Sugar Substitutes & Your Health

Years ago, people didn't eat much sugar - as little as 10-15 pounds per year. And their health was much better for it. As time passed and sugar production became easier, people gave into their sweet cravings and began to overindulge. Today, the average consumption of sugar is a whopping 160 pounds! It's suicide in slow motion. Sugar addicts eliminate 11-20 years from their lifespan.

In her book,"Lick The Sugar Habit," author Nancy Appleton Phd., delineates how this sugar overconsumption wreaks havoc with our immune and endocrine systems, leading to chronic conditions including arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, asthma, and hypoglycemia, along with the usual suspects such as cavities and periodontal disease. Click Here to read my review of her book and the 73 consequences of eating too much sugar.



If you are trying to lose weight or you would just like to avoid some of these diseases, avoid sugar or try to limit it to small amounts. There are also some healthier sugar substitutes out on the market that you might want to be aware of. I am not talking about Nutrasweet or Splenda. I make a few comments on these two products at the end of this post. These have their own particular problems. I'm talking about sugar substitutes that have few or no calories and will have little or no effect on your blood sugar levels. This is good news for diabetics. Some of these have been around for hundreds of years



Agave Nectar

Derived from the prickly blue agave cactus (the same plant that gives us tequila), agave nectar is gaining popularity. Despite its sweet taste, it has just 11 calories and four grams of carbohydrate (which is mainly inulin) per teaspoon. It is also a low-glycemic food - ranking just 19 on the glycemic index.

Because this golden syrup is composed primarily of fructose (92 percent), it is nearly 25 percent sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). That means you can use a lot less to achieve the same level of sweetness.

So go ahead and sweeten up with this safe, delicious, all-natural product. It can be used anywhere you would use sugar. If you use agave nectar for baking, the following adjustments are recommended:

For every cup of sugar, use 3/4 cup of agave nectar.
Reduce the liquids in the recipe by one-third.
Reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Agave Nectar - gives you the sweetness without the sugar. Not recommended for people with diabetes but it will reduce the sugar impact levels on the blood by 50% over regular sugar. So, it is good in that way and will not cause most people to gain as much weight as regular sugars.

Stevia - the Natural Sweetener

Stevia is a green, leafy herb that grows in Central and South America. It was first discovered by modern explorers in the late 1800s in Paraguay, but it had been used by the natives for centuries before then. The official name of the plant is Stevia rebaudiana.

It's non-glycemic, contains no calories, and -- after hundreds of years of use -- has no known side effects. It might seem expensive by volume, but it's hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way. You can find stevia in any health food store.

Click Here for more links on Stevia


Sugar Alcohols

A sugar alcohol is a type of sugar that your body does not digest like "regular sugars" in the stomach. Instead, sugar alcohols get worked on in the intestines, and aren't digested into your blood stream. Sugar alcohols are commonly used in sugar free products and diet products because they are very slow to be absorbed and do not cause the "sugar rush / blood sugar spike" that normal carbohydrates cause. Many (if not most) people do not absorb sugar alcohols at all before they pass through the system. So in essence they can give great sugar flavors without having the fat-gaining effects of regular sugars. They act like fiber, but they taste like sugar. Some common types of sugar alcohols include maltitol, sorbitol and isomalt.

Xylitol - Artificial Sweetener
Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol substitute. It was first derived from Birch trees in Finland in the 19th century and was first popularized in Europe as a safe sweetener for diabetics that would not impact insulin levels.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. It can be extracted from corn fiber, birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose but contains 40% less calories.
birch bark. It has an antibacterial character to it. They are using it in nasal sprays. If you spray a salty xylitol solution up into the nose, it will kill bacteria in the nose. Trident has been using it in their gum because it has been found to fight cavities as well as inhibit ear infections. Xylitol has a 5-carbon molecular structure that does not interact with oral bacteria. Since it doesn’t ferment, it never triggers acid production. That means it helps reduce tooth decay, inhibits plaque buildup, retards the loss of tooth enamel, and lowers infections in the mouth and throat.

Xytitol has a cooling effect on the tongue and has been used for over 25 years in various food items. It is not a ZERO calorie food. It scores only seven on the glycemic index, so it has a minimal effect on blood sugar and insulin levels (and can actually help prevent tooth decay).

And because it inhibits plaque buildup, xylitol also helps prevent heart disease. Here’s why: Plaque build-up creates a breeding ground for bacteria. The resulting inflammation leads to a breakdown of gum tissue. This breakdown allows bacteria to pass into your bloodstream. The release of oral bacteria into your bloodstream stimulates an immune response. This inflammatory response causes arterial blockages and blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack.

What’s more, xylitol is low-glycemic. It doesn’t need insulin to metabolize, and won’t cause fat gain like regular sugar. It’s perfect for diabetics, and is sometimes referred to as "diet sugar."
Xylitol is affordable and easy to find. Check your local health food store or find it on the Internet. Along with stevia, xylitol is one of the safest and best-tasting sugar substitutes.

While it is safe, one of the downsides of xylitol is that it is a sugar alchohol and that can cause loose stools and minor gastrointestinal upset. So if you are already having problems in that area, xylitol would not be good to take.

Luo Han Guo

Luo han guo is a member of the gourd family. It’s low glycemic, heat stable, has a mere four calories per teaspoon, and can be used in baking just like sugar. But the benefits don’t end there. New research suggests luo han guo may actually help reduce inflammation and enhance immunity, especially in people who have diabetes.

You’re likely to hear much more sweet talk about this up-and-coming ingredient. Look for Jarrow Formulas’ Lo Han Sweet at your local health food store.

Erythritol
Erythritol occurs naturally in some fruits and fermented foods. As a sweetener, it is made from corn via a natural fermentation process. And the properties of this great-tasting, natural sweetener are remarkable:

Erythritol is 80 percent as sweet as sugar. However, unlike sugar, which is high in calories, erythritol is almost calorie free.

It scores just over zero on the glycemic index. That means it is totally safe for diabetics and won’t affect your insulin levels.

It is granulated, just like sugar, so it can be easily substituted for sugar in recipes.
It is easy to digest - which means no gastrointestinal disturbance.

Quite simply, this is one of the best natural sweeteners to come along in quite some time, and you’ll likely be seeing it in more and more products.
One of the products that I have seen on the market is a product called Zsweet. Click here to go to their web page.

Sucralose/Splenda

Splenda is actually "sucralose", and is made by in essence altering real sugar. Invented in a pesticide lab, this chemical is 600 times sweeter than sugar. To make sucralose, chlorine is used. Chlorine has a split personality. It can be harmless or it can be life threatening. In combo with sodium, chlorine forms a harmless ionic bond to yield table salt. When used with carbon, the chlorine atom in sucralose forms a covalent bond. The end result is deadly organochlorine, known simply as RNFOC (a Really Nasty Form of Chlorine). Unlike ionic bonds, covalently bound chlorines are a big no-no for the human body. They yield insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides - not something you want in your sports drink or your child's lunchbox. Chlorinated molecules, which are used as the basis for pesticides such as DDT, tend to accumulate in body tissues. Johnson & Johnson maintains that sucralose passes through the digestive system without any absorption or metabolization, but the FDA’s own research has shown that 11 to 27 percent of sucralose is absorbed in humans, while the rest is excreted unchanged in the feces. Tests performed by the Japanese Food Sanitation Council have found that as much as 40 percent of ingested sucralose is absorbed.

Additionally, as the FDA again acknowledges, sucralose may contain up to 2 percent of various impurities, such as heavy metals, arsenic, triphenilphosphine oxide, methanol, chlorinated disaccharides and chlorinated monosaccharides. Even if these "impurities" are within existing manufacturing guidelines, they are still all potentially dangerous to human health.

There have been no independent human tests regarding the long-term safety of this product. That's reason enough to be wary. But there was a study of its effect on rats that was published in the FDA's Federal Register. It showed that rats that were given sucralose experienced shrunken thalamus glands, enlarged livers and kidneys, reduced growth rate, reduced red blood cell count, aborted pregnancies, and diarrhea.

If you ingest Splenda in any amount, I urge you to read firsthand accounts of its harmful effects. There are more than 30 posted on Dr. Mercola's website.

Health and Aspartame Sweetener
Aspartame is the primary component in Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure. It is a neuroexitotoxin. Phenylalanine is a hidden danger to anyone consuming aspartame. Most consumers don't know that too much Phenylalanine is a neurotoxin and excites the neurons in the brain to the point of cellular death. Phenylalanine is 50% of aspartame, and to the degree humans consume diet products, Phenylalanine levels are reaching a dangerous peak. ADD/ADHD, emotional and behavioral disorders can all be triggered by too much Phenylalanine in the daily diet. This sugar substitute is common in many foods, but many doctors feel it causes serious mental slowdowns when taken over several years. Dr. Atkins in particular advised those on his low carb diet to stay away from aspartame and use other sweeteners instead.

Some people react to aspartame immediately, while others can take 10 to 20 years for the aspartame reaction to become noticeable. Problems attributed to aspartame include:

* anxiety and panic attacks
* problems concentrating and focusing
* loss of memory
* depression or irritability
* dizziness
* headache or migraine pain

The byproducts of sodas containing aspartame are all known poisons (that would slowly kill you): methanol, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid.

A Short History of White Bread

Does anyone remember the commercials that used to be on TV concerning Wonder Bread? They would talk about it's health benefits and say that it helped to build strong bodies 12 ways! It looked so clean and white. We ate a lot of it because it was the American way. Americans can put almost anything in between two pieces of bread and eat it! Peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches used to be one of my favorites.

For generations, white bread was considered the preferred bread of the rich while the poor ate dark bread. However, in most western societies, the connotations reversed in the late 20th century with dark bread becoming preferred as having superior nutritional value while white bread became associated with lower-class ignorance of nutrition.

Originally, all flour was stone ground, In this process, a grist mill uses two large, heavy, carved round stones; one is stationary, the other moves slowly as the grain flows down between the two stones. The process is slow and cool, preserving the bran and germ, keeping intact all the vitamin and nutrition of each kernel.

But in modern times, white bread is more like a bleached sponge than a fiber-filled food. There are HUGE differences in nutrition and weight-gain issues depending on the type of bread you consume. Millers and bakers of the early nineteen hundreds decided white was pure, so the whiter the bread the purer it was. Soon the people began to believe this too and wanted their bread as white as it could be. Bakers might have added ash or alum or even chalk to make the bread shiny-white. They added other ingredients to artificially preserve freshness and create the desired texture. This tainting of your bread with harmful, cancer causing chemicals such as potassium bromate, emulsifiers (both commonly used in bread production), and alum jeopardizes your health.

Grinding wheat is a time consuming process. In 1878 the first fast, all-roller mill was installed in Minneapolis. With this newly acquired speed, quantities of bread could be made and shipped, creating a need for additives and preservatives. During the 20th century, scientific and technical innovations have made it possible for large bread factories to control the complex physical, chemical, and biological changes inherent in bread making. High-speed machinery can now accomplish the kneading and ripening processes in a matter of seconds.

Bleached flour became popular in Western countries in the early 1900s because it rose more and with greater consistency. The most popular method of bleaching the flour was a process called the agene method, which used nitrogen trichloride gas to whiten the flour. In Britain and North America, this method eventually was used to treat roughly 80 percent of all flour. But by the 1940s, scientists had realized that the agene method produced a byproduct called methionine sulfoximine (MSO), a toxic neurochemical that could induce epilepsy in dogs. MSO stayed in the flour during baking, and was eventually eaten. By 1950, Britain and the United States had banned the agene method.

White bread is bread constructed from wheat flour from which the bran and germ have been removed, in contrast to whole wheat bread made from whole wheat flour, in which these parts are retained and contribute a brownish color. In addition, this white flour is generally bleached using potassium bromate or chlorine dioxide gas to remove any slight yellow color and make its baking properties more predictable.

The flour used to make white bread is chemically bleached, just like you bleach your clothes. So when you are eating white bread, you are also eating residual chemical bleach. This kills the beta-cells in your pancreas. Your pancreas has the responsibility of producing insulin that your body needs to regulate blood sugars. Once your pancreas is dead, you are in trouble. This is what leads to type 1 diabetes.

Flour mills use different chemical bleaches, all of which are pretty bad. Here are a few of them: oxide of nitrogen, chlorine, chloride, nitrosyl and benzoyl peroxide mixed with various chemical salts.

Since white flour is stripped of natural ingredients of the wheat kernel, white bread has fewer nutritious properties and fiber than breads using whole wheat or mixed flour. A low fiber diet is linked in some instances to cases of both constipation and diarrhea. Many modern bakers make this bread with enriched white flour, which has synthetic vitamins and nutrients added to it.

So how do you know if bread is whole grain? According to the Food and Drug Administration, whole-grain products must contain a least 51 percent whole grains by weight. This means "whole grain" should be first on the ingredient list. So check the ingredient list. If it doesn't say "whole grain" first, it isn't whole-grain bread.

If the first ingredient in a loaf of whole wheat bread is unbleached enriched flour, then you’re not truly buying whole wheat bread at all, just white bread (loaded with chemicals) that is disguised as whole wheat bread. A lot of times what is sold as whole wheat bread in stores is actually white bread colored with caramel.

In the process of making flour white, half of the good unsaturated fatty acids, that are high in food value, are lost in the milling process alone, and virtually all the vitamin E is lost with the removal of wheat germ and bran. As a result, the remaining flour in the white bread you buy, contains only poor quality proteins and fattening starch.

But that is not the whole story as to the loss of nutrients. About 50% of all calcium, 70% of phosphorus, 80% iron, 98% magnesium, 75% manganese, 50% potassium, and 65% of copper is destroyed. If that is not bad enough, about 80% thiamin, 60% of riboflavin, 75% of niacin, 50% of pantothenic acid, and about 50% of Pyridoxine is also lost.

Whole wheat is much higher in fiber, vitamins B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium.

But of all these nutritional goodies, fiber is the star:

*In a 10-year Harvard study completed in 1994, men and women who ate high-fiber breads had fewer heart attacks and strokes than those whose tastes ran to bagels and baguettes.

*Simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 percent, according to research from the University of Washington reported in the April 2, 2003
issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

*Fiber has long been known to aid digestive health too.

*Fiber can help you lose or maintain weight because eating fiber-dense wheat bread helps you feel full.

Whole grains provide health benefits that other foods don’t. In a Harvard study of 75,000 nurses, those who ate at least three servings a day of whole grains cut their heart attack risk by 35 percent and were less likely to get into weight or bowel trouble. By contrast, those who ate more processed foods—such as white bread, white rice and sodas—were more than twice as likely to develop diabetes. “Science continues to support the key role of whole grains in reducing chronic illnesses,” says Len Marquart, professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota and author of the first health claim for whole grains approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Diabetes, heart disease, elevated triglycerides, cholesterol and obesity.. are just a few of the health problems associated with our high intake of refined grain products. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates (naturally found in whole grains) to simple carbohydrates, lacking fiber, proper minerals and essential fatty acids has clearly disqualified white bread as a builder of strong healthy bodies. Your body needs the fiber, proper minerals and essential fatty acids for the body to metabolize these carbohydrates correctly. Breads made from stone-ground grains can provide that.

But perhaps white bread's biggest claim to “fame” is it's affect on our ever expanding waistline.
Research shows, that people who receive over 10 percent of their daily calories from white bread gain weight - while those who prefer baked products made with whole grains - maintain their weight and, in some cases, could even lose a few pounds.

White bread could spoil your diet


Oprah Looks At Wheat vs. White Bread


Experts debate alleged evils of white bread

White bread increases cancer risk

Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements

I walked into the health food store one day looking for some dietary supplements and my eyes glazed over. There were so many bottles and varieties to choose from. I was like a deer caught in the headlights. How do you know what is best for you? Does it really work and how much should I take? Can I take this with my current medications?

Consumerlab.com, a U.S.-based testing facility for dietary supplements, recently completed a study of 47 nutritional supplements and found that eleven U.S. multivitamin products—almost 25% of the products tested—failed their quality control tests. A number of the products were significantly short in the amount of important vitamins or minerals. Some contained too much lead and another failed to break apart properly for absorption. To review this report, log on to http://www.consumerlab.com/.

Finally, there is an authoritative guide to help consumers navigate the maze of nutritional products on the market today. It is the result of several years of effort by Biochemist Lyle MacWilliam. Mr. MacWilliam is a trained biochemist and kinesiologist and a contributing author to leading health publications. He has served, at the behest of Canada’s Minister of Health, on an expert advisory team for natural health products, which developed a new regulatory framework to ensure Canadians have access to safe, effective and high quality nutritional products. His wide-ranging consulting experience includes work for the British Columbia Science Council, Environment Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, and Health Canada. He has been invited by companies, organizations and individuals around the world to speak on nutrition and lifestyle issues, including presentations on adults’ and children’s supplementation needs, the prevention of degenerative disease, and the need for lifestyle change to promote optimal health.



Neither the author, Lyle MacWilliam, MacWilliam Communications Inc., nor NutriSearch Corporation have any fiduciary ties to any of the companies or products listed in the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements or its sister publications; nor do they profit in any way from the sale of nutritional products listed in the guide. In addition, production of the guide is not funded by any nutritional manufacturer or other public or private interest.

NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements starts at the beginning and leads you through a complex world where vitamins, minerals and antioxidants take center stage: your body.

Throughout our lives, normal processes within our cells create free radicals, or oxidants, which can damage the cells and the underlying DNA. Outside factors, including solar radiation, electrical currents, pollution, cleaning products and many other sources of oxidants also contribute oxidants to our systems. Over time, the damage created by these oxidants has been implicated in degenerative disease—cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many others. It's this oxidative stress that lies at the heart of the aging process itself.

The guide starts with a detailed discussion of the current scientific evidence surrounding aging and supplementation, followed by a description of the criteria used to examine nutritional supplements and a summary of what constitutes a high-quality supplement.



The final section is devoted to full-color, detailed graphs of each product examined, along with their scores and five-star rating against our Blended Standard, created from the published recommendations of seven recognized nutritional authorities.

• Over 1,500 US and Canadian supplements scientifically rated and compared



• 18 critical Health supports Criteria required to evaluate supplements



• 300 full-colour graphs so you can easily compare top-rated products



• Scientific evidence that shows supplements can optimize health and retard the aging process.



• Helps you to determine which supplement is best for you and your family, using a scientifically-based approach. After evaluating 2,000 different products, only 33 of them earned the NutriSearch five-star rating. Taking each product at face value was not good enough for the author. He wanted the manufacturers to prove that their labeled content was accurate. So each company was invited to prove their compliance through independent 3rd party analysis. Out of those, only 4 companies chose to step up to the plate for this final hurdle. Only 4 stand-alone products received the NutriSearch Gold Medal of Achievement.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Creating Wellness Alliance is sold through Chiropractic offices and cost $64



• TrueStar Health is a Canadian company that markets through fitness centers $47



• Douglas Laboratories markets through doctors offices and cost $57



• Usana Health Sciences markets through independent distributors at $40

The top three combination products to receive the NutriSearch God Medal of Achievement are also listed below.



Usana Rated #1 Supplement In North America By Independent Lab




Usana Products are in the Physicians Desk Reference (for drugs)


Usana has been certified by the NSF and also received Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Registration through NSF International Dietary Supplements Certification Program. Click here to see the copy of the NSF/ANSI certificate. Click here to see GMP certificate.




Founded in 1992, USANA Health Sciences is a science-based company that develops advanced nutritional, personal care, and weight management products, which are distributed in 13 international markets through network marketing. The name “USANA” derives from Greek and Latin and means “true health.”
Usana's Commitment to Quality Assurance & Good Manufacturing Practices


About Usana and the NSF

It doesn't stop there. Usana products are also certified by independent labs like Consumer Lab, Natural Products Association (NPA), True-Label Program, USP Dietary Supplements Verification Program, NHPD (Canada's version of FDA), Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA - Australia's version of the FDA) and Independent ISO 17025 verification.

USANA HEALTH SCIENCES PRODUCT RECEIVES APPROVAL OF CONSUMER LABS.COM

USANA PRODUCTS MEET REQUIREMENTS OF INFORMED-CHOICE & HFL

Usana in Forbes Magazine

USANA HEALTH SCIENCES WINS TWO UTAH BEST OF STATE AWARDS FOR THE FIFTH TIME

USANA HEALTH SCIENCES EXPANDS RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP WITH RENOWNED LINUS PAULING INSTITUTE

USANA Founder Dr. Myron Wentz Receives Albert Einstein Award in Jerusalem

Usana Sponsors Olympic and Pro Athletes

Usana Athletes Bring Home The Gold

USANA Receives Certification Through NSF's Certified for Sport Program

Usana 15 Year Anniversary

Usana Is Official Supplier Of The Women's Tennis Association



Usana is a health supplement supplier of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)

#3 on "Annual List" of 100 Hot Growth Companies, June 6, 2005

Usana Featured On CNN News Program

Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, Australia-New Zealand Edition

Killing A Cold, Fighting The Flu

I used to swim competitively and it seemed that I would always get a cold right before the state or national championships. A stuffy nose would keep me from sleeping well at night and thus I was tired the next day. At a time when I needed to feel my best, I was feeling my worst.

I hate colds and flu with a passion. When I used to get a cold, it would knock me out for about 8-10 days. I get significantly fewer colds now (shorter durations 3-4 days) and I have not had the flu in over 4 years. I wish I knew then what I know now.

I listened to a very helpful seminar last week that was put on by Sanoviv Medical Institute . It featured Diana Noland, RD MPH CCN & Medical Nutrition Therapist.











Here are my notes and my reflective thoughts:



According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), the top health related problems during the winter months are as follows:

1. Colds and Flu. viruses

2. Mood disorders. Winter depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD

3. Obesity is a winter illness. Increasing body fat during the holidays.

4. Cancer. Most cancers are diagnosed during the winter months.

The best way to minimize your risk for disease during the winter months is to develop a healthy immune system.

Here are the six golden rules to developing a healthy immune system.

Golden Rule #1 - SLEEP

We have survived these diseases over the centuries because we used to sleep a lot. We slept according to the sun. Before the invention of the light bulb, we went to sleep when it got dark and woke up when it got light. You have probably heard the saying, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."


Get enough sleep.
Babies need about 14 hours of sleep, children need 12 and adults need at least 7-9 hours. Many of the cancers, weakened immune systems, depression and an increased rate of ageing are related to a lack of sleep. If people would just get the proper amount of sleep, they could slow down the rate of ageing. Ninety percent of your human growth hormone is made when you sleep. This is a key to staying young.

Some people say that they get by just fine on 4 hours of sleep per night. Then, they get up in the morning and ingest 3 or more cups of coffee in order to start their day. People who drink a lot of coffee tend to have elevated levels of homocystiene. The more they drink, the more they have. Homocystiene levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disease. This may be in part because of coffees diuretic action causing B vitamins such as folic acid to be flushed out. Folic acid is an important nutrient to keep homocystiene levels in check. Coffee is also extremely acidic. Coffee is one of the most acid-forming foods we can consume. This again is in part because of it’s diuretic action on the body causing valuable minerals to be flushed out. Mineral deficiencies are associated with osteoporosis, periodontal disease, muscle cramps, shin splints, hypertension and also cancer. Don't get me wrong, I like to have a nice hot cup of coffee now and then too. While it can be healthy in that it it contains some powerful and protective polyphenol antioxidants, it also can do some harm, especially in high amounts. Try and limit your coffee and caffeine intake to 300 mg. caffeine/day (i.e. 2-3 cups of coffee)to be on the safe side.

Golden Rule # 2 - Limit Your Sugar Intake
Sugar has some direct effects on your immune system. It will depress your immune system and slow down your white blood cell activity about two hours after you after you eat a food with significant sugar in it. During that two hours, you will be less able to fight off any germs that come along. Also, sugar can increase body fat percent because it will increase insulin which is the hormone that helps you build more fat especially around your middle.

Sugar can tend to congest the fluids in your arteries. If your arteries are like a pipe and the fluid in there is gunky and congested, it will not flow well and will not have a very clean pipe.


Stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup and artificial sweeteners. Try natural sugar Agave Nectar, Stevia, cane sugar and just get back to the basics.
Sugar feeds cancer cells.

Lick The Sugar Habit

Just A Spoon Full Of Sugar?

Why do we crave sugar?
1. Your body is starving for something it is not getting. The most common nutrient that relates to craving are minerals. If you get your magnesium levels up, your cravings for sugar goes away. One of the studies done by the U.S. government states that at least 80% of the people in our country did not even get the RDA level of magnesium in there diet. That is really bad. So try to include more vegetables and whole grains in your diet.

2. You have low blood sugar. Your body is trying to raise your blood sugar to a safer level. This is called hypoglycemia. A way to prevent that is not to skip meals. Make sure to eat 3-5 times a day.

Golden Rule #3 - Don't Get Dehydrated.
Drink plenty of water so you do not get dehydrated. Drink 8-16 ounces of pure water before a meal. Many times the hunger that you are feeling is really a false hunger. You are actually thirsty.

Drinking water helps keep bodily fluids thin enough so that they can flow through the body and keep your immune system healthy. Blood is the one we are most familiar with but lymphatic fluids are critical to keep fluid and flowing. If it gets congested, you will get sick more easily. The tonsil area is a lymphatic tissue. If you don't drink enough water, it gets congested in there and you get a respiratory infection. Drinking enough water keeps the mouth rinsed out so the bad bacteria in your mouth doesn't cause tooth decay. Drinking enough water helps your intestines. This is an elimination organ and it helps you not to be so constipated. Your kidneys need a lot of water too. Without enough water, the urine gets too concentrated and you will have a higher chance of getting an infection in there or not being able to eliminate the toxins.

Golden rule #4 - Maintain High Levels Of Vitamin D

Make sure that you are maintaining your vitamin D3 levels in your blood. You might even want to go to your doctor and have him/her measure the vitamin D25- hydroxy in your blood. The further north you live, the more important this becomes. Exposure to sunlight will increase the levels of vitamin D naturally. This is being related to certain cancers like colorectal cancer and winter depression. Use full spectrum light lamps to help with this. Vitamin D is an immune system modulator. Helps your whole body to have a good immune system. It even helps with prevent osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and even the pain of OA. Get out and get 15 minutes of sun every day on your skin. Your skin makes vitamin D. Foods that have vitamin D in them are fatty foods like wild Alaskan salmon, eggs, pickled herring. Take a supplement of at least 1000 IU of vitamin D3 during the winter months. The upper limit for vitamin D consumption is 2000 IU. Anything above this level could be toxic and cause you health problems. Vitamin D2 is found in milk and is not the same as vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is also far more effective than D2. People taking D3 (as long as it's oil-based) easily obtain healthy levels of vitamin D in the blood. People taking 50,000 units per day of D2 (the recommended quantity) remain miserably deficient, with minor increases in vitamin D blood levels. In short, D2 barely works at all. D3 works easily and effectively.



Best Vitamin D Articles

Golden rule #5 - Keep Moving
Movement helps to keeps the lymphatic system flowing. Viruses love the lymphatic fluid that is all gunked up and congested. It thrives in that stuff. Movement is really the main way your body moves the lymphatic fluid around. The lymphatic system does not have a heart that pumps like our blood system, so it is your movement that does that. A ten minute walk every day with your arms swinging will help to strengthen your immune system.

Golden Rule #6 - Love and Laugh.

According to Mayo Clinic, the benefits of a healthy marriage include lower rates of disease, a longer life span and a greater sense of well-being. Reasons include advantages of cohabitation, financial stability and strong support networks.

John Gottman, Ph.D., a well-respected psychologist and marriage researcher reports that an unhappy marriage can increase your chances of becoming ill by 35% and take four years off your life! He believes “working on your marriage every day will do more for your health and longevity than working out at a health club".

Marriage and Health

Don't take yourself so seriously. In the final episode of the popular sitcom, M.A.S.H., the army psychologist says his final goodbyes to the wartime medical unit that he has come to love and respect. His final words were, "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice." In other words, if you can't find the humor in life, go out and make some of your own.


Captain Kangaroo was one of my favorite television shows growing up. He always made me laugh. In an interview that he gave before he died, he said, "You can't die laughing but you sure could die without it."

"Laughter is the best medicine... unless you're asthmatic - then it's 'Ventolin'." - old joke.

The Laughing Cure
Research has shown health benefits of laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings to increasing one's threshold for pain. There's even an emerging therapeutic field known as humor therapy to help people heal more quickly, among other things. Humor also has several important stress relieving benefits.


Research has shown that laughing can help in:
-lowering blood pressure
-reducing stress hormones
-increasing muscle flexion
-boosting immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gammainterferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.
triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers
-producing a general sense of well-being


So what happens if I feel a cold coming on? What can I do to stop it? Can it be stopped and if so, how?

1. Get some kind of nasal irrigation system. Colds usually enter the respiratory system through the nose. If you can clean out the population of germs in your nose, it is much to your advantage to not get sick even if you have started to get a cold. Go to the pharmacy and get something like a syringe that you can rinse your nose out with salt water. There is a thing called a Neti Pot that looks like a little baby tea pot that will help you to rinse out your nose. I felt a cold coming on last week and used a NeilMed Sinus Rinse and it was gone in minutes! Here are a few links to see what these devices look like:

Got a Runny Nose? Flush It Out!

SinuCleanse

Dr. Oz explains the use of a Neti Pot on Oprah

I use a NeilMed Sinus Rinse. I like even better than a Neti Pot

2. Increase your vitamin C intake and spread it evenly throughout the day. Vitamin C has antiviral properties that will help you fight a cold.

3. Don't eat sugar!

4. One of the top homeopathic remedies for a cold is called Oscollicocinum

5. Of course, everyone knows that you should wash your hands often. Picking up germs and then rubbing your eyes or nose is a very common way to catch a cold or flu.


Is there anything you can take or recommend to get a good night's sleep?

1. Sleep is naturally promoted when the body gets with a low light. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by your body to induce sleep and is produced in your blood when the sun goes down. So, if you have a lot of bright lights, you will suppress your melatonin. Don't watch TV an hour before you go to bed. Especially if it is one of the older TV's instead of the newer plasma or LED TV's. The light is like millions of little strobe lights that hit your eye. There are photo receptors that are hit by that light and they tell the melatonin to stay low. So, keep the lights low and stay calm an hour before you go to sleep.

2. You might want to have a cup of chamomile tea to relax. If your sleep problems are more intense, you might have to go to see your doctor or a nutritionist.

3. Another thing is to not have a stimulant like coffee or tea after 12 noon.

4. Taking a mineral like magnesium will help you to relax. Sometimes your muscles are too tense to go to sleep. Magnesium will help your muscles to relax.

5. If you take a high quality multivitamin, vitamin C and some grape seed extract, you will strengthen your immune system and lessen the duration of a cold. Grape seed extract has been found to be a powerful antioxidant. It is 50 times stronger than vitamin E and 20 times stronger than vitamin C.

How does stress affect the immune system and what can be done to minimize it?
Stress can come from many different avenues. It could be biological, physical or emotional. Maybe you had a trauma to a muscle or a bone. It could be from an infection or from your emotions like having a toxic relationship or a work related stress. From many studies we know that it affects the physiology and depresses the immune system. That will lead to an eventual sickness or breakdown eventually. Read my entry on Holiday stress to find out how you could keep stress from making your hair fall out.

What can be done?
1. Get some sleep. Things always look better in the morning. It does not matter who your are. If you get enough sleep, the stress will be less because you get more stress when you don't get enough sleep. Studies have shown that if you get enough sleep, you will have a better chance of losing weight too.

2. Change your environment. Change your job? If it is work related, you might consider quitting your job and finding another one that gives you less stress. I read a great book once called, "Do What You Love And The Money Will Follow." It is true. Why are you working? What are you working for? Isn't it to have enough money to do the things you want to do and spend more time with the ones you love? Consider working for yourself. I did and you can read my story at http://jeffiversen.com/

3. Check your vitamin D levels This might be a factor

4. Infections could be a factor. Make sure you get your health back and get rid of these chronic infections. Some of these can be sub clinical and you don't even know that they are there. Sometimes these can be found in your teeth. So visit your dentist and make sure there are no problems there.

Let's Play Tag . . . Your'e It!

I hope you are blogging to make a difference in this world. I know that I am. I write my blog to help others to live a long and prosperous life. In order to do that, I want people to find the things that I have written that will touch a need in their life. In order to do that, we all need traffic and people reading our blog. Let's help each other. Here is a game that is a win/win situation for all.

Rules: Cut and paste the following starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!Blognation, Pinoytek, Reyna, Bluep, Kotsengkuba, Buraot, Iris, Banco De Reyna, Manilenya, Mitch, Melai, Malen, Beng, Sasha, Foolsville, Lloyd Lopez, Hulag, Advancing Health - Redefining Freedom, The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, Rojoy's Daily Update, What goes under the sun,Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, PetraRoger Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life, http://bless519.bravejournal.com/, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Pinay Mommy, Expressions from the Heart, Buzzy Bee Mom,TeacherJulie, Sweetbites by Bang, Paul, Toni and Lance -Mommy Joy Of Two Bridging the Distance, Our Growing Family, The Uncensored life of me, My Untamed World, Something Purple, A Detour, Rojoy's Kitchen,Something Purple, Wifespeaks, Changing Lanes,Bits and Pieces , Life Together Starts , A Housewife’s Journal, Joey M.D., The Working Mom, Online Raket, Idle in Makati, JengSpeaks, A Matter of Perspective, Ang Therapist, Freebies Australia, Abstract Musings, Endometriosis & Fertility Resource Page, The Adventures of Dong and Jing, Rojoy's Daily Update, Buzzy Bee Mom, Mommy Joy Of Two, Rojoy's Kitchen, My Journey, Celebrate Life, Deeply In Love, Loving Living and Laughing,the long journey of my life, kate ashley, top form secrets, CC, Cherryl , Darlene , Gen ,Malyn

I tagged these five bloggers:
Almost Fit,
Losing It - Getting Fit
Healthyhomeblog.com
The Health and Wellness Post
Be The Weight You Want

HEART DISEASE STARTS IN CHILDHOOD

According to a 1998 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, heart disease starts in childhood.



Ages 16-20 (30% affected)

Ages 21-25 (50% affected)

Ages 26-39 (75% affected)



Cancer and Heart disease are not limited to older people any more! There is often 10-20 years of DNA damage that is done before cancer is even detected. A recent study (August 2007) reported in the Journal of American Pediatrics said that Metabolic Syndrome in children is a strong predictor of adult cardiovascular (heart) disease 25 years later.

1 in three women and 1 in 2 men will get cancer in their lifetime.

My mother had cancer in her 60's. That means it probably started when she was in her 30's or 40's. She got it again in another place when she was in her 70's!

A new report shows the number of kids taking statin drugs shot up 68% in just 5 years.1

It’s great that younger people are focusing on heart health. And it’s certainly alarming that health problems related to heart disease are showing up at younger ages than ever before. But statin drugs aren’t the answer. As I’ve pointed out before, they pose serious health risks, including

Inability to concentrate
Depression
Confusion
Impotence
Amnesia
Lowered sex drive
Disorientation
Weakened immune system
Shortness of breath
Liver damage
Fatigue
Kidney failure
Nerve pain
Death
Muscle weakness
Rhabdomyolysis (painful bursting of muscle cells)


Study after study has demonstrated the potentially debilitating effects of statin drugs. They can produce confused states similar to Alzheimer’s disease. They may increase the risk of cancer death. And putting the blame on LDL cholesterol, they don’t even help solve the underlying problems that cause heart disease.

Cholesterol is the great red herring of mainstream medicine’s take on heart health. Despite twenty years of propaganda from the heart health industry, the fact is that LDL cholesterol levels are still a terribly poor predictor of whether or not you’re going to have a heart attack. It may surprise you to learn that 75% of heart attack victims have normal cholesterol levels.

And this is old news. The myth of cholesterol’s role in heart disease has been thoroughly debunked.
Debunking The Cholesterol Myth
The Cholesterol Conspiracy

My advice is to forget about cholesterol and statin drugs and focus instead on the true indicators of heart health. Here’s what you should really be looking out for if you want to know whether you’re at risk:



Triglycerides
Insulin
Blood Pressure
Fasting Blood Glucose
Waist Size

Triglycerides are the kind of fat in your bloodstream that clogs your arteries. You can lower them safely and naturally by getting more omega-3 and vitamin D. Cod liver oil’s a great source of both. Lean meats, fish, and eggs are also rich in omega-3s. You can also get your vitamin D from supplements – 1,000 IEUs per day will do the trick.

Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. And high blood sugar levels lead to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. If your insulin levels are high, you may be developing insulin resistance, the cause of diabetes.

Glycemic Index

Dr David Ludwig of Boston's Children's Hospital has done several studies on overweight teenagers.

In one, he tested the idea that a high-GI breakfast makes people hungrier at lunch. A dozen obese boys were fed three different breakfasts, all with the same calories - a low-GI vegetable omelet and fruit, medium-GI oats or high-GI instant oatmeal.

At noon, they could eat as much as they wanted. Those who started the day with instant oatmeal wolfed down nearly twice as much as those getting the veggie omelet.

Ludwig says overweight people do not need to starve themselves. On a low-GI diet, they can eat enough to feel satisfied and still lose weight.

In a pilot study, he tested this on 14 overweight adolescents. They were put on two different regimens - a standard low-cal, low-fat, high-carb diet and a low-GI plan that let them eat all they wanted. After one year, the low-GI volunteers had dropped three kg of pure fat. The others had put on nearly two kg. Now he is repeating the study on 100 heavy teenagers.


Blood Pressure is another indicator of heart disease risk. You can easily lower it through exercise, diet, and supplements. Coenzyme Q10, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C have all been shown to benefit people with high blood pressure. Garlic and cayenne pepper also contain natural ingredients that reduce hypertension.

Sick Of Being Sick?

The Cause Of Disease
This might seem hard to believe . . . But,
we as humans don't actually age, we don't get sick and we don't get diseases - our cells do. Our body's health is dependent on our cell's health. So to slow down aging, limit sickness and prevent disease we must protect and properly feed our cells. If you were to put buttermilk in your car's gasoline tank - it would get a "disease" and stop working.



What are cells made of?
Cells (above) are made up of many atoms (right). When these atoms are healthy the cells replicate (make an exact copy) and keep the body young, well and disease free. What makes an atom healthy (right) is that it has "paired" electrons (yellow dots).



How do cells age, get sick and get diseases?
Atoms missing an electron (yellow dot) are not just "bad" - they actually destroy surrounding atoms by stealing their electrons. An atom missing an electron is called a Free Radical. Free Radicals alter or destroy cells. Cells that die, and cells that replicate in a damaged state are the cause or contribute to premature aging, sickness and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many others.













The Solution

THE SOLUTION IS ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants have "extra" electrons (yellow dots) that they can give to free radicals, which eliminates their harmful effects.

Antioxidants are your bodies defense against destructive free radicals. Therefore they are your defense against aging, sickness and disease.



See how antioxidants neutralize free radicals and reduce your risk of disease.

WHAT IS HEART DISEASE?

There are several forms of heart disease, but heart disease primarily comes from the buildup of fatty deposits on the inner surface of the arteries. Eventually, these deposits block blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke.


HOW FREE RADICALS CAUSE AND/OR CONTRIBUTE TO HEART DISEASE.
Scientists now believe that it's not just the eating of fat that causes the buildup on the inner surface of the arteries, but those fats that have been damaged by free radicals. This is called "oxidized fat," which causes the fat to be more "sticky" therefore adhering to the inner artery walls more easily. This explains why smoking and stress are risk factors to heart disease - as are high fat consumption.

HOW ANTIOXIDANTS REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE.
By neutralizing the free radical, antioxidants limit the number of damaging free radicals in the body, thereby reducing the risk of the free radicals "oxidizing" (damaging or making stick) the fat.

"Don't underestimate the threat free radicals pose to our health. Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease, from heart disease to arthritis to cancer to cataracts. In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process itself. By controlling free radicals, antioxidants can make the difference between life and death, as well as influence how fast and how well we age."
Lester Packer, Head of Packer Laboratories
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California at Berkley

WHAT IS CANCER?There are many different forms of cancer, but basically all forms involve the abnormal growth of cells. Humans are made up of about 75 trillion cells that continually replicate themselves. Each cell has a set of genetic instructions in its center called DNA that controls cell growth, development and replication. When the DNA gets damaged, it can replicate an altered (damaged) cell - when/if this altered cell replicates itself . . . this can become cancer.



HOW FREE RADICALS CAUSE AND/OR CONTRIBUTE TO CANCER
It is proven that free radicals damage DNA. Most scientists believe it is free radical damage to the DNA that begins many forms of cancer.

HOW ANTIOXIDANTS REDUCE THE RISK OF CANCER
One of the most important roles antioxidants play in the body is to protect DNA from damage caused by free radicals. In addition, particular antioxidants can actually repair damaged DNA before it replicates - if antioxidants are there. the importance of maintaining proper antioxidant levels can not be over emphasized.













WHERE DO ANTIOXIDANTS COME FROM
Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables. They are also found in other types of foods such as nuts, oils, beans, etc. Research studies suggest that organic foods have higher concentrations of antioxidants than processed foods grown with pesticides.

Antioxidants are also found in high quality vitamin supplements, which are recommended by the American Medical Association because most adults do not eat the right foods to properly feed their cells.



Take multivitamins, AMA urges in policy reversal

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT WARNING

Not all supplements are beneficial. They must be absorbed by your body. as you can see from the x-ray below, these supplements which are from a "name brand" company would do you no good. They're still undissolved in the colon!

Supplements also should include many types of antioxidants, combined properly. It is recommended that you click on the following links and read more about vitamins before you go out and purchase or take vitamins.







10 Vitamin Truths

Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements Rates Top Vitamins


Modern Theories of Aging


Here is a short news clip from Australia's "Today Tonight" program that talks about how to choose a multivitamin.