How Synthesized Foods Help Us Stay Healthy
Activia Strawberry Cheesecake
I’m usually not a fan of synthesized foods but like it or not, they are a part of our daily diets. If you’re diabetic or need to limit your blood sugar levels for any reason, you most likely rely on aspartame for sweetness. If you’re lactose intolerant, Lactaid allows you to enjoy fresh milk without suffering the consequences. And even if your dietary restrictions aren’t life threatening, synthesized foods enable you to perform better and fit activities you otherwise wouldn’t have time for in your busy schedule.
Most days for lunch, I eat a Meta Rx Big 100 Meal Replacement Bar. Is it as tasty as left over lasagna from the night before or a fresh made sandwich? Probably not but it frees me from the confines of yet another chair at break time so I can do some power walking instead. I’m getting all my essential nutrients and 57% of my daily protein. People can point out deficiencies like the sugar and saturated fat count but my reasoning is that it contains no more of this bad stuff than a typical bag of chips or an ice cream sandwich that you would eat as a dessert or snack. Plus I’m burning off the calories upon ingesting them. My heart and circulatory system thanks me and I feel better in the face of an otherwise highly sedentary lifestyle.
So it wasn’t with much hesitation that I tried out Activia, a probiotic yogurt. Made by Dannon, Activia has a live culture called Bifidus Regularis® that is believed to help moderate your digestive system. According to Dannon’s website, several clinical studies determined that Activia’s culture survived passage through the digestive system in enough quantities to positively impact slow intestinal movement. I had their strawberry cheesecake flavor and found it to be rich and creamy…a great taste even for somebody who isn’t a cheesecake fanatic. I didn’t eat it long enough to experience its digestive effects but I can say with certainty that even if you eat Activia only for the benefit of ingesting live cultures, it will feel like more of an indulgence instead of a health regimen. For a limited time, Activia is offering $1 off any purchase so now is the time to give it a try!
photo courtesy of Dannon Yogurt
