Wednesday 24 August 2016

Sugar… I Shouldn’t Eat That, Right?

The Evil Stepmother of Weight Loss

Is sugar really trying to sabotage your diet plan? Absolutely not! In fact, all carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose (a simple sugar molecule) for absorption. Sugar is a necessary carbohydrate!

It’s Not The Sugar, It’s The Calories

Sugar is so commonly consumed that it is often blamed for weight gain. It isn’t the guilty party though. Foods that are high in sugar, also tend to be high in calories. The extra calories are the reason why people gain weight or struggle to lose weight while eating sugary foods. You know those cupcakes that you ate? It’s not the sugar’s fault. It’s the 400 extra calories that are in each cupcake. I know what you’re thinking. If you walk past any magazine stand, you will see the “I cut out sugar and lost 10 pounds” title. Well, yeah, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the sugar. Of course, if you stop eating extra sugar, you may also lose weight because you are inherently eating less calories.

Everything in Moderation

Say it with me. Sugar is not inherently bad for you. There’s a reason why it exists. It provides quick energy for the body that is easy to absorb. Problems only arise when you are replacing nutrient dense foods with sugary foods. As long as you are consuming this carbohydrate in balance with the other macronutrients, you will be fine.

Where The Fear Came From

There’s a reason why sugar has a bad reputation. It makes sense. When you eat sugar, insulin is released to help transport the glucose (sugar) into the tissues and bloodstream, as well as store extra glucose for later in the form of body fat. This means that the more sugar that you eat, the more insulin your body releases to process that sugar. People commonly believed that this spike in insulin from the extra sugar would also cause the body to store more body fat from that sugar. It doesn’t necessarily work this way though. Yes, if you are eating more food, more of it will be stored as body fat, but this is from the extra calories and not the extra sugar. Your body can only store extra body fat if you are eating more calories than you are burning. It isn’t the sugar’s fault.

Now You Know

Sugar isn’t inherently bad for you. A balanced diet can contain sugar. As long as you aren’t taking in extra calories, you won’t gain weight. 

 

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