Tag: Misconceptions

The Best-Kept Secrets About Ice Cream

Fans of ice cream will be pleasantly surprised to learn that two of the most common myths about this product are not based in fact. First, ice cream is not a high-calorie diet disaster; and second, ice cream is actually better for you than its substitutes. It is a good idea to dispel these popular misconceptions, for you can not only enjoy ice cream, you can also appreciate knowing that it is good for you.

Many people believe that ice cream is high in calories, and therefore believe that it is a treat which should be avoided. While calorie content varies, depending on which particular brand and style you prefer, the brands and styles you can find in your local grocery store are considerably lower in calories than one might think. It is not necessary to sacrifice taste and enjoyment, for the regular varies of ice cream do not contain a caloric count that is significantly higher than the “light” or “diet” types.

For example, Breyer’s, which is one of the most popular brands of ice cream, has only 140 calories per serving in their all-natural vanilla flavor. While one might be skeptical about additional tasty morsels in ice cream, Breyer’s natural rocky road only has 160 calories per serving. And while the Blue Bunny brand entices you to its product with wonderful enhancers, even their Bunny Tracks delight, which is said to be “chunky and gooey” will not sabotage your wish to eat healthy treats, at 170 calories in each serving.

For those who prefer their ice cream to be portable, many of these treats are also well within the range for calorie-counters. An Edy’s ice cream sandwich, for example, contains only 150 calories; and there are only 180 in each Blue Bunny neapolitan ice cream sandwich.

Ice creams which are listed as light or diet do not generally have a lower enough calorie content to make it a factor. Most serious ice cream fans will be happy to know that they do not need to sacrifice flavor, taste, and the better consistency of their favorite product for the sake of lower calories. Schwan’s light vanilla, for example, contains 120 calories per half-cup serving, while their regular vanilla is only 140; Perry’s light vanilla has 110 calories, but their premium White Lightning has only 170 calories.

In addition to concern about calories, many people who love ice cream also believe it to be unhealthy in general, and opt for less enjoyable substitutes. While those who have been advised by their physicians to limit their intake of fats and sugars due to medical conditions, should follow their doctors’ advice, people who are in good health and do not have such limitations can note that ice cream substitutes are not generally more healthy than traditional ice creams.

The most well-known ice cream substitute is called ice milk. While many believe that this product is significantly more healthy than traditional ice cream, the only differentiating factor is that ice milk contains less than ten percent milk fat, whereas ice cream is required to contain at least ten percent, and many of the better brands range up to sixteen percent milk fat. Gelato, the Italian style of ice cream which is increasing in popularity in many areas, also does not have a much lower fat content– up to seven percent, as opposed to regular ice cream’s required ten percent. Other than ice cream products which are specially made fat-free or sugar-free for those who have medical conditions which necessitate this, the ingredients in regular ice cream and the process by which it is made make it not only a good choice for one’s enjoyment, but also a healthy one.

Sports Nutrition And Athletic Health

To those who do not know, it is quite a pleasure to announce that sports nutrition health is extremely detrimental to an athletes performance. Why detrimental? This is what drives athletes to prioritize their health and maintain a healthy lifestyle to be able to excel in their sport. How can you play your sport well if you do not have the energy nor do you have the muscle strength to run fast or to jump high?

However, there are certain factors that can prevent you from attaining that sports nutrition health that is deemed to appropriate for your status.

You, assuming that you are an athlete or thinking of becoming one, must, first and foremost, understand the principles of sports nutrition completely. What is the point of staying healthy when you do not even know what being healthy is all about?

You must also avoid engaging yourself in false beliefs and misconceptions. Myths are completely different from facts, and your sports nutrition health is indeed a fact so do not, under any circumstances, mix unreal and unproven principles with facts. Doing so will do a great deal in compromising your health, thus, your career as an athlete.

You must also take note of nutrition requirements that are related to your training program. Failure to recognize these said requirements would bring bad effects to your health status. Why? You might be taking carbohydrates all right but not in the right amount or in the amount that is appropriate for you. So there will either be an excess or a lack, and neither is helpful for your health status.

There is a fine line between having a good sports nutrition health and dieting to lose fat. In fact, it is not just a fine line but a huge line. Do not mistake them to be the same thing or else your health will be compromised.

You may have an extremely busy schedule, being an athlete and all, but you must still consume appropriate amount of food. So you must manage your time well to have an adequate time for eating. Time management is definitely the key.

For starters, you may not be financially stable right away, but that is how it always is when you are just beginning. However, this scarcity of finances might be a factor for you not to be able to attain adequate food supplies.

Fats are the things that you should be more concerned about since these are the ones that decide what kind of figure to give your body. You must not lose more than one half pound of fat in a week because if this happens, your body will individually think that you are undergoing a fasting, trying to starve yourself. If this is the case, your metabolism slows down since there is a need to conserve calories that have been used and also since your muscles will be used as sources of energy.

So listen to these tips and you will be on your way to stardom as a successful athlete, but still keep your sports nutrition health very much intact. Why? It is because without proper sports nutrition health, you will not have a chance or an opportunity to be a successful athlete. An athlete yes, but a successful one? Think again.

A Rundown on the Kinds of Artificial Sweeteners

Because of the sudden need of America to suddenly go dieting, a lot of low calorie artificial sweeteners have been flooding the market. There have been a lot of speculations as to how safe these artificial sweeteners are. All of those being sold legally in the market has of course been tested and approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration.

Despite this, there are still some doubts on the safety of the products and a lot of misconceptions on how these products can affect the body. For instance, pregnant women can use artificial sweeteners unless of course they are warned or asked by their doctor not to for some reasons; Yet a lot of expectant mothers still feel that they have to avoid taking in these kinds of artificial sweeteners for fear of harming their babies.

Below are some of the low-calorie artificial sweeteners in the market. Read on and find out something about each of them.

Aspartame
This artificial sweetener has been in the market for quite sometime, being sold in brand names like NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, Canderel and Equal. Aspartame was actually discovered way back in 1965 and has already been in the shelves since the 1980s. Aspartame is created when two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, are combined. This sweetener is actually 200 times sweeter than ordinary table sugar without the calories that go with it. In fact, one small packet of this sweetener is equivalent to the taste of two teaspoons of sugar.

Although it has already been evaluated as safe by agencies, there has been a lot of talk of how aspartame is linked to headaches, epilepsy and even cancer. One indication though that people should remember is that people afflicted with phenylketonuria (PKU) should not use this because they are unable to metabolize phenylalanine.

Saccharin, another form of artificial sweetener under the brandnames SweetN Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet. It is a non-caloric sweetener that is not metabolized by the body. Produced from an organic compound, it is 375 times sweeter than table sugar. In fact, this can be used in moderation by diabetics because of the non-existent caloric content.

Acesulfame K, which is being sold under the product names, Sunett and Sweet One, Sweet and Safe is another sugar substitute that is not metabolized by the body and is actually excreted by the body through the kidneys. In addition to being used by diabetics, Acesulfame K is also used in cooking and baking.

Elements of Organic Gardening

Organic gardening in the truest sense means gardening without the use of any chemical substances, may they be in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, growth enhancers, etc. Some people think that if they use only small amounts of chemical fertilizers they still are producing organic. But they are wrong. Lets tackle some of the misconceptions and issues that surround organic gardens.

Dont get us wrong, organic gardens dont mean just leaving them to nature. It does need fertilization and pest management as well. However, you will use materials, techniques or approaches that are truly organic.

When it comes to fertilizers, for example, organic gardens obviously need fertilizers that are either plant or animal in origin and not petroleum or chemical based as most synthetic fertilizers are made of. So this means, organic gardens will have to rely on composts, animal manures, etc to provide added nutrients to the soil that the plants needs for growth. Its a good thing really, natural based fertilizers is less damaging to the soil in the long run that synthetic ones.

One of the many tips an expert organic grower will give you is that importance of maintaining a healthy soil. Some studies have found out that soils that are not treated with any chemical or synthetic fertilizers or herbicides grow plants that attract less pests. There are several ways to protect your soil. Covering it with vegetation or mulch will protect the soil surface from unnecessary damage from excess sun exposure and erosion from winds and rains. Remember that the top layers of the soil contain the living organisms that plants needs.

At times, organic gardens are also beleaguered by pests and you need to provide some sort of support or else your plants can easily be destroyed by aphids, worms, etc. There a number of effective alternatives for commercial chemical fertilizers. Some are readily available in your own kitchen which makes them really convenient.

Garlic and peppers for instance can be utilized as a spray against common pests. Extracts from the neem tree is also a great weapon against leaf eating, stem boring, or flower devouring pests. Also, you should note that spiders, ladybugs, and lacewings are three of the many insects that are on your side. These insets are natural predators of aphids, worms, larvae, and other pests so treat them nicely.

Another way to manage the pests in your garden is by thinking ahead. When you planted your plants, you could also place along side them plants that are natural repellants of insects such as marigolds which are very effective against nematodes.

Everything about an organic garden should revolve around nature.

Sometimes, it is nice to view organic way of gardening as a means where we can contribute to the protection of nature by helping minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are harmful to the environment. May it be a flower garden, your lawn and shrubs, a vegetable patch, or even a fruit and herbs garden, as long as you incorporate organic techniques you are helping build a better future for the next generation.

These are only a few elements that you will have to internalize when start your own organic garden. Just remember that organic gardening is a technique where emphasis is on the interaction of living organisms.