Dear Kosher Chefs Diet^TM Client,

It is with great joy and anticipation that I join Kosher Chefs Diet^TM as their clinical nutritionist. The journey that led me here started as a personal quest over 20 years ago. It seemed that the people I loved most were falling apart around me. One of my earliest childhood memories was watching paramedics carry my mother out of the house on a kitchen chair because she had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. As a young adult I went to Cleveland to be by my father's side when he had open heart surgery. I remember my uncle suffering a heart attack and leaving my young cousins without their father. No one on my mother's side of the family held on to their gall bladder past the age of thirty-five. Then there was the sister with asthma and allergies, the aunt with diabetes, and the cousins with ADHD.

When I was in my early 20s and trying to start a family, suffering a miscarriage robbed me of my sense of invincibility. Neither youth nor desire could save me from what I perceived as my family's "curse" of poor health. I was shattered. Many more years of health "tragedies" followed until I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I had had it. I headed back to school.

Being one of the oldest students in the class seemed like a difficult challenge at first, but it actually gave me a different perspective on things. My maturity and life's experiences motivated me to go beyond simply getting good grades. I wanted to truly understand the relationship that diet, lifestyle, environment, and stress have on influencing an individual's propensity to illness or health. Why do some people get sick while others enjoy great vitality, energy and health throughout their entire lives?

Every book I read pointed me in one direction. Nutrition and lifestyle were the keys to "wellness." What I discovered was that we all have inherent weaknesses, our genetic Achilles' heals. Is there heart disease in the family, Alzheimer's, depression, or cancer? I like to say "Did we choose the right parents, did we get 'designer' genes or just plain dungarees?" What role does environment and lifestyle play? Do we smoke, drink too much alcohol, endure constant stress, or get too little sleep? It turns out that lifestyle accounts for one's level of health as much as, if not more than, "the luck of the draw," your genes. One of my professors used to say "Your lifestyle washes over your genes." So what you do with what you've got really matters in terms of how healthy you will be.

My studies also made me realize that the food chain today is like none other in the history of mankind. We have paid a high price for convenience and fast foods. Many nutrients are destroyed during the processing and packaging of foods. The increased tendency to pick and ship produce before ripening reduces its nutritional value. Depletion of nutrients from the soil and mass production farming have resulted in nutritionally inferior crops. Alcohol, caffeine,medications, stress, pollutants, insecticides, and artificial fats all rob the body of essential nutrients. Because so many different factors influence our nutritional needs, the use of nutritional supplementation to enhance health and well-being is a core concept and an essential part of Kosher Chefs Diet^TM program. In today's world, I believe that supplementation is absolutely necessary.

By trying to chart a path to health for myself, I am now able to share the gift of nutrition with others. In order to help promote the health and wellness of Kosher Chefs Diet^TM clients, we have developed the Kosher Chefs DietHealth web site. This endeavor reflects over 20 years of utilizing and determining which nutritional products are the very best. State-of-the-art supplements available only through professionals will be featured. It is a misconception to think that all supplements are created equal. The quality of supplements can vary tremendously.

Health is our most precious gift. Given our busy lifestyles, most of us just take it for granted. We only take notice when things aren't going well...the backache, that arthritis in our knees, the frequent heartburn, sleepless nights, too many headaches, and feelings of depression. One of my middle-age clients described herself as the "walking wounded." Just because someone isn't overtly ill doesn't mean they're healthy! Most of us muddle through the day with these types of symptoms that diminish the quality of our lives, but aren't serious enough to put us into a hospital bed or even just keep us home from work. But these little annoyances can be forbearers of more serious challenges to overall health and wellness. As noted above, a lowered sense of vitality, memory loss, and joint pain can all be addressed nutritionally.

Being a member of the Kosher Chefs Diet^TM team has given me the opportunity to work with a group of people who have unparalleled passion and purpose for what they do. Together, we are all here to help you. Most people would agree that their desire is not so much to extend their life span indefinitely, but to allow for active, vital and productive years for the years they do have. We'll help to get you there! You are on the right track. By eating within Kosher Chefs Diet concept and supplying your body with the finest nutrients that it needs, you can be on the road to wellness, achieving your weight loss goals, and reaching higher levels of health.

Carol Forman Helerstein, Ph.D.

Always remember to consult your physician before starting any new dietary, exercise or supplement program. The suggestions presented above are not intended as a source of medical advice and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease..

By taking advantage of the exclusive Kosher Chefs Diet^TM Gluco-Screen and your individualized nutritional screening tool will allow you to take active control over your own health and future well-being and will be able to live in the body you want to be in!

By trying to chart a path to health for myself, I am now able to share the gift of nutrition with others.

That's what this website is all about.

But first the question that needs to be asked is "do we all needs supplements in the first place?" The answer is a resounding yes!

All rely on the raw material we call food that is supplied to it.

By committing to eating in Kosher Chefs Diet^TM, you'll find that you will reach your desired weight, have more energy, think more clearly, and have a stronger immune system. Each and everything we put into our mouths has a chemistry, and that chemistry should be compatible with our body chemistry in order for us to lead a healthy and productive life

Also available to Kosher Chefs Diet^TM Nutritionals will be Gluco-Screen, a non-invasive evidenced based technology that allows our clients to test for blood sugar disorders in the privacy of your own homes. A simple test-strip using saliva can indicate a propensity towards insulin resistance and diabetes. The average diabetic has the condition a full seven years before being diagnosed. Gluco-Screen is an inexpensive means for early detection of impaired glucose tolerance, a pre-diabetic state or a predisposition to diabetes. If you are always craving, feel that you should not weigh what you weigh based on how you eat, Gluco-Screen may be the answer you've been looking for.

Kosher Chefs Diet^TM cares about you, your health and the goals you've set for yourself. We appreciate that the holiday season can be a difficult period to "diet," and we understand your concerns. We feel that even though the holidays may present a unique challenge for those seeking to lose weight, we can help you to stay on course.

          Stay with the Kosher Chefs Diet^TM fresh food delivery program.
          and here's why

Statistics show that the average weight gain during the holidays is between 1 to 10 pounds. A study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine stated those pounds that were put on during the holiday rush - between Thanksgiving and New Year's - stick around. When participants were weighed one year after the study began, they had not lost the extra weight they had gained over the holidays. One physician in the study is quoted as saying: "These findings suggest that developing ways to avoid holiday weight gain may be extremely important for preventing obesity and the diseases associated with it" (D. Alexander, M.D. - Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD]). The study went on to say that for those who gained as little as 1 pound - which doesn't seem like much - didn't lose that pound later in the year. Furthermore, gaining a single pound year after year, contributes to significant weight gain over the years. Studies show that gaining 10 to 15 pounds throughout the adult years is dangerous for your health. "Weight gain during adulthood may contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health problems." (J. Yanovski, M.D., Ph.D. - Head, NICHD's Unit on Growth and Obesity).