The average American consumes two to three pounds of sugar each week. If they are ingesting more than their body can accomodate they are placing their short-term and long-term health at serious risk.

One major health issue with sugar is that is depresses the immune system. An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body’s blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin. The body uses insulin to keep blood-sugar at safe, constant levels. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so foods high in sugar can lead to rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which are linked to cardiovascular disease.

Complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly, lessening the impact on blood-sugar levels.

White blood cells need vitamin C to phagocytize (engulf and absorb) viruses and bacteria. To accumulate vitamin C white blood cells require a concentration inside the cell that is 50 times higher than that outside the cell.

Glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures and compete for one another upon entering the cell. Glucose and vitamin C enters cells after being mediated by the same thing. This means if there is more glucose than vitamin C, less vitamin C gets in. Your immune system is compromised with even a small consumption of sugar. For example, a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. Note: this index measures your white blood cells ability to engulf and absorb viruses and bacteria.

The roots of disease are always at the cellular and molecular level, and more often than not insulin has a large role in it. Succombing to our desire for sweets, often to excess, has serious consequences to our health.

Habitually, ingesting sugar has certain health risks such as:

Aggravating asthma

Mood swings

Worsening nervous disorders

Promoting tooth decay

Increasing risk of coronary heart disease

Speed aging process

Glucose fuels cancer

Refined dietary sugars lack vitamins and minerals, and must rely on stored micro-nutrients within the body to be metabolized. When these stores are gone, cholesterol and fatty acid metabolization is impeded. This contributes to higher cholesterol and obesity. The American Diabetic Association and American Dietetic Association agree that sugar ingestion is one of the three major causes of degenerative disease in America.

To be healthy and remain healthy, blood-glucose levels must be controlled through diet, exercise, supplements, meditation, and prescription drugs (when necessary).

Marvin Pirila writes for his wife’s alternative medicine business, Pieceful Pursuits. Pieceful Pursuits is served through the websites http://www.piecefulpursuits/, http://www.essentialoilsfirst/, and http://www.nutritionalsupplementsfirst.com/

Tags: blood sugar, glucose, insulin, Nutrition, nutritional supplements, phagocytic index, refined, sugarblood sugar, glucose, insulin, Nutrition, nutritional supplements, phagocytic index, refined, sugar

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The truth may shock you. It may stir you up. It may make you mad. It may make you doubt. It may make you uncertain.

You may not believe me. In fact, I encourage you not to believe me and do your own research. Read the books, research the journals, and listen to the tapes so that you can discover for yourself the best food and nutrition for human health.

At first you will have many more questions than answers. But as you continue your search for the truth, you will discover the simple, common sense answers to your questions.

The more information you collect on your own, the better foundation that you will build. The better foundation you build, the more likely that you will be motivated to embark upon the journey of changing your eating and lifestyle habitschanges that have the power to transform your life forever.

So what are the real four food groups?

They are:

Fresh, whole vegetables
Fresh, whole fruits
Whole grains
Whole beans, raw nuts and raw seeds

That’s it. These are all the foods that we need for human health.

Okay. I can feel the cries of resistance. I can feel the disbelief. I can hear the questions. Where do we get our protein if we don’t eat meat? Where do we get our calcium if we don’t eat dairy products? Aren’t we supposed to eat some good fats? What about fish? Isn’t that good for you? If I “can’t” eat meat and dairy, what’s left to eat? Do you expect me to live on celery and carrot sticks alone? I cannot tell you how often I have heard these questions. Do you find yourself asking the same ones?

Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a motivational health speaker, writer and lifestyle coach. Visit Dr. Leslie at DrLeslieVanRomer.com for practical direction, hope and inspiration.

Tags: food groups, food pyramid, four food group, Nutrition, nutritional food groupfood groups, food pyramid, four food group, Nutrition, nutritional food group

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McDonalds and Nutrition - an Oxymoron or Not?

The ever popular, omnipotent McDonalds fast food chain has been trying for a few years now to mend the fences with activists and public service groups who protest the chain’s marketing of nutritionally void food. In the wake of lots of bad publicity, and a negative documentary profiling the adverse health effects McDonalds menu can have on ones health, the fast food giant is desperately trying to regain public approval. But is it working? And do most people care?

Well, the answer to one of those questions is that while most people who go to McDonalds know what they are getting, and don’t mind that it doesn’t offer much in the way of waist-conscious fare, the new company-initiated push for a nutritionally responsible menu and labeling seems to be falling on deaf ears for the most part.

For example, the fast food giant recently unveiled its new nutritional information packaging at the winter Olympic games in an effort to gain back some of the perceived public trust. Public trust that had been lost through a wave of Supersize critcism, a tell-all documentary (that really told us all what we already knew deep down anyways about consuming fast food) and an increasingly health conscious society.

Society now is starting to take notice of the overwhelming
frequency of obesity, weight related disease and death. Diseases that have recently been directly linked to poor nutrition, oversized portions, lack of physical activity, and a society that looks at food as they look at money - the more the better.

McDonalds also has experimented with various healthier fare. They even had a promotion involving giveaways of pedometers with the purchase of a healthy salad. They are also currently offering a healthier alternative to the traditional but miserably unhealthy breakfast of Egg McMuffins and the new sugar soaked McGriddle, in the form of a tasty apple walnut yogurt salad. Ironically, this “healthy” salad is loaded with sugar and simple carbs, which is actually a hypoglycemic nightmare, but you gotta give it to them - they are trying to branch out and be more “nutritionally aware”.

But does society really want them to or ask them to be more nutritionally responsible, or even be politically correct? Aside from the ever present protesters crusading for better food offerings to the general public, does the ACTUAL general public really want this - from McDonalds? I don’t know about you, but when I go to McDonalds, which is very seldom since I do try to watch what I eat, I fully expect to get a very tasty Big Mac or Double Cheeseburger with a Super Size order of fries, enjoy every minute of this guilty pleasure, and then be on my merry way to eating healthy the next day.

That’s it folks - it’s all gotta be in moderation. As long as you are not abusing the conveniences and admittedly addictive culinary offerings of McDonalds, or you aren’t trying to be the next Morgan Spurlock (the Director/Guinea Pig for the McDonalds documentary “Super Size Me”), you should be just fine indulging in fast food - once in a while.

Visit Diet Reviews for more information on different diet methods, supplements and technology. Danna Schneider is the cofounder of Dieting Magazine: Best Weight Loss Supplements.

Tags: calories, fast, fat, food, labeling, mcdonalds, me, menu, Nutrition, nutritional, size, super, valuecalories, fast, fat, food, labeling, mcdonalds, me, menu, Nutrition, nutritional, size, super, value

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