Mick’s Sum-up for the Week

Toxins come from everywhere, basically.  When we’re not careful about what we’re choosing, then it seems almost hopeless.  We get bombarded from all directions.

I want you to understand, for your sake and the sake of your family, that you do have a choice!  You can strive to do all you can to keep the common cold, chronic illnesses, heart disease, and cancer out of your family… with success.

If it’s difficult to imagine how these actions now can affect future health as seriously as that, then maybe this will speak to you a bit more loudly.  Getting toxins out of your body can help you get rid of pounds and body fat that is holding on so tightly!

Your body knows toxins are bad for your organs, and so it tries to protect your organs with body fat.  Weird, huh?  So, in a sense, body fat is a good thing.  Well... sort of.  It’s a good thing, because it’s acting as protection for survival.  It’s a bad thing, because it means you have toxins in your body.  Hmmmm…  yuck!

One thing I can say about it, though, is that my husband and I found out it’s true… and the right detox works!  It’s an amazing transformation!  Once your body can get rid of toxins, it feels free to let go of the body fat, and you feel healthier, because you are healthier… and as a bonus, you trim down!  Wow!

If you don’t believe me, you might believe the article Detox to Loose Weight by Walter Crinnion in The Vitamin Shoppe’s magazine “Amazing Wellness.”  The detox I mentioned as a recommended choice is Daily Detox.  However, this article lays out a detox system for you to put together yourself at home, too.

So, what’s the summary of the week?

Remember to read the ingredients list on everything!  Watch out for those toxins!  Don’t be fooled!

Warning: 
It seems ironic that the ingredients in some products of companies supporting cancer awareness are actually toxic ingredients, as is addressed in the articles Susan G. Komen for the Cure Isn’t Curing Anything by Amy of the blog “Just West of Crunchy” and Pinkwashing: What’s Wrong with “Think Pink” and Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Susan Melgren in “Natural Home & Garden.”

Some more articles to help you watch for toxins:
Oral Report by Lisa Turner
Save Your Skin by Sherrie Strausfogel
Better With Age – A Tip for Every Day of the Month by Lisa Turner
Toxicity Data by Maximized Living
'Natural' breakfast cereals loaded with pesticides and GMOs by Mike Adams, Health Ranger
 
 

“Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.”

Isaiah 32:3-5 (NIV)

 

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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 handy.  If 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.

Related web pages:
Maximized Living Blog: Parents, never ever feed this to your kids
Mick's Scoop on Sugar

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!)

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