Holistic Nutrition Bytes--San Francisco Nutrition Consultation » sugar free

Are You a Diet Soda Drinker?

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:08:18 +0000

You MUST read this post. Do you drink diet sodas thinking you are saving yourself from weight gain and excess sugar or corn syrup? Did you know that diet sodas are liked to obesity, heart disease, and brain cell death? Let’s examine.

yuck

Firstly, diet sodas contain aspartame, a chemical that adds sweetness and takes the place of sugar so that diet sodas are low or no calorie. Aspartame and other fake sugar chemicals (NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet n Low, etc) are neurotoxic, meaning that they cause brain cell and neuron death. They are also classified as excitotoxins, meaning they excite or stimulate your neural cells to death. These chemicals have been linked to 90+ side effects such as migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia (racing heart), insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain. Why take this risk?

Aside from this neurotoxin, diet sodas can cause weight gain. How could this be? Drinking artificially sweetened beverages (and eating other sugar free diet foods) “trick” the pancreas into releasing insulin, which increases fat storage, spikes appetite and carb cravings, causing weight gain. Increased insulin has been linked to heart disease.

Adding insult to injury, sodas of all kinds contain phosphoric acid, which causes acidity, throwing off the body’s natural Ph. Acidosis causes disease in part because it increases free radical damage and degenerative disease. Phosphoric acid also leaches minerals from bones.

Folks, this stuff is straight up toxic chemical juice. There is nothing natural about it. It’s time to break the soda habit. And if you must have soda, really, drink a natural soda sweetened with cane juice or real sugar, which is far less detrimental to health than these diet dangers. Here are a few pointers to help you wean yourself off this nasty stuff:
1. If you are bored with water, jazz it up with lemon & cucumber slices, or even ginger.
2. Drink herbal teas throughout the day or make homemade iced tea to sip on.
3. Are you drinking sodas for a lift? Try green or black tea, kombucha, or rejuvelac instead.
4. Do you have sugar cravings that you use soda to satisfy? Get to the bottom of what’s causing your sugar cravings: not enough protein? Too many refined foods? Too much sugar will cause you to crave more sugar.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: stop eating and drinking these fake non-foods. They are not health promoting! They deplete health. Think about it when you make choices about what to put into your body. Ask yourself, “Is this contributing to good health or robbing me of health?”

“Healthy” Foods that Aren’t (recipe included)

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:41:35 +0000

We are bombarded by advertising and beguiling food packaging enticing us to try this or that product because it’s healthful. Maybe it’s fat free, or sugar free, or made with whole grains, or baked not fried. It can get so confusing, figuring out what to eat. What’s healthy and what’s not this week? Hard to keep up with the research.

Let me make it real easy for you. If it’s in a package or a box, it’s processed to some degree, refined–meaning it’s been stripped of vital nutrients–or refined and fortified with artificial nutrients added back in. So, you know what I’m going to say next: stick to whole foods, eat out of the box, eat what comes from nature, and you can’t go wrong. If it hasn’t been around for over a thousand years, don’t eat it. To further clear some confusion, let’s take a look at some popular foods most consider healthy.

1. Yogurt. This is one of my faves, because everyone thinks yogurt is a health food, right? There are so many options! Fat free, sugar free, low fat, fruit on the bottom, whipped. Let’s look at the label on Dannon Yogurt’s Light & Fit Cherry. Less than 100 calories!
Ingredients: Nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A non fat milk, Modified Food Starch, Fructose, kosher gelatin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3), water, cherries, fructose, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Aspartame, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Asulfame, Sucralose, Sodium Citrate, Red 40, Blue 1
Now, I don’t have time to get into the specifics on these ingredients, but suffice it to say that this is a highly refined and even toxic product. It’s filled with chemicals, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, but it also contains aspartame sugar substitute, which is a neurotoxin that can have serious side effects and long term consequences. Folks, stay away from this stuff, commonly found in diet sodas and sugar free products. Seriously, it’s better to have the sugar than to ingest aspartame.

Back to yogurt: if it’s a fruited variety, it’ll be loaded with up to 10 teaspoons of sugar per single serving if it doesn’t contain a toxic sugar substitute. Skip the non fat versions: vitamins A&D in yogurt are fat soluble, meaning you need to consume fat with these vitamins in order for your body to absorb them. Nature is funny like that: it knows exactly what we need in our food for optimal health before it’s been tinkered with in a lab.

Plain, organic regular yogurt is fine. It contains probiotics to help digestion and is naturally low in sugar. Our palates are so used to overly sweetened foods that you may need to get used to its naturally tart flavor. Add your own berries or a bit of honey and enjoy.

2. Canola Oil. This is another good one. We’re told that canola is high in omega 3 fatty acids and holds up well to high temp frying, a great choice! You know what? Not. Canola is highly refined, usually genetically modified, and heated to such high temps during its processing that any very heat sensitive fatty acids are destroyed. During the chemical extraction process, solvents and deodorizers are used. You usually get it in a plastic jug at the store, and plastic reacts adversely with fats, changing its chemical structure and leaching chemicals into the oil. ALWAYS buy cooking oils in glass, never plastic.

Canola is not a healthy choice. Use coconut or palm oil for high temp frying. For baking, use safflower or grapeseed oil if you need an oil that doesn’t impart much flavor. Stick to the healthy fats, and always choose unrefined: coconut oil, olive oil, ghee or butter, flaxseed oil (do not heat; use in smoothies or salad dressing), sesame oil, walnut oil, safflower or grapeseed (occasionally).

3. Sugar-free foods. This is kind of a no-brainer when it comes to food processing: if something is made with or exists with sugar, and the sugar is removed and usually replaced with a sugar substitute, it is a refined and chemicalized product that is no good for your health. There are many sugar substitutes out there: splenda, equal, sweet n low, to name a few, and these contain saccharin, aspartame, or sucralose. As I mentioned earlier, these sugar subs are highly toxic to your brain and can cause anything from headaches to seizures. Note to self: I think I’ll dedicate a blog post to sugar substitutes one of these days.

Anyway, refined sugar is bad in excess, yes. Use rapadura or other unrefined sugars in baking. If you’re diabetic, use stevia or agave. But for god’s sake, stay away from chemical sugar free substitutes and the products that contain them: diet sodas, candy, yogurt, cookies, gum, whatever. Seriously, it’s better to just eat the sugar. Better yet, make your own version of the product at home where you can control the ingredients when you need a treat. You can use stevia for baking.

4. Muffins. Muffins sure are tasty, I’ll give ‘em that. But they’re also loaded with calories (around 600) and unhealthy trans fats and sugar. Yes, even the bran ones that seem healthy. Avoid, or make your own. I tried a wheat, sugar, and dairy free muffin the other day: it was made with buckwheat flour, applesauce, dates, and walnuts. Here’s a great healthy muffin recipe for you.
ed. note: I was going to add several more fake healthy foods, but this is already too long so you’ll have to tune in later for more.

(Gluten Free option) Muffin Base
2 cups gluten free baking mix (such as Pamela’s) OR whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2-3 tbsp agave nectar or honey, depending on how sweet you like
1/2 cup nut or hemp milk for dairy-free, or plain kefir or yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup grapeseed, olive, or coconut oil
1-2 tsp spices, depending on what else you add in
optional add-ins:
pumpkin (1 cup) with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg to taste
1 cup blueberries
dried fruit/nut combo: cranberries, walnuts, dates, anything that appeals to you
poppyseeds, bananas, apples, whatever

Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour, spices, baking powder, and salt and whisk well in bowl. Combine eggs, agave, milk, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake at 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Vegan Ice Cream (sugar-free)

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:51:12 +0000

In honor of hot summer days (something we don’t get here in the San Francisco Bay Area), here is an ice cream recipe that is delicious, creamy, sugar-free, and does not require an ice cream maker! The frozen bananas make it creamy and provide potassium. Carob powder is wonderful for those who are sensitive to cocoa, and it is high in fiber, good for the stomach, and offers a hint of sweetness. You can use plain yogurt, kefir, or for a vegan option, use coconut milk to control how thick you like. I usually recommend nut butters other than peanut, because peanuts carry aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic metabolite produced by certain fungi (Aspergillus flavis), a mold found on corn and peanuts and peanut butter. Many people have peanut sensitivities, and they may not even be aware.

Vegan Ice Cream (or pudding!)
4 ripe bananas, frozen for ice cream, room temp for pudding
1 cup cashew butter (can use almond)
1/2 to 1 cup plain yogurt OR coconut milk (for dairy-free)
2/3 cup carob powder
*OPTIONAL: dash of vanilla, almond extract, whatever flavoring you like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree well til smooth and creamy. If you want to make pudding, use bananas that are not frozen. Refrigerate pudding; keep frozen for ice cream.

Liver Cleanse Finale

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:18:59 +0000

After a week of pre-cleansing and nearly 3 weeks of liver cleansing, the detox is coming to a close. I always learn a little about myself during a cleanse, and I usually pick up new habits or am reminded of favorable old habits to integrate into my routine once again.

This cleanse is easy to follow: no sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine (I cheated and had some green tea here and there, but it’s so low in caffeine anyway), or pork. I ate mostly organic as usual (greens, fish, chicken, lamb, fruit, seeds, nuts, veggies, legumes) and noticed the usual good side effects: more energy, better sleep, clear skin. In the past, I’ve done juice fasts, raw food cleanses, and other various programs, but I tend to like this particular cleanse the best. It involves replacing 2 meals (breakfast and dinner usually work best) with smoothies that contain functional detox powder. This powder is basically a hypoallergenic rice protein that contains liver cleansing herbs and nutrients. I also took liver cleansing herbal supplements and fiber supplements for a colon cleansing aspect. It’s a gentle yet very effective liver cleanse.

The habits I’ll stick with include continuing on gluten free, as I have been for years, and hot water with the juice of one lemon + a pinch of cayenne first thing in the morning. This is great way to start your day! Very alkalinizing and liver friendly: cleans the bile and gets the liver moving, facilitating good morning bowel function. Also gets digestion primed and ready for breakfast.

Cleanses are also good for breaking habits. It generally takes 21 days to break a habit (no cheating!). I decided after going a few weeks with no sugar that I’d finally give it up for good and see how that goes. I don’t eat all that much sugar as it is, but I do like my dessert Sundays. No sugar includes eliminating refined sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, organic sugar, fancy sugar, all sugar. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I’ll use dried fruit and sweeten baked goods with agave nectar or honey or stevia. I even tried a delicious dairy and soy and sugar free ice cream recently: Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss. Delicious! The coconut milk makes it so creamy and it’s sweetened with agave, so it’s low on the glycemic index (won’t spike blood sugar levels). I considered giving up booze for good too, but I’ve decided to just cut down and have the occasional glass of vino on special occasions. Wine has health benefits!

I like this website: My Year Without (http://myyearwithout.blogspot.com). She chronicles her year without sugar and corn syrup. Creative recipes! So, cheers to sugar free for me. Stay tuned for recipes. I have a great sugar-free brownie recipe made with black beans. Sounds crazy but it’s good and gluten free and the beans keep it moist.