This question has been going back and forth for years.
It seems like every month we get told there’s a new bad guy.
At one point it was sugar, then it was fats, then it was just trans fats, then it was sugar again…
You get the point.
One thing to get clear straight off the bat is this.
Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you.
Both lead to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad cholesterol.
As if it wasn’t confusing enough, there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
More on that here.
On the other hand, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for your heart.
The types of fats you want to consume come from avocado, olive oil, nuts, and of course you omega-3 and omega-6 that you’ll find in salmon, walnuts, soybean, and sunflower seeds.
As far as sugars go, some occur naturally in fruits and dairy, these are ok to have as part of a well-balanced diet.
It’s added sugar that is the problem, the ones that are just there to make our food taste better.
For a long time, we heard fats were bad, so companies started making low-fat options.
The problem with a lot of low-fat options is they don’t taste that good until we add sugar to them.
And now we’re in this weird place where all the food, or should I say products, that we eat has gone through this crazy process of pulling stuff out and adding stuff back in to make it edible.
The simplest solution is to eat food.
Whole foods.
The stuff around the outside edges of the supermarkets, it’s never in boxes and it grows in the ground.
The same stuff that we’ve been eating for thousands of years.
But with technology improving faster and faster, we have come to expect everything faster and faster.
And as a result, we now eat a combination of plastics and chemicals grown in a lab somewhere because we’ve forgotten what food is.
And the worst part is, we can’t seem to figure out why we have all these health problems now.
While the battle between fat and sugar goes down, there’s another battle taking place with all of us.
Trying to decide where to workout next.
Well friends I have great news.
It doesn’t matter!
As you’ll see when you download my free E-Book Train Wherever The F*ck You Want.
You can train anywhere!
Does Sugar Turn Into fat?
Yes, it does, and it doesn’t stop there.
If you eat too much of anything it turns into fat.
That’s what our body does so well, it saves energy for later.
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source.
And unlike the petrol tank in your car, which can only hold a limited amount, your body turns that extra fuel into fat and keeps it for later.
And the biggest culprits aren’t always what we eat, it’s what we drink.
Just a 20-ounce bottle of Coke has 65g of sugar!
That’s 16 and a half sugar cubes!
That’s not going to fill you up so what happens to it?
It ends up in your body fat stores.
You’re giving your liver a huge hit of sugar all at once. Think of the stress that’s putting on your organs.
And then we go and eat something at the same time.
Which let’s be honest, the average diet now is very high in carbs.
We are eating too much sugar, good or bad.
They don’t fill us up so we eat more and more.
A while back I wrote this article on how we can eat what we want as long as we know what we’re doing.
How Much Sugar In A Day Is OK?
Not a lot.
I would really recommend cutting out added sugars completely.
We can get more than enough naturally occurring sugar just with fruit.
But as per the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars you should consume a day are.
Men: 37.5g or 150 calories
Women: 25g or 100 calories
What Is Your Body Lacking When You Crave Sugar?
A big portion of sugar cravings can come from imbalances in blood sugar levels.
When sugar is consumed your body releases insulin to bring blood sugar levels back down.
But, what often happens is it brings it down too low and your body craves more sugar to try and balance it back out again.
And because we give it sugar all the time with all the products we eat now, everything is fast becoming out of whack.
So, the next time you have a craving for sugar, look for an option with lower levels of naturally occurring sugars.
Think fruit, dark chocolate, dates, sweet potato, yogurt, grains, or veggies.
How Do I Get Off Sugar?
First off let’s be clear that most people have a genuine addiction to sugar.
Some studies suggest it’s more addictive than cocaine.
My wife and I gave up sugar for a few months, ( we have it in moderation now.) And let me tell you, the first 2 weeks were hell.
We were tired and grumpy.
We had what seemed like a nonstop headache.
It probably could have been made easier by cutting out naturally occurring sugars for the first week as well, you live and learn.
So to kick the addiction, let’s start with getting 3 full meals every day.
A decent breakfast is high in fats and protein.
It’s going to keep you fuller for longer.
Secondly, we want to keep our fluids up and drink plenty of water.
If you are finding soft drinks your hardest thing to let go of, try soda water with a splash of lemon juice.
Next, make sure all your meals are high in protein and sources of healthy fats.
And don’t substitute with artificial sweeteners; this is not going to help kick the habit.
You may find you need to distract yourself.
Go for walks, do some exercise.
Once you’ve got through the first 2 weeks you can start to give yourself a little treat.
But remember it’s just a treat.
Check out this video I made a while back where I experiment with carb cycling for 30 days, the results will blow your mind!