Boost Your Immune System Tip #2 Reduce Sugar-Add Sweetness

This tip is Reduce your sugar intake  and sweeten up your life by noticing the sweet delicious things you have.
Refined sugar destroys the ability of our white blood cells to kill germs for up to 5 hours after eating it

Refined processed SUGAR is not your friend. When we eat any type of sugar our amazing body regulates our blood sugar with insulin. We all need insulin but when you have too much sugar you get a sharp rise in insulin. This is known as a sugar rush. Insulin quickly removes the sugar from your bloodstream causing a crash which results in fatigue and cravings.

Sugar also causes the body to be acidic.  Yeast, bacteria and most diseases thrive in an acidic environment. Sugars and starches feed the bacteria and yeast in your body which causes cravings and sugar addictions.

Are we not supposed to eat sugar at all? No of course not. I think the best thing to do is to eat natural sugars in moderation (unless you have a medical condition that advises against it.)

What are good natural sugars?

First, I like Ripe fruits or  dried fruit which have many nutrients, micronutrients and fiber – which helps slow the absorption of sugars into the blood stream keeping blood sugars in check as long as you don’t eat a lot of fat with your fruit.  It is best to eat fruits alone.

Second, you can use Natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, and agave.  These syrups are sweet, delicious and easy to use but are not meant to be consumed in mass quantities. They have little to no fiber. Fiber is essential in slowing down the absorption of sugar into the body to keep insulin levels stable.

My favorite sweetener is raw local honey. It is an alkaline-forming food.  This type of honey contains ingredients similar to those found in fruits, which become alkaline in the digestive system. It doesn’t ferment in the stomach and it can be used to counteract acid indigestion. Raw honey is the healthiest choice amongst the various forms of honey as it has the most nutritional value.  Iit also contains pollen, enzymes and nutrients to help you with your allergies.

Finally I like Stevia This sweetener has almost no calories and does not cause any blood sugar spikes. It’s good for those on a no-sugar diet.    The best kind to get is the whole food variety which is green leaf stevia it contains all the micronutrients.
The worst sweeteners are
• White sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Splenda
• Nutrasweet
• Sweet ‘n Low

You might think diet sodas and artificial sweeteners will help you lose weight because they contain no calories and no sugar to spike your insulin, but this isn’t really the case.  Instead researchers are now discovering that artificial sweeteners may actually cause you to gain weight.  These sweeteners convince the brain that it is real sugar so the body releases insulin to help metabolize the artificial sugar.  Since there is no real sugar present, the excess insulin, with nothing to do performs its secondary task which is to signal the body to store fat so you wind up gaining weight. I recommend getting rid of all artificial sweeteners now and forever

To keep your desire for sugar down or if you find yourself craving lots of sugar try noticing the sweetness in your life.  To do this I recommend a process called Focusing on What you Love

Write a list of 5-10 things and/or people you love in your life and the reasons you love them. Feel into this in your heart as much as you can. This practice will allow you to reconnect with yourself, feel good and let go of some stress. It is best to write these down because it helps you to focus but you can do this in your mind as well.
Here is an example of a few things on my list to give you the idea.  The key here is to feel into the feelings of pleasure.

• I love my car -it gives me a feeling of security
• I love kittens – they are so cute
• I love Yoga – it connect me to my Divine self and my body
• I love the sunrise – it is a new beginning everyday
• I love my son – he allows me a feeling of unconditional love
• I love green juice – it makes my body feel alive

So I hope this tip helps you to be healthier and happier.  Remember to Eat Well and Enjoy Life.
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