The Whole Food Blog

Liquid Stevia sweetener is a smart alternative for those who want natural foods with flavor and wholesome rewards. Among the reasons that liquid Stevia sweetener has ended up in the spotlight is the continuous flow of reports that surface regarding artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin.

One of the most advantageous characteristics of liquid Stevia sweetener is that it comes from sources considered to be healthy, natural foods. Actually, it is derived from the Stevia plant, part of the Chrysanthemum family and similar to lettuce.

In addition to being 100% natural, liquid Stevia sweetener is zero calorie. It is often recommended for many diabetics. This is because Stevia does not interfere with blood sugar levels in the same way that sugar does.

Based in the USA, Sunrider, led by Dr. Tei-Fu Chen in 1995 effectively petitioned the FDA to permit the application of liquid Stevia sweetener as a dietary supplement in America. More recently, certain forms of Stevia have been authorized as a food additive, so major food and beverage makers are lining up to begin putting Stevia in a wide array of products that may or may not end up as totally natural foods and drinks.

Also, it is important to note that many powder forms of Stevia are processed with chlorine and other chemicals.  Liquid Stevia sweetener, however,  is likely to be in the natural food form, making it more easily assimilated by the body.  Plus, many consumers report that liquid Stevia sweetener tastes better than the powdered versions.

There are many elements to think about when trying any weight loss program, and here are three valuable diet tips for those planning to consume more low carb foods.

Tip 1 Do Your Research

Every program you adhere to is going to provide its own set of guidelines and diet tips.  Take a little time to read up on the various expectations of plans with low carb foods as a focus so you can be sure you are giving yourself the best chance for success while also following a healthy food program.  Use your brain and a little research before leaping into something with no idea what to expect.

Tip 2 Get a Buddy

Making any kind of life change can be intimidating, and adjusting from familiar or comfortable selections to more beneficial low carb foods is definitely a major change.  It can be easier to adjust if you have a friend going through the process with you.  This person can encourage you when you are losing motivation, and you can inspire him or her when the support needs to go the other way.  Researching low carb foods and sharing diet tips can also create excitement for the whole experience.

Tip 3 Become Familiar with the Right Low Carb Foods

When friends and family members offer diet tips, you may hear all kinds of things about what are considered low carb foods.  For example, can you eat potatoes, corn, and other starches?  You will likely find that there are more foods allowed than you ever imagined, although you will want to refer to the program you are using to make sure a particular menu selection falls within the guidelines.

Listening to  your brain regarding these diet tips ahead of time will lead you where your heart truly wants to go.

Expectant mothers are aware that a pregnancy nutrition plan should include calcium supplements.  The March of Dimes reports, however, that a woman’s calcium supply is fairly consistent throughout her adult life.  This is not to say that calcium supplements are not important.  What’s true is that many women do not get the appropriate amount each day even before becoming pregnant.  Only when a proper pregnancy nutrition plan is investigated do they realize the problems with their typical diet.

Women between the ages of nineteen and fifty are encouraged to consume around 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily.  Most only get about 700 milligrams more often than not.  The recommended amount is even more important for pregnancy nutrition as the baby needs a portion of the 1,000 milligrams.  If the body can’t get proper nutrients from the food consumed, then calcium supplements will keep it from having to borrow calcium from other body parts, like the bones of the mother.

Relying solely on calcium supplements is not a great idea, but they can be an effective tool for pregnancy nutrition.  Along with supplements, pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding would be wise to obtain calcium from other natural sources.  Those unopposed to dairy products will find them to be a good source.  Other natural choices are dark green, leafy vegetables.  Many food and drink manufacturers are now supplementing their products with calcium, especially orange juice producers.

Choosing the Proper Calcium Supplements for Pregnancy Nutrition

It’s too bad that the amount of calcium contained in most daily vitamins is not enough to match recommended quantities.  Additionally, problems with calcium absorption in the body may arise.  When considering pregnancy nutrition, it is important to select calcium supplements that the body understands and assimilates properly.  The best picks are whole food calcium supplements.

High fiber foods can aid in digestion, promote healthy weight loss, and even lower risks for diseases like diabetes and cancer.  With such benefits, it’s hard to imagine why more people aren’t stocking their cupboards with high fiber foods.

While the fiber gets chewed up and becomes very small, it does not actually get absorbed into the body.  Instead, it passes from one end of the digestive system to the other, doing several very important jobs along the way.

1.    High fiber foods take a little longer to chew, which gives the body time to recognize when it is full.  This stalls cravings for more food.

2.    The slower absorption of high fiber foods in the stomach means that a person feels full for a longer period of time, contributing to natural weight loss.

3.    As the high fiber foods make their way to the stomach, they slow down the overall absorption of nutrients into the blood stream.  One thing that slows down is the absorption of sugar.  In addition to affecting mood and energy, this lessens strain on the pancreas, which can lead to diabetes.

4.    As fiber continues through the digestive tract, the little particles actually brush the insides of the intestines, removing built-up waste materials.  This helps to prevent irritations that can lead to polyps and cancer.

5.    At the end of the digestive process, fiber moves waste out of the body.

It is recommended that the average adult consume between 25 and 35 grams of fiber daily, yet most of us get about half that.  The best source of this substance is in naturally occurring high fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

While the results of a natural weight loss plan may not be seen as quickly as with other approaches, there is a big difference. You’ll find all kinds of information regarding so-called “diet tips” that recommend lap bands, gastric bypass, patches, drugs or medicinal herbs to achieve quick weight loss, but many of those can compound health problems with unwanted side effects.

Natural weight loss actually works over the long term. As you change your eating and exercising habits, you change your lifestyle. Your body responds because it was created to do things like eat healthy foods and get moderate exercise. This is the key to keeping the weight off for life.

Those who give you diet tips that include surgery, patches or drugs are overlooking the fact that those are creating unnatural experiences in the body.  Perhaps one type of diet drug speeds up metabolism to burn more calories. This seems great at first, but what happens when your body is exhausted from running at an unnatural level? What other areas of your health suffer because of hormone imbalances? Skip these kinds of diet tips and focus on weight loss that brings your body into balance instead.

Look for supplements, drinks, and diet tips using whole foods that your body recognizes. Compare the label of a natural whole food drink to one of those canned diet drinks you find in the grocery store, and you’ll see a big difference. The canned drink is full of sugars and artificial ingredients created in a lab, but not recognized by the body. When you use healthy drinks as part of your natural weight loss plan, the nutrients are recognized, absorbed, and able to support your continued success.

For more information:

Natural Weight Loss Plan

5 Fundamental Diet Tips for Success

Slim Fast Recall is a Reminder that
Natural Foods and Health Drinks are best for Natural Weight Loss

Many people don’t realize that something as simple as choosing healthy snacks can have an incredible impact on their lives.  Those who get a good balance of nutrients instead of an overabundance of sugar and empty calories have many advantages.  For example, their bodies are properly balanced, so mood swings and energy crashes are not a problem.  Balanced meals and healthy snacks provide the right fuel for the development of the most important organ, the brain.  Those who don’t get proper nutrition are more easily distracted, and have a harder time learning.

No modern conversation about nutrition would be complete without addressing the topic of obesity.  This disease has become an epidemic, with children suffering greatly.  Just by making better food choices, including healthy snacks for kids, adults can help steer the next generation in a healthier direction.  Diseases such as diabetes are running rampant among children, and evidence points squarely at poor nutrition and lack of exercise.  Making the switch to healthy snacks early on can help completely avoid much of the emotional, physical, and financial trauma that accompanies obesity-related illnesses.

By making simple alterations to the daily menu now, we can teach kids to make healthier choices.  In fact, by simply modeling the appropriate behavior, parents aren’t teaching blatant lessons so much as they are laying the groundwork for an overall healthy lifestyle.

Parents who only offer healthy snacks for kids are doing their children a great service.  The kids have little or no idea what they’re “missing,” and when it comes time to make their own choices, they will already be conditioned to go for the healthy snacks.

When searching for ways to obtain dietary fiber each day, oatmeal is one of the best high fiber foods to eat.  Research has shown that oatmeal may diminish the risk of heart disease, have a positive effect on the immune system, reduce bad cholesterol levels, provide a lower Glycemic Index (GI) rating and contribute to natural weight loss.  Oatmeal is truly one of the healthiest high fiber foods anyone can eat.

Whole grain oats contain a soluble fiber that lessens the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing bad cholesterol.  Soluble fiber is good because it helps the digestive system eliminate bile acids made from LDL “bad” cholesterol.  This process removes LDL bad cholesterol from the blood where it may be harmful to the heart.  Of all grains, oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber, another reason that oatmeal leads the list of high fiber foods.

Oats are an excellent source of VITAMIN B 6, which helps to maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes).  These organs produce a group of immune cells active in healing, repair and anti-inflammation throughout the body.  Fighting inflammation alleviates arthritis and contributes to healthy aging, another great reason to eat high fiber foods, such as oatmeal.

One of the most popular benefits of eating oatmeal is that it contributes to natural weight loss.  Dietary fiber satisfies hunger by making you feel full, so that fewer calories are consumed throughout the day.  It also helps maintain blood sugar balance as oats are high fiber foods that result in a lower Glycemic Index (GI rating).

Anyone trying to achieve natural weight loss with a focus on cutting calories will also enjoy the anti-aging benefits.  Recent studies have shown that one of the most important steps people can take to increase longevity is to simply eat less.

This idea of consuming fewer calories is vital to natural weight loss and the anti-aging benefits provide extra motivation.  Animal studies have reported a 20- 40% increase in life span and significant delays in age-related health issues such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy. (source: www.low-caloriediet.com)

“This finding suggests that even slight moderation in intake of calories and a moderate exercise program is beneficial to a key organ such as the liver, which shows significant signs of dysfunction in the aging process,” said Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D., an associate professor of aging and geriatric research at the University of Florida College of Medicine. (source: Medical News Today/Cutting Calories Slightly Can Reduce Aging Damage – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/43060.php)

Other natural weight loss studies have revealed that Japanese people live longer because they consume fewer calories than those in the most developed nations.  An interesting note about this research is that adopting a reduced calorie diet in middle age proves just as beneficial for anti-aging as continuing one from birth.

For calorie reduction and natural weight loss, Resveratrol is gaining recognition.  This substance is high in antioxidants and is commonly found in grapes, giving wine its reputation as a healthy drink.  It is also found in greater concentration in Japanese knot weed.  Resveratrol has been linked to reduced calorie intake, lower cholesterol and greater longevity.  Nutrition experts have said that Resveratrol is the most important discovery since antibiotics and may very well be the most powerful tool for natural weight loss.

Many healthy people read food labels to check for calories, fat and carbs, but overlook the one number that poses the greatest threat, especially to natural weight loss.  That number is the sodium content.

What’s wrong with too much sodium?

A January study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that if the average person cut daily sodium consumption by approximately three grams, 44,000 to 92,000 deaths could be prevented each year and up to $24 billion could be saved in health care costs.  The most visible culprit, though, may be excess weight gain caused by foods in grocery stores and restaurants that are overloaded with sodium.

Don’t let sodium sabotage your natural weight loss plan.

When sodium can’t be eliminated by the kidneys it causes water retention and bloating.  Many Americans carry an extra 20-30 pounds in water weight simply because they are consuming too much sodium.  When people pay closer attention to sodium content and start drinking more healthy liquids, this water weight is usually flushed out quickly and dramatically.  That’s when natural weight loss efforts become visible and a desire to keep going is instilled.

How much sodium is too much?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams per day for the average adult.

So, now you’ll notice that big number and will want to look for foods that are lower in sodium.  Try natural whole food concentrates to satisfy cravings and hunger, without adding excess sodium to your natural weight loss plan.

For consumers who seek natural weight loss, the recent Slim Fast recall is an opportunity to begin healthier, new strategies.

On December 2nd, 2009, Slim Fast manufacturer Unilever notified the FDA of possible contamination, and a complete recall was issued.  These products run the risk of being contaminated with a micro-organism called Bacillus cereus that causes flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The good news is that natural weight loss products actually have numerous advantages over the sugary and highly processed diet drinks offered under labels like Slim Fast.  One of the most important factors is that they are often made with whole foods and are therefore more easily digested.  This means that more of the vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients are being put to their proper use.  Instead of just curbing hunger, naturally healthy diet drinks nourish the body at a much higher level.

The variety of natural weight loss products is also a bonus for many consumers.  Because there are so many ingredients to choose from in nature, the combinations are nearly limitless.  Some healthy diet drinks include natural, whole food ingredients for the antioxidants they posses.  There’s certainly something to be said for a diet drink that not only helps you lose weight but also has potential cancer fighting attributes.

Eating healthy natural foods should always be considered before consuming sugary meal replacement products.  For those who need quick, on-the-go foods, there are pre-packaged options that utilize the concept of whole foods, in addition to promoting natural weight loss.