The birds are singing, flowers are budding, and the sun is shining. What more can you ask for! I personally love this time of year. In fact, the weather was so nice last week I actually managed to sneak out to the beach.

Did you know that getting enough sunlight can boost your immune system? The sunlight triggers your body to produce Vitamn D. This Vitamin D helps the T cells of your body to fight infection. How much do you need? Approximately twenty minutes per day will do it. So if its not on your list of things to do, schedule in a stroll in the sun at lunch today and let your boss know its preventing you from taking a future sick day.

Did you know that sugar can suppress the immune system? With the average American consuming almost 150 lbs of sugar a year this can be one reason why our health care system is so busy. Back in the 70s, Linus Pawling's research found that white blood cells need Vitamin C to help fight infection. Since glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structure, they actually compete for absorption into your cells. The more glucose - the less Vitamin C which may result in a slower immune response.

Sugar comes in many forms: sucrose, cane syrup, cane juice, dextrose, maltodextrin to name a few with high fructose corn syrup being the most disruptive.

Where is the sugar hiding? Read labels! And not just the nutritional chart - read ingredients. While many adults and elderly are compromising their immune fuction with sugar, so are children. They are getting it in their morning cereal, in their fruit snacks, in their bread at lunchtime, in their juice and sodas, it can even be found in frozen snacks, entrees and even frozen vegetables. Getting hits of sugar (especially high fructose corn syrup) all day forces the body into the stress response. This "flight or fight" response puts energy into muscles for action, causes respiratory rate to increase, blood pressure to rise, blood flow is directed away from the midsection and hormones are released to provide immediate energy. (This is another factor in ADHD. How difficult is it to sit in a desk at school when energy is directed toward muscles for action.)

Why is what we eat so important? Seventy percent of your immune system lies in your digestive tract. Eating nutrient dense, fiber rich whole foods can help keep your digestive health in tact. Foods like whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables have nutrients perfectly balanced by nature and can keep your immune system humming.

So instead of a sick day, plan a wellness day!

Buon appetite!

Stay well,

Andrea Tortorella, HHC

phone: 914 9601554

web: http://www.bringbalance2u.com