The past two weeks, my boys, including Andy and myself, have had a cold. I think the boys have had mild sinus infections because of the tell-tale "green stuff" that has been exhausting my supply of Kleenex. Abric was throwing up on Friday. He is doing better now, but he has the green goo coming out of his nose and right eye.I have several friends who have also been dealing with illness of varying degrees. It seems like the cold-flu season has exploded upon us and I wondered why everyone would be getting sick at the same time. I remembered something my friend Emmeline told me a couple years ago-- Sugar paralyzes your immune system. I remember thinking, "Wow, that is interesting". But I hadn't given it much more thought until this year.
I did some searches on the internet and found some interesting articles about sugar. Click HERE and HERE, if you are interested in reading the entire articles, otherwise, I am just going to paraphrase.
First of all, I must confess that I am completely addicted to sugar myself, so this is definitely something that I need to work on. There have been many afternoons when I have rummaged through the cupboards or even whipped up a batch of cookies in order to succor my "sugar fix".
...refined sugar is devoid of nutrients and acts more like a drug than a food. It quickly passes through the stomach wall causing blood sugar levels to rise, then plummet. First, the blood sugar level skyrockets and causes the pancreas to secrete insulin to compensate for the excess blood sugar. Afterward, the blood sugar level drops below normal. This state has been coined the sugar blues. The downside of the sugar blues is a state of depression, lethargy and irritability. The craving for sugared foods can be like a drug addict craving a fix. (that's me!!!)
In digestion, protein and sugar combinations putrefy and cause toxic substances called ptomaines and leucomaines. Over-consumption of sugar paralyzes our white blood cell's phagocytic ability, increasing the risk of viral infections. There are 60 to 400 trillion phagocytic white blood cells active in the body. White sugar causes these defenders to become sluggish in their work, thereby lowering resistance to disease. In other words, processed sugar messes up your immune system. After ingesting white sugar, the power of your immune system drops 50% for 24 to 48 hours.
It's one of the worst things you could put into your body. Except artificial sweeteners. One of them, Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).....A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/Migraines, Dizziness, Seizures, Nausea, Numbness, Muscle spasms, Weight gain, Rashes, Depression, Fatigue, Irritability, Tachycardia, Insomnia, Vision Problems, Hearing Loss, Heart palpitations, Breathing difficulties, Anxiety attacks, Slurred Speech, Loss of taste, Tinnitus, Vertigo, Memory loss, Joint Pain.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by James and Phyllis Balch lists aspartame under the category of "Chemical Poison." As you can see, that is exactly what it is.
GULP! I have a lot of work to do...
But out of curiosity, has anyone else's kids gotten sick after Halloween?
Is Halloween the holiday that ushers in the cold and flu season because of sugar intake?
Things that make you go hhmmmm.......
