercise up a notch, of course never forgetting that your spine and nervous system are everything as far as the base of health goes.

The Summer Rules

1. AVOID EXCESS SUGAR – make a plan for the day, if you know you plan on having ice cream that day, avoid all other high glycemic foods.  Avoid grains and other rich sugars.

2. GO RAW – eat at least a full five servings of raw vegetables every day.  They are fresh, healthy and tasty in the summer.  If you push hard to increase your healthy diet now, it will carry on into the fall.

3. EXERCISE DAILY – the weather is encouraging, hit the exercise every day.  Take it serious, and push yourself to get more out of your activity.

4. GET SUN – It is the best way to get your vitamin D up, and if you have read up on vitamin D, you realize that a significant percentage of the population is low in Vitamin D.  Sunshine is the start, a steady but controlled dosage of sun is a key ingredient to health.

5. GROW YOUR OWN – If you are going to eat more raw, you might as well grow your own.  This link is all you need to start up your own tower garden –
http://dreric.towergarden.com/
Mine is growing like crazy right now, it is perhaps one of the best investments you can make to have fresh CLEAN vegetables on your back deck all summer long!

6. DON’T FORGET TO SLEEP – Yeah, party pooper alert.  As much as I miss a ton of sleep in the summer, I also try to make it up at other times.  Enjoy your vacations but see about getting your sleep back while out of town.  Sleep in, and try to be restful. Don’t just stay up late without trying to make up for it.

This should get you along pretty well, and keep you on track for health.  Of course, as stated before, keep n track with perfecting your nervous system.  Your nervous system controls it all.

Be well and be blessed. – Dr. E