The website, publichealthadvocacy.org, states this….”Scientific evidence consistently supports the conclusion that drinking soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages increases a person’s risk of being overweight or obese. As a result, reducing the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages people drink is an important strategy to reverse the obesity epidemic in California and across the country.”   The United States is the largest soda consumer, drinking 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks every year.  Drinking carbonated beverages, adolescents not only face obesity, but also are at risk for bone fractures higher than those who don’t, reduced bone mass and decreased calcium levels in the blood.  The sugar and the acid in these drinks will also dissolve tooth enamel. 

Soda, especially colas, contain caffeine and phosphoric acid.  This has a direct effect on bone mineral density.  Bone mineral density is reduced in osteoporosis.  What causes osteoporosis?  A reduction in the protein and mineral matrix of the bone.  This will cause an increase in the risk of fracture and can be easily prevented with diet and lifestyle changes.  There have been many studies of school age children (girls especially), that have concluded soda drinking was associated with decreased levels of blood calcium and increased urinary calcium, which could cause osteoporosis later in life.  These studies have also found high bone fractures in cola consuming high school girls.

Soda consumption by children and adults is one of the most harmful habits we have.  Soda is filled with empty calories.  Diet soda is not any better.  It is filled with artificial sweeteners which are more dangerous and can also lead to weight gain.  As a parent, you are role models for your kids, for their eating habits and their social skills.  According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), out of over 100 soft drinks  and beverages analyzed by the government, five contained levels of benzene.  Benzene is a cancer-causing chemical linked to leukemia. 

Researchers from UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy “discovered a strong correlation between soda consumption and weight.  Based upon data from more than 40,000 interviews conducted……researchers found that adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas…”  As our physical activity remained the same, our intake of calories increased.  More than 43 percent of the new calories were from soda consumption.  Children are at a more alarming risk of obesity and diabetes with their soda consumption.  Soda is inexpensive, easy to obtain and children and teens are targeted in advertising.  One soda a day is too much for your child.  This drink is filling our kid’s bodies with empty calories and “filling” them up so there is no room for healthy food. 

Type 2 diabetes has also increased during the last 20 years.  Besides increasing obesity in children, the increase in obesity in adults, may also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  This risk is greater in women.  Sugar-sweetened beverages provide excessive calories and large amounts of absorbable sugars.  Soda is empty calories.  

Water will quench your thirst much better than soda.  Water will remove toxins from the body and will aid in digestion and curb your appetite.  Eat fruits and high water content veggies and dilute your fruit drinks.  Begin a juicing routine. 

Drink healthy.

My menstrual cycle started changing about a year ago.  Longer, shorter, heavier, lighter….all of the above.  I knew it was perimenopause and I wasn’t concerned until I started experiencing symptoms that would affect my daily life.  Most of the symptoms were manageable.  Some symptoms, like burning tongue, were diagnosed by my dental hygenist.  Night sweats, though intense enough to have to get up and change my clothes in the middle of the night, didn’t interfere with my life.  My fatigue was enough to cause me to start taking an afternoon nap.  I work nights, so that didn’t interfere with my day either.  You’d be surprised how much a cat nap could help.  And though we’re told if you move more you won’t feel as tired, that wasn’t so for me.  I walk or practice yoga every day and I was still tired around 3 in the afternoon.  So I worked a snooze into most of my days. 

However, fatigue could also be adrenal fatigue or low level DHEA. DHEA is a natural steroid produced by the adrenals. The adrenals are small organs right above the kidneys.  We make about 25 mg of DHEA per day (men more than women), but our production dwindles as we get older.  This is what nature intended for us.  Your adrenals make cortisol and adrenaline and also balance over 50 hormones in the body.  The hormone cortisol affects other regulatory processes such as: blood pressure, blood sugar levels, your immune and inflammatory response and influencing mood, memory and thought clarity.  If your adrenals are exhausted from stress (emotional and physical), poor nutrition, and crazy dieting, they are pumping out more cortisol and can’t manufacture enough DHEA to support a healthy hormonal balance.  This will result in your exhaustion, depression and that feeling of being overwhelmed.  So, if you are under more than average stress, your body will not have enough working material for proper endocrine function.  There is some evidence that healthy DHEA levels may help with Alzheimer’s, cancer, osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and obesity. 

So that could be why my blood pressure has been so low these last couple of weeks!  OK, so I guess I’m going through all of the above stressors.  I do know that when I eat 100% raw food I feel better.  I have been traveling a lot lately, and if I am not happy where I am, for example, with people that do not support my lifestyle, I simply do not feel well.  Is taking a DHEA supplement the answer?  It could be an important factor, but include it with lifestyle changes also.  There’s a lot out there about DHEA levels and supplements.  If you are concerned about your levels, have a medical test done.  Taking a supplement alone won’t help you if your adrenals are exhausted.  Your body will produce more or less depending on nutrient support, metabolism, hormone balance, activity level and your emotional state.  Also maintain a healthy body mass index, get adequate rest, expose yourself to some sunlight, exercise, and create more “downtime” in your life. 

What else can you do to support this “aging” thing?  Ayurvedic medicine says the adrenal gland is connected to the root chakra.  The root chakra is about groundedness, our nourishment, and our physical health.  When stress enters full force, we can become less grounded.  That sure explains even more about my aches and pains.  As most of you know I recently closed my business and moved.  However, I am not living anywhere yet.  I have been traveling around visiting family and friends and still haven’t decided on where I want to live.  Yep, that would be ungrounded!  Guess I’ll start doing some yoga grounding poses today! 

Eating a gluten-free diet can relieve the strain of your adrenal glands.  Low blood sugar will put stress on your body and strain your adrenal glands too.  Time your meals so that you aren’t going long periods of time without food.  Adrenals will work harder on an empty stomach, requiring them to release more cortisol to keep you functioning normally.  Living foods will allow the body to absorb more nutrients.  You will find yourself craving sugar and caffeine if your cortisol levels are low or you are tired.  Drinks that will restore your adrenal glands are: chamomile, passionflower and valerian teas, and vegetable juices.  Alcohol, caffeine and gatorade can drain the adrenals.  Honor your body.  Try to take the time to feel if you are actually hungry or if you are eating to fill another need.  I know when I am eating and not actually tasting anything.  With my burning tongue symptom, my taste buds are a little off.  So I think my mind tells me to eat more because my mouth can’t taste anything!  It’s all about balance.  I have good days and not so good days.  I honor them both. 

I’ll talk next time about more symptoms of our changing bodies.

As always, please see your health care practitioner for symptoms that concern you.  The suggestion here are informational only.

Let’s break down these ingredients and then you can decide for yourself if you’d like to continue using them for your coffee.

On nutrition labels, the ingredients are listed in order, from the greatest amount contained in the product to the least amount.  The principal ingredients in all non-dairy creamers are sugars and vegetable oils.  In powdered “milk”, the first ingredient is corn syrup solids.  This is dried corn syrup, the same ingredient found in soft drinks and processed food that is one of the causes of obesity in children and adults.  This ingredient accumulates in the liver and has a direct effect on our triglycerides, sending them straight up.  A good boost first thing in the morning, no?  NO!

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is next.  This is a trans fat.  Even though the label states “0g of trans fat”.  The labeling laws say if a product has less than .5g of trans fats per serving, the manufacturer can claim there are NO trans fats in it.  Manufacturers make their serving size small enough so they can claim “no trans fats”.  This would benefit the food industry, not your health.  Not only do these chemicals boost your triglycerides, but also increase your chances of cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and liver disease from hydrogenated soybean oil, the most highly processed, genetically modified oil on the market.

Sodium caseinate is a milk protein, but does not contain lactose.  According to Vegparadise News Bureau, “The sodium caseinate’s purpose is to provide a hint of dairy flavor as well as to create a thickening and whitening for a creamy look and feel.  Sodium caseinate is obtained from fresh and pasteurized skim milk by acid coagulation of the casein, neutralization with sodium hydroxide, and drying in a spray dryer.”  Even though the label reads “non-dairy”, the label also reads, “milk derivative” and states it “contains: milk, soy“.  Sodium caseinate is actually a glue used to put a label on a bottle of beer.  Also the glue that holds together wood furniture.  Your body sees this casein as a foreign protein and you produce histamines that end up as mucus.

Not convinced yet to read more of your food labels?  Dry, non-dairy creamers are also flammable.  The powdered substance becomes dispersed in the air and a small spark can set fire to it.  The rest of the label is hardly pronounceable.  We all know that if we can’t pronounce it, it probably isn’t good for us.  Oh, and the shelf life of these products?  Two years!  Be a label reader.  Be proactive.

Just found this song by Third Eye Blind, the chorus is, “So what’s it going to be?  Are you real to me?  Or are you nondairy creamer?”

I remember growing up in Connecticut going to McDonalds at least once a week. There were10 of us in my family and my dad would have to go with a list.  It was a highlight of the week. The other highlight was game night in my home.  The prize for winning Bingo was a Twinkie or a Susie-Q.  However, we also grew up with a tennis court, basketball court and swimming pool in our yard.  Exercise was also available.  And my parents went vegetarian before any of us did and passed that knowledge onto us later in life.  It’s not too late to start good habits for you or your children.

Healthy eating starts in your own home.  The local schools can only do so much with presenting healthy food to your children if you are not willing to support that in your own home.  Obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children since 1980.  Is it any wonder?  Fast food joints, vending machines and inactive lifestyles, contribute to a country with an obesity epidemic. 

What are some other factors for obesity?  Genetics, emotions, age, culture and medical problems all influence weight gain.  As you age, muscle mass decreases and will slow metabolism (I’ve been seeing that one myself).  Because of this, your exercise and eating patterns must be adjusted.  This could be a great time to read those books on your shelf about being a vegetarian or raw foodist.  Our bodies want to move.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Park your car in the furthest space away from the store.  By keeping a journal of your food and how you are feeling before you eat, you can start to recognize your eating habits.  Are you eating just because you are sad, anxious, or angry?  Notice how when your children hurt emotionally, the first thing you may want to do is feed them.  They need emotional nurturing, not a way to deny their feelings with food.  Start a diary with your kids.  This could also help to diagnose food allergies.

We learn about eating and cooking in our own households growing up.  In our family, birthdays were plentiful and also a great reason to get together for pizza, soda and cake.  Do you praise your children with food for good behavior or winning a game?  Most of us don’t recognize the habits we are teaching our children.  Think about your own upbringing.  What were your patterns when it came to food?  How can you help your child learn good eating and exercise habits?  Get rid of the distractions at the dinner table; the newspapers, tv and phone.  Eat slower, even with less talking.  Save the talking for before dinner during preparation and after dinner during clean-up. 

The Mayo Clinic states the following:  “Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little. Children, unlike adults, need extra nutrients and calories to fuel their growth and development. So if they consume the calories needed for daily activities, growth and metabolism, they add pounds in proportion to their growth. But children who eat more calories than needed gain weight beyond what’s required to support their growing bodies”.

Get excited about learning some new things with your kids.  Yoga, raw food, the local farmer’s market, or just the fruit and vegetable isle at the grocery store.  Get out the juicer that you bought yourself and is now gathering dust in the cabinet.  Let the kids choose what fruits they want to throw in.  See who can achieve the best color of juice!  It’s ice cream season.  Some juicers will make really awesome, healthy and fresh ice cream.

Here’s to family health!