The TRUTH ABOUT STEVIA, THE SUBSTITUTE FOR SUGAR

Today everyone wants to stay healthy and anything in the market that shouts that health literally earns the confidence of people in the Kenyan market. Diabetes has been on the rise today and the use of STEVIA leaves been up to substitute the white or brown sugar that is commonly used. So many do not understand the effects of using stevia both the good and the bad...

Famously, Stevia is a plant that is native to South America. It is probably best known as a source of natural sweeteners. In fact, native people in South America have used stevia as a sweetener for hundreds of years. But the leaves are also used to make medicine.
NEMA agreed to the growth of these leaves in Kenya after realizing their medicinal effect aside from the sweetening ability.

Normally, Stevia is used as a weight loss aid; for treating diabetes, high blood pressure and heartburn; for lowering uric acid levels; for preventing pregnancy; and for increasing the strength of the muscle contractions that pump blood from the heart.

THE GOOD
Growing stevia in Kenya is a good backyard gardening activity for every household. This is a perfect way to reduce the household budget of sugar, as the sweetener is 30 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia herbal sugar offers sweetness minus the unhealthy effects and the sweetener is calorie free. The leaves can be used directly in tea fresh or dried. The natural leaves can also be cooked and eaten as vegetables. Stevia herbal sweetener is said to be good for all people including diabetics.

Stevia also serves as a natural, calorie-free sugar substitute and can be found as an ingredient in a variety of processed foods. Unlike dietary sugars, the sweetening agents in stevia do not increase your blood glucose levels after you consume them and can therefore help your blood sugar remain steady, nor do they contribute to dental cavities the way table sugar does. Finally, stevia holds an advantage over aspartame, an artificial sweetener containing the amino acid phenylalanine, for those with phenylketonuria. Phenylketonurics cannot process phenylalanine and must therefore avoid it. Because stevia doesn’t contain phenylalanine, it is a safer alternative to aspartame. But all these benefits are only available if used when raw... If you use it when processed the bad is bound to occur:

THE BAD
At high doses, stevia compounds can cause mutagenesis, or damage to your genes, and they also can lead to temporary gastrointestinal upset, muscle pain and weakness. Stevia can also interact with medications and affect their potency. For example, it can increase the effects of both blood-lowering and anti-diabetic drugs, requiring careful monitoring by your healthcare provider. In addition, until more thorough safety assessments have been completed, pregnant women should avoid stevia.In some people, stevia can cause nausea, bloating or gas.

You must be wondering how come you have not probably heard of it.. This package above can be found in Nakumatt or Tuskys today and is easy to grow on your backyard. In fact,  Stevia herbal sweetener is harvested 3 months after planting, after which the crop is dried and ground into powder for use as a sweetener. Alternatively juice can be extracted and used in a similar way. 

It is the best invention and departure from sugar but requires caution for the best use possible. For more email me on ndutaniceness@gmail.com

THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL AND BEER BELLIES

So in my line of consultancy, I have come across various people asking me what about beer? what about a little wine? and what if I am just the occasional drinker.
I will first clarify that morally, I do not advocate for any amount of ingestion of alcohol. But then again choices in life are sometimes self made and thus I speak for all when I stipulate the nutritional truth about alcohol.

In the first Place,
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is made through a process called fermentation. During fermentation, yeast breaks sugar down into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process is done without any air present, and once complete, the carbon dioxide gas bubbles out into the air, leaving ethanol and water behind. Distilled spirits, such as vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey, are fermented and then distilled to separate the ethanol from the water.
Various sources of sugar are used in these processes, resulting in different forms of alcohol. The sugar from crushed grapes is used to make wine; malted barley is used to make beer; sugar cane or molasses makes rum; grain, potatoes, beets, molasses, and a variety of other plants are used to make vodka.
The technique used to make the beverage will determine the alcohol content. You will see the percentage of alcohol per volume listed on the bottle, as well as the proof of the drink. The proof of a beverage is twice the alcohol content, so a drink with 12% alcohol per volume is 24 proof. Generally, a 12-ounce glass of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor all contain a ½ ounce of pure alcohol and are considered one drink.

Yes, as a nutritionist I am aware of the various types of alcohol in the market, as it is the truth about all of them is that they improve metabollic/digestion rate but provide empty calories to your body!!

 There is a popular belief that pot bellies in men are caused by drinking beer. This is why pot belly is referred to as ‘beer belly’. However, lets evaluate the facts, there are people who do not drink but develop pot belly. At the same time, there are people who are daily drinkers yet are extremely skinny. Therefore we should not generalise beer as a bad evil that impregnates men.

Today I will tackle the beer belly in men:

There are several reasons why beer is blamed for pot bellies in men.

1. The first reason is that beer is high in calories. 1 gram of alcohol contains approximately 7 Calories. This is the second highest number of calories compared to other macronutrients in food. 1 gram of fat contains 9 Calories, 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 Calories and 1 gram of protein contains 4 Calories. Calories in beer are referred to as empty calories. This implies that most of these calories end up converted into fat.

A 500 ml beer (approximately 1 pint) which is 5 % v/v alcohol contains approximately 170 Calories. This means that consuming 5 beer bottles of 500 ml gives a total of 850 Calories. These are only derived from beer. When you add the calories from the other foods then you exceed the daily recommended calorie intake.

2. Beer consumption leads to hunger, this can cause a person to eat additional unhealthy foods which are also high in calories such as barbecue meat (commonly referred to as choma), sausages and other fatty foods. Actually, many beer drinkers say that fatty foods reduces the level of drunkenness.

3. Beer also leads to dropping of blood sugars level. This leads to lethargy. Lethargy leads to reduced activity which implies that less calories are burned. The burning of less  calories increases the likely hood of accumulation of fat and hence pot belly.

Men with ‘beer belly’ are at high risk of many healthy problems. These include:

• Stroke
• Some types of cancer
• Abnormal lipids
• Insulin resistance
• High triglycerides
• Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol
• Metabolic syndrome
• Type 2 diabetes
• Sleep apnea
• Heart disease

I love questions. Why not leave them in comments section.

Sleep Disorder? Treat it with Food!

Who does'nt love to sleep....its such a natural sweet thing inherent in all human kind.Its unexplainable how we r wired to close our eyes every night and become unconscious...such a wonderful thing.God in his own wisdom...knew we need quality sleep.

But many people find it very difficult to sleep because either they are too tired or just don't have an idea why they cannot catch sleep! This insomniatic state has caught up with many people and can be treated tremendously through what you eat.

Food is a powerful tool. Not only does it provide nutrients to our bodies, it also effects our energy and sleep cycles. How you eat can have powerful effects on how you sleep. While many foods act as stimulants to keep us alert and awake, others can encourage sleepiness. If you're having trouble sleeping at night, it is important to learn what types of food will make you drowsy. Doing so can mean the difference between a restless night and a good night's sleep.

 

Dairy Products

Dairy products like cheese, milk and cottage cheese can help make you sleepy. This is because they contain tryptophan, an amino acid that the brain relies on to build relaxing neurotransmitters. In addition, the calcium found in dairy products encourages the production of sleep-inducing melatonin.

Nuts
Nuts contain magnesium, a known muscle relaxer. Eat a handful of peanuts before bed. Or try some hazelnuts or peanuts. They are also high in tryptophan. Because tryptophan takes about an hour before it encounters the brain, do not eat your nighttime snack right before you go to bed.

 Oatmeal
Eating a bowl of oatmeal to help aid sleep. Oatmeal triggers the production of insulin, helping the blood sugar rise naturally. In addition, oats are full of the sleep aid melatonin.

Try oatmeal plain or slice up a few bananas on top. Bananas contain both magnesium and potassium, which are muscle relaxers. They also contain tryptophan.

 Popcorn
Yes you heard right! popcorn may help you get better sleep. Enjoy popcorn while watching television while perusing a book or magazine. Go easy on the salt and butter when you eat popcorn before bed, since table salt, which may make you retain fluids and wake up in the middle of the night thirsty, is not sleep-friendly.

 Eggs
Foods with carbohydrates and tryptophan are the best to help induce sleep, and they're also nutritious. Eggs contain just the right amount of tryptophan to make them an ideal choice for nighttime snacks. Carbohydrates engage insulin in your body to transport glucose into the cells, while the tryptophan goes to the brain and helps you become sleepy. Sprinkle a little cheese on scrambled eggs and you will provide your body with enough carbohydrates and protein to keep it full until morning.


Bananas
A combination of a banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea will help to induce sleepiness. Bananas contain a natural substance called melatonin, which is also present in the human body and helps us to sleep. Not enough melatonin can mean a restless and sleepless night. Bananas also contain magnesium, which helps our muscles to relax, and serotonin.

Try one of these foods and find your sleep coming back almost immediately...

For more email me on ndutaniceness@gmail.com