Archive for September, 2008

An Exciting Time to Start a Vending Machine Business

September 25, 2008 at 5:45 pm · Filed under YoNaturals Natural Vending Machines ·Tagged , , ,

The vending industry has been around for a long time. The advent of the world’s first vending machine actually occurred just under 2,000 years ago. The invention dispersed holy water for ceremonies and other religious rites. Many people chalked it off as magic, and it wasn’t until the late 1800’s in England that we began to explore the concept once again.

Nowadays, vending machines are ubiquitous; you can find them in innumerable public places, especially school, hospitals, gyms, offices and malls. The benefits are obvious: the machine doesn’t have to be attended to throughout the entire day, theft is kept to a minimum (virtually impossible with modern machines), and people love the convenience they offer. Vending machines have been providing easy access to snacks and drinks for customers and profits for operators for over a century.

But we are in the process of another gigantic change in the industry. Over the last decade or so, Americans have been increasingly concerned with matters of health and nutrition. The organic food industry has grown from $1 billion to $18 billion in the last two decades, and is showing no signs of slowing. With obesity and early onset diabetes epidemics running rampant in this country, people are beginning to scrutinize their food and drink choices much more closely.

As we have turned our attention to our longtime companion, we haven’t liked what stared back. Junk food and soda companies have been successfully entrenched themselves in the vending industry, and their far-reaching tentacles have wormed their way into schools, hospitals, workplaces… everywhere you can think of. As the spotlight of public attention turned to vending, the junk food industry scurried around like cockroaches trying to offer ‘healthier’ alternatives. These new offerings barely met the minimum standards and were of course only created to preserve declining market share.

YoNaturals knows that people want more than the bare minimum; you want nothing but the best that can reasonably be offered. That’s why we have created our 100% organic and natural snack and drink vending machines. Convincing people to break long-standing vending contracts with junk food companies and  that healthy products will sell have been obstacles, but they have all been overcome. More and more, the world is realizing that healthy vending is the future, and they can’t wait!

If you are considering or have ever considered starting your own vending machine business, NOW is best time in history! We are in the midst of a massive shift in consumer preference, and YoNaturals is at the forefront of this revolution. Join us by purchasing your own healthy vending machines and tap into this multi-billion dollar industry with centuries of proven success! Contact us today at www.YoNaturals.com

Author: Philip Segal

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The New High Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial

September 17, 2008 at 4:07 pm · Filed under YoNaturals Natural Vending Machines ·Tagged , ,

In case you haven’t seen it, the Corn Refiners Association has put out a new marketing campaign in the form of television commercials that is meant to mislead consumers in the typical way that unhealthy industries often do. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been under a lot of scrutiny lately as its effects on diabetes and obesity have become almost common knowledge. We would like to explain to you why YoNaturals natural and organic vending machines would never dream of using products that contain this killer ingredient.

I don’t remember the commercial verbatim, but their website lays out their claims as well: HFCS is safe and no different from other common sweeteners like table sugar and honey, HFCS has the same number of calories as table sugar, and it is perfectly safe “in moderation.” This particular ingredient is ubiquitous, and you’ll find it in innumerable products, which means that your health depends on whether or not you choose to eat foods which contain it. Let’s take a look at the CFA’s claims to see if their is any validity.

First of all, let’s look at motive. HFCS is sweeter than sugar, it extends the shelf life of foods and it is cheaper than sugar. Right off the bat, these facts create a clear conflict of interest between the Corn Refiners Association’s profits and your health. According to the Mayo Clinic, HFCS is made by “changing the sugar in cornstarch to fructose — another form of sugar.” So in that sense, it is a ‘natural’ substance, since fructose does naturally occur. So, is it dangerous?

A study in 2004 definitively showed a direct link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity and diabetes. For whatever reason, this particular form of sugar causes weight gain and is a contributing factor to diabetes. So the question is, who are you going to believe: objective, scientific studies or the CFA? As stated above, the CFA profits from HFCS because products last longer on the shelf and are cheaper to make. You decide who has your interests in mind.

The truth may take some time to surface as it fights it’s way against misinformative campaigns like this one. But one thing is for sure: YoNaturals will never vend anything besides natural and organic snacks and drinks in our machines.

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Do You Know What You’re Putting in Your Body?

September 10, 2008 at 4:19 pm · Filed under YoNaturals Natural Vending Machines ·Tagged

Most of us like to think we know what we’re putting into our bodies when we eat, but the question is—do we really? Even those who are adamant about reading labels don’t really know for sure that they are putting into their bodies because they are taking the manufacturer of that product at his word. There are government regulations concerning the disclosure of ingredients in processed and canned foods, but there are also ways to avoid complete disclosure. For example, any product that has less than five calories per serving can list a zero calorie count on the package. That may not seem like a very big deal, but it can add up if you frequently eat foods that claim to have zero calories.

How can we prevent ourselves from being subjected to a lack of knowledge about the foods we consume? The only way to know exactly what you are eating and what is in it is to prepare everything you eat from scratch. “But that’s unrealistic, I work all day” is the typical response dieticians and nutritionists hear. They are concerned about what they are eating and feeding their families but not enough to do something about it. You can’t have it both ways—you either have to do something about what you are feeding your family or stop pretending you care about it. That seems like a hard line to take, but the reality is that if you care about what your family eats, you WILL do something about it regardless of how inconvenient it may be.

How can you have it both ways—convenience and preparing healthy meals for your family? One of the easiest ways to provide nutritious meals for your family is to take time on your days off to prepare meals for the week and store them in the freezer. If you don’t have room for large containers, portion the meals into what each person will eat and put it into plastic containers. This is also perfect for times when you or your spouse may be late getting home instead of stopping for fast food. Another possibility is to invest in one of those cookbooks that have recipes you can prepare from start to finish in a half hour or less—you will even see those that only require ten minutes including preparation time.
The fact is we must be aware of what we are eating and what we are feeding our children. Vendors such as School Healthy Vending have taken the initiative by providing healthy foods in vending machines. Instead of soft drinks natural fruit juices are the course of the day in the schools they service. The snacks are natural and organic rather than sweet and packed with sugar. Each parent has to also take the same course of action not just for the children but for their families as an entirety.

Author: Brenda Coxe

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The Way You Eat Affects How You Feel by YoNaturals

September 3, 2008 at 6:20 pm · Filed under YoNaturals Natural Vending Machines ·Tagged ,

If you don’t think your diet has an effect on the way you feel, try loading up on sugary foods and see how rundown you feel. Better yet, try spending a week eating nothing but natural and organic foods and see how much better you feel. Perhaps the cost of natural foods is a little higher than that of processed food, but one cannot put a price tag on your health. The amount of processed and junk food we have come to consume as a nation is currently at epidemic proportions and unless we do something about it now, we will soon have a nation of children who don’t know what a home-cooked meal is.

Children today not only eat too much junk food but they do not exercise like past generations. It is easier to sit in front of the television or computer than to go outside and throw a ball around or ride a bicycle. The lack of exercise and a poor diet contribute to the lack of energy in today’s children. While children in generations past have enjoyed many different activities, the late 20th and 21st centuries are seeing children who consider any exercise beyond going to the Mall and real chore. Is it really that the children are lazier than in generations past? The problem is not that children are lazier than in the past but that their poor diets and lack of exercise causes them to be less energetic than those of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation.

What is the answer? Learning to eat right has to begin in childhood—even infancy—if we are to make it an effective transition. Providing healthy natural snacks such as the items School Healthy Vending provides in their machines is a potential solution for schools, but the total solution to the problem requires the cooperation of all parents and adult caregivers as well. If we begin feeding our children healthy and natural foods we will see a definite improvement in their stamina and concentration levels. When we can get the children to concentrate better, their grades will improve. That doesn’t mean they can never again eat at their favorite fast food restaurant, but the trips should be minimal and still under the control of an adult.

Author: Brenda Coxe

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