Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Healthy Eating: One Food You MUST Eliminate in 2008

Healthy Eating: One Food You MUST Eliminate in 2008
Most people already know too much sugar in your diet is bad
for you. But please read on. The purpose of this article is
to help you understand why it is so important to reduce or
eliminate sugar, starting today. Even honey is a simple
sugar. Here is an interesting fact about honey: The honey
bear is the only animal found in nature with a problem with
tooth decay! Below I hope to present meaningful evidence
that will prompt you to make it your TOP health priority
for 2008. Here is a small word of caution: I am not a
medical practitioner or a health expert. The evidence I
have gathered and will present below has been culled from
various sources. My interest in this topic has been
stimulated by my success with drastically reducing sugar in
my own diet and feeling much better. Only later did I learn
about information on the long-term effects of sugar on the
human body and its contribution to diseases. That is when
this topic became so important for me, that I had to talk
to you about it. I hope you will agree with this. IF
eliminating something from your diet helps you feel better
AND prevents disease, it is a reasonable thing to do for
you and your family. Here are some of the highlights of my
research about sugar and its effect on your body: What
makes sugar so bad? The biggest problem with sugar is that
it gets absorbed very fast. Sugar rushes through the
stomach wall without being digested, stimulating excess
secretion of insulin by the pancreas and causing metabolic
imbalances.

In the last 20 years we have increased our sugar
consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 pounds of sugar
per year per person. Sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn
sugar) and high fructose corn-syrup are processed into our
foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut
butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce and microwave meals(1).

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 a constant and
safe level. Too much insulin also promotes the storage of
fat, so that when you eat sweets high in sugar you are
opening the gates for 1. rapid weight gain and 2. elevated
triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to
cardiovascular disease.

Sugar contains no nutrients. In fact, excessive sugar
intake can deplete your body of several vitamins and
minerals. Dr. Robert McCracken, a UCLA anthropologist,
faults refined sugar for some forms of diabetes, heart
disease, stroke, schizophrenia, alcoholism, and even
possibly some kinds of cancer(2). He noted that members of
certain primitive tribes who consume more saturated fats
than Americans, have normal blood cholesterol levels and
suffer from fewer diseases than Americans. His research
showed that the main difference is that they never touch
refined sugar. Sugar can cause or promote fungal
infections, tooth decay, skin rashes, mucus production, and
intestinal candidiasis. It encourages the growth of a
number of bacteria and fungi. Sugar provides a great growth
medium for these microorganisms(3). Here is how a high
intake of sugar adversely affects the immune system. Sugar
impairs the ability of white blood cells to sweep up and
kill bacteria. It also robs the body of key nutrients such
as zinc that is vital for the immune function(3). Sugar
affects everyone. But it can have serious consequences for
children. Many children who have a high intake of sugar
suffer from recurrent infections, asthma, and eczema(3).
Ironically, the insulin secreted to deal with refined sugar
causes your blood sugar level to fall. This upsets the
biochemical balance in the brain that is responsible for
the production of fully 25 percent of the adult body's
metabolic activity. The result: your brain begins to
malfunction(3). Speaking for myself, (although I have not
provided evidence of this here) I know that sugar can be
addicting. If you decide to avoid sugar today and in the
future, it is not necessarily going to be easy to break
this addiction. What to substitute for sugar is another
discussion. Based on the evidence above, I urge you to
consider avoiding sugar for you and your family. You will
feel better. You will keep your immune system more robust.
This is something you can do. This is action you must take
in 2008. References: 1. Mr. Marc Leduc, healingdaily.com 2.
Paul Bragg and Virginia Bragg, "Healthy Eating Without
Confusion," Santa Barbara, Calif.: Health Science, 1967, p.
12. 3. Holisticonline.com, "Diet Therapy For Immune System"


----------------------------------------------------
Randall Berry helps serious entrepreneurs accelerate their
wealth and health with a home-based business. An income
potential of $250k during the first year is attainable and
realistic using an internet-based marketing system that
sorts, calls and helps close your sales. Please visit his
website at http://YourLastBusinessEver.com?t=am2

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