We all may be guilty of over consuming sugar. But what’s the big deal?
Sugar is naturally present in most foods, even if just in trace amounts. It contains:
- NO nutrients
- NO protein
- NO healthy fats
- NO enzymes
Sugar is just empty and quickly digested calories that actually pull minerals from the body during digestion. Dr. David Reuben, author of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition says, “White refined sugar is not a food. It is a pure chemical extracted from plant sources, purer in fact than cocaine which it resembles in many ways. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11. It has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, 11 oxygen atoms, and absolutely nothing else to offer.” The chemical formula for cocaine is C17H21NO4. Sugar’s formula again is C12H22O11. For all practical purposes, the difference is that sugar is missing the “N”, or nitrogen atom. This may seem a bit much but sugar is just as addicting as cocaine. But don’t take my word for it, go a week without eating sugar.
Some tips:
- Reach for fruit: Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You’ll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness. And stock up on foods like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.
2. Get up and go: When a sugar craving hits, walk away. Take a walk around the block, do something to change the scenery and to take your mind off the food you’re craving.
3. Eat regularly: Waiting too long between meals may set you up to choose sugary, fatty foods that cut your hunger.
Let’s start with a mission to train harder and eat better. This is no easy task but I also believe it’s certainly not impossible. Let’s change some of our choices because we don’t want to just live, we want to thrive!
Written by Amanda Leonardi