Hidden Sodium: Who Are the Biggest Offenders?

by Cascade Ice on February 15, 2011

Dr. Katz recently outed some common products in a recent MSN Health article that contain “hidden” levels of sodium – many of which we assume are healthy.

Especially in processed food and drink choices, sodium has become ubiquitous. Dr. Katz makes a startling revelation that more than 80 percent of the salt in the typical American diet was added to your food by someone other than you!

Examples of foods and drinks that usually have higher amounts of sodium are sodas, breakfast cereals, cookies, salad dressings and canned soups. A good rule of thumb to avoid overdoing it on your daily recommended sodium limit is to make sure your average food over the course of the day has no more  mg of sodium than it has calories per serving.  Try instead to incorporate foods from nature, such as lean meats, vegetables and fruit!

If you’re looking for one less thing to worry about in terms of added sodium, reach for a Cascade Ice 2-calorie water – they don’t contain sodium at all, so you can enjoy it guilt-free.

We Break Down the Anti-Diabetes Diet in 5 Easy Steps

by Cascade Ice on February 14, 2011

In the past several years, there has been a significant rise in the number of Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. So it’s no wonder that nutrition “gurus” and dietitians are capitalizing on the trend with books that claim to cure adult-onset diabetes with just a few adjustments to your lifestyle and eating habits. Could it really be that easy?

While the triggers of diabetes are not known with complete certainty, both genetics and environmental factors (like obesity and lack of exercise) have been proven to play roles. We researched and gathered 5 important tips to remember for those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

• First things first – most experts agree that an anti-inflammatory diet can help promote healthy blood sugar levels. Try eating small, frequent meals to keep blood sugars in a safe range. Eating large, filling meals less often can flood the bloodstream with excess glucose and insulin
• Keep added sugars to a minimum, choosing to skip the sugar in your daily cup of coffee, and trying sugar substitutes like sucralose instead.
• Incorporate lots of non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, squash, eggplant, beans and spinach.
• Aim for 30 minutes of activity per day. Any type of aerobic activity including hiking, walking or cycling improves insulin resistance in muscle cells.
• Research has shown that nutritional supplements may also be helpful for people at risk or living with diabetes. Magnesium, fish oil and omega-3 fatty acid, and flaxseed oil have all been proven to offset inflammation.

In addition to the tips provided above, if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes, work with your doctor or nutritionist to help make sure you’re following a diet and exercise plan that’s personalized and the right fit for you.

Valentine’s Day Facebook Giveaway!!

by Cascade Ice on February 11, 2011

We are excited to launch our first Facebook giveaway from Cascade Ice! In honor of Valentine’s Day, we want you to show us some <3 to win an “I <3 Cascade Ice” prize package filled with Valentine’s Day goodies!

To enter, simply comment on our wall about what you LOVE to do to stay healthy and happy.

Please share this contest with your friends, and “like” us on Facebook for more contests coming up in the future.

We’ll announce the winner on Monday afternoon. Good Luck!

Rebecca’s Healthy Living Journey

by Cascade Ice on February 9, 2011

The Flavorful Life is featuring several “healthy living journey” stories from Cascade Ice fans around the country, where guest bloggers tell us their thoughts on how they face challenges and come up with new ideas to pursue better health and fitness lifestyles. The following is a guest post from Rebecca Warren of Dublin, OH.

It’s the beginning of 2011, which means only one thing – it’s time to convince myself once again that I need to use the gym membership that I am committed to for the next seven months. I’m paying the money; therefore I need to use it to my full advantage, right? As luck would have it, I was traveling with my family through the New Year and I did not come back home until late in the evening of January 3, which means getting up early to go to the gym is out of the question for January 4 and I’ll start going the following day when the jet lag has slowly worn off and it’s easier to wake up. January 5: Alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. If I get up now, I can be at the gym by 5:30 a.m. and back home by 7:00 a.m. and in the shower. Instead, I hit snooze over and over again until 7:00 a.m.! Looks like I’ll start the gym routine tomorrow morning. Yet, January 6 rolls around and it’s the same routine of hitting the snooze button.

This trend has unfortunately continued, and I have yet to get up at 5:00 a.m. to go to the gym! To be honest, I blame the Ohio winter weather. Snow storms, ice storms and every other winter blast imaginable have made it nearly impossible to get out of bed so early. I know what you’re probably thinking. Becca, why don’t you go to the gym after work? That’s a great question, and don’t worry – I have an excuse for that too! After sitting all day at my desk at work, working away for hours on end, the last thing I want to do is go get on a treadmill with a gym full of people waiting to get on the exact same treadmill I want to be on. Personally, I love nothing more than going home after work, making dinner and watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo. Doesn’t that sound like much more fun?

It finally hit me yesterday – this Spring, I have a deep desire to participate in the Columbus, Ohio Komen Race for the Cure in support of one of my best friend’s recent diagnosis with breast cancer. In my love and support for her and her family, this is my opportunity to go back to the gym and make a difference for society, rather than just wanting to better myself. I understand that my own well being should be an important factor in choosing to go to the gym, but I am much more of a person who puts others needs ahead of my own. In this case, I am going to put the 1.3 million people diagnosed annually before myself and on May 14, I will be joining 50,000 other participants in the downtown Columbus Race for a Cure. Starting tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m., you will find me at my local gym!