Food Choices: Does it Really Matter What We Eat?

I love sugar. Unfortunately, I don't think it loves me back. I once heard an M.D. on a TV health show say that sugar suppresses immunity. This seems to be true, at least in my case, as the last three colds I've had were contracted soon after a sugar binge. I'm suffering from a virus right now. A week ago I was aboard Carnival's Fascination where I spent a great deal of time eating ice cream on the lido deck. Hmmm....

According to Dr. Allen Josephs in his March 2007 article You Are What You Eat, So Choose Well!, "Every time you reach for a sugary snack instead of a piece of fruit, or a slice of white bread instead of wheat, you may be putting a little "dent" in your health. What you eat directly affects the way your body works." The latest research seems to back him up.

The November 2006 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition featured a study on the correlation between sugar and pancreatic cancer. Sugar has been linked to various forms of cancer but pancreatic, with a five year survival rate of less than 1%, is particularly deadly. The study followed more than 77,000 people over a period of eight years. The findings were startling. People who ate the most sweets (high-fructose corn syrup containing soft drinks were especially implicated)ran a nearly 100% greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Perhaps I've convinced you that some of your favorite snacks may be increasing your mortality. Now let's talk about what you can eat to decrease it.

Green Tea

Researchers measuring cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors, noted that after drinking a quart of green tea daily for one month, their test subjects showed a decrease in total cholesterol. Their findings were reported in the November 2006 Nutrition Research.

According to the North American Research Conference on CAM the antioxidant in green tea, EGCC, may prevent HIV from attaching to immune components called T cells and disabling them. At least, that's what happened when they tried it in the lab.

Salad