Nutrition and Higher Academic Scores November 3, 2008

Proper nutrition is indeed linked to higher academic scores in school age children.  There can’t be many readers who would seriously want to question this.

One of many studies to point out the obvious was done by Tufts University in the 1990s, and it has long been used to bolster support for subsidized lunch programs providing meals for needy children at public schools nation-wide.

But even without such studies, common sense would surely have won the day in any debate regarding what’s best for our kids.  There’s no argument but that properly nourished students are more likely to benefit from their schooling, and that wholesome nutrition is vital in developing the healthy bodies and minds needed to fully benefit from organized learning activities.

This intuitive knowledge is in fact key to YoNaturals’ own mission to make available healthier food and drink choices not only to students but to all of us who depend on the convenience of vending machines to meet some of our daily nutrition needs.

There was a time when vending machines were thought of as mere adjuncts to daily life:  an opportunity to grab a quick fix for hunger pangs, with little or no thought to nutritional value.  But with today’s ever-more hectic pace, and our growing focus on healthy living, vended foods and drinks have never played a more important or scrutinized role in American nutrition.

In offering nearly five hundred wholesome varieties of snack foods and drinks, through an ever-widening network of YoZone (and YoThirsty and YoHungry) state-of-the-art vending machines, YoNaturals and our distributors have joined hands to come down firmly on the side of wholesome nutrition.  All who understand the importance of this make up our rapidly growing consumer base.

All who understand the exciting opportunities make up our expanding distributor team. Check out how you can become a Health Food Vendor by going to YoNaturals.com!

Healthy Vending the YoNaturals Way October 18, 2008

Everyone is exposed to vending machines on a daily basis but the most vulnerable consumers are the children. Without guidance and education they will not learn how to make healthy snack choices. It doesn’t help when they are in school and all of the choices are empty calorie selections. YoNaturals saw the need for healthy vending products in schools and has worked very hard over the past several years to encourage using natural and organic snacks like those you will find in vending machines that carry YoNaturals products. Since vending machines are such an important part of the lives of our youth, it’s important to ascertain only healthy products are available for purchase.
Although we has no control other what other vendors include in their machines, they exercise complete control over their own including that of their entities. We have a goal to make sure no school has an excuse for not serving healthy snacks and to make certain the word reaches every vendor in the market. By the end of the year YoNaturals expects to have in excess of 120 distributors in over 160 US cities, and when you combine that with the fact that more people are looking to change the way they eat, it’s easy to see the growth potential of YoNaturals.
Though not everyone has yet come to terms with their unhealthy eating habits, the number of people willing to change what they feed their families is definitely on the increase. YoNaturals hopes that many people are learning the importance of eating healthier foods at home and making sure their children have healthy snacks at school. We will continue our campaign to turn the world into one that is ready to eat healthy. It’s a step in the right direction each time even one person chooses to change.

Author: Brenda Coxe

Eating Healthy Means Eating More Fiber September 30, 2008

For many people, the road to healthier living includes eating more fiber. In fact, research has consistently shown that dietary fiber offers many health benefits to the people who consume it on a regular basis. Furthermore, although fiber is probably best known for preventing and/or relieving constipation, it can also provide other health benefits, including lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Fortunately, most people can get the recommended daily amount of fiber by simply evaluating their current eating habits and making small changes to their daily diets.

Before you do any of that though, you will need to know what fiber is. Dietary fiber (also referred to as “roughage” or “bulk”) is vegetative matter that your digestive system cannot break down into its component parts. Or in other words, it’s the plant material that you eat although your body cannot digest it. As such, dietary fiber will pass through your digestive tract essentially unchanged by your body’s digestive mechanisms and processes.

Dietary fiber is usually classified into one of two categories: soluble and insoluble. The difference is that soluble fiber dissolves in water, whereas insoluble fiber does not. Further, this difference in solubility affects the way that the fiber interacts with your digestive system. Because soluble fiber dissolves in water, it will form a gel-like substance once it enters your body. In turn, this substance helps lower blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Soluble fiber is often found in popular foods such as oats, legumes, apples, and carrots, among others. On the other hand, insoluble fiber is not changed by the presence of water and serves mainly to increase the bulk of your stool, which is a great benefit to people who suffer from constipation. This type of fiber is found whole-wheat flour, nuts, and many vegetables.
Many people strive to maintain a high-fiber diet and, after learning of the many health benefits, it’s easy to understand why. From preventing constipation to lowering cholesterol levels to aiding in weight loss, eating a diet that is high in fiber is a step to better health.

To attain the greatest health benefit of a high-fiber diet, you should eat a wide variety of high-fiber foods. Speak to your doctor or nutritionist if you do not think that you are getting enough fiber in your diet. You can choose foods that are higher in fiber by simply choosing healthier foods for yourself. Health food companies have recognized the value of high-fiber foods and should be in abundant supply among these businesses. One such company is YoNaturals, maker of health food vending machines. Choosing a health snack from their machine is choosing the best for your health.

Eating Well While Pregnant by YoNaturals September 23, 2008

While pregnant, women have a critical need to adjust their diets for the sake of their babies and in response to the changing needs of their bodies. For most women, these changes will include a special emphasis on increasing their daily intake of protein, folic acid, and iron, along with some other vitamins and minerals. Caloric needs will also increase as a gestating mother progresses in her pregnancy. Even if a woman maintained a healthy diet before she became pregnant, it will be important for her to monitor it and make the necessary changes that will ensure that the fetus is getting all of the nutrition that it will need to grow strong.

At YoNaturals, we know that one of the most difficult aspects of maintaining a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy is controlling your cravings for junk food. Since junk food offers little nutrition and many empty calories, it provides almost no benefit to the growing fetus and the mother to be. Further, while there is a need to increase caloric intake, expectant mothers do not usually need to consume more than about 300 extra calories per day.

Of course, expectant mothers have heard it over and over again, ad nauseum, that they should avoid all raw seafood (e.g. oysters and sushi) as well as unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses, and undercooked meats. Or in other words, any kind of food that could transmit bacteria to the mother (and thus the unborn child) should be avoided. As for cooked fish, a woman who is expecting should eat no more than two servings (about 12 oz.) of fish per week due to the possibility of mercury poisoning. Beyond these basic foods, for some women, alcohol and caffeine are two of the most difficult things to give up for the duration of their pregnancy.

As for what you can and should be eating, you should prepare a list of your questions and sit down with your health care provider to discuss how to meet all of your baby’s nutritional needs while staying within the bounds of your personal preferences. This is especially important for women who are vegan, vegetarian, or have otherwise restricted diets.
Begin eating small meals every four hours or so. Eating mini-meals is usually easier on your body and makes sure that your growing child does not go hungry. Even if you are suffering from nausea, heartburn, or another ailment that makes food unpalatable, you should not be skipping meals. Your baby needs the nutrients.

It’s important to be mindful of your health and nutritional needs at all times, but it’s almost never as important as when you are carrying a child in your womb. And you should strive to maintain your diet even when you leave your home. One way to accomplish this is by choosing healthy snacks from YoNaturals vending machines. They will provide you with both the nutrition that you and your baby need as well as the peace of mind that goes along with it.