Mick's Up in a Search

Showing posts with label Artificial Sweeteners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artificial Sweeteners. Show all posts

Monday, February 27, 2012

Mick’s Sum up with Toxins

Blah!  Blah!  Blah! 

Is that how you wish you could respond, when you hear people start talking about toxins? 

Me, too!

The problem is, I've learned too much in the last 1 ½ years to allow myself to ignore it.  It's a slow, agonizing death, to plead ignorance. 

Do I want my kidderz to end up like typical Americanssluggish and unmotivated, at best; fighting chronic disease, most likely; or worst-case, suffering and dying from cancerNo way! 

I've found I can do something to try to help them avoid living like that, and so I'm on a mission to do so.

Recently, I overheard someone say, when approached by an Isagenix distributor talking about toxins, that they believe if we eat right, we can avoid toxicity, and so a detox is not a necessity.  Oh, dear!  If they only knew. 

That is what triggered me to write this post.  I want to offer some information, and put some resources in front of you, so you can make an educated decision for yourself.

Yes, eating right is one great way to keep the level of toxicity lower in the body.  However, most of us have already put toxins in our body since a young age, and we're still being bombarded every day with more!  Because of that, our bodies get overwhelmed with toxins, and they do their best, but still end up with challenges.

"With the increase of toxins within the environment and foods we eat, it is not surprising that the majority of people are at a level of toxicity that is past the point that the body's own natural detoxification system can cope with." - ecomall

As I listed out in Mick's up on Toxicity, there is a multitude of challenges you could be facing, due to toxicity.  Inflammation plays a big part.  Plus, our bodies are meant to be in a neutral state, but we tend toward acidic.  Toxins, food choices, etc., increase the acidity, and so nutrition can help with swinging the pendulum more toward alkalineHowever, that is not the topic I'm focusing on at this point.

Not only is it the obvious stuff that causes toxicity in our bodies, but it's the sneaky stuff, too:  candy and sugar, artificial sweeteners, fillings, chemicals, vaccinations, antibiotics and other medicines, grains, processed foods, deoderants, soaps and detergents, cosmeticsThe list goes on and on, but don't get overwhelmed Just start somewhere!

Do you want to go days, weeks, months without a headache?  Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Do swollen, achy joints drag you down?  Are you living in a fog?  Does the thought of living with Alzheimer's scare you?  Are you wondering if... when... you will hear the doctor say the word, "cancer!?"

You don't have to sit around and let these things happen to you.  You are not a victim, or at least you don't have to live like one.  Take some precautions, and make some first steps to changing your lifestyle for the better.  I won't lie.  It's not easy... but it can be simple.

Why do I believe you can't just rely on eating the right foods to keep you from being toxic?  "Your fat cells can accumulate numerous types of toxins." - Tom Venuto

"Body fat functions as a storage mechanism not only for things you need -- such as essential vitamins -- but also things you can do without: environmental toxins, for example. A significant loss of body fat sometimes evacuates some of these stored toxins into the blood or tissues. While it's not possible to avoid environmental pollutants, the benefits of body fat loss far outweigh the potential risk of releasing toxins from the fat cells." - Emma Roberts (Livestrong)

"The highly intelligent immune system will not allow the removal of excess fat and water if the level of toxins that is stored in the fat and water may put your life in jeopardy by their release into the bloodstream." - Healing Naturally by Bee

What this is telling us is that the toxins are stored in our body, unless we do something to get rid of them.

So, what is a person to do?  One thing, the person I mentioned above was correct in saying, to watch your food intake, BUT I must also add... detox your body.  Because I know I'm surrounded by toxins, and because I know I splurge now and then (eating sugary foods), I prefer to detox on a daily basis.  I mention some resources in in Mick's Sum-up for the Week (Hint: The picture in today's post has something to do with an ingredient used in most detox protocol.)

I encourage you to look into it.  My hope is that you're not still thinking, "Blah!  Blah!  Blah!"

On a side note, but not at all less important, I must go on to say...
Even though we work hard to live healthy lives, we do eventually die.  (It's worth doing our best to live at our best, so we can pass on the message of the Gospel and build up the kingdom of God.)  So, we must put effort into planning for our eternity, too.  We might suffer here on earth, but we don't have to suffer for eternity.  Make the right choices now.


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 
In all this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith
—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—
may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 
Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 
for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.





~

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Mick’s up in the Eggnog

While we talk about staying healthy this Christmastide, we don’t want to miss out on the holiday treats, right?!Yummy Holiday Treats!  You’re probably saying, “Who wants to think about diet and nutrition now?  Save it for the New Year’s Resolutions!

There are alternatives, if you do want to enjoy sweets without the negative effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners.  There are great resources out there, like those listed in the left margin, categorized as the food blogs I follow.  One amazing example is Healing Cuisine by Elise.  In fact, she entered a recipe in the Gluten-free Cookie Swap.  (She’d love it, if you’d vote for her.)

Another possibility is downloading a FREE Holiday Recipes eCookbook, when you “like” Maxmized Living on Facebook.  Also, at McCoy Fitness, you can pick up your FREE Clean Zone Diet Cookbook!

As was mentioned in Mick’s up Merry, you should go ahead and plan to have some good ole sweets, etc., but the key is to plan.  “If you typically ‘pig out’ once per week,  hold off and do it every two.  Have a blast and eat like it’s your last meal for 3-4 meals (not days)!”

I’ll leave you with this recipe for eggnog.  Yummy!!

Super Easy Egg Nog  (1 serving)                                    
This is an individual serving size of eggnog. It is quick and easy, healthy and a great treat especially during the holidays.

Ingredients 1 whole egg
½ cup pine nuts or chopped pecans (optional)
¼ teaspoon organic vanilla
¼-½ teaspoon stevia or xylitol, or to taste
1 cup coconut milk
Nutmeg to taste
1 pinch sea salt

Directions Beat the egg with the sweetener of your choice along with salt. Pour into a glass. Add vanilla and
milk and stir to mix. Sprinkle a little ground nutmeg on top.







“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

~

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mick’s up Over the Hedge


Hammy the Squirrel: What is that?
RJ: That, my friend, is a magical combination of corn flour, dehydrated cheese solids, BHA, BHT, and good old MSG; a.k.a., the chip, nacho cheese flavor.” - Over the Hedge

Do you every feel that way, when you get close to a bag of chips or other processed food?  Admit it.  We’ve all been there!

We all have something that is a big temptation to us and is really difficult to stay away from. You might feel like Hammy:

RJ: Do you like this cookie?
Hammy the Squirrel: I like the cookie!
RJ: [Throws cookie away] Well this cookie's JUNK!
Hammy the Squirrel: I like a cookie...” - Over the Hedge

Yes, I’m telling you some of your favorite things, maybe a box of cookies, chips with ingredients similar to what R.J. listed out, cereal, bread, and soda are “junk!”


Beware!  Read the ingredient list on everything.  If you want to make a difference in your life and see a change in your figure and your health, keep all the ingredients simple.  Not only that, but be sure the ingredient lists don’t include sugar, artificial sweeteners, or the “usual” grains. (If you must have bread/grains, go for something like Ezekiel Bread or use alternatives almond meal/flour.) 


I only tell you this because I’ve been there. I know what’s out there and how easily we get attached to it.  It’s so much better on the other side of the hedge, though.  Stay away from the humans’ stuff (man food, aka fake food).  Stick with the real stuff (God food)… what we were meant to eat, when the world was created.

(Please don’t misunderstand me, thinking I’m saying go vegetarian.  I don’t have knowledge on that topic.  I still eat meat… plenty of it!  If you go vegetarian, then all I can say about it is: be sure you’ve done your research.)
 
Stay healthy, everyone!
 

“…you will eat the plants of the field…”


Disclaimer:  I do not recommend reading all the quotes from “Over the Hedge.”  Sadly, they are not family-friendly.


~

Thursday, October 13, 2011

It’s a Mick's of Toxins

Where do we find toxins?With all this talk of toxins, you may be wondering, “Where do we find toxins and why are they everywhere?”

It’s crazy.  I never used to worry about this stuff.  I thought only "extremists" got hung up on avoiding everything “normal.”  I had no desire to be part of that life.

Then I started thinking beyond myself.

It finally hit me.  Why do I want to be selfish and not change my lifestyle to make a healthier family?  Why do I want to curse my children and my husband with unhealthy living, just so I don’t have to go out of my comfort zone?

I love my family more than that!

So, I took a deep breath, and dove in.

I really dove in!  I chose to stop buying anything now considered “junk food” by the new definition.  All recipes were altered to follow guidelines I was given, and really yummy new recipes jumped to the top of the list of favorites.  The kitchen got emptied of its toxic items:  food and hardware.  Ingredient lists were read on EVERYTHING, and the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room were filled with new healthy choices.

Shopping and cooking took a bit longer in those first days (and months).  OK, more than a bit… but it had become a decision as serious as life or death.  Do I want to make things easier on me, at the risk of filling my  husband with toxins, killing him slowly, and possibly leading him into a life of torture with such illnesses as Alzheimer’s Disease?  Do I want to teach my children to live in such a way that would increase their risks of suffering from heart disease or cancer?

Simply, the answer to all of that is, “NO!”

I still don’t consider us extremists or nutcases.  We simply look at ingredients of all things we purchase, and do our best to minimize the toxins we allow into our home and our bodies.
What kinds of things do we look for, and what can we normal, ordinary, every-day families do about it? 

The Toxic Top 10 is a great reference, for example:
  • Cleaning/Personal Care Products:  When considering ingredients, if you can’t eat it, don’t use it.
  • Pesticides and Herbicides:  Follow the list of Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen
  • Meats/Protein:  There are so many hormones and antibiotics injected into our food sources these days, and there are many harmful effects.  We look for grass-fed beef, raw-milk products, free-range poultry and eggs, and we avoid pork.  A great source is:  Beyond Organic
  • Preservatives/Additives/Rancid Fats/etc.
    • Neurotoxins/Excitotoxins: We do not consume any product with any artificial/chemical sweetener, such as sucralose/splenda, aspartame, saccharin, ace-k, neotame, nor with MSG (see next bullet).
    • MSG: There are many products with this in it. Many of you already know the effects MSG can have on a body, because you’re already suffering from such things as headaches. Other MSG-containing ingredients to look out for are yeast extract, torula yeast, autolyzed or hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.  Mike Adams has a book to help you look for the things to avoid in the grocery store. Pick up a copy of Grocery Warning System to fill your grocery cart with healing foods, and stop being one of the 95% of Americans who fill their carts with ingredients known to cause cancer!
    • Sugar:  We stay away from buying foods with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and we go so far as to stay away from even natural ones (to keep inflammation down as much as possible), such as evaporated cane juice, rice syrup, barley malt, honey, and agave nectar (although we sometimes splurge with allowing agave-sweetened foods or honey).  We can choose alternatives for our Sweeteners.
    • Rancid Fats/OilsMark’s Daily Apple touches on what to avoid.

  • Pots and Pans:  We threw out our Teflon and other unsafe non-stick kitchen items.
  • Environment/Biotoxins/Molds:  Check around your house, and keep it as safe as possible.  Fight off toxins with a detox for your body, like the one my family uses:  Daily Detox
  • Medicines:  Stay away!  Find alternatives, when possible!  Incorporate 5 simple steps to healthy living, to reduce inflammation and toxicity, and to get your brain’s messages throughout your entire body, and to have healthy cells that can function properly.  Then your body can begin to heal, and  you can eventually get off your meds.  (My husband and I did!  Yay!)
How can we avoid toxins?

Some extra links for more research:
The Stinky Facts About Smelling Good
Propylene Glycol
Fluoride Alert
Natural News:  Chemicals
Natural News:  Organic Foods
Natural News:  Ingredients
Natural News:  Products to Watch
Grocery Warning System
Dr. Russell Blaylock:  Excitotoxins
SLS
Journal of the American College of Toxicology:  SLS
Other Chemicals to Avoid






“Give the people these instructions,
so that no one may be open to blame.
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives,
and especially for their own household,
has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Timothy 5:7-9 (NIV)

~

Thursday, September 29, 2011

What’s the Mick’s up with Artificial Sweeteners?

ThereBePoison“Artificial sweeteners can be found on nearly every restaurant table in America.  Sales of Sweet N Low, Splenda, Equal, and many other artificial sweeteners have sky-rocketed in recent years.  Everywhere we look, the multi-colored sugar substitutes enter our food and drinks by the packet.  Most claim to be “natural” and “low calorie.”  As consumers attempt to make smart choices on how to sweeten their foods and drinks, the dangers of these chemical sugars continue to be uncovered. ” - Dr. Aaron Sparks - Maximized Living: "The Yellow Blue and Pink Packets Could Be Killing You"

What are artificial sweeteners?  I don’t necessarily agree with everything said by the clinic, but here’s the Mayo Clinic definition:

“Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar.

“Artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are:
  • Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
  • Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
  • Neotame
  • Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low)
  • Sucralose (Splenda)
“Approved sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners include:
  • Erythritol
  • Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
  • Isomalt
  • Lactitol
  • Maltitol
  • Mannitol
  • Sorbitol
  • Xylitol
  • Stevia preparations that are highly refined (Pure Via, Truvia)”

You can find a comparison of some of these sweeteners at WebMD.

The artificial sweeteners are chemicals, which have serious affects on children and their brains.  For example:  Aspartame has a known carcinogen, methyl alcohol, which in this product doesn’t have the pectin to bind it to be safe like it does in fruit.  Also, Splenda contains chlorine, bringing another carcinogen into our foods.  These sweeteners are in 6000+ products, so beware, especially if you have a child with challenges.  Check out this information at the Maximized Living Vlog with Dr. Ashly Ochsner, as well as in the article “Artificial Sweeteners: The Only Thing You Won't Lose is Weight” and the webinar: Know the Facts About Diet Drinks and Artificial Sweeteners (aired: 2011-04-19) (Scroll down to almost the bottom of the page, and find the title to click on.)

The choice has always been easy for me.  I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners, so I’ve always steered clear of them, and now I’m glad I did.  However, I know there are many people out there who are hooked on the stuff.  It’ll be difficult to break that, but it’ll be worth it in the long run, when there is less brain fog, more energy, and a healthier and more fit body.  Reaching that point will allow you to fully do what God has in store for you!

If you don’t do it for yourself, at least do it for your kidderz.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Don’t be like everyone else, and fall into the “diet” and “sugar-free” trend of artificial sweeteners.
Make the safest choices you can.
Do the research, and become empowered!


So, if we stay away from sugar, as in Mick's Scoop on Sugar, because of its affect on our Immune System, as we read in Mick's up on Your Immune System, among other things, then what?


I'm glad you asked!
A couple of safer options are described in Mick's up with Sweeteners.


~

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Mick's up with the Sweeteners

Stevia Flowers
At this point, you probably are thinking we don't have much fun in life, if we are keeping sugar away from our house.  Well, let me tell you:  living with a bunch of sweet-tooths (is that how it's said, when plural?), and having a good-sized one myself, we had to find creative ways to bring the joy of sweets into our new healthy lifestyle.

Ready to be creative?  It is worth it!

There are two main sweeteners that I have found endorsed in the health arena:  Stevia and Xylitol.

You might have heard of Stevia, but where does it come from?  As Wikipedia explains: "Chemists isolated the glycosides that give stevia its sweet taste. These compounds were named stevioside and rebaudioside." The plant is named Stevia rebaudiana.  We can find it in products named:  SweetLeaf(includes inulin) or Stevita(includes erythritol) or store brands of Stevia, such as KAL and Vitamin Shoppe.  You can find Stevia in both powder and liquid forms.  You can also find several other brands, when you search online for Stevia.  Just be sure, as always, to look at the ingredients.
Steviol Glycoside

I like to use liquid Stevia in beverages and certain recipes, whereas the powder form seems best suited for most cooking.  Beware:  Stevia has a very powerful taste!  If you use too much, you will get scared away.  (Some of us also find it has an aftertaste.)  Definitely do not substitute Stevia in the same measurement ratio as sugar in your recipes.  You will want to go on taste, until you get used to it.  Be sure to have a conversion chart handyIf you like the taste of diet drinks and foods, then you will probably find the taste of Stevia appealing.  If you really need a soda, then try out Zevia or Virgil's Zero.


Xylitol
The other sweetener we like to use in our household, Xylitol, is
considered the 2nd best sugar substitute (with Stevia being the #1 choice).  As you can read in Wikipedia and xylitol.org, it comes from fruits and vegetables.  It is easier to cook with Xylitol, since the substitution ration is basically 1:1, and it doesn't have the aftertaste some of us notice with Stevia.  It is also found to have health benefits.  You can read about some of them at xylitol.org.  The drawback is that Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, which means those who have digestion issues with sugar alcohols will find they have a reaction.  Great information about Xylitol can be found at this FAQ

There are many great products out there containing Xylitol instead of sugar.  Along with packaged Xylitol (brands such as XyloSweet and KAL at Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon as well as other stores), you can also find amazing treats, such as candies (Dr. John's and SparX) and gum and mints (Spry and Zellies), as well as necessities like toothpaste, mouthwash, and nasal spray.  (Spry and Xlear products are found online at places like Amazon and VitaCost, as well as in stores such as Vitamin Shoppe)!  (As always, read the ingredients! Don't be fooled by a product listing Xylitol as the sweetener and then adding to it some chemicals you don't want in your body.)

There are some other alternatives I'll get to in another post at a later date, but to get started on the
road to a healthier lifestyle for your family, reach for Stevia or Xylitol instead of sugar... and most definitely, stay away from the artificial sweeteners!  (There is some lifesaving information out there for you, and I'll be bringing it right to your fingertips in tomorrow's post dedicated solely to artificial sweeteners!)

Enjoy being creative!

"One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet."
Proverbs 27:7 (NIV)

When you're hungry for sweets, you'll try anything!
Trust me, though.  This really isn't so bad.
SweetLeaf
Stevita

Do you want to know a secret?
We practically live on these for snacking:
LARABAR
(Still looking at ingredients, though...
we stay away from the chocolate chips!)

~