Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
New Site
I just launched a new trial site for our healthy foods. Its www.candlernaturalfoods.com. Please check it out and let me know what you think!!
Friday, February 5, 2010
All in the Name of Beauty
Have you ever watched a spring rain fall and seep into the soil? The ground appears so thirsty as the gentle drops settle on blades of fresh grass, travel down the blades and soak into the sponge-like soil. Everything that is in the water ends up in the soil. The same thing happens with your skin.
Beauty is more than Skin Deep
Every lotion, perfume, cosmetic and cleanser that you use is absorbed by your skin. Just like the food you eat ends up in your body, so it is with what you put ON your body. So why would you want to put something you can't pronounce on the surface of your skin? Most people probably never even think about that. Look at the ingredients in your favorite lotion...petroleum products, scents of unknown origins, various man-made shelf stabilizers and a host of inventions that science has come up with to extend the life of your skin or make you "glow"(therefore you look healthy?). What about your make-up? Products that might protect you from sun damage could be linked to cancer or other cellular changes. Your anti-wrinkle cream could cause reproductive damage. The implication of all this chemical exposure is staggering, but does anyone really think about it? Just recently, in December of 2009, chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino infants in the United States. Is this a surprise?
Safety in Question
Products are usually tested for a limited time on animals and/or humans but these lab tests are never long term. When you use a product, you most likely use it daily. Those tiny bits of chemicals that cause no problems in a six-week study, add up over the long term. Three years down the road, you could have toxic levels in your system. And how does your body react? Depends on what you are using. Your body doesn't know what to do with the synthetic products you are slathering on your skin, all in the name of beauty or cleanliness. Your liver and kidneys try desperately to deal with all the junk that enters your body through diet, environment and skin exposure, but at some point your system gets overloaded. It can manifest itself as something benign like a headache or it could alter the structure of just one cell and become the start of a malignant cancer that kills you ten years from now.
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
We can all nod our heads in agreement when we say that an acid peel for your face is probably full of chemicals that might be dangerous. And the smell of a home permanent or hair color alone tells us its probably not a good idea to ingest it. But what about something seemingly benign like a baby wash? BABY MAGIC CALMING MILK BATH, a product from Playtex could be a good example.
Here are the ingredients for this calming concoction:
There are only a few recognizable words on this list(milk was one of them). I looked a few up:
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is considered a "known human immune system toxicant" by the national Library of Medicine and the Cosmetic Ingredient review assessments say that while its safe to use in cosmetics, it is "subject to concentration or use limitations and safe to use with some qualifications" There are also concerns that it can be contaminated with Nitrosamines, which is linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity and neuro-toxicity. This one ingredient is in shampoos, body washes, acne treatments and several other products.
Polysorbate-20 has not been studied very well, but has been shown in animal tests to cause endocrine system disruption. Your endocrine system regulates your hormones and when this system is disrupted, it can affect the absorption and transport of hormones, it can mimic the actions of hormones and cause your body to produce less and it can block receptors, which can cause your body to over-produce.
PEG-80 Glyceryl Cocoate is not safe for injured or damaged skin and is restricted in cosmetics. It also has restrictions in manufacturing and concentration rules from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments. It has been shown to cause skin irritation and has been shown to increase skin absorption; which means it speeds up your skins abilities to absorb all these ingredients.
Keep in mind that this is a product for NEWBORNS.
Out of Necessity?
Do companies need to have these toxic chemicals in their products? The answer is no. There are a number of ways to avoid the toxicity found in some products. Johnson & Johnson came under attack several years ago when toxic levels of 1,4-Dioxane were found in many of their baby products. This was also found in Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo and Oil of Olay body wash. 1,4-Dioxane is a cancer causing petro-chemical, and it appears in the products as a result of the process used to make the other chemicals in their products less toxic. This chemical bi product is also found in some "natural" cosmetics as well as those touting the "organic" label. This is because the organic standards do not apply to non-food items. This battle has been going on for sometime as more companies try to hop on the popular organic trend bandwagon in the US. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics addressed the 1,4-Dioxane issue with Johnson and Johnson and in retests done in March of 2009, found these same chemicals to be at much lower levels; proving that products can be made safer. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a Compact for Safe Cosmetics that they ask manufacturers to sign. A pledge that they will follow more stringent rules than given by the FDA. You can see this compact here. The companies that pledge to make these efforts can be found here.
In my research I discovered that the levels of chemicals in products appear in a wide range of levels and some of the ingredients might surprise you; lead in lipstick and mercury in mascara? Its true! Another trend, nano-technology is emerging and the toxic ramifications of this technology are mind-boggling.
To me, the problem with the concept of it being okay to use a chemical in any product, at any level, is that when you have repeated exposure over years in combination with other products with the same chemicals or actions, you are getting much larger doses of toxic substances. Go one step further and combine it with the multitudes of foods that have negative effects on the body, and its no wonder cancer and hormone-related problems are such a huge problem in the United States. Our bodies are under attack!
We are responsible for our bodies and our health. Continuing to rely on the government agencies and the manufacturers to tell us what is 'safe' is unwise and proven to be unhealthy. Just because a product is on the shelf, doesn't mean you have to use it.
You can download a FREE cosmetic safety guide here:http://www.ewg.org/files/EWG_cosmeticsguide.pdf
Beauty is more than Skin Deep
Every lotion, perfume, cosmetic and cleanser that you use is absorbed by your skin. Just like the food you eat ends up in your body, so it is with what you put ON your body. So why would you want to put something you can't pronounce on the surface of your skin? Most people probably never even think about that. Look at the ingredients in your favorite lotion...petroleum products, scents of unknown origins, various man-made shelf stabilizers and a host of inventions that science has come up with to extend the life of your skin or make you "glow"(therefore you look healthy?). What about your make-up? Products that might protect you from sun damage could be linked to cancer or other cellular changes. Your anti-wrinkle cream could cause reproductive damage. The implication of all this chemical exposure is staggering, but does anyone really think about it? Just recently, in December of 2009, chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino infants in the United States. Is this a surprise?
Safety in Question
Products are usually tested for a limited time on animals and/or humans but these lab tests are never long term. When you use a product, you most likely use it daily. Those tiny bits of chemicals that cause no problems in a six-week study, add up over the long term. Three years down the road, you could have toxic levels in your system. And how does your body react? Depends on what you are using. Your body doesn't know what to do with the synthetic products you are slathering on your skin, all in the name of beauty or cleanliness. Your liver and kidneys try desperately to deal with all the junk that enters your body through diet, environment and skin exposure, but at some point your system gets overloaded. It can manifest itself as something benign like a headache or it could alter the structure of just one cell and become the start of a malignant cancer that kills you ten years from now.
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
We can all nod our heads in agreement when we say that an acid peel for your face is probably full of chemicals that might be dangerous. And the smell of a home permanent or hair color alone tells us its probably not a good idea to ingest it. But what about something seemingly benign like a baby wash? BABY MAGIC CALMING MILK BATH, a product from Playtex could be a good example.
Baby Magic says safe name right? Calming is always good for babies...they will sleep good if you use it, right? Milk Bath is a great set of words...clean, healthy and milk is good for you...Yes, this is a good product...
Here are the ingredients for this calming concoction:
Water, PEG-80 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG-30 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG 120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polyquaternium-7, Polysorbate-20, Styrene/Acrylate Copolymer (and) Laureth-23, (and) Carbomer, Quaternium 79, Quaternium 79 Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Aloe Barbadensis (Leaf Juice), Fragrance (Lavender, Chamomile), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Citric Acid.
There are only a few recognizable words on this list(milk was one of them). I looked a few up:
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is considered a "known human immune system toxicant" by the national Library of Medicine and the Cosmetic Ingredient review assessments say that while its safe to use in cosmetics, it is "subject to concentration or use limitations and safe to use with some qualifications" There are also concerns that it can be contaminated with Nitrosamines, which is linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity and neuro-toxicity. This one ingredient is in shampoos, body washes, acne treatments and several other products.
Polysorbate-20 has not been studied very well, but has been shown in animal tests to cause endocrine system disruption. Your endocrine system regulates your hormones and when this system is disrupted, it can affect the absorption and transport of hormones, it can mimic the actions of hormones and cause your body to produce less and it can block receptors, which can cause your body to over-produce.
PEG-80 Glyceryl Cocoate is not safe for injured or damaged skin and is restricted in cosmetics. It also has restrictions in manufacturing and concentration rules from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments. It has been shown to cause skin irritation and has been shown to increase skin absorption; which means it speeds up your skins abilities to absorb all these ingredients.
Keep in mind that this is a product for NEWBORNS.
Out of Necessity?
Do companies need to have these toxic chemicals in their products? The answer is no. There are a number of ways to avoid the toxicity found in some products. Johnson & Johnson came under attack several years ago when toxic levels of 1,4-Dioxane were found in many of their baby products. This was also found in Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo and Oil of Olay body wash. 1,4-Dioxane is a cancer causing petro-chemical, and it appears in the products as a result of the process used to make the other chemicals in their products less toxic. This chemical bi product is also found in some "natural" cosmetics as well as those touting the "organic" label. This is because the organic standards do not apply to non-food items. This battle has been going on for sometime as more companies try to hop on the popular organic trend bandwagon in the US. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics addressed the 1,4-Dioxane issue with Johnson and Johnson and in retests done in March of 2009, found these same chemicals to be at much lower levels; proving that products can be made safer. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a Compact for Safe Cosmetics that they ask manufacturers to sign. A pledge that they will follow more stringent rules than given by the FDA. You can see this compact here. The companies that pledge to make these efforts can be found here.
In my research I discovered that the levels of chemicals in products appear in a wide range of levels and some of the ingredients might surprise you; lead in lipstick and mercury in mascara? Its true! Another trend, nano-technology is emerging and the toxic ramifications of this technology are mind-boggling.
To me, the problem with the concept of it being okay to use a chemical in any product, at any level, is that when you have repeated exposure over years in combination with other products with the same chemicals or actions, you are getting much larger doses of toxic substances. Go one step further and combine it with the multitudes of foods that have negative effects on the body, and its no wonder cancer and hormone-related problems are such a huge problem in the United States. Our bodies are under attack!
We are responsible for our bodies and our health. Continuing to rely on the government agencies and the manufacturers to tell us what is 'safe' is unwise and proven to be unhealthy. Just because a product is on the shelf, doesn't mean you have to use it.
You can download a FREE cosmetic safety guide here:http://www.ewg.org/files/EWG_cosmeticsguide.pdf
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Stop GMO alterations to Alfalfa!
Stop Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and Protect Organic Food! The USDA recently released a draft of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Genetically Engineered "Roundup Ready" Alfalfa, and if we don't speak up, it's clear they intend to approve its commercial use. We can't let this happen. You may not think about alfalfa much when you're drinking organic milk, but organic alfalfa is important to organic farming, as a nourishing animal feed that's also a nitrogen-fixing soil enhancer. Once GE alfalfa is introduced, its contamination of non-GE plants - including organic - is all but inevitable. And because alfalfa is fed to dairy cows and other livestock, contamination puts organic dairy and meat at risk, too! In their EIS, the USDA states "There is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic alfalfa." We know that you do care. Let's not be Monsanto's guinea pigs! Now is your chance to be heard. Tell the USDA to protect organic food and farmers from GE contamination, and NOT TO APPROVE Monsanto's GE Alfalfa. Comments are due by February 16, 2010. You CAN make a difference. Please tell the USDA that you care about GE contamination and your right to GMO-free organic foods.
• Learn more and get talking points at the organic valley website
• Read the document here
• Then take action at the Center for Food Safety , or submit comments online to the USDA directly
• Learn more and get talking points at the organic valley website
• Read the document here
• Then take action at the Center for Food Safety , or submit comments online to the USDA directly
Free Photos-THIS DEAL IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE-look in google ad box below for a possible link
CVS has a new program called CVS Photo.com where you can have all the benefits of other photo storage sites but its convenient because you can avoid shipping charges on prints by picking them up at your local CVS. If you join right now, you get 50 free prints.
Your FREE membership includes free storage, the ability to share your photos with friends and when you want to make a print, you order online and pick up for free at your local store. In an effort to get people interested, the free prints are offered for a limited time. So sign up today!
Your FREE membership includes free storage, the ability to share your photos with friends and when you want to make a print, you order online and pick up for free at your local store. In an effort to get people interested, the free prints are offered for a limited time. So sign up today!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Its the Super Bowl; Butter vs. Margarine
Your doctor would tell you that butter is bad for you. Its got all that saturated fat...I would beg to differ and here is why...
Margarine...
For the sake of argument, lets look at sticks. We will use Land o' Lakes since I can compare both products from the same company.
Serving Size 1 TBSP (14g)
Servings Per Container 32
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 100
Amount/Serving %DV*
Total Fat..........11 g......17%
Saturated Fat.......2 g......11%
Trans Fat...........2.5 g
Cholesterol.........0 mg......0%
Sodium............105 mg......4%
Total Carbohydrate..0 g.......0%
Dietary Fiber.......0 g.......0%
Sugars..............0 g
Protein.............0 g
Vitamin A..........10 %
Calcium ............0 %
Vitamin C...........0 %
Iron................0 %
INGREDIENTS: Liquid Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Water, Buttermilk, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (Color). CONTAINS: MILK AND SOY
Now looking at the label you see that it says 2.5 trans fats. If you scan through the very encouraging list of ingredients, you will find the source. Partially Hydrogenated Soybean oil. Hydrogenated oil and fats are Trans fats. It also lists Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides. Monoglyceride and Diglycerides is a code name for hydrogenated oil/fat. Usually listed as "mono-diglyceride" Otherwise known as "trans fat. Trans Fatty Acids triple risk of Coronary Heart Disease Increases total LDL ( this is the bad cholesterol). Lowers HDL cholesterol and this is the good one.
Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold, lowers the quality of breast milk, decreases immune response and decreases insulin response. These facts alone should be reason enough to avoid margarine, but let's continue...
Also in the ingredients you see artificial flavor so its tastes like butter. It does have buttermilk, which should improve the look, taste and consistancy, and they add Vitamin A so it has some nutrition like butter. They also add Beta Carotene(more vitamin A?) for color rather than Yellow 40. This is encouraging...
Now lets look at Butter
For the sake of comparison, a 1lb package of salted butter.
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (14g)
Servings Per Container: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 100
% Daily Value*
Total Fat..........11 g......17%
Saturated Fat.......7 g 37%
Trans Fat...........0 g
Cholesterol........30 mg 10%
Sodium.............95 mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate..0 g 0%
Dietary Fiber.......0 g 0%
Sugars..............0 g
Protein.............0 g
Vitamin A...........8 %
Calcium.............0 %
Vitamin C...........0 %
Iron................0 %
INGREDIENTS: Sweet Cream, Salt. CONTAINS: MILK
Okay, first, let me just say that I CAN READ ALL THE WORDS!
I would also like to point out that it says no trans fats, but natural butterfat contains 2-5% trans-fatty acids (mainly trans-vaccenic acid, a variant of the normal vaccenic acid). The government allows labels to say "0g of trans fats" if it amounts to less than 500mg PER SERVING. Since butter says "0", I would like to point out that the naturally occurring trans-fatty acids rumenic acid and trans-vaccenic acid (trans-vaccenic acid is used by the human body to make rumenic acid) show anti-carcinogenic properties, which is quite opposite to the artificially created trans-fatty acids.
Butter also contains both vitamin A and D, as well as other beneficial substances, including trace minerals. Conjugated linoleic acid in butterfat is a powerful protection against cancer. Certain fats called glycospingolipids aid digestion. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients. If you were to obtain butter from a grass-fed cow (I am certain this butter is not), all the benefits I just listed would increase dramatically. This is because cows are supposed to eat grass and when they are fed what they are supposed to eat, they produce a more nutritious cream and milk.
So to summarize, both have the same calories. Margarine has 2.5 grams of trans fats and butter has very little. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added. Butter does have 7 g of saturated fats, this particular margarine has 2 grams. Saturated fats from animal sources(not plants or chemical processes), form an important part of the cell membrane; they protect the immune system and enhance the utilization of essential fatty acids. They are needed for the proper development of the brain and nervous system. Certain types of saturated fats provide quick energy and protect against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal tract; other types provide energy to the heart. While you should not overdo in your consumption of butter, it is a healthy part of a balanced diet and far better for you than the chemically-laden-substitute better-known-as-margarine.
Margarine, while having been invented in the 1800's is normally a grayish-white and until recently was not legally allowed to be sold with the color yellow added. The color is what makes it look buttery and that's half the battle; making it look better than it actually tastes. And it really isn't food... if you set it out open on the counter, it won't mold, nothing will eat it, flies won't touch it and it will not go bad. It was, at one time, illegal to sell margarine in tubs larger than 1lb(maybe it still is). Why is that?
A note on trans fats:
Other food products, including margarines may say "0" and still have trans fats. That is because the government regulations allow them to say "0g" trans-fat, which effectively means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving; however, no fat is entirely free of trans fats. Even natural butterfat contains 2-5% naturally occurring trans-fatty acids. When this legislation was passed, some companies just reduced the serving size to make it seem like they had no trans fats. For instance, instead of 4 cookies being a serving, now its 3. Nice, huh?
Long story short and back to the game, butter is tasty, healthy, and when it comes from a cow that eats grass instead of candy bar wrappers, as God intended. Margarine is unnatural, not so tasty and one molecule short of plastic. Would you melt your empty milk jug and spread that on your toast? Just sayin'
Margarine...
For the sake of argument, lets look at sticks. We will use Land o' Lakes since I can compare both products from the same company.
Serving Size 1 TBSP (14g)
Servings Per Container 32
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 100
Amount/Serving %DV*
Total Fat..........11 g......17%
Saturated Fat.......2 g......11%
Trans Fat...........2.5 g
Cholesterol.........0 mg......0%
Sodium............105 mg......4%
Total Carbohydrate..0 g.......0%
Dietary Fiber.......0 g.......0%
Sugars..............0 g
Protein.............0 g
Vitamin A..........10 %
Calcium ............0 %
Vitamin C...........0 %
Iron................0 %
INGREDIENTS: Liquid Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Water, Buttermilk, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (Color). CONTAINS: MILK AND SOY
Now looking at the label you see that it says 2.5 trans fats. If you scan through the very encouraging list of ingredients, you will find the source. Partially Hydrogenated Soybean oil. Hydrogenated oil and fats are Trans fats. It also lists Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides. Monoglyceride and Diglycerides is a code name for hydrogenated oil/fat. Usually listed as "mono-diglyceride" Otherwise known as "trans fat. Trans Fatty Acids triple risk of Coronary Heart Disease Increases total LDL ( this is the bad cholesterol). Lowers HDL cholesterol and this is the good one.
Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold, lowers the quality of breast milk, decreases immune response and decreases insulin response. These facts alone should be reason enough to avoid margarine, but let's continue...
Also in the ingredients you see artificial flavor so its tastes like butter. It does have buttermilk, which should improve the look, taste and consistancy, and they add Vitamin A so it has some nutrition like butter. They also add Beta Carotene(more vitamin A?) for color rather than Yellow 40. This is encouraging...
Now lets look at Butter
For the sake of comparison, a 1lb package of salted butter.
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (14g)
Servings Per Container: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 100
% Daily Value*
Total Fat..........11 g......17%
Saturated Fat.......7 g 37%
Trans Fat...........0 g
Cholesterol........30 mg 10%
Sodium.............95 mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate..0 g 0%
Dietary Fiber.......0 g 0%
Sugars..............0 g
Protein.............0 g
Vitamin A...........8 %
Calcium.............0 %
Vitamin C...........0 %
Iron................0 %
INGREDIENTS: Sweet Cream, Salt. CONTAINS: MILK
Okay, first, let me just say that I CAN READ ALL THE WORDS!
I would also like to point out that it says no trans fats, but natural butterfat contains 2-5% trans-fatty acids (mainly trans-vaccenic acid, a variant of the normal vaccenic acid). The government allows labels to say "0g of trans fats" if it amounts to less than 500mg PER SERVING. Since butter says "0", I would like to point out that the naturally occurring trans-fatty acids rumenic acid and trans-vaccenic acid (trans-vaccenic acid is used by the human body to make rumenic acid) show anti-carcinogenic properties, which is quite opposite to the artificially created trans-fatty acids.
Butter also contains both vitamin A and D, as well as other beneficial substances, including trace minerals. Conjugated linoleic acid in butterfat is a powerful protection against cancer. Certain fats called glycospingolipids aid digestion. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients. If you were to obtain butter from a grass-fed cow (I am certain this butter is not), all the benefits I just listed would increase dramatically. This is because cows are supposed to eat grass and when they are fed what they are supposed to eat, they produce a more nutritious cream and milk.
So to summarize, both have the same calories. Margarine has 2.5 grams of trans fats and butter has very little. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added. Butter does have 7 g of saturated fats, this particular margarine has 2 grams. Saturated fats from animal sources(not plants or chemical processes), form an important part of the cell membrane; they protect the immune system and enhance the utilization of essential fatty acids. They are needed for the proper development of the brain and nervous system. Certain types of saturated fats provide quick energy and protect against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal tract; other types provide energy to the heart. While you should not overdo in your consumption of butter, it is a healthy part of a balanced diet and far better for you than the chemically-laden-substitute better-known-as-margarine.
Margarine, while having been invented in the 1800's is normally a grayish-white and until recently was not legally allowed to be sold with the color yellow added. The color is what makes it look buttery and that's half the battle; making it look better than it actually tastes. And it really isn't food... if you set it out open on the counter, it won't mold, nothing will eat it, flies won't touch it and it will not go bad. It was, at one time, illegal to sell margarine in tubs larger than 1lb(maybe it still is). Why is that?
A note on trans fats:
Other food products, including margarines may say "0" and still have trans fats. That is because the government regulations allow them to say "0g" trans-fat, which effectively means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving; however, no fat is entirely free of trans fats. Even natural butterfat contains 2-5% naturally occurring trans-fatty acids. When this legislation was passed, some companies just reduced the serving size to make it seem like they had no trans fats. For instance, instead of 4 cookies being a serving, now its 3. Nice, huh?
Long story short and back to the game, butter is tasty, healthy, and when it comes from a cow that eats grass instead of candy bar wrappers, as God intended. Margarine is unnatural, not so tasty and one molecule short of plastic. Would you melt your empty milk jug and spread that on your toast? Just sayin'
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sugar's effect on your health
The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week, which is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into almost every convenience food on the market. Many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, cereal bars, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, lunch meats, spaghetti sauce, and most microwave meals have some sugar. Then there are the obvious foods like bottled drinks(including juices), cookies, candies, yogurts, ice cream and all the desert products you see on the shelves.
In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year! Prior to the turn of this century (1887-1890), the average consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year and Cardiovascular disease and cancer was virtually unknown. Today they are the top two causes of death in the United States.
How Sugar plays a role in health
The "glycemic index" is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a numbered rating. There are many diets on the market today touting the importance of eating low-glycemic foods. The lower the glycemic rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, increase of sugars into the bloodstream. On the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body. Insulin also promotes fat storage (rapid weight gain) and elevated triglyceride levels.
Sugar depresses the immune system
In the 1970's researcher Linus Pauling found that vitamin C was needed by white blood cells so that they could ingest viruses and bacteria(phagocytize). While studying the phagocytic index(a chart rating the speed of this process), he realized the high doses of vitamin c were directly related to how rapidly certain good cells could destroy virus, bacteria or cancer cells. He went so far as to say that high doses of up to 10 grams of vitamin C each day aided in anti-cancer activity within the body. Linus Pauling wrote the book, "How to Live Longer and Feel Better" and "Vitamin C and the Common Cold" and was at one time ridiculed for his theories, but today, Vitamin C is used by doctors treating cancer patients who are fighting the deadly disease.
White blood cells require a 50 times higher concentration inside the cell as outside so they have to accumulate vitamin C and since our bodies do not manufacture vitamin c so we must ingest it. We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so when the sugar levels go up, they compete for entry into the cells. The thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the rate the good cells “phagocytize” by 75%. This affect lasts for several hours. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.
Now we are getting a little bit closer to the roots of disease. It doesn't matter what disease we are talking about, whether it’s a common cold or cardiovascular disease, or cancer or osteoporosis, the root is always going to be at the cellular and molecular level, and more often than not insulin is going to be involved.
The health dangers frequent use of sugar causes are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, aggravate nervous disorders, cause diabetes and hypertension, speed up heart disease and hypertension, and aggravate arthritis. Because refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins(unlike raw sugars), our bodies must draw upon its own micro-nutrient stores for it to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, the body’s ability to process cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides and cholesterol, and obesity due to higher fatty acid storage. In addition, since it is so lacking in minerals, vitamins, fiber, it has a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system. As a result, the American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Associations agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.
Sugar and cancer
Of the over 4 million cancer patients being treated in the U.S. today, almost none are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy other than being told to "just eat good foods." I doubt many are told that sugar feeds their cancer. Not long ago a dear friend discovered he had cancer. They wanted to do a PET scan to see how extensive it was and fed him a sugary glucose liquid to excite the cancerous cells so they could clearly see them during the scan. Cancer's preferred fuel is GLUCOSE; it makes them very happy. The saying "Sugar feeds cancer" is simple; the explanation is a little more involved.
Otto Warburg, a German doctor, received the 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine for discovering that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The gist of his Nobel thesis was this: malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in "anaerobic glycolysis" when provided with glucose. A process where glucose is used by cancer cells as a fuel for growth. The byproduct of this “fuel-making” is lactic acid. This conversion by fermentation of glucose to lactate creates a lower, more acidic PH environment in your tissues as well as an overall physical fatigue from lactic acid build-up. The abundance of lactic acid produced by the cancer cells is then transported to the liver. Virtually all degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay are associated with excess acidity in the body. Cancer cannot exist in an alkaline environment.
By reducing or eliminating sugar and balancing your glucose levels you not only slow the growth of cancerous tissue and other acid-loving diseases, but you also make it possible for your immune system to catch up to the disease by giving it a fighting chance.
In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year! Prior to the turn of this century (1887-1890), the average consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year and Cardiovascular disease and cancer was virtually unknown. Today they are the top two causes of death in the United States.
How Sugar plays a role in health
The "glycemic index" is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a numbered rating. There are many diets on the market today touting the importance of eating low-glycemic foods. The lower the glycemic rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, increase of sugars into the bloodstream. On the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body. Insulin also promotes fat storage (rapid weight gain) and elevated triglyceride levels.
Sugar depresses the immune system
In the 1970's researcher Linus Pauling found that vitamin C was needed by white blood cells so that they could ingest viruses and bacteria(phagocytize). While studying the phagocytic index(a chart rating the speed of this process), he realized the high doses of vitamin c were directly related to how rapidly certain good cells could destroy virus, bacteria or cancer cells. He went so far as to say that high doses of up to 10 grams of vitamin C each day aided in anti-cancer activity within the body. Linus Pauling wrote the book, "How to Live Longer and Feel Better" and "Vitamin C and the Common Cold" and was at one time ridiculed for his theories, but today, Vitamin C is used by doctors treating cancer patients who are fighting the deadly disease.
White blood cells require a 50 times higher concentration inside the cell as outside so they have to accumulate vitamin C and since our bodies do not manufacture vitamin c so we must ingest it. We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so when the sugar levels go up, they compete for entry into the cells. The thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the rate the good cells “phagocytize” by 75%. This affect lasts for several hours. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.
Now we are getting a little bit closer to the roots of disease. It doesn't matter what disease we are talking about, whether it’s a common cold or cardiovascular disease, or cancer or osteoporosis, the root is always going to be at the cellular and molecular level, and more often than not insulin is going to be involved.
The health dangers frequent use of sugar causes are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, aggravate nervous disorders, cause diabetes and hypertension, speed up heart disease and hypertension, and aggravate arthritis. Because refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins(unlike raw sugars), our bodies must draw upon its own micro-nutrient stores for it to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, the body’s ability to process cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides and cholesterol, and obesity due to higher fatty acid storage. In addition, since it is so lacking in minerals, vitamins, fiber, it has a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system. As a result, the American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Associations agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.
Sugar and cancer
Of the over 4 million cancer patients being treated in the U.S. today, almost none are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy other than being told to "just eat good foods." I doubt many are told that sugar feeds their cancer. Not long ago a dear friend discovered he had cancer. They wanted to do a PET scan to see how extensive it was and fed him a sugary glucose liquid to excite the cancerous cells so they could clearly see them during the scan. Cancer's preferred fuel is GLUCOSE; it makes them very happy. The saying "Sugar feeds cancer" is simple; the explanation is a little more involved.
Otto Warburg, a German doctor, received the 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine for discovering that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The gist of his Nobel thesis was this: malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in "anaerobic glycolysis" when provided with glucose. A process where glucose is used by cancer cells as a fuel for growth. The byproduct of this “fuel-making” is lactic acid. This conversion by fermentation of glucose to lactate creates a lower, more acidic PH environment in your tissues as well as an overall physical fatigue from lactic acid build-up. The abundance of lactic acid produced by the cancer cells is then transported to the liver. Virtually all degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay are associated with excess acidity in the body. Cancer cannot exist in an alkaline environment.
By reducing or eliminating sugar and balancing your glucose levels you not only slow the growth of cancerous tissue and other acid-loving diseases, but you also make it possible for your immune system to catch up to the disease by giving it a fighting chance.
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