The Sweet Side Of Health – The Benefits of Natural Sweeteners

by | Apr 1, 2013 | Artificial Sweeteners, Diabetes, Diet, Food Choices, Natural food, Nutrition, Obesity, Sugars | 0 comments

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Here’s a short but informative article by Chris Haro found on the Kwik Med site where he talks about artificial  sweeteners and how that they are simply yellow, blue and pink packets of chemicals.

There’s a link to the full article at the bottom of this page and I have left in just the natural sweeteners that he has tried for himself to great effect. Do take the time and read his article.

Natural Sweeteners to Consider

Local Honey

Honey is simply one of the best natural sweeteners you can use. Not only does it not raise your blood sugars like other sugars do, it is a whole food that comes from plant nectar. Honey contains many health benefits. It has vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, B2, Vitamin C, Biotin (Vitamin H) and rutine. It also has calcium, magnesium potassium, iron iodine, copper and zinc.

Honey is also a natural “healing” food. Honey has been used as an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibiotic. Many will also use local honey to help with allergies.

Agave Nectar

Agave Nectar is another plant-based natural sweetener derived from the plant used to make tequila! It is very sweet and can be used in both your drinks and food. Native Americans have been using agave for many years as both a sweetener and healing agent. In terms of the glycemic index, Agave nectar is extremely lower than other sugars. Sucrose for instance will come in on the GI as an 83, high fructose corn syrup comes in at 89, while the agave nectar comes in at 27! Agave is also known to have health benefits such as having inulin, which can be beneficial in weight loss, decrease appetite and keep blood sugars at bay. Agave nectar also has immune system health benefits, and the Aztecs used the agave as an antibacterial agent.

Other great natural sweeteners to consider are raw maple syrup, date sugar, coconut palm sugar and Stevia, which is becoming a more and more popular in the natural health community.

If you are wanting to keep the bad sugars away, yet not throw down chemicals in your body, give these natural sweeteners a try. They can all be added in many recipes, and are wonderfully useful not just for your taste buds, but also for health.

Link to the article

Early Consumption of Carbs Heightens Obesity Risk

by | Mar 29, 2013 | Carbs, Diabetes, Metabolism, Obesity, Sugars, Weight gain | 0 comments

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Something that many people aren’t aware of is that many modern baby foods and juices have a high carbohydrate content; many of those carbs are just simple sugars. It would seem that maxim that breast is best, holds true particularly according to a study by Mulchand Patel out of the University of Buffalo.

More than 20 years, Dr. Patel and his University of Buffalo colleagues have looked at the effect of increased intake of carbohydrate-enriched calories to young and newborn children and how an early introduction to these carbohydrate-enriched foods can almost program infants to continue to overeat as they grow up.

Most of his clinical studies have been based using rats most of the time. There is a clear correlation between the studies done in the lab and the findings out in the real world. Nonetheless it does seem to give credence to the understanding that children who get fat as babies and infants very rarely get thin in adult life.

Link to the article

Low carb diets and heart disease – What are we afraid of?

by | Mar 29, 2013 | Diabetes, Health organization, High Fat Diet, Low carb diet, Obesity, Weight Loss | 0 comments

1297680967Xa27j9It seems that the medical establishment still does not feel comfortable with suggesting low carb diets for people with heart disease. It seems that they are afraid of something or another.

Yet those of us who have followed low carb diets have found that almost without exception, the huge range of health benefits positively outweigh any inconvenience that we might suffer through restricting our diet by moderate amount.

This article I’ve linked to below goes through many of the different types of diets that could be called loosely low carb and covers many of the relevant points and studies in quite a comprehensive way.

Link to the article

Cutting Out the Sugar Cravings in Your Diet

by | Mar 28, 2013 | Artificial Sweeteners, Cravings, Diabetes, Food Choices, Obesity, Sugars, Weight Loss | 0 comments

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Some food manufacturers engineer products to contain (from their point of view) the optimal balance of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Then when you eat them you feel maximum crave and keep eating, drinking and buying more of their products. Its what they call your bliss point!

They aim for that sweet spot that keeps you coming back for more. Its why you’ll find sugar in spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, yogurt and (watch out for this!) low-fat, processed, frozen foods that say healthy or lean on the package.

But what can you do about it? see here

Can You Smell Obesity?

by | Mar 28, 2013 | Diabetes, Diet, Digestive system, Obesity, Weight gain | 0 comments


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According to the latest research, it may be on your breath.

It turns out that obesity may be detectable as a gas, thanks to organisms that inhabit our gut. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers extend our knowledge about the hidden universe of the  that live within us to show that obesity is associated with certain populations of microbes that give off a distinctive gas.

Link to the article

World Bank Links Obesity to high Food Prices

by | Mar 28, 2013 | Nutrition, Obesity | 0 comments

According to the world bank-

1344489270l4zW8K (1)Food prices have dropped since peaking six months ago but remain near record levels, pushing the world’s poorest people toward “undernutrition” and obesity.

“Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries,” Said their spokes man. Can you guess which countries have the highest proportion of overweight and obese in there population? Here’s the answer…   Link to the article