Yesterday, I recommended starting the day out with a well-balanced meal to keep you full, fueled and feeling good in your healthy home haven. By avoiding refined carbohydrates and sugary foods, you prevent the sugar coaster that leads to cravings for and over indulgence in unhealthful foods. You also dodge the substance that can actually weaken your immune system: sugar.
Eating or drinking too much sugar suppresses the immune system cells that attack invaders. When you eat a candy bar or down a bottle of soda, your white blood cells literally become paralyzed and unable to do their job of gobbling up any invading bacteria. This suppression in activity of the white blood cells can last up to 5 hours after consuming a sugary sweet treat. The research shows that consuming 75-100 grams of sugar a day has a negative impact on the immune system. That is equivalent to 2 cans of soda. I know that seems like a lot of sugar and many of you rarely drink soda, but there are hidden sugars everywhere, and they do add up.
Let’s use our breakfast example from yesterday. Grams of sugar in the following foods:
1 cup of Cheerios = 12 grams
½ cup of skim milk = 6 grams
8 oz glass of orange juice = 22 grams
And if you top it off with a cup of coffee sweetened with 2 tsp of sugar, you have just added another 8 grams.
So in this seemingly innocent meal you have already consumed 48 grams of sugar!
2 hours later, when you are hungry again, you reach for a granola bar and add another 15 grams of sugar to the count. Or maybe you think you are making a healthier choice by grabbing a low-fat yogurt containing as many as 30 grams of sugar.
You can see how the grams of sugar begin to add up!
We are all striving to stay healthy right now and doing all we can to maintain a strong immune system. Curbing that sweet tooth should be part of the overall plan.
I know that reducing your sugar intake can be tough. Sugar is a very addictive substance and it is hidden everywhere. So I put together a couple Sugar Hacks to help you kick the sugar habit.
Sugar Hacks to Kick the Sugar Habit
Looking for a good book to read, any recommendations?
Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.
Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!
