• Favorite Postpartum Snacks in the Southwest Metro

    By Dr. Angela Graper You have a new baby. You’re sleep deprived. Perhaps you tire of eating every few hours like I did. I want to share some of my favorite nutrient-dense and healthy snacks that make it easier to eat in the joyous and stressful time of a new child. You’ve just built an entire human being, so we want to make sure that you are rebuilding yourself, which is why nutrient-dense is important, not just calories. 1) Coconut Milk Shake 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk 1-2 Tbsp almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter (a few ideas) Frozen berries Greens like spinach Protein powder (high quality – can usually…

  • Fun Alternatives to Halloween Candy in Chanhassen

    As Halloween creeps closer don’t fear about your little goblins craving those not-so-good-for-you sweets… WE HAVE SOME SOLUTIONS!  Become a trendsetter for your neighborhood and pass out FUN and healthier alternatives! Bulk Bags of Organic Lollipops (found on Amazon) Halloween Stickers: A dozen per sheet costs less than $2 Glow in the dark vampire fangs Fake mustaches Temporary tattoos Finger lamps (Amazon) Candy Trade-In with Parents! A fabulous idea to avoid a week of sugar bingeing and preventing behavioral issues =) After a night of Trick-Or-Treating have your kiddos dump their bag of candy on the floor. Perform bargains and trade-ins for fun alternatives and healthier treats-you decide how many pieces of…

  • Kick Type 2 Diabetes to the Curb in the Southwest Metro

    By: Angela Graper, D.C. Let’s talk about the cost. Total costs of diabetes in 2007: $174 billion. An average of $8,000 per person. Think about that number – $8,000!! The risk. If current trends continue, 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes by 2050 according to the CDC.   The how. When you consume a meal with sugar (glucose), the beta-cells of your pancreas release insulin (hormone). The insulin links up with glucose to get the sugar into the cells. Now imagine if a salesman came knocking at your door at 8 am, 10:30 am, 12 pm, 2:30 pm, 5 pm and 8 pm, day after day, week after week.…

  • Top 5 Foods for On-The-Go from Chanhassen Chiro

    Now there is obviously a lot of variables in this but I often get asked – How do you eat healthy on-the-go? Answer: Be prepared. And…think outside the box. We are used to fast-food restaurants and gas station food on road trips. With a little extra planning, you can have nutritious food for road trips, driving between practices and those “just in case” moments. My top 5 foods for on-the-go (that my toddler also enjoys) 1. Snack Sticks (or Beef Sticks depending where you are from 😉 Grass-Run Farms ships for FREE when you order a case. 100% grass fed. Yes, they are $1/stick but that is the cost of…

  • Chanhassen Chiropractors Top 5 Items for Your “Medicine” Cabinet

    We grew up with Tylenol, Benadryl, and Neosporin in times of need. Now that we have kids, we tend to not think twice about the safety or necessity of these products. Just check out the ingredients in Infants’ Tylenol – parabens, artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners and more. What if there were better options with safe ingredients and not potentially harmful available to use? There are! You just don’t know about them since you don’t see them on TV commercials. You can slowly replace items or clear it all out at once to start over. I want to present the top five items in our medicine cabinet for bumps, bruises, burns and…

  • Berry & Lemon Gummy Snacks

    Are you trying to get more gelatin into your life? Well, then look no further as these are super easy to make and delicious as well! This is a variation of Balanced Bites’ recipe. Ingredients: 1 2/3 cup of fresh or thawed from frozen strawberries, blueberries or berry blend 1 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or organic lemon juice from Costco) 1/3 cup of water Zest from lemons as desired (unless you use the Costco lemon juice then go without) 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (optional) or stevia to taste 6 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin 1-2 scoops of Dynamic Greens Pink Lemonade or Strawberry Kiwi (this gives a deeper…

  • Chiropractic as an Alternative to Headache Suffering in Chanhassen, MN

      If you experience headaches, you’re not alone. 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches, whether they are frequent, occasional, dull, throbbing or even cause debilitating pain. You need to know that you don’t have to continue to suffer with the pain or even take pain medications to cope. There is a safe and effective alternative: Chiropractic. Adjustments can significantly improve your headache suffering! Study Shows Chiropractic Care Helps Headaches A study published in the February 2010 issue of The Spine Journal provided additional evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic for certain types of headaches known as “cervicogenic headaches”. A report on the results of this study was also published online on February…

  • Family Focus Chiropractic recipe of the week! Orange Chicken

    Courtesy of Health Bent. Check out Health Bent’s blog here. Ingredients 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces) 3 T fat (coconut oil works well here) juice of 2 oranges* (3 for more sauce) zest from 1 orange 1 t fresh ginger 3 T coconut aminos or wheat-free soy sauce 1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha 3 green onions, chopped Method In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of the…

  • Infertility and Insulin’s Role

    By Dr. Graper Want to take a guess as to how much a round of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) costs? The pre-screening evaluation will run you approximately $4,000, IVF cycle is $12,000 and medications per cycle is around $3,000 for a grand total of $19,000 for just one round!! At this cost, it is worth learning more about what causes fertility issues and how to address them in ways that is a little nicer on the pocketbook and your health. The one cause I will dive into today is insulin resistance and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as PCOS.  Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a disorder affecting approximately 6% of females in…

  • Chiropractic for Optimal Pregnancy

    By: Dr. Graper When you hear the term “chiropractor,” you likely think of alleviating joint pain due to joint dysfunction. This dysfunction is caused by three things: (1) Physical injury, (2) Chemical or exposure to toxins, and (3) Mental or negative thinking. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor helps allow your body to heal, as it should. Think of an adjustment as a one-way street up to your brain. Motion travels up your spine, sends a message to your brain and turns off the pain signal. The brain also sends a shorter message to your muscles telling them to relax and stop spasms. Neurology 101. This neurology-based chain reaction can alleviate pain…