Some have called high fructose corn syrup “the new trans fat”, referring to the public’s new found awareness of an ingredient found in many popular snack foods. And, as with the push to make the public more aware of the dangers posed by trans fat, some health officials are now devoting their time and energy to building the public’s awareness of high fructose corn syrup. However, as with trans fat, this battle may be harder to win than you might think, and many food companies are not taking this lightly. YoNaturals does not provide any snacks or drinks that contain this sugary ingredient.

To build your own awareness, take a look at the ingredient list found on the box of your favorite food. If you don’t see high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) listed there as one of the key components, then you can count yourself as one member of a small group of Americans. As more people become aware of the dangers posed by HFCS, many people are learning that their favorite foods are among the worst offenders. In fact, HFCS is a very common ingredient that is used in all kinds of foods (ranging from cookies and cereals to salad dressings and soups). From top to bottom, there are few Americans who have a HFCS-free stock of food in their kitchen. That said, HFCS is something that people should (and could) consider living without.

Even as the general public has become more aware of the health epidemics that are related to weight gain, there are some that simply refuse to acknowledge that excessive weight gain is a problem for Americans in general. Or that it’s a problem that is related to not only how much we eat but also to the kinds of foods that we eat. And it is precisely these problems that are the focus of a new movement among health professionals interested in making people more aware of the ingredients that go into their favorite foods.

In an effort to rebrand HFCS, some nutritionists have even said that it is like a drug, linking it to the oft-talked about “sugar rush” and the declines that inevitably follow these sudden spikes in energy. However, others have suggested that HFCS is no worse than table sugar and that (like table sugar) the only danger is in eating too much of it. Research that is able to definitely silence one side or the other may be months or even years away, but it is probably safe to say for now that HFCS should be avoided when possible. And as with trans fat, for now it is up to the consumer to decide if eating HFCS-containing foods is in his or her best interest.

For people who are concerned with HFCS and other ingredients found in highly processed food, YoNaturals vending machines are their links to better diets. Offering 100% natural and organic snack foods, YoNaturals can be your choice for both good snacks and good health too.

That’s no gag headline.

Vending industry studies tracking revenues from food vending machine sales in schools and school districts show that switching to healthier food fare doesn’t hurt vending profits.

In fact, according to a recent study, selling healthy foods actually results in even more vending profits!

And why would that surprise any experienced vendor?  The trend toward natural, healthy foods like those marketed by YoNaturals has been virtually unstoppable since health became a national obsession in the 1960s.  Americans continue to absorb a steady, almost daily drumbeat of media stories highlighting the dire health effects of those junk foods overladen with harmful fats, sugars and salt.  The longevity-enhancing virtues of wholesome foods are increasingly praised — and sought after in the marketplace.

What rational business plan in this day and age would center itself around the marketing of unhealthy food choices?  And equally to the point — who wouldn’t feel better about themselves by catering to the rapidly-growing segment of the market which actively values healthy nutrition?

The market leader in healthy food vending, YoNaturals, now makes it especially easy to make the switch into profitable and socially-responsible healthy food and drink vending by partnering with our distributors to maximize opportunity and minimize risk.

YoNaturals marketing experts stand ready to help identify for you the most promising vending machine venues in your own area, and to advise you on product choices tailored to your region and a leasing or purchase plan that perfectly matches your individual situation.

Contact us today, and give us the opportunity to propose a marketing plan which will place you among our rapidly growing team of successful distributors.

Health sells!  And vendors profit when they sell to its ever-expanding market.

And none profit quite like those vendors on the quality YoNaturals distributors’ team!

Type II diabetes, often linked to obesity, poor diet and a lack of exercise in adults, has steadily increased in incidence in America over recent decades.  And twenty-six states have reported increases among their adult populations in the past year, according to a study released this month by the Robert Wood Foundation, an organization active in tracking American health trends.

Especially hard hit have been the Southern states, which include all ten of those states with the highest overall Type II diabetes rates as well as nine of the top ten with adult obesity problems.  Shockingly, in four states more than ten percent of all adults have Type II diabetes.  Northeastern and Western states remain among those least afflicted by adult diabetes and obesity. YoNaturals has noted these grim statistics and we continue to strive harder each day to make our cause known and raise awareness of healthy vending.

Often, the early symptoms of the disease fail to be noticed.  Many diabetics only become aware of their problem as a result of routine tests given to hypertension and hyperlipidemia patients.  Diabetes develops due to a lessened production within the pancreas of insulin (Type I) or a developing resistance by the body to its own insulin (Type II).  Both forms of the disease lead to hyperglycemia, which largely causes the disease’s acute signs:  excessive urine production, resultant increased fluid intake, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss, lethargy, and changes in the body’s overall metabolism.

Adult Type II diabetes can largely be prevented with a healthier lifestyle which includes proper nutrition and regular exercise.  But according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, although some fifty million Americans go on diets each year for various reasons, fewer than five percent of us manage to actually achieve any meaningful long-term weight loss.

Proper nutrition, of course, commonly includes replacing those processed foods high in fats and sugars — with more of the wholesome, natural foods that have been shown to be friendly to the body’s functioning and long-term health.  Vending machines, sometimes thought of as symbolizing the very worst in high-fat, empty-calorie food choices — have undergone somewhat of a metamorphosis in recent years.  YoNaturals, the San Diego firm specializing in creating a vending food market for nutritional foods and drinks, has won the plaudits of that part of the public aware of the need for healthier food choices by introducing over one-hundred snack foods and drinks purposely free of unhealthy ingredients.

In many ways, advances in medical science in recent generations may have caused some to become lax about taking care to properly feed and exercise the only bodies they will ever be issued with.

For the rest of us, an ounce of prevention …

Teens are notorious for spending hours and hours with their friends, oftentimes gathered around heaps of fries, plates of burgers, and overflowing milkshake cups while they commiserate about life. It is a rite of passage portrayed time and again by movies and television shows. In spite of this, one of the most critical duties of a parent is to convince their teenager to maintain a healthy diet throughout these difficult times, because these physical developmental years will have an impact on their health and physical fitness for many years to come.

When thinking about a teen’s diet, it’s important to remember that iron and calcium are two of the most important nutrients that are required by their bodies as they undergo rapid growth and development. Iron is mostly utilized to carry oxygen to muscles in the body, and calcium is important for building strong bones. Although it is important to makes sure that both your sons and your daughters are eating iron-rich and calcium-rich foods, teen girls are usually more susceptible to deficiencies in these areas (for a variety of reasons). Even though growing teenage bodies are adapting to absorb more calcium as the body demands, many teens are simply not eating enough calcium-rich foods to meet those demands, which can cause both short-term and long-term problems.

The good news is that with a little help and guidance from their parents teens can develop and maintain healthy eating habits that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It is therefore important to not only choose healthy food for your children but also to allow them to make some of those decisions for themselves. Teach them how to meet their diverse nutrient needs by choosing foods from a variety of the food groups (and in proportion to recommended amounts).
Get them into the habit of taking a daily multivitamin, but make sure that they know that no pill can ever be a substitute for a good diet. Allow your teen to make choices (within reason) about the foods that he or she eats. The diet that they develop now will likely be the diet that carries over into their young adult life when they eventually move out from under your roof.

Just as there is no substitute for proper nutrition, there is also no substitute for parents who are dedicated to the health and well-being of their offspring. Take the time to educate your child about the consequences and benefits of the various foods that they put into their bodies. Encourage them to choose healthy snacks from YoNaturals vending machines (even when you are not there with them). Give them a lifetime of good health.

The satisfaction of bringing healthy vending snacks and drinks to local schools, offices and commercial centers is probably nobody’s primary incentive for becoming a YoNaturals quality distributor.

Other, much more compelling reasons come into play.  Like for instance the fact that few enterprises can be launched and provide immediate income as quickly as can a vending machine business.  And with a vending business start-up, over ninety percent of your initial outlay will go into your machines and inventory, rather than being absorbed by the myriad peripheral expenses often associated with other entrepreneurial ventures.  Vending start-ups also require no expensive hired labor in most cases, so you’re spared the hassles and are able to focus on your business.

Then there are the compelling statistics, many of them simply too important for any aspiring entrepreneur to ignore.

Run this past your old Business 101 study group:  While sixty-five percent of new businesses fail within their first year, only five percent of new vending businesses do, according to U.S. Department of Commerce studies.  And eighty-five percent of new vendors are able to expand their businesses into full-time pursuits within just two years!

Furthermore, there are few businesses as protected against the vicissitudes of economic cycles as food and drink vending; fewer still can so quickly deliver a feeling of true independence.

But to return to the article’s original premise — financial reasons aside, what attracts many to a YoNaturals vending partnership is the very notion that retailing wholesome YoNaturals snacks and drinks to a public clamoring for healthy choices is a wonderful thing in itself!  You may be among those who wish that their own children had ready access to the YoNaturals line at their schools, or that their spouses could find quality, wholesome YoNaturals snacks at work, or maybe you yourself have too many bad memories of vending machine options running only to the hyper-salty or the terrifyingly fat-saturated, and you wish to make a positive difference one vending machine at a time!

We at YoNaturals stand proudly prepared to help.  Our YoNaturals distributors benefit from our experienced and seasoned readiness to ease their passage into the world of profitable vending.  Our vending machine lease and purchase options are designed to set you rapidly on the road to entrepreneurial success. After all, we can benefit only from your success!

Let us assist you — today — in seeing just how easy it is to own your own healthy vending business.

The first key step is yours.

Author: Ron Goodden

The modern health problem in America can be boiled down to one very simple underlying battle: convenience vs. health. We don’t want to be obese. We don’t want diabetes and heart problems. We want to eat healthy and take care of our bodies, but it’s so hard to do on a regular basis. What is it that makes eating healthy so incredibly difficult?

The answer is simple. We really want to eat healthy, but we can’t control our impulse eating, according to a report by Food Industry Review. The statistics show very clearly that consumer demand for organic and natural foods has spurred an increase in availability of such foods. Ever keen to hold on to an ever-evolving customer base, supermarkets have slowly begun to offer more and more healthy options, and these programs have met with great success. The American desire for healthy alternatives is clear. So what’s the problem.

The report clearly shows that, despite growing interest in matters concerning health, we are still dominated by our desire to have quick access to food whenever we want it. The report showed that the number lunches eaten in American homes, but purchased elsewhere, is at an all time high. Whether it can be attributed to the hectic, overwhelming lifestyles we lead or simple laziness, we like our convenience. Many countries have longstanding traditions of spending hours talking and socializing with family during mealtimes, which is healthier for a number of reasons; most importantly, they tend ot eat slower and eat better meals. We do not have such traditions in this country in modern times, probably because our modern society makes this impractical on a regular basis.

Regardless of the reasons, these are the facts. The statistics clearly show that even the healthiest of us still give in to our need for a speedy meal from time to time. That’s why we at YoNaturals have taken the route we have with our healthy vending business. To deny the American need for readily available food is to leave that entire portion of our lives to the purveyors of junk food. We must all come to the realization that sometimes people are going to eat whatever is cheap and available, regardless of how healthy they normally are; and many people are going to eat what is quick and available all the time, because they aren’t concerned about health in the slightest. Fast food isn’t going anywhere, for a long time. So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

We are striving to make vending food and beverages as healthy as people wish they could eat. All organic and natural snacks and drinks means that even the healthiest person will never be stranded without a decent snack, no matter where they are or how quickly they need something to eat. That’s our goal, and if you are interested in learning about how you can contribute to a healthier America, please find out how you can start your own healthy vending business with YoNaturals, or how you can get a healthy vending machine in the place you frequent most often outside the home.

Due mostly to the feet-dragging of schools addicted to the proceeds from junk food vending, schools have been slow to adapt to the demand for healthier vending products for students. There is huge debate over whether healthy snacks and drinks will sell as well, and therefore whether they will bolster the school budget as well as junk food has. Never mind that child obesity and early onset diabetes are ravaging our nation’s youth. Our schools are far more concerned with a few extra text books or computers, seemingly forgetting that junk food makes it more difficult for children to learn, rendering those extra textbooks rather useless.

We’ve really sold our souls to the junk food and soda companies haven’t we? Even worse, we’ve sold our childrens’ souls. Interested in just how powerful their lobbying is? Two weeks ago on September 2nd, 2008, the mayor of Albuquerque banned junk food from city vending machines. Very noble and brave of him, no? He listed numerous well-reasoned and conscientious reasons for doing so, one of the more forward-thinking reasons being that unhealthy vending foods actually increase the cost to taxpayers by creating unhealthier citizens, thus increasing the cost of health care. What we should have seen was a domino affect across the country, with other stats following the mayor’s exemplary decision. After all, it’s not like New Mexico is known for its cutting-edge progressiveness (where was California on this one?).

Nonetheless, what we actually saw was the opposite. Exactly 14 days later (today in fact), Albuquerque’s mayor caved to the pressure from various sources, and is now simply ‘hoping’ that the city will consider some healthier options in the vending machines. So, his order as city leader has been reduced to a polite suggestion.

What better way to illustrate the problem we are facing? Money, money, money. That’s what people care about first and foremost. It’s what got us into this mess, and it’s what is keeping us in this quagmire.It has been shown time and time again that the same revenue can be made from vending machines that provide healthier alternatives, as long as some consideration is given to the taste of the contents. In fact, as Americans become more and more health conscious, people are increasingly avoiding vending machines altogether because they typically don’t contain food that should be consumed by a healthy human being. It would stand to reason that many places would actually make more revenue from vending machines were they to provide healthier options. We must release the grip of the junk food industry if we are to improve the embarrassing health situation in this country.

YoNaturals offers healthy vending machines that offer only natural and organic snacks and drinks. The machines are modern and very neat looking, have the latest technological perks such as cashless payment systems, and even notify vending distributors if certain snacks are running low in real-time. Locations that have acquired a YoNaturals machine are raving about their success. What excuses are left?

It’s time to topple the behemoth that is the junk food and soda vending industry. Their days are numbered, much like the gas-guzzling SUV’s of the last decade. The only question is, how long will it take to do the right thing? Let’s make it sooner rather than later.