Today, the typical American is surrounded by sugary foods.  Sweets are found at the grocery store, gas station and plenty of restaurants—fast food or not.  And for most of you, it’s probably true that you’re surrounded by sugar in your own home.

Because of the negative health affects sugar has on our health, many people choose to go “sugar-free.”  Seeing your favorite treat with those words on it may be music to your ears, or it may scream “stay away” because of the several claims that have been made about the safety of artificial sweeteners.

Sugar free foods have not lost their sweetness because they are sweetened with sugar substitutes.  There are many brands, and they’re all similar to sugar.  Except for the fact that they contain no calories and have little glycemic response.

Artificial sweeteners are FDA approved.  This means that they go through several studies by the Food and Drug Administration to assess their safety.  The FDA also establishes ADIs (Acceptable Daily Intakes) for every artificial sweetener.  They figure out the largest amount of the substance a person would have to ingest before receiving health problems.  Here is an example for aspartame:  To reach the ADI, a 150-pound adult would have to consume 20 cans of diet soda in a single day.  Hopefully, for most of us that’s pretty difficult to do, and it shouldn’t be a problem to avoid.

It has been said that sugar substitutes can play a role in obesity, from both sides.  An overweight individual who replaces high sugar foods with sugar substituted foods may end up losing weight.  However, artificial sweeteners can mess with appetite control.  They make your body think you’re eating sugar, therefore you crave it more which can lead to overeating.  So if you’re going to use artificial sweeteners, do so with caution.  Make sure you’re controlling your appetite with a  healthy diet and regular exercise. 

People who are diabetic may benefit from sugar substitutes because they do not affect blood sugar.  However, always consult with a doctor before significantly changing your diet.  They can help decide what is best for your condition. 

There have been several claims that artificial sweeteners cause health problems such as mood disorders, headaches, multiple schlerosis…even cancer!  Yet there is no proof of any of these claims.  So, if you choose to use artificial sweeteners, don’t be afraid.  Incorporate them into a healthy, balanced diet and you will not have any problems.

Remember that all approved artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame-potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, stevia and sucralose have gone through numerous studies to prove their safety.  If they weren’t safe, the FDA wouldn’t approve them.  They can help with weight loss but also cause the opposite affect if you aren’t paying attention to the rest of your diet and exercise habits.  Artificial sweeteners are beneficial for diabetics, obese and health conscious individuals.  In order for sugar substitutes to cause problems, you would have to consume extremely large amounts of it on a daily basis, something that is nearly impossible for most people.

Brianna Elliott is a third year dietetics student at the University of Wisconsin – Stout.  She also contributes regularly to a health and nutrition website called PSCLife.com.  This site carries a wide variety of health and nutritional supplements including sugar free products like Fiber Choice Sugar Free Chewable Tablets.  She thinks it’s important for people to know the truth about artificial sweeteners because there is so much misinformation in the world about them.

Outside of the civilized world, isolated villages still hold true to the past traditions of diets rich in animal meat, eggs, and milk with very little processed foods and vegetable fats. Yet most doctors and dietitians say that a diet rich in animal fats like those eaten in less civilized cutlures is very unhealthy. They claim it clogs arteries and causes many other health problems common in today’s civilization.

Could Vegetable Fats Be Linked to Modern Health Problems?

Modern civilization currently deals with epidemics of heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure and dental problems. If one were to travel into the isolated villages anywhere in the world, regions where processed foods, sugars, and vegetable fats are non-existent, one would notice a drastic difference with the health of the people who reside there. Dental problems, despite lack of proper dental care, are fewer in number than in a bountiful civilized town. Obesity and all the health problems that go with it is also drastically less common.

Many would argue that replacing a diet of sugars and margarine with eggs and butter would simply raise the heart problems and cholesterol levels. Just the idea that animal fats might be better for human health than vegetable fats causes controversy everywhere you look, despite the agreement that a diet rich in white flour, high fructose corn syrup and processed foods is unhealthy.

Research Concerning Animal Fats

Many studies show that not all fats are harmful to one’s health. In fact, research shows that Omega 3 is quite beneficial to human health. Grass-fed cows raised on small farms have greater levels of omega 3 oils, as do nuts and fish.

It is also clear that those on a low-fat diet are not benefitting from a lower risk of heart disease risk. In fact, a reduction in animal fats over the years has done nothing to slim the American people or make them healthier. More people today suffer from heart disease than when the average person ate eighteen pounds of butter a year.

The Truth about Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils, such as palm, corn, soybean, sunflower oils, and others can be detrimental to your health. It’s important to understand the distinction between vegetable oils and others. For instance, olive and coconut oils are not harmful. These are fruits, not vegetables. Nut and seed oils are also healthier for the most part.

Free radicals make vegetable oils dangerous. They cause cancer and clog the arteries. Cancer and heart problems are the most common health problems in the United States. The oils break down with heat, releasing large volumes of damaging free radicals into your body.

Vegetable oils should be banned from your kitchen. There are many healthier alternatives to choose from:

• Peanut Oil

• Olive Oil

• Coconut Oil

• Sesame Oil

• Avocado Oil

• Grapeseed Oil

• Walnut Oil

Stick to these healthier alternatives and you’ll benefit from a lower cancer and heart disease risk.

LowFatDietPlan.org offers tips on incorporating the latest nutrition research into your healthy diet plan.

Losing weight has long been regarded to be not just a difficult task but also an expensive one to undertake. True,organic fruits and vegetables are often more costly to purchase than a frozen pizza or meal. But keep in mind that the latter usually contains many calories and fats that will surely end up in your waist line or hips. But do not fear, as there are many ways to lose the extra pounds without breaking your budget. The key is to commit to the fact that a balanced diet and exercise are the key drivers to weight loss. Here are 5 helpful ways to a healthier and  slimmer you that saves money at the same time.

1. Walk it off.

Walking, running or cycling to and from work when plausible is not only a great way to make your heart pumping and burn calories. It can cut down your transportation expense dramatically. You can opt to walk a few blocks instead or park your car  a reasonable distance if the workplace is too far from home. This simple change is a great motivating factor  for you to get you  that cardiovascular lift every morning and after work.

2. Be your own trainer.

You do not have to enroll in a gym or seek costly service of a personal trainer to get your body the work out it needs. Why not purchase an exercise video that you can perform at the comforts of your home instead. That’s savings on petrol and car park fees too as you do not have to go to the gym. Get a friend or your spouse to work with you at home. Motivate each other and make it your couple or family time. Just be sure to stick to a schedule.

3. Shop wisely.

Plan your meals and always go to the grocer with a list at hand and stick to it.  Do this task once a week. As the often you go, the more you expose yourself to purchasing food and things you do not really need. Shop for fruits and vegetables that are in season as they are likely to be cheaper. Avoid impulse buying and your wallet will be happy you did.

4. Pack your own lunch and water bottle.

Controlling the portion and what you eat at work or in school is a great way to control calorie intake. Keeping a bottled water also proves handy not only in terms of avoiding the need to buy high in sugar drinks but also keeps you full. Most people snack in as they think they are hungry when they are actually just thirsty. Making your own meals also proves to be healthy and economical as you avoid eating out at restaurants or fast food whose offerings are not good at all. But if you cannot avoid an invite to dine out, then eat less and bring home leftovers as this can be saved for your next meal. And that’s savings.

5. Do chores.

Why pay a gardener to maintain your lawn when you can do that yourself? Remember that any kind of work burns calories and for someone wanting to lose weight, every calorie counts. So plan your weekends wisely. Give up movie time and tick off  those dreadful home tasks. Do your power walk while waking the dog. Scrub the kitchen and bathroom floors. You will be surprised how fast your muscles build. While at it, why not embark on building projects to improve your backyard or your garden? You can even offer your work service in your neighborhood and get paid. More sweat, more success!

So go ahead and try these positive changes. Sweat it out and save. And soon you’ll find yourself with enough money to shop for smaller-sized outfits.

This is a guest post by Jessy Troy, a new mom dreaming of fitness body and blogging on Define Fitness.

If you want to lose some weight and clean out our colon at the same time, why not kill two birds with one stone?!  A colon cleanse is something you should do fairly often, and especially if you have a schedule that simply does not allow you to eat healthy foods.  But there are MANY colon cleanse products out there and new ones are popping up all the time.  In fact, I just did some research on all of the colon cleanse products I could find and a few weeks later there were already some new supplements hitting the shelves.  It’s impossible to keep up with, but that’s why you should stick with what has been proven to work for colon cleansing AND weight loss.

ANY good colon cleanse product should also help you lose weight.  After all, you are cleaning out your digestive system of unwanted filth and fical matter, so with every bowel movement you should be losing more weight, and this is weight you will NOT gain back unless you start eating junk again.

Some people have had good success with the Acai berry diet, which has been on Oprah and other TV news reports.  It’s more of a craze than anything else and it as died out a little now, but it’s still worth a look if you want to regain some lost energy and love organic products.  You can check out a free trial offer of Acai Berry Select here.

The acai berry solution is more of a dietary one but will not be as effective as a colon cleanser.  If you are feeling bloated, gasy, and constipated on a regular basis, it is almost a sure sign that you are in  need of some serious colon cleansing.  If this is the case, and you still want to lose some weight as well, you should look into the Bowtrol colon cleansing system.

With Bowtrol you are getting all herbal ingredients that are found in nature, so you know you are not getting any man made junk which caused the digestive problems in the first place.  What Bowtrol does is help you to break down and pass all of that undigested food in your gut and retain a healthy digestive system.

So for a combination of weight loss and colon cleansing you should give Bowtrol a try.

For a limited time get your free trial of Bowtrol!

Many people do not realize how much their health is related to the health of their colon.  If your colon is not healthy and is getting clogged up you will have side effects you will not even realize are associated with your colon.

The colon’s main job is to keep the body healthy by being the main organ for keeping all of the toxins and waste out of the body.  By removing wastes it keeps your body in tip top shape.  When these toxins and wastes are not exiting your body, they are causing illness inside of you.   Over a period of time this can cause disease, constipation and other physical problems.   Getting a good colon cleanse may just solve a lot of the other health problems you are having.

There are all kinds of home remedies for getting a colon cleanse yourself, and it does not have to cost you a lot of money.   Sometimes it will just be best to change your diet, but you still have to flush out that old undigested junk in your system.  Just a few changes in the nutrition you eat can make a big difference and your colon will start cleansing itself the natural way.

Getting a lot of water to drink should be the first part of every colon cleanse to help stimulate the undulation of your colon.   A general rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces, so if you weigh 200 pounds you should drink 100 ounces of water in a day.  This may seem like a lot, but it will give you a good start to your cleanse.  You would be amazed how much this amount of water will make you feel when all is said and done.