Flu Season AKA Sugar Season 🍬
What does all that extra sugar have to do with our immune health?
Isn't it funny how the time of year when everyone starts talking about cold and flu season is ALSO the time of year when we're practically swimming in sugar?
It starts innocently enough. A little Halloween candy here, a pumpkin spice something-or-other there. Then Thanksgiving rolls around with all those delicious pies, and before you know it, we're surrounded by Christmas cookies, fudge, candy canes, and enough sugary treats to keep a small bakery in business.
And listen, I'm not here to tell you to give up your Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. That would be ridiculous. 😂
But I do think it's worth talking about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention this time of year.
What does all that extra sugar actually do to our bodies, and how does it relate to our immune health?
First, Let's Talk About Sugar
Before we go any further, I want to make something clear. Sugar isn't automatically the enemy.
There's a difference between the naturally occurring sugars found in foods like fruit and milk and the added sugars manufacturers put into everything from cookies to salad dressing.
When you eat a whole apple, you're getting natural sugar along with fiber, water, vitamins, and other nutrients. That fiber helps slow digestion and makes the apple a lot different from drinking a sugary soda.
Added sugar, on the other hand, can pile up pretty quickly without bringing much nutritional value along for the ride.
And here's where things get interesting.
So, What's the Connection to Our Immune System?
Our immune system is pretty amazing. It's constantly working behind the scenes, and like everything else in our bodies, it depends on a whole lot of different systems working together.
One of those systems involves how our bodies manage blood sugar.
When we regularly consume more added sugar than our bodies need, especially as part of an overall unhealthy eating pattern, it can contribute to problems with blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation.
And inflammation is where the immune connection comes in.
Inflammation isn't always a bad thing! It's actually part of our body's normal immune response. The problem is when inflammation becomes chronic, meaning it sticks around longer than it should.
Research has linked chronic inflammation and poor metabolic health with changes in how our immune systems function.
Now, does that mean eating a candy bar immediately shuts down your immune system for hours?
Nope. Despite what you may have seen floating around on social media, the science doesn't support that simple claim.
But it DOES mean that our everyday eating habits matter. And if we're consistently loading up on added sugar while neglecting other important nutrients, we're probably not doing ourselves any favors.
How Much Sugar Are We Actually Eating?
Here's something that surprised me when I first started paying attention to nutrition labels.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to approximately:
- 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day for most women
- 36 grams (9 teaspoons) per day for most men
And when you start looking at the labels on some of our everyday foods and drinks, those numbers add up FAST! Check this out 👇
🍬 DID YOU KNOW? Sugar Adds Up FAST!
We all know candy and cookies contain sugar. No big surprise there. But what about some of the things we're eating and drinking on an ordinary Tuesday?
Take a look at these examples:
- 🥤 12 oz. regular Coca-Cola: 39 grams of added sugar
- ☕ 16 oz. Starbucks Caramel Macchiato: approximately 33 grams of total sugar
- 🥣 1 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios: approximately 12 grams of added sugar
- 🍫 1 regular package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (2 cups): approximately 20 grams of added sugar
Now, here's something important. The Starbucks number is TOTAL sugar, which includes naturally occurring sugar from milk. The other three numbers are ADDED sugar.
But still. ONE regular can of Coke contains more added sugar than the American Heart Association recommends for an entire day for most adults.
And that's before we've even gotten to the Halloween candy. 😂
I'm not saying we need to obsess over every gram, but sometimes it's worth flipping that package over and seeing what's actually in there.
You might be surprised!
Nutrition figures are based on standard servings and published product information. Amounts may vary by product size and formulation.
Sugar Season Doesn't Have to Mean Sugar Overload
Now we're getting to the part I actually care about.
Because knowing something isn't particularly good for us is one thing. Figuring out how to make realistic changes is another.
And I don't know about you, but I have ZERO interest in spending the next three months pretending that Christmas cookies don't exist. 😂
Here are a few things worth trying:
Pay attention to what you're drinking. Sweetened coffee drinks, soda, sweet tea, and other sugary beverages can add up quickly. Sometimes simply switching one of those drinks for water or an unsweetened option makes a difference.
Don't forget the protein and fiber. Meals and snacks that include protein, fiber, and healthy fats can help keep us satisfied and support steadier blood sugar levels.
Check the everyday stuff. I'm much more interested in reducing added sugar in foods I eat regularly than stressing over a slice of homemade pumpkin pie once a year.
Enjoy the treats you actually LOVE. If you're going to have something sweet, make it something you genuinely enjoy. No sense wasting your sugar on a mediocre cookie. 😂
Look at the bigger picture. Getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, managing stress, and eating a variety of nutritious foods all contribute to overall health and normal immune function.
And sometimes those things matter a whole lot more than whether you ate two pieces of Halloween candy.
One Last Thought...
I think it's easy to get caught up in looking for one magical thing that will keep us healthy during the colder months.
But our bodies don't work that way.
Our immune systems are influenced by lots of different factors, and the habits we practice consistently tend to matter more than any single food, drink, or supplement.
So as we head into the season of candy bowls, Thanksgiving desserts, and Christmas cookie trays, maybe the goal shouldn't be to avoid sugar completely.
Maybe it's simply to become a little more aware of how much we're consuming and make some better choices where we can.
Because I fully intend to enjoy my favorite holiday treats. I'd just rather not be eating a month's worth of added sugar between Halloween and New Year's without even realizing it. 😂
💙 A Little About Me & Keeping It Real
Hey there! I'm the voice behind Keeping It Real With The Essentoils! I'm a wife, mom, and a firm believer that life is complicated enough without making everything else harder than it needs to be. 😂
Around here, you'll find a little bit of everything—simple recipes, everyday tips, natural living, and whatever else I think is worth sharing. I'm not an expert on everything (shocking, I know!), but I love learning new things and passing along what I've discovered.
No perfection required. Just real life, practical ideas, and a little humor along the way! 💙
Want more? Click HERE to explore more Keeping It Real blog posts. Just don't blame me if you end up going down a rabbit hole! 😂
This blog is for general educational purposes and isn't intended to provide medical advice. Nutrition and immune health are complicated, and individual needs vary.
How to Get Your Protein In Without the Gimmicks
Apparently, protein is having a moment.
Walk through the grocery store right now and EVERYTHING is screaming HIGH PROTEIN at you. Protein cereal. Protein chips. Protein cookies. Protein coffee. Protein pancakes. I'm pretty sure we're about three weeks away from someone trying to sell us high-protein water. 😂
And listen, I'm not anti-protein product. There are absolutely times when convenience wins, and there are some protein products I use myself.
But slapping 20 GRAMS OF PROTEIN! across the front of a package doesn't automatically make what's inside a great choice.
So before we spend $8 on a tiny bag of protein something-or-other, let's talk about how much protein we actually need, where we can get it from normal food, and what to look at when we DO buy the convenient stuff.
First…How Much Protein Do We Actually Need?
Here's where things get a little annoying because there isn't one perfect number that applies to everybody.
The basic Recommended Dietary Allowance for healthy adults is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day—or roughly 0.36 grams per pound. That's the amount established to meet the needs of nearly all healthy adults, not necessarily a personalized target for every goal or stage of life.
Protein needs can be different depending on things like age, activity level, body size, pregnancy, overall calorie intake and fitness goals. Older adults and people who exercise regularly may benefit from more than the basic RDA.
So I'm not going to tell you that everyone reading this needs exactly 100 grams—or 120, or 150—because that's simply not how this works.
More isn't automatically better, and you don't need to turn eating into a math assignment.
If you have specific health conditions or you're trying to determine an appropriate target for you, that's a conversation worth having with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
You Probably Already Own Protein 😂
Before you order a case of protein brownies, look in your refrigerator.
There are plenty of completely normal foods that can help us get protein throughout the day:
- Eggs — about 6 grams each
- Greek yogurt — often around 15–20 grams per serving
- Cottage cheese — often around 12–14 grams per ½ cup
- Chicken breast — roughly 25–30 grams per 3-ounce cooked serving
- Tuna — roughly 20+ grams per 3-ounce serving
- Milk — about 8 grams per cup
- Lentils — about 18 grams per cooked cup
- Beans — often around 14–16 grams per cooked cup
- Edamame — about 18 grams per cooked cup
Exact amounts vary by product and serving size, obviously, but you get the idea.
Protein doesn't have to come in a package with PROTEIN written across it in 72-point font. 😂
One of the easiest things you can do is simply look at meals you're already eating and ask, Where's my protein?
Breakfast might be eggs or Greek yogurt. Add chicken, tuna, beans or cottage cheese at lunch. Build dinner around a protein source you actually enjoy.
Nothing revolutionary happened there. We just ate food. 😂
Now About Those “High Protein” Foods…
This is where I think we've gotten a little carried away.
A food being higher in protein doesn't automatically tell you everything you need to know about that food.
So instead of letting the giant lettering on the front of the package make the decision for you, flip it over.
Look at the Nutrition Facts and ingredient list.
How much protein are you actually getting per serving? What's the serving size? What's providing the protein? How much added sugar is in it? What about saturated fat, sodium and fiber? And what does the ingredient list look like?
That doesn't mean an ingredient you can't pronounce is automatically dangerous, either. Chemistry has some really inconvenient names. 😂
The point is to look at the whole food, not one exciting number on the front.
Because if somebody takes a cookie, adds five grams of protein and writes HIGH PROTEIN across the package…
it's still a cookie. 😂
And that's okay! Eat a cookie if you want a cookie.
We just don't need to pretend it magically became broccoli.
Convenience Isn't the Enemy
I also don't want this to swing so far in the other direction that we think everything has to be homemade, organic, locally sourced and prepared while wearing an apron in our perfectly clean kitchen.
Because…no. 😂
Protein powders, shakes, bars and other convenience foods can absolutely have a place.
Sometimes you're running out the door. Sometimes you need something you can throw in your bag. Sometimes a smoothie is considerably more realistic than cooking eggs at 7 AM.
Convenience is useful. Marketing is where we need to keep our heads screwed on straight.
Find products that fit your needs, check the label, and use them because they make your life easier—not because the front of the package convinced you that you can't possibly get enough protein without them.
Keep It Simple
If you're trying to get more protein, you don't have to overhaul your entire diet tomorrow.
Start by looking at what you already eat.
Where could you add a little more protein without making your life harder?
Maybe it's adding Greek yogurt to breakfast, putting leftover chicken on your salad, keeping hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, adding beans to soup or making a smoothie when you need something quick.
And THEN, if a protein product makes sense for you, great.
Just flip the package over before you throw it in the cart.
Because apparently HIGH PROTEIN has become the food industry's version of putting a fancy bow on something and hoping we don't ask any more questions. 😂
We're asking questions.
Now I Want to Know…
What are the protein-rich foods you always keep on hand? Are you an eggs-in-the-fridge person? Greek yogurt? Cottage cheese? Protein shakes? Or is there something you swear by that makes getting enough protein a little easier?
Tell me in the comments—I’m always looking for realistic ideas that work in actual everyday life. And who knows...you might give the rest of us something new to add to the grocery list. 😂
Looking for More Keeping It Real?
Click HERE to browse more Keeping It Real blog posts. I try to keep these blogs pretty straightforward and quick because none of us needs another 47-minute read just to get to the useful part. 😂 But somehow, we've built up a pretty nice little stockpile of some actually good stuff over there—in my humble opinion, of course. 😂
So go poke around! Just don't blame me if you go down a rabbit hole and suddenly realize you've been reading for an hour.
