The Whole Food Blog

Smarter consumers are beginning to understand the dangers of those toxic, convenience store energy drinks.  The caffeine and phosphates in most of those energy drinks are so acidic that the body is forced to leach calcium from bones to alkalize the blood.  The isolated vitamins are not recognized as real nutrients by the body.  The chemical ingredients do more harm than good, while the artificial sweeteners and sugars used in those energy drinks create disasters for the body.

There are some healthy energy drinks that actually taste good, fill the body with whole food nutrients, provide a mood boost, and cost about the same as those convenience store energy drinks.  These naturally healthy energy drinks supply the body with antioxidants for anti aging, complex carbohydrates for lasting energy, chlorophyll from plants for better oxygen flow, and live enzymes for enhanced absorption of the nutrients.

Here are two reasons to consume naturally healthy energy drinks instead of chemically enhanced energy drinks:

·    High caffeine energy drinks are very acidic, which contributes to a pH imbalance.  The body needs a balance of 80% alkaline foods to only 20% acid forming foods for proper pH.  An improper ratio of too many acid foods and beverages causes the body to break down faster as it pulls calcium from bones in order to maintain the right pH balance.  Naturally healthy energy drinks, on the other hand, are more often than not, alkaline by nature.  For more information about this, take the free alkaline food test.

·   Most energy drinks deprive the body of the health benefits of drinking water.  All the phosphates, sugar, caffeine and artificial ingredients take more water to process than they replace.  When the body doesn’t take in enough water then it suffers cellular dehydration.  When cells are dehydrated they die, which can lead to cancer and rapid aging.  Naturally healthy energy drinks enhance the benefits of drinking water.

Many young people who are drinking high caffeine energy drinks are actually walking around dehydrated, and are aging faster.  On the other hand, people who are consuming naturally healthy energy drinks that contain live nutrients from whole foods such as fruits and herbs are enjoying the benefits of drinking water, plus so much more.  They are experiencing natural, longer lasting energy from phytonutrients.  These phytonutrients are natural antioxidants that prevent the deterioration of cells and offer anti aging health benefits with each sip.  You can’t get that from an energy drink at the convenience store.

Folate, also called Folic Acid and Vitamin B9, is an essential nutrient for healthy pregnancy nutrition.  Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps the body create healthy new cells.  That is why folate is very important for pregnancy nutrition as hopeful mothers create new life.  Moms who include sufficient folic acid in their diets are taking positive steps toward preventing birth defects, especially of the baby’s brain or spine.

Everyone has heard the stories about pregnant women who can’t control their mood swings.  Plenty of medical research points to a deficiency of folic acid in pregnancy nutrition for fostering depression and other psychiatric disorders.  In the book, “Food, Your Miracle Medicine” (Copyright 1993), Jean Carper states, “That folic acid can act as an antidepressant is no secret among scientists“.  The book goes on to point out that McGill University’s Dr. Young found “accumulating evidence that folic acid deficiency can contribute to depressed mood“, and that eliminating the deficiency often cures the depression.

For proper pregnancy nutrition, a woman needs about 800 mcg of folic acid daily.  Nursing mothers can back that down to about 500 mcg.  This level may not be easy for some to reach, as it requires up to six servings of foods such as spinach, beans or asparagus, every day.  If a pregnant woman is not getting enough folate from whole foods then a health food vitamin should be investigated.

Foods with folic acid in them include:
*  Leafy, green vegetables
*  Fruits
*  Beans
*  Peas
*  Nuts

Some enriched breads, cereals and other grain products also contain folic acid.  Again, it is important to be sure that the folate is attached to a natural whole food complex of B vitamins.  You can find more effective whole food vitamins for pregnancy nutrition on the Internet than you will find in most retail stores.  Just be sure to search for a natural health food vitamin to obtain the highest quality pregnancy nutrition available today.

The added stress of pregnancy can create an increased demand for vitamins in the mother’s body.  When the body is in stress mode, more adrenal hormones are produced, which speeds up metabolism.  This can cause a rapid depletion in nutrients stored in the mother’s body thus robbing the mother and the fetus of valuable vitamins and minerals.   That is why proper pregnancy nutrition requires a very safe, balanced diet including essential nutrients like folate or folic acid.

For proper pregnancy nutrition, many experts agree that it is better to obtain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from whole foods, not isolated supplements.  Whole food nutrients are easier for the body to absorb, whereas isolated vitamins and minerals are often eliminated as waste before they can actually be put to use.

Essential elements of pregnancy nutrition include:
*  calcium
*  protein
*  phosphorus
*  potassium
*  folic acid (folate)
*  Vitamins A, D, C, E and the entire B complex.

Nutrition facts point to calcium as an important mineral for sound pregnancy nutrition.  It is especially challenging to get enough calcium from whole foods like fruits and vegetables.

Some of the more familiar sources of calcium are:
*  Broccoli
*  Yogurt
*  Cheese
*  Milk
*  Beans

Dandelion is a natural source of calcium from a whole food source and alfalfa has a high level of calcium, but these are a little harder to include in daily pregnancy nutrition.  There is one whole food calcium supplement that includes dandelion and alfalfa along with other whole food calcium sources, but you won’t find it in a typical health food store.

It is equally important that Vitamin D2 is present in the calcium supplement for perfect pregnancy nutrition.  Vitamin D2 is crucial to aid the body in absorbing calcium.  In one particular natural whole food calcium supplement, 3 types of calcium are included with different absorption characteristics, and Vitamin D2 is present to augment the absorption of calcium.

Of course some supplements may be necessary to get all the required nutrients for proper pregnancy nutrition.  However, it is important to consider how they are made and where the nutrients are coming from.  Isolated vitamins like those typically found on store shelves will be next to useless for sound pregnancy nutrition.  In addition to supplements, there are whole food formulas that provide sound pregnancy nutrition in health drink concentrates.  These drinks make it easy for expectant mothers to get the nutrients they need for perfect pregnancy nutrition while satisfying whole food requirements.

Cliff Smith on the Ridgeline Trail in the Superstition Mountain Wilderness, Arizona

I’m writing this after an 11-mile hike in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona on a hot day in May.  More about what that has to do with healthy food in a moment.  First, the FDA has asked for a recall of Hydroxycut products because people have suffered liver injuries from them.  This is another case of get fit fast, chemical concoctions that are just plain unhealthy.  That’s why it’s always better to get your nutrition from healthy food rather than chemical formulas.

I’m living proof that healthy food supports a healthy body that can achieve fitness goals.  Here’s exactly what I ate today for my big hike, and I feel great after six and a half hours of hiking in the Arizona sun:

7:30am – 1 healthy whole food concentrate, 1 banana (frozen), and 16 oz of rice milk.

8:30am – 1 fiber food bar on the drive to the trailhead.

9:00am – Start hiking, loaded up with 150 oz of water mixed with a hydrating formula to balance electrolytes.

11:30 am- A handful of walnuts and raisins, 2 small organic dates, 1 healthy food concentrate.

12:30 pm – 1 apple

1:30 pm –  2 more dates

3: 45pm – Finished the hike and drained the last sips of my electrolyte fluid.

4:15pm – 1 healthy food concentrate with 12 oz of rice milk and 1 frozen banana

6:00pm – A bowl of salad with various healthy food ingredients and Annie’s Natural Goddess salad dressing (to bond with my feminine side)

8:00pm –1 fiber bar, with a tablespoon of organic peanut butter.

9:00pm – I’m completely satisfied and ready for rest.

This proves that a healthy food plan, based on whole foods, works to energize the body, balance nutrients and satisfy hunger.  Healthy food concentrates are great because they’re so easy to use and quickly absorbed by the body that they provide instant satisfaction.

Next weekend, I’m hiking 20 miles in the Grand Canyon with my teenage son.  If I can convince him to eat this kind of healthy food, our backpacks will be much lighter.