Sugar and You

How much TV do you really watch?” Just like the answer to that question, the answer to “How much sugar do you really eat?” is usually “hardly ever”. But did you know that eating just a tiny bit of sugar can affect your immune system?

Most people would never touch drugs but did you know that sugar is just like a drug, In fact, sugar is only one element in difference to a drug like cocaine. Like many drugs, sugar starts out as an innocent little plant and with heat and processing turns into a deadly consumable that can harm your body and your life. That may seem a little dramatic, but once you hear the following statistics, you may be off sugar for life.

In the early 1900s, the average North American ate about 5lbs of sugar in a year. These days, with added sugar in everything from savoury foods like store-bought spaghetti sauce to condiments like ketchup, we eat more than 100 times that amount (and it’s killing us).

What is sugar?

Sugar comes in many forms; sucrose (brown or white sugar), fructose, glucose and malt. (Honey can be included, though it isn’t as bad as the others when not pasteurised.) Sugar is derived from plants, liquefied and processed, bleached with chlorine and dried. There are no nutrients left from the cane and beet plants they came from. It has been studied and proven to be highly addictive.

What happens when you eat sugar?

When you eat sugar, your system takes nutrients from other places in your body so that this non-food can be processed. In the process, your immunity is sapped; calcium is sapped from your bones causing osteoporosis.

What does it do?

Sugar affects us in so many ways. Many illnesses that we hear about, like cancer and cardiovascular disease, were not even an issue in the early part of the last century. Nowadays, most people I talk to know someone who is suffering from devastating diseases like heart disease and cancer or even headaches, asthma, depression, diabetes, gallstones or arthritis or intense cravings for coffee or sugar (particularly in the mid-afternoon). These are all situations caused by the consumption of sugar. One of the most brutal ways sugar affects us is with our immunity. After consuming sugar, say the amount in a small chocolate bar, your endocrine and nervous systems are then affected and your immunity will stay suppressed for up to 5 hours. Your body’s defence mechanism would not be fighting a cold or heart disease or hypertension or fighting any other disease, for up to 5 hours.

Here are some of the ways sugar can affect your health:

· Sugar can suppress the immune system.

· Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

· Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.

· Sugar can cause kidney damage.

· Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

· Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

· Sugar can promote tooth decay.

· Sugar can produce an acidic stomach (disease cannot exist in an alkaline environment).

· Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.

· Sugar can increase total cholesterol.

· Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.

· Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

· Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

· Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

· Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.

· Sugar causes food allergies.

· Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

· Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

· Sugar can cause depression.

· Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.

· Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.

· Sugar can cause hypertension.

· Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.

· Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.

What can I do about it?

Some people say its okay to consume a little bit of sugar, say 10-15% of your total calories. Other experts agree that you must be vigilant to eliminate sugar completely from your diet.

The first thing you can do is to begin to eliminate sugar from your diet a little at a time. Take one day a week without sugar and then increase to 2 and then 3 days a week. Read labels and buy items than don’t have sugar listed first in the ingredients on the label if at all. When you do eat sugar, look for fruit sugars as they are better for you than chemically refined white or brown sugar. Start to convert to Stevia, Xylitol and Agave Nectar all of which can be purchased at your local health food store.

Adopt the 80/20 rule – eat right 80% of the time and leave the 20% for weekends or nights out.

Sugar is a highly addictive chemical that causes death. Its not an easy road to change your diet, but one that you’ll be happy with immediately as your notice the changes in your body and mind and in future as a healthy elderly person.

7 Ways to Detox Daily

1. Eat green apples; thy naturally detoxify as they bind metals with toxins and pull them out of the body.

2. Avoid processed foods, refined sugars and alcohol.

3. Add lemon to water to aid digestion.

4. Chew food well to aid digestion, which helps put less stress on the kidneys and liver.

5. Minimize the use of chemical-based household cleaners and personal care products.

6. Drink green tea.

7. Get regular massages.

Compiled by Barbara Fabian, January 2009

Drink A Coke Right Now

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

December 8, 2006 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Drink, Prevention, Your Body

*

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the abilityto hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

[tags] coke, effects, pharmacology, soda, caffeine, sugar [/tags]

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

A great healthy drink

The "Immortal Health Elixir"

By Yarixa Ferrao

Usually you drink to quench your thirst. But there's a great tasting, energizing beverage that does much more for you.

I'm talking about Kombucha.

Kombucha is a lightly sweetened, fermented tea that dates back to China's Qin Dynasty (around 250 BC), where it was called the "immortal health elixir." The fermentation process forms:

• Enzymes that aid digestion

• Probiotics - the good bacteria that help with immune function, nutrient absorption, and inflammation reduction

• Organic acids, which help detoxify the liver

• Polyphenols, chemical substances found in plants that have antioxidant characteristics

• B Vitamins, which help support and increase metabolism, maintain healthy skin and muscle tone, enhance immune and nervous system function, and promote cell growth

Best of all, Kombucha is low in calories and sugar, so you can drink it every day.

You can brew it yourself, but I don't recommend it. My favorite commercial brand is Synergy, available in lots of flavors, including Cosmic Cranberry, Gingerberry, and Gingeraide.

Self care & Cellulite Reduction

Skin Brushing

Using a brush with real bristles, brush the skin in upward movements all over body or affected areas. Hand gloves may be substituted as it is ideal for removing dead skin tissue. This method increases the blood circulation. Brushing should be done before the bathing rituals and massage applications. This should be done every day.

Lymphatic Drainage/Cold Water Method

Use a detachable shower-head) Shower with cold water. The firm pressure of cold water will contract the blood vessels and lymph. Massage your skin with the water. Making sure you work inside the ledge, thighs and groin areas. Circular movements (clockwise direction) in abdomen region, then up the inner arms and armpits. (min twice a week during drainage sessions or as often as you can).

Hot Water Method

Bathing in hot water and having the water hot enough that you will sweat, but comfortable enough to lie in. Shower or sponge afterwards to wash off sweat. Hot baths should be done twice a week during sessions.

Bathing methods

Bathing in Epsom salt is ideal, as the salt draws out the toxins in the skin. Use 2 handfuls of Epsom salt and 1 handful of rock salt in bath. You can mix with dry lavender, 6 drops of lemon and 8 drops of grapefruit essentials oils.

Improving cellulite appearance

Fill the bathtub and add 2 drops of each oil: Juniper, Grapefruit, cypress and Mandarin. Mix well in water before climbing in. This mix is mildly astringent and it will temporarily tighten the skin, improving the appearance of cellulite.

If you have dry skin, try premixing the oils with one teaspoon of a carrier oil, along with a 1/2 cup of milk or a tablespoon of honey for added moisturizing benefits.

Essential Oil Bathing

Bathing in essential oils is very beneficial. The oils in the bath penetrate the skin by osmosis. Pinching and gently pummeling the cellulite areas will help break-down the fatty deposits.

Daily Massage

Massage the areas in upward movements towards the heart. Using the pads of your fingers, thumbs and “spongy areas” of the hand. Massage should be done in the morning and when you go to bed. Twice a day, if time permits. Massaging the cellulite areas should also be done during the bathing rituals.

Aromatherapy & Pregnancy

There are some divided ideas on the dangers of certain essential oils used in aromatherapy during pregnancy, but since this time should be a time to enjoy and to prepare for the upcoming birth of your child, it would be wise to rather give some essentials oils a miss.

Aromatherapy can be a great benefit during pregnancy and assists in minimizing some of the discomfort and aches.

There are however some compounds in certain essential oils that have hormone-like behaviour because of their molecular structure and although there is no conclusive evidence on the effect of estrogenic oils it would be prudent to avoid anethole rich oils, like fennel and aniseed during pregnancy.

This list has been compiled with oils that are recommended to be avoided in pregnancy.

Almond – bitter Aniseed

Angelica Root Basil

Birch Black pepper

Camphor Caraway

Cedarwood Cypress

Chamomile* Cinnamon

Clary sage Clove

Eucalyptus Fennel

Fir Geranium

Ginger Hyssop

Jasmine** Juniper

Lavender* Lemon

Lemon grass Marjoram

Melissa Myrrh

Nutmeg Oregano

Pennyroyal Peppermint

Pine Rose*

Rosemary Sage

Stinging nettle Tansy

Thyme Yarrow*

Wintergreen

Chamomile, lavender & rose may be used in low doses in last trimester. ** Jasmine can be used during delivery, as it will ease labour.

Written by Deb Drummond

Exfoliating your skin

Get rid of it. Get rid of the dead skin making your face and body look dull, lacklustre and well, older.

Our bodies are amazing, even to the point of sloughing off and renewing our own dead skin. But the rate at which this happens slows as we get older and as people go from their 30s to their 40s and 50s, decreases from 20 days to up to 40 days. As this natural process slows, dead skin dead skin cells pile up on top of each other (eew!) resulting in skin being thicker, duller-looking and drier. Dead skin also prevents oxygen, moisture and nutrients from reaching your living skin, and then sags and holds onto wrinkles.

So you might be asking, “Where is the radiant skin I used to have?” - Its there; you just can’t see it underneath the dead skin cells. Only by exfoliating will your skin reveal its gorgeous self. Gentle exfoliation using a salt rub with essential oils such as Lemon or Peppermint or my exceptional Coffee Grind Rub, also helps with ingrown hairs. For men, exfoliation lifts your beard up, meaning a closer shave.