The classic saying, "as American as baseball and apple pie" has been around for as long as I can remember.  My perception of the meaning is "a comforting reassurance that I live in a class of society in which indulging in these pleasures and passtimes signifies happiness and wellbeing."  But, how patriotic is apple pie to the celebration of our good health?  

In a quest to find out what I had "done wrong" and after months of researching suspected causes of cancer including the obvious; genetics, as well as bottled water or anything stored in plastic, caramel coloring in carbonated beverages, and many others, the biggest culprit seems to be sugar.  It was the first thing I was warned of when I was diagnosed with cancer.  I was told that sugar is like turbo fuel for cancer cells. 

I was a sugaraholic before my diagnosis and I feel it contributed the most to my cancer.  I can actually feel my body going down whenever I eat or drink anything high in sugar.  I have overwhelming fatigue, bloating, reflux and sometimes nausea.  Animals, fish and birds do not require sugar to function and neither do we.  It has absolutely no known nutritional value. 

We were introduced to the sugar addiction as children with Easter and Halloween candy, birthday cakes, Thanksgiving and Christmas desserts, and rewards of candy, ice cream or gum for doing good deeds like making good grades or cleaning our room.  This lifelong diet of acceptance makes it difficult as adults to make a whole lifestyle change to remove this poison disguised in sheeps' clothing.  Don't be discouraged.  It takes time and education.  Just a small reduction in sugar intake can produce large benefits to our overall health. 

Think about the possible consequences the next time you look at a tempting piece of pie or when you have a "something sweet" craving that sends you to the vending machine or convenience store.  I challenge you to remove sugar from your diet for one day and tell me how you feel the next day.  I think you will be just as surprised as I was.