No Soda, Now What?

If your new year's resolution is related to health or losing weight, chances are you're trying to eat better, but what about drinking better? Standard soda pops are very high in sugar and low in nutrients and are no where on my list of what a healthy diet consists of, but if you're a soda-drinker, it can be hard to kick the habit. If cold turkey isn't your style, consider utilizing these transitional beverages while you cut back:

• Instead of conventional cola, try Zevia sodas. Made with stevia, they are lower in calories, but just as tasty.
• Instead of ginger ale, add 1-3 tsp of New Chapter Ginger Honey Syrup to soda or mineral water. The natural ginger will give you a boost of energy while the honey has beneficial effects for your immune system.
• Instead of root beer or cream soda, add 10-15 drops of Root Beer or Vanilla Cream flavored concentrated stevia to soda or mineral water for a delicious calorie free drink.

While "natural" soda may be a better option from the point of view of the type of sugar in them (usually cane sugar instead of corn syrup), they are still high in sugar and empty calories. Keep this jingle in mind when you're thinking your drink:

Drinks with flavor
are fine to savor,
but for your thirst,
drink water first.

All About Eggs

From Mother Earth News (Oct-Nov 2007)

Eggs from pasture raised hens (compared to USDA data for commercial eggs):

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more Vitamin A
• 2x more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3x more vitamin E
• 7x more beta carotene

Another important distinction is that for most people, eating a moderate amount of eggs in the diet does not have a large impact on their blood cholesterol levels. In fact, eggs may be a healthy source for essential fatty acids (commonly called Omega-3's) as shown above. Most of the cholesterol circulating in our bodies is actually produced in the liver and not absorbed into our blood stream from our diets. However, our diets do have a strong impact on our cholesterol level. The culprits, such as sugar and saturated fat, act through hormonal mediators to stimulate the liver's production and distribution of cholesterol.