The word “sugar” conjures up images of candy, cake, cookies… pretty much all the sweets that we try to avoid. For the most part, we know we need to avoid them. But do you know why it’s important to limit sugary foods? And can you name all the foods that contain high amounts of sugar?
Sugar v. Insulin and the Diabetes Connection
Eating items high in sugar stresses your body, flooding your bloodstream with insulin on a regular basis. Simple carbohydrates don’t require much energy to be broken down into blood glucose (they’re already small glucose chains), and so they pass into the bloodstream pretty much as soon as you eat them. This causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, and an equal spike in the release of insulin in order to shuttle all that sugar where it needs to go throughout your body.
FACT: If you perpetuate this process by eating foods high in sugar on a weekly (or daily) basis, then over time this pattern will lead to insulin resistance and eventually type II diabetes. Read more on the relationship between sugar and insulin.
What Qualifies As Sugar?
Sugar doesn’t necessarily mean chocolate or candy either. Soda, granola bars, crackers, fruit, refined white bread, milk, and even yogurt contain a LOT of sugar.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat them – fruit, for example, has tons of vitamins and antioxidants that are important for overall health and longevity. Instead you should limit your portions of these sugary items and space them throughout the day.
Example:
My typical sugar intake looks like this:
½ cup skim milk with my oatmeal for breakfast
½ cup pineapple with cottage cheese for a mid-morning snack
Lots of veggies, lean protein, and some whole grains for lunch
6 oz. low-fat plain yogurt and ground flaxseeds for an afternoon snack
Lots of veggies and lean protein for dinner
You can see that I did eat sugar throughout the day, but I watched my portions. I also ate the sugary items in combination with other non-carbohydrate foods to help slow digestion and the rush of sugar into the bloodstream.
How Much Is Too Much?
I strive to look for items with 10g or less of sugar. This can be found by reading the nutrition facts on the food item. Once you start looking, you’ll be surprised how much sugar is in the foods you eat regularly!
For more on weight loss, try “10 Ways to Make Weight Loss Work for You.”
For more on carbohydrates and sugar:
Simple v. Complex Carbohydrates
Now I’ll ask you: What are your tricks for avoiding sugary foods?
