Sugar, the dangerous ingredient in almost everything

Sugar is added in to so many of the foods we eat on a daily basis, and many of us aren’t even aware of it!  As a whole, we also intentionally consume massive amounts of sugar in our diet each day even though it has been linked to a slew of health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer just to name a few.

Sugar is a carbohydrate that is naturally found in many foods, including lactose (in milk) and fructose (in fruit). These aren’t necessarily the big problem for your health; it’s the processed and added sugars that pose the biggest dangers and it’s not as easy as you may think to avoid them.

Sugar is in so many foods – much more than you may realize. Soda and other soft drinks are the obvious culprits, with just one can of soda having as much as 7 teaspoons of sugar – but that’s not all you need to watch out for.

Low fat “diet” meals often contain plenty of sugar to make up for the lower fat content and to make it taste better. Processed foods in general have added sugar, including canned soups and even ready-made sauces. You may not realize, but even bread can be a victim of sugar! This is why checking your food labels is key to ensure your diet isn’t falling victim to sugar.

What Does Sugar Do to Your Health?

Too much sugar initially spikes your blood sugar levels and then leads to a big crash that affects your mood and makes you crave more sugar. This vicious cycle is one of the main reasons why sugar is so heavily linked to obesity as it encourages you to keep eating more sugar.  Something called the “Vicious Cookie Cycle”.

Why is it a problem? Our ancestors didn’t eat sugar other than fructose that was naturally occurring in fruits and some vegetables. Your liver can metabolize sugar to a large extent but when it reaches excessive levels, it starts turning it into fat instead and this is where the health problems begin. In the modern world, a lot of us eat more sugar than the body can handle.

Eating too much sugar can make your liver inflamed and start building up fat. It also encourages uric acid to be produced, which raises your blood pressure and can even lead to gout. More worryingly, it also affects blood lipids and cholesterol levels, which can lead to cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes.

Even fruit juice can contribute to this as it is high in fructose, which can be metabolized to blood sugar. According to studies, high fructose content can encourage the body to store abdominal fat, especially the type that surrounds organs.

So, what are you to do? You’re better off choosing whole fruits (rather than fruit juices). You’ll also get more fiber from whole fruits and you’d have to eat an unrealistic amount for their fructose content to become a cause for concern.

TIP: Mix natural sugars with protein to balance your blood sugar levels and to stop the sugar being absorbed into your bloodstream as quickly. For example, team a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts or some yogurt. This can also help to curb cravings too.

What to Look For on Labels

Sugar often won’t be included on the ingredients as sugar. Food manufacturing companies are getting crafty when it comes to labelling their products. Sugar can be labelled as a long list of other names and it can be hard to really understand what you’re eating. Anything ending in “ose” is an obvious giveaway, including glucose, sucrose (better known as table sugar), fructose and maltose.

Less obvious signs that something contains sugar are syrups such as rice syrup and corn syrup. And then there’s the big one – high fructose corn syrup.

Fructose in fruits isn’t all that bad and this can fool you into thinking that high fructose corn syrup can’t be that dangerous either.  In reality, it’s one of the worst types of sugar you can consume. It’s a major ingredient in a lot of foods these days as it’s cheap to produce, so it’s definitely one to watch out and stay away from as much as you can.

“Sugar free” foods generally contain artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame. Studies have suggested that these don’t do a lot to satisfy sugar cravings and may actually make you overeat. There are also concerns that they may pave the way for health problems, such as cardiovascular disease.

If these ingredients are high up on the list of your food label, meaning they are in the first few ingredients listed, then you know that there’s a good amount of sugar hiding in the food!

Today, go through your pantry and check your labels. What has hidden sugar in it?

References:
^{https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(14)70013-0/abstract
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx}

5 FAST Self-Care Routines for Busy Women

For busy women, finding time for self-care can feel like an impossibility. The way that self-care is often portrayed as long weekends spent at the beach, regular trips to the spa, or hours in the sauna at the gym can make women not even try because they simply don’t have that kind of time. In reality though, self-care can be anything (small or big) you do to give your body attention.

Which is why the following self-care tips won’t take more than 10 minutes of your time while still having big impact on your body.

1. Touch your toes and stretch

It’s easy to ignore the stress and tightness in our spines. But the truth of the matter is that when we spend long hours hunched over the computer, curled up on the couch or picking up after the kids, our posture and body take the brunt of it.  It doesn’t take more than ten minutes to step out of your chair and touch your toes (or as far down your calves as possible!), but the stretching will do your aching joints and body some long-lasting good.

While you’re at it, stretch the rest of your body as well. Perhaps you can look up a yoga posture, or you have a stretching routine in mind already. Whether it is advanced or basic, any kind of stretching will keep your body functioning well despite periods of inactivity. Touch your toes, extend your arms and gear yourself up physically and mentally for whatever task is at hand.

2. Massage and moisturize

Though we tend to link massages and fancy lotions to a day at the spa, not many of us have the time or budget to indulge in frequent spa trips. My girlfriends and I make it a once-a -year fun occasion, even though it would be nice to do it more! But that’s okay because no massage therapist or body worker will know your body and your preferences as well as you do!

Use a natural lotion such as organic coconut oil (my personal favourite) or avocado oil (don’t be afraid to indulge in your favorite) and rub it mindfully into your arms and shoulders, or even across your legs. Spread the cream or oil gently and thoroughly and use your hands to massage over your body across areas that you might not realize are aching. You might come across some sudden sore spots, it’s important to focus on those for a moment, rubbing in the lotion. You will find this relaxing and energizing and your skin will benefit greatly from the extra moisturizing.

3. Phone a friend

At a time where connectivity options are abundant, it’s funny how disconnected we actually are. The business of everyday life can be exhausting and drain us of all the time and will to socialize beyond what is absolutely necessary. During our free time there are personal things we need to tend to that make socializing take a back seat. But to truly care for ourselves, we need to nurture social and emotional aspects as well.

While it’s easy to pick up your phone and send a text, take ten minutes out of your day to actually TALK with a friend or family member. You benefit just as much as they do. Simply talking about your day and what is going on in your life maintains the feeling of being connected. Your support system can help relieve your stress and also helps you to maintain a healthy mindset through your shared bond.

4. Drink two additional glasses of water today

Water is that little magic potion we all too often ignore: it relieves fatigue, clears skin, detoxes your body, improves digestion, and prevents cramps. And yet we often forget to hydrate, or we hydrate so little we get headaches as a result. Not only will drinking two glasses of water help you hydrate, it will also give you much-needed time to get away from your technological devices and focus on your surroundings.

Drink the water slowly and savour the break from your work before you dive back into it. Take it in slow sips if you need to and be sure to follow this tip regularly to meet your daily requirement of water intake.

Not a big water fan? Add in a little squeeze of fresh lemon or lime to add a touch of flavor. Better yet, grab a jug of water and put some sliced fruit such as strawberries and mint for a delicious way to get your water in.

5. Play with your pet or go for a walk

Whether it’s a furry friend or a tank full of fish, scientists have proven the health benefits of animals at every turn. A pet of your own means a faithful companion. And in addition to that spending time with a pet is a proven way to lower blood pressure and increase oxytocin levels.

The enjoyment from pets can be calming and repetitive motion of petting your companion (or even staring at a fish tank!) will help soothe you. Don’t have a pet? Go for a walk to your local park or dog walking track, just taking in the sights of other dogs and animals has the same impact on your wellbeing.

So, as you can see, self-care isn’t just about facials, eating your greens and getting your hair done. It’s also about the soul food that fuels you and the small things that make big impacts on your overall wellbeing. By practicing these 5 tips, you get to spend 10 minutes away from whatever it is you do each day and you get to separate yourself from the chaos and stress of your daily life. Do you take 10 minutes out of your day for you each day? Share with me below!

References

^{https://www.confidentlife.com.au/20-quick-self-care-activities-can-10-mins-less/
http://time.com/4728315/science-says-pet-good-for-mental-health/
https://thegrowthstudio.org/blog/quick-self-care-10-ways-to-practice-self-care-in-5-minutes-or-less}

How to Speed Up Your Metabolism

There are many little things you can do during the day to speed up your metabolism – from being more fidgety to ensuring that you stay hydrated. The following suggestions can help you rev up your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight and get healthy.

1. Drink Cold Water – Drinking cold water forces your body to heat up the water to digest it properly, thus using more calories and boosting your metabolism.
2. Start Your Day with Exercise – Movement increases metabolism during the activity and long after you’ve stopped the activity. Start your day with exercise and find other times during the day to keep moving.
3. Use Caffeine – Many people balk at the idea of purposely ingesting caffeine but let’s be honest – it’s in many supplements and drinks, and most of us use it. If you have no health issues that make it impossible to use, realize that it does boost metabolism but be careful.
4. Eat Healthy Lean Protein – Don’t add protein powders and processed ingredients to your food. Instead, eat healthy lean proteins which can be found in vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, and lean meat.
5. Drink Green Tea – This is loaded with antioxidants, caffeine and something called EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) which is thought to boost metabolism. (more on this great supplement in the next blog post!)
6. Use Gym Machines – Sometimes it can be hard to exercise at the gym and the machines look scary. But some machines are extra good at burning calories with less work, such as elliptical machines.
7. Eat Omega 3s – These are found in salmon, hemp seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds, and are all great ways to get in your Omega 3s which help lower the risk of heart disease, depression and dementia.
8. Take Resveratrol Supplements– This ingredient, found in red wine, grapes, cherries, and cranberries, reacts on the body a lot like caffeine. It increases motivation and revs up the metabolism. It may be a heathier option than caffeine.

Whichever methods you chose to incorporate into your life, it is important that you talk to your health care provider to make sure that you are generally healthy. Adding supplements and even exercise can be dangerous for some people, especially if you’ve been sedentary for a long time. So it’s important that you go to your doctor, get a clean bill of health, and then work toward speeding up your metabolism in the healthiest ways that you can find.