Alkaline vs. Acidic - Why Alkaline?

Alkalinity is the concentration of the hydroxyl ion or OH’s in your blood. On the flip side, acidity is the concentration of the hydrogen ion. So, the difference between the two is simply oxygen. Alkalinity and acidity is measured in terms of pH, which means “potential of hydrogen”. pH is a scale or balance system which ranges from 1 to 14 with neutral being 7.0. The body attempts to maintain a pH of 7.4 in critical body fluids, which is mildly alkaline. If the body is not mildly alkaline, it cannot use oxygen efficiently, consequently producing free radicals.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd number of electrons that can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed, these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction. The major problem is the damage they do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA or the cell membrane. Cells will function poorly and eventually die.

The alkaline side of the pH scale is called aerobic metabolism. This is where oxygen burns glucose to create energy. Oxygen burns one sugar molecule to produce 36 energy molecules in a process known as oxidative respiration. Oxygen is the substance that is used in an alkaline environment to keep you alive. However, it is important to remember that oxygen does not create the alkaline environment.

The acidic side of the pH scale is called anaerobic metabolism, which means “without oxygen”. The glucose here has the ability to produce only 2 energy molecules. The process is basically fermentation and is not very efficient at all. Your cells require 36 molecules of energy and are only receiving 2. Therefore, the cell has to use more fuel to create more energy. The highly acidic bodily fluids will create an increased craving for sugar. The body requires more than 18 times the sugar just to be able to make the amount of energy the cells are requiring. The lack of oxygen causes decay, degeneration and ultimately, death. The body begins to degenerate and die from the cellular level. Another interesting point is that one glucose molecule is equivalent to two lactic acid molecules. Lactic acid causes damage to cell membranes, pain and stimulates inflammatory disorders. The body will begin to try to get rid of the lactic acid by breaking it down. Science has shown that all cancer cells are swimming in lactic acid. Other anaerobes include yeast, fungi, mold, bacteria, worms and parasites.

It is important to know that when we talk about acidity in the body, we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH balance of the stomach. We are talking about the pH balance of the body’s fluids and tissues. When the body is too acidic, it is forced to borrow minerals, including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium from vital organs and bones to buffer or neutralize the acid and safely remove it from the body. The severe and prolonged damage to the body can go undetected for years, because it begins at the cellular level. A person can look and feel healthy, but can be deteriorating from the deepest levels and by the time the symptoms appear, the damage is massive.

Mild acidosis can cause cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of blood vessels and the reduction of oxygen; Weight gain, obesity and diabetes; Bladder and kidney conditions, including stones; Immune deficiency; Hormonal imbalances, which is more than the female/male hormones. It is the entire endocrine system which consists of many glands, particularly thyroid, adrenals, pancreas etc; Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations; Premature aging; Osteoporosis; Joint pain; Muscle aches and lactic acid buildup; Low energy and chronic fatigue; Slow digestion and elimination; Yeast/fungal overgrowth. This is just a glimpse of the issues that are caused even by a mild case of acidosis.

So what causes you to be acidic? Well, the number one reason in America is the typical American diet. This daily fare typically consists of high acid-producing animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy, as well as processed foods, such as white flour, sugar, coffee and soft drinks. In addition, people are using way too many pharmaceuticals and artificial chemical sweeteners. Aside from the diet, stress plays a huge part. Stress is a huge demand on the body’s hormonal system. When you are using up your sugar, you are increasing the velocity of sugar utilization. Therefore, you are increasing the velocity and need of mineral and fatty acid utilization and other nutrients. Stress uses up nutrients quicker and you have a greater predisposition of falling into the acidic range.

The answer is to switch to an alkaline diet, get plenty of rest and exercise. An alkaline diet is easy and less expensive than all of the prepared and fast foods we tend to consume. Plenty of fresh vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens and fruits, along with some whole grains, nuts and seeds are the key to a healthy, disease and pain free body. The body has the innate ability to heal itself and to ward off disease when it is properly cared for.

When you are ready to take charge of your life and take care of your body, there are many things to consider in changing your current lifestyle. As you have read in my previous posts, Sunrider are the best food products available. These foods are whole, organic, original species, highly concentrated, properly formulated, enzymatically active, nutrient rich and super convenient. Contact me for more information on these fabulous foods and how to buy them. In addition, check out the website at www.quantumpathic.com. The QuantumPathic Energy Method is a simple and highly effective technique for releasing cellular memory. There are two keys to optimum health; dealing with issues and proper nutrition.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS)

One television commercial that comes to mind is the one where a couple is sitting in a park and the woman hands the man a Popsicle. He is reluctant to take it and says “What about high fructose corn syrup?” She replies, “What about it? It’s made from corn….?” I can’t remember everything she says to him, but she basically compares it to sugar in such a way that it would sound like there is nothing wrong with either one in moderation. He smiles and takes the Popsicle and asks for a second one.

The commercial and others similar in content are sponsored by the Corn Grower’s of America. Who else? If HFCS gets bad press, then the corn consumption drops and so do their profits. After all, it seems that in this country profit is much more important than the health and well-being of the citizens.

So what is High Fructose Corn Syrup? It is a highly processed, chemically altered sweetener that is used in almost all processed and pre-packaged foods. It was invented in a laboratory in 1971 by a Japanese Scientist and since then, the consumption of this CHEMICAL has increased by 1000%. That is not a typo! That is 1000%! So, just because it originates from corn, doesn’t make it a vegetable and it is not good for you, in any amount. Another fact is that the corn used to make the HFCS was genetically altered to begin with. Although there is no long term data available to document the effects of eating altered corn, the fact is that it isn’t the way Mother Nature intended it to be. When we start messing around with the molecular structure of food, it can be pretty scary.

In our culture today, people are on the go and they look for fast, easy, convenient and cheap. Unfortunately, the foods that fit into these categories are junk and shouldn’t even be called food. In fact, JUNK FOOD is an oxymoron. It’s either Food or Junk. The junk is high in refined carbohydrates and sugars. They are energy dense food which are high in calories, but have very little nutritional value. When people eat these types of substances, they tend to ingest more calories than people who eat foods that are rich in nutrition. Nutrient rich foods give you more nutrition for your money. Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States and the cause of this is the reduction in physical activity, eating at restaurants and fast food establishments, eating toxic foods and super sizing everything they eat! It isn’t bad enough that we drive through and get toxic fast food, for a few pennies we can double the intake of poison.

The obesity epidemic can be traced back to the introduction of high fructose corn syrup. Eating this chemical sweetener, even in slight amounts will increase your appetite. Regular table sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose, while high fructose corn syrup is 45% glucose and 55% fructose. Now 5% doesn’t sound like a huge difference, but the effects on your appetite and health certainly can be.

When you eat good foods, there are chemical reactions and hormones that are released in your body which tell your brain that you are full. Fructose doesn’t set these processes in to motion nor does it stimulate the insulin secretion or increase the leptin. Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel full. Glucose is transported into the brain, affecting brain signals that control or limit appetite, but fructose is not. In addition, fructose doesn’t reduce grehlin and may decrease adiponectin levels. Grehlin is a stomach hormone that stimulates appetite and adiponectin is a hormone made by fat cells that helps make you more sensitive to insulin and helps you control your weight and appetite.

When you have HFCS in your diet, you never feel full and you continue to eat and crave and eat and crave. As you can ascertain from this information, HFCS causes weight gain. Much worse is that it is just bad for your health altogether.

Fructose is a source of the chemical building blocks of cholesterol and triglyceride production. If you were to put glucose into your system by IV, you could survive. If you did the same thing with fructose, you would end up with a fatty liver. Fructose isn’t digested, absorbed or metabolized in the same way that glucose is, but rather, it goes right to your cells without the help of insulin. Therefore, fructose moves right into fat production, spiking your triglycerides, while lowering your good cholesterol (HDL). On the flip side, it then increases the smaller, more dense LDL-B, which is much more dangerous that the more common bad cholesterol known as LDL.

Fructose consumption is responsible for insulin resistance, increased calorie intake, impaired metabolism, weight gain, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Any of these problems are just the stepping stones to other problems. Once your body is out of balance, it is just a matter of time. The process of degeneration has already begun.
I have stated in other articles that sugars and artificial sweeteners are just not good for you. Stevia is a natural, plant based sweetener that contains no calories and is 100% whole and natural. It is not chemically processed. Sunrider has a couple of different Stevia based products. Sunny Dew and SunNectar. These products can be used abundantly, as they actually nourish the body, particularly the pancreas. They have antiseptic, anti-fungal and natural antibiotic properties to them, as well.

Eating a plant-based, whole-food diet of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains will get your body in balance and reverse the signs of age. Sunrider is all plant-based, whole, original species, highly concentrated and enzymatically active foods. They are the best on the planet, in my opinion. It takes all of the guess work out of eating and it’s convenient. You don’t have to wonder if you are eating enough or if you are eating truly organic foods. You don’t have to read labels. You can throw them into your purse, lunchbox, briefcase or car. You can take them anywhere you go and you always know that your body is perfectly nourished, cleansed and balanced.

QuantumPathic Energy Method (QPEM)

In November 2009, I attended a free introduction to find out about a method of healing that I had seen at a healing fair a few days earlier.

As soon as the introduction was over, I was so amazed that I signed up to take the first course. In the first weekend of the 40-hour intensive, I knew I desired more. I have been with the QuantumPathic Center of Consciousness in Scottsdale, AZ ever since. I have been training to become a facilitator and teacher.

After one of the classes, we were asked a few questions and given some time to consider them. I had forgotten that I wrote this, but it was actually published in this week’s newsletter. After reading it, it reminded me of how far I had come this past year and it certainly made me realize where I am today. What a difference this has made in my life.

After reading this, I invite you to go to the website at www.quantumpathic.com and read all about this method. Take time to read the published articles and testimonials. It doesn’t matter where you live; you are as close as a plane ride, a phone call or even Skype. The courses are life changing. Nothing is holding you back, but you!

How Can I Apply What I Know Now?

I apply it to my life every day. I look at things differently. I do not react; I do not participate in things that do not serve me or interest me; I do not get involved in anyone's trauma dramas. I am clear about what it is I require, desire and deserve. I am conscious, creating newness.

What difference will this info make in my life?

All of the above and I am a conscious creator. I am looking forward to continuing to create newness in my life. I am only going to do what I choose to do and no programs will stop me.

Why does the QPEM support me to heal myself emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally and financially?

There are two major things that will degenerate the body from the cellular level and those things are issues and food! We can change our eating habits, environment, etc, but if the issues, based upon years and lifetimes of programming are not released, then nothing else in the whole universe will make a difference.

The human body not only has the innate ability to heal itself, it has the ability to resist disease altogether, but only if it is free of destructive programming. By cutting the bands to these programs, I am freeing myself of limiting thinking and counter-productive behavior so that I can begin here and now to LIVE life to its fullest, not just exist in someone else's idea of a world.

I can now get back to taking care of me and giving my body what it requires to thrive. As a clear, conscious, creative, joyful, healthy person, I am a gift to others who choose to find out what it is that I have to offer. For those who do not choose to change their life, OH WELL!!! It is time for them to fall away, as they do not serve me. I only choose what is in my highest and best interest.

Am I amazed by myself?

Yes, however, I have almost always known there was something more to me. I kept it inside for fear of being different or being criticized. I have spent a lot of time going along for the ride just to keep peace; consequently, doing a lot of things that I didn't really desire to do and missing a lot of opportunities to experience things that would have better served me. I am grateful for having found QPEM, as it has brought me back to life, consciously aware of what I desire to do for the rest of my life. I am an amazing person, worthy of all that I desire and deserve!

Kim McDermott/2010

Oh My ... Candida!

When I decided to write a blog about Candida, the old Tony Orlando song kept popping into my head. It made me wonder who the heck would name their kid Candida? It's basically a yeast infection gone wild. I even went and googled Tony Orlando songs to make sure that Candida was the name of the song and yep...it sure is.

Anyway, the reason I bring up Candida is because of a recent issue with my husband's health. He was deployed to the Gulf of Mexico during the oil spill. He ended up stationed in Mississippi. Within two days of his arrival, he got sick with body aches, fever, chills, respiratory congestion and all symptoms mimicked the flu. He went to a local doctor and after a brief exam, the doctor prescribed him a Z-Pack and some kind of expectorant and gave him an injection of some steroid. He told him to get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Well, that's what they always say.

My husband had no choice but to go back to work. He said by that afternoon, he felt much better. That lasted about a day and a half and the symptoms returned. He was telling me all about it on the phone and I told him that I felt that he had some type of virus or fungus and that the antibiotics were not the answer. He told me that his throat was so sore that he could barely swallow and the uvula had swollen so much that he felt as if he was swallowing it. I told him not to take any more antibiotics because he was compromising his immune system. He told me how bad the mold and mildew was down there and with the extreme heat and humidity, I was sure that he was suffering from these spores. I sent him some Thieves, which is a blended essential oil that has amazing curative properties. He did use the oil and the lozenges and he said that it helped his throat and chest a lot. He continued to have symptoms and returned to the doctor. Once again, a Z-Pack and some little vials of some kind of something and another shot! Oh and one more time....same thing. Ok, now we are looking at 3 rounds of super duper antiobiotics in less than a month, 3 shots of some steroid and a bunch of vials of whatever and he's still sick! Come on, this isn't rocket science. This doctor apparently didn't know how to go to the next step. Common sense should tell you that if the antibiotics didn't do anything the first time, it wasn't bacterial!!

Well, now he's home and back in dry, old Phoenix. I took one look at him and told him that he had a fungus or spore issue like I said before. He had scheduled an appointment with a doctor and I made him cancel it. I told him that he was going to go to a new guy and tell him the same story and get the same thing. I told him to go to the internet and look up Candida. Not sure why, but it was my intuition. He started researching it and lo and behold, he told me he thinks he has had this most of his life. As a young adult, he was put on several rounds of antibiotics for systemic acne. Over the years, he has had a couple of serious bouts of respiratory issues, including pneumonia and has been hospitalized. Looking back now, I can see where this has been an issue all along.

We found some products that claim to actually kill the yeast. This is important because so many products will ease symptoms, but doesn't actually kill it. You have to kill it so you are rid of it once and for all. Meanwhile, it is important to eliminate sugar, simple carbs like breads and potatoes, processed foods, dairy, alcohol, etc. These foods will feed the yeast and make it worse.

They symptoms are too many to list here, but go to www.candidasupport.org and read all of the information they have in this website. These people have researched after years of suffering with it and they have found what will work. We ordered their products and since he began following the program a week ago, he feels amazingly better. He can tell that the congestion is clearing up in his chest and sinuses and he no longer has these flu-like symptoms.

Unless you go to a naturopath or holistic doctor, the chances of a conventional medical doctor even suspecting Candida are slim to none. It is not something that is part of their standard protocol.

While reading this, please read some of my other posts. The one on inflammation is very interesting, too. I honestly feel that most people, particularly in America are suffering from both inflammation and Candida. It is so simple to get rid of and take charge of your own life. If you've read my posts about Sunrider, you know that the body has the innate ability to heal itself if given the proper nutrition, properly balanced and if it can properly eliminate. Sunrider foods are the bomb! I have tried all the other stuff out there and was ready to walk away from the person trying to tell me about it because I had been duped so many times. Sunrider is the real deal. You eat Sunrider foods and take care of your issues from the cellular level and you will live the life that you deserve to live. We all know that the human body isn't designed to last forever, but there is not one rule anywhere that says you have to age and fall apart, suffering with pain and disease, just so you can expire. You deserve to be happy, healthy and feel good for as long as you are on this earth!

To your health and happiness,

Kim

It's Finally Fall!

As I walked out onto the patio this morning, I felt the whoosh of a cool breeze as it gently brushed my face. Not only is fall in the air, but so is the relief from the past several months. Everyone knows it's hot in Phoenix, right? Well, I have lived here a really long time and I know I'm getting older, but I just can't take the heat and for that matter, the humidity. We seem to have a lot more humidity here than ever before. We have storm systems building up all around us and all we get is the humidity. Some areas of the valley get a lot of rain and wind damage. We even experienced several tornadoes in the northern part of the state this year, as well as a huge hailstorm.

I just spent a wonderful weekend in the foothills of the Appalachians in Northern Georgia. It was a reunion with a dear friend that I haven't seen in 35 years. She and her husband have a lovely weekend home in a very quaint little town known as Ellijay. I had a fabulous time reminiscing with her and enjoying every minute of the perfect weather and beautiful scenery. Her home sits atop a hill surrounded by tons of trees and bordered by a river.

I loved sitting down on the dock just listening to the sound of the river, the rustling of the trees, the chirping of the birds and the crunching of the leaves from the little squirrels that were hopping from tree to tree. It was a slice of heaven. The only real noise was the acorns dropping from the trees, hitting the tin roof or bouncing down the hill through the leaves. Even the locals said that the acorns were crazy this year.

It was Apple Festival time, so the little town was flooded with tourists and the traffic was bad. We both decided to stay in for the most part to avoid the crowds. We did manage to get into town for a bit and stopped to have some iced tea. We visited a few vendor booths before heading down to the Christmas House. What a lovely place. It's an old home turned into a magical Christmas shop. There is every kind of decoration you could imagine and some you would never think of. The people that decorate those trees are so creative!

We did visit a couple of the apple orchards and went into the town of Blue Ridge. If I had more time, we would have taken the train ride. I will save that for next time! We sat downtown and enjoyed a latte, visited a couple of shops and headed back to her place for grilled oysters and shrimp! The food was delicious and I was absolutely spoiled!

As you can imagine, I didn't want to leave. I am so grateful for having had this opportunity not only to see my dear friend and her husband, but to visit such a lovely and serene place.

Rekindling old friendships and finding peace is truly a key to regenerating your life.

Creating the Life You Deserve

Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? Are you spending a lot of time and energy trying to find yourself?

Why not stop TRYING to find yourself and just CREATE a new YOU? Take charge of your life! Stop giving up your power. You are the only one that can create your own newness.

Two things in life that will make you or break you are issues and improper nutrition. We are made up of trillions of cells. Years of stress, trauma and poor nutrition will destroy these cells. We will degenerate from the inside out. By the time you start looking aged and tired, your insides are really in bad shape. You have to reverse this degeneration from the cellular level.

So how do you do this? Well, it's really very simple! You must first make the CHOICE to take back your power and be in charge of your life. Then, you must change your daily fare (I hate the word DIET because the first 3 letters spell "DIE" and they never work long-term anyway) and simultaneously, you must get to the core of the issues that you have stored in your cellular memory.

Let's start with the nutrition. The typical "diet", particularly in America, is filled with genetically modified, processed foods that are chocked full of chemicals and contaminants, and highly acidic. Good food is not even good food any more. It is getting nearly impossible to find really good food. By this, I mean whole, organic, chemical free, nutritious, live foods! Even our fresh fruits and vegetables, including those labeled "organic" are not what they should be. Our fresh fruits and vegetables are not necessarily all that fresh and they certainly lack nutrition. Our soil, water and air has been so compromised with commercial farming, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and pollution. There is virtually no top soil to speak of. The plants grow, but they do not contain nearly the vitamins and minerals that they used to. It would take nearly 190 carrots, today to get the amount of beta carotene that we used get from one carrot, 50 years ago. Who can eat that much? We can eat and eat and eat all of the fruits and vegetables that we can stuff in our face and never even come close to meeting our daily requirement of essential nutrients.

So, just becoming a vegan or vegetarian is not the answer. Giving up meat and dairy is a great thing, but how can you still get the proper nutrition? The answer is Sunrider Foods. I have been a Sunrider for 3 years and I will tell you that it is the best food on the planet. It is all plant based foods which are grown, harvested and prepared in optimum conditions. The food is whole, enzymatically active, organic and completely chemical free. There is nothing like it available anywhere else. No other company has anything comparable. I've tried them all.

It's time to stop wasting your money on processed foods, nutritionally deficient produce, hormone and antibiotic laden meats and dairy (which, by the way, are totally acidic foods) and isolated vitamins and minerals purchased in health food stores!

You see, when you buy a vitamin or mineral, you are buying an isolated vitamin, which means that it has been extracted from a food that started out whole. As a whole food, the vitamin worked synergistically with all of the other properties of that whole food.....THE WAY NATURE INTENDED!!! Once that whole food is broken down, it is no longer a whole food. It becomes a genetically modified chemical and they all cause "side effects". In addition, the extracted vitamin or mineral is then combined with fillers, so when you take one or two capsules or tablets, you are really only getting a small percentage of the product anyway and you are adding "fillers" into your system. Why would you want to do that???

Sunrider is WHOLE FOODS! What you pay for is what you get! Sunrider foods are based on the philosophy of regeneration not supplementation! We have spent years degenerating our bodies from the cellular level and so the opposite of that is to regenerate! NOURISH, CLEANSE, BALANCE!! It's that simple. Every BODY is different, but every BODY has one thing in common........it knows how to balance itself and achieve homeostasis! However, the body can't do what it is designed to do, unless it is properly nourished, so that it can cleanse and balance.

Sunrider is a 29 year old company, in 42 countries around the world and owner expertise. Sunrider foods are of the highest quality, properly combined, highly concentrated and formulated to nourish all the right areas of the body. These foods are pure, no fillers, imperial grade with lots of variety. Oh, and did I mention the convenience?? These foods take all of the guess work out of it! You don't have to think about whether or not you are getting everything you need and you don't have to cook, prepare or even decide what to make. It's so easy. So here's the deal, you don't have to work hard at it and you get tons of energy and your body is totally healthy! What's not to like? Oh yeah and it's DELICIOUS!!!!!!

I'm telling you, it has changed my life completely. As much as I hate that phrase because it's so over used on every infomercial that is selling the latest miracle pill or contraption, but I don't know how else to say it!!! I am pain free, take no medications, feel more fit than ever in my life and I swear, I'm getting younger!!!!

In my next blog, I will address the ISSUES! The issues are simply programs that we have been running or more appropriately, have been running us! They are stored in our cellular memory and once we have recognized them and made a choice to release them if they no longer serve us, then we become clear and conscious creators of newness.

If you have questions, please email me at kmcdermott11@cox.net or feel free to reply to this blog. I would love to get you started on Sunrider foods today. In fact, this is a great time to get started! The prices are the lowest that they have ever been. Sunrider has recognized that these are tough times for people and we don't want anyone to compromise their health and well being. There is no obligation to sell anything. 95% of all Sunriders are customers, purchasing the foods for their own consumption. You NEVER have to do anything else!

SWEET TOOTH

Did you know that aspartame is poison? It contains wood alcohol and when it reaches 88 degrees farenheit, it converts to formaldehyde. It then converts to formic acid, which is the same poison found in the sting of fire ants. Formic acid causes a condition known as metabolic acidosis. This methanol toxicity mimics the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people are being diagnosed and treated for illnesses that they do not have. Not only are they taking drugs for something they don't even have, they are also experiencing many side affects caused from the drugs. Often, the side affects are worse than the original diagnosis.

Although MS and Lupus are not necessarily death sentences, methanol toxicity is. Lupus is becoming as common as multiple sclerosis. The patient isn't even aware of the dangers of artificial sweeeeners. They continue to drink diet sodas and ingest diet foods laden with these chemicals. In the event that the disease may already exist, these chemicals will take the disease to a life threatening stage.

Symptoms of methanol toxicity include spasms, shooting pains and numbness in legs, muscle cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplained depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision and memory loss. Fibromyalgia is also linked to these products. As soon as a patient discontinues the intake of the foods containing the artificial sweeteners, the symptoms begin to disappear. Patients who have been sentenced to life in a wheelchair have been able to walk on their own within a couple of weeks after discontinuing these products.

As mentioned in my previous articles, disease and illness is a physical manifestation of emotional based issues stored deep in our cellular memory. However, the intake of toxins and chemically altered foods will produce symptoms and exacerbate the intensity of the illness.

Switch to a natural, plant based sweetener. A diet of organic, whole foods will be tasty enough and you will rarely have to add anything to sweeten the taste, once you get used to it.

Stevia is the most popular natural sweetener now available in most stores. It is an herb in the sunflower family, grown in tropical and sub-tropical climates. It was discovered in the 1800's and it is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, with no calories and no negligible affect on blood sugar. It is thought to be helpful in reversing osteoporosis.

Agave Nectar is a honey-like substance from the agave plant. It has a low glycemic index and is a great choice to replace sugar or honey. Honey is considered an animal product by most vegans, as it is produced by bees.

Sunrider Foods has two sweeteners made from Stevia. Sunnydew is the most popular. It is made from stevia, along with other plant foods. It has been formulated to have anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. This product is a great food and can be used liberally, as it cleanses the pancreas.

Keep in mind that diet soda is NOT a diet product!!! It is a chemically altered, multiple Sodium and Aspartame containing product that will actually make you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight, not to mention the deadly consequences mentioned in this article. Many people continue to make poor choices in their daily food intake and feel that if they drink a diet soda, then it makes it all OK. Well, it obviously isn't OK.....it's deadly!!