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Real sugar or a chemical? When it comes to sweetening your one cup of coffee, a teaspoon of either sweetener may be of little consequence for a dieter.

But when you are on your 8th cup of coffee for the day, drinking sodas by the gallon or eating candy by the bagful, the sweetener impact on your weight can be significant.

 Dieters need to know:

• Sugar has calories, but it tastes better than any sweetener.
• Artificial sweeteners have miniscule calories, but some of them can have side effects. And a small amount of artificial goes a long way (some are as much 8000 times sweeter then sugar!)
• Replacing sugar with an artificial sweetener does not guarantee weight loss. In fact, the opposite may be true.

 Here are basic sugar/sweetener guideline for dieter:

• If you are concerned about calories, avoid foods with lots of sugar.
• If you care about taste, artificial sweeteners can taste … well .. funny.
• Artificial sweeteners can cause side effects (e.g., too much sorbitol can cause gas and diarrhea).
• Ultimately, sugar simply tastes better.

There are several types of artificial sweeteners, with new ones coming along regularly.

• Acesulfame-K (Sunette or Sweet One). This is mineral potassium and is 200 time sweeter than sugar.
• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) On the market since the early 1980s, this is a combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid combined with methanol. It’s 180 times sweeter than sugar.
• Neotame is one of the newest sweeteners and is composed of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is 8,000 times sweeter than sugar.
• Saccharin (Sweet’N Low, Sugar Twin) This sugar substitute has been around since 1879. It is an organic molecule made from petroleum. It is very sweet (200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar).
• Sorbitol, Mannitol This is considered a natural product found in fruits and berries.
• Stevioside (Truvia) This is an herb from the South American stevia plant. It’s been around for centuries and is considered a natural sugar substitute. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar.
• Sucralose (Splenda). Derived from sugar this product made it to stores in the late 1990s and is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used for baking.

Surprisingly, some research indicates that people who use artificial sweeteners are more likely to be overweight because artificial sweeteners increase an appetite. Plus, artificial sweeteners can cause faulty thinking: “I’m drinking a diet soda, so I can have French fries with my burger.”

Don’t know what to do?  Whether seriously dieting or simply health conscious, the answer to the sweetener issue (or any diet challenge) is moderation.  The calories in sugar and the ingredients in sweeteners are of no consequence if you limit your intake.

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Usually we think of most sources of iron to be meat based. Granted beef, fish and chicken are high in Iron but there is another kind of iron too, vegetable iron.

Although many people don’t think of iron as being a nutrient, you might be surprised to learn that low iron is the most common nutritional deficiency in the U.S. Almost 10% of women are iron deficient, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is lots of iron in lots of vegetables and nuts as you can see below and more than enough if you choose not to eat meat

Women need more iron because they lose blood each month during their period. That’s why women from ages 19 to 50 need to get 18 mg of iron each day, while men the same age can get away with just 8 mg.

Non Meat Sources of Iron

Here is a list of foods that are non meat and high sources of iron to get you to that 8-18 mg a day. Compare these to ground beef which only contains 2.6 mg per 100 grams

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Salt and sodium often get a bum rap. The fact is, sodium is an essential electrolyte in the body.  It helps muscles to function, regulates the balance of fluids and allows nerves to send out impulses.

The right balance of sodium is essential to our lives whereas too much sodium can lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure. This increases the risk of atherosclerosis (aka hardening of the arteries) and heart attack and stroke.

Table salt (sodium chloride) is made of sodium (40% by weight) and chloride (60% by weight).

A teaspoon of salt containing 2,300 milligrams of sodium.  The American Heart Association recommends eating less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day (about 3/4 teaspoons or 3.75 grams of salt per day) and no more than 2,300 mg (one teaspoon and 6 grams of salt per day).

Actually as a parent of a child that suffers from Kidney Disease I have learned quite a bit about Sodium. It is important to keep sodium down to 500 mg per meal and only 250 mg for any snack

 Sodium and Weight Loss

Sodium does not have any calories and does not affect weight. However, too much sodium can make a person retain fluid, which in turn can make a scale go up.

Even if dieters know its “only water weight,” seeing a scale rise for any reason can be discouraging.

Sodium can also make a person feel bloated (surprisingly, the solution is to drink more water).

Caution: Often food high in sodium will be high in calories. Although the sodium may only cause fluid retention, the French fries the sodium is on can definitely lead to a weight gain.

 Sodium hides

Generally speaking, the salt shaker is not the enemy. No one is likely to dump a teaspoon of salt on a baked potato and devour it. Ugh. And unless the family cook is heavy handed, sodium can be well controlled in the home.

Sodium is found naturally in many foods and that isn’t a big problem either.

The real enemy is that salt is hidden in so many prepackaged and prepared foods. Sadly, so many foods that we find tasty are the result of high levels of sodium. Even at the deli counter, that delicious sliced turkey or roast beef can be full of sodium.

Even foods touted as “Low Sodium” can be misleading.  Federal law requires food manufacturers to print the sodium content on their nutrition labels.  When buying processed foods, carefully read the labels and then use common sense.

Sodium alternatives

Spices and herbs are a great way to season food without paying the too-much-sodium price. These include basil, oregano, garlic, onion powder, sage, bay leaves, cilantro, allspice, thyme, and black pepper. And don’t forget lemons and limes.

When shopping, choose the low sodium canned soups and canned vegetables, low salt cold cuts.

The list of high sodium foods to avoid represents a good portion of any supermarket – and includes processed meats, canned entrees (e.g., chili), instant soup, some cheeses, pizza, tomato sauces, and many varieties of breads, cereals!  And the list goes on…

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