As we approach Thanksgiving, this uniquely North American holiday, the nation gives thanks and commemorates the deliverance of the early settlers and the success of their first harvest.

Thanksgiving is a time of great feasting, probably the greatest feast of the year, when families come together and sit down to the traditional, rich Thanksgiving dinner, after which they usually retire, substantially heavier, to comfortable chairs where they collapse and fall asleep. I often think that this would be the perfect time for an enemy to attack, when the nation is collectively comatose upon the sofa. A similar overindulgence occurs at Christmas and New Year and it is no coincidence that many people become ill with colds, flu and other infections at this time of the year. Why is this? I believe there are several reasons.

Excessive Sugar Consumption

During the fall and early winter season, the nation consumes an excess of foods rich in sugar and refined carbohydrates, above and beyond the average consumption during the rest of the year. The sugar is consumed not just in candies, cookies and desserts but also in drinks and even in main courses. Let’s consider how much sugar we could consume individually during a Thanksgiving dinner by taking a look at the food labels: Candied Sweet Potatoes (27g), Cornbread (15g), Cranberry Jelly (20g), Grape Juice (39g), Pumpkin Pie (18g) and Vanilla Ice Cream (23g). The total comes to a staggering 142 grams of sugar which equates to 5 ounces, over a quarter of a pound, and this does not include the sugar in cookies, cakes and sweetened coffee that may also be consumed. If you have pecan pie instead of pumpkin pie, add an extra 14 grams per serving. Some of the sugar occurs naturally in the food and the rest is added. It can come in several guises, not just glucose, fructose and table sugar but also as corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup and, more recently, evaporated cane juice. Honey is also essentially sugar and should never be given to children under 12 months of age because it may contain spores of Clostridium botulinum to which they are not fully resistant.

Effect of Sugar on Our Immune System

Sugar is sweet but, in excess, it is certainly not our friend. It has many adverse effects upon our health, one of which is the weakening of our immune system, our body’s defense mechanism. Consuming 100 grams of sugar has been shown to reduce the ability of our white blood cells to engulf bacteria by over 40% (1). This suppression of our defenses begins less than 30 minutes after the sugar is ingested and it takes over five hours to return to normal assuming no further sugar is consumed during that time. In contrast, when we ingest complex unrefined carbohydrates, there is no deleterious effect upon our immune system.

Healthier Eating

The solution to the problem is to greatly reduce our intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, not just during the holidays but at all times. Examples of refined carbohydrates include white rice and products made from refined flour such as white bread, cake, pastry and pasta. Read food labels to ascertain if sugar or one of its surrogates is present and in what quantity. Avoid ruining perfectly good dishes such as carrots and sweet potatoes with added sugar. Refrain from drinking sodas, lemonade and fruit juices loaded with sugar. Also limit the consumption of fat, particularly saturated fat, which can make the circulation sluggish and promote arterial disease. Sugar and fat also contain calories. There are four calories per gram of sugar and nine calories per gram of fat and if we don’t use these up in normal metabolism and by being active then we will gain weight and this can lead to serious chronic health problems and disability. Make your Thanksgiving dinner as healthy as possible with the inclusion of a salad course, whole grains, and plenty of vegetables such as peas, beans and Brussels sprouts. You will certainly feel much better afterwards. Try a fresh fruit salad for dessert but if your heart is set upon pie then make it a special treat and enjoy it in moderation.

Vitamin D

Another reason why we are more sensitive to infections during the late fall and winter months is that we get less exposure to sunlight. This is partly because there is more cloud cover and also because we tend to spend less time outside when it’s cold and wet. As a result, the prime mechanism whereby we make vitamin D, namely exposure to sunlight, is significantly limited. Also, in our busy lives today, we rarely spend enough time outdoors, even in the sunshine states regardless of the season. It is therefore important to ensure that we receive enough vitamin D in dietary and supplement form. As well as helping to maintain bone integrity, vitamin D has been found to increase the production of a class of proteins known as antimicrobial peptides, which interfere with the action of certain bacteria and viruses, including the flu virus, thereby inactivating them and keeping us symptom-free.

Food sources that contain natural vitamin D are egg yolk, fish and liver, including cod liver oil, but these may not provide enough and are excluded in vegan and many vegetarian diets. Some rice and soy beverages, orange juice and many breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin D but the amounts present are not sufficient to protect against infections. Daily multivitamin supplements contain only 400 IU of vitamin D, sufficient to prevent rickets but inadequate for maintaining optimal health. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola (2), we should be taking 35 IU (International Units) of vitamin D per pound of body weight per day if we don’t get enough sun exposure and Dr. Mark Hyman (3) recommends 5,000-10,000 IU per day for optimal health.

Exercise

A third way to stay healthy during the fall and winter months is to exercise regularly. Provided we spend time outdoors walking, cycling, jogging or working in the garden during early morning or late afternoon when the sun is not too strong, we should be able to make some of the vitamin D that we need, and we can supplement with the rest. Regular exercise will also help to control our weight, stimulate our cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and strengthen our immune system, thus increasing our resistance to infections. It is good to get out of doors and into fresh air rather than being cooped up indoors where toxic chemicals can accumulate and infections are more easily transmitted. Keeping the house clean, aired and fresh will also help to keep us and our families healthy.

Happy Thanksgiving and Good Health!

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, California 92677, U.S.A.

References

1) Sanchez, A. et al. (1973) Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 26, 1180-1184.

2) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Experts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx

3) Hyman, M. (2008) The UltraMind Solution. Scribner, New York, NY 10020, page 135.

How Much is a Serving?

The recommended minimum serving sizes for fruits and vegetables are as follows:

a) One medium-sized apple/orange
b) ½ cup raw, frozen or cooked vegetables
c) ½ cup raw or frozen fruits
d) One cup raw leafy vegetables

It should be noted that these are measurements of volume and not weight and so the weight of the fruit or vegetables in the cup can vary considerably depending on the item selected. For example, a cup of peas will weigh more than a cup of broccoli florets because the peas pack together more efficiently.

How Many Servings Per Day?

Every five years since 1980, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have jointly published a report entitled “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” and the most recent edition came out in 2005 (1). It recommends two cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day for a person with a daily energy requirement of 2,000 calories. From the information given above on serving sizes, 2 cups of fruit would equal 4 servings and 2½ cups of vegetables would equal 5 servings unless some of the vegetables were leafy greens, in which case one cup would equal one serving. So the total number of fruit and vegetable servings recommended in the report could range from 6½ to 9 servings per day for a person who needs 2,000 calories daily in order to maintain their normal activity and keep their weight stable. The actual minimum number of servings per day will vary depending upon age, gender and activity level. To find out your recommended minimum, go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov and fill out the required information.

The DHHS/USDA report also states that we should choose from a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. In particular, we should “select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week.” We should certainly choose a rainbow of colors. However, if weight control is an issue, then the consumption of starchy vegetables such as potatoes should be minimized.

The American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association have all commended the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report (2) but their joint website www.everydaychoices.org recommends a minimum of only 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, significantly lower than that recommended by the U.S. Government (the DHHS and USDA). This low minimum, which is not linked to a particular caloric intake, is rather surprising in view of the important role that fruits and vegetables are known to play in preventing chronic diseases.

The more fruits and vegetables consumed the better, especially if they are pesticide free. My recommendation is to follow the U.S. Government advice, consult the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov and try to meet or exceed your daily minimum requirement.

References

1) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & U.S. Department of Agriculture (2005) Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 6th Edition. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, pp 84.

2) http://www.diabetes.org/for-media/2005-press-releases/Dietary-Guidelines.jsp

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, U.S.A.