Those who follow my blog would have seen my talk on peppermint tea - well, good news, Starbucks are handing out free drinks before 12pm today, so go grab a large peppermint tea!!! :)
I've been racking my brains on what topic to post for you today, however this was made a lot easier after a conversation earlier this week.
Several other personal trainers and I have recently ...been discussing sugar and it's effects on our body. The subjects we have touched on are the differences between glucose and fructose, their sources and how they not only affect weight issues but also cause a large region of health problems.
We know artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are bad for us, but what about sugars? What does sugar actually do to our body and our brain?
Sugar in its natural form is a really tough stick called sugar cane; it isn't until the sugar is processed into crystals that it loses the fibre it contains. Without the fibre, you only have the tasty but problematic part of the original food.
Eating or drinking just 100 grams - or 8 teaspoons of sugar (the equivalent of one can of fizzy drink) can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five-eight hours. Meaning the immune system is weakened for this period of time and your risk of catching illness is heightened.
There are two types of sugar which we regularly encounter: glucose and fructose. Glucose is a 'simple' sugar which the cells in our body can use as a primary source of energy; when the sugar is finally transported into the bloodstream, the pancreas produces insulin.Fructose can only be broken down by the liver, which is NOT a good thing; this means a greater number of calories (around three times more than glucose to be exact) are going through the liver process and that results in a much higher production of bad cholesterol. This leads to health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
On top of this, fructose negatively changes the way your brain recognizes your food consumption. Your brain doesn't get the message that you have really consumed much food at all, hence it still thinks you're hungry; as a result of this, you keep eating without necessarily realising you're full.
Fructose does have its benefits however, for instance for professional athletes it can actually be helpful and hosts a practical purpose for those who can quickly burn it off.
Fructose can be healthy when in its natural form. For example, fruits contain fructose; however they are also high in fibre content. Whilst fructose does not provide enough satisfaction to alert the brain that you are full, fibre does this.
Now, this is where the debate comes in to play.
Even though fruits are great foods loaded with a wide variety of nutrients, fructose in too high quantities can slow down thyroid function and increase glycation. Glycation is layman's terms is browning - like the browning that makes crust on a loaf of bread.
Glycation is the result of protein cross linking and oxidation (email me for more information on this) If you want to see protein cross linking in action, cut an apple in half and watch it turn yellow!
Very few people realise that glucose can go through oxidation. Why is the worst glycation agent fructose? Because it does not raise insulin. In other words, the insulin is not getting it into muscle cells. Therefore, it lingers around and wreaks metabolic havoc.
As nutrition expert Robert Crayhon would say: fructose is like the guest that won't go home once the party is over. Crayhon recommends that the average person should eat no more than 5-10 grams of fructose a day! For very active individuals, 20 grams of fructose should be the maximum intake.
With the rising levels of health problems in this day and age such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol it is extremely important that any sufferers of these or similar conditions should avoid fructose all together for a period of time until the condition is resolved. Diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol can and will disappear if a correct diet is followed in order to re-regulate bodily functions! And sometimes, this means eradicating fruit too.
By no means am I saying that nobody should eat fruit, but keep the portions down to 1-2 a day (unless you are an athlete); and if you do suffer from a condition that is caused primarily by sugars then sure, cut it out completely for a while.
I am a true believer that all illnesses can be prevented, and cured by nutrition - including cancer! (More on that at a later date)
I know all the above can be a touchy subject, but please feel free to research it yourself, or come back to me for any further information, for knowledge is power!
Have a fantastic day, and before you have sugar (in it's many forms) think - is your immune system and health worth it??
With the rising levels of health problems in this day and age such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol it is extremely important that any sufferers of these or similar conditions should avoid fructose all together for a period of time until the condition is resolved. Diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol can and will disappear if a correct diet is followed in order to re-regulate bodily functions! And sometimes, this means eradicating fruit too.
By no means am I saying that nobody should eat fruit, but keep the portions down to 1-2 a day (unless you are an athlete); and if you do suffer from a condition that is caused primarily by sugars then sure, cut it out completely for a while.
I am a true believer that all illnesses can be prevented, and cured by nutrition - including cancer! (More on that at a later date)
I know all the above can be a touchy subject, but please feel free to research it yourself, or come back to me for any further information, for knowledge is power!
Have a fantastic day, and before you have sugar (in it's many forms) think - is your immune system and health worth it??
