Healthy eating is such an easy thing to do, yet many people begin their lives without being exposed to it. Why? Is it that parents are naturally negligent? Parents either fail to learn the importance of feeding their children healthy meals and snacks or don’t understand the impact of poor eating habits on the future growth of their children. There are also those who use the excuse that feeding their children healthy meals is more expensive than feeding processed foods, and though the initial cost of preparing home-cooked meals may be higher than one pays for processed foods, once you have all the ingredients you need, the cost will level out.

On the other hand there are those who insist buying fresh fruit is more expensive than buying cupcakes or baking a cake; however, this information is highly inaccurate. If fresh fruit is out of the budget during off-season, frozen or canned varieties that are unsweetened or packed in natural juices are a healthy substitute. Of course, the real question is whether money is more important than the health of your child. There is always a way to work around the expenses of healthy foods, but one must first become educated in the importance of buying healthy foods and how to prepare them for the entire family. Healthy eating is not something just for your children though they are the most important factors in this equation.

One of the most important reasons to encourage healthy eating in your children is because of the damage that sweet snacks can cause. In about the last fifty years the numbers of cases of ADD and ADHD have increased dramatically, and some experts link these figures to excessive sweets and preservatives that are in processed foods. While many lay people tend to believe these conditions are excuses for poor parenting, they are indeed real to those who suffer from them. If we return to eating wholesome and natural foods, the numbers of cases of ADD and ADHD will decrease as well, but it will take the cooperation of schools and parents.

Another major problem with both children and adults is that of poor choices of snacks. In the case of school age children, part of the blame for this can be placed on the schools who fail to provide healthy snacks—for instance, teachers often use sweets as a reward for good behavior. While no one disputes the need for snacks, adults need to understand that children do not need sweet snacks. Our schools need to join with YoNaturals and team with companies such as Healthy Student Vending and School Healthy Vending to ensure the children have healthy snacks. Parents need to cooperate with the schools and provide healthy snacks at home. It is no more expensive to by an apple than it is to buy a cupcake—probably less expensive. Students will be better behaved and more focused when they consume less sugar and more natural foods.

Fruits, vegetables, grains, rice, breads, cereals – these are all familiar foods that can be found in grocery stores, restaurants, and kitchens across the world. And, contrary to what some dieter believe about carbohydrates, these foods can be sources of the good kinds of carbohydrates for your diet. The key is to distinguish between the foods that contain the good sorts of carbohydrates and the ones that contain the kind that do not provide the same healthy benefits to your diet.

Carbohydrates are macromolecules that provide a quick and readily available energy source to the person who consumes them. Further, carbohydrates are available in two major forms–as simple sugars and starches. The body processes carbohydrates by breaking them down into simple sugars (if they’re not already in that form prior to consumption). Those sugar molecules are then transporting into the eater’s blood stream, where their blood sugar level increases. As a result of this, a hormone known as insulin is then secreting by the pancreas as the transportation mechanism responsible for moving the sugar into the body’s cells where it can be used for energy purposes. So, you ask, what distinguishes a good type of carb from a bad type?

The thing that distinguishes a good carb from a lesser one is the time that it takes to break it down into its component parts. Carbohydrates that are already manifested as simple sugars will obviously require less time to be moved into the blood stream, thereby causing a more rapid change in blood sugar level. On the other hand, eating some of the more complex carbohydrates results in a more gradual change in blood sugar level.

Simple sugars aren’t totally at fault for modern America’s health problems though. The problem with carbohydrates comes from people eating too many of the wrong type. Think of white bread and white rice. “Highly refined grain” should be one of the first thoughts into your head, yet many people simply think of these as components of a hearty, All-American meal. A shift in thinking is required if America is going to take on the obesity epidemic that is facing the country today. People are going to have to learn to choose brown rice over white rice, and fruits over candy bars.

And on the subject of fruits, it’s important to note that not all foods that contain simple sugars are bad for your health. Fruits do contain simple sugars, yet their health benefits definitely outweigh any negative qualities that are associated with their carbohydrate counts.

Education is your best defense against eating carbohydrates that are bad for your health. And when the info is not available for you to educate yourself, default to what you think to be the healthiest option. That is, when standing in front of a bank of vending machines, staring down a hunger pang, choose from a healthy vendor such as YoNaturals instead of one of the traditional chips and candy machines. It’s for your health.

Yo Naturals would like to offer some advice for those of you who are looking to improve your health. There is lots of evidence to support the claims that antioxidants not only help you to look younger but also fight disease. Studies have shown that antioxidants can help you prevent and even reverse a number of different cancers. Antioxidants also help to protect your heart and prevent you from suffering heart disease. Antioxidants also help to prevent diabetes, cataracts and degenerative diseases.What are these things called antioxidants? The main antioxidants are the vitamins A, C & E along with the minerals Zinc and Selenium. Other antioxidants are Co-Enzyme Q10, l-gluthathione and cysteine. There are also phytonutrients such as lycopene and lutein which are also antioxidants.

The best way of getting all of these antioxidants is to ensure you have an antioxidant rich diet. Let’s look at some of the foods that contain antioxidants. The first food is a personal favorite and is chocolate. Numerous studies have touted chocolate as being a great source of antioxidants. The best chocolate from an antioxidant standpoint is a dark chocolate that contains at least 80% cocoa solids.

Another great form of antioxidants is berries. All berries are high in antioxidants although the Brazilian acai berry is the latest to be hailed an antioxidant super food, containing over ten times the antioxidant levels of a blueberry. Despite this finding, blueberries are still recommended as are strawberries, cranberries, blackberries and raspberries as being part of your antioxidant health busting diet.

One of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean Diet is the tomato. The tomato is also rich in antioxidants including lycopene which has been found to decrease night blindness and also reduce a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by 20%. This delicious fruit contains high levels of antioxidants in both its raw and cooked states, so should be a definite staple in your diet.

The next antioxidant hero is broccoli. Broccoli has been heralded as a superfood for over 15 years with several studies highlighting its cancer fighting abilities. Over the past couple of years the attention has shifted slightly to broccoli sprouts where a study at Harvard has found the levels of antioxidants are even more concentrated.

Despite puffing on a pipe Popeye always appeared healthy; is this a clue? Yes spinach is also a top antioxidant food. Spinach also contains a special antioxidant called lutein which seems to have an affinity with the heart, keeping it fit and strong.

Another top antioxidant food is walnuts. Walnuts should be added to your daily diet for their antioxidant value alone. In fact in July 2006 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition labeled walnuts as number two (behind blackberries) for their antioxidant levels.

Other foods that you need to include in your diet to keep your levels of antioxidants up include pinto, black and kidney beans, eggplants and kumara (sweet potato). Stay young and healthy by eating at least one of these antioxidant foods every day.

This article was written by Louanne Cox on behalf of Yo Naturals health food vending machines.

Author: Joshua Zelesnick

Here are some ways to add instant health to your daily diet.  Try some or all of these super foods to start your day off and end your day off great.  You may already have some of these foods in your diet, and good for you, but try some of the others too, and while you’re at it give some of what may be your least favorite foods another chance.  Your health is worth it.

1. Sweet potatoes:  If only Thanksgiving could be once a week.  The sweet potato is a nutritional all-star and one o the best vegetables you can eat.  Sweet potatoes are loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

2. Grape tomatoes:  Okay, so we all had a scare with tomatoes a little while ago, but as it turns out it was not the tomatoes that had the salmonella.  So go out and buy them!  They’re packed with vitamin C and vitamin A, and you also get fiber, phytochemicals, and a lot of flavor.

3. Fat free or 1 percent milk and yogurt:  Ditch whole milk and whole milk yogurt and turn to fat-free alternatives.  If you can’t make the giant leap, start off with two percent milk, then move on to one percent, then try fat-free.  These low-fat dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, vitamins, and protein with little or no artery-clogging fat or cholesterol.

4. Broccoli:  It’s so good for us!  True it’s really green and it may not be the most appealing vegetable, especially for kids, but give it another try.  Steam it, add it to a stir fry, and melt a little cheese on it.  Broccoli has lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid.

5. Wild Salmon:  The omega-3 fats in fatty fish like salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks.  Salmon that is caught in the wild has less PCB contamination than farm-raised salmon.

6. Crisp breads:  Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Rye Krisp, and Ryvita, are loaded with fiber and are often fat-free.

7. Microwaveable or ten minute brown rice:  If you can’t decide on a side dish, why not choose brown rice?  Brown rice contains fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B-6, copper, zinc and phytochemicals.

8. Citrus fruit:  Yum!  Yum!  Citrus fruits taste great and are rich in vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber.

9. Butternut squash:  Doesn’t it just sound good?  Every half-cup has five grams of fiber and loads of vitamins A and C.

10. Spinach and kale:  Both are packed with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, iron, lutein, and phytochemicals. 

Add these foods to your diet and see if you feel and look better in a month.  Your taste buds will be happy too.  Cheers to happy and healthy eating.