Posted on June 04, 2015 by Jenny Cromack
It’s all we hear in the news at the moment sugar is bad for you, reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, etc. So this blog is going to look at why sugar is bad for you.
For optimal body composition it is simple….by eliminating sugars from your diet you have more chance of staying lean BUT we shouldn’t just look at the aesthetic benefits of reducing sugar in our diet, what about the health benefits too? Reducing sugar in your diet will reduce the risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity as well as accelerated ageing…..the result of this will be increased longevity and the ability to enjoy life more.
To be fair it’s not sugar directly that causes the health issues, rather it’s the fact that people consume far too much sugar and much of this sugar is consumed without even realising it.
The majority of people think that sugar is fine in moderation and that sweeteners are okay for us because they are natural, raw and come from plants, however just because it is raw and plant based it doesn’t make sugar healthy.
What Is Sugar?
Sugar includes all the sweeteners that are produced from sugar cane such as sugar, corn syru, honey, maple syrup and fructose.
Glucose is the sugar that is turned into glycogen and stored in the cells for energy. However once your glycogen stores are full this sugar is turned into and stored as fat. Glucose on its own does not taste sweet but paired with fructose in equal ratio is what we know as sugar. If you need to replenish energy stores quickly after an intense workout glucose is the best choice, however for body composition avoiding it will get the best results. Fructose is the sugar found in fruits and some vegetables and is metabolised by the liver and doesn’t raise insulin.
The problem With Sugar
When you eat sugar your hormones alter your brain function and makes you crave more sugar, for many of us this is a vicious circle and we then constantly crave more and more. When we eat sugar our alertness, energy expenditure and the brain’s reward centres are all down regulated. Eating sugary carbs inhibits the brain resulting in you being less alert.
Tips To Avoid Sugar
1) Avoid Fruit Juice – Juices contain none of the fibre of the whole fruit and most juices have a ridiculous amount of sugar added to it.
2) Don’t add sugar to food and drink – If you add sugar to hot drinks or porridge STOP!
3) Minimise fructose intake – Lower fructose fruits include most berries, nectarines, grapefruit, avocados and tomatoes. At the higher end of the scale are bananas, apples and pears so keep these fruits to a minimum if you are looking to stay lean and reduce the risk of disease.
4) Eliminate all processed foods – Eliminating all processed foods with help reduce sugars. As always, the personal training team at motive8 North recommend to eat as clean and lean as possible focusing on eating organic meat, nuts, seeds, beans and veg.