YoNaturals Vending Against Junk Food in Schools

From Portland to Wyoming, Los Angeles to Orlando, New York to Texas, all across America more and more people are meeting the clinical standards for obesity. As we have become more affluent as a nation and our choices become less limited, people are making poor choices in regard to what they eat. Our income levels and increasing standard of living have transformed eating out at a restaurant from a thing that you do only on special occasions to a weekly (or sometimes daily) occurrences for many Americans. Plus, as businesses and industries across the land have adopted new technology in order to improve efficiency, the number of people who perform physical labor during their working hours has also decreased. In simple terms, for most of us, our calorie intakes have increased while our calorie-burning activities have decreased.

Considering the imbalance in caloric intake and caloric expenditure, it should surprise no one that our waistlines have matched the growth of our economy. Indeed, this fact has not escaped very many medical or health professionals, or research scientists for that matter. In fact, the change in weight, though gradual, is observable even at your local strip mall or fast food restaurant. There are over 123 million obese or overweight adults in this country, and the number is ever increasing. In fact, our level of obesity has reached the level to be considered epidemic by most of the scientists who keep track of those things.

Furthermore, if you think that this epidemic is any less deadly than the cases of pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other bacterial and viral infections that threatened previous generations, then consider this: this year over 400,000 people will die of complications due to conditions that are related to obesity, conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and adult-onset diabetes. That’s over eleven hundred people per day dying because of a condition that is largely preventable through healthy decision-making.

Indeed, whether obese or not, most people could make healthier decisions about what they eat and the amount of exercise that they get in the course of a week. But the fact of the matter is that it’s sometimes difficult to make the healthy decision or to choose the healthy alternative. However, there is one category where this has just gotten a bit easier: choosing healthy snacks for you and your family. YoNaturals health food vending machines provide quick and easy alternatives to the traditional snack and soda machines that people are used to eating from. However, by choosing your snack from the YoNaturals machine instead, you are not only fulfilling your basic need to eat, you are also helping combat the obesity epidemic by standing up for good health.

Author: Laura Rayburn

Feeling good is undeniably one of the biggest highlights of life in general. When you’re feeling under the weather, your day is bound to go poorly, and even if you are in a bad mood that can severely hinder the enjoyment you will be able to derive from any given day or event. There are a million things being toted on any given day as mood enhancers and feel-good massages, locations, even dates. However, the biggest pull to making you feel food day in and day out, is to keep your diet balanced.

That’s right; it sounds silly and a little like grandmother, but if you keep yourself on a regular, healthful diet, then you are sure to live each day to its highest potentials because you are, quite simply, going to feel tremendous. The best way to ensure that you are getting the best foods into your body is to eat a food from every color of the rainbow. Unfortunately, that does not mean chocolates for brown, Twinkies for yellow, and Jell-O for purple. Rather that means you ought to eat apples for red, eggplant for purple, celery for green, blueberries for blue, and so on and so forth. Making sure that you get fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet everyday is a great way to make sure that you are getting yourself off on the right foot for the daily demands of your undoubtedly busy life.

It’s true, eating healthfully does not just mean eating smaller portions and cutting out how much chocolate and sugar you have after every meal. Rather, eating healthfully means that you have to get the good foods into your body much more consistently and regularly than you get the poor junk foods into your body. Eat your carrots and your cauliflower rather than eating chocolate candies and chips. You may crave salt? Get yourself some canned soup! There’s plenty of salt in there and, it can be expected, some nutrients and vegetables in there too. Want sweet? Try some raisins or berries and fruits. There are always plenty of options other than junk foods, and while it can be hard to not go running to the vending machine during a midday hunger pang, you might just be lucky should you be able to run to a YoNaturals vending machine, which boasts organic juices and organic snacks that will keep your waist trim and your stomach happy. Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be hard; you just have to keep an eye on how you do it!

Author: Rachel Moss

Partially hydrogenated oil is a common ingredient in snack foods everywhere. Hydrogenation is the process of turning a liquid, unsaturated fat into a solid fat commonly called trans fat. These trans fats are found in processed foods like cookies, baked goods, granola bars and lots of processed snack foods. Consuming trans fats regularly contributes to an increase in “bad” LDL cholesterol and a decrease in “good” HDL cholesterol. Many health experts claim that it is more harmful to your health than saturated fat and contributes to a higher risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

Manufacturers use partially hydrogenated oils in their products because it increases the shelf life of foods. They are now required by the FDA to list the amount of trans fat in their food, but you should also check the list of ingredients in processed foods if you are trying to avoid hydrogenated oils or trans fat. Look for the words “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oil in the ingredients to avoid any trace amounts of trans fats for healthy snacking.

Fortunately, you can find many products that do not use partially or fully hydrogenated oil. The clear winners in healthy snacking also use natural and organic ingredients as well. You will find plenty of healthy snacking options from your nearest YoNaturals vending machine. Healthy vending becomes a reality when you have a YoNaturals vending machine nearby.

When you choose foods and beverages from a YoNaturals vending machine, you don’t have to worry about things like trans fats or preservatives. You’ll have lots of natural and organic products from which to choose. Take a look at this sampling of natural and organic products you can get from YoNaturals:

• Clif Bars
  Their products are always made using organic ingredients and grown without the use of toxic pesticides or synthetic chemicals. Their food philosophy includes never using hydrogenated oils.
• LaraBar
  These products do not contain hydrogenated oil and use mostly raw, unprocessed ingredients without preservatives. All of their products are made using natural and organic ingredients.
• Terra chips
  Using a variety of exotic vegetable chips and potato chips, their snacks are made without hydrogenated oils or preservatives and use only natural ingredients.
• Brothers All Natural
  These fruit crisps and potato crisps are 100% natural, using no artificial ingredients or partially hydrogenated oil.

You can be confident in your snacking choices when you and your kids choose snacks from your nearest YoNaturals vending machine. Encourage your school or gym to become a YoNaturals location today to encourage healthy snacking!

Now that the rate of childhood obesity is rising so steadily, parents and children alike have every reason to start paying more attention to what they put into lunches as well as breakfast and dinner. The foods we eat greatly impact our abilities to live our daily lives to their highest potential – the more healthfully we eat, the better our bodies are able to function, the more fun we are able to have doing everyday activities and the more fun we will have to look forward to in our futures.

The problem is that there are many more unhealthful options for those kids and parents on a go, and then there are healthful ones. This is where the benefits of healthy vending machines come in, as the understanding of a hectic lifestyle goes hand-in-hand with vending machines and other quick-meal options. However, unlike the standard junk food vending machines that are so commonly found in both offices and schools, YoNaturals’ vending machines make a point of giving quick, cheap food options that are much healthier than the standard chips and candy bars that are offered in competitors’ machines.

After all, what good do such foodstuffs as chips, chocolates and soda do for anyone, child or adult? None at all, that’s right, which makes conventional vending machines find for the occasional treat, but not acceptable in the least for meal replacements. When you have more healthful options, however, you can feel a little bit better about giving your kids some cash on those days when you just didn’t have time to make their lunches, and trusting that they’ll be able to get more healthy food options with the updated food choices. YoNaturals has expanded it’s operations to target school healthy vending programs in an effort to improve the choices on our campuses.

Going for dried fruit or banana chips over chocolate candies or potato chips makes a world of difference in how your body is able to digest and process the foods you eat, and how much energy you are going to gain from having ingested said food. The problem is that too few schools, and work places for that matter, offer the healthy selections that will ensure people get the proper nutrients and minerals that they need to live their lives to the fullest potential.

So if you have the option, don’t go for the soda; get a bottle of water or an organic juice option instead. Get yourself some organic, healthful snacks rather than the dangerously unhealthy foods crammed with preservatives that you find in standard vending machines. Your body needs proper fuel to run well, and you can find these foods if you choose wisely, even if you aren’t able to pack your own lunch before you leave in the mornings.

Article written by Jessica Vachal.

Author: Jessica Vachal

YoNaturals vending feels that one of the saddest states of our current American social culture is the childhood obesity epidemic that is rocking the nation. With children suddenly experience Body Mass Indexes that are far above what is healthy for any child; they are beginning to experience complications and issues that heretofore had only been experienced by middle-aged adults. This is not a fair lifestyle for a child to be trapped in, unable to move and run around as freely as their peers. Never mind the fact that so many of these children will remain obese and overweight for the rest of their lives, suffering more complications and diseases as they age. The fact is that the lifestyle of a child is developed at home. Whether a child will grow to be overweight or trim, or even underweight, is all related to the way that child is raised in the home.

If mom and dad are aware of the food they eat, and make sure to have all food groups represented at the dinner table, and fill themselves and their families up with a healthy breakfast before sending the off to school and work, then kids are going to be much more prone to eat healthfully on their own. If mom and dad take walks after dinner and encourage their kids to join sports teams and run around the neighborhood, these children will be much more likely to have  good relationship with their bodies and with what it takes to keep them healthy and in strong shape.

However, if mom and dad themselves eat fast food every night and wash it down with a milkshake for dessert, then the kids in the family are going to follow suit and their bodies are going to suffer as a consequence. If mom and dad don’t encourage their kids to try out for sports or to join in with the other kids in running around the neighborhood, then these kids will never know the joy of feeling their heart pump strong in their chests. Parents play an integral role in the lives of their children, and this extends to teaching kids how to eat right and take care of themselves.

So come on parents, make some vegetables and chicken for dinner, and take your kids for a walk after the meal. Talk with your kids about their days; make sure that they don’t have to turn to food for comfort. Encourage exercise and making eating healthfully fun by making it a family affair – have the whole family make dinner together and hangout in the kitchen as a unit. Healthy living extends beyond just eating right and exercising, but if we want to curb this childhood obesity epidemic, that’s where we have to start! Join YoNaturals in the cause against  this disease in America.

Monitors of sodium intake, take heed. The element lurks in many of the meats, dairy products, and vegetables that are found in your kitchen. Even your breakfast cereal is not exempt from becoming a source of harm. Many people like to believe that “natural” foods are more healthful than their highly processed counterparts, and it is true to a degree. But don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that just because something is healthy that it can do no harm. Indeed, many foods that are usually considered healthy can actually be unhealthy in larger quantities. The following food items are high in sodium, and you should be mindful of that fact when deciding how much to eat.

Meats, Poultry, Fish, and Meat Substitutes

-Lunch meats and cured meats: These include the obvious choices such as dried fish, salami, sausages, and ham.

-Canned meats: Many canned vegetable products are high in sodium, as you may be aware. Be on alert when you are choosing canned meat products as well.

-Soy (protein) products: This is an example of a food that many people would probably write off as “healthy” without first checking the sodium content on the nutrition label. Marinated tofu and miso are two of the offenders found in this category.

Dairy

-Cheese: The processed cheese varieties are the obvious member of this category, but also keep an eye on blue cheeses, Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and cottage cheese that you find in the grocery store.

-Milk-based drinks: Hot chocolate mixes are a good example of the things to watch out for in this category.
Grains and Cereals

-Cereals: Both cold and hot cereals can give you an overload of sodium at the beginning of your day. Watch out for products that contain more than 200 mg per serving.

-Grains: Be mindful of eating too much prepackaged rice or noodles that are prepared using a seasoning packet.
Those are a few of the things to monitor in the grocery store, but what about when you don’t have access to a nutrition label? There are some other snacks that sound healthy in theory, but in reality they can quickly spike your sodium intake. These include things like cheese pizza, chicken noodle soup (from a can), low fat potato chips, yogurt covered raisins, and bagel sandwiches. All of those food items can be hidden sources of sodium in a person’s diet. In general, it’s a good idea to check the nutrition label of a product or research its health impact before you eat it, but this is especially true for people who are monitoring their sodium levels. Otherwise you may never know never know.

Author: Louanne Cox for YoNaturals Health Food Vending

A steaming bowl of porridge in winter, a delicious bowl of muesli in summer or even just a granola bar on the run oats are a great addition to your diet.   Oats offer so much to your health that they truly are one of nature’s super foods.

Oats can help lift your spirits and face the rest of the day in a positive mood.   They will also help your body to deal with stress.   Oats are a natural anti-depressant because of their high amounts of calcium, magnesium, B vitamins and potassium, all of the nutrients required for a healthy nervous system.

Oats are also good for a myriad of other things from diabetes, heart problems and cholesterol to cancer and childhood asthma.   They also taste good and are a grain that can be enjoyed by celiacs.

Studies since the 1960s have touted the effects of oats on high cholesterol levels.   It is believed that this is due to the type of soluble fiber that is found in oats.   The fiber is responsible for reducing cholesterol by 8-23%, just by eating a few grams of oats a day.   People with high cholesterol have a higher chance of contracting cardiovascular disease or having a stroke so if you cholesterol levels are high add a few oats to your day.

The health benefits of oats do not stop at lowering cholesterol however, they also help to reduce heart disease with a special antioxidant.   Researchers at Tufts University have conducted a number of different tests on oats.   They have isolated a special antioxidant called avenanthramides which is present in oats.   This antioxidant has been found to have special properties that reduce the chance of atherosclerosis developing.   They have also found that the effects are even more effective when vitamin C is added.   The moral of the story is to drink orange juice with your oats!

Moving from the heart to the immune system we have yet another reason to eat oats.   The soluble fiber found in oats is called beta-glucan and studies have found that this substance can help the body fight infections.   Studies at Brown University have found that the beta-glucan in oats give our immune defender cells the ability to locate the main infection point within infected tissue.   This allows a quicker response which means faster healing.   It is rather like giving our soldiers night vision goggles when they are on patrol in dark areas, they are able to find problems quicker and handle them more efficiently.

Oats are also well known for their ability to stabilize blood sugar levels.   This ability is also due to the beta-glucan and will help to keep your energy levels steady throughout the day.   Keeping the blood sugar levels stable also help with diabetes.

Studies in Holland have also found that oats are one of the foods which can lower the incidence of childhood asthma.   The other food is fish, but I wouldn’t recommend eating them both together, basically it just means that adding both fish and oats to the diet would be recommended.

Studies in the UK have also shown that eating wholegrain cereals, such as oats, can help to lower the incidence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

Basically if you want to feel good and keep your health in tip top condition you only need to answer one question – how are you taking your oats today?