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.

Sensational Cinnamon

Would you eat something that protected your brain, balance your blood sugar, fought off cancer cells, decreased blood pressure, prevented wrinkles and was full of powerful antioxidants? I hope your answer is YES!

Cinnamon is amazing. I was blessed to speak with Dr. Richard Anderson from the USDA in Beltsville, MD. He has been researching cinnamon for years.  It was inspiring to hear his passion as he shared the most recent discoveries with cinnamon and Alzheimer's. When Alzheimer filaments were removed from a deceased  person with dementia, cinnamon extract broke down those filaments. This showed the possibility of reversing Alzheimer's damage. More research needs to be done to see the full potential. We do know that insulin resistance leads to memory impairment and cinnamon definitely helps with improving insulin sensitivity. Research link.

In order for cancer to spread it must create a blood supply.  Cinnamon was found to hinder new blood vessel formation to the cancer cells.  The high levels of antioxidants appear to protect the body from cancer growth.Research link.

As we age and as we eat refined sugar foods and high fructose corn syrup we see the results in our skin. Wrinkles and sagging all increase due to the reaction of the sugar with proteins in our body, especially collagen. This reaction is called glycation and usually begins to show up on our faces around age 30 or 35. Cinnamon helps improve insulin function which helps balance blood sugar levels, thus decreasing the amount of glycation.  Cut back on your sugary treats and increase your cinnamon to protect your skin.

Diabetics and those with heart disease appear to get the most benefit from cinnamon.  Not only does it help increase insulin sensitivity, balance blood sugar levels, reduce weight gain and triglyceride levels, but it also helps lower blood pressure and inflammation.Research article link.

How much cinnamon do we need to see big changes?  Just 1/2 to 1 1/2 tsp a day has been shown to reduce serum glucose, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in studies of people with type 2 Diabetes.Link to this study. Get that cinnamon off the spice rack and keep it by the stove so you can add it to oatmeal, Indian dishes, fresh fruit, smoothies and teas. If you plan to take cinnamon daily for a long time, look into standardized cinnamon extract. Learn to love your cinnamon.