One of the most critical things that you must focus on if you hope to
be successful in your quest to lose body fat is to eliminate all the
added sugar from your diet.
Shannon Clark who holds a degree in Exercise Science and Sport Performance from the University of Alberta in Edmonton and has been working in the health and fitness field for over 10 years shares her tips to eliminate sugar from your diet!
"One of the most critical things that you must focus on if you hope to be successful in your quest to lose body fat is to eliminate all the added sugar from your diet.
By far and away, one of the biggest contributors being seen in today's obesity problem is the high intake of sugar. People everywhere are wolfing down processed foods, fast foods, snack foods, and the biggest sugar bomb of all - soda - and are paying a hefty price.
The worst part of this problem is that unlike fat, sugar will spark hunger levels to surge even higher as the insulin level in the body skyrockets to an all-time high. This sends you on a cycle of binge eating which then not only causes you to eat loads of carbs and sugar but loads of calories as well.
Our diets are easily topping over 3500 calories per day, which is more than the vast majority of us - even those who are incredibly active, require to maintain our body weight.
As awareness is being raised about all the problems that accompany such a high sugar intake, more people are starting to take action and eliminate the foods that are at the top of the problem list.
That said, however, many are missing a few of the biggest contributors that are sneaking in right under their "sugar radar." The following foods may not be conventionally thought to be high in sugar, but you need to take a closer look.
When further examining what they are made of, you will quickly discover just how much sugar these actually do contain.
Here are the main culprits to watch!
1. Spaghetti Sauce
So you sit down to your plate of pasta at night and think you're making the healthy choice by choosing a tomato-based sauce rather than the creamy sauce that you would have preferred? Well, you would be surprised to know that just half cup of that tomato sauce you're spooning into your bowl contains as many as three teaspoons of sugar.
This translates to almost 50 calories from pure sugar per serving and most of us are using more than just that single half-cup serving.
Add this sugar to the high volume of carbohydrates coming from the pasta in the first place and you've got yourself a problem.
If you want to ensure that this meal choice is a healthy one, opt for a spaghetti sauce that specifically labels itself as sugar-free.
You Would Be Surprised To Know That Just Half Cup Of That
Tomato Sauce You're Spooning Into Your Bowl Contains As Many As Three Teaspoons Of Sugar.
2. Ketchup
If you look at the stats of the most commonly-consumed vegetable in North America, it's sad to say that potatoes are at the top of the list. And how are most of these potatoes being eaten?
If you said, "Served up as French fries," you'd be correct. While the trans fat content typically found in French fries is really bad enough, to add to the problem you've got the slug of ketchup that gets smothered on top. Sadly, some people may even view ketchup as healthy since it comes from tomatoes, but most ketchup is anything but.
Ketchup itself is incredibly high in sugar with almost 20% of the condiment being comprised of this sweet ingredient and can contribute a significant number of calories.
If you're eating three or four tablespoons with your meal you could be in for an added 80 to 100 calories that you weren't expecting. Add this amount of ketchup every day for a month and you've just gained a solid pound of body weight.
The reality of sugar is quite startling to some people but a little bit here and a little bit there translates to a very large amount over time, so it's vital that you take steps to cut out as much as possible.
There are sugar-free varieties of ketchup now available for purchase, so be certain to stock up on one of those.
Ketchup Itself Is Incredibly High In Sugar With Almost 20% Of
The Condiment Being Comprised Of This Sweet Ingredient And Can Contribute A Significant Number Of Calories.
3. Low-Fat Salad Dressing
You've heard it many times before - if you want to keep your salad abiding by the 'weight loss diet rules', always opt for low-fat salad dressing. Unfortunately, this rule may not be all that correct.
As the fat gets removed from these variations, often times sugar gets added in so now you're replacing one harmful diet ingredient with another and you're not all that better off.
Manufacturers know that if a product doesn't taste appetizing you are no longer going to purchase it, and since the dressing doesn't taste all that well without the fat, something must get added. Sugar is the solution they turn to.
If you are careful to only use a small amount of regular, full-fat dressing and choose one that's made with olive oil so you're taking in healthy fats, you can stick to the regular variety here.
Often there are fat-soluble vitamins found in your salad, as well, so using the regular variety will help increase the absorption rate of these nutrients.
Manufacturers Know That If A Product Doesn't Taste Appetizing You Are No Longer Going To Purchase It, And Since The Dressing Doesn't Taste All That Well Without The Fat, Something Must Get Added.
4. Bread
All those no-carb diet followers out there likely will not have to worry about this food as it got banned from their diets a long time ago, but for those who aren't quite that extreme in their approach, it's important that you take a good look at the ingredient listing of the bread that you're serving up.
Be on the lookout here for either sugar or corn syrup as both terms are sometimes used inter-changeably. Either one will spell trouble for your fat-loss diet so if the particular bread you're using happens to list this as one of the top ingredients, it's time to put that bread back on the shelf and go with something else.
Be On The Lookout Here For Either Sugar Or Corn Syrup
As Both Terms Are Sometimes Used Inter-Changeably.
5. Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
Another place you must watch out for added sugar is in your favorite afternoon snack: yogurt. The larger portion of fruit-flavored varieties out there can easily come in at over 15 grams of sugar per serving.
So while you think you're getting a nice low-cal snack that sticks within your plan, you're not doing much in the way of promoting health or stopping hunger levels.
For better results, you'd be far smarter to either choose simple cottage cheese with some fruit mixed in (which also is a far superior source of protein as well), or serve up one of the sugar-free varieties of yogurt instead.
More and more brands are coming out with sugar-free variations and these are typically also lower in calories so they're an even better choice for those following a fat-loss diet. With these freed-up calories, mix in some bran buds cereal (or another high-fiber cereal) to further help slow the digestion of the nutrients in the body and also boost the overall nutritional content.
Shannon Clark who holds a degree in Exercise Science and Sport Performance from the University of Alberta in Edmonton and has been working in the health and fitness field for over 10 years shares her tips to eliminate sugar from your diet!
"One of the most critical things that you must focus on if you hope to be successful in your quest to lose body fat is to eliminate all the added sugar from your diet.
By far and away, one of the biggest contributors being seen in today's obesity problem is the high intake of sugar. People everywhere are wolfing down processed foods, fast foods, snack foods, and the biggest sugar bomb of all - soda - and are paying a hefty price.
The worst part of this problem is that unlike fat, sugar will spark hunger levels to surge even higher as the insulin level in the body skyrockets to an all-time high. This sends you on a cycle of binge eating which then not only causes you to eat loads of carbs and sugar but loads of calories as well.
Our diets are easily topping over 3500 calories per day, which is more than the vast majority of us - even those who are incredibly active, require to maintain our body weight.
As awareness is being raised about all the problems that accompany such a high sugar intake, more people are starting to take action and eliminate the foods that are at the top of the problem list.
That said, however, many are missing a few of the biggest contributors that are sneaking in right under their "sugar radar." The following foods may not be conventionally thought to be high in sugar, but you need to take a closer look.
When further examining what they are made of, you will quickly discover just how much sugar these actually do contain.
Here are the main culprits to watch!
1. Spaghetti Sauce
So you sit down to your plate of pasta at night and think you're making the healthy choice by choosing a tomato-based sauce rather than the creamy sauce that you would have preferred? Well, you would be surprised to know that just half cup of that tomato sauce you're spooning into your bowl contains as many as three teaspoons of sugar.
This translates to almost 50 calories from pure sugar per serving and most of us are using more than just that single half-cup serving.
Add this sugar to the high volume of carbohydrates coming from the pasta in the first place and you've got yourself a problem.
If you want to ensure that this meal choice is a healthy one, opt for a spaghetti sauce that specifically labels itself as sugar-free.
You Would Be Surprised To Know That Just Half Cup Of That
Tomato Sauce You're Spooning Into Your Bowl Contains As Many As Three Teaspoons Of Sugar.
2. Ketchup
If you look at the stats of the most commonly-consumed vegetable in North America, it's sad to say that potatoes are at the top of the list. And how are most of these potatoes being eaten?
If you said, "Served up as French fries," you'd be correct. While the trans fat content typically found in French fries is really bad enough, to add to the problem you've got the slug of ketchup that gets smothered on top. Sadly, some people may even view ketchup as healthy since it comes from tomatoes, but most ketchup is anything but.
Ketchup itself is incredibly high in sugar with almost 20% of the condiment being comprised of this sweet ingredient and can contribute a significant number of calories.
If you're eating three or four tablespoons with your meal you could be in for an added 80 to 100 calories that you weren't expecting. Add this amount of ketchup every day for a month and you've just gained a solid pound of body weight.
The reality of sugar is quite startling to some people but a little bit here and a little bit there translates to a very large amount over time, so it's vital that you take steps to cut out as much as possible.
There are sugar-free varieties of ketchup now available for purchase, so be certain to stock up on one of those.
Ketchup Itself Is Incredibly High In Sugar With Almost 20% Of
The Condiment Being Comprised Of This Sweet Ingredient And Can Contribute A Significant Number Of Calories.
3. Low-Fat Salad Dressing
You've heard it many times before - if you want to keep your salad abiding by the 'weight loss diet rules', always opt for low-fat salad dressing. Unfortunately, this rule may not be all that correct.
As the fat gets removed from these variations, often times sugar gets added in so now you're replacing one harmful diet ingredient with another and you're not all that better off.
Manufacturers know that if a product doesn't taste appetizing you are no longer going to purchase it, and since the dressing doesn't taste all that well without the fat, something must get added. Sugar is the solution they turn to.
If you are careful to only use a small amount of regular, full-fat dressing and choose one that's made with olive oil so you're taking in healthy fats, you can stick to the regular variety here.
Often there are fat-soluble vitamins found in your salad, as well, so using the regular variety will help increase the absorption rate of these nutrients.
Manufacturers Know That If A Product Doesn't Taste Appetizing You Are No Longer Going To Purchase It, And Since The Dressing Doesn't Taste All That Well Without The Fat, Something Must Get Added.
4. Bread
All those no-carb diet followers out there likely will not have to worry about this food as it got banned from their diets a long time ago, but for those who aren't quite that extreme in their approach, it's important that you take a good look at the ingredient listing of the bread that you're serving up.
Be on the lookout here for either sugar or corn syrup as both terms are sometimes used inter-changeably. Either one will spell trouble for your fat-loss diet so if the particular bread you're using happens to list this as one of the top ingredients, it's time to put that bread back on the shelf and go with something else.
Be On The Lookout Here For Either Sugar Or Corn Syrup
As Both Terms Are Sometimes Used Inter-Changeably.
5. Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
Another place you must watch out for added sugar is in your favorite afternoon snack: yogurt. The larger portion of fruit-flavored varieties out there can easily come in at over 15 grams of sugar per serving.
So while you think you're getting a nice low-cal snack that sticks within your plan, you're not doing much in the way of promoting health or stopping hunger levels.
For better results, you'd be far smarter to either choose simple cottage cheese with some fruit mixed in (which also is a far superior source of protein as well), or serve up one of the sugar-free varieties of yogurt instead.
More and more brands are coming out with sugar-free variations and these are typically also lower in calories so they're an even better choice for those following a fat-loss diet. With these freed-up calories, mix in some bran buds cereal (or another high-fiber cereal) to further help slow the digestion of the nutrients in the body and also boost the overall nutritional content.
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