Sweets and Sugars

Happy Halloween!

Now I know you all have a busy day of scaring children and eating their candy, so I’ll try to be short and sweet. Too late! I’m already short and sweet…mostly sweet, of course. Anyway, here’s some info for you:

Top selling candies worldwide and how much sugar they contain [please note that I did the top worldwide candies, top US, and top UK candies (since the US and UK are my biggest audience on the blog at the moment)]:

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (Cadbury) – Milk chocolate bar ~ 1 bar has 22 grams of sugar

Chick-O-Sticks (Atkinson Candy Company) – Peanut butter and coconut sticks ~ 1 stick has 32 grams of sugar

Hershey’s (Hershey) – Milk chocolate ~ 1 bar has 31 grams of sugar

Hollywood (Cadbury) – Chewing gum ~ Sugarless

Hsu Fu Chi (Hsu Fu Chi International) – Assorted Candies ~ Sugar content varies

Kit Kat (Nestlé) – Milk chocolate wafer ~ 1 bar has 22 grams of sugar

Lemonheads (Ferrara Pan Candy Company) – Sour hard/soft candy ~ 1 piece has 1.2 grams of sugar

M&Ms (Mars Inc.) – Chocolate candy (milk chocolate) ~ 1 package has 31 grams of sugar

Meiji (Meiji Seika Kaisha) – Chocolate bar ~ 1 bar has 30 grams of sugar

Mike-n-Ikes – Chewy fruit candy ~ 1 piece has 1.1 grams of sugar

Milka (Kraft) – Milk chocolate ~ one bar has 24 grams of sugar

Now and Laters – Taffy ~ one piece has 2.6 grams of sugar

Orbit Gum (Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Hershey) – Milk chocolate and peanut butter ~ 1 package is 25 grams of sugar

Snickers (Mars) – Milk chocolate, nougat, peanuts, caramel – 1 package has 30 grams of sugar

Strawberry Twizzlers (Hershey) – chew fruit candy ~ 1 piece has 4.75 grams of sugar

Trident Gum (Cadbury) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Vivident (Perfetti Van Melle) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Now, according to www.livestrong.com, the “U.S. government does not make recommendations for how much sugar you should get each day.” Sugar is a simple carbohydrate therefore, “the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that each person take in between 45 and 65 percent of his daily recommended calorie requirements as carbohydrates.” [I know, you’re loving this!!!]

Now, before you eat all that candy….

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than half your daily calorie allowance of added sugars. (This actually includes fats and sugars)

Therefore:

Woman, no more than 24 grams of sugar

Men, no more than 36 grams of sugar

So this means according to your daily sugar intake (rounded to whole or nearest quarter if less than one serving):

Women	Men
1 Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar	1 Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar
¾ Chick-O-Stick	1 Chick-O-Sticks
¾ Hershey’s bar	1 Hershey’s bar
Unlimited Hollywood Gum	Unlimited Hollywood Gum
Varies ~ Hsu Fu Chi	Varies ~Hsu Fu Chi
1 Kit Kat bar	1 Kit Kat bar
20 pieces of Lemonheads	30 pieces of Lemonhead
¾ package of M&Ms	1 package of M&Ms
¾ Meiji bar	1 Meiji bar
21 pieces of Mike-n-Ikes	32 pieces of Mike-n-Ikes
1 Milka bar	1 Milka bar
9 pieces of Now and Laters	13 pieces of Now and Laters
Unlimited Orbit Gum	Unlimited Orbit Gum
1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (I’ll let the 1 gram slide)	1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
¾ Snickers	1 Snickers
5 pieces of Strawberry Twizzlers	7 pieces of Strawberry Twizzlers
Unlimited Trident Gum	Unlimited Trident Gum
Unlimited Vivident Gum	Unlimited Vivident Gum

Note: This does not mean you eat the whole column. You would choose one item in your column for your daily maximum intake (assuming you don't have anything else that would be considered sugars/simple carbohydrates that day).

Sorry to depress you. Go back out, come back, reread, and stop before you reach “Now, before you eat all that candy….” That should do it!!!!

Related Postings: 
Fad Diets
Probiotics
I Ate Too Much Candy 
Food Preparation 
Tooth Problems

Pass the Honey!

 
General Honey Facts

• Honey is 95% carbohydrates²
• The enzyme invertase can convert sucrose to fructose and glucose¹
• The sugars in honey are “immediately digestible” in the small intestines²
• In 100 grams of honey, there is 300 calories¹
• Honey is virtually in-nutritious to humans²
• Honey helps preserve food and lower bacterial counts¹
• The enzyme glucose oxidase makes hydrogen peroxide¹
• The enzyme catalase aids in oxygen and water production from the hydrogen peroxide¹
• The pH range for honey is 3.2-4.5²
• Honey with a pH of 3.9 or less does not support the growth of bacteria. “Dilutions with body fluids will raise the pH and may lessen this antimicrobial activity”¹
• To pasteurize honey, it should be heated to 161 degree Fahrenheit (71.7 degrees Celsius)³  
• Heat (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit/37 degree Celsius) can cause the honey to decrease or lose its medicinal properties
• Do not store honey in metal containers³

Honey Used in Medicine

Digestion

• Honey can be used to solve tummy problems, such as shortening the duration of diarrhea from gastroenterisitis (Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli)^2,1
• It helps the body absorb sodium and water²
• It can reduce gastric acid; hence it can be used to treat gastric ulcers²

Wounds and Abscesses:

• Honey works with a wide variety of wounds, such as: abrasion, abscess, amputation, bed sores, burns, chill blains, burst abdominal wound, cervical ulcers, cracked nipples, diabetic ulcers, fistulas, leprosy ulcers, varicose ulcers, sickle cell ulcers, surgical wound or wounds to abdominal wall and perineum¹
• Honey is a “non-irritating, non-toxic, self-sterile, bactericidal, nutritive, easily applied and more comfortable than other dressings”²
• It helps speed up the healing process and prevents infection. Please note that wounds heal better when honey is applied on the bandages rather than the wounds themselves¹

Diabetes:

• Studies found that “sucrose or honey at breakfast have no additional acute hypoglycaemic effect over and isoglucocidic amount of bread in type II diabetic patients”²
• Honey, although mostly sugar, has a lower glycemic index for those with diabetes¹

Other treatments:

• Gluconic acid (from glucose) in honey promotes calcium absorption¹
• Candidiasis (Candida albicans) also have been found to react to honey (this includes ringworm and athletes foot)¹
• Honey may be used as a treatment for blepharitis, keratitis, conjunctivitis, corneal injuries and chemical and thermal burns to the eyes (may cause stinging)¹
• It is also good for athletes before and after resistance training¹

 Honey fights against and/or kills

• Bacillus anthracis¹ (causes anthrax)
• Candida albicans²/ C. pseudotropicalis²/ C. stellatoidea²/ C. tropicalis² (different types of yeast infections)
• Clostridium perfingens² (can cause food poisoning)
• Corynebacterium diptheriae¹ (causes diphtheria)
• E. coli² (causes digestive problems, urinary tract infections-UTI)
• E. Faecalis² (can cause problems in the urinary tract, heart, bloodstream, stomach/intestines, and skin wounds)
• Haemophilus influenzae¹ (Causes cellulitis, osteomyelitis, epiglottitis, and infectious arthritis)
• Klebsiella pneumoniae¹ (Causes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, degenerative inflammatory arthritis, whole body inflammation – septicemia, and soft body infections)
• Listeria monocytogenes¹ (Causes listeriosis)
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis¹ (Causes the “white plague” or tuberculosis)
• Pasteurella multicoda¹ (Causes zoonotic infections)
• Proteus mirabilis^2,1 (Causes urinary tract infections)
• Ps. aeruginosa²/Psuedomonas aeruginosa¹ (Causes urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, and gastrointestinal infections)
• Salmonella² (diarrhea, typhi)¹ (Causes food poisoning)
• Serratia marcescens¹ (causes generic infections of wounds, urinary tract infections, respiratory and eye infections)
• Shigella^2,1 (Causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps)
• Staphylococcus aureus¹/ S. aureus² (Causes skin and soft tissue infections—boils, furuncles, and cellulitis. It can also cause bloodstream infections, pneumonia, bone and joint infections)
• Streptococcus² (faecalis, mutans, pneumonia, and pyogenes)¹ (pneumonia, dental caries, strep throat, endocarditis, erysipelas, meningitis, and necrotizing fasciitis)
• Vibrio cholerae¹ (Causes cholera)

 Adverse Honey Properties

• Honey may cause stinging upon some topical applications (otherwise soothing) ¹
• Some people might have a rare allergy to honey and therefore should avoid it¹
• Excessive honey may lead to tissue dehydration¹
• Children less than a year should not eat honey because of the spores – botulinum endospores – which older children and adults can digest³
• Diabetics should always check with their doctors about any foods that might affect their blood sugar levels (whether consumed or applied¹
• Honey intoxication can result if honey is produced from oleanders, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, sheep laurel, and azaleas³

References

¹Bansal, V., Medhi, B., & Pandhi, P. (2005). Honey—a remedy rediscovered and its therapeutic utility. Kathmandu University Medical Journal, 3(3), 305-309.

²Jeffrey, A. E., & Echazarreta, C. M. (1996). Medical uses of honey. Rev Biomed, 7(1), 43-49.
³Wiki. Retrieved September 13, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey

Sweet!

   

Related Postings:

Probiotics

Diet Fads

Dr. Bill's Hiccups
Sweets and Sugars 

What Does Your Hair Say About Your Health?

Let’s talk about your natural hair (no dyes , perms, extensions, etc.)

 How does your hair grow?

Did you know that your hair continuously breaks and regenerates?¹ Yep! It’s true! There are three stages to get your luxurious locks.

First stage is called Anagen. This is when hair is regenerated and new hair grows.¹ This can take from two to eight years!¹ To give you a better idea, your eyebrows only take two to three months to finish this stage.¹

Second stage is called Catagen. The hair stops growing in this stage and the follicle regresses.¹

Third stage is called Telogen, aka the “resting stage.”¹ Hey, everyone needs a break! Including Dr. Carm…hang on a minute *plays some music that repeats the same tune over and over*

*Comes back a little while later.* That was nice! So, as I was saying, this stage is when your hair sheds.¹ This takes about two to three months before it loops back around to stage one.¹

What your hair color can mean about your health

And, yes, this means your natural hair color! If you are gray, then you can look at what your hair color was before you turned old….er…mature…seasoned…ummm…you know what I mean!

Blondes:

Blondes tend to have a higher risk of developing macular degeneration (AMD)—women more so than men. AMD is an eye condition that causes blindness. Roberts-Grey (2010) suggests that you should eat things with lutein and zeaxanthin (such as kale, spinach, snow peas) to help. Because blondes are usually fair, they are also at a higher risk of developing Melanoma.⁵

 Brunettes:

Brunettes tend to have less hair which is coarser and thicker than blondes or redheads. Therefore, baldness is more noticeable. Robert-Grey (2010) suggests eating more iron. Interestingly, the melanin (which help makes your dark color) can cause you to become addicted to nicotine faster.⁵ This is because the melanin “prevents your liver from quickly metabolizing the drug.”⁵ Vitamin C is recommended to help this.⁵

 Redheads:

Guess what! Your hair color is a result of a DNA mutation. This mutation can also cause you to be resistant to general and local anesthetics (ouch!) You also have a 90 percent chance of developing Parkinson’s disease, but your folic acid might delay its progression.⁵

Problems

Hair loss (Alopecia):

[Male pattern baldness is called Androgenetic Alopecia]

Patchy baldness is called Alopecia Areata. This happens at the end of the anagen stage (first stage). It can be caused by inflammation or attack on the immune system.^1,3

Transient Hair Loss is called Telogen Effluvium. This happens from a premature telogen stage. This type of balding is caused by drugs, childbirth, stress, fever, diet, and endocrine abnormalitites.^1,3

Anagen Effluvium (similar to transient hair loss) is caused by a disupted anagen stage. This type of balding can be caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatment.¹

 Excessive Hair Growth:

Also known as Hirutism and Hypertrichosis. This happens because of an extended anagen stage. This is mostly likely a result of hormones.¹

 Dandruff:

White Flakes can be caused by oily skin, stress, obesity, weather, eczema, or psoriasis. Graber (2012) suggests using an antidandruff shampoo daily (leaving it on for 5 minutes and rinsing well.)³

Yellow Flakes, also known as seborrheic dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin condition caused by hormones, fungus, or neurological problems. Graber (2012) also suggests antidandruff shampoos or medicine (such as prescription steroids or antifungal medicine) to help this condition.³

 Shedding:

Usually this is normal. However, increased amounts of shedding are classified as telogen effluvium (see above.)

Some Hair Facts

Mammal’s hair is dependent upon hormones and daylight (such as shedding or molting), while human follicle cycles are independent of each other.¹

“Hair that is dry, brittle, dull and damaged often results from outside factors like constant sun, chlorine, salt water, air pollution, heated treatments or chemicals from hair dye or permanents. Constantly wearing your hair in tight bands or hairstyles, like cornrows, can cause balding.”² Also,  you should not over brush your hair.³

Nutrition for your hair includes proteins, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, and vitamin A. Good foods to achieve healthy hair includes: salmon, spinach, carrots, Brazil nuts, oysters, walnuts, low fat dairy, whole grains, cashews, and vegetables.^3,4

Usually gray hair is genetic, but it can be caused by anemia, thyroid disease, vitamin B12 deficiency, and vitiligo.^3,4

Drugs that can cause hair lost: anticlotting drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, antidepressants, NSAIDs, menopause drugs, birth control, and antibiotics. Most likely, your hair can grow back after stopping the use of these drugs.³ REMEMBER: Always consult with your physician before starting or stopping any medications!

Scalp massages have not been proven to improve scalp conditions or slow hair loss.³ Sorry, but it does reduce stress!

 Genetic hair loss is influenced more by your mother’s side of the family than your fathers.³

  
¹Ben-Ari, E. T. (2000). Hair today: Untangling the biology of the hair follicle. Bioscience, 50(4), 303-308. 
²Gargulinski, R. (2011). What your hair & nails say about your health. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com 
³Graber, E. M. (2012). What your hair & scalp say about your health. Retrieved from www.webmd.com 
⁴Johnson, L. S. (2009). What does your hair say about your health? Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com 
⁵Roberts-Grey, G. (2010). Brunettes have more beaus? Hair color facts. Retrieved from http://today.msnbc.msn.com

^{Related Postings:What Do Your Nails Say About Your Health
Skin Cancer
Probiotics}