If you want to lose weight, there is one thing you ought to eliminate from your diet?sugar.
Sugar is a villain in your quest to lose weight. You are probably thinking, "Of course, everyone knows that sugar is fattening." Well, there's more to it than meets the eye. It's important that you understand exactly why you ought to avoid sugar.
First, let's define sugar. Sugar takes many more forms than the white table sugar with which you are familiar. Sugar includes corn syrup, maltose, lactose, fructose, sucrose, brown sugar, honey, molasses.
When you ingest cakes, cookies, chocolate, cereal, etc.-in other words, simple carbohydrates-you flood your bloodstream with sugar. (You need to begin to read ingredients labeling to determine if there is sugar in the food. You'll be surprised at just how many foods contain sugar in one form or another.) The pancreas then produces insulin, a hormone designed to pull sugar out of your bloodstream and deposit it in your cells and your liver.
Because the pancreas does such a good job, your blood sugar rapidly drops lower than it should. (That explains your swings in your energy level.) Your brain then gets the message that your body requires more sugar to return the level to normal. As a result you feel a need to eat more sugar. And the cycle begins again.
Many people believe they are "addicted" to sugar. I guarantee you that, if you didn't eat sugar for three or four days, that feeling of "addiction" would pass because your blood sugar levels would be stable and you would no longer feel the craving for sugar.
In addition, the pancreas releases another hormone called glucagon that helps to release fat from your cells. When you eat sugar all the time and the pancreas has to constantly release insulin, it is prohibited from releasing glucagon. As a result, you are literally locking fat in your body.
You might ask, "What about fruit?" Many people think of fruit as a great diet food. How often do you see someone having a plateful of fruit for lunch? Remember that fruit contains fructose, a natural sugar responsible for the sweetness of the fruit. It's important to know that just because it's natural, doesn't necessarily mean it's alright to eat it. It works the same way as any sugar. Now, we know that fruit contains many vitamins and minerals and should be a part of your food plan. However, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to keep your fruit consumption low, focusing on those fruits that contain less sugar, such as apples, pears and most berries.
Now, I don't want to leave you thinking that you can never again have sugar. Even while you are losing weight, there is one time that, if you must, you can give yourself permission to eat sugar. That time is immediately following an INTENSE training session. But be sure the session is intense because working hard will deplete your body of its glycogen stores (that's the name for sugar stored in your cells and liver for energy). Your body can store only a small amount at a time so it is possible to deplete it during an intense workout.
But don't overdo it. Remember, while you are in a weight-loss mode, you need to be particularly careful with what you put in your body.
Marilyn is a successful exercise/nutrition trainer and coach who works with women who are 50+. Her website http://www.fitandfabulouswoman.com provides fitness information, fitness products, fitness services, fitness advice and on-line personal training that support mature women in being their best...one-stop shopping for a healthy body, a clear mind and a soaring spirit.
Today's tip is on hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).Hypoglycemia affects both... Read More
It is a question we must ask ourselves continually if... Read More
I read a lot about the topics of health and... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
What is the Atkins diet and how can it help... Read More
Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually... Read More
What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More
Fats (triacylglycerols) ...Some basic terminology ...fat or fatty acid ...In... Read More
Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More
Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you... Read More
While there are many effective ways to get more energy... Read More
The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such... Read More
I turned into my parents' driveway in Maryland and parked... Read More
Mannatech's patent-pending glyconutrients complex, Ambrotose, is perhaps the greatest wellness... Read More
Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More
Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you... Read More
Nails are a protective horn at the end of our... Read More
Calcium helps reduce constipationUsing calcium and magnesium in the right... Read More
Evidence for the importance of fruit and vegetable intake to... Read More
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home... Read More
Like the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there are three kinds... Read More
Can we really stop the aging process, slow it down,... Read More
Students might start thinking a little differently, once they learn... Read More
It slows ageing, promotes healthy vision, has anti-cancer properties, increases... Read More
Much controversy and argument surrounds the idea that food may... Read More
Your healthOrganically grown fruit and vegetables are not covered in... Read More
Recently yet another super-heavyweight Iron Immortal died from a heart... Read More
How is it that we can't seem to think that... Read More
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from... Read More
The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight Control... Read More
Coconut oil is less known compare to olive oil, corn... Read More
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
Wow! Is it just me or? Wait! Let me start... Read More
Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More
Nature works mostly on the principle of thing and no... Read More
Because of consumer demand, the food industry focus is on... Read More
According to the National Institute of Health, Magnesium is needed... Read More
The key to good hydration is drinking a lot of... Read More
Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm... Read More
Recently, trans fats have risen to the forefront of the... Read More
Fiber is the part of the plant that is resistant... Read More
I'm 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has... Read More
As any student of chemistry will assure you, acids and... Read More
Fire ElementAccording to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are five... Read More
There are a number of common food mistakes that costs... Read More
For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
A hundred years ago, life was very different here on... Read More
Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?It is a... Read More
Summer is the time when we sweat highly and beating... Read More
"It's not what you eat, it's what's eating you that... Read More
The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual... Read More
"The physician who knows only medicine, knows not even medicine."... Read More
For a natural and tasty way to improve your health... Read More
Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
Like the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there are three kinds... Read More
Your healthOrganically grown fruit and vegetables are not covered in... Read More
First some terminology.Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs... Read More
For decades science has been looking for the answers to... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
Although you may have heard about soy and all of... Read More
In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More
Nutrition |