The Truth About Sugar: It’s Not as Sweet as You Think

If you’ve read my articles before, you know that I’m not a fan of sugar. I’ve talked at length about it’s role in cancer, heart disease, infectious illness, diabetes and many other serious illnesses. While I’m appalled at how much sugar is in the foods that line the grocer’s shelves, tempting unsuspecting consumers with their beautiful trappings, what bothers me the most is the fact that sugar is added to dishes in vegetarian and natural foods restaurants, it sneaks into everything from cucumber salad to bread in many health food stores, and it appears in recipes in so-called health books.

What gives? Aren’t the dangers of sugar well known already? Why do people continue to eat the white powder that’s almost as addicting as cocaine and costs us billions of dollars in doctor and hospital bills?

I listened to a very informative recording called “The Truth about Sugar” by Dr. Tel Oren (http://www.thetruthaboutyourfood.com/ ). This is one in a series of talks.

I’ll be listening and writing as the week goes on. One very important point he made about sugar is that I don’t think is common knowledge is that when you eat aspartame, or other non caloric sweeteners, it triggers an insulin response which can cause food cravings and a hypoglycemic rebound.

He also had some interesting comments about agave as an alternative sweetener…and it wasn’t favorable. I adjusted the 3 recipes in my Thanksgiving Feast e-book to make agave optional and use dates as an alternative. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Love and Health,

Dr. Ritamarie

www.FreshnFunLiving.com/Thanksgiving

Sugar, Freedom of Choice and Whole Foods

A recent comment to my blog post “Whole Foods is Promoting Junk Halloween Treats” http://drritamarie.com/blog/2008/10/31/whole-foods-is-promoting-junkhalloween-treats/#comment-27 prompted me to clarify my stand on the Whole Foods  and sugar issue.  I shop at WF all the time, and they do carry lots of quality foods, especially at the raw bar downtown.  It’s the most convenient place to get organic produce,  and while I’d prefer to go to the Farmer’s market for all my food, it is not an option.  However, to clarify, the sugar they use is not necessarily organic, and certainly no better than any other sugar.  The sugar in the cookies today was not organic.  Neither was the flour.  It was unbleached, but still refined, meaning NO NUTRITION.

What I object to is that they sell these products to unsuspecting consumers who believe that they are healthy BECAUSE they are at Whole Foods.  They may be new to the health front, and have no experience reading labels.  They TRUST Whole Foods to bring them only health supporting foods.

I’ve known for years that these products were there.  The bakery at whole foods is almost all refined flour products.  I think there may be one bread that is 100% whole grain.  I’m not sure what prompted me to speak up today, but a voice inside said “enough already.”

Someone commented that if Whole Foods took a stand and stopped carrying products with sugar in them that they’d lose customers.  While I find this hard to believe, it could very well be true.  I’m not asking that they stop carrying them.  If they want to satisfy a small segment of the population that expects to be able to buy sugar and refined flour at whole foods, it’s fine for them to carry these products, as long as they are labeled as such.  Perhaps a “transitional foods” aisle, with a disclaimer “These foods contain ingredients that have been shown to have health risks associated with them.   Please read the labels and make an informed choice”

I’m tired of watching people be deceived at the expense of their health.  The Halloween products were not just sitting on a shelf, they were being actively promoted to people who may not have even noticed them had the display not been there.

Maybe I’m naive, but I believe that if enough of us take a stand and let our voices be heard, we can facilitate change.  Thanks for listening to my rants.

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Love and health,

Dr. Ritamarie

Learn to make healthier Halloween choices:  http://www.FreshnFunLiving.com/Halloween

Transform your health with the magic of green foods.  Get my FREE ebook at http://www.GreenFoodMagic.com

Whole Foods is Promoting Junk Halloween Treats

Whole Foods Halloween Madness

I just got back from Whole Foods and I’m fired up.  There was a lady at a display right at the front of the store with plates of pretty Halloween cookies on display.  She was offering samples.  As I walked past, she offered me one.  Normally I just say no thanks and walk on, but I was compelled to stop and read the ingredients.  After all, I’ve spent the better part of this week writing and talking to people to educate them about the dangers of the Halloween treats that are being pushed on us this week.

White flour, sugar, butter, eggs and other colors and flavorings were being pushed by a health food store called Whole Foods.  Whole foods …let’s see.  Last time I read the definition of whole foods there was something about nutrients intact, as nature created the food.  These treats are total junk.  Yet, the unsuspecting consumer, shopping at whole foods and paying the higher prices, is expecting to get value and health PROMOTING food.  Most of them don’t read the labels.  They just assume that the product is healthy because Whole Foods is selling it.  WRONG!

I explained to the pleasant looking woman offering the samples that I was disappointed that Whole Foods would be promoting such food.  I read the ingredients to her and explained that this was not good for people and that Whole Foods should not promote foods that contribute to the demise of the immune systems of all who consume it.  She just stood there and nodded her head and smiled at me.  It was infuriating.  She didn’t even engage me in the least.  No…”Wow, I didn’t realize”, or even “Well, at least there’s no hydrogenated oil in them”.  She just stood there patronizingly smiling and nodding her head.  She didn’t want to hear a word I said.

I checked out and paid for my groceries, and a little voice in my head told me to go to customer service and let my opinion be known.  The pleasant customer service representative paged a manager to speak with me.

The manager was a youngish, long haired, very nice looking gentleman, and I thought that I’d have a sympathetic ear.  He listened and told me that all the ingredients met the store’s standards.  We got into a discussion about those standards, and I explained my concern for the health of our kids.  I explained to him that a Nobel Prize was awarded to Otto Warburg linking sugar to cancer. http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/nutrition/sugar.htm .  I talked to him about the immune system, and how sugar and white flour contribute to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, colds, ear infections, ADD and autism.  I explained to him that I could probably talk about the dangers of eating those cookies for 3 hours and not be complete.

He explained that there was nothing he could do, and besides, there are no clear cut nutrition guidelines that all agree on.  He explained that they want to give people choices.  I managed to get him to give me the name of someone higher up in the organization to speak with about my concern.

Let’s do a grass roots effort and let Whole Foods know how we feel.  Call Margaret Wittenberg at 512 477-5566 and tell her how you feel about white flour sugary cookies being sold as healthy Halloween alternatives.  You can also mention the gummy drops they sell, in which the first ingredient is corn syrup.   Stop by your local store and ask them why they are selling immune system enemies masquerading as pretty, healthy Halloween treats.

Inform yourself.  Come up with alternatives for yourself and your families.  In my book, Healthy Halloween Treats I have lots of recipes that are quick and easy to make and taste great.  I also have a list of sources of packaged treats that support health rather than destroy it.

Make your voices known.  I don’t know about you, but to me the incidence of childhood cancer, immune system diseases and brain dysfunction amongst kids these days is alarming.  It’s all preventable.  Let’s do something today.  Offer your kids and yourself healthy Halloween treats and learn Halloween recipes that support vibrant health.

Please let me know your thoughts.  Let’s get a discussion going around this issue.

Love and Health,

Dr. Ritamarie

www.FreshnFunLiving.com/Halloween

Halloween Treats: 3 Simple Strategies For Avoiding The Tricky Health Attack From Halloween Treats

It’s only 2 days away.  The media is hyping it.  The stores have several aisles devoted to displaying the colorfully disguised immune system bullets masquerading as Halloween treats.

Do you have any idea what happens to your immune system when you eat candy?

Sugar suppresses the immune system.  A suppressed immune system is ineffective at killing bacteria and viruses that can potentially harm you.  A suppressed immune system can’t stop the growth of cancer cells.  The equivalent of one 12-ounce can of soda can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent and the effect lasts for five hours.

Here’s what’s about to happen in just a couple of days.  Kids across America will don scary costumes and walk the neighborhood begging for candy.  It doesn’t sound so cute when stated that way, does it?  They walk door to door and threaten a trick if the nice person inside doesn’t give them candy.  Have you ever wondered where this odd custom derives from?

By the time they make it home, most kids have eaten more candy than in the 12 ounce coke I mentioned above.  Then they come home, go through their loot and eat some more, along with some hot chocolate or soft drinks.

No wonder why Halloween heralds in the “cold and flu” season.  Illness rises, doctor visits soar and focus plummets during the weeks after Halloween.

There are some awesome visuals that go into more detail about the immune system at www.leavesoflife.org/media/ImmuneSystem.ppt

Here are 3 simple strategies for avoiding the health destroying effects of Halloween treats

1) Don’t give out candy.  Instead, go to the dollar store or the party supply store and buy small toys, cute pencils or scary erasers.  One of my patients said she loves to give away books.

2) Create new fun rituals that don’t revolve around candy.  Learn about the meaning behind Halloween, and take time to honor and celebrate your departed ancestors.  Play games, tell scary stories and take some of the focus off the candy.  Have your kids trade in their candy for prizes.

3) Learn to make or find sources of ready made healthy, whole food treats. There are many such recipes in my new book  “Healthy Halloween Treats: Quick, Healthy and Delicious Recipes and Rituals to Delight Kids of All Ages” .  There is also a list of online sources of a variety of nourishing and delicious treats.

Why not have fun this Halloween, without destroying your immune system?  How much is it worth to you to protect your health and the health of your loved ones?  Is the pleasure of a few seconds on the tongue worth having your immune system paralyzed for hours and days afterward?

Happy Halloween.