Bacon Cotton Candy

Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Dr. Parris Kidd will help us understand the importance of DHA to brain function, cardiovascular health and pregnancy. (DHA is one component of omega 3 oils and apparently we may not be getting enough because of the way we are going about supplementing.) I also quiz Dr. Cass Ingram about oregano oil for colds and flu, first aid and for yeast overgrowth. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.
 
Home NUTRITION
Apparently, deep-fried candy bars, deep-fried marshmallows and deep-fried butter once a year at the Texas State Fair don’t provide a big enough junk food shock to the system for everyone. This news item tickled my fancy. NASCAR concessions are now rolling out bacon-enhanced cotton candy. Although it seems an unlikely combination, I can imagine it probably tastes pretty good.

Eyes will surely roll. Many nutrition “authorities” will deem it awful, and focus more on the bacon part of the combo. But it won’t be because of the controversy over whether pork is good for us. (That is a very gnarly question for another time.)  The concern will immediately be something like “good grief, they added fat to something that was formerly fat-free.”

How many decades is it going to take for us to get over our unreasonable fear of fat? A misguided government effort to reduce our cholesterol caused hysteria and this phobia still lingers. (I found this very interesting and detailed chronicle of how that came to be. LINK.) Much scarier to me than the sprinkle of bacon on this “treat” is the spun sugar from which it is made. As a reminder, when the carbohydrate in a food is digested and absorbed quickly, it spikes our blood sugar. That in turn calls out for release of the hormone insulin which converts the unused sugar into body fat. The downside is much broader and much worse than a spare tire.

Frequent elevations of blood sugar result in sugar-coated cellular proteins which are an aging factor. Of course, diabetes and heart disease are not far behind. A rush of sugar also disables the immune system for hours. So, since cotton candy is nearly as quick a delivery system as injecting it into a vein, to avoid the flu, you probably better watch whom in the crowd you “high five” when your favorite car wins.

Fat in food isn’t bad per se. In fact, a little bit of fat actually slows down the sugar-spiking effect. Too much of anything isn’t good, but the biggest issue is not knowing that there are good fats and bad fats. Virtually everyone (except the makers of Crisco perhaps) agree that Trans fats are bad. Omega 3 fats (e.g. from fish oil) are good. Monounsaturated fats in olive oil and macadamia nut oil have health benefits. There is still widespread paranoia about saturated fat supposedly causing heart disease…never mind that the evidence apparently does not back up that fear. LINK.

Well, bottom line, probably neither the bacon nor even the occasional cotton candy are nearly the health threat posed by the tanker trucks loads of soft drinks downed at the races.
 
Last Week
LINK to Archive. Constantine (Gus) Kotsanis, MD answered listener questions including one about thyroid nodules. He also talked about Chronic/Stealth Infections. If you experience brain fog, memory difficulties, and unexplained pain or always feel tired, then you don’t want to miss this interview.

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My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

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The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2013 Martie Whittekin, CCN