Optimal Nutrition Inc.

Everyone at some point gets plagued by the inevitable sweet tooth. All you want to eat is warm cookies, ice cream, or even a bag of candy. Although you may think the only way to get rid of the sweet tooth is to satisfy it by actually eating those sugary delectables, there are actually a few alternatives you can try that are a little bit healthier.

Fruits: One of the best ways to get rid of a sugar craving is to treat it with the natural sugars in organic fruits. The sugars in fruits are not only good for you, but will also help you get in your daily needed fruit intake. The natural sweetness of organic berries or apples should be enough to cure the craving, if not, try adding a sprinkle or organic raw sugar or cinnamon.

Drinks: If you are craving some sort of liquid sugar, do not reach for the soda or the liquor cabinet, try to reach for a nice organic tea or a refreshing glass of organic juice, but only if it is 100%. You can get more flavoring to satisfy your taste buds by choosing a flavored tea and the tea can be served either hot or cold, depending on your preference. For the juice, the best way to make sure it is 100% is to make it yourself. If you have the luxury of a juicer, take advantage of it in times of need like this.

Stevia: Instead of adding sugar to make something sweeter, add a little bit of organic stevia to your food or drink. Stevia is a calorie free alternative to sugar that can be as much as thirty times sweeter than sugar. Stevia is an extract from a sweet leaved plant.

Instead of going straight for the bad, try to be a little more health conscious when curing that sweet tooth. You never know, these cures might be even more satisfying than the high calorie fatty sugar foods.

To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/

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Sources:
“3 Options to cure your sweet tooth”. Guiding Stars. Web. 26 July 2010. http://www.guidingstars.com/healthy-tips/3-options-to-cure-your-sweet-tooth/.
“What are some natural alternatives to sugar?”. Wisegeek. Web. 26 July 2010. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-some-natural-alternatives-to-sugar.htm.

Ever heard that eating celery will make you slim down because it burns more than you consume eating it? Some bad news: there are no so called “negative calorie” foods. Read what weight loss experts MorhResults.com have to say about it:

Negative Calorie Fat Burning Foods

Here I am in the meeting room … a beautiful corner office high above the city.

I’m sitting at the table with a professional athlete and his agent.

“Chris – here’s the deal” the agent said, “we need to get 37 pounds off of him ASAP.  We need a plan in place to do this.”

Now, keep in mind, there is a lot at stake here, so when he says ASAP, exactly how it sounds.

Mind you, this wasn’t the first of our meetings, so some things have already been in place and this athlete was already down 17 lbs.  But hit a bit of a plateau for the last few days.

His agent said “What’s the deal with those foods that burn calories – shouldn’t he be eating these?”

Ahhhh, the foods that “burn” calories.

You’ve probably heard this before.  The thought is that eating certain foods will burn more calories than they provide.  In other words, they have “negative” calories.

Celery is one food that often gets promoted most as a negative calorie food.  But cucumbers, some berries, grapefruits, and others fall into the mix as well.

Is this true, though?

Can we eat certain foods that burn more calories than they provide to your body?

Let’s break this down.

Every food we eat cause and increase in metabolism – this is called the thermic effect of food.  Some foods cause a bigger “jump” than others.

Protein, for example, causes the biggest jump, followed by carbohydrates, and finally fat.  When I say “jump” – it’s estimated to be at around 10-15% of your overall calories.  In other words, if you eat 2000 calories each day, the thermic effect of food would be around 200-300 calories each day.

So where does this “negative calorie” thing come into play?

Well, it doesn’t.  It’s a myth (surprise, surprise).

No food causes a bigger increase in metabolism than the calories the foods provide.

Now, of course celery is a very low calorie food, but the negative calorie “thing” is still not true.  It’s a 100% nutrition myth that has been around for years and apparently still pops its ugly head once in awhile.

Don’t get me wrong – celery is a great snack, particularly with a little natural peanut butter.  And, at the end of the day, all those fruits and veggies mentioned above are.  Eat more of these, the non processed whole foods, and less of the prepackaged, high fat, high sugar, high calorie stuff, and you’ll not just lose weight, but you’ll be much healthier.

So how did our conversation end with the athlete and his agent?

Well, hopefully I effectively squelched another nutrition myth with at least 2 people…

…but I am 100% confident there will be more questions about similar fat loss myths down the road.

To Your Health!

The Optimal Nutrition Team

www.optimalnutritioninc.com

and

Christopher R. Mohr, PhD, RD, CSSD
http://www.MohrResults.com

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Source:

“Negative Calorie Fat Burning Foods.” Weight Loss Experts | Lose Weight Permanently | Mohr Results. Web. 16 May 2010. http://www.mohrresults.com/weight-loss/negative-calorie-fat-burning-foods/.

The benefits of flaxseed are nothing new. This miracle grain has been around since 3000 B.C. and by the 8^th century, King Charlemagne passed a law requiring that his subjects consume it. Though he may not hold the throne anymore, we suggest you listen to the king. The omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseeds are on nutritionists’ short list for heart healthy bites. Omega-3’s reduce the inflammatory effects associated with asthma, osteoporosis, and arthritis.

Your ticker will also thank you! The polyunsaturated fats in flaxseeds are linked to lower blood pressure. In numerous studies, participants who consumed Omega-3 rich foods like flaxseed had a lower incidence of hypertension, a health risk in of itself and a major precursor to heart attacks.

So sprinkle a tablespoon of flaxseed on your cereal or oatmeal in the morning. Its mild flavor will cause very little change in flavor and a big change in nutritional boom.

Need a new breakfast suggestion? Try This:

Greek Yogurt w/Flax and Agave Nectar

In a small bowl put 1/4 to 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (Try Fage). Add fresh organic berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, & or strawberries), a drizzle of organic agave nectar or honey, and 1 teaspoon of organic flax seeds (try Barleans).

To Your Health!

The Optimal Nutrition Team

www.optimalnutritioninc.com

Follow us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/optimalnutritioninc?ref=ts

Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Optimal91

Also check out our Lemon Vanilla 91 Bars! http://www.optimalnutritioninc.com/meals_products/bars.php

Sources

“Flaxseed Health Benefits, Food Sources, Recipes, and Tips for Using It.” WebMD – Better Information. Better Health. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed>.

“WHFoods: Flaxseeds.” The World’s Healthiest Foods. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81>.