Integrative Health Zone
Educate You!

Reducing Sugar Intake during the Holidays and All Year Round
Statistics show that the average American gains between 6 and 10 pounds between Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day. This is no surprise considering that sugar intake is four times higher than the already-high norm at this time of year. Americans consume over 130 pounds of added sugar a year!
 
Tips for Reducing Sugar Intake during the Holidays:

1. Explain to people that you are cutting back on sugar and why. This way they won’t feel offended when you don’t take their special Christmas cookies.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast and pack healthy snacks before you leave the house. Building healthy habits will help with lowered willpower. 
3. Consider natural sweeteners like honey, molasses, or maple syrup as they contain natural minerals.
4. Differentiate between junk and worthwhile indulgences. Keep a bar of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) around and just eat “one square” when you need a treat instead of reaching for the overly sweet stuff which can lead you wanting more.
5. Avoid drinking alcohol. Not only is alcohol high in sugar, but one or two cocktails can make you crave the sweets you are doing so well at avoiding. Plus sugar lowers our immunity.
6. Pass up making sweets this year or at the least try lower sugar recipes instead.
7. Eat fruit lower in natural sugars and needed fiber: ½ Green apple, ½ Cup of any berries, and/or ½ a lightly green banana are good examples.
8. And finally, don’t beat yourself up if you falter. You are not a failure, you are an adult and you decide. Just try to make a different decision next time. Make progress, not perfection!

 
How much Sugar should we limit our daily intake to?

The American Heart Association recommends:

• For Women: less than 6 teaspoons/day or 24 grams/day
• For Men: less than 9 teaspoons/day or 36 grams/day

Note: This includes natural occurring sugar in foods.

 
Natural Sugars

Sugars that occur naturally in foods also supply key nutrients.

• Whole Fresh and frozen fruit (apple, blueberries, strawberries, banana, etc.)
• Most vegetables (carrots, tomato, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, etc.)
• Whole foods provide beneficial fiber and other nutrients.

Best Choices: Honey (local, raw, unpasteurized), Maple Syrup, Molasses, Coconut Sugar, Rapadura (unrefined whole cane)
 
 
How to Evaluate Snack Foods for Sugar Content

Sugar is listed on the nutrition label as part of the total carbohydrates.

• 1 teaspoon sugar = 1 sugar cube = 1 sugar packet = 16 Calories
• 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Each time 4 grams of sugar appears on a label that is 1 teaspoon of sugar!

Hidden Sugars in your Foods

Label Reading:

Ingredients on food packages are listed in descending order by weight, from most to least. There is a loophole! Adding smaller amounts of different kinds of sugars allows these ingredients to show up lower in the list than if the manufacturer just used on form of sugar.
Sugar Alcohols, such as mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, isomaltose, maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH), are about 1.5 – 3 calories per gram and can cause bloating and diarrhea. They are often found in sugar free products, such as gum.

Note: Currently there are now 250 different names for sugars!

Source: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/added-sugars
 

ROSEMARY BALSAMIC ROASTED VEGETABLES - Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb., Brussels sprouts, brown ends trimmed off and cut in half
1/2 medium cauliflower (cut into florets)
4 medium carrots (peeled, sliced)
 Turnips, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
Beets, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
Sweet potato (peeled, optional) cut into ¾ inch cubes
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 
2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped rosemary
2 clove fresh, minced garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
3.  Thoroughly wash all vegetables, cut and toss together in large bowl.
4. . In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, no-calorie sweetener, rosemary, garlic, onion powder, pepper and salt. Pour over vegetable mixture and toss well. 5. Pour vegetable mixture into prepared 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, stirring once, until all vegetables pierce easily with a fork.

NUTRITION FACTS Per serving Calories 98 Total Fat 2.1 g Saturated Fat 0.3 g Trans Fat 0.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 170 mg Carbohydrates 19 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Total Sugars 8 g Protein 3 g Dietary Exchanges: ½ fat, 3 vegetable

New Review Investigates the Role of Diet, Lifestyle, and

Nutritional Status in Severe Infections

We are currently seeing a worldwide pandemic from a novel virus that has impacted public health as well as the economy. Most of the attention has been focused on social distancing guidelines, wearing masks, proper hygiene, laboratory testing, and contact tracing. These are all important; however, public health discussions have not been focused around lifestyle and nutritional strategies to support optimal immune function. This is essential as significant risk factors for poorer outcomes are associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as type II diabetes, obesity, chronic lung and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the elderly population. The link between infection severity and comorbidity has been seen in other viral infections as well.

In a review published recently on Nutrients, researchers investigated the role of diet, lifestyle, and nutritional status in severe infections.  

Chronic inflammation has been involved in the onset and development of most if not all chronic diseases and it exacerbates viral infections. Current treatments to address inflammation in this novel virus have included first line antiviral medications, and specific anti-inflammatory and antimalarial medications; however, long term use of some of these medications has been associated with cardiovascular side effects.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the role of nutrition in supporting the immune system. 

Poor diet and lifestyle choices are associated with low grade inflammation and increased oxidative stress, leading to the development of chronic disease and comorbidity. For example, a higher body mass index (BMI) has led to complications from this novel viral infection. Individuals with obesity have a higher risk of pulmonary issues and comorbidity which compromise heart and lung function and increase the risk of developing severe diseases from the virus.

Although there are no known single foods, supplements, or protocols to prevent the infection, it is clear that nutritional status plays a significant role in patient outcomes. The research team notes at a minimum, individuals should be obtaining the recommended daily allowances for nutrients that play a role in supporting immune function. This virus will likely be around for some time, so maintaining an optimal nutritional status is essential and something that each individual can control. The elderly population is at greatest risk and common deficiencies among them include vitamins C and D, folate, and zinc.

A Mediterranean diet is an ideal diet as it includes foods that have both immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory compounds. These foods are rich in essential vitamins and minerals as well as polyphenolic compounds.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also essential for supporting the immune system as they help resolve the inflammatory response and have potential antithrombotic effects. EPA and DHA act as substrates for the production of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) which may help reduce viral replication. 

Vitamin C has been used for decades for colds and influenza. Regular vitamin C supplementation has been shown to help reduce the symptoms and duration of a cold. Dosing at 1 to 2 grams per day is recommended as it has been effective in helping prevent upper respiratory tract infections. 

The research on vitamin D has continued to emerge, as it has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Individuals that are deficient will experience the most benefits and increasing vitamin D levels may reduce the risk of infection. The recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is only 800 IU. The research team recommends supplementing with 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily for several weeks to increase vitamin D levels and then decrease to 5,000 IU per day. The target vitamin D concentration should be between 40 ng/mL to 60 ng/mL. It is also important to optimize both vitamins A and K along with vitamin D as these fat soluble vitamins have intricate interrelationships with each other.

Zinc is essential for the development of immune cells and a cofactor for many enzymes. Zinc may help reduce the viral replication as well as the effects of the gastrointestinal and lower respiratory symptoms of this novel virus. It is suggested to have a zinc intake between 30 mg to 50 mg/day to help with influenza and coronaviruses.

These results demonstrate the importance of diet, lifestyle, and nutritional status and their role in immune function. It is difficult for most individuals to obtain an optimal intake of all these nutrients in the diet, and therefore, supplementation should be considered. Other nutrients to consider include tocotrienols, geranylgeraniol, resveratrol, quercetin, and melatonin. 

By Michael Jurgelewicz, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, CNS

Source: Zabetakis I, Lordan R, et al. COVID-19: The Inflammation Link and the Role of Nutrition in Potential Mitigation. Nutrients. 2020 May 19;12(5), 1466. 

Vitamin C

Get yours today!

Vitamin D3 with K2

Zinc