The Whole Food Blog

Choosing health food and health drinks over bad habits is something most people want to do, but for one reason or another they stick to old favorites.  It becomes too obtrusive, so they avoid making big changes until illness or some other catastrophe forces a change.

However, this is a way to make big changes by taking one small step at a time.  The idea is to gradually swap unhealthy choices for smarter health food and health drinks until each one becomes a comfortable part of the daily routine.  Making one little alteration in daily activity doesn’t seem nearly as oppressive as trying to undo every bad habit all at once.

Start With Health Drinks

A quick way to lower sugar consumption and improve health is to replace undesirable beverages.  Avoid sodas whenever you have other options.  Don’t get fooled into buying candy-colored vitamin waters, though, as they often contain unhealthy sweeteners and chemicals.  Instead, look for green teas and natural health drinks that include benefits like antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, chlorophyll, and live enzymes.

Another small adjustment that can make a big difference is to exchange one side dish with a better health food option.  Instead of prepackaged, processed mac and cheese with your evening meal, for example, steam up some veggies.  Everything else on the plate can stay just as it was, for now, while you use the opportunity to swap a bad habit for a better health food alternative.  Instead of water during your meal, sip natural health drinks before or after your meal to gain even more benefits.

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.

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.

Sunrider International is a company that has taken the concept of health foods and health drinks to an entirely new level.  They work to combine the best of both science and nature in order to develop health foods and drinks that really pack the biggest nutritional punch.  Their products are concentrated and surpass the nutritional value of what you find in the supermarket—even the organic section!

Sunrider has been making their health food and health drinks in the United States since 1982, and many of those products have won a variety of awards.  The company itself was even recognized as the Business of the Year by the City of Los Angeles, Harbor City/Harbor Gateway Chamber of Commerce in 2008.  Sunrider International is guided by Drs. Tei-Fu Chen and Oi-Len Chen, who work with a team of scientists to create their life-altering projects.  From the research phase, through development, and even into manufacturing, this team oversees the process to ensure the highest quality results.

Sunrider products are able to surpass the nutritional quality of other foods for multiple reasons.  First of all, the health foods and health drinks developed use concentrated whole foods.  Rather than creating chemical versions of nutrients, Sunrider health foods come from naturally occurring plants.  In fact, some of those plants are so “natural” that they are harvested right from the wild.

The ingredients that are farmed, such as certain herbs, are done so under strict guidelines and parameters.  Sunrider does believe in the importance of organic farming, although they believe that these practices alone are not enough to boost nutritional value.  Therefore, they implement additional strategies to attain the significant differences that their health foods and health drinks can make.

In the search for quality health food, consumers are wise to understand 3 tricks of the food trade that get people to make unhealthy choices.  For starters, read a new book called, The End of Overeating by David Kessler.  A former Commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the 90’s, Kessler was responsible for redesigning and overhauling the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food.

Health food consumers will appreciate how this brutally honest book exposes the food industry for taking advantage of consumer behavior to turn us all into “overeaters”.  Kessler says, “They understand that sugar, fat and salt drive consumption.  They’ve layered and layered it into foods.  They understand the combinations that will drive intake by giving you the greatest neural activation.”

Kessler talks about foods that trigger emotional excitement and pleasure in the brain.  He writes, “The food industry knows your bliss points-how much sugar, fat, and salt are just enough and not too much.  And they understand how to keep people coming back for more.” Unfortunately, most health food stores carry many products that are guilty of this practice, as well.

In fact, the food industry strives to “hit the 3 points of the compass-sugar, salt and fat.  The best foods mix 2 or 3 of them for a real exciting roller coaster ride in the mouth.”  The problem is that this combination sets off a roller coaster ride in the body which usually ends with an unhealthy crash.  Sugar is the real driving force, but when you add fat to sugar, the desire increases exponentially.  Most of the food Americans eat today is loaded with excess sugar, salt and fat.  Carefully shopping for health food has never been more important in an effort to fight back and take control.

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).

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.

It is refreshing to see someone with the clout of Dr. Oz talking about all the toxins in our natural food supply.  This is an issue addressed in great detail on his show recently, and one that more Americans should be aware of.

Toxic pollution is getting inside all of our natural food sources

Did you know that 8% of all women in the U.S. have excessive amounts of mercury in their blood?  Or how about that 90% of all people have BPA in their blood from plastics that line food and drink containers?

Unfortunately, mercury is in every fresh water fish, and it is getting into our natural food supply through acid rain.  There has never been a safe level of mercury found for humans.  Excessive mercury levels affect the brain, producing fatigue, headaches, tremors, trouble thinking and an unsteady gate.

The other major health hazard in our natural food supply comes from pesticides.  These are neurotoxins that can affect the brain and nervous system.  Studies have shown that kids who have higher levels of pesticides in their body, have higher levels of ADHD.

Pesticides in our natural food supply also contribute to obesity.  Studies show that animal’s weight increased 10% after being exposed to pesticides.  Since the 1950’s, as the use of pesticides increased, we have indeed experienced pronounced weight gains in human beings.

Organic foods are somewhat healthier, but nutritional value has dropped over the years due to soil depletion.  Also, acid rain is causing more and more heavy metals, such as mercury, to infiltrate the structure of the plants.

What can you do to avoid toxins in your food?  Use a natural fruit and veggie rinse to clean produce.  Avoid eating too much fish or taking too many fish oil supplements.  Get your nutrition from responsible food manufacturers who are doing what they can to limit toxic metals in our natural food supply.  Drink a cleansing herbal tea that can actually help wash toxic metals out of the body.

Someone asked recently, “Can you mentally overcome food cravings?”  It sounds like they have already taken the first psychological step to conquering cravings, which is being aware that there is something uncomfortable happening.  Most people would just reach for candy or a soda, and think, “Oh, that’s how you fix that.”  Unfortunately, one craving soon leads to another and another, as the body is always looking for satisfaction.

Have you ever noticed that you can eat a big meal and still feel unsatisfied, like there’s something missing? That’ s because the body is always craving something sweet, salty or fatty.  These are the three biggest food cravings.  Often, it can seem like the mind is constantly being pulled toward one of those 3.  If you get too much fat in your meal, but not enough sweetness, then you’re going to want dessert. It’s the body looking for balance, which of course, affects the mind.

I don’t think that you can train your mind to overcome food cravings without addressing the imbalances in your diet first.  Once you get the sweet/salt/fat overdoses eliminated, then the body can achieve its own natural balance.  Everything starts to feel more harmonious and it is easier to adjust your thoughts and avoid food cravings

It’s all about achieving balance physically and mentally.  Whole food health drinks are an easy tool to use to help the body maintain balance.  As for your mind, by remaining clearly focused on how you feel and how you really want to feel, you are well on the way to conquering food cravings.