Reducing sugar and highly processed foods, from your diet,
could change your life.- Jody Stanislaw
It’s time to expose sugar’s dirty little secrets. It’s a silent killer and its devastating effects are creating more deaths than automobile accidents.
Did you know that in animal studies they found that sugar is more addictive than cocaine?
One study done on rats showed that chronic sugar consumption creates as much damage to the brain as abuse done in childhood.
There is growing scientific consensus that one of the most common types of sugar, fructose, can be toxic to the liver, just like alcohol.
Data from animal and human studies implicate added sugars (eg, sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup) are responsible in the development of fatty liver disease and its consequences. Added fructose in particular, as a component of added sugars, may pose the greatest risk for fatty liver disease.
According to Dr. Mark Hyman, a 13 times #1 New York Times bestselling author, family physician and international leader in the field of Functional Medicine…
The most common disease in America is something you probably never heard of, but it affects 90 million Americans and is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart attacks, and even cancer.
It’s called fatty liver, and it’s caused by the 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour in our diet.
Fatty liver creates a whole cascade of issues, including:
• Inflammation
• Insulin resistance
• Pre-diabetes and diabetes
• Abnormal cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Cancer
Sugar is Not a Treat
In this eye-opening talk, Dr. Jody Stanislaw, a Naturopathic Doctor who has been studying the negative effects of sugar since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7, dives into how the widespread negative effects of sugar are effecting us all, and what you can do about it.
Let’s take a closer look at what sugar actually does to the body.
According to Dr. Ann Louise Gittlemann, a leading nutritional pioneer on detox, weight loss and wellness, and also a the NY Times Bestselling author, says that when you eat sugar your body has to use nutrients to digest it.
– For every molecule of sugar you eat, it takes 54 molecules of magnesium to break it down. This quickly leads to magnesium deficiency.
– Your body also burns through B vitamins during times of high sugar consumption.
– Sugar mobilizes calcium in the body, which then leads to kidney stones.
– And finally, new research is showing that carbs, which convert to sugar in the body, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
And if all that isn’t bad enough… Studies have shown that spikes in sugar intake can suppress your immune system. When your immune system is compromised, you are more likely to get sick and take longer to recover. If you eat a lot of foods and beverages high in sugar, or refined carbohydrates (which the body processes as sugar), you may be reducing your body’s ability to ward off disease.
I could go on and on about it but I think you get the point! So, what can we “do” about it?
Improve Your Health and Immune System
The following simple steps can go a long way to helping your improve your health and immune system.
Start Reducing Your Consumption of the Following
Research has proven that they compromise your immune response, making infections more likely:
-Soda
-Processed foods
-Foods and drinks high in sugar
-Foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup (the number one cause of fatty liver disease )
-Refined carbohydrates
-Alcoholic beverages
Support Glutathione Production
Long-term high blood sugar is associated with reduced amounts of glutathione. This can lead to oxidative stress and tissue damage.
GLUTATHIONE (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own”) is the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. I called it the mother of all antioxidants.
The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that toxins from poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.
This leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and cancer. And your liver gets overloaded and damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification.
How does it work? The secret of glutathione is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals. Normally glutathione is recycled in the body — except when the toxic load becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble.- Dr. Mark Hyman
“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”- Ann Wigmore
Include Sulfur-Rich Foods
Include foods like garlic, onions and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.) They are sulfur rich and help boost glutathione levels. Cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens such as broccoli and kale boost the amount of “glucosinolates” in the body, a compound that can aid the enzyme production in the liver. Just make sure your kale is organic as it’s at the top of the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) Dirty Dozen List.
You can also choose to supplement with Young Living’s Sulfurzyme® Capsules or Sulfurzyme® Powder. Sulfurzyme POWDER is different than Sulfurzyme capsules because it contains a PRE-biotic, which helps with gut health. Sulfurzyme® combines wolfberry with MSM, a naturally occurring organic form of dietary sulfur needed by our bodies every day to maintain the structure of proteins, protect cells and cell membranes, replenish the connections between cells, and preserve the molecular framework of connective tissue.* MSM also supports the immune system, the liver, circulation, and proper intestinal function and works to scavenge free radicals.* Wolfberries contain minerals and coenzymes that support the assimilation and metabolism of sulfur.* FOS is added to this formula to support normal digestive system health.
NOTE: Sulfa allergic people–this is NOT the same thing!!! This is nutritional sulfur and is safe for people with a sulfa allergy.
Ditch Sugar Laden Drinks
Let’s face it, sugar laden drinks are not only hazardous to our health but they’re addictive as well, and now we know why.
Start ditching all the sugar laden drinks and sodas, and replace them with healthier options like homemade lemonade or my homemade ginger ale. Most of the drinks on the market contain either high-fructose corn syrup, which means your drinking a product made from GMO’s, or artificial sweeteners. Its getting harder and harder but I try to avoid GMO’s like the plague.
But don’t think that artificial sweeteners are the answer! Dr. Russell Blaylock, a respected neurosurgeon and author of the book “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills,” believes aspartame, which is found in artificial sweeteners is dangerous. According to Dr. Blaylock, excitotoxins are substances that excite brain cells or neurons to the point of exhaustion and death. He goes on to add that what makes aspartame so dangerous is that it contains three neurotoxins: methanol, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Fortunately, there are healthier options available.
Homemade lemonade is another healthy option and tastes great plus it’s super quick and simple to make. Simply juice a whole lemon, add water and stevia. It doesn’t get much simpler than that now, does it?
I use SweetLeat Stevia instead of sugar to sweeten my beverages. It’s 200 times sweeter than sugar so a little goes a long way. SweetLeaf Stevia is the ONLY brand I use because it only has two ingredients- stevia and inulin. It contains no artificial ingredients, and zero calories or carbohydrates. It has a non-glycemic response, no bitterness or aftertaste and is non GMO Project Verified.
Last but not least… EXERCISE!
Exercise also boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improve detoxification and enhance your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Glutathione production is highly dependent on the presence of adenosine triphosphate- the molecule responsible for the supply of energy to cells.
Start slow and build up to 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking or jogging, or play various sports. Strength training for 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.
My favorite exercise… REBOUNDING!
Rebounding involves jumping on a mini-trampoline. It’s an effective technique of boosting cell metabolism, and increases both blood and lymph circulation. The heart continuously pumps oxygen and 5-6 quarts of nutrient-rich blood throughout the body but without the lymphatic system, the body cannot effectively eliminate toxins. With a toxic liver, the lymphatic system can get overloaded and become a major dumping ground for toxins and waste products. Kick start your day by exercising on a rebounder to promote the flow of lymph, thereby strengthening the immune system and making it more effective at flushing out toxins. There are so many benefits of rebounding I could write a book about it but that’s a topic for another day.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
SOURCES
Diet and Immune Function- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723551/
Sugar or Fat?—Metabolic Requirements for Immunity to Viral Infections- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5649203/
Sugar not so nice for your child’s brain development, study suggests- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210331130910.htm
The Toxic Truth- https://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/the-toxic-truth/#.YHojyOhKi70
Carbohydrate intake and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: fructose as a weapon of mass destruction- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4405421/
Abundance of fructose not good for the liver, heart- https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/abundance-of-fructose-not-good-for-the-liver-heart
