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Sugar in the body: are all sugars the same?

It’s a Friday evening, you’re tired after work and you can’t wait to get home and relax to the max! On your way back from the office you get a sudden craving after those Friday yummies, and you stop by the grocery store. With the intention to just “get a few snacks” you end up making it rain over at the candy aisle. Sugar. The first thing we crave when we’re hungry and the last thing we want after a big meal. It’s said that sugar is as addicting as cocaine, and well if you’ve ever been a major sweet tooth, I think you can agree. Not that I’m assuming you know all about cocaine addiction, but you know what I mean…

Sugar in the body

That sugar isn’t the most healthy thing you can eat, most of us already know. And if you didn’t know, or have been denying it, well, this should be your smack in the face wake up call. But why is sugar unhealthy and what does it do in our body? Keep reading to find out, and you probably want to keep your hand away from the candy bag while you’re at it.

Insulin and diabetes

Sugar spikes our insulin and blood sugar which is what affects our bodies first, and fast. Since sugar is easily absorbed by our intestine it shoots straight up in our blood and makes us go crazy. By fast, I mean fast! You know those roller coasters which goes up slowly about 80 m high up in the air, and then just drops you? Yes, like that kinda fast. Or like a bunch of buff Fast and Furious guys racing their hearts out. Ever felt jittery or even a bit sick after too much sugar? Or the classic one where kids are bouncing off the walls? Well, that’s the insulin and blood sugar going on roller coasters and drag races in your body.

When this happens frequently, you are at a higher risk for type 2-diabetes, which usually is the first disease we associate with sugar. What diabetes essentially is, is when the pancreas has gone too sick and tired of making so much insulin after each sugar spike, that it no longer can regulate and maintain normal insulin levels, and that’s why you as a diabetic need to take insulin shots to stabilize your blood sugar.

Premature aging

If poor health wasn’t bad enough, sugar is also the worst thing for our beautiful faces as well. Sugar loves to pick a fight with our healthy cells, and unfortunately, they are stronger and knocks our cells out of the park, leaving us with damaged cells resulting in gloomy, wrinkled skin, and overall aging of our whole body. Take care of your cells people! Sugar does also include alcohol, people. Don’t forget that…

Different types of sugar

A lot of people like to lump sugar into just one category, and that category is called “unhealthy, get the fudge out” (literally, get the fudge out). If you’re sweet, you’re unhealthy (strictly food speaking. If you’re a sweet human being, you’re wonderful. Keep being sweet.), meaning that they put both candy and fruit in the unhealthy box and ditch fruits altogether. This, my friends, is a major mistake!

When we talk about sugar we call them either disaccharides or monosaccharides. This probably sounds like straight-up tooth fairy language, so to put it in simpler terms, a disaccharide is made up of two monosaccharides, and needs to get broken down by the body before it gets absorbed. A monosaccharide is a molecule in its simplest form, that doesn’t require to get broken down before absorbed into the body, which makes it easier for the body to absorb it. So, a disaccharide needs to get broken down into a monosaccharide and then get absorbed into the body, a monosaccharide just gets absorbed. Got it? Kinda?

Sucrose

This is the type of sugar that we find in most of our favorite processed foods. All those naughty treats that we love such as candy, ice cream, soda, cupcakes, and a lot of cereals and bread. Sucrose is basically the fancy science word for sugar, that white normal table sugar you can buy at the store.

Sucrose is made up of both fructose and glucose meaning that sucrose is a disaccharide. It’s made up of two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose).

Glucose

You’ve probably come across any of these expressions such as “glycogen storage”, “low glucose levels”, or “the brain runs on glucose”. And to make it simple, glucose is the sugar that we find in most carbohydrates. Bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, noodles, bananas, I mean you know what carbohydrates are. Glucose is a form of energy that our body and brain require to function, and is the type of sugars our body prefers. So yes, you could eat a bag of candy for that glucose spike, but you could also eat a whole grain avocado toast for a steady glucose spike while getting fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You see the difference?

Fructose

As the name kinda implies, fructose is naturally found in fruit, and we can also call it fructose for “fruit sugar”. Fructose is the sweetest for out of the three and is why it’s mostly used for sweet processed foods such as sweets and candy. Ever heard of the ingredient high-fructose-corn-syrup? Well, that’s the aftermath from processing fructose and what ends up in our candy.

Processed sugar and natural sugar

So, since we can find sucrose, glucose, and fructose in a lot of stuff, both whole foods and processed foods, it’s easy to understand why people draw the line and ditch all sugars. That’s why we see the whole “low carb” diet trend going around, since every carb contains sugar, and sugar is unhealthy and makes you fat. But, this is not true!

The sugars we want to stay away from are the processed sugars. The guys who are derived from our natural whole foods to make up this sweet additive that gets sprinkled on everything we eat and drink. A lot of big brands love to sneak in processed sugar into their products to make us addicted and hooked on their products. Even the most unharmful products, like cereal, “healthy” granola, yogurts, “freshly squeezed” juice, ketchup, whole grain bread, just to name a few of all the items sugar is sneaked into. Yes, we actually live in a world that cruel.

What does this mean for you? You need to become the boss, take control of your grocery situation, and become the food label reading police. If one of the first three ingredients are sugar, NEXT! Most likely you’ll be able to find a way better option of the same item with less, or without sugar.

And then we have our natural, healthy sugars which occur naturally in a lot of foods. Fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, whole grains, these are the things you want to eat and should be eating. Whole foods provide us with a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and gut-loving fiber which are essential to our body. Not to mention that our brain and body needs natural sugars to function properly, plus it makes our skin more radiant and keeps us looking fresh as fudgy budgy for longer.

So please, say it with me, fruits are HEALTHY. They are sweet, they are filled with fructose and natural sugar, but they are healthy! Eat them every day. And if you’re wondering about the insulin and blood sugar spikes from fruit, wonder no more! Thanks to all the fiber it slows down the spikes, making the insulin steady and chill. Our pancreas loves that. He’s not good with stress management.

Alternatives to sugar

Now you might be thinking, jisses woman, are you telling me to stop eating my favorite sweet treats? What about my sweet morning tea? Birthdays? How am I supposed to bake a cake without sugar? Slap some fruits in there!? Don’t worry, I’ve got you. And no, I’m not going to tell you something like “you’ll get used to not eating sweet baked treats”, or “dark chocolate is just as yummy as milk chocolate” because let’s be real, it’s not the same thing.

In baked gods:

Dates: Not the ones you get on Tinder, but the edible dates you can buy in the grocery store (if only dating was that easy, huh?). Mix them up in a food processor and add them as a natural sugar to your cakes and treats.
Bananas: It might leave a bit of a banana taste, so if you’re not into that, then don’t use bananas as your replacers. Mash them up and add them to whatevs.
Agave and honey: If you’re strictly vegan then toss the honey out of the window. Agave and honey are as natural as it gets when it comes to that real sweet goodness of nature. It’s already a liquid and you don’t need much of it at all.

In drinks (coffee, tea, I mean even cocktails if you please).

Agave or honey

Snacks:

Fruits.
Dried fruits.
Raw treats.
Baking your own cakes: You can find so many recipes only for brownies, cakes, cookies, whatever you might think of that uses real whole ingredients. Black bean or sweet potato brownies? Yes, they are a thing, and no you actually won’t notice the difference. If you want me to post a sweet recipe, leave a comment below on what, and I’ll try to “whole food” it.
Dates in cacao powder (this is so darn delicious I promise you).

Obviously, snacks will be the toughest part so let’s get real. You are allowed to eat sugar. You can eat donuts, you can have a bag of candy, you can do whatever you want, and I want you to do it! Life isn’t about restrictions, it’s about balance. It’s definitely healthy to keep the processed sugar intake low, but if you are craving a twinkie or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, eat it!! It’s also healthy to feed your craving, enjoy it, and then get on with your life.

Now, go ahead and have a sweet ass with your sweet ass!

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sucrose-glucose-fructose#absorption-and-use

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6215768/

https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/what-sugar-does-to-your-body/

Natural and Added Sugars: Two Sides of the Same Coin

August 4, 2019August 4, 2019

Linnéa KindstromLeave a comment

Why Calories doesn't matter

We have a lot to say about calories. We can’t eat to many of them, because we will gain weight, we can’t eat to few of them because we will reach an unhealthy weight. We count them more intense than we ever did our math homework, and we shame ourselves after eating a food containing “too many” of them.

Calories are simple. They are a unit of energy, that our bodies get from food. They are essential for our life and bodily functions. Calories are our gasoline, our fuel, the hype man that keeps us liiit.

When we talk about calories we usually think calories in – calories out, and burning more calories than you consume leads to weight loss or weight gain, if the opposite. This is true, but the kind of calories you consume does make a difference in the way our body processes them, and determine fat loss or weight loss.

Nutrition is science, and just as a science experiment react differently to different chemicals, so does our bodies – chemicals being the different kinds of food we eat. Food comes in three major groups – proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (and vitamins and minerals).

For some reason we have put these these guys in different groups, The good group and the bad group. Lately, carbs have been put into the bad group, while fat and protein are the good dudes.

So calories, are they simply just a matter or calories in – calories out. Yes, they are, but our body does process different kinds of calories in different ways, which will result in different results in terms of our body weight and composition. Let’s paint up an example. You are about to get down and dirty on three plates of food containing equally 1000 calories each. The first plate has 1000 calories of fat, the second plate has a 1000 calories of proteins, and the third plate has a 1000 calories of carbs. Out of all these plates, which one would make you put on more weight? You might say that all of them will make you put on the equal amount of weight, right? Not really.

Carbohydrates contains 4 calories per gram. The carbs that we should be eating, from real whole plant based starch such as potatoes, rice, fruit and vegetables contains a shit load of nutrients and fiber, which helps speed up our digestive system, putting our metabolism in high gear. Carbs are not the enemy, contrary to our believes based on fad diets and media. The right form of carbohydrates will not make us fat, they will help us burn fat. Vegetables, fruits, potatoes, rice, whole grains are your best friend in terms of health and managing a stable weight. Of course there’s bad versions of carbs as well such as processed bread with a ton of added ingredients like corn syrup (fancy word for sugar), vegetables oils, and all those other chemical bullshit. Carbohydrates are not the enemy unless we make them the enemy. A pure baked potato with veggies and salsa is not the same as a baked potato loaded with butter, cheese, and bacon. The potato is not the one causing a flabby stomach, it’s the butter, cheese, and bacon. See the difference. Don’t blame the good guy.

Proteins contain 4 calories per gram, and they are very essential for the majority of things in our body. Our DNA are made out of proteins, our hair, skin, cells, you are basically protein. When you eat the right protein, like whole plant proteins you get your proteins plus an addition of minerals, vitamins, and the astonishing fiber. Our bodies work harder to break the fiber down, and voila, we burn more calories through digestion. Beans and legumes are your best protein buddies! A bunch of your green veggies does also contain a lot of protein, and no additional fat. Eat your plants, people. Another note to think about is that everything contains protein. If you get the right amount of calories that your body needs everyday, you will never become protein deficient.

Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Fat can make us feel fuller when coming from the right sources, such as whole plants like avocados, seeds and nuts. When fat comes from processed fats such as oils and animal based fats without any fiber, it tends to leave us unsatisfied and craving more food, especially more fatty foods and sugar. The fat sources without any fiber isn’t the best friend with our digestive system. Since it’s pure fat, it goes straight into fat storage without leaving us full. It puts pressure on our digestive system, and can cause bloating and constipation. Nobody likes hard shit, let’s get real. Fries, cookies, bacon, and other processed meats will go straight to your waistline, and also into your arteries for that matter, clogging that shit up.

Yes, calories in – calories out is a true statement, but the kind of weight we will gain or loose depends largely on the calories we eat. It also determines how we will loose or put on weight. Processed fats together with animal fat is going to make every calorie less nutritionally dense, and get stored right away on your body as flabby fat. More fiber leads to a higher satisfaction, faster working digestive system, and let’s not forget the most important part – an overall healthy lifestyle! And don’t get me wrong, just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean that everything you eat is magically amazing. Fries are vegan, Oreos, potato chips, and vegetable oils are vegan. The real key here is whole plant based foods. Real foods. Untouched and pure.

Another side note: Of course life is about pleasure as well, and we can’t eat strictly whole plant based all the time. It’s okay to “treat yo self” and live! That’s as important for a healthy lifestyle. Kale might nourish your body, but chocolate will nourish your soul.

May 1, 2018

Linnéa KindstromLeave a comment

Your body is not a social media trend.

Trends change as often as you change your underwear, which I hope is pretty often… You are supposed to inhale all the protein you can find, not eat past 7 pm, drink coffee with butter, jump on your left leg for 25 seconds before using the bathroom, or eat mashed potatoes before going to bed. I know that those last two aren’t real health trends, but if they got viral people would be jumping around and stuffing their faces with potatoes like crazy. This is the wonderful and terrifying effect of social media.

There are some things that are biologically good for us like eating real wholesome foods, sleeping according to our circadian rhythm and exercising regularly. But most of the time trends are just trends and just because they are everywhere on media and being promoted by celebrities and influencers doesn’t mean they are good for you. Not even if your most trusted health magazine might hop on the trend and write a five page article about it. Most of the time social media fad trends are just that, trends.

Trends will trick you into “feeling great” even though you might not. I’ve learned this the hard way. The longer you follow a trend your body will start to get accustomed to mood swings, tiredness, not feeling completely satisfied etc. Your body puts itself in survival mode to make sure your basic living functions will work as smooth as possible. It can even lead to obsession over food. Suddenly you’re putting foods into groups. “Good foods” and “bad foods”. You’ll be looking at some nutritious grains and go like, “na, bro you can’t sit with us”. This itself is extremely unhealthy and can lead to serious issues such as eating disorders.

What’s mucho importante to understand is that your body doesn’t follow trends. Your body doesn’t check social media and go like “yeah girl, I see you getting on that low carb diet! Hell yes, let’s do this!”. No, our bodies are biologically in need of nutrients to sustain us and when we start to follow these health trends we mess up our bodies natural function and cycles. Your hormones will be going cray cray along with your digestive system, proper brain functioning and malnutrition, to name a few. What a shitty situation, or should I say “not so shitty” when your digestive system shuts down…

Finally, you are unique. Your body is your temple and you will have certain habits that work for you but won’t necessarily work the same way for someone else. Some people don’t need to eat three meals a day, and others need to eat five meals a day. Some people can function better on less sleep and some people can’t. Some people deal with allergies and other constraints which forces them to find their specific way of living to feel good. The only trend you should be following is your trend. And yes, it’s going to take some time to find what works best for you. There will be some experimenting involved, some trial and error, but you’ll get there. When you figure out what makes you go energizer bunny and feel the best every day, that’s when you’ve got it.

Some tips to start would be:

Incorporate more fruits and veggies to your diet.
Add nutritious foods, don’t take out anything. Make small changes every week towards a whole foods plant based diet.
Drink more H2O!!
Sip it like it’s hot and you’re about to drop! Everyday! All day!
Move it, baby.
Just move more. Walk a little more, maybe take a run, do some squats. Just get some activity going.
Get unconscious.
Yes, you will have to start to prioritize sleep a little bit more. I wish we all could live without it, but unfortunately we need to get unconscious for a few hours every night to survive.
Go offline.
Work on putting your phone away more often. Make time where you focus on you. Try to take a meditation or yoga class, go for walks, read a book. You need a break from the social sphere to get in tune with yourself.

These are basically the foundation of getting your shit and everything else together. Don’t forget then we are all individuals with different tweaks and that’s where you have to go soul searching to see what you need. Okay, not really a soul search but you need to be willing to give your body time to experience a variety of things to realize what will transform you into your superhuman self!

October 9, 2017

Linnéa KindstromLeave a comment