Sugar and what it does to your body, the truth revealed.

Sugar, a pragmatic approach.

Sugar is not a problem to the body when it comes from a whole food source.

The impact on the body from sugar, is only detrimental when it comes in a refined form, ie. when the fibre or water has been removed, for example, cane sugar, fruit juices/root vegetable juices, honey, alcoholic drinks and syrups such as maple or dried fruits.

Your body is fuelled by sugar, that is why it breaks everything down to glucose, the most simple sugar, for fuel. The problem comes when there is no fibre to buffer (to restrict or lessen impact) the release of sugar.

Your body is naturally designed to process whole foods only. There are no refined foods in nature. So when a refined food enters the body, the body doesn't recognise it as a food perse'. It cannot slow down the release of the sugar, due to the lack of fibre, and so gets a big rush of sugar into the blood stream, which demands an emergency kickstart from the pancreas to release more insulin, which in turn, requires an emergency kickstart from the adrenals, to tell the pancreas that there is a life-or-death emergency at hand.

With dried fruits, this is a different picture. Both water and fibre take up a lot of room in the stomach. Part of the satiation ("You've had enough") signal by the body is to do with calories consumed, but also, to do with how much volume has been taken up in the stomach. The lack of water in the stomach means that you can consume more dried fruits, than you would be able to eating the whole fruit, without feeling full as soon.
The lack of water causes the sugars to concentrate in the dried fruits also.
It is possible to end up eating more sugar than your body can actually metabolise, causing elevated blood sugar levels. This would not happen with a whole food, as the water and fibre levels will send signals to the brain that tell you to reduce appetite and stop eating. e.g eat fresh dates, instead of dried dates, an orange instead of squeezed orange juice.

Sugar is also an issue when more excess fat is consumed, than can be metabolised by the body. This is because fat molecules are relatively large and take up a lot of space in the blood stream. So if too much is consumed, it can stick around for up to 24 hours. This can cause all sorts of problems, such as the fat molecules blocking the insulin receptors. This means that the sugar cannot get out of the blood stream and into the Mitochondria cells via insulin. So blood sugar levels can remain unnaturally high for long periods.

Fat is seen as fat by the body, no matter what its source. If it is animal fat, or plant oil fat, the body will not differentiate.

This is where problems like diabetes, weight gain, candida and adrenal fatigue can occur, especially when refined sugars are present in the diet. With diabetes, this chronic over-demand on the pancreas every day, over a long period of time, becomes too much of a challenge (weakening insulin release), with the adrenals also.

With weight gain, more sugar is present in the blood stream than can be used to at any given time One of the things the body can do is convert and store the sugar as body fat, since it cannot store carbohydrates well.

This could never happen on a whole foods, low fat diet, since the body makes it difficult for you to over-eat.  As far as candida is concerned, Candida is a friendly organism, which the body needs to preserve its health. It only causes problems when high blood sugar levels come into play. The body allows candida to reside in the body since it consumes sugar.
This means on the occassions that we might over-eat for our requirements, perhaps because we have been inactive that day, Candida can play a helping role in reducing blood sugar levels. Candida only consumes excess blood sugar. The problem comes into play, in todays unnatural dietary environment, where we have refined sugars and high fat diets. So people have unnaturally high blood sugar levels, often 3 or 4 times a day, instead of the possible once a week or once a month we might find in our natural situation.

In turn this can lead to an excess growth of candida and the respective problems caused as a direct result.

As long as fruit is consumed in its whole, natural form, and you consume a relatively low fat diet, you will get no problems with weight gain, tooth decay and loss (cavities, inflammation), diabetes, candida, adrenal fatigue or any other conditions typically associated with a high sugar diet.

To suggest that ALL sugar is bad is total fabrication and myth, but mainly due to misinformation. Our bodies are dependent on simple sugars and in the case of the brain...it is the only fuel it can use.

Donna recommends that to satisfy a sweet tooth hunger pang, to eat 2 fresh dates per day maximum.

To order dates online visit the website below. The fresh dates, guaranteed to be delivered in 3 working days, taste great!

Cost: £4.60 for 24 FRESH dates, cheaper in price than any UK supermarket, even including the postage to your door! Remember to refrigerate.

WEBSITE FOR FRESH DATES*: http://www.freshdates.org.uk/

* feelgoodagain is in no way affiliated to freshdates.org.uk and does not assume responsibility for any actions freshdates.org.uk make, in respect to a customer order.

Milk - Link to Asthma

Source : www.naturalnews.com

The link between asthma and cows' milk is familiar to many young asthma sufferers and their parents. Many people assumed that milk worsens asthma by stimulating mucus production in the lungs. However, studies suggest that, either along with or instead of creating excess mucus, milk may worsen asthma due to an undiagnosed milk allergy.

"In all respiratory conditions, mucous-forming dairy foods, such as milk and cheese, can exacerbate clogging of the lungs and should be avoided," writes Professor Gary Null in his Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing. Very simply, when more mucus accumulates in the lungs than can be expelled, asthma attacks develop. This belief has long been held in practiced medicine, and many medical doctors still stand behind this theory.

At the same time, many other doctors and researchers are now beginning
to feel that undiagnosed milk allergies may be the underlying problem
behind the link between milk and asthma. As Dr. Robert M. Giller writes
in Natural Prescriptions, eliminating dairy products from the diets of
many adult and child asthma patients helps "not because dairy products
stimulate mucus production but because they're very common causes of
allergy, upper-respiratory allergies and asthma (which may be an allergy
in itself)."

"Milk is one of the two or three most common food allergens in the
American diet," says allergy specialist Dr. James Braly in Bill
Gottlieb's book Alternative Cures. In fact, Dr. Frank Oski, the chief of
pediatrics at the John Hopkins School of Medicine, believes that 50
percent of all school children may be allergic to milk, though many of
them remain undiagnosed. Some researchers believe that the figure may be
even higher, up to 60 percent of children, according to Dr. Charles R.
Attwoods's book, A Vegetarian Doctor Speaks Out. When most people think
of milk allergies, they think of anaphylactic shock -- a severe,
life-threatening allergic reaction that can only be relieved with a shot
of epinephrine. However, allergies sometimes manifest in very different
ways, and these may change throughout a person's life.

In Get Healthy Now, Professor Null explains a milk allergy's changing
symptoms: "Even if the symptoms are not the same, the underlying allergy
may be. A child who has suffered milk-associated asthma, for instance,
may have severe acne as a teenager. The milk allergy is still there, but
its symptoms have moved to a different organ system, often misleading
the patient and physician into thinking that the original allergy has
been outgrown." According to Alternative Medicine, up to half of all
infants may be sensitive to cows' milk. As a result, symptoms of an
underlying milk allergy may start as early as infancy, only manifested
as eczema, a symptom that may remain later on in childhood and
adulthood. Furthermore, in addition to asthma and eczema, an underlying
milk allergy may manifest as bronchitis, sinusitis, autoimmune
disorders, frequent colds and ear infections and even behavioral
problems.

Dates - The ultimate superfood?!

Health benefits from eating dates in your daily diet are too many to mention, this amazing fruit is plentiful in natural fibre. Dates contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. They are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. It is said that one date is a minimum requirement for a balanced and healthy diet and can help in fighting constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness, diarrhoea and abdominal cancer.

According to modern medical surveys, it is known that dates are useful in preventing abdominal cancer. It is also known that many Muslims break their fast by eating dates and water according to their traditions. Breaking a fast by eating dates helps to avoid overeating of food. When the body absorbs the nutritional value of the dates, the feeling of hunger is pacified.

Dates give extra energy to a tired human body within half an hour after taking it and provide excellent nourishment for muscles.

Cancer Societies recommend an intake of 20-35 grams of dietary fibre in a day, which can be supplied through dates. It is said that taking one date in a day will help you to maintain healthy eyes throughout your lifetime.
Ailments that can be rectified or relieved by date consumption.

Constipation: A date is termed to be a laxative food. This is the reason that dates are beneficial for people suffering from constipation. For getting the most laxative effect from dates, you need to soak dates for one full night in water. You should consume these soaked dates in the morning like syrup to maximize their qualities.

Intestinal Disorders: The nicotinic content that is present in the dates is said to be beneficial for curing any kind of intestinal disorder. Continuous intake of dates helps to maintain a check on the growth of the pathological organisms and thus, helps in the rise of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Weight Gain: Dates are said to be a part of a healthy diet. They consist of sugar, fats, proteins as well as essential vitamins. One kilogram of dates contains almost 3,000 calories. These calories alone are sufficient to meet the daily requirements of a human body. [this is not a reccomendation that dates should be used as a daily 'sole food source']

Heart Health: Dates are quite helpful in maintaining your heart in healthy condition. When soaked overnight and crushed in the morning and consumed, they can be beneficial for weak hearts. They help to fortify the heart, if taken regularly.

Sexual Weakness: Dates are even beneficial for increasing sexual stamina in the human body. A handful of dates, when soaked in Rice or Soya milk overnight, then grinded in the same milk with the mixture of cardamom powder and honey, becomes a very useful tonic for increasing sex endurance and sterility due to functional disorders.

Diarrhoea: Ripe dates contain potassium. Potassium is beneficial for controlling diarrhoea. They are easily digestible, which helps the gut cope with the problems associated with diarrhoea.

Intoxication: Dates are known as an excellent remedy for alcoholic intoxication. Dates provide quick relief in the event of alcoholic intoxication. They should be rubbed and soaked overnight for getting more nutrition value from them.

Abdominal Cancer: Dates are a beneficial aid in preventing and treatment of abdominal cancer. They work as a useful tonic for all age groups. They work more effectively than medicines, are natural and do not bear any side effects in the body. They can be easily digested and used for supplying extra and needed energy.

Although dates carry tremendous nutritional values, great care should be taken in their selection because they consist of a sticky surface which can attract various impurities in them. Hence, you should consume only those dates that are prepared, handled and packed well, i.e no additional sugars or coatings (check for ingredients: Dates 100%).

Washing the dates before consuming, will help to remove any impurities present in them.

Note: Fresh dates are highly recommended over Dried Dates. See the following website for details,

WEBSITE FOR FRESH DATES: www.freshdates.org.uk/

WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL DIETARY ADVICE: www.feelgoodagain.co.uk/