What Everyone Should Know About Sugar
By Sara Butler
Sugar really can’t be avoided. In fact, sugar naturally occurs in a host of foods that are actually good for you, so you shouldn’t seek to totally eliminate it from your diet. What you should do is understand how to go about letting sugar into your diet. Getting too much of it, especially in refined form, is unhealthy. Here are a few things you should know about sugar to help you consume it responsibly.
Create a Cap
You need to watch how much sugar you’re having each day. You shouldn’t have more than 25 grams of sugar per day – that should be less than 10 percent of your total calories. And that includes both refined and added sugar. To put this amount of sugar in perspective, most fruit juices have more than 25 grams of sugar per serving. So, it’s probably far less sugar than you’re used to consuming.
Don’t Drink It
If you’re going to have sugar, then you should make it count. That means instead of drinking it in soda or juice, you should eat it. Fruit is a great way to have something a little sweet that’s also good for you. Just make sure no matter what you eat that you’re on the lookout for sugar in disguise. Ingredients such as simple syrup, honey, and agave are really just sugar! As a general rule of thumb, eating calories is far superior to drinking them, so keep that in mind.
Time It Right
There may be such a thing as a sugar window, meaning there’s a time of the day that might be best for you to consume sugar. Some experts think this window is in the afternoon, before dinner. That way your body has the ability to use the sugar you consume in the afternoon to fuel you instead of just being stored as fat or interrupting your sleep cycles at night.
Check Yourself
When you do have sugar, it’s best to pair with fiber, protein, and/or fat. This will slow down your body’s insulin response and trigger the hormone that lets your brain know you’re full. Healthy fats combined with fiber are great for you, so make sure to try to work it all in together.
The more you know about sugar, the more power you have over it! Reduce sugar in your diet for your health.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Buford, Ga.