Is Sugar the Problem?

Is sugar the problem, or is excess sugar the problem?

I vote #2!

Sugar is required for your life. Excess sugar is not.

If you are starting to see the signs of too much sugar in your diet, you can fix it pretty easily. 

Weight Gain, Unable to Manage Weight, Inflammation, Blood Sugar Issues, Diabetes, Other illnesses and diseases including cancer.

We are keeping it simple here because when you break it down, it is simple.

You don't need a complex solution, you just need a plan of action you can stick to so that you get results.

SUGAR

Sugar is the basic source of energy that helps your brain function, your muscles function, and your organs function.

Known as 'glucose' in your body, sugar is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. This type of sugar is the best, most healthy sugar for your body.

Excess Sugar

It is excess sugar that gets us get into trouble. 

It is that extra sugar that is added to our foods. And boy do we ever consume it.

We consume added sugar in drinks.

We consume added sugar in all types of food, especially desserts and junk food.

Worse, we consume unhealthy types of sugar, like all the high fructose corn syrup that is in processed foods and all kinds of drinks.

Healthy Side Note: high fructose corn syrup drives inflammation. So if you are sore, or hurting, you have inflammation and you should definitely cut down on sugar.

BALANCE

It is healthy for your body to get your food from a balance of all of the food groups: protein, carbohydrates (sugars), and fats.

In fact, doctors and researchers tell us the key is in the balance. Balancing especially your sugar intake can be huge in maintaining good health.

Your body needs glucose, and balancing it with protein and fiber and fatty acids is going to help balance your blood sugar levels.

I have personally been attracted to balance for all of my life - in food matters and personal matters and all matters.

That includes sugar. I will be the first to admit that I like foods and drinks that contain unhealthy sugars. Simply put, they taste great.

I usually try to balance consuming these with doing (much) better with my other food and drink choices for the day. Deprivation is not the key for most of us and so why not be able to make some choices that might not be the healthiest and then balance it out.

Healthy Side Note: Diseases and illness associated with excess sugar in your diet: Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, dementia and many chronic diseases.

Glycemic Index

Foods and drinks with sugar have a glycemic index, which is a measure of how fast your body's blood sugar rises after eating or drinking.

So, for example, if you consume straight sugar, it is going to raise your blood sugar fast. It would have a glycemic index of 100.

Healthy Side Note: when you eat high sugar foods or drink sugar filled drinks, your insulin response immediately goes up. And then your body is signaled to store all of those extra calories as fat - this is the reason why we gain weight when we eat too much sugar. It's a natural response of the body, and one that we can control!

What brings down the glycemic index of foods with some sugar is the other ingredients in the food, like protein and fiber. Those foods help to slow down the rate at which sugar enters our blood stream and so this does not initiate the insulin response.

When you understand glycemic index, and try to balance the foods you eat like we just described, your body is able to keep a healthier blood sugar level and that affects a lot about your health.

If you struggle to maintain a healthy weight, or if have inflammation (pain in joints or anywhere in your body), or if you are at risk or already have one of the diseases associatied with excess sugar, you need to take a closer look at the sugar you consume.

These are choices that can make a difference in the quality of your life: how you feel, your risk for disease, and your ability to be strong and healthy. 

Examples of Healthy Sugar Intake

If you are reading this you probably have a fondness for sugar but know you need to balance or even cut down on you daily intake.

There are dietary guidelines that can help. The most recent suggest that moderate sugar intake is about 37 grams per day, or 9 teaspoonss. That equates to about 10% of a 1500 calorie day.

You do have to pay attention to what you eat AND what you drink. Sugar content in sodas or iced coffee drinks, juices and even energy drinks may surprise you when you check labels.

One of the most useful things you can do is to start looking at labels. To start look at one number: Sugar content. Chances are getting healthier in the sugar department will get your diet on a healthier path in general.