Tag Archive for "honey" | The Organic Beauty

3 Healthy Natural Sweeteners (and 3 Toxic Sugar Substitutes to Avoid)

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Thursday, March 21, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Recipes, Wellness agave nectar, best natural sweetener, blue agave, healthy sweeteners, honey Permalink 0

By: Stephanie Heino and Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

When it comes to satisfying the occasional sweet tooth, I am very anti artificial sweeteners (Aspartame!). The trouble with these no-calorie additives is that they are essentially invisible to your brain’s satiety center, so they really don’t fix the sweet craving you have, and usually makes you crave real sugar even more and you end up in the cookie jar, anyway. Plus, they have been linked to cancer and other serious health concerns. Today “natural” sweeteners are covering the shelves as a great substitute, but it can be confusing, to say the least, to actually know which one is the best for you. You are probably familiar with the many varieties of natural sweeteners that line the supermarket shelves: agave, turbinado, stevia, maple syrup, brown sugar, organic brown sugar, coconut sugar, blue agave, honey. Quite overwhelming, right? It seems that within the past few years, more types of sweeteners are available and are increasingly popular. Along with this growing popularity comes confusion. Will sweetening my plain yogurt with blue agave syrup make it healthier for me? Is it better than using honey? What about Stevia? I hope to clear the air on this issue a little by describing the three different types of sweeteners that I recommend when it comes to sweetening things up!

Healthier Sweeteners

Agave. Agave is a type of sweetener that comes from the same plant used to make tequila (whoa!). The agave plant has many different species found in Mexico, South America and the southern United States. Agave syrup is made from the core of the plant and is typically added to drinks and energy bars. You can also buy agave syrup to add to foods and drinks at home. It is similar to the texture of maple syrup and comes in a light or dark color, both differing in flavor. Nutritionally, agave nectar contains 60 calories per tablespoon or 20 calories per teaspoon. So don’t load up on it if you plan on squeezing into your favorite skinny jeans. It is one sweetener that is considered to be a low glycemic index food (doesn’t raise your blood sugar as fast or as much as sugar!), but according to the American Diabetes Association, agave should be consumed in moderation even though it is lower on the glycemic index than other sweeteners. I like to use it in baking, but stick to another of the sweeteners below for things consumed daily, like your tea or coffee.
Stevia. Stevia is a type of plant or shrub found in South America. Once considered a dietary supplement by the Food and Drug Administration, stevia was approved for use in food products in 2008. However, the FDA only approves specific highly refined stevia products, such as those manufactured by McNeil Nutritionals and Cargill. Stevia is many times sweeter than regular sugar, so is used in very small amounts. It comes in individual packets as well as liquid form. You might also see it in some processed food products. Stevia is “virtually” calorie-free. In other words, the product does contain calories, but it is negligible when the amount consumed is taken into account. My favorite brand is NuNaturals, preferably the alcohol-free liquid stevia. It is very sweet, but does not have the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners such as most of the other stevia brands I tried. Stevia is perfect for daily use in beverages!
Honey. Honey is much like maple syrup in that there are many types of varieties. Honey can take on different flavor profiles depending on the honey bee’s plant source. You may have noticed clover honey, blueberry honey or orange blossom honey, as well as many others. Nutritionally, the types and flavors of honey are the same. One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories or appoximately 21 calories per teaspoon. I recommend using a raw honey, which will give you the ultimate nutrients. Honey contains vitamins and minerals, including zinc, magnesium, vitamin B-6, folate, niacin, riboflavin and panthothenic acid, which makes it very nutritious. Remember though, honey should not be given to infants because it can lead to a dangerous type of food poisoning known as botulism!

The point to remember when evaluating various types of sweeteners is that they all contain calories and should be consumed only in moderation. Just because a food is made with agave nectar, does not mean it is necessarily better for you than a food made with another type of sweetener. I recommend you to continue to inspect food labels and take all calories into consideration when searching for your best sugar substitute. When deciding on what you will use, look at the nutrients, glycemic index (the lower the better!) and calories.

And just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock the past couple of years, we want to make sure you know which sugar substitutes to avoid like the plague!

Toxic Sugar Substitutes

Bad Guy #1: Splenda. Now I know this has been the fake sugar du jour for awhile, but newsflash guys… it’s no good! Splenda is sucralose, which has been proven in animal studies to be SUPER unhealthy when used regularly (even one little packet a day!). It has been linked to reproductive issues, increased risk of anxiety and depression, and gastrointestinal problems. Avoid! (Dr. Mercola)

Bad Guys #2: NutraSweet and Equal. These two are both made from aspartame, which is a highly toxic and carcinogenic, AND can cause all kinds of reproductive problems and birth defects. Most people avoid these blue packets these days in favor of Bad Guy #1 above (which I hope we all now know is not better!), but will use one in pinch when stuck with no other alternatives. Unless you are diabetic, it is safer to use sugar (again, once in a blue moon, in a pinch) than resorting to these guys. Avoid! (Natural News)

Bad Guy #3: Sweet n’ Low. This perpetrator is made of saccharin, the third in our trifecta of horrible artificial sweeteners to avoid. Even though the FDA has deemed saccharin safe (but come on, the FDA is pretty much on par with Pinocchio in terms of credibility), which has stalled a lot of the definitive research that has been going on, there have been enough animal studies linking it to various cancers that it is SO not worth the risk! So add these pink packets to your list of banned substances… Avoid! (Lifescript)

Good vs. Bad Bacteria – How To Maintain Balance In Your Gut

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Thursday, February 7, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Nutrition antibiotics, Bad Bacteria, Bifidobacteria, Clostridia, diarrhea Permalink 0

By: Stephanie Heino

The human body plays host to a number of micro-organisms, most of which are our friends. But we do have some that create imbalances which show up in your overall health. Our colon has the largest microbial community in the body, and this is where the micro-organisms live. In this part of the body, the bacterial population usually doubles once or twice a day. Many of these bacteria are, of course, also eliminated during the course of the day, so that a healthy balance is maintained. Under normal circumstances, the microbial community in the colon – which includes more than 300 different species of micro-organisms – regulates itself. These micro-organisms normally prevent infection and growth of “bad” bacteria (parasites like Salmonella and clostridia, for instance), and have a positive effect on nutrition.

However, the intestinal flora of the colon can very easily be disturbed. This may change the balance of normal micro-organisms in the colon greatly. Several factors, like stress, altitude changes, starvation, parasitic organisms, diarrhea, and use of antibiotics, could contribute to such an imbalance.

When the balance is disturbed, one can become susceptible to disease. In these circumstances, boosting the numbers of “good” bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract can be particularly useful. This is where probiotics come into play. Probiotics are microbial foods or supplements that can be used to change or improve the intestinal bacterial balance to boost the health of the host. The most common forms of probiotics include Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. These good guys destroy the overgrowth of toxic bacteria by competing for attachment sites and nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria also produce organic acids that reduce the intestinal pH and retard the growth of “bad”, acid-sensitive bacteria.

If you are like me, and aren’t a fan of fermented dairy products, there are tons of other forms of fermented foods, such as sauerkraut (white cabbage cut finely, salted and fermented in its own liquid shown in picture) or kimchi, miso (a thick paste made from fermented and processed soy beans) and tempeh (a dish made from split soybeans and water), which are also cultured with Lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, and other forms of beneficial bacteria. However, the potency and number of live organisms in commercial products may vary greatly. And many manufacturers are finding it difficult to overcome technical problems, especially in terms of keeping the micro-organisms alive under unfriendly conditions.

When it comes to intestinal health, we also need to consider prebiotics, which are non-digestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics. When probiotics and prebiotics are combined, they form a symbiotic relationship. Prebiotics include foods like dietary fiber that nourish the beneficial micro-organisms in the gut. It is therefore essential to include enough fiber in the diet by eating fruit, vegetables and whole-grains, as well as bananas, onions, garlic, honey and artichokes.

So if you are not a fan of dairy (like me!) make sure to get enough of these foods, or choose a dietary supplement like NOW Dairy-Free Probiotic-10. You don’t necessarily need probiotics to be healthy. However, these microorganisms may help with digestion and offer protection from harmful bacteria, just as the existing “good” bacteria in your body already do.

Probiotics may help to:

Treat diarrhea, especially following treatment with certain antibiotics
Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
Treat irritable bowel syndrome
Reduce bladder cancer recurrence
Speed treatment of certain intestinal infections
Prevent and treat eczema in children
Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu

Magical Natural Cough and Sore Throat Remedy!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Friday, January 4, 2013 Diet and Foods, Holistic Health, Recipes, Wellness alternative cold remedies, apple cider vinegar, Cough, Cough medicine, Ginger Permalink 0

Magical Natural Cough and Cold Remedy | The Organic Beauty Blog By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

It seems like everyone is walking around hacking up their lungs these days, so I thought what better time to share my amazing, all-natural cough and sore throat remedies remedies! Unlike Robitussin and other over-the-counter cough medicines, these remedies are perfectly safe to take throughout the day, are safe (and healthy!) for kids, and are also super yummy. And they’re ridiculously easy to make! Below are my recipes for the cough syrup as well as sore throat tea.

Natural Homemade Cough Syrup

¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp raw, grated ginger
1 tbsp raw, organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is my personal fave)
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (for maximum potency) or filtered water for a mellower potency
1 tbsp raw honey (organic, if possible)

Dissolve cayenne and ginger in cider vinegar and lemon juice. Add honey and shake well. Take as needed for cough. Always shake or mix up before using. If you’d like, you can add more honey to make it palatable for the kiddies (over 1 year)!

Or, if you’d prefer a more warming version, which is also amazing for any cold or flu, try the tea!

Honey-Lemon-Ginger Cough and Cold Busting Tea

Juice of 1/2 of an organic lemon
2 tsp fresh grated ginger (or about 3/4 inch of ginger thinly sliced)
1 tbsp raw organic honey
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

(optional) Add 1 tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar for even more healing!!

Combine ingredients in a teapot and pour boiling water over the mixture. Cover and let steep for 3-4 minutes. Strain, sip and enjoy! This recipe makes 2-3 cups.