Review of Health Quest Article volume 28 No 1.

Submitted by Jill Horn

Keep your Family Healthy All Winter by Dr. Bruce Miller

The average child contracts three to six colds per year and the average adult contracts two to three colds per year.  Having a strong immune system is important to prevent colds and flu.  Considerable research suggests the following items inhibit or weaken the immune system:

·         Sugar and alcohol use

·         Poor diet

·         Exposure to environmental toxins

·         Insufficient rest

·         Stress, either emotional or physical

The Sugar Disaster

According to the Dept. of Agriculture, Americans consume 142 pounds of sugar per year and another 61 pounds of high fructose corn syrup per year that adds up to 203 pounds of sugar per person per year.  While the average person ate 120 pounds of fruits and vegetable per year plus 91 pounds of French fries.  About half of our diet is coming from non-nutritious sugars hidden in our food and drinks.  Try to find a label on a can or bottle that doesn’t say “sugar” or “high fructose corn syrup” on it.  It’s very difficult.

Besides depressing immune function, sugar also depletes important nutrients like all eight B vitamins.  This is significant because low levels of B vitamins are associated with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease and disrupted blood sugar management in general. 

This doesn’t mean we should never have sugar.  We need to have sugar in our blood at all times to fuel our muscles and brain. But it should come from foods that have a low glycemic index (below 50). French fries have a GI of 75.  Low GI foods are ideal since they release small amounts of sugar over a prolonged period of time.  High GI foods flood your system with fast sugar and dramatically elevate your insulin levels setting you up for diabetes.  Fruits, vegetables and grains including soy protein usually have low glycemic indices.

Acidity vs. Alkalinity

Our blood must be maintained in a very narrow range of acid/base range (pH of 7.35 – 7.45). If our diet is predominantly acidic foods (meats, diary, grains), it forces the body to pull basic minerals from our bones to bring the blood back into balance. 

So watching your diet during the cold and flu season is a healthy way to stay healthy during those months.