Sneaky Sugar

Sneaky Sugar and Where It Hides

I am in the middle of a 7 day sugar detox challenge with my clients and yesterday we talked about all the hidden places sugar can hid.  When I say sugar I am not talking about fruit, I am talking about dextrose or high fructose corn syrup or sugar (like the sugar you bake with).  Sugar is not bad when eaten in small quanties.  I don’t think any food is bad or good-food is fuel for you body.  It’s how you want to fuel your body and how you want your body to feel.  Food, especially sugar, have effects on your body.  It is always good to know how certain foods effect your body that way you can make a decision as to how you want to feel.

We all know there is sugar in candy, junk food and processed foods but sugar can sneak in in other foods you might not think about.  Here is a short list of what to watch for:

  1. Beverages-electrolyte beverages you drink or give to your kids are full of sugar-  (if you don’t believe me read the label), coffee drinks, milk, smoothies from resturants.
    *How to decrease the sugar in these drinks: find an electrolyte beverage that has less sugar in it then the one you currently drink, ask for 1/2 the amount of syrup in your coffee drink or skip the whip topping, non-fat milk has more sugar in it that 2% milk (when you remove fat you have to still make the food taste good hence why sugar is added), read labels on beverages from your favorite restaurant so you can make an educated choice.  Smoothies sound healthy but typically they are filled with sugar.
  2. Dairy Products-yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese and milk (mentioned above).  As I mentioned above when you remove fat from a product food companies typically add sugar in to make the food taste good.  * Read your labels and try to find yogurt with less then 10 grams of sugar.  As for cottage cheese and cheese read the labels of your favorite brands and compare to other brands.
  3. Shelf-stable food-a lot of food that is processed or shelf-stable has sugar in it.  Breads, crackers, chips and then the obvious like donuts.  *Again, reading food labels to see if you can find a bread or cracker with a lower sugar amount and try that.  Know that it will not taste the same as your regular bread/cracker.  Your taste buds need to get use to eating less sugar.

    The less sugar you eat the more aware you become of it when you eat foods high in sugar.  Again, I am not saying sugar is bad for you in small quantities but we need to realize how much sugar we are eating and adjust down if you want to feel your best.
    Sugar is an inflammatory.  Meaning, it inflames the joints so if you have joint issues you should watch how much sugar you eat and if you reduce your sugar intake you will see that your joint issues decrease.  Sugar also has an effect on blood sugar, heart disease, sleep and many other areas of your life.
    If you need help with learning how to look for sugar in your foods or want to learn how to decrease it, let me know.  I am here to help!

    You can reach me at www.personaltrainingwithlisa.com and www.bodyworksprescott.com