Sugar - Is it really that bad for you?

Perhaps you’re struggling with your weight, achy joints, and just your health in general. Not only that, maybe you also struggle with eating sugar and sweets - you have a really strong sweet tooth - and it’s a constant battle.

Well, this week’s podcast episode is all about sugar, and it will probably be a HUGE eye opener.

I’m going to teach you how much sugar you should be consuming each day, but also how many you probably are without realizing it, and what that’s doing to your body.

But more importantly, I’m going to give you some really simple actions you can take to make some changes.

In Real Life…

A few months ago, I had a really early flight home out of Chicago. I needed coffee. I went to Dunkin Donuts, and the line was really long. It gave me a lot of time to just observe what everyone was ordering first thing in the morning. (Giant coffee drinks of all sorts of variety and muffins or donuts.)

I had the sense that the majority of the people in line were:

1. unaware
2. didn’t care

They were unaware of the amount of added sugars in the foods they were choosing and probably unaware of the health consequences.

OR, if they were aware, they simply didn’t care. And this is a really dangerous place to be - just not caring. Because one day you WILL care, and it might be too late.

And I’ve heard from a lot of you that you struggle with your weight and your health in general, and you also struggle with eating sugar and sweets, you have a really strong sweet tooth - you feel like at certain times of the day you have to have a treat - and it’s a constant battle.

• To really overcome this battle you HAVE to come face to face with the reality of what this habit does in your body - no more beating around the bush.

Dangers of Too Much Sugar

What are the health dangers of over-consuming sugar?

• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Cardiovascular disease
• Obesity and chronic weight problems
• Chronic inflammation, which can lead to joint pain and whole host of other health issues
• There’s even a possible connection to increased risk of Alzheimer’s

Eating too much sugar is particularly concerning for women in midlife:

• As estrogen exits we struggle to process glucose as efficiently as we used to - when we were younger, eating lots of extra sugar (while still bad and unhealthy) has even greater consequences now, because our body’s natural mechanisms that help to manage it are leaving the job
• In midlife, we’re even more susceptible to inflammation. That’s another job that estrogen does - it fights off excess inflammation.
  • Sugar is a massively inflammatory, and when estrogen has retired from the job, inflammation can now have a party in your joints, in your cardiovascular system - really dangerous.

What is TOO MUCH SUGAR?

The American Heart Associations recommendation on added sugar:

• Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day.
• Women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) of added sugars per day

As a side note, notice that I keep saying Added Sugars - it’s these ones that are the problem, not naturally occurring sugars in fruit and dairy products

• What’s great and makes this easier to be aware of is that in 2016 they revised the nutrition label to show the number of grams of added sugars
  • A food item might say Total Sugars 12g, and just below that it might say Includes 10g of Added Sugars. This means that 2g were naturally occurring, and 10g were added to sweeten the food item
• Naturally occurring sugars found in fruit is metabolized by your body differently because of the fiber you consume with it
• Maple syrup and honey are still added sugars

Let’s put this into perspective.

Typical amount of sugar the average American consumes in a normal day (17 teaspoons of sugar - 71g of sugar - this is an extra 270 calories per day!!)

Foods with the HIGHEST amount of sugar:

• Soft drinks, energy drinks and sweetened coffee drinks
  • Can of Coke - 39g sugar
  • Starbucks - 16 oz. White Chocolate Mocha - 46g sugar
  • Monster Energy drink - 81g of added sugars
  • International Delight Coffee Creamer - 5g of added sugar in 1 Tbsp.
  • Dunkin Donuts - (something that “sounds healthy”) Large Frozen Matcha Latte with Almondmilk - 109g
• Fruit juice
  • Some have “added sugars” while others do not
  • Sunny D has 14g of added sugar
  • Ocean Spray White Cran x Strawberry - 23g added sugar
• Salad dressing
  • Sweet Kale dressing - 8g added sugar
• Yogurt
  • Yoplait Original strawberry yogurt - 13g sugar
  • Chobani strawberry yogurt - 9g added sugar
• Cookies & ice cream
  • 3 Oreos - 14g sugar
  • Dreyer’s chocolate ice cream - 12g sugar

In a typical day you might have:

Breakfast (18g/25g)

• 2 cups of coffee with caramel flavored creamer - 10g of sugar
• Package of instant oatmeal - 8g of sugar

Lunch (17g total - 35g/25g)

• Bagged salad with the sweet kale dressing - 8g sugar
• 2 Oreo cookies after lunch - 9g sugar

Afternoon snack (13g total - 48g/25g)

• Yoplait yogurt - 13g sugar

Dinner (24g sugar total - 72g/25g)

• Barbecued chicken - 16g sugar + Bagged salad with that sweet kale dressing - 8g of sugar

Dessert (12g sugar total - 84g/25g)

• Small bowl of chocolate ice cream - 12g sugar

And here is your reality check: On a day that seems quite healthy on the surface (oatmeal for breakfast, a salad at lunch, yogurt for snack and chicken and salad for dinner, with some manageable treats here and there - nothing out of control!) you still consumed 84g of sugar - 4X the recommended amount for your health and 336 extra calories.

• Are you now starting to understand where some of your joint pain could be coming from? Extra weight that won’t budge could be coming from?

How can you reduce your sugar intake?

1) First of all, don’t just villainize it and say everyone needs to cut out sugar all together.

• This is something we LOVE to do in health and fitness. We love to swing to extremes. Just because something in unhealthy amounts is unhealthy for you, doesn’t mean that thing in reasonable, balanced amounts is also unhealthy for you.
• Your goal is not 0g of sugar. Your goal should be, on average, coming in every day around the recommended daily intake. We know through countless studies that your body can handle that amount just fine without any negative health consequences. The dosage makes the poison.
• Moderating your sugar intake is key
• When you have something that you’re aware is a little higher in added sugars in the morning, intentionally forego something else later.

2) Look for alternatives where you can, especially with the foods that you eat on a consistent basis

• The EASIEST thing to do is to not change your eating behaviors at all except to switch out zero sugar options
  • Do this at the very least
  • I’m not a fan of this method, because ultimately your habits aren’t changing and you’re still eating highly sweet items that aren’t necessarily any healthier for you
• Coffee drinks - just use oatmilk or almond milk that has been flavored with vanilla extract
• Try fruity flavored herbal teas
• Soft drinks - drink sparkling water
• Yogurt - Plain Greek yogurt sweetened with fresh berries or unsweetened applesauce
• Salad dressings - Opt for vinaigrette & olive-oil based dressings, rather than sweet styles,
• Sauces & marinades - use oils, vinegar, herbs & spices to flavor your meats
• Breakfast cereal - plain oatmeal, sweeten with berries
• Chocolate - opt for dark chocolate, the darker the better

3) Become very intentional with your splurges

• Be fully aware that sugars add up and you’re probably also consuming added sugars in “non-dessert” food items, too - so, don’t just haphazardly grab treats throughout the day
• Step back and ask yourself what your “favorite” splurge is
• Consume it slowly, be present while you eat it, and practice really savoring the flavors - take your time
  • Story about my pieces of dark chocolate - my boys will pop the entire thing in their mount vs. me nibbling on it over 10-15 minutes

4) Utilize these other tricks to improve the way your body handles sugar

• Move your body for 5-10 minutes after a meal, especially one that’s a little higher in sugar
• Make building muscle mass your highest fitness priority - the more muscle your have on your body, the better your body can handle some extra added sugars here and there
• Eat a lot of fiber and protein with your meals. Fiber & protein slows down digestion so that glucose enters your bloodstream at a slower pace. (Eat your PRO’s)

5) Be aware that you might be dealing with a sugar addiction, or at the very least a craving that has powerful neurological roots

• It can take nearly 9 weeks of consistent effort to rewire your patterns to undo really strong sugar cravings.
• *151.  Stress and Sugar Addiction - How to Overcome Your Stressed Out Sugar Cravings*

I don’t want to be the bad guy

Like I said, it’s not my personality to turn food into a villain and use scare tactics or fear mongering to force you into changing your behaviors.

But I think sometimes we need a wake up call. We’re beating around the bush too much, and you just need to come face to face with your habits. You might need to realize that THIS! This could be why you’re not making progress!!

Your Action Step

Let me give you one action step, and it’s not go cut out all the sugars in your diet.

1. Just gather information. Figure out how much you actually are consuming every day. Record it for 3 straight days.
2. And if you’re WAY over the 25g of sugar/day mark, start to think of things you can change to reduce your sugar intake.

More Resources & Links

Episode 151.  Stress and Sugar Addiction - How to Overcome Your Stressed Out Sugar Cravings

Episode 318. The 5 Steps You Need NOW for Reducing Anxiety, Depression and Mindset Struggles with Dr. Caroline Leaf

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