The Sugar in Our Drinks

Soft drinks are not the only commercially sold beverage that is loaded with sugar these days. There are alarmingly high amounts of sugar in the different popular drinks, including a popular organic soy milk and good old orange juice. A friend of mine shared this link to a site that compares various beverages by serving size, total calories, and calories from sugar. I was quite shocked to see how much these popular drinks contain. What's fascinating is what a difference it makes to better understanding the sugar content concept when you see a picture showing you exactly what those numbers mean in terms of sugar cubes.

The website owner (or author) took the time to stack up sugar cubes and the drinks to help the reader understand the concepts. I also noticed some corrections that were made (based on reader feedback) to some items that have been changed by the manufacturer. I think that shows that the author is not trying to mislead anyone into avoiding or banning these beverages, but willing to present the facts so that we all can make informed decisions about our food and beverage consumption.

Vitamin Facts We Need To Know

To be able to make informed decisions about our nutritional and dietary needs, we must get all the facts. There are some vitamins that can be toxic when taken in large doses (i.e., vitamins A, D, E or K). The body does not need these every day and stores them in the liver and fatty tissues when not used. They are also eliminated much more slowly than water-soluble vitamins (B-complex and C). How do we know how much is considered too much?

Yes, we're safer with supplements now...

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) there have been 450,000 adverse event reports reported in pharmaceutical-related cases in the last 6 months. In comparison, there have only been 604 adverse event reports related to dietary supplements in the same six months.

Vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs of the Natural Products Association, Daniel Fabricant said, "As it stands now, the number of mandatory AERs (adverse event reports) is well within - and even a bit below - the normal range that the FDA expected to receive from dietary supplements based on last year's guidance," he said. "To put the number in perspective, the FDA received more than 450,000 mandatory AERs in 2007 from prescription pharmaceuticals."

Water Is Life

This is a learning tool regarding alkaline water. This video is in Japanese with English subtitles, however, the information provided in it is remarkable and well worth the 9 minutes it takes to view. It is called "Water is Life." The video shows the results of several different experiments with alkaline water.

There is no marketing in the video to try to convince you to use one type of alkaline water product over another. The choice is yours. Look for the product that works best for your situation - your budget and lifestyle.

Acid-Alkaline Balance

"The cells of a healthy body are alkaline, while the cells of a diseased body are acidic."
- Arthur C. Guyton, M.D.
Textbook of Medical Physiology

If you suffer from a pH imbalance, it can:

* Thicken your blood and increase your risk of heart problems.
* Block vitamin absorption and starve your body of essential nutrients.
* Create toxic buildup in clogged cells.
* Slow down organ function and make you feel sluggish and weak.
* Prevent proper digestion and create excess gas and bloating.
* Cause unhealthy weight gain.
* Speed the aging process and make you look and feel older.