Sugar, sugar, sugar, oh how I love thee. However, my hips and waistline do not. In my post "Are Your Beverage Choices Causing Your Muffin Tops and Moobs", I mentioned that sugar contributes to fat storage in your body. Now, this isn't said to discourage you from enjoying sugary treats. Remember that you are allowed to have 40 grams of sugar per day. However, the types of sugar you consume can negatively impact your weight and nutrional goals. When you workout your body works to burn the sugar before it even starts to burn the fat. Burning fat is what gives you a lean physique, not burning sugar. Sugar can also increase your appetite for more sugar. Do you ever notice how a glass of juice or soda never really quenches your thirst?
Table sugar is commonly used as a sweetner. People use it in their coffee, tea, lemonade, baked dishes, etc.. This sugar is refined, which means that it goes through a chemical process in the factory that removes it's natural brown color and any nutritional value that it may have had. Therefore, the raw sugar is turned into the white sugar that we buy in the five pound bags from the supermarket. This type of sugar should be avoided. Why you ask?? Aside from contributing to weight gain, over consumption of sugar can suppress your immune system, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, raise your triglycerides, reduce your good cholesterol levels and raise your unhealthy cholesterol levels. In addition, sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children. Aren't our children a handful already?!?! These are just a few reasons to avoid sugar.
Your rebuttal to the above paragraph might be "well, I don't use that kind of sugar anyway, I use artificial sweetners". Wrong answer. Artifical sweetners aka "chemical sweetners", which are man made, such as Splenda (sucralose), Sweet and Low (sacharrin), and NutraSweet and Equal (aspartame) are some of the more popular choices for non-sugar users. Recent studies indicate that these types of sweetners can have some serious negative consequences for your body. There has been much debate about whether some artificial sweetners are linked to some cancers, headaches, depresssion, as well as other health risks. In addition, some researchers state that chemical sweetners can cause weight gain by increasing your appetite.
So what can you use?? My husband and I stick to more natural alternatives. My morning oatmeal is sweetened with Turbinado. It's brown in color because it hasn't been chemically altered. This type of sugar was recommended by my husband's nutritionist. You will seen it marketed in stores as "raw sugar" or "cane sugar". It is a healthier alternative to white sugar because it's not chemically altered and packs much less of a calorie punch. You can even substitute Turbinado in recipes that call for white sugar. Now, you still have to limit the amount you use to prevent weight gain. Turbinado is the better alternative for health reasons.
The nutritionist also recommended Stevia. Stevia is an herb grown in South America. It has zero calories and zero carbohydrates and is up to 300 times sweeter than regular sugar. In supermarkets, you can find it as: Truvia, Purevia, or Sweet Leaf. Crystal Light makes a Pure Fitness drink packet using stevia as the sweetner. It's actually pretty good. There is also a brand of soda named "Zevia" that uses stevia as it's sweetner. The flavors include black cherry (my favorite), cola, orange, lime, and root beer. These drinks are a great way to get your soda fix without all the calories and sugar. You can find these items in the health food/organic section of your grocery store.
Honey can also be used as a natural alternative. It packs a bit of a calorie punch (64cal/tbspn) but it is much sweeter than sugar so you won't need to use as much. I've read a few articles suggesting the use of blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is "the dark liquid byproduct of refining sugar cane into table sugar."This definitely wouldn't be my choice but don't knock it until you try it...I guess. This is also sweeter than sugar so again, you wouldn't need to use as much. Molasses also packs a nutritional punch, providing iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. I will give this a try eventually and do a post about it.
If you try one of these alternatives and don't like them give them another try. It's kind of like when you're trying out new foods on your toddler...the first few times don't go as smoothly as you had hoped but after the fifth or sixth attempt she/he is eating like a champ. It will probably take awhile for you tastebuds to adapt to the new food choices but remember that in the long run, your insides will thank you and so will your waistline.
Until next time...PE@CE!!
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