reproductive issues

How Processed Sugar Destroys Your Body

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How Processed Sugar Destroys Your Body

How much processed sugar sneaks into your diet in a day? You may be surprised at how many grams of sugar you are consuming without even realizing it.

For example, a quick visit to Tim Hortons for breakfast, lunch or snack with a fairly routine order can tip the scales of sugar content at over 30 grams!! That is a lot of sugar for your body to process all at once, especially when the sugars are all processed, accompanied by equally processed foods around it.

A Tim Hortons Cinnamon Raisin bagel (11 grams) with plain cream cheese (2 grams), Double-Double Coffee (18 grams) = 31 grams of sugar

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre advises that women should consume no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, and men should consume no more than 37 grams of sugar per day.

So after one stop at Tim Horton’s you’ve maxed your entire daily recommended sugar intake in just one blow! Think about the rest of your day… how will that look? A sandwich for lunch? A granola bar for snack? Pasta for dinner? Your processed sugar intake is adding up to look mountainous.

So what is the problem with sugar?

Sugar is an anti-nutrient. It causes your body to leach nutrients in its attempt to clean up the damage that sugar leaves behind. It also directly feeds cancer cells, and causes serious inflammation.

Inflammation is the cause behind almost every single illness and condition, and sugar continues to fuel inflammation rather effectively once it has started. Because of its oxidative effect on the body, it can contribute to a whole host of conditions and issues that may be misdiagnosed as other illnesses or causes, but in actuality, the cause is actually the over consumption of processed sugar.

How can processed sugar affect your body?

According to Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., there are over 146 reasons that sugar is ruining your health. Here are the worst offenders, and if you’d like the full list and references, head over to http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can cause heart disease.
• Sugar can cause appendicitis.
• Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause cataracts.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
• Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
• Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can adversely affect school children’s grades and cause learning disorders..
• Sugar feeds cancer.
• Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
• Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
• Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
• Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
• High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.

These are very serious conditions and illnesses that are completely preventable! Reduce your processed sugar and processed foods intake by increasing your whole foods intake. Crowd out the bad foods with lots of delicious, colourful produce! Focus your diet on lots of leafy green vegetables, smoothies with berries and healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, legumes and if you choose to eat meat or eggs, be sure they are from organic / grass fed / free range / wild sources.

With Sources from:

https://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/pdf/TH_Nutrition_Guide_CE_2013_-_FINAL.pdf

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/may-2015/FOH-cancer-love-sugar.html

http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm

Do I Always Have to Buy Organic? Here’s What You NEED to Know!

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organic

I hear this question all the time when discussing the fact that organic produce is so much more expensive than traditionally grown options.  I also hear questions like:

“Why do we need to buy organic anyway?  Is it really that much better?”

Well, you don’t HAVE to buy organic.  However, there are certain items that you should. While others aren’t completely as necessary.  Before outlining them, I want you to consider some of the hidden dangers that lurk in our produce.

pesticides

Pesticides!  What Are They & Why Are They Used?

Pesticides are used for the eradication of pests.  They are extremely toxic substances that are sprayed all over produce to kill any bugs on the food in that in addition pests that may be trying to eat the produce.

What Are Herbicides & Fungicides?

Herbicides are for the eradication of weeds and other plants that interfere with the growth of the crop.  Fungicides are used to eliminate the growth of fungus or diseases that attack the crops.

What Is The Problem With These Chemicals?

Pesticides have been linked to many human health conditions, such as:

  • Nausea
  • Headaches
  • Cancer
  • Reproductive issues
  • Eendocrine disorders

There are also dangers like:

  • Nerve, skin & eye damage
  • Dizziness
  • Systemic poisoning

However, these conditions are more likely to occur in those individuals applying the chemicals.

Most concernedly for the general population are the compounding effects due to long-term exposure or ingestion.

pesticide warning

Potential Dangers Of Pesticides

Pesticides are responsible for causing my types of cancer, such as:

Click here to read, “The Important Role Fruit Stickers Play On Our Health!”

organic produce

Organic VS Non-Organic Produce, What To Buy!

So, how do you stretch your dollar while still protecting your health?  Listed are fruits and vegetables you should really buy organically and those you can get away without paying extra for organic.

The Dirty Dozen (in order of contamination as of 2019)

This list of The Dirty Dozen are the most heavily sprayed products and should be purchased organically if at all possible:

  • Strawberries
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Nectarines
  • Apples
  • Grapes
  • Peaches
  • Cherries
  • Pears
  • Tomatoes
  • Celery
  • Potatoes

The Clean 15 (in order of least contamination as of 2019)

This list of the Clean 15 can be purchased as conventionally grown produce, as the risk of toxic accumulation and contamination is significantly lower.

organic meat

Do I Need To Buy Meat Organically?

Meat should always be purchased organically whenever possible.  You should also try to source out meat that is free range (chicken), grass fed (beef), wild caught (fish) and everything grown antibiotic free.

This is because these animals, especially cattle and pigs, are so large, they have a much greater ability to accumulate higher degrees of toxins.  For example, they need to eat hundreds of pounds of feed to grow into adulthood.  If they are continually eating feed that has been coated in pesticides while it was growing, they are accumulating these toxins rather quickly.

Add to that the antibiotics and growth hormones in their feed, you are setting yourself up to ingest a toxic stew if you are purchasing meat that is not organic.  I always recommend that if you are going to eat meat, it should be organic!

Organic meat is very expensive at the grocery store, so buy right from the farmer!  Try to find a local farm that raises animals ethically and organically.  Click here to read, “What Meat Do You Eat?” for further information.

For Further reading on ways to live and eat clean, click here to read, “Clean Living – How To Detoxify Your Life!”

With Sources from:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/food/what-are-the-dirty-dozen-and-the-clean-fifteen/
http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides