The Grinches Who Stole Easter
by Julie Gunlock
.jpg?i=041712104051) On Easter morning, my husband and I will watch our three young children tear into their Easter baskets overflowing with small toys and all sorts of delicious, colorful candy. They will have a breakfast of hollow chocolate bunnies, peanut-butter-filled eggs, jelly beans, gummy bears, and, of course, Peeps. This jolt of sugar will help fuel them as they run feral around our backyard competing to find hidden Easter eggs.
This is a cherished once-a-year tradition in our family. Yet to some, my husband and I will be doing nothing less than poisoning our children. One prominent doctor, now supported by the mainstream media, argues that two ingredients in candy, soft drinks, juices, and other much-loved treats — sugar and high-fructose corn syrup — are toxic.
Just in time to ruin everyone’s favorite candy-filled holiday, the Grinches who stole Easter over at 60 Minutes ran a story last week on Americans’ consumption of sugar and asked, “Is sugar toxic?” But 60 Minutes and guest reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta weren’t really interested in examining that question. They’d already accepted the emphatic “yes” provided by Dr. Robert Lustig, a California endocrinologist and a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, who has a particular interest in childhood obesity.
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The Great Sugar Debate
by Lisa Jones
 “Are we really going to cut all sugar out of diets now, and if we do that, what will be left for us to eat?”
Sensational headlines are all around us, reporting one issue after another. One week we’re told to avoid certain foods and beverages, then the next week, new stories surface to prove it all wrong. Who knows what to believe?!
Because of this, I am not surprised by how many people are confused about what they’re eating. Recently, various health experts have alleged that sugar is addictive, poisonous and causes obesity. An ingredient that has been in our diets forever is now the victim. And it doesn’t help that experts are also victimizing the alternatives like some popular low and no calorie sweeteners. But before we panic, shouldn’t we ask ourselves a logical question – “Are we really going to cut all sugar out of diets now, and if we do that, what will be left for us to eat?”
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The Simple Answer Is: There is No Simple Answer
by Dr. Keri Marshall
 Consumer whiplash. It’s a commonly used, though made-up, term to describe something that occurs when consumers are told one thing, and then another contradictory thing, by an authoritative body that has a high level of consumer trust.
Too often, people are subject to this revolving door—what is considered safe and even “good for us” one day, might make us ill or even cause cancer the next.
Remember the advice to avoid eggs because of their cholesterol content? Only to read about new studies just years later, saying that the body actually requires some cholesterol as well as the much-needed full spectrum of protein and even healthy fat that eggs provide?
We’ve even been told to avoid the sun at all costs to maximize our chance of remaining free of skin cancer. We now see conflicting reports telling us that total lack of sun exposure leaves children and adults deficient in essential vitamin D, the vitamin needed for maximum calcium absorption and optimal bone health.
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