Bread, candy, sugar, pasta – it’s all sugar and carbohydrates. The question stands, what’s the difference in which ones you can or shouldn’t eat? Especially with the advent of weight loss virginia beach, many people have confusions around sugar and carbohydrates. Sometimes they think that if their blood sugar is not stable it means they eat or don’t eat sugar because they are unclear as to carbohydrates and their role in blood glucose. At our weight loss center virginia beach, we educate about the role of nutrition and how that plays into weight loss and weight gain. 

When it comes to the war on foods, carbohydrates really get a bad reputation. It’s unfortunate because carbohydrates have been the lifeblood of human existence for thousands of years. So many people are unclear as to the amount of carbohydrates or the differences between carbohydrates in our weight loss center virginia beach. Why do people now think that they’re bad for them?

The reality is that carbs themselves are not bad – it is the processed, sugar-rich carbs which provide the bulk of bad news in your diet. These are the simple carbohydrates. Healthy carbohydrates are fruits and vegetables.

Here’s the thing: sugar is a nutrient that tastes great, but it is completely non-essential in our diet. 

In fact, most unprocessed carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables) will contain a plentiful supply of glucose and fructose to provide energy to the body. There’s no need to consume pure sugar unless the body craves these types of sugars. As we understand what it takes to weight loss virginia beach, then we are able to determine the balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats within the diet. 

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Processed sugar will provide you nothing but inflammation – inflammation of cardiac muscle, arteries and many other systems – that is completely unnecessary. 

So, how do you tell the difference between good sugar (found in wholesome carbs) and bad sugar so that you can have weight loss virginia beach?

In our weight loss center virginia beach we recommend to Stay Away from Processed Foods

Processed foods really are the worst thing for you. Yes, they’re easy to consume and very tasty, but if you are concerned about your health, this is an area that’s important to pay attention to. As if you consume large amounts of processed foods the body accumulates toxicity. This toxicity inhibits normal function in the body which contributes to weight loss virginia beach.

Foods with processed sugar come in many forms, such as cereals, yogurts (high in lactose, another sugar), and pastries. Even some processed meats have sugar-rich sauces on them. 

If you’d like to cut down on sugar, simply avoid foods that are overly processed. This will definitely lower your sugar intake each day.  Being conscious of processed sugars is an important aspect that we educate on in weight loss virginia beach. 

How to Escape the Sugar Trap

As you may know, complex carbohydrates like ancient grains, fruit, and vegetables provide a very good source of metabolized glucose (to fuel the brain) and glycogen (to be stored in muscle and liver). This does not include things such as pasta, rice, and various processed grains. Ancient grains include grains such as spelt, teff, millet, chia, buckwheat, etc. Quinoa is another healthy grain. It is a high protein grain. 

Eating wholesome foods in their most natural form will always be the easiest way to ensure you are getting the nutrients you want and none of the inflammatory properties of processed sugars

Do I Need to Completely Eliminate Sugar?

This is something that needs to be clarified. Sugar is not necessarily bad, but the rate at which most people consume it can be very detrimental to your health. Increased sugar feeds unhealthy bacteria within the digestive system. Working with a weight loss center virginia beach will help you determine levels of sugar that are healthy for you. Ideally, the less processed sugar the better and this will help weight loss virginia beach. An education of the amount of carbohydrates that you need as a ratio in your diet.  

Anything that has insulinogenic properties (in other words, it raises insulin levels) can lead to an imbalance in the body over time. This are primarily found in high processed foods such as bread, rice, etc. These will want to be minimized and in some cases eliminated in the diet.

High-sugar foods are not only addictive to the body and brain, but they also cause massive surges in insulin levels. Insulin spikes can cause challenges with weight loss virginia beach. In our weight loss center virginia beach, we address insulin spikes and help you to identify them.

The secret? Consume fiber. Fiber has a unique property that not only limits inflammation but also relaxes insulin levels. For this reason, many who suffer from diabetes consume higher than normal fiber levels to counteract inflammation. Fiber can be found within plant based foods, such as apples, greenery such as kale, etc.

So, if your body doesn’t have insulin issues, a small amount of sugar probably won’t hurt you as long as you can counteract the inflammation it can cause. This does not provide you an “out” per say it just provides you freedom if you go to a party, want to go out to eat, etc. Eating healthy does not mean that you are restricted. So many people are afraid of restriction and deprivation. Restriction and deprivation is not the answer. You are making a choice to eat foods that are supportive of your body. This is a more powerful position rather than a disempowered suffering vibe. 

sugar vs carbohydrates

Coming Full Circle

The main difference between sugar and carbohydrates is the fiber content and the true nutrients it provides. At our weight loss center virginia beach, we educate people about nutrition to become empowered by the information. Once you own the information, how it feels in your body when you eat healthy, then you are well on your way to create weight loss virginia beach. 

Sugar provides only a very short burst of energy, whereas a complete carbohydrate (oats, for example) provides a very good source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and healthy carbohydrates that are metabolized into glycogen. Distinguishing between these types of sugar can help you determine what is healthy for you, and what is unhealthy for you in your diet. I am typically not an advocate of specific “diets”. I am more interested in people eating healthy overall, and making eating healthy more of a lifestyle than a diet. 

Keep it simple and limit your consumption of processed foods, and you will see a major difference in your body composition, strength, and energy levels. It really can be that simple. We are available to do a body composition assessment in our practice to provide you a baseline to your body fat, visceral fat, muscle tone, etc. This can be encouraging on the pathway to achieving your health goals.