Four Foods That Weaken the Immune System
27 Jan, 2013
1550
Dr. Don Colbert
As winter begins to bring lower temperatures, people often become ill more frequently. The climate change often unfairly shoulders the blame. Unfortunately, bitter cold is not the sole culprit behind the common cold. Our diet plays an immense role in our daily health. While some foods are known to provide healthful benefits, many more common foods actually decrease the function of our immune system.
To stay healthy this season, stay away from the following foods as often as possible.
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- Seasonal sweets. Pumpkin pie, gingerbread and cookies are loaded with sugar. Excess sugar overloads the body with empty calories, which frequently leads to overeating and weight gain. Just as importantly, sugar also opens the door for viruses and invading bacteria. Studies have shown that 75-100mg of sugar-the amount in a single 20-ounce soda-can suppress the ability of white blood cells to fight bacteria. This effect applies to refined white table sugar as well as high fructose corn syrup.
- Coffee and tea. While coffee in moderation may have a few health benefits, excessive coffee consumption can prevent your body’s natural period of restoration, sleep. To maintain optimum immune function, your body requires about eight hours of sleep each day. Too much caffeine interferes with the natural sleep cycle, which suppresses your immune system function and increases your risk of getting sick.
- Vegetable oils. These cooking liquids are loaded with linoleic acid. Not to be confused with its weight-loss-inducing cousin conjugated linoleic acid, this polyunsaturated fatty acid lowers immune function. Sunflower oil was once used to medically suppress the immune systems of patients receiving kidney transplants. By holding back the immune system, patients’ bodies were less likely to reject the transplanted organ. (This practice has long been discontinued. The suppression of the immune system was linked to increased susceptibility to cancer.)
- Fried chicken. Fried meats are harmful to the immune system because they cause aches and pains in various areas throughout the body. This increase in inflammation enables viruses and bacteria the opportunity to invade the body. Bundle up this holiday season, but eat immunity-boosting foods like fruits and leafy green vegetables to stay healthy.
SOURCES:
Sugar – http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/sugar/harmful-effects-excess-sugar
Vegetable Oils/Sunflower Seed Oil/ Linoleic Acid – http://www.functionalps.com/blog/2011/09/22/polyunsaturated-fats-suppress-the-immune-system/
Coffee – http://www.healthyimmunity.com/books/get-a-grip-on-arthritis/Causes-of-Chronic-Inflammation.asp
This review is from: Though I’ve seen Dr. Colbert on Pastor Hagee and Joyce Meyer shows. I rlaley wasn’t completly convinced he knew what he was talking about. I was completely prepared to dismiss him as quackery and the fringe element of the Christian Right until I actually bought What Would Jesus Eat , and found out that everything he said was true. Eating more vegetables does make you feel full longer The Bible Cure for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain, is even better. Being an endomorph with a slow metabolysm my weight plateud for two years straight. It was when I read his book and bought the vitamins that he suggested the weight started comming off again. Taking a supplement of vitamins and minerals he suggested has gon a long way to nurrishing my body, and ceasing the intense cravings I was experiencing for carbohydrates. Colbert also points out how the body works and why sugars and starchs actually prevent weight loss. The example he gives of a woman who ate healthy but still couldn’t loose weight because she was sucking on breath mints all day was mind blowing. Once she stopped the weight began to come off. It’s amazing how something seeming so small can interfere with your wieght loss goals. You don’t have to be a Christian or particularly relgious to get what Dr. Colbert suggests. His medical advice is spot on. There are a ton of diet books out there. But I find that this one is the most simple and effective. You owe yourself or someone you know who is struggling with the battle of The bulge to get this book. It will help you or even save your life.