Recently it has been recognized that high levels of sugar consumption can be the culprit for a number of health defects and issues faced today. Many individuals also agree that the rampant levels of sugar consumption among the populace seem to suggest that there is an issue with individuals maintaining or exercising self control.

Is Sugar Becoming the Next Tobacco?

Most ‘organic’ sugar is not necessarily bad in the case of produce (as it comes in low doses along with a cocktail of empowering nutrients), though fructose is heavily embedded within the American diet and elsewhere. Many fruits and vegetables often contain small amounts of unprocessed sugar that is acceptable and fair for consumption. Despite this, processed chemical sugar concoctions like high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners like aspartame are generally the norm and are often more readily available than pure or healthy sweeteners.

Many reports find that these forms of sugar are often addictive; creating a chemical craving in you that fuels your desire to have more of the same product. In this respect, some would even say that there is a legitimate cause for concern when considering the ability to consciously mitigate and eliminate sugar from one’s diet.

Some suggest taking regulatory actions to show and forcibly create a level of discretion against sugar consumption, though this is not the most effective answer on an individual level. While the industry needs to address the dangers of excess sugar consumption (and the presence of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup), change also begins starting with the consumer. It takes education to sway the decisions of consumers away from highly marketed sugary products that are harming their health.

One of the problems is that sugary products and empty carbs are more featured in the food supply than ever before. Various junk foods, candies, and ‘sugar water’ drinks with added flavor are pushed and placed across the consumer base. These foods do nothing for nutritional intake as a whole. As a result, people often desire more nutrient dense foods and proteins, which are scarce in the general consumer market.

For most of the day, people are replacing their need for real nutrition with a placeholder of sugar and junk, which is often easier, cheaper and more plentiful to supply than ‘real’ food. Thus overall sugar consumption increases. The other major issue is the prominence of artificial sweeteners used within foods. High fructose corn syrup is not raw sugar cane, but a highly refined form of chemical sugar product that produces a number of health problems.

Sugar is not particularly harmful when derived from fruits and vegetables, though the risk increases when over-consumed or eaten in one of its dangerous refined chemical product forms. Despite this, there is a real need for sugar intake to be mitigated across the board, and replaced with real nutritional foods. Balanced diets should be utilized with more emphasis on protein and nutrient intake, as opposed to any form of tasty gratification that is offered to us by the food industry.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and with the coming of this hallmark holiday also comes the consumption of candy. There is no reason to restrict yourself from indulging a little bit, but there is certainly a way to make this holiday not only special, but healthy as well.

Candy on Valentine’s Day: It can be Healthy

Most individuals have a negative outlook on chocolate in terms of health, and much of the time this outlook is valid. The candy heavily marketed by companies such as Hershey is nothing short of unhealthy. Most chocolates found in grocery stores like Reeses or Butterfinger contain harmful additives and excess sugar, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup. The good news is that these candies are easily replaceable with something just as delicious — without the harmful ingredients. In order to find healthy chocolate, you’ll need to switch to a food store where organic chocolate is available.

In addition to the ingredients, cocoa content plays a major role in the healthiness of chocolate products. The higher the cocoa content, the healthier the chocolate is. Chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70 percent is the right kind of chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate will not be found with this cocoa content, so dark chocolate is preferred to attain the most benefits.

Chocolate is full of nutrients such as vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E. In addition to these vitamins, the cocoa in chocolate contains flavanols, a type of flavanoid. Flavanoids act as antioxidants, and thus possess the health benefits of antioxidants such as promoting graceful aging, improving memory, and, and helping with weight loss. Chocolate even inhibits cell division and reduces inflammation, leading to reduced cancer growth and spread.

While choosing healthy chocolate is the best option, don’t feel bad about consuming in some not-so-healthy treats. If you are normally a healthy eater, then there should be no guilt in treating yourself once in a while. As with many holidays, chocolates are going to be flowing in light of Valentine’s Day. If you happen to secure some delicious organic chocolate, don’t be afraid to indulge in this health-promoting Valentine’s treat!

It may be a shocker to those who have been reading the recent headlines proclaiming that Halloween can only lead to diabetes and heart disease, but Halloween candy can be healthy. How is this possible? Certain types of chocolate can actually help improve heart health, not damage it.

Chocolate is full of nutrients, such as vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E. Of course it is important to first look at the quality of the chocolate before biting in. It is important that the chocolate is organic, and contains at least 70% cacao content. The higher percentage of cacao, the better the chocolate is. This means that the chocolate will be darker, but not dark to the point of bitterness.

Oftentimes brand name chocolate found in grocery stores contains high fructose corn syrup and other harmful additives, making it a poor decision to eat or feed to your children on Halloween or any other time. Make sure to check the ingredients list of your chocolate product to ensure it is free of these additives.

Epidemiologic investigations have found through numerous studies that chocolate consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is due to flavonoids that are present in cacao, which promote heart health. The April, 2008 Journal of Nutrition published a double-blind controlled study that evaluated the effects of flavanol-containing dark chocolate. 49 adults participated in the study, who ate a diet set by the American Heart Association.

Participants consumed 1 cocoa dark chocolate bars 2 times daily (which was a lot more than I would recommend due to high fructose content, but it was just to amplify the results of the study), while keeping activity levels the same. The results were very interesting. Chocolate consumption reduced systolic blood pressure after 8 weeks, and reduced bad cholesterol by 5.3%.

You can stay healthy and enjoy a treat at the same time with high quality organic chocolate. Organic dark chocolate can often be found at your local grocery store for a reasonable price. Reward yourself and your children this Halloween with a treat that both tastes great and improves overall health.

For most people, eating a piece of cake while dieting would invoke extreme guilt and frustration. If you are living a healthy lifestyle and consuming the correct foods on a regular basis, then there is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while. In fact, treating yourself can be healthy. Find out why, and how to make sure you don’t overdo it.

Some people can afford to add a little bit of extra food to their diet. If you’re eating high-quality (preferably organic) foods, and taking in the right amount of vitamins and minerals (whether through supplementation or superfoods), then you are effectively giving your body what it needs to function at optimal levels. Since your body’s dietary needs are satisfied, it will not be detrimental to treat yourself to something extra like chocolate or ice cream, assuming you are not suffering from any medical conditions.

If you are sick, your body is working overtime to try and fight against what ails you. Obviously, this is not the time to stress your body with excess sugars and fats that it must therefore breakdown. When you are ill, it is important to eat even more powerful foods, and even less nutrient-deficient foods. Take a strong vitamin (or superfood), and make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Of course depending on the season and your geographic location, the sun delivers a different amount of vitamin D to everyone. Check out the vitamin D guide to ensure you’re getting enough.

Why not make the treat itself healthy

It’s hard for some people to think that cheating in your diet can be healthy, but it absolutely can. Not only does it ensure that you won’t reach your breaking point and start eating everything in sight, but the treat itself can actually be healthy as well. Take chocolate for example. Derived from the cacao plant, chocolate actually has many beneficial properties. Besides tasting great, cacao-chocolate helps with digestion, kidney function, bowel function, and a number of other things.

When I say cacao-chocolate, this is chocolate containing a certain percentage of cacao. Pure cacao is extremely bitter, and therefore most people will not enjoy it. With cacao-containing chocolate, you can still retain around 80-90% of the cacao without such a hard-hitting bitterness. Don’t take the percentage of cacao down too low, or you’re starting to take away from the effectiveness of the chocolate.

Treating yourself is a great way to ensure that you stay strong in your healthy new nutritional lifestyle, and yet another way to include some healthy foods in interesting ways. Treat yourself around once a week, and try and keep it fresh and preferably organic.

A new study done by the Medical Organization for the Regulatory Objective of Natural Sciences (M.O.R.O.N.S.) has revealed the unimagined: junk food contains a life-giving nutrient labeled Junk. That’s right, MSG-laden doughnuts and aspartame-filled diet sodas are actually something your body needs! What’s even more stunning is the fact that the research shows your body might be deficient in this essential nutrient of Junk, leading to diseases like cancer and diabetes. Could Junk be the cure for cancer?

This amazing research has truly changed science as we know it, and the very fabric that held together our previous dietary misconceptions! Splenda used to be considered absolutely toxic to your body due to it’s affects on digestion, weight gain, and diabetes. Now, we can simply pour hundreds of packets into our mouth, and wash it down with blended up Oreos!

Don’t Do Anything!

This research proves what Americans have been saying all along! There’s no need to exercise when you can sit, and there’s no reason to sit when you can lay down! This study proves that it’s now impossible to do any good through exercise, or even moving. Therefore, don’t move! Sit there all day! Who cares!

Millions around the world are trying to satisfy their body’s need for Junk

The general public thought that the millions around the globe who were eating everything in sight were simply gluttonous and overweight. Now we have come to realize these men were geniuses! Through their extensive research they must have realized that Junk was present in such food sources, enabling them to long life and a disease-free world. These people are the real heroes that we should honor for their founding of Junk. What would we do without them?

The Make-up of Junk

The make-up of Junk is extremely complex and potent. Due to the overload of neurotoxins and chemically engineered ingredients within the food, it creates the opposite effect. Thanks to huge corporations like Monsanto spending billions to genetically splice the seeds of just about every crop they can get their hands on, now we are able to reap the benefits of Junk.

Since Monsanto and other companies polluted the food supply with zombie-esque crops and seeds, a quantum black hole effect occurred: the food was so satiated with degenerative ingredients that all of them counteracted each other and turned into a magical ingredient! Wow, thanks Monsanto! As if that weren’t healthy already, it appears that the extensive use of harmful pesticides and illegal farming practices in South America also contributed to the compilation of Junk.

Luckily for the people of the United States not only do we get a chance to eat Monsanto-created zombie foods, but we also can enjoy the pesticide-drenched crops delivered directly from South America from our shores. In fact, the farming practices in South America have been banned in the United States for quite some time, but as long as it’s done before they bring them here, then that’s okay!

In Reality

Satirical humor aside, this article is both humorous but also informative. The practices of adding deadly chemicals to the food is indeed real, and it is something that is greatly affecting the health of the world. Beyond the additives previously listed in this article such as MSG and aspartame, there is a much stranger corruption of the food supply. With the addition of genetically modified foods (GMO) into the food chain, only time and extensive study can fully calculate the end result.

As of right now, there have been numerous studies showing not only the negative effects of GMO foods in regards to health, but also the effects of GMO foods on the very genetic coding of the body. Seeing as the modification process involves the alteration of the plant or seed’s genetic structure, it is obvious that there will be a reaction inside the body. An example of this that has actually been done is adding pig genes to a tomato to get it to be larger and juicier. The body was not designed to recognize pig genetics inside of a tomato, changing it’s composition.

Playing with nature to such an extent has always proven to be a mistake, and will continue to do so in the future. Stay away from foods containing these harmful ingredients, and always check the labels.