Why Sugar-Free is ruining your health

 

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Sugar-free cookies, reduced-sugar cereal, sugar-free candy, diet soda… are these better for you? The answer: an overwhelming no. After sugar became a taboo in the nutrition and wellness world, sugar-free food items and beverages acted as substitutes for once beloved sweet drinks and snacks. Claiming to be ZERO sugar meant it was healthier, better for diabetics, and helped you slim down… Right?

WRONG!  Sugar-free is not better for you. 

What Does “Sugar-Free” Mean?

Sugar-free means that artificial sweeteners are used instead of real sugar. The problem: these sweeteners do not come from natural sources and they can cause you more harm than good.

What are Artificial Sweeteners?

If you are looking for sweeteners without sugar, artificial sweeteners seem like a great option. Unfortunately, it seems that sugar-free sugar may be even worse than actual sugar! Artificial sweeteners can cause a spike in blood glucose, heighten sugar cravings, and disturb your gut. 

Let’s get into what these artificial sweeteners actually are…

Sugar-Free Sugar

Sugar-free sugar sounds wrong and that’s because there is no such thing as sugar-free sugar. Some of these sugar-free alternatives even contain sugar and the ones that don’t have chemicals your body often does not know how to process.

Most artificial sweeteners are exponentially sweeter than sugar so very little is needed. That’s why they can market sugar-free alternatives as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie.” It also means that you get no nutritional value from consuming them which is why many sugar-free substitutes are classified as “non-nutritive.” 

These artificial sweeteners tend to hide under sneaky names. Here are a few of the most common. It is so important to read labels, not just on sweets, but everything. 

Saccharin 

A.K.A. Sweet’N Low

Saccharin is sometimes combined with aspartame, another artificial sweetener. It was previously considered carcinogenic (meaning cancer-causing) because the rats who were consuming it began to develop tumors. After it got banned, not that long ago, researchers told consumers there was no evidence to believe that it caused cancer in humans.

Suspicious? You decide. 

How much sweeter is saccharin than sugar? 300-400 times.

Aspartame

A.K.A. NutraSweet and Equal 

When aspartame breaks down in your body, it becomes methanol which is toxic in large doses. It is often found in diet products and gum.  

***While aspartame is FDA approved, and low-calorie, it is commonly believed as bad for your body. Health side effects of aspartame? Schizophrenia, seizures, and cancer. 

How much sweeter is aspartame than sugar? 200 times. 

Sucralose

A.K.A. Splenda 

Sucralose comes from real sugar but is altered with added chemicals like chlorine so that less is needed to achieve sweetness. However, most sucralose is mixed with other products like dextrose. Ironically, dextrose is corn-based sugar.  

Health side effects from sucralose include diabetes, IBS, and weight gain. 

How much sweeter is sucralose than sugar? 600 times.

Acesulfame Potassium

A.K.A. Ace-K, Acesulfame K, Sunnett, or Sweet One

Ace-K is usually blended with sucralose or aspartame to cut its bitter taste. They often use it in baked goods because it is stable when heated, unlike other artificial sweeteners. 

Ace-K is one of those sugar-free sweeteners that was linked to maybe, possibly causing cancer in rats. There were also possibilities of brain decline associated with ingesting this artificial sweetener. Another health consequence? Ace-K impacts your gut and not in a good way.

How much sweeter is acesulfame potassium than sugar? 200 times.

Is “Sugar-Free” Harmful?

Unless you have stock in sugar-free alternatives then the answer is YES!. Sugar-free = harmful. 

What Does Sugar-Free Do to Your Body?

When you eat sweet stuff, your body continues to crave it and, even though your body cannot metabolize these sugar-free alternatives, your brain does not know the difference. In turn, sugar-free alternatives connect to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Ironically, the health conditions they were invented to minimize. 

Artificial sweeteners also confuse your gut, damaging your gut’s ability to break down sugar which impacts everything you eat. In other words, your body doesn’t know how to handle artificial sweeteners because they have nothing real to process.

Wait! But… Is sugar-free good for diabetics?

Again, a mixed verdict. While many artificial sweeteners were invented to provide diabetics with sweeteners that were sugar-free, artificial sweeteners can increase your chance of developing type 2 diabetes! 

A good rule of thumb: stay away from artificial sweeteners and look for non-sugar, natural sweeteners like Stevia, Xylitol, or date sugar

Artificial Sweeteners vs. Sugar

In the war against artificial sweeteners and real sugar, both lose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural sugars that come from fruits and stay away from products claiming to be sugar-free or diet!

Bottom line? Don't play Russian roulette with your health. If you HAVE to have something sweet, opt for natural sugars that are in Fruits. And contrary to what you hear, fruit is actually good for diabetics. 

*** More info here from WHO: 

World Health Organization says No to Artificial Sweeteners

How to increase Stamina

How to increase Stamina

Excellent article on how to increase Stamina. First of all, what is Stamina? It is “the ability to sustain the prolonged physical or mental effort,” 

The benefits of Increased Stamina are, you will be able to:

• Run faster for longer distances
• Lift heavier weights for more reps
• Take more prolonged, more strenuous hikes 
• Push through perceived pain, discomfort, and fatigue
• Perform daily activities with high energy levels

Stamina is the underlying factor behind improving other fitness goals. Improving your stamina will enable you to push longer and harder during endurance exercise, allows you to powerfully lift weights during strength training, and helps you move faster without tiring.

***One thing I have noticed that has really helped with my stamina is doing Squats. I am up to 100 per day and it's made a huge impact on my fitness level. 

Ways to Increase Stamina:

Go for long walks: 

Going for long walks of 30 to 60 minutes is a phenomenal way to build endurance, especially for beginners. 

Increase Your Running Distance or Time:

 Go the distance for stamina. Because stamina combines endurance, speed, and strength, challenge yourself to maintain your usual running pace for a minute longer. When you can do that, add another minute. Your stamina should continue to improve this way for a while, although everyone has limits on how far and fast they can run. 

Run Hills and Stairs:

If increasing your running distance or time doesn’t sound fun (we don’t blame you), vary the running instead. Adding hill runs to your routine can make a huge difference in your stamina if you live near hills or hiking trails. Alternatively, stairs and bleachers work, too. Running in an uphill manner challenges your lungs and legs alike. 

Try High-Volume Weightlifting:

Studies show that volume is the number-one variable in resistance training that improves fitness. Volume refers to the total load you lift in a session, day, or week. It’s calculated by multiplying the weight by reps.

In general, continually increasing your volume benefits your fitness. For example, if you perform three sets of 10 squats at 100 pounds, find your total volume by multiplying three by 10 by 100. The total volume comes out to 3,000 pounds. 

Decrease Rest Intervals During Workouts:

One surefire way to improve your stamina is to allow yourself less rest time (unless you’re lifting very heavy weights, in which case you should rest three to five minutes between sets for optimal strength gains).

Studies show that decreasing rest intervals while performing moderate- to high-intensity exercise increases physical performance and body composition. Shortening your rest interval forces you to perform more work in less time, which in theory, should support improvements in stamina. 

Try Cycling: 

Riding a bike in any fashion—mountain biking, road biking, or indoor cycling—can improve your stamina if you push the pace (and the terrain if you’re outside). Indoor cycling in particular is proven to increase aerobic capacity, a major contributor to stamina, as well as other health markers.

Mountain biking may be more effective at increasing muscular endurance and power due to the increased and variable resistance. Outdoor cycling in general can boost cardiovascular stamina, improving fitness levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease.

Play Sports:

Most sports require complex skill sets that may be outside your comfort zone. If you’re used to lifting weights, running, or other relatively monotonous movements, swapping one workout weekly for a sports game is a great way to hone other physical skills. Again, destructuring your fitness routine could if counterintuitively, improve your stamina and fitness. 

For instance, a soccer game includes sprinting, jogging, walking, cutting, kicking, dodging, and even throwing, depending on your position. Intermingling these different movements provides a fun and challenging way to improve stamina. 

Listen to Music While Exercising: (my fave!)

Everyone knows a good song can pump you up for your workout. Listening to music brings people joy and energy, and this remains true during exercise. Listening to upbeat music during your workout might boost your performance in a number of ways, from reducing your perception of fatigue distracting you from the strain of your workout, and making exercise feel easier

Drink Caffeine Before Exercising: (just a little)

If you’re looking for a one-off way to improve your stamina, consuming a bit of caffeine before your workout might help. Studies show caffeine is a great pre-workout supplement because it can increase your energy, mood, and physical capacities. However, the effect seems more significant in men than women and you should be careful not to become reliant on caffeine. 

Don’t Forget to Rest and Recover:

Finally, make sure you have recovery days scheduled into your workout routine. Contrary to popular belief, the actual act of exercising isn’t what improves your fitness—it’s the repair and rebuild phase that does.

Rest days are critical to your improvement over time. If you perform an intense workout every day, your body never gets the chance to recover. Thus it never has the opportunity to repair your muscles. 

HOW TO NATURALLY LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

High Blood Pressure? Read this

Most people think in order to lower their Blood Pressure, they either have to take prescription medication or a supplement. Do you know that you can lower it by just changing your diet? Namely a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet. Now, hear me out. I put this to the test to see if it would work. I ate only Plant-based foods, such as beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits, whole grains & pasta. Before I started on this journey, my BP was around 160/90 all the time. My doctor wanted me to get on prescription meds, but I told her, let me try eating healthy, and see if I can lower it myself. Well, shockingly, to me, after eating this way for only 2 days, my BP dropped to a staggering 120/70!!! And it stayed that way. I even tested it and purposely went off my plan for one day, and I kid you not, the very next day, it was back up to 160/90, and even higher later on in the day. So, I got right back to eating WFPB, and the next day I checked it, it was back down to perfect!! And it has been normal ever since. Not only that but the pain I was having in my heel from Plantar Facisits was gone in one day! I had tried everything to get rid of the pain, but nothing worked.  I used to almost cry in pain every morning getting out of bed because the pain was so excruciating. I was shocked when I stepped out of bed and started walking....with NO PAIN!!! FOOD AS MEDICINE is a very true statement. 

To say I am excited about this way of eating is putting it mildly. I could go on and on about the huge benefits I have faced eating this way. Let me make this clear this is NOT a diet..... it's a lifestyle change. You can't stick with it for a while, then go back to eating the artery-clogging foods you were and expect to stay healthy. 

***This is much better than taking Prescription drugs that have all kinds of side effects and don't work half the time. Also, Search: BP and a Plant-based diet and you will see MANY articles saying exactly what I am telling you here. 

If you want more info on how to get started on this type of lifestyle that will change your life, you can do the following:

• Watch Forks over Knives, Game Changers, What the Health, and many others that explain it. I love Forks over Knives because it shows the science behind it. 

• Join my Plant Strong Lifestyle Group on Facebook to learn more and get fantastic recipes and tips (be sure to answer the questions and I will add you)   Plant Strong Lifestyle

• Check out my blog  "Getting Started on a WFPB Diet"

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How to get started on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

 So, you decided you want to get started on changing your life and taking control of your health, but you have no idea where to even begin eating this way. Well, I am here to help! Just follow the guidelines below and you will find how easy it is. 

If you haven't already, I suggest you watch one of the Plant-Based Documentaries that are available pretty much everywhere-Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc. Most are free to watch. They will give you an abundance of info and also motivate you to get going!

STEP 1:

Reduce your intake of Dairy. 

This one is hard for a lot of people, and I understand you love your cheese (I did too!), but it is so worth it in order to get healthy. There are cheese alternatives you can easily make that are absolutely delicious! If you really have a hard time giving it up, I recommend reading the book called: The Cheese Trap, by Neil Barnard. 

Substitute your Dairy milk with plant-based milk, such as, Almond, Oat, Cashew, Coconut, Rice, or Soy. They are delicious!

STEP 2:

Reduce your intake of Animal Protein & Increase your intake of Fruits & Vegetables

Animal protein and fish are greatly reduced when switching over to a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Lifestyle. 

Begin by removing animal protein from your lunch and adding a Plant-Based protein such as Beans, Seeds, Nuts, or Quinoa. 

Then the next day, remove it from Dinner, then eventually, none at all. You will be shocked at how easy it is to do and you taste buds change by eating this way, so food will taste amazing to you and you won't miss the meat. 

Step 3:

Embrace whole grains

Carbs get a bad rep. Not all carbs are created equal. You want to eat carbs that come in their whole and natural state. That means, bananas, squash, potatoes, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain breakfast cereal, whole wheat bread, green peas, & corn. 

These foods are delicious, filling, and high in fiber and nutrients that will keep you feeling fuller longer. 

Embrace whole grains, but avoid processed grains, such as anything that is listed as having enriched wheat flour, crackers, chips, pretzels, and cookies. 

Step4:

Consume healthy fats

Before transitioning to a WFPB lifestyle, you were likely getting your fats from animal protein and dairy. Now you will get your fat from nuts, nut butter, seeds, and avocados. (the good fats) 

It is highly recommended you avoid ALL oils, even the so-called healthy ones, like Olive, Grapeseed, etc. There is no such thing as Healthy oil. They all clog your arteries and are nothing but fat. The bad kind of fat at that. You can saute' your veggies in vegetable broth, water, or nothing at all if you have a good non-stick pan. 

Step 5:

Increase your plant protein

Plants have protein! Yes, I know, it seems crazy, but it's true! Vegetables have protein, but the highest amount of protein will come from beans, lentils, quinoa, and peas. Throw some beans in your salads, make a soup, a chili, or a bean burger. 

There you have it!! It is really not hard to stick to once you get going. Once you see how great you will feel, you will never want to go back to the chemically-laden foods that caused your health problems in the first place! 

SOUTHWESTERN CHOPPED SALAD WITH CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

Southwestern Chopped Salad

 Happy New Year from Parker Nutrition Center! I wish ALL of you a year full of Abundantly Good Health! 

You can adopt a Plant-Based lifestyle

 If you've noticed in my title, I did not put Plant-based DIET. I put LIFESTYLE. This is not a temporary way of eating, or at least it shouldn't be. Diets are something you go on in order to drop a few pounds, then what happens? You go right back to eating the foods that got you fat in the first place. 

Some people think they cannot possibly stick to a plant-based way of eating. I used to think that. Once you try it (even for a week), and you see the difference in how you look and how you feel, it will motivate you to stick with it. Right away, you lose inches, you lose all the bloating, and you just basically feel great! For me, I sleep amazingly after eating this way. I notice when I go off, that is when the bloating comes back, I feel sluggish during the day,  and I cannot sleep at night. Trust me, your taste buds WILL change. I love foods I never really cared for. Veggies taste amazing to me now. 

Sometimes you have a hard time sticking to this plan. Whether it be because you just crave something that is not plant-based, or you went out to eat and blew it. Whatever the reason, just pick yourself up and get right back on track. The longer you stay off this plan, the harder it is to get back on track. With pretty much any restaurant you go to, you can find something that you can eat. Baked potato with some steamed broccoli on top, a big salad, etc. Just steer clear of the basket of white, processed bread they bring to the table. 

Some of the ways that have helped me get back on track is to watch, or re-watch documentaries, such as Forks Over Knives, What the Health, Eating you Alive, The Game Changers (One that EVERY man needs to watch!) or Hungry for Change (My personal favorite)  They always encourage me and help me to start eating right again. 

It's easier when your entire household is eating the way you are, but that is rare. It can still be done, just let your family know this is what you are doing, and to please not bring unhealthy food into the house. Even so, you can do this, you just have to get and stay motivated. Your health is worth it! 

I have had people tell me that they just are not losing weight on this way of eating. Hard to believe, but maybe you are consuming oil, which is a huge no-no, or maybe you are still putting butter on your potatoes or pasta. One thing I tell people is to eat a huge salad every day along with a big bowl or 2 of bean soup filled with every veggie you'd like, and plenty of water. And have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or Overnight oats. 

Search Plant-based recipes and you will find there are a lot of great ones out there. When tempted to eat something you shouldn't, go for a walk instead, or drink a big glass of water. Read a book, or watch TV, whatever it takes to get your mind off that craving. Grab some raw veggies, or make yourself a smoothie. I don't recommend drinking smoothies every day, as you should not drink your calories, but when you just need something to take the edge off your hunger, then go ahead. 

I hope this has helped. I also highly recommend any books by Rip Esselstyn, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Dr. Gregor, and T. Colin Campbell. Staying informed will be a huge help. 

Strawberry Banana Smoothie bowl

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl. Vegan and Oh, so delicious! 

I love smoothie bowls first thing when I wake up. Very filling and yummy!

Coffee?

 I get asked a lot if you can drink Coffee on a Plant-Based Diet. The answer is a resounding YES!! But, there are exceptions if you want to stay Plant-based. 

#1 Use only Plant-based milk or Creamers. Such as Almond, Oat, Cashew, Soy, etc. No cows milk as obviously its Dairy. No sugar, but you can have natural sugar such as Xylitol, Stevia or if you have to, you can use Pure Cane sugar, but use sparingly. The best thing is to drink it naked, but that for most people is very hard. If you are like me,  I like a little coffee with my creamer 😉  I have cut down a lot though. 

#2 Limit intake to no more than 2 cups per day. We want to get ALL of our water in, so make sure you save room for that. 

As you can see in the photo, I am using my Christmas cup. I use it all year long, because, well, I just love Christmas 😀

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Check out this Plant Based Website

Informative Plant Based Website

 

I absolutely love this! Find your purpose, and run with it! Life is too short to settle.  

 Introduction to a Whole Food Plant Based Diet. Click HERE

This will explain all you need to know to take back your health!! Try it for one week and you will be amazed at how great you feel. SO many health benefits just by eating this way.  ***Join my Plant-Based Group on Facebook Here

AMEN!! I LOVE WORKING FROM HOME. NOTHING BETTER. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND NEVER GIVE UP!