Why You Should Avoid Aspartame
July 23, 2009
Why You Should Avoid Aspartame – The Dangers of This Common Ingredient
When choosing between 150 calories and 0 calories, for many the choice is apparent. Zero calories and “sugar free” sounds a whole lot better, at least at first glance. Yet that 0 calorie item may be causing more harm than good. Aspartame, also known as Equal and NutraSweet, has a long and questionable history. Here are just a few of the reasons you should avoid Aspartame.
Birth Defects
Aspartame is suspected of causing brain damage in sensitive individuals and unborn children may be at risk for these effects. Some researchers have suggested that high doses of aspartame may be associated with problems ranging from dizziness and subtle brain changes to mental retardation.
Cancer
Numerous studies on rats have shown a strong link between brain cancer and aspartame. And while the FDA has approved aspartame, the data is too suspicious. In fact, in 1981, an FDA statistician commented, that the brain tumor/aspartame data was too “worrisome” to recommend approval of NutraSweet.
Diabetes
Research has shown aspartame to be leading agent in developing clinical diabetes. It has also shown that aspartame causes diabetics to have less control over their condition when they’re on insulin or oral drugs. It’s been linked to diabetic complications and has been shown to cause diabetic convulsions.
Emotional Disorders
According to a double blind study of the effects of aspartame on people suffering from mood disorders, aspartame caused a large increase in symptoms. Additionally, there are numerous reported cases of low brain serotonin levels, depression and other emotional disorders which all link the cause to aspartame.
In addition to the above listed conditions caused by or worsened by aspartame, the dangerous of aspartame reach far and wide.
Here’s just a few of the many symptoms caused by aspartame
* Seizures
* Dizziness
* Tremors
* Migraines and severe headaches
* Memory loss
* Slurring of speech
* Confusion
* Numbness or tingling of extremities
* Chronic fatigue
* Depression
* Insomnia
* Irritability
* Panic attacks
* Rapid heart beat
* Asthma
* Chest pains
* High blood pressure
* Diarrhea
* Abdominal pain
* Menstrual problems
* Impotency
* Food cravings
* Weight gain
* Hair loss
* Urination problems
* Bloating
* Joint pain
Where is Aspartame Found?
According to the aspartame information society, aspartame is consumed by over 200 million people around the world and is found in more than 6,000 products. Aspartame is commonly found in most diet drinks from soda to lemonade and bottled teas. It’s also found in many food products including yogurt, cereal, ice cream, jams and jellies, maple syrup, pudding and many low sugar candy, gum and mints. Read the label if you’re avoiding the dangers of aspartame.
Aspartame, Equal and NutraSweet are toxins. Your body cannot process them effectively. This inability to process them causes your body to try to compensate for their presence. There’s only so much a body can take before it gives out. When that happens, symptoms appear. They may begin as whispers like fatigue, headaches and bloating however as more aspartame is ingested, the symptoms worsen. The effects, as studies have shown, can be deadly.
Stevia is a safer choice for those who wish to avoid sugar. More information including recipes featuring stevia include:
10 Green Reasons To Buy Organic Meat
July 23, 2009
10 Green Reasons To Buy Organic Meat
We all know that buying organic meat is better for our health. Organic meat means we’re not ingesting harmful antibiotics, hormones or herbicides and pesticides. However buying organic isn’t just good for your immediate health, it’s better for the environment. Here are 10 green reasons to buy organic meat.
#1 Manure
Okay so it may seem odd or perhaps distasteful to begin by talking about waste, however, manure on large industrial farms is nothing more than pollution. It’s a health risk that runs into our water supply and contaminates the land for miles around. However, smaller farms that produce organic meat use the manure to fertilize soil, the same soil they’re using to grow the grass and food for their animals. They’re sustainable farms that manage their resources in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
#2 Less chemical pollution and contamination
Organic farms do not use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on the food they feed their animals nor on the land they’re raised on. This means not only are the animals, and those who subsequently consume them, saved from ingesting these chemicals, the land isn’t contaminated with them. Our soil and water supply remain healthier.
#3 Diversity
Nature thrives on diversity. If it didn’t, there wouldn’t be more than 1 million types of bugs. Large industrial farms typically raise one or two species of cow, pig or chicken however smaller organic farms typically raise a variety.
#4 Resource Conservation
Industrial farms consume vast amounts of resources to keep their farms running. They go through thousands of gallons of water each day and the processes to automate the processes consume large amounts of electricity and fuel. Not to mention the cost of fuel to distribute the grain and feed for the animals.
However, organic farms typically use about 70 percent less energy than industrial farms. They’re about sustainability and renewable resources, not mass production, and are therefore generally more aware of their environmental impact.
#5 Sustaining Your Local Economy
When you buy local and organically grown meat, you’re generally supporting your local farmers. These same farmers employ local residents and you contribute to the overall quality of life for your neighbors. Not to mention that you’re buying food that is typically fresher and healthier for you and your family.
#6 No Antibiotics or Added Hormones
Industrial farms argue that they have to inject their animals with antibiotics to keep them healthy and they have to inject them with hormones to increase meat production. However, what happens to those antibiotics and hormones? We consume them and then flush them into our waste treatment facilities where they become part of our water supply and our soil. The environmental and health effects are only now being realized.
#7 Ethical Treatment Of Animals
Now it’s true that the end result for the animal is essentially the same. Unless we’re talking about dairy cows or chicken eggs, most livestock ends up on someone’s dinner plate. However, many argue that we’re all simply a collection of energy. Whether we’re a bug on a flower, a chicken pecking at her feed or a parent making dinner for their family – we’re all energy. And when this energy is treated well, it affects us all in a positive manner.
#8 Support one, support them all
The dollar, and the consumer holding the dollar, has a mighty voice. If you purchase organic meats, you’re helping to demonstrate to larger industrial farms what you want. They will in turn, eventually adopt more environmentally sound practices or go out of business. Money talks and business owners and farmers listen.
#9 Offspring
One great thing about organic farms is that they tend to be smaller. Smaller farms are more sustainable and thus more profitable. However this means they cannot house or care for large numbers of animals. What to do with the babies? Offspring are often sold to other small farm owners thus spreading the diversity of livestock and helping other small farmers start and grow their businesses.
#10 Better Green Practices Everywhere
Believe it or not, as we change our behavior it affects others. If you make a conscious decision to buy organic meat you’re not only affecting the farmer who raises the livestock and the folks they employ, you’re also bettering the environment. However, your influence reaches far beyond that. Your decision to buy organic meat is probably something you’ll talk about, even if only to one person. Like a random act of kindness, your decision will have the same positive effect. You’ll touch lives and others will in turn make the same decision to buy organic meat. The end result…a better environment, better farming practices, and better health for everyone.
10 Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family
July 22, 2009
10 Other Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table
I received a lot of compliments on my post about “24 Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table” – well, compliments and a challenge: come up with even more reasons families should sit down to dinner together.
But first, if you find the idea of family meals daunting, take a look at Dine Without Whine. It’s a monthly subscription, which gives you weekly meal plans, recipes and grocery shopping list. Dine Without Whine definitely simplifies meal planning and preparation.
Ok, now back to my challenge. It’s been hard, but here you go, 10 OTHER reasons to gather around the dinner table:
1. You’ll have a ready audience for your jokes.
2. You can get instant feedback on new recipes you’ve been wanting to try.
3. You’ll have a venue to plan family activities, such as your next vacation, or a child’s birthday.
4. Your family members can help you stick to your diet.
5. Family mealtimes can teach responsibility. It’s a natural time to give children chores, such as setting the table, clearing up, and washing dishes.
6. Enjoy your good china and silverware, instead of saving them for special occasions. Because any time you’re together IS a special occasion.
7. Family dinners give structure and routine to your day, which is especially important for small children.
8. By having meals together, you can reduce the time your kids spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing on the Internet.
9. Family meals are good times to give each other props – talk about everyone’s latest accomplishments, such as good grades, a new drawing, a new skill learned.
10. Family dinners remind you daily of your blessings: food on the table, a roof over your heads, and loved ones all around you.
Having family dinner every night may be hard for most families nowadays. But if you can manage it on most nights, then you’ll enjoy the benefits.
Cut down and simplify on other areas of your life, so you can cook a meal and sit down to dinner together. Dine Without Whine provides a weekly menu of kid-tested recipes, as well as a grocery list to simplify your shopping as well. Go here now and try Dine Without Whine for only a penny.
