Re: Piece of cake? Think again!

[Guest guest]

Awesome article! Dr Mercola Hates Sugar! It is the 1st thing he recommends to remove from your diet. Great article Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: *~Patty~*

Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 5:37 PM

Subject: Piece of cake? Think again!

Is Sugar Damaging Your Immune System?© 2003 Jonni Good

From the April 6, 2003 How to Think Thin Newsletter

As if the war wasn't enough, many people now are also worried about the new viral epidemic coming out of China, called SARS. Hopefully, few of us will ever come near this nasty new bug - our world's governments are doing an admirable job in isolating this dangerous virus. However it's appearance did make me sit up and take notice when I read this statement on the Immune Central website:

"Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of one 12-ounce can of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of complex carbohydrates, or starches, has no effect on the immune system."

It makes you look at that can of Coke® in a whole new light, doesn't it?

Our immune system is our first defense against any disease, and we can't afford to disable any of it's functions. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm in no way suggesting that you will be able to fight off every new disease that comes your way if you simply give up sugar. However, it just makes sense to take good care of your immune system, just in case a cold or flu germ, or worse, shares an elevator with you.

Eating sugar is the exact opposite of taking care of yourself - it actually weakens your ability to protect yourself from contagious disease and infections.

We do know that the people who haven't recovered from the new SARS virus almost always have a weakened immune system to start with. Diabetes is one of the chronic illnesses that has been associated with the victims of this illness, and some victims in China have been infected with the Chlamydia bacteria.

Recovering from any virus, bacteria, infection - or even injury - is more likely when the immune system is strong.

There are two known dietary factors that reduce the immune system, and American diets are full of both of them. Sugar, as we have seen, is one of the primary dietary causes of a lowered immune response. The other factor is fat in the diet.

Many experts believe that the fried potatoes you ate this morning will raise the fat level in your bloodstream, causing your blood to lose it's viscosity. This means your blood can't flow as fast as it should, and your white blood cells and other members of your immune response team can't get to the location of infection as quickly.

When we think of problems that arise from being overweight we tend to think of diabetes, heart disease, and some kinds of cancer. All these illnesses develop slowly, and the risk can be held in the back of our minds, where we don't have to think of them very often. However, it has been proven that people who are overweight miss more work, and spend more time and money at the doctor's office and pharmacy.

Fit people are less apt to catch the latest bug that is going around the office. When they do catch it, they don't get as sick, and they recover faster. Being "fit" affects every cell in our bodies, including the cells that protect us from disease.

So there you have it: One more excellent reason to get yourself on a healthy diet, and to stay committed to following it - every single day.

Suggested reading: http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/oehp/obesity/economic.htm http://www.immunecentral.com/templates/info_template.cfm/1696/70/1

After the newsletter went out, an alert reader suggested that the quoted amount of sugar in a can of Coke® may not be correct. The following correction appeared in the next week's How to Think Thin Newsletter.

Now, about that goof...

Last week I quoted the Immune Central website, which said, in part, "100 grams (8 Tbsp.) of sugar, (is) the equivalent of one 12-ounce can of soda."

I know this looks like a story problem, but bear with me...

An alert reader wrote to me and said this seemed like an awful lot of sugar for one can of Pepsi. I hadn't checked the figures myself before publishing the newsletter, so I went rummaging through the recycle bin in our office lunchroom, and read the labels. Sure enough, the figures quoted in the Immune Central article were incorrect.

It turns out there are 67.5 grams of sugar in a 20 oz bottle of Pepsi (2.5 servings, per the label), 42 grams of sugar in a 12 oz. can of Cherry and Vanilla Coke. This is equivalent to 70 grams in 20 oz. bottle. There's 39 grams in a 12 oz. Coke Classic, 65 in a 20 oz bottle. Mountain Dew won the sugar war with 75 grams in a 20 oz. bottle.

So how many tablespoons does this turn out to be? Each tablespoon has 12.6 grams of sugar, so that means a Coke Classic 12 oz can has 3.1 tablespoons of sugar, and the 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew has just a smidgen under 6 tablespoons. A 20 oz bottle of Pepsi has 250 calories. (2.5 "servings" X 100).

Here's another way to look at it: There are 200 grams of sugar in a cup. That means the 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew has .375 cups of sugar, a rounded 1/3 cup. Yum. But - it's still less than the 8 tablespoons per 12 oz. can that I quoted last week.

Speaking of soft drinks and calories (and quotes from other people's websites), diet-book author Rob Brinkman states that "if a person who drinks 3 cans of soda per day stops drinking soda all together, that person will lose about 15 pounds within a year, just for not drinking soda." No, I haven't done the calculations on that one either. (Rob has written one of the most successful e-book about weight loss on the Internet. To read more about his theories, click here. )

stress-free-weight-loss.com© 2003 Jonni GoodWet Cat eBooks4820 SW Greensboro Ave #46Beaverton, OR 97007jonni@...

[Guest guest]

I just made a committment today to forego any sugar before I leave for my mission trip 2 weeks from today...hoping to have a stronger immune system when I leave.

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: JOSEPH PALANCA

Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 10:40 AM

Subject: Re: Piece of cake? Think again!

Awesome article! Dr Mercola Hates Sugar! It is the 1st thing he recommends to remove from your diet. Great article Patty

[Guest guest]

I am sure you will, I noticed a huge improvement in my symptoms after eliminating them. But, I did go through a withdrawl period for like 2 weeks, with extreme cravings -and in which I felt low energy and headaches. (perhaps the candida?) After it subsided, I felt great, and no longer craved sugar, and still don't.

I had ice cream the other day, as I was at a birthday party, first time in a long, long time, and felt terrible! I don’t even want it anymore, not even in small amounts. Too sweet, and different tasting now. Who would have ever thought?

Good Luck Patty. I am sure you will do great at eliminating it, you are so strong willed and determined.

----- Original Message -----

From: *~Patty~*

Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 12:45 PM

Subject: Re: Piece of cake? Think again!

I just made a committment today to forego any sugar before I leave for my mission trip 2 weeks from today...hoping to have a stronger immune system when I leave.

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: JOSEPH PALANCA

Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 10:40 AM

Subject: Re: Piece of cake? Think again!

Awesome article! Dr Mercola Hates Sugar! It is the 1st thing he recommends to remove from your diet. Great article Patty

[Guest guest]

,

I'm like you--I can hardly eat ice cream anymore.

I feel great...I am sure eliminating the sugar was a major part of it, and I think the BioPure protein, aloe vera juice, and garlic have helped tons, as well as adding the cytomel. I know I still have issues, because my blood work is off, but it sure feels good to feel great!

Please let us know how things go on your tests, okay?

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: JOSEPH PALANCA

Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 9:31 PM

Subject: Re: Piece of cake? Think again!

I am sure you will, I noticed a huge improvement in my symptoms after eliminating them. But, I did go through a withdrawl period for like 2 weeks, with extreme cravings -and in which I felt low energy and headaches. (perhaps the candida?) After it subsided, I felt great, and no longer craved sugar, and still don't.

I had ice cream the other day, as I was at a birthday party, first time in a long, long time, and felt terrible! I don’t even want it anymore, not even in small amounts. Too sweet, and different tasting now. Who would have ever thought?

Good Luck Patty. I am sure you will do great at eliminating it, you are so strong willed and determined.