I love food. I love to make it, eat it, shop for it. I'd rather go to the grocery store any day than go to the mall. I can turn a 30 minute grocery store run into a 2 hour shopping excursion EASILY. I could spend hundreds at the market, no problem. In fact, my mom gave me this really awesome coupon for Kroger where if you purchased over $100 in groceries you got an amazing amount of fuel points. I easily hit the $100 mark, as I purchased a few things I normally would not let myself, mainly somewhat overpriced things from the ogranic aisle. Becuase I love food so much, the holiday season poses a bit of a problem for my backside, especially becuase I love sweets. But now that I've found out that sweets are even worse for your health than I thought (i.e. I've learned today that they do more than just make you fat), I think I'll eat a little less this year.
I read a very interesting post yesterday about SUGAR on Just Making Noise . In essence her point was that sugar supresses the immune system! She didnt offer alot of facts, but just that point alone lead me to doing some research.
What I found out was that, basically, sugar (glucose) is molecularly similar to Vitamin C. Your phagocytes (the cells that battle the bad stuff like viruses and bacteria) need Vitamin C to work well. That is why we take Vitamin C to ward off colds. Well, it does not matter how much Vitamin C you take if a bunch of glucose is blocking the way for the Vitamin C. (If you remember, your cells have receptors, and the receptor for Vitamin C is similar to that of glucose. So the receptors on the phagocytes, which remember are a kind of cell, get blocked up by glucose and cannot get the vitamin C they need. And wa-laah - you've got a cold because your phagocytes cannot do their job.
I hate being sick, dont we all? I am an overactive, high anxiety kind of person and mentally I go bonkers if I cannot move around alot. If I am ill, it gets in the way of my minimum hour a day work out, I feel like crap, my brain will not work right. I do not consider myself a germ-a-phobe, but certainly in the winter I do take extra precautions against getting sick (like washing my hands more, staying away from sick people, eating well, getting enough rest). Becuase I love sweets, now that I have this in my knowledge bank, I'm going to use that as a very good reason to not eat too many of them!
As always, moderation is the key. Moderation is not something Americans are too familiar with these days. Just look at our health situation. We eat like gluttons and then wonder why we are obese. It is OK to eat a little sugar and have a couple cookies. But cookies every day several times a day will definately lead to the problems listed.
Some other interesting things overconsumption of sugar leads to, and more good reasons to not eat too much of it:
Even more good info, copied from
Healing Daily.
Because refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins, they must draw upon the body's micro-nutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, metabolization of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid storage around organs and in sub-cutaneous tissue folds.
Because sugar is devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and has such a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system, major researchers and major health organizations (American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association) agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.
Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
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 may lead to chromium deficiency.
Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
Sugar can promote tooth decay.
Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
Sugar causes food allergies.
Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
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.
Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
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