THE ADRENALINE
Personal Training Newsletter
The Truth About Sugar
By Lauren Palm
What is sugar?
Sugar (sucrose) is a simple carbohydrate, metabolized directly into the blood sugar (glucose) which fuels our brains and muscles. The purer the source the faster it gets into our bodies, bypassing the digestive process.
Why do we want it?
Sugar floods us with pleasure by releasing serotonin. A sugar craving is really a craving for an energy and serotonin surge and by using sugar to satisfy, it easily becomes a habit. This is exacerbated by stress, which is when we need that energy and serotonin surge. Fatigue tells us we need another cup of coffee or a high carb snack in the mid-morning and again in the afternoon.
What does sugar do to our bodies?
Eating sugar rapidly elevates blood sugar and triggers an insulin spike in order to reduce the blood sugar by preparing our cells to absorb it. When there are no other nutrients (proteins, vitamins, enzymes, or healthy fats) consumed with the sugar the body is unable to process the sugar.
Why is that bad?
Minerals are required from our bodies (teeth and bones) to buffer the acidic environment.
Sugar is stored in the liver as glycogen, which the body will use for energy. When the liver is full, excess glycogen is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids and stored and as fat, first the belly, thighs, buttocks, breasts, and then the organs, which begin to slow down! Excess sugar is stored as fat.
Without enough sugar digesting enzymes, sugar sensitivity develops, especially in perimenopause. This causes headaches, intestinal distress, insomnia, irritability, depression, and low serotonin levels which cause more sugar cravings.
What about Artificial Sweeteners like Splenda?
Artificial sweeteners confuse your brain. The sweet taste prepares the body for an insulin surge it doesn’t get because no nutrients have arrived, so it tells the body to keep eating! That diet soda is making you eat more, creating fat, starving people.
Splenda is relatively new and potential long term side effects are unknown. Splenda is the trade name for sucralose, a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by British scientists trying to make pesticide. It is part sugar and the other part is chlorine.
Aspartame (Equal and Nutrasweet) has had the most complaints to the FDA of any food additive made available to the public in history. It has been linked with MS, fibromyalgia, and lupus.
Saccharin was the first available chemical sweetener and has mostly replaced by NutraSweet in diet sodas, but can still be found in gum, some processed foods and OTC medicines. Most researchers agree that in sufficient doses, saccharin is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in humans. Do you know how much your body can tolerate?
How can you satisfy the sugar craving without harming the body?
Natural alternatives include: Fruits, Honey, Natural Maple Syrup, and Stevia
Stevia is a sweet herb that has been around for 400 years without known ill effects. It has been FDA approved as a food supplement but not additive due to lack of studies. It is available in health food stores. It can be a wonderful tool in breaking the sugar addiction.
Tune in Next Month for information on the complex carbohydrates and using the Glycemic Index to regulate blood sugar and lose weight.
The Most Important Nutrient for the Body
By Steven Miller
Water is the most important nutrient in the body. Approximately two thirds of a person’s body weight is water. Here are some little known, yet amazing facts:
• Your body is about 60% water
• Your muscles are about 75% water
• Your brain is about 75% water
• Your blood is approximately 82% water
• Our bones are approximately 25% water
We all should be drinking two to three quarts of filtered or distilled water each day.; In order to calculate a more accurate daily requirement, divide your body weight in two and this is how many ounces a day you should drink. Remember that eight ounces of water make one cup, and there are four cups in a quart.
Some people may think, “I could never drink that much water in a day.” Fortunately, you are already one-third of the way toward doing just that, simply by the foods you eat. About one quart is absorbed through your daily routine. For example, bananas are over 70% water, apples are 80% water and tomatoes are approximately 95% water. Coffee, tea, and sodas however are caffeinated beverages. They do not meet our water requirement, for caffeine is a diuretic and actually causes you to lose water.
Now, let’s get down to what water can truly do for you and me. Water is necessary for nearly every bodily function, including circulation, digestion, absorption, and excretion. Water is vital in keeping our bodies running properly. For example, as we age- and we all do, we can develop degenerative disc disease in our necks and backs. This is usually caused by our discs simply wearing out due to inadequate fluid within the disc. The disc is composed of a material called the annulus fibrosus, and is filled with a jelly-like substance called nucleus pulposus. What do you think this jelly-like material is composed of? You guessed it! Primarily water. When we become dehydrated our discs are more prone to degenerate and eventually herniated which can lead to disease and arthritis.
As a trainer, I encourage my clients to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. This helps to prevent injury and increases the effectiveness of their program. Most importantly water improves my clients overall wellness. Our bodies need water!! So drink up!!
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