Dear John,    

It's hard to believe another month has flown by already.  With February quickly coming to an end we are looking forward to warmer weather and greener pastures in March.  We will all be enjoying our "leap day" this year and hope that March comes in like a lamb!

This is the time of year that many people take winter vacations or a spring break.  Trips like these usually involve extra exercise so that we will look good in that two-piece or tanning so that we don't blind anyone on the beach.  Which brings up an interesting article in the most recent edition of Paleo Magazine.  Is there such a thing as a safe tan?  Research has shown that those who suffer from harsh sunburns are more prone to melanoma, but are tanning beds a safe way to prevent a bad sunburn?  Many people will tan before taking a beach vacation, so they already have a base tan built up, and are less likely to suffer from a scorching sunburn.  However we have all heard about the dangers of tanning beds.  We want to hear your thoughts - visit us on Facebook and let us know what you think, or share any helpful posts or links you have on the subject.   

We know how important Vitamin D is, and in most regions the best source of natural Vitamin D - sunlight, is usually hard to come by this time of year.  Some research is also connecting increased sun exposure to reduced stroke risk.  Is this another good reason to visit the tanning beds?   Vitamin D supplements are available also if you are wary of tanning, we are lucky to have access to a pure Vitamin D3 supplement in wild salmon oil - twice the benefits in one softgel! 

One product we always seem to get questions on is our Vital Whey Protein.  This is a fairly new product to our menu, and one we searched high and low to find.  Turns out, it is very hard to source a protein powder coming from 100% grass-fed cattle!  But we did, and we are very fortunate to have them.  As soon as we started offering it we began getting orders from customers suffering from a myriad of issues, all needing a clean protein.  What makes Vital Whey different?  Besides being grass-fed, it is also non-denatured and minimally processed to ensure all the healthy components of raw milk stay intact.  Check out our blog for all the details, serving suggestions and nutritional information.   

The health benefits associated with whey protein are off the charts.  Besides being an excellent protein source, author Jonny Bowden includes it in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and explains how it is invaluable to the immune system, and is one of the best ways for the body to make glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that is very difficult to get from your diet.  Want to save on whey?  Simply order two to five bottles of any one flavor and you'll save 10% per bottle!  It makes an excellent breakfast smoothie, post-workout drink, mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or meal replacement.   

Keep up with US Wellness on Facebook and you will be the first to know about sales, restocked items, and any contests or giveaways we have going on!  You can also follow us on Pinterest for new recipe ideas and cooking tips! 

  

Inventory Updates 

The following items restocked:     

• Flank Steaks 
• Tri Tip Steaks 
• Minute Steaks 
• Sandwich Steaks 
• Beef Kidney 
• Beef Liver  
• Ox Tail
• Beef Short Ribs 
• Beef Short Rib Bundle 
• Bottom Round Roast
• Beef Jerky Plain Sticks
• Beef Jerky Spicy Sticks
• Beef Jerky Extra Spicy Sticks
• Extra Dry Plain Beef Jerky 
• Inside Skirt Steak 
• Chuck Roasts 
• Heart of Shoulder Roasts  
• Vitamin D3 in Wild Salmon Oil
• Sockeye Salmon Oil Softgels   

Dr. Eric Serrano MD, MS, BC

Question and Answer Column

Hello Dr. Serrano,   

_____________________________________ 

Dear Amber,   

This is one of my favorite subjects because of the good and bad publicity out there about sweeteners.

I divide sweeteners based on:

1.  Artificial: man-made, supposedly calorie free
2.  All-natural: God made

I am going to concentrate on the five biggest and most common ones, because new sweeteners are coming out every day

a) Splenda or Sucralose: The king of all the sweeteners, maybe 500 times sweeter than table sugar, an artificial sugar that has four chlorines attached to the sugar. They tell you that it is not absorbed, but it is and it changes to two compounds, one of which is toxic.

This sweetener is used in everything from cakes to drinks and the packets that you use at coffee shops have maltodrexin or corn sugar in them. It is very sweet but to be truthful in my office the only side effect that I have seen if consumed in high moderation is diarrhea.  A recent paper showed that the probable cause is because it lowers the number of probiotics, or beneficial bacteria in the gut, and the other case was one of depression that resolved after the patient stopped consuming 4 2-liters of Diet Coke per day sweetened by Splenda.

I think that if you have one drink per day and you don't have any type of depression or gut problems this sweetener is ok.  If it helps you attain your goals of weight loss or decreased dental cavities, one or two servings will not hurt.

b) Nutrasweet or Equal: This sweetener has a long list of complaints.  I for one don't like it because I have seen terrible headaches resolved by just stopping the consumption of the sweetener. I am not saying it can cause MS and all the other terrible things that you read about, but for sure, I will never ever use it under heat or where high temperatures are required. People with phenylketonuria should absolutely not consume this product. I wouldn't use it at all.

c) Neotame: New kid on the block - the jury is still out but I would not use it because there is not enough human data, just research stating that is safe. When metabolized in the body it is metabolized to methanol, and it is the cousin of Nutrasweet.  It is the only sweetener with Sucralose that the public safety council states is safe.

d) Acesulfame K: Known as Sunnet, another sweetener with an after taste, that compliments the other three.  It is actually heat stable but it contains a sulfa in it, so if you are allergic to sulfa you could have a reaction, research also showed that it increases insulin levels.

e) Saccharin or Sweet n' Low: The oldest sweetener and maybe the safest because of all the studies done to prove that it causes cancer, and it didn't. Will not use either because of the risk factors.

Now the natural ones are many but I am going to only discuss the ones that you mentioned:

a) Stevia: It is an herb and my favorite of all time because we have Stevia in my garden and my kids love to chew the leaves. It is very sweet and has a mild after taste and needs to be pure, and must be based on steviol glycosides.  Recently the new kid on the block from stevia, and isolated by soft drink companies is Rebaudioside, which is another glycoside but just recently discovered. This sweetener actually lowers insulin and is found in combination with alcohol sugars because of the cost. The best one that I have seen that is pure is from Kal. You need to read labels because almost all of them have added alcohol sugars including erythritol, xylitol, etc. Only use the real thing when you are watching out for triglycerides, blood sugars or losing weight. Stevia is very safe and I highly recommend it, and you only need tiny amounts when using the right company. It doesn't need to be in combination with any of the alcohols to work.

b) Agave, Corn Fructose, Maple Syrup: All are the same and they might not increase your insulin levels initially, but affect your triglycerides, body weight and fat. The main sugar is fructose and it is the natural form of fructose but without the fiber and other natural parts of the fruit like vitamins, fiber, minerals, etc. If I were a diabetic I wouldn't use it. When you use these products and you are counting calories they will be the same as any other carbohydrate. 

c) Xylitol, Erythritol:  All are alcohols, they will also not elevate your blood sugars initially.  These are a little healthier option but will still raise your triglycerides. They are very popular in bars and gums, but again you must treat them as carbohydrates or sugars even though the label states they are not.  They are, and if you are counting carbohydrates you must count them as part of carbohydrate intake. The advantage of Xylitol is that it has been shown to be good for your teeth and also for asthma. Be aware your dog cannot have it, it can make him sick or even kill him.  These alcohols are naturally in fruits but in smaller quantities and again the fruits have all kinds of vitamins and minerals.

d) Turbinado Sugar, Brown Sugar: Same as table sugar but maybe different concentrations in the amount of glucose-fructose combination, because they can be largely glucose with some fructose.

e) Honey: My favorite of all time, the nectar of gods and the number one choice if you are not watching carbohydrate count and don't have diabetes. It is excellent for health when raw and you only need small amounts. Use in moderation and you will not have problems. Honey needs to be organic, don't accept anything else. It can be heated, stored without refrigeration and even eaten by itself, this is the king of sweeteners. 

Good Luck, 

Dr. Serrano

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