Sugar, a Shift, & Merry Christmas

SUGAR
My husband showed me an article from the Baltimore Sun newspaper today that brought a big smile to my face.  A full page dedicated to why added SUGAR is bad for us. Those of us in the natural health field have been saying that for decades now, so it's about time research and the national media caught up.

Here are a few of my favorite highlights.

• Most people believe sugar just makes you fat, they don't realize it is making us sick.
• Review of over 8,000 scientific papers showed a strong link between sugar consumption and chronic diseases.
• There are some 61 different names for sugar used on product labels!  And we wonder why it is confusing!! The FDA should revise labels to make it easy to know what you are getting.
• Liquid sugar in sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and juices is the leading source of added sugar in the American diet. HINT.... possible New Year's Resolutions !!
• Shocking comparison - "During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 1,500 American soldiers lost a limb in combat.  In the same period, 1.5 million people in the US lost limbs to amputations from Type 2 diabetes - a TOTALLY preventable disease!"
• The average American gets 19.5 teaspoons (78 grams) of sugar a day. We should, at MOST, be getting  6 tsp for women, 9 tsp for men and 3-6 tsp for kids.  Yet one 12 oz soda has 8-9 tsps of sugar! 

Natural sugars in fruit that include the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are healthy for us and we won't get fat or sick from those. It is the man-made sugar that is like poison to our bodies, lowering our immunity and sabotaging our health.  This time of year we all tend to splurge, so balance it out by getting plenty of green vegetables and salad and just drinking water or tea instead of sodas or alcohol.

SHIFT

I have been blessed to have this business for the past 10 years. I want to thank each of you for helping make this happen by your referrals and your business.  I love helping people revitalize their health and will continue to do so.  However, I have recently had the opportunity to also help college students revitalize their SPIRITUAL health. 

I have been accepted as affiliate staff with the international Christian campus ministry called CRU. When I went to college, I was involved with a similar group called Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship and they had a huge impact on who I am today.  Now I have the chance to give back and encourage, educate and inspire students in their faith.  For now, I am doing this part time and continuing my business as I am requested. 

I would love to tell you more about what I do and how you can be a part of reaching the students at Howard Community College. Please email me or call me at HLS@nancyparlette.com, or 443 253-9761.

Healthy Living Strategies wishes you a Merry Christmas and a healthy and most blessed New Year.

WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE, Counting them OR Categorizing them?

CALORIES!

A November 24th article in the New York Times shared how the F.D.A. is going to require restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus.  It states: "Health experts said the new requirements would help combat the Country's
obesity epidemic by showing Americans just how many calories lurk in their favorite foods." ( NY Times article)  

But WILL it make a difference? Is it just about cutting calories?  Certainly we need to be aware of how much we are eating, but will knowing the calorie count actually inspire you to make the healthiest choice? You can look at a menu to see which foods have the fewest calories, but those items may or may NOT be the healthiest options for you. 

Just for fun let's compare what 200 calories looks like for different foods.   


   

 
  

If you want more examples go here - What does 200 calories look like?

It is NOT just about calories.  Two people could each consume 2000 calories a day, but one could be of cola, chips, candy and donuts and the other could be fruit, vegetables, nuts and beans.  Which person do YOU think will be healthier?  Which one will actually lose weight? That's right, the person eating the most fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fish and (optionally) lean meats & poultry. 
 CONCLUSION - When you start to notice all the calorie listings at restaurants next year, make sure you ALSO look at the quality of those calories and choose the foods made in nature with the least amount of processing.  Make Nancy happy and "eat the rainbow" of fruits and vegetables every day!