How much sugar?

These days with so many fad diets and weight loss programs in circulation, people tend to become overwhelmed with nutritional tips and guidelines. One thing that everyone can agree on is that sugar, specifically High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS - an artificial sweetener which is cheaper than sugar) is not healthy. Since our bodies convert all carbohydrates to sugar for fuel to burn (energy), how much sugar should we consume?
First of all, there is one sweetener that should be eliminated from everyone’s diet and that’s HFCS. It is a sweetener that has no nutritional purpose and only spikes a person’s blood sugar level. As for the others, they can be friendly; but they can also be detrimental if you’re not careful.
Simple sugars (better known as simple carbohydrates) include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), as well as several other sugars. Fruits are one of the richest natural sources of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are also made up of sugars, but the sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains. Complex carbohydrates include fiber and starches. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans.
Carbohydrates are the main source of blood glucose, which is a major fuel for all of the body's cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red blood cells. Except for fiber, which cannot be digested, both simple and complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose. The glucose is then either used directly to provide energy for the body, or stored in the liver for future use. When a person consumes more calories than the body is using, a portion of the carbohydrates consumed may also be stored in the body as fat.
It is recommended that about 60 percent of your total daily calories come from carbohydrates and according to the World Health Organization, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners. This advice is in line with the long-standing recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, called for a maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar (48 grams) in a 2,200-calorie diet, which translates to roughly 9 percent of daily calories.
With all this factual and scientific information, many people are left wondering what they can really do about sugar and how to find foods that are ok to eat. The best advice I can give people who are interested in bettering their eating habits is to take small steps towards changing habits.
The first step you should take is to examine what you are eating now and find out what the sugar content of your favorites foods is. If you are eating a lot of sugary snacks, try to find healthy replacements and foods that are naturally sweet like fresh vegetables and fruits. Dried fruits can be a very good choice, such as raisins and dried apples.

Replacements for some other common foods people eat, like salad dressings, jarred spaghetti sauces, and even breads are needed too. You may be shocked to find HFCS in many of these items in your pantry. If you are like me, you aren’t going to give up these foods cold turkey, and you shouldn’t have to give them up at all.
By taking the time to find replacements for these favorites, you can continue eating them knowing you are making better choices. If you have no idea where to begin, a good place to start is by shopping on the “green aisle” at your favorite grocery store. You will find the organic products have natural ingredients and that includes natural sugar. You should still watch your total sugar intake and keep the 10% rule in mind. However, getting rid of the HFCS and other unnatural sugars in your diet will go a long way towards a healthier you!
Another small step you can take to make sugar more friendly to your body is to choose products that are not sweetened and flavor them yourself. A great example of this is when choosing your oatmeal. The oatmeal in packets can contain a high amount of sugar. Some of these packets contain as much as 4 teaspoons of sugar. If you were to buy the plain oatmeal and sweeten it yourself you would most likely use much less. Additionally, you can choose to sweeten your oatmeal with fruit like berries or raisins. If that does not appeal to you, try honey. Finally, if you must use sugar to sweeten your cereal, I suggest using the most natural kind you can find.
Stay away from artificial sweeteners when ever possible. I was giving a seminar on proper nutrition and a gentleman raised his hand and asked “Should I put a few raisins in my coffee too?” Well, it’s a good idea to sweeten foods naturally when ever possible, but sometimes a bit of sugar is just the only thing that will work, as in baking. My first suggestion is to gradually decrease the amount of sugar you take in your coffee, thus ultimately eliminating sugar in your coffee altogether. You can do this in about 2-3 weeks depending on how much sugar you take. Try decreasing your sugar in coffee by about ¼ teaspoon each day and see how easy it is to change your sweet tooth!
As far as baking and other “sugar only” needs, Florida Naturals is a nice sugar and now comes in an organic variety. I have also seen pure cane sugar in the stores recently which looks good. As a rule, when eating it is best to find foods that are as close to their natural form. The less foods are processed, the better they are for your body. It is great to keep this in mind and shop for all your foods this way.
Remember, replacements are the key. This keeps you from “binging” on the bad choices or starving yourself from the things like your favorite unhealthy comfort foods. Today, make a commitment to find healthy replacements to the foods you can’t live with out. If you don’t know what is bad for you, the first key is to look at the ingredients. If you can’t pronounce half of it, the food is not going to be good for you. Keep it fresh, keep it natural, keep it healthy.

A few years ago my wife told me about the day she was driving home from the grocery store after she had found replacements for all the foods we used to eat that contained HFCS. She said bringing home the healthier foods and knowing the things she was giving our family to eat were all good choices made her feel wonderful. You can do this too. If you need help finding a specific replacement, email me at getfit@staugustinebootcamp.com.
You can do it!

visit: www.staugustinebootcamp.com or www.joshromaine.com