I guess you already went through Step 1 and Step 2 and you are very motivated and feel powerful as you were able to implement them into your daily routine. If this is your case it makes me feel wonderful as the whole purpose of this blog is to guide you towards healthier life.
today I want to talk about something that might be hard on some people.
SUGAR is what we will be talking about today.
I, personally, am very lucky as I am not a sweet tooth, however for my husband it was hard to quit sugar. I will be honest I did not eliminate sugar from my life completely and you don’t need to. But we have to make smart choices in reference to is consumption.
Information about the damaging effects of sugar on us is around and everywhere and still people go for donuts and eat cakes.
Unfortunately for us sugar is added to almost every proceed and prepared food that is available in supermarkets. and it is very important to read the labels. from label you will learn
If there is an added sugar
How much of sugar is in the product
Where the sugar comes from
What type of sugar is there
Is there added sugar?
For the added sugar use your logic. if you are buying an oatmeal. there should not be sugar in it. If the label shows 1,2,3gr of sugar, it means it was added and your oats are processed. However vegetables and fruits have a natural sugar and if you are buying a canned fruit there will be sugar amount in it. which takes me to a second point.
How much sugar is in the product?
The amount of sugar in the product is very important. there is a big difference from 1g of sugar to 10g of sugar. look at your protein bar. They are advertised as a healthy snack and many of us blindly believe the advertisement… well DON”T. some of those energy or protein bars contain more sugar then a chocolate bar. and we transition to number 3
Where that sugar comes from?
As I mentioned above sugar is in almost everything, and you will see wording as : “added sugar”
Let me mention several : all added sugar is bad and processes (yes.. we know that already.. I have to eat anyway)
I make my choices based on what is definitely a NO. so ASPARTAME is my first NO. it is known how bad it is and still some companies add it to their “SUGAR FREE” options, also there is a CORN SYROP or HIGH FRUCTOSE SYROP I try to keep myself away from those. and here goes the last point.
What type of sugar is there?
Some of the best natural brands will mention sugar from fruit (whatever fruit you are buying) or other source of sugar. For example honey has a natural sugar in it but there are cases where honey is processed and sugar is added during the processing and you get that honey that tastes as burned liquid sugar (put some white sugar in the metallic spoon and heat it a little, sugar will melt and turn brown). another way to add sugar to honey which is , unfortunately, wildly used is to feed bees with sugar, it boosts honey production but again that honey doesn’t have all benefits (try small local producers).
Use your logic and common sense to filter which added sugar you will opt for.
Life without sugar is hard. but try to limit it’s intake and if you must try to find good substitutes.
Cooking at home will help you to control amount of sugar you eat. I never add sugar to my beans, soups or any salty food that I cook.
as soon as you start controlling your sugar intake you will notice a weight loss, you will feel more energetic during the day.
If you are craving a sweet eat a piece of chocolate cake if you wish (try not to eat the whole cake) sometimes it is more beneficial then a protein bar. Do it once a week and try to exercise a little longer next day.
