Choosing Healthier Snack Alternatives

Choosing healthy snacks is probably the biggest problem both adults and children face. If you eat nutritious meals consistently yet eat high calorie sugary snacks, you are not doing your body any good at all. That doesn't mean you should never eat a piece of cake, candy or cookies, but you should limit these selections and have them as occasional treats rather than the everyday snack. It is unrealistic to think that any person can go five or six hours without food, but it's important to learn what kinds of foods to eat when you are hungry in between meals.

One of the best choices for snacks is fresh fruits and raw vegetables, but if you add additional toppings, even these can be fattening. You have to be careful what you consume with fruits and vegetables and ensure that those flavorings are also healthy. For example, a vegetable dip can be fattening, but you can use fat free yogurt and add dry onion soup mix to make a great dip for raw vegetables. You can also choose sugar free Jell-o or fat free pudding instead of cake or cookies. Popcorn, pretzels and unsalted nuts are also good choices for healthy snacks.

Sometimes parents are not even sure what to give their children as a healthy snack because they don't always understand the importance of children needing to eat healthy. They think children need extra calories and sugar because of their energy levels, but that is not the case at all. Sugar is nothing more than a quick energy kick that will bring you down just as quickly. A slice of whole grain bread will do more for your energy than a candy bar and will last longer. Keep in mind that you can defeat the purpose of eating popcorn and pretzels if you load either of them with salt or choose buttery popcorn. Bitter sprays are free of calories and cholesterol yet give the impression of being loaded with butter.

Snacks can provide healthier in the vending machines by choosing from companies such as School Healthy Vending that provide natural fruit juices as well as natural and organic snacks that are healthy for children. YoNaturals supports schools in their efforts to provide healthier snacks in vending machines that students use and seeks the support of parents as well. If both schools and parents worth together to provide healthier snacks for our children, we may eventually reach a point where we have a healthier adult population as well. After all, poor eating habits are developed in childhood so if we prevent those habits from developing, it's natural to assume most children will enter adulthood knowing how to eat healthy meals and snacks.

Choose YoNaturals

Who says that you can't eat your carbohydrates and still maintain a healthy diet? In fact, carbohydrates play an essential role in providing your body with the energy that it needs to get through the day. And, given the many, many varieties of food that contain carbohydrates, it isn't even very difficult to find ways to incorporate them into a healthy diet.

Many foods contain carbohydrates, but not all of these foods are good for you. When considering the health benefit or impact of eating a food that is a significant source of carbohydrates, it is important to make note of the types of carbohydrates that it contains: complex carbohydrates or simple sugars. The body easily metabolizes the latter, while taking a longer time to process the former. The resulting difference in the processing time can be measured by monitoring the change of blood sugar level in a person. The easily processed simple sugars will cause it to spike quickly, whereas the complex carbohydrates will cause a gradual rise as the molecule is broken down into its component parts. But which is which you ask?

The first thing to do is to keep your eyes peeled for foods and food products that contain highly refined grain, like white flour and white rice. These are loaded with simple sugars, and you will not be making a bad decision if you decide to avoid them for the rest of your life. However, it is also good to remember that not all foods that contain simple sugars are bad for your health. Consider the fruit selections at your local grocery store or healthy snack vending machine. These also contain simple sugars, yet most people agree that their health benefits outweigh any downside that their carbohydrates carry with them.

At the same time, if you are consciously selecting a new source of carbohydrates for your diet, choose one of the foods that contain some of the complex carbohydrates. Foods such as brown rice, vegetables, and low-fat dairy. These can be incorporated into a healthful diet fairly easily. Beyond that, it is up to you to educate yourself about the different types of carbohydrates that are popping up on your plate and in your pantry.

And what about when you are away from home? You will not always find yourself near your own food stocks when you are hit with a hunger pang, so choose snacks from a healthy vending machine instead of the traditional snack and candy variety.

YoNaturals is the original and most revolutionary maker of such machines. Seek out their name when you are choosing your snacks in these situations.

Good Nutrition Boosts the Immune System

The immune system is a very important part of our body, and without it we would be unable to fight all of the diseases and illnesses that are rampant daily. That means that we must keep our bodies well-nourished in order for our immune systems to be in tip top shape. That is why YoNaturals chooses to vend only natural and organic products in our machines. Without good nutrition our immune systems will break down and be unable to fight off even the mildest cold. You need only talk to someone you know who suffers from a compromised immune system to know what that can do to your ability to fight illnesses.

Of course, some people are born with compromised immune systems, but most people have a healthy immune system at birth. Over time a healthy immune system can deteriorate if it does not receive proper nourishment in order to keep it healthy and strong. Every illness you get depends on the strength of your immune system including cancer. If you keep your immune system in good working condition you will live a longer and healthier life.

Maintaining a healthy immune system doesn’t mean simply making certain you have all of the nutrients the body needs, but it also includes things such as keeping your weight in control, exercising, getting the proper amount of sleep and keeping your stress level down. Yes, allowing your body to consistently be under stress will cause your immune system to break down and open the potential for you to develop many illnesses and diseases that a healthy immune system would have prevented. Have you ever wondered why some people have several colds a year while others never seem to be sick? The answer lies in the immune system and its ability to prevent the body from succumbing to the rash of colds that attack others.

The key point is to maintain a healthy immune system you must have proper nourishment. Yo Naturals advises that it doesn’t matter if you are two or ninety-two your body must have proper nutrition in order to function properly. Every part of your body works together as a team and has its own function—those functions require good nutrition in order to do their jobs properly. All of your organs—heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, etc.—all need good nutrition to perform their essential jobs. Now is the time to begin looking toward your future and if you aren’t currently eating for good health, it is not too late to start. Just like quitting smoking can undo the damage created by smoking, good nutrition can repair the damage caused by poor eating habits.

Yo Naturals - Do Vegetarians Get Enough Iron, Protein or Vitamin B-12?

Almost every carnivore I’ve met has insisted that I, a vegetarian, do not and cannot get the protein I need to survive. They usually also add that iron and B-12 can only be found in meat or vitamin supplements. I wish our children would be educated on this issue so that when they grow up they are not constantly pushing their erroneous beliefs and forcing people like me to incessantly explain nutritional facts to everyone who believe they have proof which opposes my decision!

Ok, I apologize for my rather crude alacrity. I certainly realize the concern for providing a balanced and nutritious diet to vegetarians and those thinking about becoming vegetarians. That being said, here is how vegetarians not only get plenty of protein, iron, B-12 but all the nutritional needs of the human body.

The key is to become aware of your body’s nutritional requirements so that you vary your foods appropriately. Being a vegetarian takes a little homework and study. The biggest problem is when people go vegetarian by simply quitting meat and fish without understanding what to replace it with.

Vegetarian diets provide many incomplete proteins. It is necessary to learn how to create complete proteins. This can be very simple by adding beans and legumes with a grain. The amino acids necessary in the proteins will be stored in the body for several days. So don’t worry that you must combine at every meal, only a variety of these foods over the course of a week is sufficient to maintain nutritional balance.

Eggs, cheese and milk are complete proteins on their own but to rely on them as your sole source is extremely unhealthy due to such high cholesterol and saturated fat levels contained in them.

Quinoa is a grain that is a complete protein on its own as well, and is very popular with vegetarians because it can easily replace rice in any type of meal. Many dishes you already make are probably complete proteins, beans and rice, for example. But there are many choices; risotto, black beans, hummus and pita bread, tofu, vegetarian chili on spaghetti (kids love it!), these are some examples.

Iron is found in dark leafy vegetables, broccoli, kale, spinach, whole grain products, nuts, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, to name a few. Boy that was easy! Additional note about iron, it is even better absorbed by the body when eaten with a vitamin C rich food such as oranges, or red or yellow peppers.

Now B-12 gives many people the most concern. Yet once again it’s not as difficult as one may believe. Tofu, tempeh, soy products, (even soy sauce!), seaweed, dairy and eggs are all providers of B-12. So try a vegetarian “sushi” roll some time, made with tempeh, carrots, cucumber, avocado, and the wrap of sticky rice and seaweed, dipped in soy sauce and you have a plethora of B-12, protein and even iron in one little snack!

It can be done and it is delicious. Hopefully as we continue to become more aware of the damage being done to our bodies, our environment and to the helpless animals, we can re-learn how to eat for a better tomorrow.

Author: Kim Winterstein for Yo Naturals Healthy Vending Business in California.

YoNaturals Business: Diabetes Prevention

Author: Rachel Moss

Type 2 Diabetes is becoming increasingly common in adults and in children. Between the prevalence of unhealthy processed food and the time spent in front of the television and computer instead of exercising, it makes it difficult to manage our weight and defend against the diseases that accompany weight problems.

Type 2 Diabetes is a condition resulting from insulin resistance, where the body does not properly use insulin, and insulin deficiency. For adults with diabetes, there are many serious illnesses that are associated with diabetes and an increased risk for complications from type 2 diabetes, including high blood pressure, kidney disease and heart disease.

It’s important to know what you can do to prevent this type of diabetes altogether, starting early in your children’s lives. Maintaining a healthy weight is the cornerstone of preventing diabetes. By making healthy choices in your diet and by being more active, you and your children have a better chance of staying healthier throughout your life.

Here are a few tips from YoNaturals Business on what you can do to help your kids maintain a healthy weight and prevent not just type 2 diabetes, but other weight related illnesses as well.

• Choose fruits and vegetables – include more fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks. Kids can be notoriously picky eaters but find some common ground on things that they like, such as bananas or apples with a little peanut butter, or baked French fries.
• Eat small, frequent healthy meals – rather than having them clean their plate when they’re not hungry, make sure they have small healthy meals and snacks throughout the day when they are hungry.
• Encourage healthy snacks – this can be difficult, especially when they’re at school. Fortunately, companies like YoNaturals can provide healthy choices with vending machines that include snacks with natural ingredients and less sugar.
• More exercise – encourage your kids to move and play more. Take them to a park or even a roller skating rink and make sure they’re having fun without lots of time sitting in front of the television or their favorite video game.
• Choose whole grains – choose whole grains for meals and snacks instead of processed, refined grains. Good options include oatmeal, brown rice and popcorn.
• Be a role model – choose a healthy diet for yourself and find activities for exercise that you can enjoy together as a family.

Developing new habits as a family will help all of you to have more energy, manage your weight more easily and healthfully and will make it easier to stay healthy throughout your life. YoNaturals Vending Business invites you to take a more active role in maintaining your health.