Your boyfriend offers you a gargantuan bowl of his butter-soaked fettuccine alfredo. Your friends hand you a fork and beg you to share the chocolate tower truffle cake at the Cheesecake Factory.

It's tough to stick to a healthy eating plan when those around you are indulging. It's even tougher when they're bent on making sure you indulge, too. But don't stress it. These eight tricks will help you stay on track without alienating the not-so-healthy eaters in your life. Heck, you may even inspire them to join your cause.
Indulgence loves company, so expect a guilt trip if you pass on a temptation your friends gave in to. Make it easy on yourself, then: Pick up your fork and have a small piece of whatever is being served.

If you say, "I'm stuffed, but this looks so delicious I can't pass up a bite," you'll avoid peer pressure by turning the situation around—you're indulging, not depriving yourself. And you won't make your friends feel bad by rebuffing their generosity. Besides, one bite of dessert won't make a dent in your diet, says Lacie Peterson, a registered dietitian with the University of Utah.
[6 Ways to Boost Willpower]
Can't enjoy a bite without whetting your appetite for the whole cake? You needn't explain why you're skipping dessert—just divert attention from your pass. As the serving dish goes around, strike up an amusing conversation or excuse yourself to make a phone call. Better yet, bring along a bag of almonds and say you're craving a handful of those instead. Again, you'll put others at ease by having a treat along with them.

By creating a distraction, you'll fare better, too: Making a fuss over food restraint often intensifies cravings, which can lead to overeating, according to a 2005 University of Toronto study.

You can still stick to your healthy eating streak while having what others are having—just adjust your portions. Fill half your plate with fruit or vegetables, a quarter with meat or protein, and a quarter with starches like potatoes or bread, Peterson suggests. Bonus if you can swap starchy carbs for whole-grain pasta, rice, or bread.

If you can't prepare your own plate, there's nothing wrong with asking the server for smaller portions. In the end, though, it might be better to stray from your diet once than offend the host by eating nothing more than a dry turkey shaving and a spoonful of peas.

In group settings, it's easy to get caught up in an eating frenzy, subconsciously matching others plate-for-plate. You can prevent gorging by filling up a little beforehand, says trainer Mark Verstegen, director of performance for the NFL Players Association and founder of the website Core Performance. "Make sure you arrive hydrated and have a small snack like a handful of almonds, or a banana with peanut butter, so you aren't [as] hungry," he says.

Watch out for drinks, too. "Cocktails can pack up to 500 calories a glass," says Verstegen. At the bar, sip slowly or alternate between high-calorie beverages and water. If your friends catch you empty-handed while they're drinking, they'll likely order another round.
[The Skinny on Alcoholic Beverages and Weight Loss]

You might think you're being a polite dinner guest by saying you wish you could have some of that creamy artichoke dip. But it's better to leave diet sabotage out of the conversation. It can make the cook feel bad about preparing food his or her guests can't eat. Instead, shift your focus to the fresh fruit salad or the presentation of a low-fat dish.

By treating healthier items like indulgences, the host may be more inclined to foist those on you—or at least let you off the hook when it's time for dessert.

You feel great since you started eating healthier, and naturally you want to share that with others. But if your friends aren't ready to assess their eating habits, pushing them to avoid foods loaded with fat, salt, and sugar could feel like an ambush. Smugly waving food away with an, "I don't eat that garbage," or "Do you know what's in that?" might actually make them redouble their efforts to sway you.

If you don't want to be hassled about your eating choices, don't put your friends on the spot either. Wait until they express interest in your diet. Then humbly share the details.

Don't let food be the centerpiece of a social gathering, advises psychologist Susan Albers, author of Eat, Drink and Be Mindful. Get-togethers are often focused on eating, and if you're distracted, nervous, or simply basking in how much you're enjoying yourself, you'll probably get carried away.

Albers suggests bringing a board game or some photos to a dinner party. Going for a walk after the meal is another good way to shift the focus away from the table. And you might sidestep the dessert dilemma altogether.
[4 Easy Ways to Prevent Mindless Eating]
If you have a habit of caving in when pressured by your friends, make sure you're not sending mixed messages. Come prepared with a game plan that defines in your mind what you'll eat and how you'll respond to temptation. This way, they won't interpret your hesitation as a cue to push the chips and dip your way.
It's also helpful to guard against common diet saboteurs, including sleep deprivation, stress, and proximity to unhealthy food options, Albers says.

Bottom line: If friends are pressuring you to indulge, it's probably because they want you to enjoy yourself. The best way to respond is to keep the dialogue positive. Rather than saying you can't or shouldn't have something, say you aren't hungry or it's not your favorite. They can't argue with that.

Source: Health.USNews.com

About 21 million adults have osteoarthritis -- the wear-and-tear condition that causes achy joints and may eventually lead to can't-get-up-from-the-sofa pain.

"A third to half of doctor visits deal with musculoskeletal issues. They're one of the most common health problems," says Sharon Kolasinski, M.D., an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Depending on risk factors, joint pain can affect anyone, though osteoarthritis mostly starts as our bodies begin to show the effects of aging.

In women, it occurs more frequently after age 50; in men, it's more likely before age 45. Also, sites of joint pain are different. Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis in their hands, knees, ankles, or feet, while men are more likely to develop it in their wrists, hips, or spine.

But just because a condition is prevalent doesn't mean it's inevitable, or that you can't do a number of things to either prevent or control it. Here are the basics of how your joints function and how to keep them moving smoothly.

There are various kinds of joints; shoulders have a ball-and-socket-type construction, while knees work more like door hinges. Still, all joints have the same basic anatomy and function: They connect one bone to another to give us the ability to bend, twist, or win dancing contests.

Inside a joint, similar features reside. There's the connective tissue -- the ligament, which essentially serves as a bridge from one bone to the other via your muscles. There's also cartilage -- a fibrous and somewhat elastic tissue that acts as a cushioning material between joints. Cartilage acts as a shock absorber to prevent bones from grinding against each other.

Osteoarthritis appears when we start to lose that cushioning, and a number of factors contribute cumulatively to the loss.

Aging: "Cartilage thins as we age," says David Felson, M.D., professor of medicine at Boston University, who specializes in bone and joint problems. "That makes it easier to damage." Over time, the surface of cartilage can change from smooth to fissured. That's when erosions in cartilage begin to appear.
Previous injuries: Seemingly minor joint injuries (an unlucky twist here or there) when you were younger can be a factor. "Even people who don't remember injuries see areas of damage with age," Felson says.

Inflammation: Small injuries upset the biomechanics of your joints. That, in turn, changes the molecules that make up cartilage. "Part of the destructive process of osteoarthritis is that microtraumatic injuries can cause low levels of inflammation," Kolasinski says. "Inflammatory cells can gather at a site of injury and release chemicals destructive to cartilage."

Loss of muscle mass: Everyone naturally loses some muscle mass as they age. If you don't work to maintain it, your joint -- instead of your muscle -- will absorb more of the pounding from daily living, and that contributes to more damage.
Excess weight: The more a joint has to carry, the more damage it experiences in the long run. This is especially true for knees, which have to support your body weight. "All these little wear-and-tear events throughout life erode cartilage," Kolasinski says. "The cushion can get thinner until there's nothing left."

You can't bring back cartilage that's already lost.
However, there are several common-sense steps you can take to either prevent the wear or reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Maintain a healthy weight. It's the best thing you can do to preserve your joints. Keeping your weight down will help reduce those small tears that break down cartilage. In fact, a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds can reduce arthritis pain by 50 percent for many women. Weight loss may also help slow the progression of osteoarthritis over time.

Vary your exercise. Working out helps reduce stiffness in the joints. Kolasinski recommends varying your exercise routine -- low- or no-impact aerobic exercises (swimming, walking, or cycling) twice a week, strength exercises (lifting light weights or household items) twice a week, mixed with stretching and relaxation exercises.
"You don't want to overtax any one area, because that'll increase pain, and then you might avoid exercise altogether," Kolasinski says.Keep your muscles in mind. Weight training helps strengthen the muscles and ligaments surrounding joints, protecting them from damage. Modify muscle-building moves so they don't strain the joint of the part you're exercising. For example, Kolasinski advises that people with arthritis do seated leg lifts instead of squats and lunges, which can increase pressure on the knee. Sit on a chair with both feet on the floor. Bend your knee and raise your leg so it's parallel to the floor. You can do one leg at a time or both; as the exercise becomes easier, you can add ankle weights to increase the resistance and build even more muscle strength.

Add ice. Icing your joints after exercise can help you manage pain and prevent swelling. When you exercise, you draw a lubricant called synovial fluid to your joints. But if the fluid sticks around too long after exercise, it can cause cracks in the cartilage. "Ice gets the fluid out of the joint and into the lymphatic system, the garbage disposal of the body," says Kevin Olds, M.S.P.T., C.S.C.S., a physical therapist at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. Olds suggests icing the joints you use during exercise for 10 minutes after the activity.
Eat beneficial foods. Studies show the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help not only reduce symptoms associated with joint pain but also change the levels of inflammation that may be causing some of the pain. Fish oil slows the production of inflammation-signaling cells. The best sources are fish such as salmon and tuna. Research shows vitamin D may help protect your joints, too, via an anti-inflammatory effect. Make sure you get 400 to 800 International Units of vitamin D daily; one cup of milk contains 100 IUs, and three ounces of salmon has 300-650.

Late last year, a study of 1,583 knee osteoarthritis patients conducted by the University of Utah School of Medicine found that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate -- two of the most popular dietary supplements used as alternative therapies to treat osteoarthritis -- provided a modicum of pain relief for patients whose arthritis was deemed moderate to severe. However, people in the study with milder forms of arthritis pain reported no benefit whatsoever.

Source: CNN.com

Sleep Cycles & Stages, Lack of Sleep, and Getting the Hours You Need

The power of sleep

Many of us want to sleep as little as possible—or feel like we have to. There are so many things that seem more interesting or important than getting a few more hours of sleep. But just as exercise and nutrition are essential for optimal health and happiness, so is sleep. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort!

Understanding sleep

Sleep isn’t merely a time when your body and brain shut off. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing a wide variety of biological maintenance tasks that keep you running in top condition and prepare you for the day ahead. Without enough hours of restorative sleep, you’re like a car in need of an oil change. You won’t be able to work, learn, create, and communicate at a level even close to your true potential. Regularly skimp on “service” and you’re headed for a major mental and physical breakdown.

The good news is that you don’t have to choose between health and productivity. As you start getting the sleep you need, your energy and efficiency will go up. In fact, you’re likely to find that you actually get more done during the day than when you were skimping on shuteye.

How many hours of sleep do you need?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today’s fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it’s a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.

While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more. And despite the notion that sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

Sleep needs and peak performance

There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function optimally. Just because you’re able to operate on 7 hours of sleep doesn’t mean you wouldn’t feel a lot better and get more done if you spent an extra hour or two in bed. The best way to figure out if you’re meeting your sleep needs is to evaluate how you feel as you go about your day. If you’re logging enough hours, you’ll feel energetic and alert all day long, from the moment you wake up until your regular bedtime.

Signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation and lack of sleep

If you’re getting less than eight hours of sleep each night, chances are you’re sleep deprived. What’s more, you probably have no idea just how much lack of sleep is affecting you.

How is it possible to be sleep deprived without knowing it? Most of the signs of sleep deprivation are much more subtle than falling face first into your dinner plate. Furthermore, if you’ve made a habit of skimping on sleep, you may not even remember what it feels like to be wide-awake, fully alert, and firing on all cylinders. It feels normal to get sleepy when you’re in a boring meeting, struggle through the afternoon slump, or doze off after dinner. But the truth is that it’s only “normal” if you’re sleep deprived.

 

You may be sleep deprived if you...

While it may seem like losing sleep isn’t such a big deal, sleep deprivation has a wide range of negative effects that go way beyond daytime drowsiness.

The effects of sleep deprivation and chronic lack of sleep

Stages of sleep: REM sleep and non-REM sleep stages

All sleep is not created equal. Sleep unfolds in a series of recurring sleep stages that are very different from one another in terms of what’s happening beneath the surface. From deep sleep to dreaming sleep, they are all vital for your body and mind. Each stage of sleep plays a different part in preparing you for the day ahead.

There are two main types of sleep:

• Non-REM (NREM) sleep consists of four stages of sleep, each deeper than the last.
• REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is when you do most active dreaming. Your eyes actually move back and forth during this stage, which is why it is called Rapid Eye Movement sleep.

THE STAGES OF SLEEP
Non-REM sleep
Stage 1 (Transition to sleep) – Stage 1 lasts about five minutes. Eyes move slowly under the eyelids, muscle activity slows down, and you are easily awakened.
Stage 2 (Light sleep) – This is the first stage of true sleep, lasting from 10 to 25 minutes. Eye movement stops, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases.
Stage 3 (Deep sleep) – You’re difficult to awaken, and if you are awakened, you do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes.
Stage 4 (More intense deep sleep) – The deepest stage of sleep. Brain waves are extremely slow. Blood flow is directed away from the brain and towards the muscles, restoring physical energy.
REM sleep
REM sleep (Dream sleep) – About 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep, you enter REM sleep, where dreaming occurs. Eyes move rapidly. Breathing is shallow. Heart rate and blood pressure increase. Arm and leg muscles are paralyzed.

The sleep cycle: Understanding the architecture of sleep

You may think that once you go to bed, you soon fall into a deep sleep that lasts for most of the night, progressing back into light sleep in the morning when it’s time to wake up. In reality, the sleep cycle is a lot more complicated.
During the night, your sleep follows a predictable pattern, moving back and forth between deep restorative sleep (deep sleep) and more alert stages and dreaming (REM sleep). Together, the stages of REM and non-REM sleep form a complete sleep cycle that repeats until you wake up.

The amount of time you spend in each stage of sleep changes as the night progresses. For example, most deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night. Later in the night, your REM sleep stages become longer, alternating with light Stage 2 sleep. This is why if you are sensitive to waking up in the middle of the night, it is probably in the early morning hours, not immediately after going to bed.

The importance of deep sleep and REM sleep

Getting good, restorative sleep is not just a matter of spending enough hours in bed. The amount of time you spend in each of the stages of sleep matters. A normal adult spends approximately 50 percent of total sleep time in stage 2 sleep, 20 percent in REM sleep, and 30 percent in the remaining stages, including deep sleep.
Each stage of sleep in the sleep cycle offers benefits to the sleeper. However, deep sleep (stages 3 and 4) and REM sleep are particularly important.

Deep sleep

The most damaging effects of sleep deprivation are from inadequate deep sleep. Deep sleep is a time when the body repairs itself and builds up energy for the day ahead. It plays a major role in maintaining your health, stimulating growth and development, repairing muscles and tissues, and boosting your immune system. In order to wake up energized and refreshed, getting quality deep sleep is key. Factors that can lead to poor or inadequate deep sleep include:

• Being woken during the night (by outside noise, for example, or in order to care for a crying baby)
• Working night shifts or swing shifts. Getting quality deep sleep during the day can be difficult, due to light and excess noise.
• Smoking or drinking in the evening. Substances like alcohol and nicotine can disrupt deep sleep. It’s best to limit them before bed.

REM sleep

Just as deep sleep renews the body, REM sleep renews the mind. REM sleep plays a key role in learning and memory. During REM sleep, your brain consolidates and processes the information you’ve learned during the day, forms neural connections that strengthen memory, and replenishes its supply of neurotransmitters, including feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that boost your mood during the day.

To get more mind and mood-boosting REM sleep, try sleeping an extra 30 minutes to an hour in the morning, when REM sleep stages are longer. Improving your overall sleep will also increase your REM sleep. If you aren’t getting enough deep sleep, your body will try to make it up first, at the expense of REM sleep.

Paying off your sleep debt

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the hours you actually get. Every time you sacrifice on sleep, you add to the debt. Eventually, the debt will have to be repaid. It won’t go away on its own. If you lose an hour of sleep, you must make up that extra hour somewhere down the line in order to bring your “account” back into balance.

Sleeping in on the weekends isn’t enough!

Many of us try to repay our sleep debt by sleeping in on the weekends. But as it turns out, bouncing back from chronic lack of sleep isn’t that easy. One or two solid nights of sleep aren’t enough to pay off a long-term debt. While extra sleep can give you a temporary boost (for example, you may feel great on Monday morning after a relaxing weekend), your performance and energy will drop back down as the day wears on.

Tips for getting and staying out of sleep debt

While you can’t pay off sleep debt in a night or even a weekend, with a little effort and planning, you can get back on track.

• Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Make sure you don’t fall farther in debt by blocking off a minimum of 8 hours for sleep each night. Consistency is the key.
• Settle short-term sleep debt with an extra hour or two per night. If you lost 10 hours of sleep, pay the debt back in nightly one or two-hour installments.
• Keep a sleep diary. Record when you go to bed, when you get up, your total hours of sleep, and how you feel during the day. As you keep track of your sleep, you’ll discover your natural patterns and get to know your sleep needs. 
• Take a sleep vacation to pay off a long-term sleep debt. Pick a two-week period when you have a flexible schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and allow yourself to sleep until you wake up naturally. No alarm clocks! If you continue to keep the same bedtime and wake up naturally, you’ll eventually dig your way out of debt and arrive at the sleep schedule that’s ideal for you.
• Make sleep a priority. Just as you schedule time for work and other commitments, you should schedule enough time for sleep. Instead of cutting back on sleep in order to tackle the rest of your daily tasks, put sleep at the top of your to-do list.

Source: HelpGuide.org

Because of its widespread use as a dietary supplement, vitamin C may be more familiar to the general public than any other nutrient. Studies indicate that more than 40% of older individuals in the U.S. take vitamin C supplements; and in some regions of the country, almost 25% of all adults, regardless of age, take vitamin C. Outside of a multivitamin, vitamin C is also the most popular supplement among some groups of registered dietitians, and 80% of the dietitians who take vitamin C take more than 250 milligrams. Why is this nutrient so popular?

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient that is easily excreted from the body when not needed. It's so critical to living creatures that almost all mammals can use their own cells to make it. Humans, gorillas, chimps, bats, guinea pigs and birds are some of the few animals that cannot make vitamin C inside of their own bodies.

Humans vary greatly in their vitamin C requirement. It's natural for one person to need 10 times as much vitamin C as another person; and a person's age and health status can dramatically change his or her need for vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C found in food varies as dramatically as our human requirement. In general, an unripe food is much lower in vitamin C than a ripe one, but provided that the food is ripe, the vitamin C content is higher when the food is younger at the time of harvest.
Vitamin C serves a predominantly protective role in the body. As early as the 1700's, vitamin C was referred to as the "antiscorbutic factor," since it helped prevent the disease called scurvy. This disease was first discovered in British sailors, whose sea voyages left them far away from natural surroundings for long periods of time. Their body stores of vitamin C fell below 300 milligrams, and their gums and skin lost the protective effects of vitamin C. Recognizing limes as a good shipboard source of vitamin C, the British sailors became known as "limeys" for carrying large stores of limes aboard ship.

The protective role of vitamin C goes far beyond our skin and gums. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, joint diseases and cataracts are all associated with vitamin C deficiency and can be partly prevented by optimal intake of vitamin C. Vitamin C achieves much of its protective effect by functioning as an antioxidant and preventing oxygen-based damage to our cells. Structures that contain fat (like the lipoprotein molecules that carry fat around our body) are particularly dependent on vitamin C for protection.
There are very few research studies that document vitamin C toxicity at any level of supplementation, and there are no documented toxicity effects whatsoever for vitamin C in relation to food and diet. At high supplemental doses involving 5 or more grams of vitamin C, diarrhea can result from the fluid in the intestine becoming too concentrated ("osmotic diarrhea").

Large supplemental doses of vitamin C can also increase levels of uric acid in the urine, because vitamin C can be broken down into uric acid. However, it is not clear that increased uric acid in the urine can increase a person's risk of forming uric acid kidney stones.

Finally, vitamin C can increase a person's absorption of iron from plant foods; and persons who have health problems related to excess free iron in their cells may want to consider avoiding high supplemental doses of vitamin C. It is important to remember that all of the above toxicity-related issues involve vitamin C in supplemental form, not as it naturally occurs in food.

Vitamin C is highly sensitive to air, water, and temperature. About 25% of the vitamin C in vegetables can be lost simply by blanching (boiling or steaming the food for a few minutes). This same degree of loss occurs in the freezing and unthawing of vegetables and fruits. Cooking of vegetables and fruits for longer periods of time (10-20 minutes) can result in a loss of over one half the total vitamin C content. When fruits and vegetables are canned and then reheated, only 1/3 of the original vitamin C content may be left. Consumption of vitamin C-rich foods in their fresh, raw form is the best way to maximize vitamin C intake.
Poor intake of vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruits is a common contributor to vitamin C deficiency. In the U.S., one third of all adults get less vitamin C from their diet than is recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, and 1 out of every 6 adults gets less than half the amount recommended. Smoking and exposure to second hand smoke also increase the risk of vitamin C deficiency.

The body's immune and detoxification systems make special use of vitamin C, and overload in either of these systems can increase risk of deficiency. The immune system relies on a wide variety of mechanisms to help protect the body from infection, including white blood cells, complement proteins, and interferons; and vitamin C is especially important in the function of these immune components.

Vitamin C is also critical during the first phase of the body's detoxification process. This process occurs in many types of tissue, but it is especially active in the liver. When the body is exposed to toxins, vitamin C is often required for the body to begin processing the toxins for elimination. Excessive toxic exposure is therefore a risk factor for vitamin C deficiency.
Categories of drugs that can diminish the body's supply of vitamin C include oral contraceptives (birth control pills), NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including aspirin), corticosteroids (like cortisone), sulfa drugs (often used as antibiotics or in cancer treatment), and barbituates.
Vitamin C has significant interactions with several key minerals in the body. Supplemental intake of vitamin C at gram-level doses can interfere with copper metabolism. Conversely, vitamin C can significantly enhance iron uptake and metabolism, even at food-level amounts.

Vitamin C also has important interactions with other vitamins. Excessive intake of vitamin A, for example, is less toxic to the body when vitamin C is readily available. Vitamin C is involved in the regeneration of vitamin E, and these two vitamins appear to work together in their antioxidant effect.
Most forms of cardiovascular disease, joint disease, cancer, eye disease, thyroid disease, liver disease, and lung disease require special emphasis on vitamin C intake. The process of aging itself requires special attention to vitamin C. In addition to these broader categories, several specific health conditions also require special emphasis on vitamin C. These specific health conditions include:

• Acne
• Alcoholism
• Alzheimer's disease
• Asthma
• Autism
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Irritable bowel disease
• Parkinson's disease
  

Dietary supplements typically contain vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid. Because vitamin C is better absorbed in the presence of flavonoids, many supplement manufacturers also add flavonoids to their formulas.
Buffered versions of vitamin C are also commonly available. These buffered forms usually combine vitamin C with minerals like calcium, magnesium, or potassium. Buffered vitamin C may be helpful for individuals who have stomach sensitivity, or who are taking higher doses of the supplement.

Also widely available is a metabolite complex form of vitamin C, sold commercially under the trade name Ester-C(TM), in which ascorbic acid is combined with several of its naturally occurring metabolites including dehydroascorbate, threonate, and aldonic acids.
Excellent food sources of vitamin C include broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cauliflower, strawberries, lemons, mustard and turnip greens, brussels sprouts, papaya, chard, cabbage, spinach, kiwifruit, snow peas, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, limes, tomatoes, zucchini, raspberries, asparagus, celery, pineapples, lettuce, watermelon, fennel, peppermint and parsley.

Source: WHFoods.com

• 1 box brown rice crisps cereal
• 1 ¾ cups brown rice syrup
• Fine sea salt (sprinkle)
• 1 cup almond butter (unsalted/unsweetened)
• 1 scoop Arbonne Vanilla protein powder

Whether your goal is cutting calories or eating healthier, options for sugar substitutes abound. 

Understand their pros and cons to make an informed choice.

If you're trying to reduce the sugar and calories in your diet, you may be turning to artificial sweeteners or other sugar substitutes. You aren't alone. The popularity of artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes is on the rise as manufacturers and consumers seek lower calorie alternatives to regular white sugar without sacrificing sweetness.

Today, artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "diet," including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies, baked goods, candy, fruit juice and ice cream. In addition, other sugar substitutes are being touted as healthier sweeteners than regular sugar, even if they don't have fewer calories, such as honey and agave nectar.

Just what are all these artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes? And what's their role in your diet?

Understanding artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes

Sugar substitutes are loosely considered any sweetener that you use instead of regular table sugar (sucrose). Artificial sweeteners are just one type of sugar substitute. Some sugar substitutes, such as aspartame, are promoted because they add virtually no calories to your diet. Newer sugar substitutes, including stevia and agave nectar, claim to be lower calorie, tastier and healthier options.

The topic of sugar substitutes can be complex and confusing. One problem is that the terminology regarding sugar substitutes is often open to interpretation. For instance, some manufacturers call their sweeteners "natural" even though they're processed or refined, as is the case with stevia preparations. And some artificial sweeteners are derived from naturally occurring substances — sucralose comes from sugar, for example. Sometimes sugar substitutes are categorized by whether or not they contain calories.

Regardless of what they're called or how they're classified, sugar substitutes aren't magic bullets for weight loss. Take a closer look.

Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar.

Artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Food & Drug Administration are:

• Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
• Neotame
• Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low)
• Sucralose (Splenda)

FDA approval is being sought for other artificial sweeteners. And some sweeteners, such as cyclamate, are not approved in the United States but are approved for use in other countries.

Uses for artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are attractive alternatives to sugar because they add virtually no calories to your diet. In addition, you need only a fraction compared with the amount of regular sugar you would normally use for sweetness. Artificial sweeteners are widely used in processed products, including tabletop sweeteners, baked goods, soft drinks, powdered drink mixes, candy, puddings, canned foods, jams and jellies, dairy products, and scores of other foods and beverages. Check the food label to see if a product contains artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are also popular for home use. Some can even be used in baking or cooking. Certain recipes may need modification, though, because artificial sweeteners provide no bulk or volume, as does sugar. Check the labels on artificial sweeteners for appropriate home use.

Some artificial sweeteners may leave an aftertaste. You may need to experiment with artificial sweeteners to find one or a combination that you enjoy most.

• Weight control. One of the most appealing aspects of artificial sweeteners is that they are non-nutritive — they have virtually no calories. In contrast, each gram of regular table sugar contains 4 calories. A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams. For perspective, consider that one 12-ounce can of a sweetened cola contains 8 teaspoons of added sugar, or about 130 calories. If you're trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain, products sweetened with artificial sweeteners rather than with higher calorie table sugar may be an attractive option. On the other hand, some research has suggested that consuming artificial sweeteners may be associated with increased weight, but the cause is not yet known.
• Diabetes. Artificial sweeteners may be a good alternative to sugar if you have diabetes. Unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners generally don't raise blood sugar levels because they are not carbohydrates. But because of concerns about how sugar substitutes are labeled and categorized, always check with your doctor or dietitian about using any sugar substitutes if you have diabetes.
• Dental cavities. Unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners don't contribute to tooth decay.

Possible health concerns with artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners have been the subject of intense scrutiny for decades. Critics of artificial sweeteners say that they cause a variety of health problems, including cancer. That's largely because of studies dating to the 1970s that linked saccharin to bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Because of those studies, saccharin once carried a warning label that it may be hazardous to your health.

But according to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there's no sound scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer or other serious health problems. And numerous research studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities, even for pregnant women. As a result of the newer studies, the warning label for saccharin was dropped.

Artificial sweeteners are regulated by the FDA as food additives. They must be reviewed and approved by the FDA before being made available for sale. In some cases, the FDA declares a substance "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). These GRAS substances, including highly refined stevia preparations, are deemed by qualified professionals based on scientific data as being safe for their intended use, or they have such a lengthy history of common use in food that they're considered generally safe and don't require FDA approval before sale.

The FDA has also established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for each artificial sweetener. This is the maximum amount considered safe to consume each day over the course of your lifetime. ADIs are intended to be about 100 times less than the smallest amount that might cause health concerns.

Sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners

Sugar alcohols (polyols) are carbohydrates that occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, but they also can be manufactured. They're not considered intense sweeteners, because they aren't sweeter than sugar — in fact, some are less sweet than sugar. Sugar alcohols aren't considered noncaloric or non-nutritive sweeteners because they contain calories. But they're lower in calories than is regular sugar, making them an attractive alternative. Despite their name, sugar alcohols aren't alcoholic. They don't contain ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages.

Novel sweeteners are combinations of various types of sweeteners. Novel sweeteners, such as stevia, are hard to fit into one particular category because of what they're made from and how they're made.

As with artificial sweeteners, the FDA regulates the use of sugar alcohols. Approved sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners include:

• Erythritol
• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
• Isomalt
• Lactitol
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol
• Stevia preparations that are highly refined (Pure Via, Truvia)

Note that the FDA has not approved the use of whole-leaf stevia or crude stevia extracts for use as a sweetener. Rather, only certain highly refined stevia preparations can be used in food products. Stevia also is available as a dietary supplement.

Tagatose and trehalose are considered novel sweeteners because of their chemical structure. They're categorized by the FDA as GRAS substances. Tagatose is a low-carbohydrate sweetener similar to fructose that occurs naturally but is also manufactured from lactose in dairy products. Foods containing tagatose can't be labeled as "sugar-free." Trehalose is found naturally in mushrooms.

Uses for sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols generally aren't used when you prepare food at home. Rather, they are found in many processed foods and other products, usually replacing sugar on an equal basis. When added to foods, sugar alcohols add sweetness, bulk and texture. They also help food stay moist, prevent browning when heated, and add a cooling sensation to products.

Sugar alcohols are used in a broad range of products, including chocolate, candy, frozen desserts, chewing gum, toothpaste, mouthwash, baked goods and fruit spreads. Sugar alcohols are often combined with artificial sweeteners in products to enhance sweetness. Check the food label to help see if a product contains sugar alcohols. Food labels may list the specific name, such as xylitol, or simply use the general term "sugar alcohol."

• Weight control. Sugar alcohols are considered nutritive sweeteners because they contribute calories to your diet. Still, sugar alcohols have fewer calories than does regular sugar — about 2 calories per gram on average. This means that sugar alcohols can be considered lower calorie sweeteners, and they may aid weight-control efforts.
• Diabetes. Unlike artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols can raise blood sugar levels because they're carbohydrates. But because your body doesn't completely absorb sugar alcohols, their effect on blood sugar is less than that of other sugars. Different sugar alcohols can affect blood sugar differently. You can consume sugar alcohols if you have diabetes but you still must pay attention to the total amount of carbohydrates in your meals and snacks. Talk to your doctor or dietitian for guidance.
• Dental cavities. Sugar alcohols don't promote cavities.

Possible health concerns with sugar alcohols
As with artificial sweeteners, the FDA regulates sugar alcohols as food additives. Sugar alcohols typically are labeled as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) and don't require FDA approval before sale.

There are few health concerns associated with sugar alcohols. When eaten in large amounts, usually more than 50 grams but sometimes as little as 10 grams, sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect, causing bloating, intestinal gas and diarrhea. Product labels may carry a warning about this potential laxative effect.

Natural sweeteners

Natural sweeteners are sugar substitutes that are often promoted as healthier options than processed table sugar or other sugar substitutes. But even these so-called natural sweeteners often undergo processing and refining, including agave nectar.

Among the natural sweeteners that the FDA recognizes as being generally safe for consumption are:

• Date sugar
• Grape juice concentrate
• Honey
• Maple sugar
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Agave nectar

Uses for natural sweeteners
Natural sweeteners have a variety of uses both at home and in processed foods. They are sometimes known as added sugars because they're added to foods during processing. They may be used to sweeten drinks such as tea and cocktails, in desserts, as pancake and waffle toppings, on cereals, and for baking, for example.

Possible health benefits of natural sweeteners
Although natural sugar substitutes may seem healthier than processed table sugar, their vitamin and mineral content isn't significantly different from that of sugar. Honey and sugar, for instance, are nutritionally similar, and both end up in your body as glucose and fructose. Choose a natural sweetener based on how it tastes and its uses, rather than on its health claims.

• Weight control. Natural sweeteners, like sugar alcohols, are considered nutritive sweeteners because they contribute calories to your diet. In fact, they contain the same amount of calories as does regular table sugar. If your goal is weight control, products sweetened with natural sweeteners may not help since they add the same amount of calories to your diet as table sugar.
• Diabetes. Natural sweeteners can raise your blood sugar, just as table sugar can. Some proponents of agave nectar, also called agave syrup, say that it's a low-glycemic sweetener and doesn't cause blood sugar spikes. However, scientific evidence doesn't support such claims about agave nectar. Agave nectar can trigger a need for insulin.
• Tooth decay. Natural sweeteners can contribute to cavities.

Possible health concerns with natural sweeteners
So-called natural sweeteners are generally safe. But there's no health advantage to consuming added sugar of any type. And consuming too much added sugar, even natural sweeteners, can lead to health problems such as tooth decay, poor nutrition, weight gain and increased triglycerides. Also, be aware that honey can contain small amounts of bacterial spores that can produce botulism toxin. Because of that, honey shouldn't be given to babies less than 1 year old.

Moderation is key with artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes

When choosing sugar substitutes, it pays to be a savvy consumer. Get informed and look beyond the hype. While artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes may help with weight management, they aren't a magic bullet and should be used only in moderation. Just because a food is marketed as sugar-free doesn't mean it's free of calories. If you eat too many sugar-free foods, you can still gain weight if they have other ingredients that contain calories. And remember that processed foods, which often contain sugar substitutes, generally don't offer the same health benefits as do whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Source: Mayoclinic.com