How much is too much?

[Guest guest]

I'm trying to do the right thing here but I'm not sure how far to take

it. I know that I should really watch the sugar my kids eat but I'm

wondering how much is too much. Say for example my kids have maple

syrup on their waffles for breakfast, a piece of fruit with lunch, a

couple of fruit leathers in the afternoon and honey sweetened ice

cream before bed - is that way too much sugar? Or is that pretty

good. I'm looking for a qualitative answer here.

Also, I would appreciate any ideas on what to do for Easter

baskets!!!! Carob will be a big disappointment (I know, I know, so

will a degenerative disease).

[Guest guest]

leslieiniowa wrote:

> Also, I would appreciate any ideas on what to do for Easter

> baskets!!!! Carob will be a big disappointment (I know, I know, so

> will a degenerative disease).

>

I don't know what is supposed to be in the Easter baskets, but because you

mentioned carob, I guess you were thinking of chocolate. I am sure chocolate

can be done in a healthful way. Start with unrefined cocoa powder, use some

unrefined sweetener (maybe stevia), add some good fats (maybe butter), etc.

I've read that unrefined cocoa is actually very good for you. Here's an

article about it.

Dietary Flavonols Reduce Platelet Aggregation, Increase GFR and Vasodilation

BOSTON (Reuters Health) Feb 19 - Examination of an isolated population for

protective genes that might explain their freedom from age-related

hypertension, led instead to the discovery that chronic consumption of

flavonol-rich cocoa increases glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and

vasodilation. This and other findings related to the beneficial effects of

flavonoids were reported at the 168th Annual Meeting of the American

Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), held in Boston last

weekend.

Dr. Norman K. Hollenberg, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, reported that

Kuna Amerinds, an indigenous group residing in isolated islands off the coast

of Central America, have a high salt intake but do not experience

increasingly high BP with age. However, when Kuna natives migrate to urban

areas, they develop hypertension that is unrelated to obesity.

It turns out that indigenous Kuna consume an average of 5 cups of relatively

unprocessed cocoa per day. The renal plasma flow and GFR, as well as urinary

nitrate-to-nitrite ratio, are higher in indigenous Kuna than in their

counterparts who move to urban areas, a pattern consistent with nitric oxide

synthase action.

Dr. Hollenberg's team tested cocoa levels in residents of Boston and found

that renal plasma flow and GFR increased following consumption of the

flavonol-rich cocoa.

Further supporting the vascular effect of a nitric oxide mechanism were the

findings reported by Dr. Carl L. Keen of the University of California at

. His team's research, presented for the first time here at the AAAS,

compared the effects of low-dose aspirin and a flavonol-rich cocoa drink. The

reduced platelet aggregation was similar in both test arms.

" We saw lower concentrations of lipid peroxides and malonaldehyde after

subjects drank the cocoa, " Dr. Keen told Reuters Health. " These findings

suggest that flavonol increases the body's oxidative defense, and does so

with a mechanism different from that of aspirin. "

The UC- investigators observed flavonol blood levels between 0.5 and 1.0

micromolar, a concentration shown previously to affect platelet activation.

In contrast to aspirin, where an irreversible enzymatic inhibition leads to a

protective effect lasting for a day, the effect of the cocoa beverage peaked

at about 4 hours and was no longer detectable by 6 to 8 hours after

consumption.

This shortened effectiveness may be why it is important to consume three to

five servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day to see a long-term

cardioprotective effect. The hope, Dr. Keen added, is that flavonoids or

their analogs will provide new ways to protect cardiovascular health without

the negative interactions associated with aspirin or other medications.

Dr. Harold H. Schmitz, of Mars, Inc., in Hackettstown, New Jersey, reports

that his organization is working in cooperation with the United States

Department of Agriculture to develop a comprehensive flavonoid food

composition database.

" What we've been finding is that while flavonols are ubiquitous in plants,

clearly some have a lot more than others, " Dr. Schmitz told Reuters Health.

" We're also learning that the way different plant foods are processed can

have a profound influence on the level of active agents. "

For example, he said, much of the chocolate consumed in Europe and the US

contains low levels of flavonol because of the fermentation, roasting, and

alkalinization that takes place during the manufacturing process. The reason

the Kuna cocoa is heart-protective is because it is not subjected to these

processing practices.

" Many drugs may be too targeted and powerful for some patients, so an

approach taking advantage of a decreased intensity and magnitude of

cardiovascular response is an appealing pharmaceutical route to pursue, " Dr.

Schmitz concluded.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Some will disagree on this but my opinion is that what you've

described is too much. Sugar is a treat food and in good form (ie. raw

honey, high quality maple syrup) is ok to eat however your post

indicates that the kids might be eating sugar three times a day and

that's no longer a treat at three times a day its a staple. Now

obvously quantity needs to be considered also. If your making Ice

cream with three cups of cream and a 1/4 cup of raw honey or maple

syrup then obviously there's not an abundance of honey in a small

serving of ice cream, not to mention the good fats in the cream will

have the honey absorbed much better. On the other hand if waffles are

being eaten which are going to be absorbed thru similar pathways as

sugar anyway and then you add 1/2 cup maple syrup to the plate even

with a liberal amount of butter this will be an assault on the system.

And again if that happens every so often and the kids are eating

great the rest of the time don't sweat it, but if that's daily or even

multiple times per week that's way too much. So frequency is

important as you have and also the amount each time is also a

consideration.

I hope this helps.

DMM

> I'm trying to do the right thing here but I'm not sure how far to take

> it. I know that I should really watch the sugar my kids eat but I'm

> wondering how much is too much. Say for example my kids have maple

> syrup on their waffles for breakfast, a piece of fruit with lunch, a

> couple of fruit leathers in the afternoon and honey sweetened ice

> cream before bed - is that way too much sugar? Or is that pretty

> good. I'm looking for a qualitative answer here.

>

> Also, I would appreciate any ideas on what to do for Easter

> baskets!!!! Carob will be a big disappointment (I know, I know, so

> will a degenerative disease).