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How Too Much Sugar Can Undermine Your Health and Weightloss Goals

7/9/2018

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Photo by Michael Pardo (CC0 1.0)

Now, more than ever, we have an understanding about sugar and its effects on our health.

For example, check out this Ted talk on how sugar affects the brain. We understand how too much sugar causes addictive patterns in our brain because we receive a dopamine release (a feel good neurotransmitter) after consuming it, and when we consume high amounts of sugar regularly, we start to lose our tolerance for it, causing us to crave more to get the same effect.  In this way, sugar, in high amounts, acts like a drug to our system.  

This is important to understand because sugar is added to so many foods.  In fact, it is hidden in foods you wouldn’t necessarily think would contain sugar.  Cakes, cookies, and treats are obviously sugary foods, but did you know sugar is also added to things we might eat on a daily basis, and even think of as healthy? Sugar is found in breads, crackers, salad dressings, condiments like ketchup, pasta, flavored waters and juices, and yogurts.  Reading labels and identifying things like cane sugar, raw sugar, honey, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, starch, lactose, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar,  all of which are forms of sugar, can help empower us to make different choices that are healthier.

We naturally get sugars from fruits and vegetables. Sugar is another term to describe a simple carbohydrate, or simple sugar. Other carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, also contain sugar but also have fiber and other nutrients which makes a huge difference in how we process and digest that food.  Essentially simple sugars immediately require us to produce insulin in order to shuttle the glucose into our cells for energy.  Complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, squashes and other starchy vegetables, contain fiber and have a longer digestive process, essentially creating a more gradual increase in energy. Think about a sugar spike of energy after eating a sweet treat, followed by a crash, versus a more sustained and gradual energy.

Now, here is something interesting about how sugar is stored in the body.

Sugar is changed to glucose and brought to our cells to use immediately for energy.  Any cell in our body can use glucose for energy.  However, our cells have a maximum amount they can use at a time, so any leftover glucose that cannot be used gets converted to glycogen and stored in our muscle tissue and the liver.  The liver and our muscle tissue also have a maximum amount of glycogen that can be stored, SO, any excess glycogen beyond that can be used immediately or stored gets converted into triglycerides, which are fat molecules, and stored in adipose tissue, or fatty tissues in the body for longer term storage.  In other words, if your diet consists of high and consistent amounts of sugar (including all those hidden sources) then likely you are consuming more than can be used or stored as glycogen and thus that excess fuel gets stored as fat.  This is exactly why “diet” and “low-fat” products do not work for weight loss goals.  In fact, they often create more stress on the body in terms of processing high amounts of sugars and preservatives and can lead to unwanted weight gain!

In addition to weight loss, less sugar consumption is healthier for us because we are not stressing our endocrine system with a high need for insulin.

Balancing insulin in the blood has direct effect on the brain where we remain sensitive to sugar and thus do not fall into addictive patterns as mentioned above.  Furthermore, high triglyceride count in the blood is strongly linked to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.  Limiting sugars to their natural sources like whole fruits and vegetables and avoiding added sugars and excessive refined sugar consumption can not only help you achieve healthy weight goals but also decrease your risk for serious conditions like metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
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7 Reasons to Eat More Fat & 7 Healthy Fats

4/30/2018

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Photo by Kai Hendry (CC BY 2.0)

The unfortunate consequence of fat phobia is that we have deprived our bodies of an essential nutrient that is critical for brain and hormone health.

This malnourishment has contributed to a large collection of illnesses and compromised brain function.  There is a lot to get over, in terms of mindset, around fat, but I encourage you to experiment and begin incorporating more healthy fats into your diet.  Look forward to the following positive results from eating more healthy fats.
  1. More satiety from meals. Increasing your fats reduces carbohydrate and sugar cravings that results in insulin surges and crashes.
  2. Sustained energy throughout the day. Less energy sources from sugar means less highs and lows throughout your day.
  3. Happy brains. Healthy fats nourish your brain, which means it can function optimally. This means better focus and stress management, less anxiety, depression, fatigue and overall brain fog.
  4. It’s delicious! Enjoy meals they way we were meant to! Our bodies crave fat for a reason, and healthy fats are to be enjoyed.  More enjoyable meals, without guilt, means more satiety and more happiness overall.
  5. Lose weight. Eating more healthy fats with a high nutrient wholesome diet can help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.  High carb and sugar diets can lead to insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance which ultimately leads to weight gain.  Healthy fat satiety helps to bring insulin into normal ranges and also help normalize weight.
  6. Prevent cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. The brain loves fat for fuel and can use fats for fuel even if it becomes unable to use glucose (which happens in dementia and AD).  Eating fat ensure our brains always have stores of fuel to draw from.
  7. Hormone health. When our hormones are balanced then we feel and look great!  Healthy fats, nutrient dense proteins, vegetables and fruits help balance hormones and counteract the negative effects of a low fat, high refined and processed food diet that is loaded with sugar, unhealthy oils and chemical additives.

Ok, so ready to incorporate more fat into your diet?  Get started by focusing on these healthy and optimal sources:
  1. Coconut oil. Choose organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil for best benefit from this plant based saturated fat that is high in lauric acid and terrific for the immune system.
  2. Grass-fed butter or ghee. Organic, grass-fed butter or ghee can be an excellent source of fat and grass-fed organic is important so you are steering clear of added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and unhealthy fats from animals that are fed grains and treated conventionally.
  3. Avocado. Whole avocados or avocado oil is an excellent source of fat that is also delicious.  Avocados are particularly supportive of healthy testosterone levels.
  4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or whole olives provide Omega 3 fatty acids and polyphenols that are excellent for cleaning up free radicals (a toxic burden).  Olive oil is best for drizzling over salads, sauteed veggies, or swirling into soups.
  5. Lard or tallow. These are two natural fats from pigs (lard) and beef (tallow).  Look for grass-fed, organic, pasture raised sources.
  6. Cold water fish. Salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, krill and even oysters are great sources of omega 3 fats and cholesterol.  In fact, cold water fish are the best source of Omega 3 fats, which are critical for their antioxidant properties.
  7. Pasture-raised eggs. Eggs from pasture-raised chickens are an excellent source for healthy fat and cholesterol intake.

In addition to these top seven healthy fats, consider enjoying whole nuts and seeds as well. Eating whole nuts and seeds, that have been cleaned and soaked are a good source of fat and protein, plus fiber and other nutrients (like selenium in brazil nuts).  Many people cannot tolerate nuts and seeds, which is why they didn’t make the top seven list here, but if you can, enjoy adding nuts into your diet as well.  I recommend soaking them overnight so they are easier to digest and rotating nuts so you aren’t eating the same ones every day.

If you’ve been following a low-fat or fat-free diet, then I hope you will consider making some changes.
Fat is such an important and vital nutrient for our overall health and can make a drastic difference towards feeling great when we start incorporating more into our diets.  And I get that this is a big topic to unravel.  If you want more science, check out this article that breaks down the chemical structure of fats.

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10 Tips for Breaking the Sugar Habit

4/16/2018

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Photo by Coralie Ferreira (CC BY 2.0)

Breaking the sugar habit is hard for everyone.

And more than willpower, it is our biology that is driving the boat. Making successful changes in diet requires compassion and gentleness. Forcing ourselves to do anything, to restrict our “treats” is a deprivation model and we will only rebel against it in the end.  

The best place to start is by adding in more nutrient rich foods, such as organic fruits and vegetables, high quality organic protein sources with every meal, adequate amounts of healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.  Fill your plate with healthy choices and focus on bringing in more nutrients that will lead you towards optimal health, weight, and mood, rather than looking at restricting anything.  And here are 10 Tips for taking the next steps to finally break that habit and begin achieving your personal health and wellness goals!

10 Steps for Dealing with Sugar Addiction
  1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine.
    The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing sugar cravings to be more frequent. 
  2. Drink water.
    Sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Before you go for the sugar, have a glass of water and then wait a few minutes to see what happens. Caution: soft drinks are now America’s number one source of added sugar.
  3. Eat sweet vegetables and fruit.
    They are sweet, healthy and delicious. The more you eat, the less you crave sugar.
  4. Use gentle sweets in moderation.
    Avoid chemicalized, artificial sweeteners and foods with added sugar. Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, raw honey, and unsweetened dried fruit.
  5. Get physical activity.
    Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase. It will help balance your blood sugar levels and reduce tension without medicating yourself with sugar!
  6. Get more sleep, rest and relaxation.
    When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy—in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late or waking up early, sometimes for months and years on end.
  7. Evaluate the amount of animal food you eat.
    Eating too much can lead to cravings for sweets. So can eating too little! A good health counselor will help you sort this out. Experiment. Respect your body’s individuality.
  8. Eliminate fat-free or low-fat foods.
    These foods contain high quantities of sugar to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on the roller-coaster ride of sugar highs and lows.
  9. Experiment with spices.
    Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.
  10. Slow down and find sweetness in non-food ways!
    Your body does not biologically need sugar, but it does long for hugs, time with friends, outside time, workouts, massages, etc. When life becomes sweet enough itself, no additives are needed!
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