Posts filed under 'Natural Vending by YoNaturals'
A Step Toward Physical Fitness
The obesity epidemic is growing in the country, and is not likely to stop growing unless the majority of the population implements some major lifestyle changes, including changes in their diet and exercise regimes. Unfortunately, obesity has far greater consequences than simply forcing people to go up a pant size or two. The poor diets and nonexistent exercise routines that contribute to obesity are also associated with a number of health problems including high cholesterol, high blood, and adult-onset diabetes. Fortunately, there are few health care professionals that have not noticed this growing proportion of the population, and most have already started working to curb this growing epidemic.
As our country has grown in economic might, our waistlines have grown to reflect our affluent lifestyles. The technological advances that have contributed to the riches of this nation have also meant that the average citizen does not get as much daily physical activity as previous generations. Further, due to our growing affluence, the average American is not economically confined to cooking for themselves every night of the week. Instead, we have been relying increasingly on fast foods and take out to supply our daily nutrition. However, the problem with that approach lies in the fact there is a growing disconnect between the food that we eat and the nutritional information associated with that food. Perhaps then, it comes as a surprise to no one that there are over 123 million obese or overweight adults living in this nation today.
Obesity does not come without a cost either. Indeed, it is associated with a number of the most common diseases that plague this country today. Unfortunately, as the proportion of obese adults grows, so will the number of people that we bury when they die of the illnesses that are closely related to obesity.
Because there is no magic potion that will rid us of obesity, we are going to have to implement a number of lifestyle changes if they are serious about controlling and combating obesity in America. And although your genes do play a factor in weight gain and loss problems, they are not in total control of your health. You are. And as difficult as it will seem at first, it will be worth it in the long term to make the changes now that will prevent obesity in you and your children. Only you have the power to choose what kinds of food that you eat and the amount of daily exercise that you get. Start changing your life today for the better by choosing healthy snacks from YoNaturals vending machines and take that first step on the path to long-term fitness and general well-being.
Add comment September 4, 2008
Healthy Eating at Work by YoNaturals
If you’re like most of us, your snack food options at work leave something to be desired. You’re stuck at your desk for most of the day surrounded by food options that might sound tasty, but are loaded with sugar, preservatives and ingredients you can’t even pronounce. You find doughnuts in the break room, someone orders pizza to be delivered for lunch or a client plans your lunch at your favorite restaurant. Of course, don’t forget the endless snacking temptations in the vending machine around the corner from your office or all of the open candy dishes you pass on your way to the break room. It’s definitely a challenge to maintain a healthy weight with so all these tempting choices all around. Try these helpful tips to stay full on healthy foods and snacks and maintain your weight even in an unsupportive environment.
· Breakfast
Face the early morning doughnuts with a different attitude by eating a breakfast with fiber, protein, and even a little healthy fat. Even better, choose natural and organic foods that give you energy without the sugar crash. Breakfast doesn’t happen automatically though. Make sure you have the time, and the food available, to get a healthy start to your day. Encourage your company to keep a YoNaturals vending machine in your office. Then you can actually rely on healthy vending to keep you on track until lunch. What a concept!
o Healthy breakfast ideas:
§ Lifeway low-fat kefir
§ Cascade Fresh yogurt smoothie
§ Clif MoJo bar
· Snacks
There’s nothing worse than standing in front of the vending machine trying to choose the lesser of two evils when it comes to snack food. It’s too easy to just decide to get whatever you like and try to make a better decision another day. Plan ahead though and you can have the best of both worlds: delicious snacks and no anxiety about whether or not it’s good for you. Keep your desk stocked with fruit instead of candy, it’s just as easy to grab and go and it’s immensely more filling. And you’ll have no worries if you’re standing in front of a YoNaturals vending machine.
o Healthy snack ideas
§ Kashi GoLean bar
§ Brothers All Natural fruit crisps
§ Primal Strips Meatless Jerky
· Lunch
You may feel like lunch is a time to splurge if you’re going out to eat, but everyday splurges add up. Pack a healthy lunch and eat it with a healthy snack even if you’re planning to go out with colleagues or clients to eat. You’ll stay full enough to eat something light at the restaurant. Plan ahead by looking at the restaurant’s menu online and decide what you’ll order beforehand. You won’t have to look at a menu while you’re there and try to make healthy choices at the last minute.
o Healthy lunch & side choices
§ Terra Chips; pair with a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread
§ Brother’s Potato Crisps with a bowl of vegetable barley soup
§ Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Noodles
Be confident in your healthy snacking choices by finding your nearest healthy vending machine. Encourage your company to add YoNaturals to your office to encourage healthy snack and lunch options!
Add comment August 28, 2008
High fructose corn syrup
Author: Rachel Moss
High fructose corn syrup is a very common sweetener and preservative made from corn. It is made by changing the sugar found in cornstarch to fructose, which is another form of sugar. Because it is cheaper than sugar and extends the shelf life of foods, it’s used in many processed foods, fruit flavored drinks and sodas on the market today. Look at the ingredients list of many common items found in snack foods and sodas and it is commonly at the top of the list.
There is little debate that the consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the many products that are available to kids and adults today may be causing untold health problems and is likely contributing significantly to the growing obesity epidemic, especially among children. High fructose corn syrup contains a high amount of fructose which the body cannot utilize it very well and it can possibly be disruptive to metabolism and liver function. While some may argue that high fructose corn syrup is the same as table sugar and therefore may not be harmful to your health, in the environments that we find ourselves today, any type of sugar or preservative in excess is something we should avoid for better health.
Fortunately, there are many products available that do not use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. Many of these products are also made with organic ingredients as well, making them clear winners in healthy snacking. You can find plenty of healthy snack options from your nearest YoNaturals vending machine. Healthy vending doesn’t have to be an oxymoron any longer when you have a YoNaturals vending machine nearby.
Here are some easy ways to decrease your consumption of high fructose corn syrup in your children’s diet and in yours as well:
- Focus on fruit juices instead of fruit “flavored” drinks.
- Choose sodas with natural ingredients and no preservatives
- Choose natural and organic snack foods
- Read the ingredients list of the products you buy
When choosing foods from a YoNaturals vending machine, you don’t have to worry about ever getting anything that is not natural or organic. You can feel confident choosing healthy snacks. Here is just a sampling of natural and organic products you can get from YoNaturals:
- Clif Bars
Their food philosophy includes never using high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. They always use organic ingredients, grown without the use of toxic pesticides or synthetic chemicals. - LaraBar
The makers of this bar do not use added sugars or sweeteners and use mostly raw, unprocessed ingredients. All of their products use natural and organic ingredients without preservatives. - Stretch Island Fruit Snacks
Stretch Island never uses high fructose corn syrup. Their fruit snacks are naturally sweetened with no added sugars and they always use natural and organic ingredients - Crayons Drinks
This all-natural fruit juice drink company does not use high fructose corn syrup. Their drinks contain fiber, but never any artificial flavors.
Be confident in your snacking choices by finding your nearest YoNaturals vending machine, or encourage your school or gym to use a YoNaturals vending machine to encourage healthy snacking!
Add comment August 21, 2008
Hit the Gym!
YoNaturals Organic and Natural Vending would like to thank Jessica Vachal for contributing this content. We would like to spread the message of total body, holistic health, in addition to healthy eating. Patronize a healthy vending machine today and do your body good!
Working out is most definitely a hard thing for a lot of people to take on – there is a reason that gym memberships are looked upon as one of the biggest wastes of money out there, just as there is a reason that there are so many overweight and obese people in America. Exercise is hard, and that is its point. You should push yourself hard so that you can continue to grow better and stronger at your given sport or chosen physical activity. There is also little doubt that the reason people tend to be fit when they are younger than when they have grown into adulthood is because their lifestyles are slower, sure, but also because they have the energy of youth to keep them going through hard workouts and sore muscles. The irony is that if you continue to be active, your energy levels continue to grow, and you continue to go back for more exercise day after day because your body craves it, because it is so very beneficial for your physical self.
However, we all already know that exercise is good for us – that is why we join gyms but then never go; we know we are supposed to be challenging our bodies in a significant way. It is the actual getting up and going to the gym that so many of us have problems with. It is, in a way, an understandable hatred to have, the thought of having to give up precious sleeping time to hit the gym before work, and the sheer fact that you are just too tired to tackle the project after work. However both those problems deal with sleepiness, and working out can help you to tackle that problem at the root, and build up to where you do indeed crave exercise, instead of seeing it as something that you have to do because doctors told you to.
Just start small, that will be the key to keeping you going back for more. Go to a class at your gym, or just hit the treadmill for 30 minutes. Working out with other people can push you to continue on in your own workout, wanting to keep up with your peers or push yourself beyond where the instructor may have viewed your progress last week. At the end of the day, it is only you who can push yourself to hit the gym and get your heart rate going. It is only you who can get yourself to finish your workout when, after ten minutes you’ve hit a wall and can’t imagine continuing on for a full thirty minutes, let alone forty-five or an hour. But getting into the gym is half the battle, once you’re there you will be much less prone to leave and go back to sitting on the couch and watching television. Surely you’ll at least get a twenty minute workout in before you return to that bastion of comfort. Now try to put down the potato chips after that workout you just pushed yourself to do!
Add comment August 13, 2008
5 Healthy Snacks That Are Suitable for Almost Any Workplace
Written by Laura Rayburn for YoNaturals California - start your own vending business at www.yonaturals.com
There are a whole lot of snacks out there for those of us in the working world, and many of the healthiest ones are conveniently located in the vending machines down the hall from our office. Even dieters with the best of intentions will be tempted to eat the junk food from the machine if they are caught with an unexpected hunger pang at work. So what’s the mindful eater to do?
The answer is simple: plan ahead.
The easiest way to avoid noshing on junk food when you’re on the go is to take time to think about the day ahead of you and when you might be hungry. Take into account what you might have for breakfast and if it will be hearty enough to hold your appetite until lunch. If you have plans for an early lunch, then you might want a snack in the afternoon to boost your energy for the last few hours before you can sit down to supper. This “to do list mentality” comes easiest to those planners among us, and they’ll probably be the ones who are most suited to coming up with a precise eating schedule for themselves. Nevertheless, whether you’re a person who schedules every minute of their day or not, you do have the capacity to at least consider when your meal times and snack breaks might come.
That said, here are five healthy snacks that are suitable for almost any workplace:
(1) Trail mix – This is a power food that will give you a boost in energy, and even a small amount should keep you satisfied for a while. Be aware of the calories and fat that you find in the nuts though. The calories in few handfuls of trail mix can add up quickly.
(2) High fiber, low-fat crackers – These crackers will give you a feeling of fullness thanks to their high fiber content.
(3) Breakfast cereal – Go for a cereal that is low in sugar and high in fiber content. Again, the fiber will keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time.
(4) Peanut butter and apple slices – According to studies, peanut butter has a higher “satiety value” than a lot of other foods, so you’ll be less likely to snack more after eating it. Keep in mind that although peanut butter has a high fat content, most of it is the healthy kind of fat.
(5) Tuna salad kit – Look for tuna that is packed in water instead of high calorie oil.
All of these are good alternatives to the high-sugar, high-fat foods found in your typical vending machines and should give you a basic overview of the options you have when reaching for a snack that is healthier than typical vending machine fare.
Add comment July 29, 2008
Natural Vending: Eat Organic for the Earth!
The reasons to go organic are more numerous than you might first think, and they are reasons that make the slightly higher prices of organic foods seems negligible in comparison to the benefits that eating organic can offer to your body and your life. We at Healthy Student Vending are promoting organic and natural vending for our schools and workplaces, and are doing everything possible to oust the junk food machines.
Everyone knows that being healthy is tantamount to enjoying your life – when you are sick or have a cold, how horrible do you feel? How quickly do you wish you could just get well? That is essentially a very strong example of the above statement – that when your body is not functioning correctly, your life suffers elatedly. The same goes for the health factor of your body in a day-to-day capacity – what you eat and how much you make sure your body is working correctly through exercise affects how well your body carries out its day-to-day functions.
This is where the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables steps in, as well as the added bonus of exercise. However, if we take those fruits and vegetables one step further and make them organic fruits and vegetables, just think of how much healthier your body would be and how much better you would feel? The benefits that your life would reap from taking this step towards an even healthier lifestyle would be innumerable.
When food is grown organically, this means that said food is not sprayed with pesticides or chemical pest-control of any sort. Thus none of those chemicals and poisons are seeping into your fruits and vegetables and therefore they are not polluting your own body when you ingest said fruits and vegetables. Add to this the fact that your air is going to be cleaner all-around, and the soil in which those fruits an vegetables will be clean and not polluted with pesticides and you can see how your purchase of a bag of organically-grown apples, can really help not only yourself, but your neighbors and the whole earth itself.
Back up, you may say. How can a bag of organic apples help the air or the soil? When pesticides are sprayed on crops, it is done en masse – by airplanes or other machines that spray a huge expanse of land and crops in a short amount of time. This means that the pesticides are spraying onto the soil and onto other crops in nearby fields, so that you may be getting twice or three times the amount of pesticides on your fruits and vegetables if you do not buy organic. These pesticides then sit on the soil and seep in so you are getting pesticides from the inside out of your fruit too – not just on the skin, but within the food as well.
These same pesticides are then floating through the air, as they would be being as they are being sprayed through the air onto the fruits and vegetables. This means we are breathing in those poisons, even if we are not eating conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables. If more people bought organic, then more farmers would farm organically, until eventually conventional farming methods would stop and our air would be cleaner, our soil would be cleaner, our produce would be cleaner, and we would all be much, much healthier.
Post contributed by Jessica Vachal for http://www.healthystudentvending.com
Add comment July 23, 2008
