Summer is really here

So the good weather has finally showed up as I'm sure it has where ever you live. We have been having a wonderful few weeks. I have 4 1/2 days left of my break and am loving it. Darin has had the past several days off, so it has been constant, and I mean constant yard work. Unfortunately, starting tomorrow, he is beginning two 68 hour weeks, because the other PA will be on her honeymoon. And no, he will not be making extra money, because he is on salary.

I am almost done with a sandbox. I built it. I put the sand in it. I filled in dirt around the sides (it is in the ground). I am amazing. And yes, we will be covering it to keep the cats out. This morning Darin and I went around to the back of Dennis' land where it is basically a sand pit. However, you'd be amazed what will grow in sand. So basically I broke up the sod (wild field grass), and Darin dug and loaded up the truck. Hard work. But it was free, and good sand. Long story short, I think I am amazing, and Darin thinks this whole project is annoying, and up until yesterday I was going to get the sand myself. Then he decided he would help me, and thank goodness he did or I would never have finished. The kids love it and have played in it already. I'm just finishing putting a border of cinder blocks around it.

I woke up with a headache, probably from dehydration from not drinking enough while working in the heat. I actually had it all night, and started the day with an excedrin. I'm not sure if it's the excedrin, or starting the day with a shovel in my hand, but I've had so much energy. I made homemade hot dog buns (I've always wanted to do that, don't ask me why), homemade lemonade (with honey of course), some healthy cookies (sweetened with honey and molasses), and worked hours on the sandbox. And I have energy left, this is seriously a rarity.

We are having a barbecue tonight, at the girls request. Hot dogs, not hamburgers. Also their request. I really like hot dogs, if they are good hot dogs.

Yesterday we went to the movie together with the girls. We saw Ratatouie, very funny for an adult, the kids didn't get any of the jokes, and it was about 20 minutes too long, but otherwise, good. Our cheap theater is running a kid's movie deal, 12 tickets for $8! And Gracie is free! The movies are older kids movies, but still at the theater, so we still have enough tickets left for two more movies. Of course we got popcorn and pop. On the way to the movie both the older girls said, one after the other, "I brought my money and I'm going to buy candy." I was impressed and told them so, and then Gracie said, very worried, "Daddy, I didn't bring my money." Very cute. The kids shared their candy with her though, they were very generous.

Aliese and Anna have been in swimming lessons the last two weeks, and actually have improved a lot. Aliese dove off the diving board yesterday in the deep end! That is very exciting news, since she is usually hesitant with athletics. They've really loved it. However, last week it was really rough. One day it snowed, so they had a "safety day", teaching them about water safety. The other days they came out with their lips blue, literally, and shivered for an hour afterwards. But miraculously, summer has arrived. So now it is better. We're siging them up for another session. If we don't go broke over it, we actually plan on signing them up for the whole summer.

My garden. I built a new 4 x4 raised bed out of Trex, on Saturday. I planted carrots, parsnips, and onions in it. A few weeks ago I built a 4x 8 (or so) raised bed out of big rocks that Brandt didn't want. It looks really cool, not nearly as sturdy as the Trex, but a lot cheaper (free). I planted a bunch of herbs, green beans, lettuce and arugala in it. We already had planted tomatoes in previously built bed, and we have another one with strawberries. Our strawberries are going crazy and we have some starting to ripen. I can't wait.

The kids are busy reading, writing books, riding their scooters, building their forts (essentially smashing down the field grass and weeds out in the field) and of course being bored. Aliese and Anna have also had two sleepovers in Anna's room together. Darin and I were thrilled that they thought this was fun and a special treat, because they are always complaining about not being able to have sleepovers with friends. Both times I let them make hot cocoa, and stay up as late as they want to encourage contentment with their situation in life. Both times, they slept in until 10:00 the next morning. They used to be so close, and haven't been for about a year. It has made Anna very sad, and I have been praying that they would renew their friendship and my prayers are finally being answered. I love summer. It's just better than the rest of the year.

So last night I was reading gardening books. Two of them I couldn't put down, one in each hand, competing with each other, reading them almost simultaneously, and then I busted out laughing. I had a flashback to when I lived at home and I was noticing all of the gardening books on Mom's shelf, and saying to myself that I wouldn't last one page of those books. My have I changed. I wonder what I'll be like in 10 years. Different again I suppose.

If I allow myself to think about it, I'm crazy homesick. I can't wait for the reunion. I am so excited. For those who are wondering, we will be there Thur. night, and we will be returning on Monday morning. It will be a mad dash in and out because of my school. Arghh. But we will be visiting again, at spud harvest, the end of September or the beginning of October.

I need to sign off and go start the briquettes. Oh how I would love a gas grill. Just add it to the list, that's what Darin says.

Finally Breathing

Wow, today is Monday and I didn't go to school. It was so refreshing. Today was supposed to be the nicest day of the week, so I wanted to get some gardening done, but alas only two plants were planted. I was hoping to plant some seeds. But I figured that they weren't going to germinate in this weather anyway, and so I would spare myself the experience of planting in a near hurricane. Have any of you had any summer yet? The girls keep reminding me that summer isn't technically here until June 21, but even so, it is definitely a global freezing spring.

So my new health kick is eating honey. I did a research paper last month on honey versus sugar. The nuts and bolts of the paper is that sugar is sooooooo bad for you, and honey is soooooooo good for you. There is no comparison. Mom and Lizzie wanted me to post my paper. So hear it goes.

The Sugar Problem and Its Solution

Americans are becoming larger and sicker every year. The United States is one of the most over fed and under nourished countries in the world. What is the culprit? According to U.S. News & World Report, “In 2003, each person consumed about 142 pounds of sugar per year” and “on average a dismal 8.3 pounds of broccoli and just over 25 pounds of dark lettuces” (2005). Sugar is taking over people’s diets in soda pop, prepackaged frozen meals, ketchup, cold cereals, candy, and even supposed health foods such as flavored yogurts and granola bars. With all of the sugar being consumed there is little room left for nutritious whole foods. Is there a way to combat the deluge of sugar in the diet without sacrificing the sweet flavor of food? Is there a replacement for sugar that is less harmful, and maybe even nutritious? Recent research is uncovering the mystery behind the thick sweet liquid called honey. In ancient times, honey was used for medicinal purposes. More recently however, Dr. Pratt and Dr. Matthews, authors of the book SuperFoods Healthstyle, dubbed honey as a “superfood”. (2006). Those who desire to improve their health need to consider the damage that sugar is doing to their bodies and choose honey as a healthy alternative because of its effects on weight, antioxidants, enzymes that aid in digestion, and its effects on blood sugar and cholesterol.

Sugar has many names: sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup (Lee, 2008). Sugar is in almost everything Americans eat from hamburger buns to granola. Most people do not realize the enormous quantity of sugar they consume on a daily basis. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends limiting sugar intake to eight teaspoons a day for a 2000-calorie diet (Alleman, 2008). For the average American, their 142 pounds of sugar a year equals 13,632 teaspoons, which works out to be 37 teaspoons a day per person. Thirty-seven teaspoons is four and a half times the daily USDA recommended sugar limit. It is no wonder that Americans are getting fatter each year and suffering from an endless list of ailments.

“White sugar has been linked to mood swings, irritability, headaches, insomnia, fatigue and emotional outbursts” (Turner, 2002, p. 56). Unfortunately, grumpiness and a few aches and pains are not all that sugar can cause. Sugar actually disrupts the body’s chemistry resulting in a terrible imbalance. Sugar affects the way minerals and enzymes work in the body. When the minerals and enzymes are malfunctioning, food is not properly digested. When the food is not digested properly, two things happen: 1) All of the nutrients from the food are not made available to the body; and 2) large food particles that are never fully digested swim around in the bloodstream. The body does not react well to food coursing around and the immune system spends all of its energy on fighting the excess undigested food instead of germs. The result is the body gets sick. (Beckstrom, 1991) “Exhausting and suppressing the immune system is the beginning of the longterm, degenerative, disease process” (Beckstrom, 1991, p. 28).

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons sugar causes so many problems is because of the weight gain associated with its consumption. Weight gain is one of the most significant causes of disease and bad health. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way that doctors measure obesity. Dr. James M. Rippe, a cardiologist, has spent the last 25 years trying to lower the incidence of heart disease:

Dozens of scientific and medical organizations have agreed that a BMI between 19 and 24.9 is in the healthy range, a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is overweight, and a BMI of 30 or more is obese. These definitions are based on research showing that the risk of disease goes up when BMI is over 25, and the risk of death increases if BMI goes over 30. As weight goes out of the healthy range, risk increases for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, several forms of cancer, metabolic syndrome, gallbladder disease and gout. (Weight Watchers, 2005, pp.33, 35)

“Sixty six percent of U.S. adults were overweight or obese in 2003-2004” ("Obesity rates continue to climb in the United States," 2007). It is interesting to note that while people in the U.S. are consuming an excessive amount of sugar, the majority of these people are also overweight or obese. Sugar is contributing to this weight problem. If weight gain is one of the biggest problems associated with sugar, which in turn causes diseases then there is an alternative. Honey does not cause as much weight gain as sugar, even when the same amounts of calories are consumed.

An animal study done with rats published in Journal of Food Science revealed new information about honey compared to sugar in relation to weight gain. Forty rats were weighed and divided into four groups. All of the rats were offered the same amount of calories and had a balanced diet of 15-16% protein, 35% fat, and 45-47% carbohydrates. However, the rats’ diets contained different kinds of sugars; a 1) sugar free group, 2) sucrose group (white sugar), 3) mixed sugars group, and a 4) honey group. At the conclusion of the study, the rats that ate sucrose and mixed sugars gained more weight than the other rats. L. M. Chepulis, with Honey Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences at Waikato University made these conclusions following the study:

The results of this study suggest that there are beneficial effects of replacing sugar with honey in the diet. In particular, overall percentage weight gain in honey-fed rats was similar to that observed in rats fed a sugar-free diet, and was significantly reduced, by 16.7 %, compared with sucrose-fed rats after 6 weeks. As the results of this study demonstrate, the type of sugars that are ingested as a part of the daily diet can have a significant impact on levels of food intake and weight gain during free feeding. Importantly the increased weight gain observed with the mixed sugar-fed rats did not occur in the honey-fed rats even though both treatments had similar food/energy intakes. (2007, pp.226, 227)

It is possible that replacing sugar with honey in Americans’ diets could significantly reduce people’s weight gain. Less weight gain would result in fewer diseases.

Eating honey could not only prevent obesity, but also provide needed nutrition to a malnourished public. “Honey contains at least 181 known substances” (Pratt & Matthews, 2006, p.147). Of these 181 substances, there are many antioxidants. “Previous studies by the researchers suggest that honey may have the same level of disease-fighting antioxidants as that of some common fruits” (Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 2004, p. 936). According to Darin Leslie, a physician assistant, antioxidants are essential to health because their job is to kill free radicals, the rogue molecules that damage cells (personal communication, 2008).

The antioxidants in honey also come with enzymes. The enzymes in honey help digest food properly. Honey also increases good bacteria in the colon. Dr. Ronald E. Fessenden, Master of Public Health states: “Different varieties of honey possess a large amount of friendly bacteria (6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria), which may explain many of the mysterious therapeutic properties of honey” (Fessenden, 2008). Oligosaccharides in honey help prevent constipation and reduce toxin levels in the intestine. (Pratt & Matthews, 2007) The help that honey gives the body with digestion is the opposite effect of sugar on the body. In order to digest sugar, the body has to rob enzyme stores, which in turn cause problems with digesting other foods. The more sugar that is consumed, the more the body is robbed of essential nutrients, and the harder it has to work to digest food. (Beckstrom, 1991) In a country where pharmacy shelves are lined with expensive antacids and fiber supplements to aid digestion, honey could be a natural alternative. Replacing sugar with honey might very well reduce the number of people suffering from heartburn, acid reflux, and constipation.

Just as honey can help with digestive problems, replacing sugar with honey could help with anxiety and memory. “In a year-long animal study comparing the effects of sucrose, honey and a low glycemic index sugar-free diet, rats on the honey-based diet showed: decreased anxiety [and] better spatial recognition memory” (Fessenden, 2008). Sugar certainly does not have the reputation for lowering anxiety, unless the “sugar-high” a person experiences after a candy bar or soda counts. If sugar affects anxiety at all, it makes it worse because of the other problems that sugar can cause—such as weight gain and the fatigue that hits when the “sugar-high” crashes. Weight gain and so much fatigue that one cannot work or function is always cause for anxiety. Another reason that replacing sugar with honey could lower anxiety and improve memory is sugar can cause these very problems. In a human study, it was discovered that within three to six hours after ingesting two teaspoons of sugar people suffered the same problems as people under stress. “The same changes in the body chemistry that occur when we are angry or depressed occur after the ingestion of too much sugar” (Beckstrom, 1991, p. 28).

While honey can relieve the stress that sugar causes the body, it could also help people suffering from diabetes. Diabetes continually inflicts more people every year and is now affecting children. In a study with eight healthy subjects and seven patients with type 2 diabetes, it was found that honey was a better influence on blood sugar than sugar. The patients were given sugar, artificial honey or natural honey. In the healthy people, the natural honey actually lowered their blood sugar. Participants with type 2 diabetes who ate honey had a significantly lower rise in blood sugar compared to the other patients who ate sugar or artificial honey. (Al-Waili, 2004) Clearly, honey would be a better option than sugar for sweetening foods for diabetics. It may even be safe to conclude that honey could help prevent type 2 diabetes from occurring in healthy people because it will lower their blood sugar.

As diabetes forages through America, high cholesterol lowering prescription drugs dominate commercials on television screens. Honey can help cholesterol too—both kinds. There are two kinds of cholesterol—high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (Leslie, personal communication). HDL is the good cholesterol and LDL is the bad cholesterol. A study included eight healthy subjects and six patients with high cholesterol. The participants were given sugar, artificial honey or natural honey. Honey affected cholesterol more positively than sugar or artificial honey. In the healthy people, the sugar and artificial honey had very little effect on cholesterol, but the natural honey reduced total cholesterol 7%, triglycerides (cholesterol precursors) 2%, and increased HDL (good cholesterol) by 2%. In the patients with high cholesterol, the sugar and artificial honey increased LDL (bad cholesterol) a small amount, but the natural honey decreased total cholesterol 8% and LDL cholesterol 11%. (Al-Waili, 2004) If honey can help prevent high cholesterol for healthy people and lower high cholesterol it could influence the rate of heart disease—the number one killer of Americans (Leslie, personal communication). It is common knowledge for people with high cholesterol to avoid saturated fat but now science has found that honey could make a difference too.

Replacing sugar with honey sounds like a great idea but could be overwhelming if approached with too much zeal. Instead of quitting sugar all at once, it should be gradual process. Slowly adding honey and taking out sugar from one’s diet will eventually add up and make a big difference in health. Some suggestions from SuperFoods HealthStyle: Honey and fruit can be added to plain yogurt; oatmeal with honey instead of cold cereal can be eaten for breakfast; peanut butter sandwiches with honey and banana is a tasty meal; and honey can be added to tea. (Pratt & Matthews, 2006)

Honey can also be used in recipes. It is important to experiment and add it gradually to adapt to the taste. Honey is sweeter than sugar so less is used in recipes. The website worldshealthiestfoods.com offers many useful tips for substituting honey in recipes: Generally, substitute ½ to ¾ cup of honey for 1 cup of sugar. The sweetness of the honey will depend on the floral source the bees used. If only a tablespoon of honey is to replace the sugar, then the liquid in the recipe does not need to be adjusted. However, if the recipe calls for ½ cup of honey or more, then the liquid in the recipe should be adjusted. For every cup of honey that replaces sugar in a recipe, the liquid should be reduced by ¼ cup. Honey browns more easily than sugar, so the temperature on the oven needs to be reduced by 25 degrees. (Mateljan, 2008) Honey can be used successfully for beginners by only replacing half of the sugar in a recipe. For example if there is one cup of sugar called for in a recipe, ½ cup of sugar could be used and ¼ cup of honey.

When buying honey to eat or cook with the source should be considered. Not all honeys have the same nutritive qualities. Dark honey may be healthier than lighter colored honeys (Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 2004). In one study, “Illinois buckwheat honey, the darkest honey tested, had twenty times the antioxidant activity of California sage honey, one of the lightest-colored honeys tested” (Pratt & Matthew, 2006, p. 147). While all honey has nutritive properties, a recent study of Spanish honeydew honey (made from secretions insects leave on plants) has revealed that it contains even higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than honey made from nectar (Perez, 2007). Unprocessed honeys have more nutrients than pasteurized honeys. Pasteurization kills many of the antioxidants, good bacteria and enzymes in the honey. Natural raw honey can be found locally at farmers markets.

Replacing sugar with honey is a giant step to improving one’s health. Eating honey is a way to fight disease and prolong life. Honey is full of antioxidants, live good bacteria, and enzymes, while sugar is only empty calories. However, the empty calories of sugar can wreak havoc on the human body by robbing important nutrients needed for digestion and preventing ultimate absorption of the nutrients found in healthful foods. Sugar increases cholesterol, anxiety, weight gain, cavities, headaches and fatigue. These conditions lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Sugar is excessively consumed by Americans and is robbing them of needed nutrients while adding on pounds. In searching for a solution to health problems and weight gain, eliminating sugar and replacing it with honey should be considered. Sugar’s only benefit is taste. Honey tastes good too while providing a myriad of health benefits.

References:

Al-Waili, N. S. (2004, Spring). Natural honey lowers plasma glucose, c-ractive protein, homocysteine, and blood lipids in healty, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic subjects: Comparison with dextrose and sucrose. Journal of Medical Food, 7(1), 100-107.

Alleman, G. (2008). How stuff works (USDA Nutrition Guidelines). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from Publications International, Ltd.: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/usda-nutrition-guidelines-ga9.htm.

Beckstrom, L. (1991, June 1). Lick the sugar habit (it's vital to your health). Total Health, 13(3), 28.

Chepulis, L. M. (2007, April 1). The effect of honey compared to sucrose, mixed sugars, and a sugar-Free diet on weight gain in young rats. Journal of Food Science, 72(3), 224-229.

Fessenden, R. (2008, January 8). Report to the officers and board of directors of the committee for the promotion of honey and health (The First International Symposium on Honey and Human Health). .

Lee, H. (2006, April 20). Prevention (Smart Ways to Live Well). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/the-many-names-of-sugar/20bc50d1fa803110VgnVCM10000013281eac____/health/healthy.living.centers/diabetes?print=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prevention.com%2Fcda%2Farticle%2Fthe-many-names-of-sugar%2F20bc50d1fa803110VgnVCM10000013281eac____%2Fhealth%2Fhealthy.living.centers%2Fdiabetes.

Mateljan, G. (2008). WHFoods: Honey. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from www.whfoods.com.

Obesity, F. &. W. W. (2004, November 13). Honey could be healthy alternative to high-fructose corn syrup in candy. Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, p. 936.

Perez, R. A. (2007, January 24). Amino acid composition and antioxidant capacity of Spanish honeys. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 55(2), 360-365.

physorg.com. (2007, July 10). Obesity rates continue to climb in the United States. Retrieved June 2, 2008, from http://www.physorg.com/news103287224.html.

Pratt, S., & Matthews, K. (2007). Superfoods healthstyle. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Rippe, J., & Weight Watchers. (2005). Weight loss that lasts bread through the 10 big diet myths. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Turner, L. (2002, January 1). Sweet talk: Natural sugar alternatives. Better Nutrition, 64(12), 46.

So that's the paper. If you chose to skip it, which I don't blame you, it basically says honey is really good for you and sugar is really bad.

The girls are good. Tonight about 8:00 PM Gracie went out the door to play and told me to have a nice day. She is so cute. Aliese is reading Twilight. I know some of you think that is probably not good, but Darin thought it would be fine, I think most of it will go over her head, and if it doesn't I am confident she will ask me about it and it will provide for a good teaching opportunity. Anna just turned 7. We gave her a new bedspread set, a lamp, and a joke book. Of course the joke book was her favorite. We are hoping her jokes improve. She is constantly making up jokes, that don't make any sense. All of the girls have scooters for the summer and are riding them everywhere. They started swimming lessons today, in an outdoor pool and almost froze, poor things. There is a chance of snow on Wednesday. I can't even come up with anything to say about that.

I'm hoping to do a little dejunking this next few weeks, and my personal goal is to exercise a whopping 15 minutes a day. That's how pathetic my exercise regimen became--it got down to nothing. I'd also like to read an easy feel good read. Any suggestions? I have also bought stuff to build a 6x6 foot sandbox. I'm excited.

I'm tired. Love you all. Hope to read all of your blogs tomorrow and catch up.