Excess Sugar Consumption Slows WBC to Destroy Bacteria

Something brilliant happened this weekend. I picked up a pamphlet at my chiropractor's office about antibiotic misuse. I read it while waiting in the carpool lane and left it lying on the front seat. I picked it up and re-read it on Sunday as the family was driving home from breakfast and noticed the following list of suggestions for what the average health consumer can do to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

Diet: Excess sugar consumption slows the ability of white blood cells to engulf and destroy bacteria.

I read it out loud and it resonated with my kids and husband. At times I feel like the sugar police, always rationing how much we all eat. Avoiding excess sugar consumption is not just about weight maintenance. It's actually hard for the body to process a lot of sugar, and as this pamphlet cites (it was cited in the pamphlet, and a link given for reference details, but link is not live, so alas I can't share the study with you), it actually works against you immune system to fight off infection. Hubby seems willing to limit candy consumption, but sugar in food (like oatmeal, cereal, syrup, jelly, etc.) seems to fall off his radar. I'm left to feel like the heavy when I suggest and try to enforce that we top our pancakes with a drizzle of syrup instead creating a syrup mote around the fortress of pancakes. I caught him reading the whole pamphlet after our drive and I suspect he'll be a little more supportive of my syrup rationing and recipe modifications to reduce meal time sugar.

I ask myself sometimes if all the sugar rationing is worth it. All the attempts to find lower sugar snacks the kids enjoy and ways to cut sugar out of our meals so we can indulge in occasional decadent treats like pie and ice cream are worth the hard work.

H1N1 and Sugar
In the midst of fears about H1N1 parents are wondering how to keep their kids safe, and protect against the rare event that their kid might get really really sick and have something terrible happen because of the flu there is something you can do. You can reduce sugar intake in general to give your child the best immune system possible, and as soon as you know you're dealing with a virus, drastically reduce sugar to ward off dreaded bacterial infections.

This makes me change my course too. I tend to avoid medications unless I'm so miserable I can't cope with life, but I do treat my sore throats with ice cream. I like the numbing feeling, I get temporary relief from throat pain. I need to switch to sucking ice chips and give my body the best chance of fighting off the cold virus and preventing bacteria infections.

Reducing Sugar in Your Diet
Here is a guest post I wrote for a Life Less Sweet a few months back with some guidance of what "excessive sugar intake" is and of the ways I reduced meal time sugar.

Honey Gingered Carrots & Biggest Feeding the Family Food Challenge

I have so much to say, and not nearly enough time to say it all.

First, thanks to all the readers that commented on my rather dreary, whiny happy birthday post. I should have titled it, unhappy birthday. And thanks for listening to me complain. I guess I needed give voice to my frustrations.... I especially enjoyed hearing the voice of some lurkers. I know my objective was to create a dialog about the journey of feeding the family better, but some of you don't have time to chat. I'm pacified in knowing that my posts do serve a purpose for you!

Second, I wanted post a "real" happy birthday post, you know, one where I actually mentioned some of the accomplishments that did occur as a result of a year of blogging, but as usual life intervened. I've had a 5 year old waking at 5a or 4 or more times a week for 2 months. I thought it would be temporary, and didn't start addressing my sleep deprivation by going to bed early until last week. Sadly, I can't go to bed early and write posts at the same time.

Third, I want to share a recipe with you because it's been an age since I have. I'm sorry about that. If I had enough time in the day I would post daily! I don't have a picture for gingered carrots, but they are divine and I can't hide them under a bushel any longer. If you don't have time to prep ginger and garlic, and you have a cast iron skillet that needs to get out more, this would be a tasty and quick side dish with just butter. Even the honey and salt are optional. The garlic and ginger make these carrots special, but they are oh so edible with just butter.
Fourth, I do want to post responses to the "biggest challenge in feeding the family" question. I wish I could whip them out all this week, but I feel certain life will intervene and I won't get what I want. Wah. You have been heard, and I will respond! In time. If memory serves the responses fell into a few buckets of constraints: time, budget, and appeasing family food preferences.

Fifth, (really no one should have more than 4 points because "Fifth," is unsightly, but i'm verbose and i'm over it.....) Some of you mentioned you didn't know how to comment on the blog. If you're reading in Google (or other) reader or in email subscription, you'll have to click through to launch the blog post in an internet browser/new tab. In email subscription the title should be a hyper-link that will take you to the blog in an internet browser. Once you're on the blog post at Food With Kid Appeal, scroll down to the end of the post, you'll see in blue text that says X comments. 0 comments means no one has commented and that makes me sad. 1 (or more) comments means someone has commented, and that makes me happy. If you see 0 comments, make me happy and comment! If you see any other number, click the comments link to see what others are saying about the post and join the conversation.

Honey Gingered Carrots (from CM on cooks.com)
1 lb pound of baby carrots (or 1 lb of whole carrots cut in similar size to baby carrots)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
1-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced

In a cast iron skillet (or non stick, heavy bottomed pan that can take a lot of heat) melt 2 TBS of the butter and the carrots over medium heat, stirring often until carrots are browned. Add salt, garlic and ginger and continue to cook until carrots take on a "roasted" color (not blackened). Be careful not to burn garlic, once it browns, mash it with a fork, and push to side of pan where heat (might be) lower. (As alton brown says, burnt garlic is not good eats....). Stir in honey and remaining TBS of butter until melted and remove from heat.


Kid Appeal Tip Kids enjoy experiments. Present a new dish, or a new way of cooking an ingredient a kid already likes at dinner as an experiment. Enlist them as scientists who can make observations about the taste, texture, flavor, sound and smell of the dish. As you eat, ask them to compare it to other dishes that contain the same ingredients. Or other dishes they already like. What is similar? What is different? Do they like it more or less than the other dish? Share your observations too. When they can map how it's close to other stuff they like they are more likely to take a bite. This method doesn't guarantee success of ingestion, but it will minimize complaints of unfamiliar food, and start a dialog of the ingredient/dish that could be the beginning of acceptance when the dish is offered in the future.

Carrots as a functional food
I wasn't going to talk about why you want carrots on your must eat list, but I just started reading George's synopsis about carrots and I'm all goose pimply. I must share even though I have already said quite enough tonight.... below are the highlights, for full carrot deets, click there.

• carrots are number one best veggie source of carotenoids
• as little as one carrot a day can lower lung cancer chances by 50%
• heavy lung smokers who took beta-carotene supplements did not show reduced cases of lung cancer (in other words) eat the carrot, don't swallow the pill.
• carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels. (in other words eat carrots to help regulate blood sugar)
• Falcarinol in carrots promote colon health
• beta carotene helps protect night vision and prevent against macular degeneration
  

If you didn't chime in last week and want your voice heard on what your biggest challenge is in feeding the family, I'm listening to you in the comments section.