Sugar, Oh Sweet Sugar

One of the components I have focused on in achieving ideal health as naturally as possible is to reduce the amount of sugar that myself and my family consumes. Now taking away sugar from children who have always had a love for it has not been easy. Please keep in mind I'm not eliminating anything, just reducing in practical amounts. Sugar is in everything they like it seems. In fact sometimes there is a look in their eyes that translates into something like the need to inflict bodily harm on me. But I still push forward, brave in my quest to get us healthy. Even if they hate me. At least I have more quiet, "me" time while they think they are punishing me. Everyone wins, right? I have had some success, the youngest with the largest sugar dependency now compares cereal boxes and chooses the one with the least amount of sugar...baby steps but we are going in the right direction. The oldest has almost eliminated soda and "energy drinks" from his diet and he was an addict, however his choice is because his football coach told him to, not his all knowing mother......sigh, I guess whatever works.

Here are just a few of the effects sugar has on our bodies. It is devoid of minerals and vitamins and interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. It raises insulin levels, depresses the immune system, provokes mood swings, feeds nervous disorders, contributes to weight gain, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and can help bring on depression. It has the power to aggravate asthma, and is a major contributor in bringing on diabetes and heart disease. And these are just a few of it's favorite things......

Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke, the epitome of sugar intake:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

Sources:
Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007

Wow. Let's face it, sugar is a real bad guy who invades our lives and health more and more. I recently read where twenty years ago the average American consumed approximately 26lbs of sugar per year. The amount of sugar consumed now has risen to 135 lbs per year.

I salute and applaud those of you who eat completely healthy. You are the leaders, the setters of the standard I hope to live up to one day. But what about those of us who are evolving from a certain degree of unhealthy to becoming better at managing our health? Do we pull the plug on our bad habits and switch it up overnight? I don't know about you, but I would be somewhere between a mutiny and a full blown strike in my house. I guess it all comes back to the Balance.

For myself and my family that means no more soda, buying healthier cereal while reading boxes for sugar content, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and eating less processed and boxed foods. Will I give up my homemade brownies and cheesecake? Never!

hold the diet in my soda

We are led to believe as consumers that diet soda's are a healthy alternative to their sweeter sugar laden cousins. If it's approved by the FDA, then the it must be both safe and healthy. Guess again.

Diet soda is sweetened with artificial sweetener, and depending on the brand of soda, the type of sweetener varies, but not necessarily the hazards to our health.

Splenda

A common sweetener is Splenda. Splenda is made from sucralose, a chemical that was "discovered" by British scientists in 1976 looking to create a new pesticide. Yummy. Part of sucralose's chemical make up is chlorine. Chlorine is safe when used accordingly, but not recommended to be ingested in large doses. A major concern of Splenda is that no long term studies were performed on the harmful side effects of Splenda before it was approved by the FDA. Approximately 110 studies were performed before FDA approval however only two of these studies were performed on humans with the longest study lasting a mere four days.

The short term studies concluded that Splenda causes enlarged livers and kidney's and shrunken thymus glands. Studies also found that Splenda can reduce the amount of good bacteria (probiotics) in the intestines by 50% which can lead to a host of health issues and disease.


Actually a long term study is currently going on, all of us consumers who are buying and using products containing Splenda are the lab rats for determining the dangers of Splenda for the companies manufacturer, McNeil Nutritionals. How cost effective for McNeil.

So despite marketing slogans that claim Splenda is a sugar, it is not, it's an chlorinated artificial sweetener. Not only is it found in soft drinks, but is commonly used in juices, chewing gum, baked goods and much more.


Nutrasweet

Another artificial sweetener is aspartame, AKA Nutrasweet, used in Pepsi products. Aspartame has been in the news for some time and has a villanous reputation for causing a plethora of diseases including cancer and neurological diseases. For sixteen years, the GD Searle Group attempted to get FDA approval for aspartame with no success. In fact, the FDA's own toxicologist, Dr. Adrian Gross testified before congress that:

“without a shadow of a doubt, aspartame can cause brain tumors and brain cancer…”

Even with that, in 1981 a new FDA commissioner, Arthur Hays, was appointed by Donald Rumsfeld and before you know it this proven sweet poison had the coveted FDA approval stamp on it. So what has this deception cost us, the unknowing consumer?

For many years, there has been an increasing number of diseases on the rise, some being previously relatively unheard of. Diseases such as, fibromyalgia, MS, lupus, ADD, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue, and depression. You see, studies have shown that the toxin, aspartame heads straight for cells within the nervous system and attacks them. Aspartame also likes to interact with a number of other chemical substances, like insulin, antidepressants, vaccines and even other artificial sweeteners, to name a few. Also, aspartame, like it's cousin Splenda, is found in a large variety of other products like dairy, juices, baked goods, candy and so on.

And guess what else? Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners cause us to feel hungry and crave sweets. It is believed that those who regularly use products containing artificial sweeteners actually gain weight as a result. Isn't that defeating the purpose?

What are sugar lovers to do?

The truth is sugar is bad period. Especially large amounts on a regular basis. Some experts agree that plain old sugar is better that chemically produced, artificial sweeteners. It seems to me the real deal is certainly the lesser of two evils. Eating healthier overall will reduce those sugar cravings, once your body becomes more balanced.

There is a natural sweetener called stevia that comes from the stevia plant. It is said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. It can be found at your local health food store and is considered a dietary supplement and opposed to an artificial sweetener. That even sounds healthier to me.

sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/10/New-Study-of-Splenda-Reveals-Shocking-Information-About-Potential-Harmful-Effects.aspx

http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/splenda.aspx

http://www.douglasreport.com/

Baby Steps to Better Health

Have you been meaning to start working out....tomorrow? How about those extra pounds, been thinking about that too? Sometimes just following simple basic principles can go along way to improve and ensure better health.

While a full out assault is a great way to approach an exercise program or improved eating habits, for some lifestyle changes can be so overwhelming that we quit before we begin.

Following are some common sense practices that can start us on a path to ideal health.

Eating Healthier

• Introduce new, healthier foods into your diet gradually.


• What we eat is often times a habit and habits take time create. Begin by eliminating chips for lunch and instead adding one fruit or vegetable. Once this habit takes hold introduce another healthy item while banning an unhealthy one. Over time you will realize you really don't miss those chips and cookies after all.

Portion Control

• Used to seconds on the mashed potatoes? Don't want to give them up? Then don't. Limit yourself to one serving and eat some extra vegetables. You are reducing some of your calorie intake and increasing your vegetable servings all at once.

Hydrate with Water and Only Water

• It really works. If you are not drinking the recommended eight glasses per day, start today.

Soda Junkie?

• Do yourself a favor and research what the stuff does to you. Also don't kid yourself and think about switching to diet soda, it's just as bad if not worse. Many so called "energy drinks" are just sugar in a bottle. Think water and start gradually eliminating soda, sugary juices and "energy drinks" from your daily drinking habits. You will see results fast.

Exercise

Whoever said "getting started is the hardest part" was absolutely right.

Whoever said "I'll start tomorrow" was telling a lie!

If this is you, and so many of us fall into this category, start slow, but start NOW.

• Can't touch your toes? Keep trying until you do.


• Can't make it to the mail box without getting out of breath? Take two trips a day, then challenge yourself to do more.


• At every parking lot you go, park in the last parking place and walk.


• Walk around the block. Then walk around the neighborhood.


• Start an exercise routine, anything at all for 10 minutes at a time and increase that by 5 minutes increments over time.

Reward Yourself

With every accomplishment, no matter how small, celebrate your victory. Keep your rewards healthy!

Of course you have taken baby steps, but the steps have all been in a forward direction. Before you know it, you will see and feel the results. You'll be running full speed ahead in no time.

Drink Your Veggies

Super food supplements and drinks have become a comprehensive way of getting much, if not all, of what we miss in our diets due to poor eating habits. Many people are either too busy and too entrenched in their life-on-the-go-fast-food-no-time-to-cook diets. Some folks just plain don't like their veggies and consequently miss getting the nutrients only found in whole, natural foods.

Sometimes if you are like me, you try to eat all the right things and do a pretty good job most of the time. I am always pushing myself to eat healthier, but a little help now and then would sure give me a boost. Which brings me to a super food I've been drinking, Berry Greens Boost. I mix one little scoop in a glass of water and drink the nutritional equivalency of eating eight salads. That is a lot of veggies in just a few gulps. A huge benefit is that it does not have the caffeine, stimulants or massive amounts of sugar that many of these drinks have. The ingredients are all natural, nothing artificial at all. The energy boost, however, after drinking my veggies is amazing. Just good pure energy without the jumpy stomach and shaky hands.

I did have an adjustment period while I got used to the taste. It has a berry taste, but you can taste the green stuff as well. I combine it (which is the only way my kids will drink it), with banana's, fresh pineapple, kiwi and orange juice. Now we get our fruit and veggies all in one delicious drink. I also add it to my daily drink of apple cider vinegar and for some odd reason the two flavors compliment each other. What I can't do is drink this after 6:00 PM or else I find I have a little trouble sleeping as soundly as I usually do.

If you are looking to enhance your nutritional intake each day, whether you already eat enough of the good stuff or if you need to improve your nutritional intake, this is definitely an effective way towards achieving Ideal Health.

Antibiotic Overkill

After contracting the Mad Dog Itch and the resulting futile trips to various doctors who shook their heads and gave me a variety of ineffective prescription drugs, I made a commitment to take the correct vitamins and supplements, eat better, and make my body healthier to prevent illness from striking. In the event I got sick, however, I surmised would still go to the doctor and get an antibiotic. I have since thought otherwise. First let me say we are completely overwhelmed by antibiotics. We run for one at the first sign of a symptom. We demand one for every infection and every perceived infection, ear, throat, respiratory, tooth, cut, you name it. Then there are viruses, we want antibiotics for those too, but the reality is antibiotics do nothing for viruses. Now here's the scary part, many doctors will give you one, (just ask, you'll see) even when you have a virus....."just in case" they will say.

Allow me to share a little scenario on the vicious cycle of antibiotics. First of all, antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. This statement in and of itself is vitally important due to the major overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Let's say you scurry to the doctor in panic mode because your throat is sore and you had strep throat two years ago and you certainly don't want to go through that again. The doctor sees no sign of infection, but gives you a "just in case" prescription of antibiotics and after a few days of taking them you feel better. The reality is you actually had a virus that came and went all by itself. The antibiotic you pumped in your body had to do something, so off to work it went eagerly killing good bacteria right and left. So now you are enjoying a yeast infection because good bacteria that naturally corrects the overproduction of yeast has met it's untimely demise from the antibiotic. While you are busy fighting that nasty yeast infection, you realize you feel bad, downright awful. Before you know it you have a cold that turns ugly and evolves into a sinus infection. Since your body was depleted from good bacteria, it's worn out and just doesn't have the fight it used to. Ironically this is the same fight a healthy body would have to kill off this infection. So of course off you go to the doctor to get yet another antibiotic and this time it has to be bigger and badder than the last one because the first one is no longer effective as your body is now immune to it. And so on and so on.

Do the drug companies care? Heck no, they are selling you multiple drugs and after all that's what they are in business for, to sell lots of drugs. The more the better for them. Does the doctor care? Perhaps, but if we were all healthy and didn't run to his office for every little bug, how long would he continue to have enough customers to sustain the nice, cushy lifestyle he has become accustomed to?

So what to do? If you are sick, really truly sick and there is a drug that will save your life, will you take this drug? Of course you will, I will too. However, to back up a few dozen steps, the ideal scenario is to prevent your body from becoming sick in the first place. Build your body into a fortress of ideal health that bacteria and viruses can not penetrate. Rid your body of toxins to build up your immune system. A strong immune system is your first line of defense to combat bacteria and viruses. In the event you need to fight a virus or infection, educate yourself and consider some natural treatments before resorting to drugs. Alternatives are out there.