“Stevia is an all-natural herbal product with centuries of safe usage by native Indians in Paraguay. It has been thoroughly tested in dozens of tests around the world and found to be completely non-toxic.”  David Richard

I see my Sweetener Confusion article brought further confusion for some of our readers.  I realize I threw out a lot of information and didn’t really “corral” my thoughts about the better sweeteners to use.

I did some more digging.  First I will reiterate than under no circumstances do I ever recommend using aspartame or sucralose in any form or fashion, no matter what it’s combined with.  They are both deleterious to the human body and frankly, not fit for human consumption.

Now, as we look at the various stevia options it appears that not all of them are something we necessarily want to consume either.  <Sigh>  Don’t be discouraged though.  I’ve attempted to sort through some of the ingredient mumbo jumbo and came out with a recommendation.

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/-Next in Series

“Previously I have written about the evils of sugar.  If you thought that was scary, there is something I believe is actually worse — the artificial sweeteners that are offered by the food industry as a ‘no calorie’ alternative.”  Bernie Rosen PhD

How successful are you in sorting out all of the artificial sweeteners (and blends) on the grocery store shelves today?

My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.  (Prov. 24:13,14; NLT)

I went grocery shopping the other day.  I ran out of vanilla extract that I usually buy from my food co-op.  I had no success in finding organic vanilla extract or even finding any without corn syrup in the regular grocery store.  Why is corn syrup in vanilla extract, anyway?  But, back to my topic.  As I was whizzing down the baking aisle, my eyes caught a glimpse of the various sweeteners available to the consumer.  I made an abrupt stop and began looking at all the choices.  Ideal, Sweet Leaf, Sweet Thing, Nevella…I was amazed at the vast array.

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Previous in Series-/

“Health is a large word.  It embraces not the body only but the mind and spirit as well…and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of man.”  James H. West

To what lengths are you willing to go to obtain and maintain a healthy body, soul and spirit?

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.  (Ps 73:4; NIV)

For many of you, today’s DG will not be new information, however it may be a refresher of areas you want to address and work on.  Although there are many facets to living a lifestyle of health and wholeness, today I’ll share five simple things that you can begin to incorporate into your daily life that will reap great dividends for you and your family for years to come.

1.  Begin drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.   For example, someone weighing 128 pounds would need to drink 64 ounces (1/2 of 128) of water per day to provide adequate hydration.  If the number of ounces you need seems daunting, begin by measuring how much water you actually do drink in a day.  If you’re not even drinking 32 ounces of water per day, then make that your first goal.  Then work up to 64 ounces, then 72 ounces and so on until you reach your needed goal.

2.  Begin to move more.  Most everyone knows the value of exercise nowadays.  Exercise is NOT an option.  We have to move more.  Find something you can do and do it, consistently.  Begin walking for 20 minutes, three times a week, then work up to five times a week.  Then increase from 20 to 40 minutes.  Or buy an aerobics, Pilates or kick boxing DVD.  Or join a gym or fitness center.  Don’t be intimidated.  Gyms are full of people like you and me who want to stay fit and flexible.

3.  Eat more God-foods or superfoods.  Research has shown that certain foods really do offer a power punch when it comes to providing our bodies with necessary nutrients.  They’re often called superfoods.  I call them God-foods, as most of them are created by God and not man.  Examples of superfoods are fresh, raw fruits such as apples, pears, and berries; vegetables such as broccoli, beans, garlic, onions, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews are other superfoods along with wild caught salmon, halibut and clean meats such as free-range chicken and turkey and grass-fed beef.

4.  Stop using, (notice I didn’t say minimize) artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or nutrasweet and sucralose or Splenda.  They will never contribute to living a healthy life. Begin reading food labels and if you see those ingredients in a product, pass it by.  Also avoid hydrogenated fats and oils such as partially hydrogenated soybean or cottonseed oil.

5.  Take note of your bedtime.  Ideally be in bed by 10:00 PM;10:30 at the latest.  If you’ve been accustomed to staying up late, begin a process of going to bed at least 30 minutes before your usual time and then eventually get to bed by the ideal time.  Examine the reasons why you’re not getting to bed earlier and realize that one can never be totally healthy if they’re staying up past midnight, even if doing all of the other things necessary for optimal health.

Prayer Power
Lord, we’re so blessed with the bodies You have created for us.  May we honor You with how we take care of them.

Link of the Day
SuperFoods

Blessings on you as you examine how you can make improvements in your health.