we've just hit the last month of 2018! And for me, at least, I am going to be hurtling into 2019. This crazy month of December is full of birthday celebrations, a wedding and a family Christmas. I started writing it all down this past weekend and as always the drama is in the details. My son, who is turning 7, wants a carrot cake for his birthday party... anyone got a foolproof recipe? Please send it to me, the party is on Saturday afternoon! AND I need an outfit for the wedding - the dress code is coastal chic - what does that mean? If you know, please let me know - I need an outfit for 10 days time! Oh this boogie man - I know that you know that sugar is a no-no for weight loss. I know that you don't add it to your tea or coffee. You drink diet cool drinks and use fat-free salad dressing. And I know that you still can't shift the stubborn fat on your tummy, bum and thighs. Sugar is sneaked in E V E R Y W H E R E! So even though you're not adding any, it is STILL in your foods that you eat. And Sugar goes by many names - - - Start reading labels to find out if there is sugar in the foods you eat. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum of 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women. It's recommends a max of 9 teaspoons for men. A teaspoon of sugar is = 4g. I did a quick check in my grocery cupboard and this is what I found...
And what about fruit juice? It's healthy, right? It's fruit, after all. If you had to choose between a fruit juice and a fizzy drink, you'd choose the fruit juice, right? No hesitation. BUT IT'S NOT!!!! Boxed juice like Liqui-fruit or Ceres can havee 9 tsp of sugar in a 250ml serving. What about if you juice or squeeze your own? If an orange has about 3tsp of sugar and you need about 4 oranges to make a glass. That is 12g of sugar per orange x 4 = 48g of sugar or 12 teaspoons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you've strained the pulp then you are literally on a roller coaster sugar high. So drinking your fruit is not a healthy choice. Drinking diet drinks have their own pitfalls because the artificial sweetners actually suppress your "I'm full" hormone so you never feel satisfied. Artificial sweeteners also affect your judgement so you tend to drink and eat more than you should. A number of studies have also revealed that artificial sweeteners can have the ability to change the flora in your gut. This is important because when your gut bacteria are out of balance i.e. you have more bad than good bacteria then this can lead to weight gain... And NOW it's coming up to holiday time - sunshine, blue skies, sand, braais and alcohol.
When your blood sugar drops you are more likely to reach for a quick fix so that you feel better. And that quick fix usually turns out to be quick not nutritious! What happens when you eat something say a coffee and muffin or a mini sausage roll or a bread roll with ham? These foods are first off highly processed -they contain white flour, the fats used in them are likely to be hyrdogenated which are trans-fats, the meats are processed. When these kinds of foods are digested they are done so rapidly and that causes a rise in your blood sugar levels. Our body responds and releases insulin. Insulin is like the key that unlocks a door. The door, in this case, is our cells. The cells open up and take in sugar from the blood and that causes a drop in the sugar levels in your bloodstream. As a result you feel tired, lethargic, anxious and jittery.
By choosing foods that are slow releasing your body will not dump massive amounts of insulin into your blood stream to encourage cells to take up the digested foods quickly. This way your body will have sustained energy throughout the day. My first suggestion would be to eat breakfast each day. A breakfast that has proteins and fats. Both these foods will satisfy you, and because they take longer to digest you will be satisfied for longer and less likely to binge. ![]() Come and join us in the Balancing Act Group and be part of the 20 Days of Wellness Challenge Join Here Comments are closed.
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