Holistic Nourishment

White Bread Contributes to Diabetes for Many Reasons

 Aside from lacking fiber, nutrients, and protein, white bread contains small amounts of a chemical that is used to induce diabetes in laboratory rats and mice.

How does white bread become so white? The outer layers of the wheat seeds are removed and the flour is bleached, usually with chlorine gas. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines chlorine gas as a flour-bleaching, aging and oxidizing agent that is a powerful irritant, dangerous to inhale, and lethal. Other agents also used include oxides of nitrogen, nitrosyl, and benzoyl peroxide mixed with various chemical salts.

Similar to disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in water, alloxan is formed when the chlorine reacts with certain proteins remaining in the white flour after the bran and germ have been removed.  Alloxan has not been added to the flour, but the manufacturing facility processes the wheat with chemical treatments that result in the formation of alloxan in the flour. (more…)

Does Sugar Decrease Your Health?
Yes! Because of Advanced Glycation End-Products

 The more sugar you eat, the more it coats the surface of cell membranes, causing life-changing damage.  One of the main issues with sugar consumption is a process called glycation.  The sugar creates cross links between cellular parts (usually proteins) that are normally mobile.  Unfortunately, all cellular activity is impaired when this occurs.  Moreover, cross-linking prevents white blood cells and other cells from getting to the location they are trying to go, thus disrupting chemical messages from being transmitted.  As you can imagine, this creates impaired function throughout the body.

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Are You Mineral Deficient?

Minerals are crucial elements of the biological processes that govern blood sugar metabolism in the body.  Individuals with blood sugar imbalances and diabetes often exhibit mineral deficiencies and have a weakened ability to regulate glucose levels.  Supplementing with high quality, bioavailable minerals improves the body’s ability to modulate glucose levels and can be extremely therapeutic for individuals with deficiencies.

To reduce inflammation and oxidative damage, key antioxidants and minerals are key to fighting these inflammatory and destructive reactions. Therefore, individuals with mineral deficiencies should supplement their diet in order to restore optimal vitamin and mineral levels, thus controlling oxidative damage and inflammation.  Minerals are especially important for reducing the occurrence of comorbid conditions common in diabetic individuals such as pancreatic insufficiency, renal disease, neuropathy, and retinopathy.

Minerals are also required for proper insulin function.  Insulin is the hormone that brings blood glucose into cells and therefore lowers blood glucose levels.  Of primary importance to glucose metabolism, inflammation, free radical scavenging, and immune health are the minerals zinc, magnesium, chromium, manganese, vanandium, and copper. 

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