Overweight Couple
Updated on 23.03.2024
This was written by me some time back for a magazine- where weight loss can be drastically induced over a short period if we keep strict control of our calorie intake or-if we reduce the “sugar” intake. If its consumption is completely stopped for some time,time, there is definitely going to be a tangible change in a fat man transforming into a fitter man. Read it and enjoy the same. Real hard work has gone into collecting its authentic research data. Would love to have your comments if you found them informative and helpful.
EXTRA SUGAR INTAKE CAUSES OVERWEIGHT & DISEASED CONDITIONS.
Concern:-I am overweight:
I have been desperately searching for various resources and collecting various data out of my eagerness for so many years, just for one simple purpose. i.e., I just want to cut down drastically on my weight. I weigh 120 kgs as of the date and have 173 cm. Height-which is a very disturbing proportion and a big concern for me? Hence, wherever I get any information for the reduction in weight-I try first to implement the same on me and the biggest flaw with me remains. I do not follow it strictly till the time I could myself reduce my disturbing parameters to a satisfactory level. Now of late, when I am already completing the sixth decade of my tenure, I have started certain stringent steps in the morning. One of those steps is taking my early morning cup of tea without sugar. I have already a lot of convincing data and proof -which clearly talks about the significant advantages on various fronts, especially when one reduces the sugar intake through various types of foods and beverages.
What exactly is this “Sugar”?
Before we go into details-we must understand what exactly “Sugar” means? How its adverse impact is started in one’s life journey right from childhood or from the times one consumes the foodstuff for its growth and existence. Since we are born, we are subjected to a sugary environment. After breastfeeding, children consume sugar and sweets and a myriad of sugar and sweetened products are directing their palate and their tastes towards foods that are too sweet. The result is excessive consumption of sugar that can have negative health consequences. Beyond giving up the excess sweetness, there is the alternative of artificial sweeteners, but it does not seem the most adequate answer either. What is sugar? Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in many foods such as fruit and milk. Also, table sugar, white sugar, or sucrose is a type of sugar that is extracted from cane or beets as an ingredient for other foods, added to drinks, etc. However, the catalog of sugars can be found in food. Either naturally or added? it is much broader. Thus, besides sucrose, you can find brown sugar, glucose, fructose, honey, molasses, syrups, lactose, galactose, dextrose, dextrin, invert sugar, and maltose, among others. They are all sugars, and they are all sweet. The origin of sugar Sugarcane comes from Southeast Asia and India, where it was consumed many centuries before it was known in Europe, where the usual natural sweetener was always honey. When the Arabs invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, they brought with them, along with other crops, sugar cane. When the Spanish arrived in America, they brought sugar cane with them, where they found a very appropriate climate for its proliferation. The metabolic impact of sugar Current recommendations on sugar consumption considers the negative metabolic impact of excess sugar in the diet and its relationship to diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Also, its consumption is related to an increase in cavities. Thus, the World Health Organization recommends that sugar does not exceed 10% of total calories in the diet (50 g maximum per day on a 2,000-calorie diet). There are even additional benefits of setting the limit at 5% (25 g of sugar). In a current standard diet, these amounts are far exceeded. The carbohydrates in the diet, whether simple or complex, will determine that they increase blood glucose (blood glucose levels). In this sense, when foods rich in carbohydrates are not refined, their contribution to nutrients is greater and the absorption of carbohydrates in the body will occur more progressively. The consumption of refined foods and? Even more so? sugar will determine its rapid absorption with a rapid increase in blood glucose levels and a great metabolic impact. In this way, the continued consumption of sugar will determine higher levels of insulin and greater conversion of sugar into fat that will accumulate in adipose tissue. How to reduce sugar intake Alternative to sugar: sweeteners faced with the limitations of sugar consumption promoted by the health establishments; the food industry has been using different alternatives to produce sweet foods with greater acceptance. Artificial sweeteners, intense sweeteners, or caloric sweeteners are substances that sweeten, but whose effects on the body differ from those of sugar. Sweetener Safety Sweeteners, especially artificial ones, are being incorporated into the modern diet importantly. Although they have never been a clear health risk, the effects of their consumption have raised some doubts that will need to be answered in the future. Research data in both animals and humans suggests that the effects of artificial sweeteners can promote a change in the intestinal flora, decrease satiety, and alter glucose balance, leading to increased caloric intake and increased caloric intake. weight gain, effects that, in principle, they try to avoid. The studies carried out on the consumption of sugar versus sweeteners are not very informative. This is the case when comparing the consumption of soft drinks with sugar or sweeteners. In both cases, there is an increase in mortality from all causes compared to people who do not take them. Sweeteners: classification besides sugar, sweeteners such as polyalcohol and calorie-free or intense sweeteners can be found in foods. Polyalcohol or sugar alcohol Its origin is natural, although they appear in added foods as additives. They have a lower caloric content than sucrose. They are used mainly in candies and gum. Its main adverse effect is the laxative effect after high consumption. They do not cause cavities.
Studies on the Sugar-Intake- “Cut”:
I have studied the detailed work of M.S Martinez-who has 430 published papers to her credit on the same topic as “Cut in The Sugar Intake”. Tooth decay, weight gain, the appearance of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, or uncontrolled hunger are some consequences of being rich in sugars. But what happens when you decide to take the plunge and cut back on sugar? Francisca explains the main changes that occur in the body: weight loss: the consumption of free sugar or sugary drinks leads to overweight and obesity in people. Reducing sugar also reduces the intake of empty calories, those that have no nutritional value and cause weight gain. Lower cardiovascular risk: “Losing weight is already a fantastic guarantor for better cardiovascular health. The consumption of sugar affects other variables such as blood pressure and blood lipids such as triglycerides or LDL and total cholesterol”, adds Esteve.
Why Greater Urge To Take More Of Sugar?
Appetite regulation: when foods with excess sugar and/or ultra-processed foods invade our diet, resistance to leptin, a hormone involved in appetite, appears. By reducing the amount of dietary sugar, this resistance is reversed, and the proper functioning of the appetite is restored. “Sugar stimulates sweet cravings, so the sweeter products you consume, the greater the urge to eat them. For example, when you are anxious, celebrating, or sad, we think of sugary foods, not vegetables. By reducing the intake of sugar, the appetite is not stimulated without being hungry”, adds Elías. Recovery of the threshold of flavors: if we follow a diet low in sugar, we can restore the thresholds of perception of flavors. “In the same way that when you stop smoking, smell and appetite recover, people who stop consuming so much sugar can notice significant changes after 2-3 months, perceiving sweets up to 40 percent sweeter than those who continue taking sugar”, affirms Esteve. We increase the consumption of vitamins, minerals, and fiber: people who consume large amounts of sugar (over 25 percent of their total calories) experience a reduction in the consumption of calcium, vitamin A, iron and zinc, and fiber, which are good and necessary nutrients. “It prevents insulin resistance from occurring. The greater the amount of sugar in the diet, the greater the overweight and obesity. This increases the risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes”, Elías explains. Longer life expectancy? Finally, Esteve says that “it seems logical to think that, if the previous improvements and preventions are applied, we will enjoy a higher quality and life expectancy. But there are also biochemical reasons that suggest that a diet low in sugar and energy could be one factor that increase longevity. If also, this caloric moderation is made from the empty calories of sugar, we will have many more reasons to think that we are on the right track”, he concludes.
Different ways to cut back on sugar
Six ways to cut back on sugar if your goal is to reduce sugars in your diet. The first step is to limit your consumption of regular soda, candy, and other foods with a lot of sugar. Still, you may consume more added sugars than you think. To reduce sugars in your diet, the first step is to limit your consumption of regular sodas, followed by eliminating the tablespoon of sugar that you add to cereals in the morning. But what if you’re already making progress in reducing your consumption of high-sugar products? Most likely, you are still consuming more added sugars than you think, which are present in everyday foods. Here are some tips to help you cut back on sugar: Instead of adding sugar to oatmeal or cereal to sweeten it, fill your bowl to the top with your favorite fruit. Instead of choosing sugary drinks, opt for low-calorie or sugar-free drinks. Better yet, drink water (it can be plain water or sparkling mineral water). For dessert, choose some fruit, not cookies or batter. Reduce the amount of sugar you use in cake and cookie recipes or eliminate the sugar by replacing it with unsweetened applesauce. Pay attention to condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce, which can be high in sugar, and opt for low-sugar options like salsa, mustard, or hot sauce. Read Nutrition Facts labels on foods and look up restaurant menus online. Avoid options with a lot of sugar.
The doctor recommends controlling the consumption of 5 foods to lose weight quickly and effectively. When you are trying to lose weight, you are surely looking for food lists that help with the process; however, you must know the other side of losing weight: the foods that you should avoid, something essential to achieve success on the scale. Avoiding certain foods is not about forbidding them, but about trying to choose healthier and lower-calorie options whenever you can. What not to eat to lose weight: foods to avoid if you want to lose weight.
Juliano Pimentel, a Brazilian doctor, teaches various effective weight loss techniques on his YouTube channel. In one of his videos, he selects foods that are not recommended for those who want to lose weight healthily. As maintaining a healthy weight is also a matter of effort, it is advisable to reduce the consumption of these foods even when you have reached your ideal weight. Also, none of these bring benefits to your health. Learn what they are:
1. Soda and sugary-Beverages:
These types of drinks, whether regular or light, are not only harmful to health because of their sugar or artificial sweetener content, but they can also make you fat, through different effects. Regular sodas are high in calories for their amount of sugar. A can of cola has about 7 tablespoons of sugar, so almost a third of what you are drinking is pure sugar. Would you eat 7 tablespoons of sugar because you “need to cool off”? As for diet sodas, these have zero calories, so they shouldn’t make you fat. But they have their tricks to get it indirectly. The sweeteners used in these types of drinks are dozens of times sweeter than sugar, thus overstimulating your taste buds. After taking a light drink, you will have more desire to consume something sweet or something salty, something that has been proven by many scientific studies on the subject. Packaged juices also have similar amounts of sugar and calories, so they are not considered a healthy option either. The best drinks to have are water, unsweetened coffee, and unsweetened or herbal teas.
2. Pizza eating:
It has three very unhealthy ingredients stacked on top of one another. The dough, made from white flour, resembles bread in terms of calories and carbohydrates. Industrial tomato sauce is usually loaded with additives that make it more caloric, as well as containing a good amount of salt and sugar. And the same is the cheese: besides being food with many calories, it has a tremendous salt content. Salt alone does not make you fat, but it can make you keep more fluid and gain even more weight for this reason. A healthy and less caloric alternative to eating pizza is to make it homemade, with whole wheat dough or with a base made of quinoa or another cereal, with a sauce of crushed tomatoes and little lean or light cheese on top.
3. Sweets/eat sugar donuts:
As with sugary drinks, consuming sweets in excess causes a certain weight to gain because of the number of calories that come only from sugar. Add to that other ingredient that makes up the sweet: flour, dairy, chocolate, peanuts. The list goes on. Also, sweets are highly addictive, which is why it is so difficult to completely give up sugar. Again, it’s not about eliminating it from the diet, but about moderating its consumption and finding equally delicious alternatives. Try swapping your afternoon chocolate for a serving of dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa content or making a delicious smoothie or fruit salad.
4. French fries:
These are simple carbohydrates that are also being soaked and cooked in pure oil, so they become much more caloric from there. To give you an idea, 100 g of boiled potatoes have 87 calories, while the same number of French fries contains 312. Of course, these values vary depending on the preparation, but the amount increases to more than triple, which has a safe destination in your abdominal area.
5. White bread loaf:
According to Pimentel, food, which has been in our culture for centuries, can cause weight gain if consumed in excess. If you are going to eat bread, opt for whole-grain options, which are less caloric, have fewer carbohydrates, and provide more fiber, which will move your digestive system and keep the tract fully peristaltic.
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