A Must Read: "Why Personal Training Works and The Data to Prove It" by WEAREWELLO

This article written by WEAREWELLO is a great read for those who are interested in Personal Training.  The benefits of training with a professional really increases your success in wellness and fitness.

"We don’t argue with science. In fact, we are data geeks and we’ve found that it’s good practice to trust the findings of researchers far smarter than us. So, it delights us to find that smarty-pants scientists have found that working with personal trainers is unquestionably worth it. But, don’t trust us; trust the data:" Click on the link below to read the rest of this article by WEAREWELLO

http://blog.wello.co/2012/08/21/why-personal-training-works-and-the-data-to-prove-it/

The Purpose of Participating in Swim Meets

The Purpose of Participating in Swim Meets

By Head Coach Dorsi Raynolds  Edited by Suzan Ballmer M.Ed   Swimming is made up of the most complex set of repetitive, rhythmic motions that exists in sport. More muscle groups must move through more ranges of motion in flawless coordination than in any other repetition-intensive activity. The coordination required to execute fluid, efficient swimming strokes is almost beyond comprehension. Because swimming motions and positions are not natural and are quite counter-intuitive, “just doing it” isn’t enough to improve technically. Water is 733 times denser than air and is merciless to any stroke inefficiency.  All sports require an initial investment of energy on the athletes part before performance benefits are reaped. It is imperative to work on stroke skills as well as cardio vascular and muscular conditioning in order to continue to make improvements throughout a swimmer’s career. Because of the highly technical nature of swimming, the  time it takes to master the sport is extremely long and so requires swimmers to practice well and to swim at meets in order to see the outcome of all their hard work.  Human beings are competitive by nature and games and sports are the first place where children begin to experience their competitive spirit. Swimming is a sport that presents both individual and team competitive opportunities and so children learn how to challenge themselves both as individually and as a member of group. Outlined below are some of the most important reasons for young swimmers to participate in swim meets.  1. The first is to experience competition - a word that derives its meaning from the Greek to “strive with”. This “striving with” their opponents implies a cooperative effort that always results in important improvements in time or effort or brings a deeper understanding of the sport for each competitor. Viewing these competitive opportunities in this way promotes healthy attitudes towards competition for each swimmer and they are vital to athletic development.  2. Fast times are produced in practice and are born at meets. It is not possible for any athlete to go as fast or dig as deeply into themselves at practice as it is in competition. This going beyond what was thought possible is one of the gifts of swimming in meets.  3. Swim meets also can serve as a testing ground for athletes. During practice swimmers learn new techniques in strokes, starts, and turns. Races are their opportunity to try out those new skills and for the swimmers and coaches to make assessments and adjustments for future improvements.  4. Swim competitions provide young athletes with an environment where they can learn to compete with grace and sportsmanship. They must accept all results with a respectful attitude and learn self-control when things don’t go as well as hoped. The meet setting is a great place for swimmers to learn to analyze their efforts for performance clues that will help them in the future as opposed to getting caught up in all the emotions – positive and negative that can arise and test not only the swimmers but also parents and coaches.  5. Swim meets are fun! They can be social occasions as well as competitive experiences. They are a place to celebrate fitness, good health, and youthful exuberance. Team spirit, cheering for fellow swimmers and the excitement of seeing friends succeed in their efforts culminates in an exciting atmosphere that benefits everyone.

Why Women Cannot Do Pull-Ups...or can you?

This column appears in the Oct. 28 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

THE WELL COLUMN

Tara Parker-Pope on living well.

While the pull-up has been used by everyone from middle-school gym teachers to Marine drill instructors to measure fitness, the fact is that many fit people, particularly women, can’t do even one. To perform a pull-up, you place your hands on a raised bar using an overhand grip, arms fully extended and feet off the floor. (The same exercise, performed with an underhand grip, is often called a chin-up.) Using the muscles in your arms and back, you pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Then the body is lowered until the arms are straight, and the exercise is repeated. The Marines say a male recruit should be able to do at least 3 pull-ups or chin-ups, but women are not required to do them. In school, 14-year-old boys can earn the highest award on the government’s physical fitness test by doing 10 pull-ups or chin-ups: for 14-year-old girls, it’s 2.

To find out just how meaningful a fitness measure the pull-up really is, exercise researchers from the University of Dayton found 17 normal-weight women who could not do a single overhand pull-up. Three days a week for three months, the women focused on exercises that would strengthen the biceps and the latissimus dorsi — the large back muscle that is activated during the exercise. They lifted weights and used an incline to practice a modified pull-up, raising themselves up to a bar, over and over, in hopes of strengthening the muscles they would use to perform the real thing. They also focused on aerobic training to lower body fat.

By the end of the training program, the women had increased their upper-body strength by 36 percent and lowered their body fat by 2 percent. But on test day, the researchers were stunned when only 4 of the 17 women succeeded in performing a single pull-up.

“We honestly thought we could get everyone to do one,” said Paul Vanderburgh, a professor of exercise physiology and associate provost and dean at the University of Dayton, and an author of the study. But Vanderburgh said the study and other research has shown that performing a pull-up requires more than simple upper-body strength. Men and women who can do them tend to have a combination of strength, low body fat and shorter stature. During training, because women have lower levels of testosterone, they typically develop less muscle than men, Vanderburgh explained. In addition, they can’t lose as much fat. Men can conceivably get to 4 percent body fat; women typically bottom out at more than 10 percent.

So no matter how fit they are, women typically fare worse on pull-up tests. But Vanderburgh notes that some men struggle, too, particularly those who are taller or bigger generally or have long arms. This is related to an interesting phenomenon: if you compare a smaller athlete to an athlete who has the same exact build but is 30 percent bigger, the bigger athlete will be only about 20 percent stronger, even though he has to carry about 30 percent more weight.

“We’re a combination of levers; that’s how we move,” Vanderburgh said. “Generally speaking, the longer the limb, the more of a disadvantage in being able to do a pull-up. I look at a volleyball player and wouldn’t expect her to be able to do a pull-up, but I know she’s fit.”

Two stretches that will help your posture right now!

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

Right this moment check your posture. 

Are you like picture 1?                                                                           Or like picture 2?

If you’re looking like picture 1, then these two stretches may be exactly what you are missing.  It is very common as a fitness professional to see clients coming into the faculty with the same posture as picture 1.   For many, spending the day at the desk or traveling in your car will typically follow with chronic poor posture like picture 1.  Issues like neck and/or shoulder pain, headaches and hip pain will start to rise and can lead to dramatic health issues that will take time to undo the damage. 

Stretch #1: The Pec Stretch

Directions:

·         On a doorway or wall corner, place your elbow slightly above shoulder height against the doorway or corner. 

·         If you start with your left arm against the doorway or corner, you will then pull your chest toward the right.

·         You should feel a stretch in your chest.  Hold this for 20-60 seconds and change sides.

What it’s doing: It improves the pectoralis (pec) major length.

Stretch #2: Hip Flexor Stretch

Directions:

·         Using a foam mat, kneel one leg back down on the mat and the other bent in front of you. Make sure your front foot is flat and both legs are parallel with your hip.

·         Before you began the hip stretch, make sure your chest is up.

·         Shift your front bent leg forward, allowing you to feel a mild stretch in the back kneeled leg. Hold this for 20-60 seconds.

What it’s doing:  Lengthening the hip flexors.

There are many great stretches that can improve your posture.  Because every person can have a very different structure issue, it is important to get evaluated by a health professional so that you are doing the right stretches.  These stretches can typically be done ANYWHERE (home, work, sitting at your desk) and will go a long way in your overall health.  Call today to see what can be done about your posture.  

The Upper Valley Aquatic Center

 

LADIES: The weight lifting is waiting for you. (BONUS full-body workout attached to blog!)

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

How many of you will enter the fitness center with pure intent of just using the cardio machines? Well guess what, that won’t burn away hundreds of calories nor give you the muscle and bone building you actually need.  In this blog you will learn WHY women should to strength train and the major benefits that you get when you do it.

What is strength/weight training?

It is a method of training that will improve your strength, bone density, flexibility and balance. Regimens include:

·         TRX Suspension Training®

·         Circuit Training

·         Training that includes dumbbells, resistance bands, barbells, or equipment that adds resistances or load.

·         Boot Camp

·         Personal Training

It is typically common to see women only using cardio machines partly due to three reasons:        

1.       “I read that cardio burns more fat.”

2.       “Only men lift heavy weights.”

3.       “I don’t want to get bulky.”

Your answers to all questions: FALSE

Cardio will burn calories, but so does weight training.  Assume 100 calories on average per mile walk or run.  As you are only burning X amounts of calories, running or walking is only recruiting and generating a select amount of muscles.  With that in mind, you may be missing out on serious posture, balance, and strength development. 

The other myth that only men lift heavy weights is a topic I hear often. “Will I get too buff if I lift heavy weights?”  General strength training programs such as weight lifting and TRX Training® for an example will not create this effect on women.  Strength does not have to come with bulk!

A Personal Training client of mine, looking great on the TRX Straps!

So what are your benefits?

Strength Training will:

·         Reduces levels of fatigue (Daily Fatigue Patterns, Wiley). 

·         Decreases your risk of osteoporosis.  As well as prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.  Curtain training will benefit your bone health through impact loading and resistance training.  Example exercises: Squats and push-ups. (ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal 5:6-14.)

·         Decreases your risk of heart disease, body fat, cholesterol and blood pressure. (Journal of the American Medical Association 259:1537-1540.)

·         Decreases your risk of type 2 diabetes. (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 24:331-333.)

·         Studies link exercise to reduced risk of breast cancer. (Cancer causes and control, 2001.)

·         The more muscle development you have, the more calories you burn.

YOU’RE FREE FULL BODY WORKOUT: Find these exercises on youtube.com keyword UVACSWIM!

Before you get started:

 Warm up: 5 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical  

Stretch: 3-5 minutes of stretching

The workout: Complete 3 rounds…

Goblet Squats, 12 reps.

Push-Ups, 10 reps.

Static Lunges, 10 each leg

2 Arm Row, 12 reps.

Ball Slams, 15 slams

:45 plank

The Finisher: complete as many rounds in 7 minutes!

                Jump Squats, 12 reps

                Dead Bugs, 20 reps (10 each side)

                Side Planks, :15 each side

                Jogging in place, :45 

WANT MORE WORKOUTS, TIPS ON TRAINING OR MEET A PERSONAL TRAINER? Contact me at kmacpherson@uvac-swim.com or stop by the Upper Valley Aquatic Center!

Resourses:

Anna, L., Schwartz, Ph. D. 2001. Daily Fatigue Patterns and Effect of Exercise in Women with Breast Cancer. 8: 16-24.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 24:331-333.)

Metcalfe, L., T. Lohman, S. Going, L. Joutkooper, D. Ferreira, et al. 2001.  Postmenopausal women and exercise for prevention of osteoporosis: The bone, estrogen, strength training (BEST) study.  ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal .

Pia., K. Verkasalo, Hollie, V., Thomas, Paul, N., Appleby, et. Al. Cancer Causes and Control. SpingerLink. 12: 1.

Thompson, P.D. 1988.  The benefits and risks of exercise training in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Journal of the American Medical Association 259:1537-1540.

Gluten & Reduction of Calories for Non-Symptomatic People

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

In an approach to discover the weight loss and health benefits for those who go gluten free, it was apparent that the major foundation of these health benefits where not only caused by going gluten free, but further directed toward the healthy food choices that came with the food style change.    Some major reasons why people who aren’t suffering from any medical condition that would conflict their digestion of gluten go gluten free is because it has been thought to decrease stomach bloating, improve fatigue, and aid in weight loss.  Going gluten-free may make those changes happen but an evident contributor to the weight-loss aspect will be the reduction of calories that come from the gluten-based food items.  Baked goods, breads, and other heavy gluten products like pastas are generally high in calories, emptied in nutrient values and are readily stored in the body as fat.  It is no wonder that those who skip the gluten avoid the foods that are also making them fat.

Don’t be fooled when people say they lost “X” amount of weight because they went gluten free.  Usually when they go gluten free they also make other choices such as exercising more regularly, reducing caloric intake (due in part to choosing gluten free food sources with fewer calories).  If you take someone who eats a bowl of oatmeal (2 packs 300 calories), a sandwich (the bread alone is 200 calories or more), and pasta (a medium sized bowl is about 400 calories, without meatballs, sauce, or cheese) and have them make healthier choices, especially while adding in regular exercise, they are bound to lose weight. 

Gluten is: a protein source that is found in food created from wheat and related grains such as rye and barely.  Those who suffer from gastric issues, such as coeliac disease, or inflammatory bowel syndrome for an example, follow a gluten-free life style to reduce the cases of stomachache, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, and many other health related problems.

Let’s compare these two dinner dishes:

 

                                          

Olive Garden’s Fettuccine Alfredo Dish             

Calories: 1220                                                             

75 grams of fat                                                                 

Gluten-Based                                                                  

Carbs: 99 grams

 

Home-made fresh salad topped with chicken & veggies
Calories start at 220
Total Fat around 8 grams
 Gluten Free

Avoiding gluten:

If any of these items are in your food or drinks ingredient, there a major chance it contains gluten:

Rye, triticale (wheat and rye crossed), wheat, barley (malt flavoring, malt vinegar made from barely, and malt), spelt, bulgar, Farina, kamut

Avoid the following if not labeled GF (gluten-free):   

Breads, Beer, Cookies, Cakes and Pies, Crackers, French Fries, Croutons, Pastas, Salad Dressings, Soups,

Candies

The best GF resources:

Fresh eggs, Fresh meats, poultry, fish, fruit, veggie, beans, unprocessed nuts, seeds

Grains that are GF:

Amaranth, arrowroot, corn and cornmeal, buckwheat, flax, millet, quinoa, GF flours such as soy, corn, bean, rice, soy, tapioca, teff.  

With the food items above, let’s compare the differences from those that are gluten based or GF

Gluten Items:

§  French Fries: 1 serving size, 271 calories, 14.5 grams of fat, and 31.9 grams of carbs

§  Whole grain bread: 1 slice serving size, 90 calories, 16 grams of carbs

§  Pasta: (Spaghetti) 1 cup=1 serving size, 221 calories, 43.2 carbs

Non-Gluten Items:

§  Blueberries: ½ cup = 1 serving size, 84 calories, 0 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbs

§  Grilled chicken breast: 1 breast= 1 serving size, 120 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs

§  Hardboiled egg: 1 egg = 1 serving size: 70 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of carb

HOWEVER! Just because a food item says its gluten free, doesn’t mean it’s going to be “healthy” for you.  Some examples:

GF potato chips

GF Chocolate syrups

GF Ice creams

GF Frozen pizzas

 

In conclusion to losing weight and going gluten free, the likelihood of actually losing weight will happen if your diet changes are efficient.   Letting go of the food items that contain high volumes of fats, gluten and simple carbohydrates will dramatically elicit a healthier food intake.  That being said, it is still important to understand portion control.  When trying to lose weight, it is very important to know your BMR (basal metabolic rate.)  Your BMR is the amount of calories you need to stay alive each day.  It is important to determine your rate so you can better control how many calories you need to lose weight at a healthy pace.  To learn more about counting calories, healthy meal planning and figuring out your BMR, please contact a UVAC Personal Trainer at 802-296-2850 X 104.

Connecting you with food

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

Gluten Free, Farm Fresh, Organic Quiche, recipe at the end!

I am asked about healthy meal planning nearly every day as a trainer.  Whether it is fat loss or you’re just conquering a “healthy” life style the body needs to acquire the top possible items to do so.  In this blog post, you will learn about the BEST items of food to choose and the understanding of quality vs. quantity.

Let’s start with beverages. In weight-loss planning 101 you need to know the most important piece, “Don’t drink your calories!”  Tea and coffee may contain very little calories, but in the end it’s what you DO to the tea and coffee that eliminate the initial value and adds unwanted saturated fats and high volumes of sugar.  It is not just your cup-of-joe that can be adding on that extra pound or two of fat per week.   Many kinds of alcohol, juices, and sodas are packed with calories, food coloring, and sugar. Let say you add 2 tablespoons of sugar a day to your one cup of coffee, seven days a week for one month, that equals over 2/3 pound of fat a month! When in doubt, ask for a good old zero calorie ice water!

Where’s the beef?  Meat, fish and poultry are great sources of protein, iron, and essential fatty acids.    The major topic with purchasing these items widen from safety of animal welfare, environmental welfare, and consumer welfare.  This means choosing the “natural or organic” items.  A UK study on consumer perception of organic food from the British Food Journal found that consumers were more concerned with health and animal welfare, which greatly impacted individuals and their food choices (Harper & Makatouni,  2002).  Today many products contain harmful chemicals, hormones, and preservatives.  The preservative Monosodium (MSG) that is commonly found in cereals and meat have been known to cause weakness, difficulty breathing, nausea, headaches, chest pain, rapid heartbeat (FDA and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), USDA, 2006).  Purchasing certified organic items promise the consumer that there are no added chemicals, genetic engineering, preservatives, or hormones (United States Department of Agriculture).

Linking the last topic to this the next, choosing your veggies and fruits should be fun filled.  Every week it should be your goal to pack in as many colorful fruits and veggies as you can.  The nutrients, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that are in those products will make you strong, have lots of energy, and get you moving and feeling like a champion.  BUT: First, watch what you do to these items.  Buttering them up and adding salt will turn that delightful sweet-potato into a water absorbing fat bomb.  Love your veggies and fruits the way they are!  Second, remember just reading about certified organic products?  Well, the same applies to these choices too.  This can be difficult because prices for these higher quality items are a little more than the non-organic items.  But think about this, I used the word quality.  Items that were raised organic won’t contain harmful chemicals (USDA, National Organic Program). Walk into the grocery store today and compare the prices yourself.  Last week I purchased an organic cucumber for $1.99, the non-organic cucumber was $1.50.  Is that $.49 difference that chilling?

Dairy products are always an interesting topic for healthy meal planning.  When picking out your yogurts, milks, and other dairy products I highly recommend reading the ingredients label.  Some items can contain a great load of sugar!  For those who read my last blog “Dear Mary Poppins, a spoon full of sugar does not make the medicine go down, it makes the blood lipids go up,” you learned that over exposure to sugar can lead to obesity, high blood lipids and other unhappy health issues down the road like type two diabetes.  That delicious raspberry yogurt for lunch can be the same as eating 2 tablespoons of sugar!

Last but not least: your wheat products.  You need to be prudent when picking your products because it can affect you down the road.   Whole grain items are a major source of carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates fuel the body all day, but what happens when we have fueled up too much?  We store all leftovers in the adipose (fat) tissues in our bodies.  How come?  When carbohydrates are broken down in the body it will be converted to glucose, which is the simplest form of sugar.   Remember the sugar topic from earlier in this blog?  Exposure to long-term glucose (perhaps your toast for breakfast along with that PB&J you have with two slices of French bread at lunch) can increase your risk of high blood lipids (fat in your blood), heart disease, and many other health related issues.  This topic is raising and I’m sure hearing about those who are going wheat-free and gluten-free are not that uncommon.   What going wheat-free means is eliminating your bread and wheat sources from your diet.  A great read on this topic is Wheat Belly, written by William Davis, MD.  Your best items to avoid the bloating feeling and fat storing of either wheat and gluten are grains that contain flax, quinoa, rice, tapioca, soy, buckwheat, corn, and millet.

Quiche Recipe:

This meal can be a great choice for you and your family because you are cooking with REAL food!  This recipe includes minimal processed foods, a load of fresh veggies and protein, and will connect you with food!

You need:

1 small diced zucchini

½ cup of diced onions

6 Farm fresh sliced and grilled sausage links

1 cup of fresh diced spinach

6 egg whites

6 whole eggs

½ tbs. garlic power or optional seasoning

½ cup of diced tomatoes

Optional:

Cubed cheese

Crust:

2 cups of gluten free flour (of choose)

1 tbs. of coconut or olive oil

¼ - ½ cup of water

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 450° degrees.

2.     Mix the top portion ingredients in a separate bowl.

3.     Combined the crust ingredients and roll out on a clean floured area.

4.     Grease a pie pan and spread the crust fully over the pan. 

5.     Pour all the contents of the wet ingredients into the pie pan.

6.     Wrap tin foil over the top of the pie pan.

7.     Bake for 40-45 minutes (check the quiche to make sure the egg is fully cooked)

Resources:

Harper, G., & Makatouni, A. (2002). Consumer perception of organic food production and farm animal welfare. British Food Journal , 104(3/4/5), 287-299.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "FDA and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)," 31 August, 1995 (accessed July 28, 2006).

United States Department of Argriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service.  Organic Labeling and Marketing information.

United States Department of Agriculture. www.usda.gov

Broken Bike, Nor Poop at NYC Ironman Could NOT Deter This Champ!

Sunday night, and I just got home after sharing an incredible race NYC Ironman weekend, with David Sobel ..who.........really represented the "Go3 attitude" David just schooled us on positive attitude and optimism!

I got a call and text on Thursday morning..."bad news"  he said...and he went on to explain that during his  tapper ride, he realized that part of his bike frame was broken! BROKEN!

The NYC Ironman was two days away!!!!

So, with the incredible 911 help from Drummond's Cycles…Dick was able to take David's measurements and build another bike to David's specs. Drummonds puts Nascar's very best pit crew to shame. (A broken frame 2 days before an Ironman would put me right over the edge) I picked up the new bike off of Drummond's porch at 5:30 in the morning on Friday (and if you want to hear a great story about how I got out of my speeding ticket that morning- I can share that later) so, I got the bike and delivered it before noon to David in NYC. We find parking in the city..worse or harder than trying to find your bike in transition with a plastic bag on your head. We get to registration and it is announced that gallons of sewage has leaked into the Hudson (where David is supposed to swim in another day!!) Ok, that would do it right there for me! I would have pulled the plug.

The Ironman race directors informed us that they were testing the waters with the health dept. and would announce their decision dictating whether the swim would be cancelled, or might still  be on. The final decision would not be called until 4:00p.m the day before the race.

David's reaction- "I will be so bummed if the race were to be cancelled! My swim has gotten so much better after working with Nicola and Signe over this past year..if they canceled the swim it wouldn't really be an Ironman. I would feel like After I finished the bike and run I'd have to go find a pool and swim for 2.4 miles"

That's when everything was really confirmed something is tainted with our kool aid...something is wrong with us!

Friday, 4:00,..The swim is announced to be a go!

I am thinking about how much Purell should be added to David's water bottles, does Clorox make soap? Do they make antibacterial shot blocks? can he take the air mattress I had been sleeping on and use it during the swim?

I will try to rap this up-

If you know David, you know how even keeled he is and even when his boat starts to tip, he manages to stay focused on what it is that he actually  has control of. As Meghan put it, he might just be a "Super Hero"..because he  does a ton while training for an Ironman - Super Dad to 4 kids, wonderful Husband to Meghan, rescues animals and a kind, supportive friend to many of us and on top of that he keeps calm  while training for an Ironman and swimming in sewage! He also blows a HUGE PR (personal record) over an hour and a half off his other IM times!! SO COOL!

Before the race I heard David tell his parents that he would very happy if he could go under 15 hours. Last night, David finished strong through some very mentally and physically challenging conditions, he busted through with a 13:59! ! !! So many people and family were sending David energy last night and his parents were also there to share his day. HUGE thanks to Drummonds, who kept the wheels on the bus (or bike)

Cheers, 

Robin Asbury Go3 Coaching and Founder of Upper Valley Tri Tream

Dear Mary Poppins, a spoon full of sugar does not make the medicine go down. It makes your blood lipids go up.

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

My sister’s great way of getting her 3 year old to enjoy watermelon

Growing up I can remember my great grandmother sprinkling sugar over fresh picked and sliced strawberries for us young kids to enjoy.  Sugar overload?  I’m sure I thought those strawberries were perfectly delicious!  Of the US population, we consume on average 25% or more of own DAILY diet in simple sugars (Thompson, Manroe 2009).  And yes, the rumors are true, simple sugars are not that ideal. Let’s sweetly recap:

Glucose: Generally combined with other sugars, it’s a preferred source of energy for the brain and for all cells.

Fructose: Sweet sugar found of veggies and fruit.

Lactose: Milk sugar

Maltose: A disaccharide that contains two molecules of glucose.

Sucrose: A disaccharide that contains one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule.   It’s sweeter than lactose or maltose.

Added Sugars: Brown sugar, dextrose, honey, corn sweeteners, raw sugar, maple sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (this list of added sugars can go on!).  

Sucralose (Splenda):  A man-made product that is not broken down by the body.  Known to be highly sweeter than table sugar, Sucralose is non-caloric.

WHY SHOULD WE SKIP THEM?

·         Large amounts of simple sugars leads to unhealthy levels of blood lipids.  Meaning an increased risk of triglycerides (lipids in our blood) and LDL’s (the bad cholesterol.) 

·         High sugar intakes contributes to obesity.  Obesity contributes to diabetes.  

·         Tooth decay!

 cravingsugar.net

DON’TS: 

·         It is clear today that soda would probably be the first additive sugar item to deduct from your diet. Two reasons for two kinds of sodas:

1.       Non-diet sodas contain over 2-8 tablespoons of sugar. Ouch, call the dentist ASAP?

2.       Diet sodas typically contain aspartame or sucralose, remember the words “man-made” from the recap section of this blog?  When the body tries to break down those ingredients, it will start to process them as if they were true glucose, increasing the rate of insulin production.  Once the body figures out it is not real glucose, your body will lower its blood pressure so that you’ll be hungry enough to soon ingest the real form of glucose so that the insulin can be successful stored. 

·         Avoid doubling up on sweets.  Fruit and veggies are naturally tasty and ready for you to eat.  Adding sugar, or honey for an example to them will only retrain your taste buds to think they aren’t sweet enough.

·         “I’ll take my coffee with two creams and 3 sugar packets please.” YIKES, biggest don’t!  What a terrible way to sneak in sugar.  Your taste buds WILL adapt to a deduction!

Example equation: If you put in 3 tablespoons of sugar in your one cup of coffee a day, that is 1,008 calories at the end of the week.  That is 1/3 of a pound of fat just from your one cup of coffee a day!

DO’S

·         Drink it, eat it, AS IS! Your fruits and veggies have the sugar already in it, why add to it?

·         Baking with sugar can be tricky, but my personal recommendation is that you use natural resources, like maple syrup, or sugar in the raw.   They are unbleached and readily digestible compared to many other resources.

·         One of my clients got me a bumper sticker saying “READ THE INGREDIENTS!” and it could not be more true.  Cereals, drinks, baked goods, pretty much ALL foods that come with a nutrition label, you should read before you buy it or consume it! Remember 14 grams of sugar = 1 TBS.

Resources from Nutrition; An Applied Approach.  Second Edition. J. Thompson, M. Manroe.
Second photo credit to cravingsugar.net

Have any cooking tips or tricks? Or maybe some sugar reduction success stories? Fill us readers in!