Ahhhhhh sugar – the delicious melts-in-your mouth substance that sends your taste buds to Flavor Country and puts you in a euphoric state. Sound more like a drug than a source of nourishment? Well, that’s not too far off when you really look at sugar and its effects on the body.
First, let’s further define sugar. Sugar takes many disguises – not just the crystallized, white table sugar which many of us are familiar with. Sugar includes corn syrup, maltose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, brown sugar and molasses. Even if you think you avoid a lot of “bad carbs” and sweets, the amount of refined sugar you may be consuming may shock you. Sugar is hidden in many items we buy regularly at the grocery store.
For example, did you know that one tablespoon of ketchup contains a full teaspoon of sugar! It’s in most processed foods, including bread, soup, cereal, deli meat, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, crackers, mayonnaise, canned fruits and vegetables, vegetable juice, and the list goes on. And this isn’t even the obvious culprit like jam, candy, doughnuts, cake, cookies, ice cream, soda and juice!
Many nutritionists consider sugar a major contributor to the obesity epidemic in America. According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consume on average 140 pounds a year of sugar added to the diet – either as sucrose or High Fructose Corn Syrup. It’s no wonder our waistlines are expanding in rapid success!
One way to understand why sugar is bad for you is to understand its effects on the body’s blood sugar. Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. When you ingest simple carbohydrates (i.e. cookies, cake, low-fiber cereal, ice cream, etc… you flood your bloodstream with sugar. The pancreas then produces insulin, a hormone designed to bring your blood sugar back down and converts the excess sugar to stored fat. The greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low. Thus your brain gets a message that your body requires more sugar to return the level to normal resulting in the urge to eat more sugar. (this is why often if you’ve had sweets you crave more to feel satisfied). This also accounts for the “sugar crash” feeling you may get.
When given the proper fuel, our bodies function the way they should and subsequently we feel healthy, energized and happy. However, when we fill up on junk food and sugar we feel horrible and in some cases depressed. We all derive pleasure from the taste of different foods, so any diet that severely limits our food selection can lead to increased cravings (binging) or boredom. The idea is not to eliminate sugar completely from your diet – that would be no fun! Rather, you should become informed about what you are eating and eat sugar in smarter ways to lessen its effects on your blood sugar.
A good place to start is by eliminating unnecessary sugar from your diet. This means you should still feel free to have the occasional piece of birthday cake or shared dessert after dinner. However, try to stop eating a candy every afternoon or having desert every evening. And if you’re going to consume something with sugar or processed carbs, try to always eat it with a little lean protein and/or something high-fiber. This will at the very least help slow its effects on your blood sugar. Protein and fiber slow the absorption of food in your stomach which helps maintain a normal rise and fall in blood glucose and normal insulin response. Also, people who eat meals of refined carbohydrates (chips, crackers, white bread, cookies) without adding some protein and/or fiber fall into a vicious cycle of eating more calories throughout the day. The roller-coaster ride of high and low blood sugar leaves you hungry and craving more.
Don’t substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar either because research has shown that they can increase cravings for sugar and carbohydrates and many are made with chemicals that we don’t know the long-lasting effects on our health. Instead, reduce sugar cravings and stabilize blood sugar with a diet of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, beans and lentils, lean proteins and eggs.
If you have gotten used to eating a diet high in sugar, it will be hard to reduce your intake dramatically, instead reduce your intake gradually. Here is a sample menu to show you how you can eat delicious meals all day – and be satisfied and satiated – without all the added sugar!
Breakfast – approx 400 calories
1 cup cooked quinoa or old-fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup 1% milk
½ cup berries
Coffee or tea
AM Snack – approx 150 calories
1 small apple
1 tbsp almond butter
Lunch – Approx 430 calories
Spinach-Chicken salad
• 1½ cup spinach
• 3 oz chicken breast (about the size of a deck of cards)
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 walnut halves
• 1 tbsp light dressing
1 cup nonfat yogurt (natural unflavored) with 1 tsp honey
PM Snack – approx 150 calories
4 tbsp hummus with 8 baby carrots
Dinner – 400 calories
Shrimp Stir-fry (or use lean pork chop or lean beef)
• 3 oz meat of choice (3 oz shrimp= 8-9 medium)
• 1½ cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• minced garlic – to taste
1 small baked sweet potato with pat of butter
½ cup frozen grapes
Total calories: approx 1530
In addition, drink 6-8 glasses of water per day, and more if you exercised!