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Ditch Sugar
Health | June 08, 2014
SUGAR, we all have a love and hate relationship with this sweet crystalline substance, that we sweeten, sprinkle and coat our food with. We all heard sayings “All things in moderation”, “A little bit won’t hurt”, “It’s fuel for the brain”, the question is should sugar ever be consumed and how bad it actually is for your health? Well let’s look at the facts.
Sugar in itself is not a food group, it contains no nutrients, no protein, no healthy fats or enzymes. Just empty and quickly digested calories that actually pull minerals from the body during digestion. It creates a hormone cascade when consumed that starts a positive feedback loop in the body to encourage more consumption. In today’s world of constant access to sugary foods, is what led us to an epidemic of obesity and other lifestyle related diseases. There is no safe amount of added sugar. Naturally contained sugars in fruit and vegetables are balanced by the fiber, vitamins, enzymes and other properties of the fruit/vegetable which slow sugar digestion and help the body deal with it more easily.
Added sugar, on the other hand, provides none of these benefits and instead, stresses the liver, increases bad cholesterol, can tremendously contribute to weight gain, anxieties, cravings and sleep trouble. The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at the relationship between added sugar consumption and heart disease. And what the researchers found is pretty frightening. The average American diet contains enough added sugar to increase the risk of heart- related death by 18%. What’s worse, consuming more than 21% of your calories (that’s 420 calories in a 2,000 calorie a day diet) from added sugar more than doubles your risk of death from heart disease. This isn’t the first time added sugar has received negative press. Research has shown that too much of the sweet stuff can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, cognitive decline and even cancer.
Now that we know how incredibly unhealthy added sugar is for our health, can we avoid or minimize the amount we consume on daily basis? Absolutely. EXERCISE! Sugar raises serotonin and dopamine levels, which can factor into your cravings. Exercise can do the same thing! Try exercising when you have sugar cravings…get that rush (and build your habits around that). Get addicted to the high from exercise. Need something sweet, try to consume moderate amounts of fruit, because you are not only consuming fructose (in its natural state), but also consuming fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals. Yes, fruit can have an effect on your blood sugar, it IS sugar. But generally fruit will cause less of a blood sugar spike compared to nutrient-void table sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
I have been trying out a Ketogenic Diet and have seen incredible changes not only to my body, but as well to my mood, concentration and I also noticed an enormous increase of my energy level. This diet can take many forms, but it typically involves the restriction of carbohydrates to no more than 50g per day. Sources should typically come from whole foods like vegetables, seeds, coconut products, grass fed organic dairy products, grass fed organic meat and poultry, and fish. Refined carbohydrates, like bagels, pasta, and cereals, should be avoided, as should refined sugars. Meals, therefore, should mostly be comprised of protein, veggies and a lots of healthy fats (like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados).
If you have been struggling with loosing weight, cutting carbs is one of the simplest and most effective ways to lose weight. Studies show that people on low-carb diets lose more weight, faster, than people on low-fat diets (which are typically high in carbs)… even when the low-fat dieters are actively restricting calories. One of the reasons for this is that low-carb diets tend to get rid of excess water from the body. Because they lower insulin levels, the kidneys start shedding excess sodium, leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two. The anti-inflammatory benefits of low carb diets are also hugely important for your post workout muscle recovery.
It is much more appropriate to think of low-carb as a lifestyle, NOT a diet. The only way to succeed in the long-term is to stick to it. Bottom line is that combining healthy eating habits, exercising on daily basis and avoiding added sugar will not only contribute to having the body you have always wanted, but it will also increase the longevity of your life. Ditch sugar, live longer.
Private Member |
Hi! I just joined the ZGYM after having followed you for many years and exercising on a daily basis and getting in shape thanks to your tips & encouragement & positive approach to working out. Though now I felt that I needed the scheduled workouts to boost my motivation and be able to stick to your work out routines during summer.
Regarding routines in life I’d recommend the book “The Power of Habit” (charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit) if you are interested in how the human mind treats habits and how habits can be changed in order to e.g. cut sugar. I think it’s really eye-opening!
Private Member |
Zuzka, did you constant any changes in your physique making a ketogenic diet?
Thank you very much for an answer!
Private Member |
While I absolutely support the “no added sugar”-thing (even though I myself eat some every now and then), I’m very sceptic of the whole low/no-carb craze.
Do we know anything about the longterm effects of this diet?
Private Member |
A few years back, I read a book called “Sugar Blues” by William Dufty.. An eye opener for sure! So, yea- no sugar!
Private Member |
I’m sorry but it is a diet and fashion.
–Chris
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka!
I really appreciate your post. For me it is important why I am doing something or not doing something and knowledge is the answer to that. Now that I know more about what sugar does to my body it is much easier to not eat it. And when I know all the healthy benefits of regular exercise it is much easier to do it. I have one question about the amount of fat, I remember you said before that the daily calorie intake should include 30% fat. Is that still the case when you follow a ketogenic diet with a maximum of 50 gram of carbohydrates? Thank your for all your daily motivation!
// Malin
Private Member |
I strongly recommend checking out this article:
racingweight.com/blog/a-few-rational-words-about-sugar/
Put the http:// in front
Private Member |
Thanks for posting this – great blog post backed up with facts.
Private Member |
I’m glad you checked it out. My favorite part was the paragraph about your brain lighting up on sugar in the same places as drugs..but then your brain also lights up in those same places when you laugh and cuddle a child. So then laughing and cuddling are also addictive behaviors since they “light up your brain” like sugar and drugs. GASP!
Private Member |
I believe it is really unhealthy to ban things from your diet. Yes, we eat too much processed food in North America. But you can eat healthfully and still have sugar and gluten in your diet. Extremism of any kind is mentally and physically unhealthy. There needs to less focus on low body fat and more emphasis on overall health and wellness in the fitness world. Just my opinion, but when I hear my 10 year old son, who is super fit and lean, talk about body fat, I know the fitness and health machine needs to rethink it’s purpose. Are we trying to be a fit nation, or an nation obsessed with fitspo imagery? Rant over, lol.
Private Member |
Amen!! I am already worried about my almost 4 yr old daughter growing up being obsessed with food & weight. We are of the “everything in moderation” belief. With that being said, I know everyone is different with different goals. If you’re truly aiming for a 6 pack then I know your diet needs to be tight.
Private Member |
even then, when you want a six pack, you need to fuel your muscles to be stronger and formed well. also your brain’s main fuel is pure sugar, if we go without it we’re dead. i do not think “moderation” is the right word, because many think it means “restriction”, “limitation” and that is causing us to pay too much attention to what we should not eat but still crave it. All we need is “eating with attention and intention”, then we can eat: how much we want, when we’re hungry. and what we want – because it’ll be the right amount at the right time and the right foods. it’s this natural instinct that we unfortunately lose when we’re growing up because parents are telling us to eat even when we’re not hungry or finish our plates…
Private Member |
Yes to this..great points.
Private Member |
ehm, if you have any questions about nutrition just contact a dietitian. Or take classes at a college or even better just find out what books we’re using at the dietetic program, like chemistry/biochemistry/microbiology/nutrition textbooks and you’ll get all the facts that are correct. sometimes it just gets ridiculous what people make up just to get attention, but then some really do not know, i think zuzka is in the second category – just experimenting and does not know. those things that are in this article, or in fad diets on the internet or vast majority of the books on market do not contain many truths, most of it is just bull.. 😉
Private Member |
Amen.
Private Member |
I believe sugar, like many other things including WATER can become toxic in the body when too much is consumed. Yes, I said water…. a local radio show had a contest to win a new truck for anyone who could consume the most water and not go to the bathroom to let it out…. guess what? That girl who made it hours past everyone else died from water toxicity. So you say the water itself did not hurt her…. it is how her body responded to the amount of what she consumed.
Our bodies are so magnificently made that we can abuse it with food and drink and somehow still keep going over our lifetime. Usually by taking medication to fix it. I LOVE sugar everything, but my body does not feel good after I consume sugar laden food and drink…. I don’t need to live to be 100 years old, but I want my quality of life to be high. I would love to say I’m addicted to working out, but I just like it alot. LOL
Private Member |
I don’t think that it’s because of sugar in water. That amount of water may have taken all the minerals from the body of that girl. She may have died because of the lack of minerals?