https://www.merrittwellness.com Blood Sugar http://learntruehealth.com/blood-sugar/ Blood sugar levels significantly affect our body. That’s why we have numerous studies explaining why it is vital to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. To educate us more about blood sugar and how to eat smart, Dr. Marlene Merritt explains all that and more in this episode. Early Exposure Dr. Marlene Merritt shares her mother is German. And because she was suspicious about going to doctors more often, it was normal that from a young age, Dr. Marlene Merritt was given things like chamomile tea to drink for certain discomforts like gastritis. Over time, Dr. Marlene Merritt learned more things such as steamed water with eucalyptus could treat asthma and bronchitis. That’s why she never had too many antibiotics when she was a kid. College Years In college, Dr. Marlene Merritt got into racing bikes in New York.  One day, she got sick, and her friend gave her antibiotics. An infection lodged in her heart and damaged one of her heart valves. Upon consultation with a doctor, Dr. Marlene Merritt was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition at the age of 20. She tried prescribed drugs, but it didn’t help much.  Eventually, she gave up racing when her health couldn’t keep up. Discovering Whole Food Nutrition After getting her graduate degree in Oriental Medicine, Dr. Marlene Merritt happened to see a chiropractor/ naturopath who diagnosed her to be Vitamin E deficient. Taking away the Vitamin E capsules she was making that time; he replaced it with a whole food supplement of vitamin E. Thinking she had nothing to lose, Dr. Marlene Merritt followed the doctor’s instructions and started feeling a whole lot better. Dr. Marlene Merritt got strong enough to go cycling again and eventually biked across the United States in 26 days. Her quality of life started getting better and better after that. She still has the valve that doesn’t work, but it doesn’t bother her like it used to. “I started getting healthier with supplements and whole foods. And I have Chinese Medicine’s ability to work with the body as a whole. It put all the pieces together. That trained me well for functional medicine,” said Dr. Marlene Merritt. After her health improved, Dr. Marlene Merritt changed the core of her practice to nutrition. She went further by pursuing a Masters’ Degree in Nutrition which took her three years to complete.  Importance Of Supplementation Ultimately, supplementation was a big help to Dr. Marlene Merritt’s health. To illustrate this, she cites Dr. Bruce Ames’ triage theory. “Most people now are sub-clinically malnourished. So, what happens is, we never get full of nutrition. We’re never replete,” said Dr. Marlene Merritt. The triage theory shows that our body developed a rationing response to shortages of micronutrients which are vitamins and minerals during our evolution. When our cells run out of a vitamin or mineral, that scarce micronutrient is given to proteins which are essential for short-term survival. On the other hand, proteins that are needed for long-term health and protection of DNA, lose out. They become disabled and lead to diseases of aging. The triage theory also explains how RDAs are chosen. The Truth About Fructose Like what most experts say, Dr. Marlene Merritt says eating sugar causes deficiency. In particular, she says the sugar component fructose does not metabolize the same as glucose does. And to understand all about blood sugar levels, we must first understand how our body processes sugar. “Fructose gets metabolized in the same pathways as alcohol. The other place that you get sugar is in the actual white sugar or brown. The sugar molecule sucrose is half glucose, half fructose. Sugar substitute agave is 90% fructose,” Dr. Marlene Merritt said. She adds, “Fructose turns into fat faster than any other sugar. And a lot of people are for whole grains. That works if you’re not having blood sugar issues. But when somebody ha