I don’t even try to pretend that my morning coffee is healthy: I like it with cream (not milk!) and sugar. As I was watching myself dump in my two spoonfuls yesterday, I did feel a little stab of guilt. It’s not like I add sugar to all of my food, but between my coffee and the sugar that exists in many products (cereal, salad dressing, even tomato sauce), I’m probably eating too much of it.

I’ve considered switching to a sweetener, but most of them taste horrible and frankly, they kind of scare me. I’d rather put something natural into my body then a batch of chemicals disguised to taste like something natural. My saving grace might be the new sweetener that came on the market recently: Stevia. Stevia is a natural plant and the products that it’s used in, like Truvia and Sun Crystals, supposedly have none of that weird chemical after-taste. I was excited to try it until I read this article about it on Double X last night, now I’m not so sure.

The writer talked about how the FDA banned Stevia in 1991 after a study on rats showed adverse effects on fertility. It wasn’t recognized as “generally safe” until ten years later, coincidentally, right after Pepsi, Coke, and some other big time companies began lobbying to use it in their products. Apparently, many companies want to use Stevia in their juices, ice creams, and other products so that they can market them as low-cal and sugar-free. Stevia could start showing up in a lot of things we eat, whether we’re choosing to use it or not.

The article also mentioned that the Stevia plant has been used in South America for hundreds of years with no apparent adverse effects, which is comforting. However, it’s been used in a very different form than the way we plan on manufacturing and marketing it now. I’m not sure where I stand, but for the moment, I will stick with sugar.

Do you use artificial sweeteners? Which is your favorite? Do you think they are more or less healthy than sugar?

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So we've all heard the commercials on TV, right? Pills like Crestor and Lipitor all claim to improve your blood lipid profile. Wonderful. Poor lipid profiles (high LDL, low HDL, high Triglycerides) are a heart's natural enemy. Total cholesterol above 200 and/or Trigs above 200 are dangerous, as we know. Furthermore, if your total cholesterol is less than 200, but more than 100 of that is LDL, you're in trouble as well.

So what's a person to do? The first option your greedy physician will suggest is a cholesterol lowering drug. What are the problems with these drugs? For one, they're very hard on the liver. Gastrointestinal problems and even depression have been reported with these drugs. I, the anti-medicine and natural-living guru of Xanga, know all the ins and outs of what the medical industry WANTS you to think. So, how can you beat a poor lipid profile? Here you go:

Consider an ovo-vegetarian or vegan diet. Properly planned vegetarian and vegan diets are naturally low in saturated fat and trans fatty acids. Many, many people are able to beat their lipid woes just doing this. Don't be afraid of eggs, however. More Here...

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With Halloween out of the way, everyone is soon to become preoccupied with Thanksgiving Day dinner plans. Along with that task comes the responsibility of creating delicious - and hopefully healthy! - food.

Here at Healthkicker, we hope to help you get a jump start on the holidays with these great tips on ways to enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving dinner.

• Instead of using extra sugar or marshmallows in your sweet potatoes, try adding a bit of pumpkin puree! Pumpkin has a great natural flavor and also can be a great sweetener. What's even better is that a canned pumpkin mixture can have more vitamins than a whole pumpkin, so you won't have to trek to the farm to get nutritious! More Here...