First of all, I’m not going to scold you for eating sugar. Nope, not gonna do it. I may talk in circles about this, but I promise I won’t scold.
BUT, I am going to educate you on a few things about sugar that you may not know. Info from credible sources (AKA my nutrition textbook etc) that you can trust to give you the right facts. You’ll learn a bunch here, I promise.
http://www.sugarstacks.com/ (Check out the fruit section on the website. Check out the veggie section. Check out the snacks, beverages, cookies etc.) Visually seeing this opened my eyes. Wow.
Like I said, this post isn’t to scold one bit! This is to educate you and make you think a little bit more about what you’re eating. There is definitely a place for treats in life, for sure! – I love treats – but they can’t be part of my everyday-regular diet. Just want to get that out of the way – I love to enjoy my sugary foods.
My brother, Dan, once said something that stuck with me. He said “You’ve got to treat, not mis-treat your body”. Good stuff. He’s a smart cookie.
Okay, let’s dig a bit deeper..
Here’s a frequently asked question about sugar:
Sugar in FRUIT compare to sugar in CANDY. What’s the difference? IS there a difference even?
Most fruits have fiber in them - that’s why any doctor will tell you to eat an apple every day.
What that magically-wonderful fiber does is regulate how fast that sugar goes into your bloodstream, stopping the body from having a sugar spike like candy would cause, and stopping it from instantly travelling to your hips and thighs.
This is why fruits and whole wheat breads are so so good for you. Yes, they have sugar in them, but the fiber also regulates how your body uses that sugar.. That sugar that is slowly absorbed into your blood stream can then be used at a rate that your body needs. No sugar spike like a chocolate bar would give you. Plus, the sugars in fruits (and yes, veggies) are bundled up with water, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, which we all know are only positive for your body.
This is how it works when there is sugar in fruit, veggies and whole grains:
When the body breaks these sugars down, it is synthesized (aka broken down and changed) in your liver. Because this all takes place in your liver, your body doesn’t have that spike I was talking about. What that means, is that your body is less likely to store it as fat.
Now, Canada’s Food Guide says that we should have between 5-10 servings of fruit and veggies. How you allot them is your choice, but because the sugar (even though it’s natural sugars) is higher in fruits, it’s best to have more veggies than fruits.
Another thing to consider is that fruit will give you energy because of that sugar content. So, while fruits are nutritious for you, time them right in your day. Use them as a snack or as an energy boost before and/or after you exercise. If you know that early afternoon you usually get sleepy (don’t we all!), save your fruit servings for then. Or if you need that extra sugar boost in the morning, have that fruit smoothie first thing in the morning. Like I said, they are full of water, vitamins, antioxidants, and lots of fiber – they’re good for you and shouldn't be cut out completely – just know that they’re full of natural sugars as well.
A bunch of science, and a lot of answers…
A Quick FYI for you…
The SIMPLE sugars you can identify on the back of packages are these ones – look out for these – or eat in moderation: glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, and corn syrup. These are all simple sugars.
The COMPLEX carbohydrates that contain natural sugars are the ones that will give you sustained energy without feeling awful afterwards. Those are all your whole wheat products, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, lentils, peas, etc etc etc…
What is a sugar rush and why do I get sugar cravings?
Remember how I talked about how sugar paired with fiber is a TOTALLY different story, in terms of how your body digests sugar?? It’s why sometimes you can get a sugar rush and sometimes you don’t.
A sugar rush only happens when your body digests SIMPLE sugars. The food you eat is instantly digested and the sugar is rushed away into your blood stream. Instantly hyper and an instant blood sugar spike!
When sugars are mixed with the COMPLEX carbohydrates (whole grains, beans, etc), the sugars take longer to digest, and your body is able to sustain its energy – it can use the sugars at the rate that it NEEDS, not all at once.
This blood sugar spike causes your pancreas to give insulin. What insulin does (in case you’ve ever wondered) is helps your body store blood sugar for use when it actually needs it. When someone has a poor, unhealthy diet, the body produces less and less insulin in the pancreas – we all know this to be called Type II diabetes. There are different reasons Type II diabetes can occur, but this is the most common.
After you eat a snack filled with sugar (think: chocolate bar, big piece of cake), your brain gives a natural chemical into your body called opioids. This makes you happy. Happy happy happy!! The brain sees that the body likes this sugar, and you instantly crave more.
What’s interesting is that the same areas in the brain (hippocampus, insula, and caudate) that are activated when craving sugar, are the same area that is activated when a drug addict craves drugs….food for thought…maybe this whole craving thing is not just our imagination…
How do I curb this craving?
- Try to limit your SIMPLE sugars and carbohydrates. You knew I was gonna say that, didn’t you. Simple as that. When you have COMPLEX carbohydrates, you are still getting sugars, but you are getting it in a combination that your body can use, even thrive from – so don’t cut those complex carbs out – just limit those simple ones that your body can’t use well.
- Drink water. Soooo simple. Your body is dehydrated half the time you think you’re craving sugar. Drink water.
- Little tricks like eating protein – you feel fuller longer as it takes longer to digest.
- Also, allot yourself a treat every other day…or every three or four days. Don’t cut sugars out completely! But just be smart with them. Use them for energy and decide at the beginning of the day what you’d like for your treat.
And please PLEASE don't stress about this. If you're a sugar nut and love to have it all day long, start to make small steps to wean yourself off. Decide at the beginning of the day and stick with your decisions of how you're going to allot your treats for the day/week.
You're stronger than you think. Replace your simple sugars with complex. That could be a place to start too.
Take care my friends,
Naomi.