Best Kitchen Gadgets to Make Your Life Easier and Get You Cookin'!

People often ask me what they need in their kitchens to either inspire them to cook more often (because we know ain't no cookin' like home cookin'!) or to help them speed up the process. Here are my best suggestions and items I use regularly:

• Vitamix Blender - there is no substitute. There's a reason why they call them "SMOOTHIES" - they're supposed to be SMOOTH. No other blender on the planet can get your smoothie as perfectly smooth as Vitamix. It's worth the $ and Mother's Day is coming up, so....Vitamix does SO much more than smoothies and there are cookbooks that come with it to get you started. You can make soup in the Vitamix! It even heats it up! Sauces, dressings, marinades, dips, sorbet, snow cones, puddings...and the best smoothies EVER. 

• Hand-held citrus juicer. I use this daily. I got mine at the local grocery store. I add lemon and lime to lots of things, but always to my morning smoothie and water. Citrus brightens up anything, has added vitamin C and is a miracle worker if you get kidney stones. If you eat lots of kale, spinach, strawberries and other produce high in  oxalates, lemon juice counters the calcium buildup to prevent stones from forming.

• Zester (or Microplane). This is great to add lots of flavor from the rind of citrus. Add lemon/lime/orange zest to sauces, marinades and dressings for extra citrus flavor. The zester can also be used to fine-grate garlic, ginger and Parmesan cheese. Just watch your knuckles!

• Large, wide wooden bowl. If you eat salads, this type of bowl is perfect for tossing without losing the contents. I like using tongs to toss. It makes salad prep so much easier.

• Salad Spinner. I know this is so 80s, but salad spinners are a must. No one wants soggy salad. They're cheap and pull all of the water out of greens, herbs, etc.

• Silpat silicone mats. These are the rubbery-feeling mats made of silicone that are used to line baking sheets to prevent sticking. I use these daily instead of foil-lining sheets (aluminum is no bueno). Nothing will stick to it, not even shredded cheese, melted sugar or any baked goods. 

• Wooden spoons. Wood resists bacteria, are inexpensive, can withstand high heat and clean easily. Just don't put them in your dishwasher or let them soak for long.

• Cast iron skillet. Nothing browns food better than cast iron. If you want a perfect crust on your brussel sprouts, salmon, chicken, pork chops, corn bread or fish, use cast iron. It heats evenly and stays hot for a really long time, so food stays warm (that's why restaurants often serve cornbread and fajitas in cast iron skillets). If you're low in iron, use cast iron skillets, particularly when cooking high acid foods like tomato-based foods, as it will pull iron into your food. Don't use soap when cleaning and lightly oil after it's cleaned and cooled to keep it "seasoned" so it stays non-stick.

• Enameled cast iron. I'm talking about Le Creuset-like pots and skillets. Like their non-enameled counterparts, they heat evenly and stay warm forever but are naturally non-stick, are perfect for slow cooking (they really aren't meant for high heat like regular cast iron) and look pretty from oven/stove to table. I use these mostly when making soups, chili, stews and beans.

• Zoco Popsicle maker. My kids love popsicles and this little gadget makes it super simple to make our own, which means way less sugar, no preservatives or artificial food colors/ingredients, and a heck of a lot cheaper than store bought. Buy the cookbook with it and you'll be making the best popsicles you've ever had. It only takes 5 minutes to freeze! My kids love making the coffee, coconut, and s'more recipes!

• Knife sharpener. Every good cook MUST have sharp knives. Dull knives tear or smoosh the flesh of produce, cause accidents and make prep work take lots longer. I love the kind that you hold with one hand and swipe the knife through a slit with the other. I sharpen my knives weekly and they glide through everything like butter.

• Fine-mesh sieve. If you eat various grains, some are so tiny they can slip right through a regular sieve. These sieves are usually cone-shaped and can be used for rinsing but also for filtering/straining, like when making almond milk.

So there you have my top gadgets I use the most in my kitchen. There are so many more out there and going down the kitchen aisle of a store can be overwhelming. These are great items to have readily accessible. What are some of YOUR favorite kitchen gadgets? Share my replying to the blog!

Keep cookin'! Spring is such a great time to get started eating healthier and the best way to eat healthier is to cook at home. Remember to get your kids and spouse involved! When they help, they are more apt to eat it! 

The EASY Way to Eat Clean

Thankfully, "clean eating" is no longer considered a fad. More people are getting educated and buying clean foods, so much so, the large manufacturers are taking notice. General Mills recently announced Cheerios will no longer contain GMO grains! Hurray! Yoplait has commercials touting their yogurts as free from high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors. Yippee! There are countless new products on the shelves that are GMO free, organic, preservative free and no artificial ingredients. Finally.

Whether these companies and the others finally clued in that their artificial ingredients, preservatives and CRAP is making our country sick, or if they're just looking for a bigger audience for profit, the end result is we all win. The truth is, no other nation on the planet spends more on pharmaceuticals and health care than the U.S., yet our nation is among the sickest in all industrialized countries. It's no wonder when you watch this YouTube video about what they're spraying on our produce!

So what can you do? Spring is almost here and is a perfect season for new beginnings. I encourage all of you to think about your food, what you're bringing into your home to eat, where you shop and what ingredients mean. Don't keep telling yourself you'll do it "one day" or a little processed food is okay. That's like saying a few cigarettes a day don't matter. Everything you put in your body either helps it or harms it - nothing is benign.

I thumbed through Cameron Diaz's new book called "Body" recently. She worked with nutritionists, scientist and other experts to thoroughly explain what specific foods do to your body, what organs and functions are effected and how to maximize your full health potential. If you have a chance, pick it up. It's a great read with factual info on the science behind nutrition and your body.

In a nutshell, the book goes into detail about what I try to communicate on this blog - you are what you eat and when you put good food in, your body will repay you. Take the time to educate yourself about ingredients and make a commitment to make a change! Here are some easy tips to get you started on a fresh way of approaching what you eat and be sure to check out the new recipes I added to my Recipes page :

• Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and/or visit the Farmer's Markets. CSAs are local farms that deliver fresh, seasonal, usually organic produce to your neighborhood
• Eat the rainbow - choose a variety of fruits and veggies of all colors (organic is best) to ensure you're getting all of your vitamins and minerals - they all work together in perfect amounts, unlike lab-processed multi-vitamins
• Cut back on processed foods (anything in a box, bag or can) and choose fresh ingredients instead anywhere you can
• Read ingredients and choose products that have the fewest ingredients, ALL of which you can pronounce and know what they are
• Buy only the freshest and least processed fish and meats as you can afford - organic meats mean the animal was fed an organic diet, not animal by-products that can contain flesh from diseased animals (this is much cheaper feed)
• Buy only organic eggs (Farmer's Markets and CSAs are a great resource)
• Buy fresh-squeezed juices or juice them yourself (most other juices are highly processed and lack the nutrients of fresh)
• Invest in a good blender (I love Vitamix) and start making smoothies with fresh, organic veggies and a little fruit
• Find new recipes using fresh veggies, whole grains and lean meats - buy new cookbooks, check out cookbooks at your local library or search online - there are some GREAT ones out there and I list a few on my "Resources" page 
• Cook more at home to have more control over the ingredients

Post a comment to this blog with any questions you might have. We can all learn from and support each other. Coming "clean" may seem overwhelming, but just like anything new, once you learn it, it becomes second nature. It's the best thing you can do for yourself and your family!

2014 - The Year of More FUN!

I'm back!
It's been months since my last post. To make a long story short, I was rather sick with a strange illness that was never fully determined (was it a trip to the Dominican? The sushi I ate just prior? Who knows.). It took me months to recover, required countless tests & procedures, and drove my sweet doctor crazy with all of my anxiety, but I am feeling GREAT after 4 months of misery. Praise God.

I learned so much through my journey, too much to detail in my little blog. BUT, I did want to share some revelations with you in the hopes that it will provide some inspiration.

1) Food is meant to heal and nourish, not put us in prison. 
Knowledge is hard to un-know. 

When I began researching food and ingredients, I discovered there was so much we as a consumer didn't know about our food. It was intriguing, frustrating and even angering. I was incensed so much crap could be put into our food supply and so little information was readily available. I read, studied and began this blog to share some of the info with you. What I didn't realize at the time, but now do, is you can become hyper-sensitive to it all and let it imprison you. That's what started to happen to me.

The more I studied, the more rules I set to make sure I wasn't falling victim to it all. I knew better. I became rigid and inflexible with food choices in that I analyzed virtually every ingredient and meal. Unknowingly, food became a burden for me and caused stress because I didn't want to bend on any of my "rules." It pained me to see my kids eating junk food and I refused to buy Oreos or Gatorade and the like.

Stress, however, is worse for the body than the occasional fast food meal or orange sports drink. I was inadvertently harming myself, strangling the joy out of eating while I held steadfast to my rules. I suffered, my family suffered and my friends probably rolled their eyes (you know who you are!).

2) We have to give up some control.
Trying to have all the control is exhausting.

This is probably the hardest thing for me as a person, as a mom. If you're a mom, you're likely the boss in your house. You have to be in order to run a smooth home. If you're like me, you make the food choices in your home as well. If you eat healthy, you probably bring healthy foods into your home. Good for you! That's the goal. Teach your children to eat healthy by modeling it for them and not making junk food readily available. While I still believe in that sentiment, I now understand that I can't control everything, nor do I want to. 

It's stressful to worry about every thing your kids put into their mouths. You want them to put down the Coke and opt for water, but if they don't, does it make you squirm like it did me? Did hearing about contaminated ground water, GMOs or food dye make you feel helpless or overwhelmed about how to avoid it?

When I am in control, I feel like everything is going perfectly. But when there's a kink, which inevitably will come, I get stressed. My mystery illness was a perfect example. It was a 4-month long knot I felt would take every last inch of me. As much as I fought it, I was no longer in control. I had to give it up - to my many doctors, to my generous family and friends who cared for me, and most importantly, to my faithful God Who has ultimate control. 

All of the control I thought I had was mocking me as I lay in bed sick while the world passed me by. I felt like God was saying, "You think you control all of this? Your health, your life, your every breath is a gift from Me. Your food choices aren't what's going to save you. Only I can do that."

Wow. Wow and wow. My wonderful/Dr. of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) recognized something about me within the first hour of meeting me that has had me thinking ever since. She said all of the passion I have for food (this blog, my classes, my cooking) wasn't coming from a place of love and joy, but a place of fear. She was right.

Yes, I love to cook and teach others about healthy eating, but I was doing it because at some level, I believed doing so would help me avoid all of the illnesses that come with unhealthy eating - and I feared illness. While whole foods are unquestionably healthier than processed foods, we only have so much control over what illnesses we may encounter. If you live long enough, you WILL get sick, no matter what you eat or don't eat. You can avoid many illnesses but not all of them. It's just part of life.

3) Have more fun.
Don't take food too seriously.

Life is short. If you're feeling good today, make it the best day possible and be grateful for every breath you take. We have no idea what will happen tomorrow, but if we live IN THE PRESENT and live our lives with gratitude, it will be more fulfilling. Food is fuel for the body but it's also meant to be enjoyed. 

I am a practical person. I have to have order to my life. I don't like chaos. But while I was home- bound for months, all I wanted to do was get out and enjoy life. I missed my old routine but most of all, I missed laughing with friends, trying out new restaurants with my husband, playing games with my kids and learning new things. We are always one day away from a diagnosis, an illness, an accident. All of my practicality was hindering what life wants to offer me - freedom, joy and fun. 

2014 - Another Chance
Each new year brings optimism and hope. 

Our family spent New Year's Eve with several families. We all shared our resolutions on paper, dropped them in a bag and then had to guess who's resolution was who's. My resolution was to "Have more fun and break some rules." No one guessed it was from me.

In 2014, I hope to take each day as it comes, enjoying the little things: a good night's sleep, energy throughout my day, a crackling fire in the fireplace, my daughter's laughter and my son's large smile, to name a few. 

I will cook with more joy and let the kids order a Coke next time we eat out. I won't stress about every ingredient, rather savoring the goodness of whole foods when we have the opportunity to eat them. I will continue to teach my kids and friends about healthy choices, but will embrace Frito pie with gusto (I'm actually making venison chili tonight - with organic corn chips - I can't forget all I've learned!).

I hope and pray each of you have a healthy, FUN, joyful 2014. Send me any questions or ideas for blogs and I will keep passing along info, tidbits and recipes that will hopefully equip you with knowledge. What are YOUR resolutions? Share them with me!

Oh Boy, Here We Go Again...What to Pack in School Lunches

I can honestly say the thing I dread most about the start of school isn't waking up early again but figuring out what to pack in the kids' lunchboxes. It would be so easy to throw a Lunchable and a juicebox into the sack, but those of you who know me know I would more likely do a herkie when the school bus drives off the first morning of school.

Every end of summer, I begin to feel that anxious pit in my stomach that I have to come up with healthy lunch ideas the kids will actually eat. I have several cookbooks and websites dedicated to this endeavor but I inevitably fall into a slump by spring. Never fear though! I have some ideas to share that hopefully will get you at least a few months into the school year.

Things to consider:

• Prepackaged foods are generally higher in fat, sodium, sugar, preservatives, food dyes and mystery ingredients than anything you could make at home
• Your kids need a healthy breakfast and lunch to keep them going throughout the school day = limit processed foods, sugars, and sodium
• Your kids likely won't eat something they've never tried before so consider experimenting at dinner and snack times to see if they'll actually eat it at lunch
• Keep the dialogue open with your kids by asking them what they'd like to bring to lunch, then see if you can work with them to make it healthier if needed
• Get organized! Purchase fun lunch box organizers like Lunch Skins, Bento Boxes, and Pack It Lunch Bags 
• Make a plan. Look at your week and see what days would be most suited for a certain type of lunch. Maybe sandwiches on Mondays, salads on Tuesdays, veggies and crackers with dips on Wednesdays, wraps on Thursdays, and burritos on Fridays.

Just a few lunch ideas:

• Salads can be fun, especially if you put them in a mason jar. Layer ingredients and seal with the lid. All they have to do is shake! See this LINK for a quick how-to.

•  Sandwiches are usually pretty safe bets but over a week's time, that can be alot of bread, cheese (if you use it) and meats (if you use them). Either cook and slice your own meats or buy preservative-free deli meats. Try to limit sandwiches to a couple per week, even if only to encourage a more diverse palette. If you limit/avoid bread, just roll the deli meat or use a lettuce leaf as a wrap. Try different nut butters with honey or fruit-only jams.

• Cut up veggies with dip (hummus, black bean, msg-free Ranch, etc) are usually well tolerated and add a serving or two of veggies to your child's diet.

• Cut up or whole fruits (with yogurt dip, nut butter or honey, if desired) work well but keep the skins on. Most of the fiber is found in the skin.

• Wraps are usually a hit with most kids. Consider using lettuce or even collard greens if you can get your kids to eat them instead of flour tortillas which are usually full of preservatives. Fill them with all sorts of things from preservative-free deli meats and cheeses, to black beans/corn/salsa or cucumber/sprouts/carrots/olives/hummus. Get creative!

• Don't forget the leftovers!

• Frozen Tamales - Whole Foods sells several types of tamales my kids love, like the vegan black bean, sweet potato-pecan and shredded chicken with lime. Be sure to check the ingredients because often conventional brands use lard, tons of salt and preservatives.

• Frozen Burritos - when I'm in a pinch, I go to Amy's frozen burritos or Evolv or even Whole Foods 360 brand. Again, check ingredients. Skip any with artificial ingredients, lots of sodium or preservatives.

• Frozen veggies - you can usually find small, individual packets of edamame that most kids love. Try frozen lima beans (packed with protein and fiber) or green peas with a pat of butter and a dash of salt

• Fried rice made the night before with leftover rice and frozen mixed veggies, a scrambled egg and a dash of tamari/soy sauce

• Black beans and brown rice topped with avocado (soak in lime), salsa, and cilantro served with organic corn tortilla chips

Check out websites for inspiration! I could list a dozen here, but all of you know how to use the Internet and search for your own new favorites. Adapt recipes as needed and be sure to make note of the ones your kids end up liking. 

There are so many ideas and I am sure many of you have some of your own. PLEASE SHARE if you do! Just comment on the blog so all can see! Good luck and here's to a healthy new school year!

Are You Constipated? 7 Things to Do to Get Things Moving Again

Let's face it. Little feels better than a good poop. You know the kind: slightly soft but formed into an "S" or "C" shape that seems to circle to toilet bowl. You stand up, feeling like you just dropped 5 pounds. Ahhhh. Every body is different, but if you're not having one of these DAILY, you may be constipated. 

Constipation can make you feel tired, heavy, crampy, bloated, gassy and/or cranky. And why shouldn't it? You have days' worth of waste sitting in your intestines going nowhere fast. Every day that goes by, your waste gets more compacted, making you feel worse. When it finally does decide to take the plunge, it comes out in hard, tiny balls that can feel like they're covered with thorns. Those "thorns" are the tiny tears they're creating around your bum hole. Nice, huh?

While you may have an underlying medical issue that should be discussed with your doctor, more often it is directly related to your diet. SURPRISE! Here are 7 things you can do to get things moving again:

1. Drink more non-caffeinated fluids. Water is best, but if you tire of it, try adding a splash of 100% fruit juice to it. Just to keep up with your daily fluid requirements, you should take your body weight, divide it in half and that's how many ounces of fluids you should consume...just to keep up. If you're already constipated, drink more until things loosen up a bit. NO CAFFEINE! Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it pulls moisture from your body. When your constipated, you need all the moisture you can get. 
2. Eat your veggies and fruit! The two most important things you need when you're constipated are fluids and fiber. Veggies and fruits have both, especially when you keep the skins on. Eat them with every meal and between meals. Dried fruits (apricots, prunes, figs, dates, mangoes) are high in fiber, too, so try them for a change from the norm.
3. Eat more whole grains and chew them well. Brown rice and other whole grains contain naturally-occurring bran, which is fiber. As with all food, chewing is a critical part of digestion and should be something you strive to do more often. Our saliva contains enzymes that start breaking the food down before we swallow so our digestive tract doesn't have to work so hard. The more you chew, the more saliva you produce and the smaller the food particles become. Practice chewing more than what you think feels normal. 
4. Lay off the dairy. Dairy is binding. It's thick and gunky. Cheese, milk, sour cream, etc. can make your constipation worse, so try eliminating it from your diet, at least until your constipation clears up.
5. Limit your protein intake, particularly animal protein. Protein takes a while for your body to digest, especially of the animal type. When you're constipated, you want to give your intestines a break. When you start pooping softer poops, you can try adding small amounts of protein back into your diet.
6. Limit your white flour and sugar intake. White flour is void of any bran (fiber) and like dairy, is gunky. When you get flour wet, it makes a paste. It does the same thing in your intestines. It's also digested like sugar. Sugars are inflammatory to your intestines and the last thing you want is to increase the inflammation (swelling) in your intestines. 
7. Get moving. A brisk walk does wonders, especially in the morning. Not only does it invigorate your muscles and brain, but the contractions in your intestines that push your waste down and out. 

One note: if you're consuming lots of salads, fruits and juices already and still feel constipated, you may actually suffer from a different type of constipation that is triggered by an expanded large intestine (a contracted large intestine causes the most common form of constipation that is discussed above). Try prune juice and brown rice, and decrease your intake of raw foods and other juices.

Some of you may wonder about laxatives or enemas. While there are "natural" laxatives you can buy, I always recommend changing your diet first. You don't want to rely on laxatives every time you get blocked up. Instead of simply treating the symptom, you want to address the underlying cause of your constipation.

As far as enemas go, they too can become habit forming and actually weaken the large intestine's normal contractions. As they wash out the waste, they also wash out your beneficial flora that is basically your immune system. While probiotics can replenish your flora, it takes time to replenish. Try changing your diet first, then talk with your doctor.

Once you've tried the above recommendations, you should start seeing softer, more regular poops. If not, I advise you seek medical attention. Chronic constipation isn't something you should live with and can actually cause long-term health issues, especially with your colon. 

Here's to a good poop!

More Info on Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

One of my recent blog posts talked about how your diet can prevent Alzheimer's Disease. I've been doing more research and wanted to pass along this great article. If anyone in your family has ever suffered from this horrific disease, you need to read this. All of us are at risk, so please take the time.

What this report talks about are simple blood tests you can take to check specific levels in your body, eating habits that can greatly impact your risk factors and exercise. Of course, eating a whole foods-based diet has been found to prevent more diseases and conditions I can name here, but this is just one more reason to kick the processed food habit and go for things grown from the earth.

I think it's so cool how God has given us everything we need to be healthy. My son even said recently that one of his Discover Magazine's talked about how such a small percentage of plants have even been discovered and scientists are convinced these species hold the cures to virtually all disease. Not a chemical made in a lab, but PLANTS. FROM GOD. 

We all hear how blueberries, goji berries, kale and other fruits and veggies are so high in antioxidants. Did you know that the rich, deep colors of these types of produce are their defense mechanism? Plants don't have an immune system, but they do have defense mechanisms that protect them from UV rays, certain fungi and diseases. When we eat those foods, we ingest their defense mechanism, thereby strengthening our own. When you eat a varied diet full of all types of fruits and veggies, you are literally getting the best multivitamin man could never recreate.

Processed foods contain NONE of these vital nutrients. Many processed foods are "fortified" with vitamins, but rarely do those vitamins and minerals come from whole plant sources. They are often manufactured and processed themselves, diminishing their effects and rendering them relatively useless when compared to God's produce.

God is the creator of all good things. GOOD things. "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:11-12 NIV

Artificial Sweeteners - Are They Really THAT Bad?

A good friend of mine and fellow critic of processed foods recently sent me an article about how Splenda may not be considered safe anymore. I found the same information again here. While I'm not at all surprised because of all of the research I've studied over the past several years, I realize many of my readers might still think these types of artificial sweeteners are okay, or maybe okay in moderation. This may sound extreme, but I think you're playing with fire if you think these chemicals are harmless.

Science has already confirmed that the chemicals and process to form the chemicals in many artificial sweeteners are toxic. I know of two people whose neurologists told them when they each complained of recurring headaches was to get off aspartame. They were drinking it in the form of Diet Cokes. Although he's not a scientist, Dr. Oz is a doctor and does his own research. Here is a link to an article that goes through the most popular artificial sweeteners and what they are actually doing to your brain and body. Here's another great one from a doctor who discusses the neurological and behavioral dangers of aspartame. Scary, I know.

We're always looking for the easy way out - we want convenience foods so we don't have to shop and cook. We want to lose weight so we look for artificially-sweetened foods and drinks to eliminate calories. Sure, we get our temporary results, but what is it doing to us long term?

I understand not all of you like to cook. I know not all of you can consume natural sugars, and we shouldn't be doing that much even if we can. But there are choices we can make that will greatly impact our long term health. I can guarantee you that if you choose WHOLE foods over PROCESSED foods (including refined sugars and artificial sweeteners), you are significantly improving your odds of living a long, healthful life free from doctors, meds and a host of ailments.

So what do you do if you need something sweet and you aren't supposed to be consuming artificial sweeteners or refined sugars? What else is there? 

1) Try to wean yourself off of your sweet tooth. It can be done and in less time that you may think. Because of the neurological effects of many artificial sweeteners and the fact that they are inherently sweeter than plain sugar, the more of them you consume, the more you will crave the sweetness of sugar. It's then a snowball effect. All sugars are highly addictive so it will take effort. You can do it though!

Start with a goal each day to reduce your intake and see how long you can go. Within a month, you'll crave sugar less and by the end of the summer, you may not even want those sugary snacks at all. You'll all the sudden be able to taste the natural sweetness in fruits and even veggies you never tasted before!

2) Choose natural sweeteners when needed. Try:

•  pure maple syrup
• local honey, agave
• brown rice syrup 
• unsweetened dates  
• molasses

Yes, these are all sugars and are digested similarly, but the are less refined and processed than table sugar and should contain NO artificial ingredients that could cause other side effects.

3) Check the ingredients of everything in your kitchen and in your shopping cart. Artificial sweeteners lurk in all sorts of places. If it says "diet," "sugar free," "low calorie," or "reduced calorie" you can be pretty sure it has artificial sweeteners. Ingredients to avoid are:

• aspartame
• acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
• neotame
• saccharine (Sugar Twin, Sweet'N Low)
• sucralose (Splenda)

Going natural is ALWAYS better than anything manufactured. Try alternative natural sweeteners and see which you like most and in what recipes. Since the jury is still out on many artificial sweeteners, at least you'll be ahead of the game if they determine more than just Splenda needs a warning label.