Sugar in Whole Foods vs. Added Sugar

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Sugar is like cholesterol: there’s the good and the bad. The good news is that it’s easy to distinguish between edible sugars and those to avoid. Here are two facts to remember:

  • Sugar found in whole foods comes with vitamins, minerals, protein, phytochemicals and fiber. This naturally occurring sugar is a source of nutrition.
  • When any type of sugar is added to foods during processing, cooking or at the table, it contains calories without any nutrients or fiber. Added sugar not only offers no benefits, it actually is a source of potential physical harm.

There are three basic carbohydrates in our diets — simple sugar, starch and fiber — all consist of sugar. Simple sugars, such as sucrose, fructose and lactose, only have one or two molecules of sugar. The “sugar high” and the crash that comes with it can be vividly witnessed in some children who are usually fed healthy foods and suddenly are given so-called “treats” at a party: ice cream, cake and candy, for example. Their bodies react to the simple sugars they are not accustomed to by creating an artificial burst of energy, followed by crankiness and fatigue. This is because simple sugars shoot quickly into the bloodstream and may cause spikes in blood sugar.

Starch and fiber are complex carbohydrates because they’re made from three to hundreds of sugar molecules. During digestion, simple sugars and complex starches break down into single molecules of glucose. Since they contain multiple molecules of sugar, starches take longer to digest, so they enter the bloodstream slowly.

One teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories, a teaspoon of honey has 21 calories and there are 136 calories— including 33 grams or 8 teaspoons of sugar—from a 12-ounce can of generic soda pop. These empty calories quickly add up to potential weight gain and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Extra sugar also may cause an uptick in triglyceride levels, which contributes to cardiovascular disease.

We should try to eat complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. Guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend that women should consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar daily, while men should limit their added sugar to nine teaspoons. Remember that some healthy-sounding sweeteners, such as maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, molasses and honey are also added sugars.

Added sugar is found in virtually every type of processed food, which makes healthy eating challenging. One way to help eliminate added sugars from the diet is to check the ingredient listings of every packaged food item. For example, take a look at the ingredient listings of popular brands of so-called energy drinks and energy bars. Added sugar comes under the guise of maltose corn syrup, cane invert syrup, fructose, dextrose, glucose syrup, corn syrup—the list goes on and on.

Compare those commercial brands of energy drinks to the sugar-free Kenzen Ten4®!  Nikken nutritional products are lifestyle changers.

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Nikken Independent Consultants: Applaud Yourselves!

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In the United States, today is National Entrepreneur Day. President Obama wanted to raise consciousness about the importance of entrepreneurship and designated a day of recognition in 2010. In fact, the entire month of November is National Entrepreneurship Month!

Nikken Independent Consultants have lots to celebrate, but as entrepreneurs representing a company that has been a pioneer in Active Wellness for more than 40 years, have you thought of how you fit into the “big picture?” As Nikken business builders, you contribute in multiple ways. Take a look at the 5 Pillars of Health® and how you contribute to the nation and the world:

  • Healthy Mind: Products such as Kenzen® Clarity contribute to overall mental sharpness. What you think determines how you live.
  • Healthy Body: When you introduce new people to Nikken, you are impacting the way they take care of their bodies. Nikken products replicate what is found in nature..
  • Healthy Family: Once you know how to take care of yourself, you expand this concept to your entire family. As a Nikken business builder, your Nikken Family grows each time you sponsor someone new to your team. How great is that!
  • Healthy Society: Have you ever thought that as a Nikken Independent Consultant you are actually creating business opportunities? You are decreasing the unemployment rate every time you sign up someone new who previously did not have a source of income. You not only are helping someone create a home-based income, but you are also having a positive effect on the economy! Each one of us contributes to the “big picture” so make it something to celebrate.
  • Healthy Finances: Money is practical and necessary. The more you have, the more good you are able to do. The most successful Nikken entrepreneurs are also philanthropists.

Nikken entrepreneurs are rewarded handsomely by the company. One example is the upcoming luxury vacation at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Cancun, Mexico, in April of 2017 for those who qualify as Team Kaizen members by the end of this year.

Congratulate yourselves for making the right choice with Nikken and celebrate your contributions!

Does Extra Cash Sound Good to You?

Published on by Nikken

Curious about network marketing? Ask the industry gurus, and they will unanimously tell you that a company that only focuses on recruiting is not a good bet, but those that provide an incentive to retail products in addition to building a business group, provide the best income opportunity. Nikken combines the best of both.

Let’s face it. Everyone likes to have some extra cash or get a bonus as recognition of a job well done. If you choose to become a Nikken Independent Consultant, you can build your own business and generate income. Not only can you make money but you will also impact the lifestyle of others by promoting Active Wellness. Make money and do some good for others—it’s a simple concept and a win-win.

Most network marketers start off on a part-time basis, so that they can “test out the waters.” As a part-time network marketer, you want to be able to generate income without devoting full time to your business. The beauty of being a Nikken Consultant is that you have flexible hours. You can choose to work as little or as much as you want. You select your hours and work at your own pace. And, you also get to pick the people you want to work with by asking them to join you in building a Nikken business. How much you earn depends largely on how many registered customers you have and how large you build your sales organization.

The Nikken business model is simple and straightforward. The company infrastructure ensures that you do not have to hassle with accounts receivable, paperwork, inventory or sales tax. As a Nikken Consultant, you get:

  • Commission checks every month.
  • 20 percent retail profit on sales to your registered customers.
  • Cash rewards and bonus incentives.
  • Perks such as extravagant paid-for trips.
  • A network of business associates and friends.
  • Extra income.
  • An opportunity for a second or new career.

What starts out as a part-time job as a Nikken Consultant may turn into a career of a lifetime. Isn’t it great to have the choice?

Hair Care the Magnetic Way

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True Elements® Hair Care is unique and exclusive to Nikken. It focuses on a long lasting deep cleanse of the scalp. Designed to work with the skin’s pH balance, the Shampoo and Conditioner work together to help promote a healthy youthful appearance.

What goes into a shampoo or conditioner may determine how well it works, but what doesn’t go into hair care products is equally important. True Elements Hair Care products are made with an exclusive combination of natural ingredients and the formulas purposefully omit potentially harmful chemicals that are commonly found in commercial brands.

Natural ingredients are combined exclusively to clean, moisturize, condition and even to help treat the scalp to stimulate hair growth. True Elements Hair Care achieves this in a method exclusive to Nikken—by using natural resources from the earth:

  • Magnetic particles provide mechanical stimulation and movement in the shampoo and conditioner.
  • Germanium, a natural element found in herbs and plants, has a metallic luster, is a natural semiconductor with electrical properties and helps stimulate the body’s immune system to fight free radicals. Imagine it working to keep your scalp squeaky clean.
  • Copper gluconate is known for its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Dermatologists have found that copper is a cofactor required for healthy skin growth, including the skin cells in hair follicles. Research shows that copper helps condition the scalp and combat hair loss.
  • Bentonite works like a magnet that bonds to contaminants and helps eliminate them from the hair and scalp.

* Peppermint oil acts as a natural fragrance, while Aloe Leaf Extract, Pro-Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E help to nourish and replenish the scalp.

On the other hand, True Elements® Hair Care will not strip the scalp of its natural oils, damage the scalp’s protective barrier, promote the growth of microbes or irritate the skin.

  • It does not contain corrosive cleaning agents, such as sulfates, found in many commercial brands to create lather.
  • It does not contain commonly used preservatives, such as parabens, because of their potentially harmful effects. Parabens can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive systems.
  • It does not contain polyethylene (PEGS) that is irritating to broken or damaged skin.

Regardless of hair type—whether you have dry, oily, chemically-treated or color-enhanced hair, True Elements® Hair Care can help maintain a healthy scalp and hair.Hair care the Magnetic Way—only from Nikken.

 

Healthy Hair Starts with a Healthy Scalp

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The hair follicles on our scalps are wide open and ready to absorb whatever we put on our heads. That means a healthy hair care regimen requires us to keep our scalps clean and sufficiently moisturized. We need to consistently rid our scalp and hair from pollutants in the environment as well as chemicals and toxins found in hair care products.

How often we wash our hair and what we use can go a long way toward maintaining smooth, shiny hair. Depending on our personal skin and hair type, here is what dermatologists recommend to maintain healthy hair.

  1. Wash oily hair more frequently. If your scalp is oily, you may need to wash it every day. If you perspire a great deal, you may want to wash often. Straight hair can get oily quickly. Very curly hair or thick hair is not as oily and can be washed less often. If you have chemically treated hair, your hair may be drier, so you may want to wash it less frequently. As you get older, your scalp makes less oil, so you may not need to shampoo as often. If you see flakes in your hair, you may not be washing often enough. This can lead to dandruff and other scalp issues.
  2. Concentrate shampoo on the scalp. Keeping the scalp clean will help eliminate any problems with your hair. Washing only your hair can create flyaway hair that is dull and coarse. After massaging gently into the scalp, be sure to rinse thoroughly.
  3. Use conditioner after every shampoo. Using a conditioner can significantly improve the look of damaged or weathered hair by increasing shine, decreasing static electricity, improving strength and offering some protection from harmful UV rays.
  4. Concentrate conditioner on the hair, not the scalp. Because conditioners can make fine hair look limp, they only should be used on the tips of the hair and not on the scalp or length of the hair. Again, be sure to rinse thoroughly.
  5. Let your hair air dry whenever you can. Hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons anything that produces artificial heat can damage hair and make it break off or get too dry.
  6. Avoid hair products with ingredients known to be potentially harmful when absorbed by the skin on your scalp. These bad ingredients may be found in even some of the most popular brands, so it’s important to read the label: Alcohol-Isopropyl (SD-40), DEA, MEA, TEA, DMDM, Urea, FD&C Color pigments, Synthetic Fragrances, Mineral Oil, PEG, PG, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Triclosan

With the plethora of hair care products on the market, why would Nikken make a shampoo and a conditioner? The answer is simple: there are hundreds of products out there, but there is none like True Elements® Hair Care. Read the ingredient lists of commercial brands and compare them with True Elements® Shampoo and True Elements® Conditioner.

Take Massage into Your Own Hands with Patented DynaFlux® Magnetic Technology

Published on by Nikken

Can magnetic energy help your well-being? Yes. Magnetic energy is part of the natural environment for all living things. Earth’s magnetic field is also recognized as a protective barrier against dangerous radiation from space.

Clinical studies have indicated that magnets hold promise in the development of new, scientific approaches to many of the challenges of modern life. The body of knowledge continues to increase regarding this basic form of energy, and magnets are already used in various applications to improve the quality of life.

The most recent development in magnetic innovation is represented by Nikken patented DynaFlux® Magnetic Technology (U.S. Patent No. 9,265,966). DynaFlux features a series of individual magnets within an organized structure that places them in polar opposition at several points. Positive or negative poles face each other. Interlocking construction holds these components in place to overcome the repulsion generated by this arrangement.

Placing separate magnetic fields in opposition produces a multiplier effect with two notable results:

  1. One result is that the magnetic field is intensified in each of these areas, providing 100 percent magnetic coverage of a complex field within a flat surface.
  2. The other is a magnetic field that extends farther from the surface and increases the depth of penetration. This equates to increased gauss strength.

Patented DynaFlux® Magnetic Technology is at the foundation of the KenkoTouch™ handheld device that takes magnetic massage to a new level. The KenkoTouch™ delivers pulsating magnetic wave therapy to help relieve soreness and tightness in muscle tissue. The massaging effect leverages the mechanical motion of strategically placed moving nodules that produce a firm, slightly yielding sensation.

The KenkoTouch™ also incorporates specialized reflective fibers to help alleviate tension with gentle, consistent warming. It’s self-regulating, to prevent heat buildup and keep you comfortable. The result is an overall feeling of well being.

A heightened magnetic massage experience with KenkoTouch™—exclusively from Nikken.

 

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Massage is an Accepted Part of Alternative Medicine

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Massage is a general term for pressing, rubbing and manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Massage may range from light stroking to deep pressure. Some common types include:

  • Swedish— gentle with long strokes and deep circular movements
  • Deep—slow forceful strokes to target deep layers of muscle and connective tissue
  • Sports—similar to Swedish but geared toward athletes to help loosen muscles and to prevent or treat sport injuries
  • Acupressure or trigger point—focuses on areas of tight muscle fibers that also converge with nerves

Offered more and more often as a standard treatment for a wide range of muscular conditions and situations, massage has proven to be effective for reducing and managing stress, for soothing aches and pains and for decreasing muscle tension. Practitioners have also found massage to be helpful in dealing with anxiety, digestive disorders, headaches, insomnia related to stress, soft tissue injuries and aching joints.

As soothing and relaxing a massage can be, another person is generally required. You go to a spa or a massage therapist and have a “hands on” experience. The human touch of another often has a therapeutic result, because it gives a feeling of connectedness and warmth.

But what if you don’t have the time, energy or resources to go to a massage therapist? What if you desire immediate relief?

Nikken has numerous products that provide a massaging effect.
1.    Permanent magnets generally work slowly and gently. They are especially appropriate for long-term self-administration. Fixed magnetic therapy is usually applied for longer periods to be optimally effective. Permanent magnets come in great variety. There are small adhesive magnets, magnetic jewelry, sleeping pads and pillows—Nikken offers all of these rest and relaxation products and more.

2.    Pulsating magnets work by mimicking the kneading sensation produced by human fingers. Nikken produces pulsating magnets with DynaFlux® technology so that you feel the sensations that are similar to a regular massage, while reaping the benefits of magnetic penetration.

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5 Tips to Help Clear Your Mind

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Let’s face it. We all have brain fog once in a while. It’s annoying at best and at worst, can be downright embarrassing. Why not do something about it? Here are 5 tips to keep your mind nimble:

  1. Aerobic exercise. Known simply as “cardio” by trainers, it’s not just good for your heart and circulation. It’s good for your brain. When you get your heart rate up, you are actually helping your synapses fire, too! Try to get in 30 minutes at least 5 times a week.
  2. Weight training. It doesn’t just tone your muscles and make you stronger, but it also keeps your mind sharp. Add resistance training to your workout at least twice a week and you’ll be extending your long-term brain health. You don’t need to join a gym: hand weights for curls and ankle weights for leg lifts will do the trick.
  3. Expand your knowledge. It doesn’t have to be intense book learning as in school or university, but it should be intellectually stimulating. Essentially you are giving your brain a workout and stimulating neurochemicals needed for forming new memories as well as retaining the old.
  4. Master a new skill. Have you ever noticed how quickly a toddler acquires language skills? After age 25, the pace of absorbing information slows, but forcing the brain to learn something new helps keep it focused. Your brain has to make a whole new set of connections in order to learn the new skill—whether it’s driving a car, dancing the tango or speaking a foreign language.
  5. Play games. Solve a crossword puzzle or fill in all the squares of Sudoku. Play checkers or chess. Roll the dice for backgammon. All these games challenge the brain to work, which in turn, might increase the levels of growth factors. These types of thinking games force the brain to focus.

Kenzen® Clarity under the NikkenWellness line is formulated to help support your brain power. A fermented blend of 100% organic ingredients, Clarity is designed to help you stay focused and mentally sharp.

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The Battle Against High Cholesterol

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Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from two sources: our bodies and what we eat. Our bodies, and especially its liver, make all the cholesterol we need and circulate it through the blood, but it cannot be dissolved. It must be transported through the bloodstream by carriers called lipoproteins, which are composed of fat (lipid) and proteins. Cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources, such as meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. The liver produces more cholesterol when we eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats.

A tendency towards high cholesterol can be caused by a diet that is high in fat, but a person can also be genetically predisposed. In other words, high cholesterol can run in the family. Cholesterol is such a common topic of conversations these days because when it is too high, it is a proven risk for cardiac problems. As a result, cholesterol medication, commonly referred to as statins, are one of the highest sources of revenue for pharmaceutical companies.

Statins work by slowing the body’s production of cholesterol. The body produces all the cholesterol it needs by digesting food and producing new cells on its own. When this natural production is slowed, the body begins to draw the cholesterol it needs from the food you eat, lowering your total cholesterol.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), statins also lower your body’s levels of coenzyme Q10 (“CoQ10”). As your levels go down, the side effects of statins increase. Taking CoQ10 supplements might help increase the levels in the body and reduce side effects caused by statin usage.

The most common statin side effect is muscle pain. It can be mildly uncomfortable pain or bad enough to compromise daily activities. Statins can also adversely affect the liver and kidneys. Some people may develop nausea, gas, diarrhea or constipation after taking a statin, although these side effects are relatively rare. Taking statin medication in the evening with a meal can reduce digestive side effects.

The FDA warns on statin labels that some people have developed memory loss or confusion while taking statins. These side effects reverse once you stop taking the medication. Talk to your doctor if you experience memory loss or confusion. On the other hand, there has also been evidence that statins may help with brain function — in patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s, and this continues to be studied.

If your diet is the cause of high cholesterol levels, it can be relatively easy to lower levels by making changes to daily consumption of red meat and dairy—and focusing on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Cholesterol can be both good and bad, so it’s important to know what your cholesterol levels are in order to manage the health of your circulatory system. If you have high overall cholesterol and it’s not genetic, you have a good chance of controlling it via diet.

Caffeine-sensitive? Try Kenzen Ten4® with natural caffeine.

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Athletes are always looking for that competitive edge. For example, some swimmers shave their entire bodies; many runners swear by carbo-loading; jockeys are known to fast before races; extreme behaviors become run-of-the-mill—all in pursuit of heightened performance and victory. One performance enhancer that is drawing more attention from elite athletes is perfectly legal: caffeine.

Caffeine has always been the perennial best friend of high school and college students—whether as a wake-me-up or a means to stay awake while cramming for exams. Triathletes and distance runners have used caffeine as an energy booster for decades, but in more recent years, those involved in short-burst sports are also taking advantage of this stimulant.

Natural sources of caffeine include seeds, leaves, nuts and berries. In Kenzen Ten4® Energy Drink Mix, there are 80 mg per serving of natural caffeine from organic matcha green tea. The caffeine in organic matcha green tea not only may help boost energy, but it also may create a calm type of awareness. In other words, organic matcha green may well provide you with a pick-me-up feeling without the jitteriness that caffeine from other sources may cause. The natural caffeine in organic matcha green tea binds to the naturally occurring phytonutrients to slow down the absorption of the stimulant, giving it a slow release effect, resulting in up to six hours of enhanced alertness or physical performance.