Positive Health Online

When you focus on what you need to eat for health, your choices become much clearer than before.  This is in contrast to eating what you need to lose weight.  The focus is very different and one that needs to be defined in terms of how we respond to making choices about the foods we eat.

The main problem with choosing foods for the purpose of weight loss is that you are more likely to choose those which are detrimental to health.  High fat foods and sugary drinks can form part of a 'calorie controlled' diet and are known for their deleterious effects on our immune[1] and metabolic systems.[2]  And yet they are used as a means of contribution to the 'healthy balanced diet'.  In order to understand the process of how foods work to nourish our bodies, we must first recognize the chemical basis for which types make up the daily diet.  Sugars, fats, carbohydrates and proteins are mentioned on our food packaging in a way that that give us the impression we are not damaging our health.[3]

Youtube Video. "Health Food" vs. Healthy Food -- How to read labels,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9XnyNGXGs

Sugars are made up of molecules that seek to give us energy in the form of carbohydrates.  These are broken down in the body in the form of two types of carbohydrates: Simple and complex.  Simple sugars are more readily broken down in the body and used as an immediate source of energy for the muscles, internal organs and more importantly the brain, which uses 90% of its energy from simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates on the other hand present a more long-term solution to energy requirements by being broken down at a slower, more sustainable rate. The two sugars, although made up of the same stuff, have a very different impact on the body in terms of long-term health.  For many years, nutritionists have extolled the dangers of sugars over fat, but still our food industry encourages consumption of 'low fat' foods which, when looked at from another angle, usually means high in simple carbohydrates.

Why is this Dangerous to our Health?
Scientist Candace Pert outlined the dangers of sugar in her book Everything you need to know to feel good.[4] In it she mentions the ratio of sugar to solution in the blood stream and its effect on insulin resistance, a condition in which uptake of sugars by insulin receptors is inhibited, thereby causing larger amounts to be circulated in the blood stream.  When this happens, the rate at which sugars are absorbed into the blood stream slow down causing hyperglycaemia, a pre-cursor to all out diabetes.  Over 5 million people are newly diagnosed with diabetes per year; most of these are caused by too much sugar intake, complicated by a genetic disposition to diabetes.  Bad habits can be controlled especially in the case of late onset type 2 diabetes. The effects of diabetes are well known such as blindness, poor healing and low blood sugar.  So having realized how sugar can be harmful to our health, let us look at some of the ways it has been reported in the scientific journals.

Fundamental Research on the Highs and Lows of Blood Sugar
One of the main aspects of diabetes is its ability to rob the body of essential nutrients.  It replaces what it sees as energy pockets with substances that are prone to dilate the vessels of the organs around it with an infusion of systolic acid in the form of peptides.[5] Peptides are the molecules that allow processes in the body to take place in the first place.  The worst form of diabetes is where the sugar molecules are unable to leave the blood stream.  This is the pantheist of all illness.  In an attempt to restructure its proteins, the body will shut down any areas that are surplus to requirements.  This means that systems in the body that are designed to project balance in relation to glucose digestion don't get an opportunity due to its inhibition of action via the uptake channels in the protein receptors embedded in the walls of the membrane.  In order to define the research findings we must first understand the process by which the body assimilates sugars in the digestive system.

Dissolving Sugar Solutions
When sugar first enters the body it goes through a process known as glycolysis.  This is where the body breaks down the sugar molecules into their component parts.  The fact that simple sugars are more easily broken down in the body makes it a readily available source of energy for utilization by the muscles and internal processes that require energy for their ultimate ending.  In the main it is the idea that sugar is able to transgress any processes that enable the production of protein to be made in the body.[6]  This means that the production of protein becomes inhibited due to the non-essential application of its molecules in the process of energy production.[7]  In the first instance, energy is made in the form of ATP, a substance that activates in response to a chain of events in the Krebs cycle.[8]  In this instance energy is released into the blood stream and carried off to the various parts of the body where it is needed most.  The muscles and brain require the most amounts of energy, even when at rest, due to them being metabolically active tissue.  Your brain is connected to your gut[9] and therefore is in a better position to benefit from the sugar released by the processes of assimilation. In taking the time to understand how your body works, you will be able to understand the processes that support your health and how sugar impacts directly upon it.

The Sugar Dilemma
Once we understand the process as a dynamic cascade of chemical events in the body we can then see the places where reactions take place in response to stimulation from the surrounding environment.  The movement of proteins in the body are responsible for triggering events that activate the systems we have been discussing above.  Now why is this important?  In the first place, proteins are not responsible for producing energy per se; they only act as agents for change in the response to the environmental stimuli.[10]  They take a message (signal) pass it to the right department in the body so that it can perform its duties in the most efficient manner.  So where does protein come from?  Protein is made up of amino acids that get sequenced into structures that support the body's mechanisms via the action of its receptors and transmitters at the cell membrane.  What goes in the cell only relates to the necessary action and function it needs to carry out over time.  Take drinking water for example.  When you experience thirst, a signal from the brain indicates a lack of hydration at the level of the cell and this tells the cell to construct a way for the brain to know that it is in need of more water. So once you have an idea of how water works to control the function of the brain[11] you can see that the important factor in the neutralizing the effects of sugar on the body represent a way for the body to respond in relation to its energy needs.

The Mounting Problem
The mounting problem is one of not realizing how much water is necessary for the processing of blood sugars in the system.  For each quart of blood an estimated 2 litres of water is needed for the successful dissolving of at least 2lbs of sugar solution.  It is in this that we discover the nature of the problem of sugar diabetes itself.  Dehydration is one of the commonest causes of ill health, and yet many people fail to drink enough water to sustain their metabolic needs, let alone dissolve the extra sugar ingested afforded by our over processed foods.  So the mounting problem is that the less water we drink the more we are prone to illness, lethargy and stress.[12]  When water is present in the system, the body is able to carry out its functions more efficiently and with more effectiveness than it can without.  Energy is the main factor in converting sugar to fuel for the body's daily needs and therefore water is the key indicator of successful assimilation.[13]  In the process of dissolving sugar into the system, the body adapts to its environment and gains energy from the source of its product. In this new vision of how sugar works to support the energy needs of the body, clearly water is an important element that is key in the process of how energy is made.

So in conclusion, when sugar is in abundant supply and water is scarce, the equation is then out of proportion in the body where total sugar content is higher in the blood stream, making it difficult for the body to adapt and process its effects.  Hence diabetes occurs in 9/10ths of those that fail to adequately hydrate their body on a regular basis.  Drinking water is key to a healthy lifestyle and allows us to withstand the pressures of daily life much better in the face of harsh environments and toxic chemicals and overused internal defence systems.  Finally it is up to us to provide ourselves with the nutritional support our body needs, but unless water is present, the process of digestion is slowed, making the health benefits of the foods we eat obsolete.  So whether or not you are choosing to lose weight or eat a healthier diet, drinking water will be the key that makes it all work.

References
1. Philip C Calder. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation, and immunity. Lipids 36 (9): 1007-1024. 2001.
2. Josephine Connolly, et al.  Effects of dieting and exercise on resting metabolic rate and implications for weight management. Oxford Journals. 1998.
3. Jeff Novick, MS, RDYoutube Video. "Health Food" vs. Healthy Food -- How to read labels,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9XnyNGXGs.
4. Candace B Pert PhD et al. Everything you Need to know to feel good. Hay House. ISBN 978-1-4019-1526-1. 2006.
5. MG Bryant et al. Possible Dual Rold for Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide as Gastrointestinal Hormone and Neurotransmitter Substance. The Lancet 307 (7967):  991 - 993. 1976.
6. Walter Bortz MD.  What a Set of Batteries!  A Commentary on the Origin and use of our Body's Energy. Diabetes Wellness Letter  www.hbci.com/~wenonah/new/cellengy.htm
7. Substrate and product inhibition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme_inhibitor  
8.  Phases of The Krebs Cycle.  http://incolor.inetnebr.com/mcanaday/Krebs%20Phases.htm
9. Gut, Brain, bacteria and Behaviour. http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2011/03/gut-brain-and-bacteria.html
10. Lipton Bruce. The Biology of Belief - Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles. Hay House. ISBN 978-1-4019-2311-2. 2008.
11. Kempton KJ et al. Dehydration affects brain structure and function in healthy adolescents. Human Brain Mapping. March 2010 [epub ahead of print].
12. Gina Shaw.  Water and Stress reduction: Sipping Stress Away. WebMD. www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-stress-reduction
13. Dr F.Batmanghelidj. Your Body's Many Cries for Water. Tagman. ISBN 0-9530921-6-X.1992.

Further Reading
For a resource file and links to useful sites, videos, radio shows on this subject a file is available at the link below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UucPg1SUgccYjkVg_VSe4XXUlcZv5SVp6g24IYYqUoQ/edit?hl=en#
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