Why Is Sugar So Bad
-- and How Much Is OK?

Glucose. Fructose. Sucrose. Beet sugar. Brown sugar. Cane sugar. Carob powder. Corn syrup. Dextrin. Dextrose. Grape sugar. High-fructose corn syrup. Honey. Maple sugar. Glycerin. These words all indicate simple sugar and it’s not even close to a complete list.

When you ingest a simple sugar, even if it’s in a "fat-free" cookie, your blood sugar level goes up. In response to this hyperglycemic condition, your pancreas begins to produce more insulin to control the excess sugar in the bloodstream. The pancreas also releases another hormone called glucagon. Its job is to get rid of body fat. Here is the problem. When the pancreas is busy producing insulin, it backs off on its production of glucagon and the result is fat loss being crippled.

Another important point is that when you eat sugar you crave sugar so you have to stop the insulin/blood sugar roller-coaster by eating starchy carbs that release sugars slowly. This way your energy levels will stabilize and fat-release will be ongoing

How much sugar is OK?

There are many foods that have more sugar than people think. For example, a food might be labeled SUGAR FREE but have fructose and sucrose (which are sugars) listed in the ingredients. Once you learn how to be a “sugar detective” you’ll see that sugar is extremely hard to avoid (if you don’t learn to read labels it becomes that much harder).

Now for the answer to the question -- How much sugar is it OK to eat? Are you ready for the answer? Here it comes. Sorry. There is no black and white answer. It might depend on the individual. I can tell you one thing that is black and white. If you are eating meals that are primarily sugar (such as candy bars and sugared soda) you are absolutely compromising your fat burning ability. Cutting out the sugar will make a big difference.

A good example of this would be my brother. About two summers ago my brother learned about the negative impact of sugar. He decided to cut out simple sugar and any type of refined carb from his diet. What did he wind up with (without changing much else)? The “six pack” desired by most men. With that said I know some great athletes and/or body builders who eat peanut butter and jelly with a glass of skim quite frequently. In their case, the release of the sugar from the jelly might be slowed by the protein in the milk and peanut butter. The “in shape” athlete is more likely to burn the sugar for fuel than is a person that still has a way to go.

Other factors to consider are goals, current metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and activity level. I also want to mention that when you completely avoid simple sugars you won’t crave them as much because your blood sugar levels will be stable.

I hope this helps with your fitness. If you or someone you know needs personal training I only have space for two more clients. Also, please forward this to friends or family or better yet have them send me an e-mail to get on my list. After these next two months of weekly updates you’ll get a prettier type of newsletter published monthly.

Until next time…. stay physically fit!