Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sugar - How Sweet It Is.....Or Is It?

Let's discuss the benefits of eating sugar. First off.....well......uhmmm.....oh yeah, that's right......there aren't any!

By now you should know (if you didn’t already), that sugar is evil! If your health & wellness plan includes specific goals such as lowering your body fat percentage, trimming down your waistline, maintaining an ideal body weight, and improving your energy levels, then eliminating sugar from your diet is going to be a big step in the right direction.

Let's take a look at of the benefits by decreasing and/or eliminating the intake of this simple carb.
1. You’ll have more energy and be more productive
Believe it or not, you’ll actually have more energy if you completely avoid sugar. Sugar in its refined state is not friendly to our digestive system. The more sugar we eat, the more our bodies have to work to deal with it. Any energy that is gained from sugar is short-lived, and it creates such a spike in our insulin levels it’s like trying to quench your thirst by drinking from a fire house on full bore.
2. You’ll feel less sluggish in the afternoonDo you ever experience that annoying tired feeling in the early afternoon? I use to and it was something I’d come to expect/learn to live with. After removing sugar (and grains) from the majority of my meals, I realized that the tired/sluggish feeling wasn’t normal. Having low glycogen (blood sugar) levels forces you to utilize stored fat as the primary source for energy. Sounds good, right? It does to me!
3. You’ll be able to appreciate more subtle tastesThe thing with sugar is that it has such a heavy taste, it dominates the various flavors we eat. By removing sugar, things may seem rather bland to begin with. But over time you’ll start to appreciate tastes that you wouldn't even be able to identify when your food was saturated with sugar.
4. You’ll be in control of your diet (and therefore your body)After a couple of weeks your sugar cravings will start to subside. You’ll no longer yearn for the white cocaine-like powder (which ironically is addictive) - so when others feel like a cookie, cake or soft drink, you’ll be happy with an apple or an orange. You’ll also be able to appreciate 'cheat meals' without eating harmful amounts of sugar, as you’ll be satisfied by smaller helpings. Sometimes just one small piece of chocolate can be enough.
5. You’ll waste less money
Cans of Coke, chocolate bars, cakes, cookies, pastries, confectionery…..all these things will no longer be on your shopping list. You’ll be walking straight past the vending machine at work as you watch other employees bending over to pick up their mid-afternoon chocolate/sweet fix. Just dig your hands into your pocket and feel those coins that are still yours to spend/save (I recommend saving).

There are other advantages I could go on to list - sleeping better, avoiding extra dental fees, having better skin complexion - but I wanted to list just those that will be applicable to everyone. No matter who you are, if you stop eating sugar for good, you'll enjoy the benefits listed above.
Have I (myself) gone off sugar completely?
Well, no. However, I avoid it whenever possible but now and again I do eat it, and I enjoy it too. I sometimes consume it as part of my 'cheat meals'. But most of the time I actually prefer to use healthier sugar substitutes such as agave nectar, organic honey or organic maple agave syrup blend.
Take note: You may experience flu-like symptoms if you completely shut off from eating sugar. This happens as your body finally has a chance to get rid of toxins which have accumulated within. Headaches are quite common as well. Don’t go out and get any medication, just ride it out and in a day or two you’ll feel a lot better.
Here's to living a 'sweeter life'!
-AR
*Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, nutritionj.com, jn.nutrition.org

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You may experience flu-like symptoms if you completely shut off from eating sugar. SO TRUE, CLIENTS TELL ME THIS ALL THE TIME!!!! NIce post Adrian!

Josh

Adrian Robles said...

Thanks Josh! I appreciate you reading & checking out my blog. Stay strong my friend!