What Is Stevia?

Maybe you’ve heard of stevia already, maybe you haven’t. But if not, then it’s time you did! Stevia is a natural sweetener, derived from the stevia rebaudiana plant that was first discovered centuries ago in Paraguay by the native population. But it wasn’t until the late 19th century that a Swiss botanist working in South America documented the so-called “sweet leaf”, and brought it back with him.

These days you can buy stevia in many forms. The most popular is white extract powder, but you can also buy dried stevia leaves, stevia liquid extract, or as small pellets to sweeten your coffee with. The sweet leaf sweetener is also available in its granular form in small packets.

However, the all-natural stevia sweetener is different from sugar in many ways, and there are several reasons why stevia is a better option than sucrose, whether you’re diabetic or just looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle. So let’s go and have a look at them!

1. Stevia is very, very potent

The raw leaves of the stevia plant are approximately 40 times sweeter than sugar, and the powdered sweetener derived from them is up to 200-300 times sweeter. What this means, is that just a tiny bit of stevia will suffice for most of your sugar free recipes. The sweet leaf’s shelf life is about 5 years, so it most certainly is a worthwhile investment.

Continue reading: “7 Reasons Why Stevia is Better Than Refined Sugar”

MegaHydrate™ is a cutting edge dietary supplement boasting one of the highest antioxidant potentials on the planet. It was created by physicist and medical doctor Patrick Flanagan as a way to boost cellular hydration by reducing the surface tension of water within the body, essentially making the water in and between our cells wetter.

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About MegaHydrate

The idea is that with optimal hydration and surface tension of this fluid we are able to more efficiently eliminate toxins and metabolic by-products on the most basic level. Add to this a potential increase in the delivery of important nutrients and you have a recipe for healthier cells and a healthier body.

More than one hundred times more potent than popular plant-based antioxidant sources such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, green tea extract and grape seed extract, MegaHydrate™ has been tested in a clinical setting for its applications to overall wellbeing and free-radical elimination.

According to Flanagan, silica hydride is the only antioxidant compound that does not convert itself into a pro-oxidant after donating its electrons, instead combining with other hydrogen atoms to form a harmless gas or with oxygen and hydrogen to form water. You can read all about the science behind MegaHydrate™ on the links at the bottom.

Continue reading: “11 Health Benefits of MegaHydrate”

Recent scientific research confirms that gardening may be linked to higher rates of vegetable eating in older populations of adults. According to a recent report from Texas A&M University and Texas State University, older populations of adults who garden are more likely to eat vegetables than their non-gardening counterparts.

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This study, published in Hort Technology, surveyed adults over the age of 50. Over 250 questionnaires were completed by adults aged 50 years and older, over the course of one month. The online survey was created as an effort to encourage gardening among older adults, and was part of a program involving what the researchers called “gardening intervention.”

These gardening intervention programs were created as an outreach effort based on other research studies that showed the clear link between poor nutrition as a key cause for early mortality and morbidity in the elderly. In fact, poor nutrition has been shown to contribute to death rates just as much as cigarette smoking. And even though older populations report eating more fruit and vegetables than other age groups studied, the research shows that more than half of the U.S. elderly population does not get even the five fruit-and-veggie daily governmental recommendation. I would even go as far to recommend getting even more than five servings of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis.

Continue reading: “Gardening at Home Linked to Increased Veggie Consumption”

What is Pectinase?

Commonly found in many fruits such as bananas and apples, pectinase plays a key role not only in the digestive processes, but also, and perhaps more importantly, in total physical well-being and anti-aging.

Pectin is a type of fiber that makes up the cell wall of many types of fruits and vegetables. It is composed of a long polysaccharides that form a gelatinous substance in the center of the plant cell wall and between plant cells. It occurs primarily in the non-woody parts of plants, which, of course, are the parts that most likely to be consumed.

Pectin is a part of our diet not only because of its presence in the fruits and vegetable, but it is also used extensively as a gelling and thickening agent in processed foods, particularly as a thickener in jams and jellies. Pectinase, along with cellulase and hemicellulase, helps with the digestion of plant based foods, increasing their nutritional and prebiotic value.

Continue reading: “The Health Benefits of Pectinase”

A few weeks ago, the FDA quietly issued new guidance on dietary supplements. You probably didn’t hear about it, because it went largely unreported through the mainstream media.

To the surprise of no one, the FDA has decided to go after your supplements once again. So, let’s break down the new guidance rules and how they may affect you.

The “New” FDA Guidelines Explained

The newly enforced guidance focuses on the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notifications, which will require supplement companies to submit a “New Dietary Ingredient” application to the FDA, if the product fits into any of the following categories:

• The serving size changes
• The marketing strategy changes
• Any new ingredient is added to the product
• The manufacturing technique “chemically alters” an ingredient in the product

These guidelines are not really “new,” but more “newly enforced.” Back in 1994, when the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed, one of the stipulations was that supplement companies had to notify the FDA when ingredients changed in their products.

Continue reading: “New FDA Guidance on Dietary Supplements: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly”