Enemy of the Plate: SUGAR

I don't know when it happened, but somehow, sugar has become a staple in our fatty American lives: Birthday cakes, holiday cookies, pumpkin pies, Halloween candy, Ice cream and snow cones in the summer, strawberry shortcake on the 4th of July, candy-filled Easter eggs, Girl Scout cookies, Valentine's day candy, a box of chocolates guys give their girlfriends when they screw up, you name it. America is all about sugar and at the same time we are trying to fight obesity? I shake my head.

Let's get specific.

REFINED SUGAR: This insidious little body destroyer is the result of a filtration process that removes sugar's natural raw brown color. This evil kind of sugar has no nutritional value and it is addictive. I know this, I have been addicted before. I would run out of sweet things in my kitchen and even though it was fully stocked with healthy food, I HAD to hit the store for ice cream or cookies lest I shed my human form and beat the crap out of the people around me. How insane. Also, dessert or sweet treats labeled as a "non-fat" or "low calorie" food? Horse shit. Check the sugar amount per serving, check the ingredients. Is sugar one of the first ingredients? It is? Are you eating more that 20g of sugar a day and trying to lose weight at the same time? Fat chance.

Are you still holding that donut? Drop it and read this.

When you eat too much sugar, "excess amounts are stored in the liver as glycogen." Unless you are burning off all of that glycogen in the marathon you are running the next morning, you better believe the liver will get too full. When that happens, "the excess amounts are returned to the blood stream as fatty acids." So, you eat low-fat and low calorie meals and exercise, yet you can't shake your inexplicable thunder thighs, double chin, bye-bye arm or love handles? Check your refined sugar intake. (1)

Now here's the nail in the coffin. Besides the rotting of teeth, refined sugar has been linked to a number of diseases, health conditions and ailments. Just Google "disease linked to sugar" and knock yourself out. Cardiovascular disease, hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and cancer are not worth the high of this grocery store-sold crack. Diabetes, heart disease and cancer run in my family. The HELL if I am going to increase my chances of getting those diseases by eating refined sugar.

Just like in a nasty breakup, when you dump sugar you must dump its family too... 

...like refined sugar's ugly cousin, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. This crack is also known as glucose-fructose (syrup), an alias you must know. One brand of popular sports drink changed the "high fructose corn syrup" in the ingredients to "glucose-fructose syrup", probably because of the growing disapproval of HFCS. Sneaky bastards. This cheap shit causes blood-sugar levels to skyrocket, more than refined sugar since it is even more processed and screwed up. Trust me, large amounts of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup = a shorter life of having to wear loose fitting clothes. Quit eating this crap and you'll trade in your muumuu in no time.

Fear not! There are healthy alternatives. There are cookies and fig cakes, etc., that you may  find in the natural/organic sections of your grocery stores. When you check ingredients or shop for sweeteners, look for organic versions of these nutritious gems:

Agave nectar or syrup
Stevia
Evaporated cane juice
Sucanat
Brown rice syrup
Barley malt syrup
Rapadura sugar
Turbinado sugar
Raw sugar
Beet sugar
Date sugar
Maple syrup
Molasses
Blackstrap molasses (2)

As Bon Qui Qui would say, "Don't get crazy." For example, I LOVE Country Choice Organics' Lemon Ginger Sandwich Cookies. I could knock out an entire package in one day. It is for that reason that  don't buy it anymore unless I have many friends to share the cookies with. I just don't trust myself with those.You can still gain weight eating organic sweets all day long. Those foods are just less harmful than the refined sugar versions. All in moderation. "Moderation" meaning not often. Even better if you avoid sweets altogether. Why? One word, FRUIT.

Fruit has tons of natural vitamins and minerals. Kick sugared foods out of your diet, make eating fruit your dessert and watch as the pounds fall off (just from kicking sugar to the curb!). Make sure you buy only organic fruits. You can bitch all day about the price of organic fruits, veggies and other foods (do your very best) but in the end, it's cheaper than the chemotherapy treatments you'll have to endure after decades of ingesting foods laden with cancer-causing pesticides and other deadly toxins and chemicals. I believe that is all I should have to say about that. Speaking of things that cause cancer, don't pat yourself on the back if you ingest no-calorie sweeteners all day. I'm talking no calorie sweeteners that contain aspartame, sucralose, xylitol, maltitol and saccharine. These are part of a topic that will be addressed in another article. Just know that it is NOT good for you, poisonous and causes you to be hungry for more crap that isn't good for you. Grab a box of Stevia instead for the time being.

Now hit the cupboard and start reading ingredients. Toss out any foods high in sugar. Just do it. Then hit the grocery store, buy healthier alternatives and stock up on organic fruit. Yes, this means you will have to hit the market at least once a week. That may be inconvenient to you but you owe it to your ass. Your body will thank you (so will the onlookers).


Sources
Freedman, Rory and Kim Barnouin. Skinny Bitch. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005, pp. 29-31.

Quit Being Full of Crap

I play dietician and nutritionist for a couple of my friends. I visit their homes and I throw out all of the food and drinks that are causing them weight gain, an increase in fat and a decrease in energy. Sometimes I have to be really convincing. I'll hold up what is practically a can of diabetes and say, "This has too much sugar in it, can I throw this away?" The usual response is, "But that's fat free!" or "No way, I paid good money for that," or "It's all natural, I can't eat that?" and then I say:

"No, you really can't eat that."

I can't believe how many times I have said that very sentence. Eventually the stars align and I get permission to throw away all of the crappy, fatty and unhealthy foods. We then go over daily life, work and eating habits and we come up with a grocery list including healthy, organic or natural fresh produce, food items that require preparation or cooking as well as quick, "grab n' go" items. After grocery shopping we make a day-by-day meal plan (Sunday through Saturday). I even include back up meal plans for when things go awry in the morning and food can't be packed. We also discuss options for going out to eat.

After seeing improvement in a few of my friends who have stuck with the healthier diet, as well as after getting a nod from a personal trainer at LA Fitness, I felt I needed to share what I know with the world.

What makes what I have to say SO special?

I am an experienced fat person. I have been both fat/overweight/unhealthy, thin/fit/healthy and everything in between many times in my life. I have tried several different diets AND eaten poorly on purpose because I don't care. I have worked out hard core AND I have also been lazy and apathetic about physical activity.

What do I, an experienced fat person, have to offer?

TONS.

Even if you exercise regularly, you can still gain weight. Trust me. I gained weight training for a half marathon. A HALF MARATHON. How does one gain weight running 20+ miles a week? Easy, just eat a poor diet. With each new weight gain and weight loss I have learned the many reasons why one may have trouble losing weight/body fat or maintaining a healthy weight/BMI (body mass index).


Here is the gist. Every new entry will feature a new "Enemy of the Plate." These are America's least wanted, the reason why you have a gut, the extra flab in your double chin and the clog in your arterial walls. These enemies are why you lack energy. Each entry will also have solutions and/or substitutes for these foods that cause you harm.


This blog may not be for everyone. Some of you may already be healthy and fit. Congratulations! Some of you remain thin no matter what shit you pack down your throat (I am a little jealous), but that does not mean that kind of eating habit will not come back to haunt you. Some of you have a "screw you, I love my body (even though I am overweight)" attitude. Well, increasing your chances for disease is not "loving your body," nor is having an unacceptable BMI. Love your body more by feeding it well which will increase your energy and improve your health (the rocking bod that follows is a nice perk too).

I think that is enough for an introduction. Now on to the main event, improving YOUR health. Knock each of these awful foods out of the ring and watch as you rise to the top. You have the power to do it and the choice is simple. Eat well, exercise, look great, feel great. There are no short cuts and no pills to expedite the process in a healthy way. Should you choose to make these changes, let me know, I would love to cheer you on!