Tag Archive for sugar

3 Easy Ways To Cut Back On Sugar Consumption

July 10, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

It’s tough to avoid sugar. It seems to be an ingredient in most everything.

But you can be more aware of the sweet stuff, and GenuLines can show you how.

3 Easy Ways To Cut Back On Sugar Consumption

You’re no doubt aware of the explosion of processed foods and the sugary drinks and snacks in society. Especially refined sugar.
 
And there are potential health problems associated with excessive sugar consumption.
 
Things like increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It’s important that you read nutrition labels and be mindful of how much sugar you’re taking in daily.
sugar cubes
Think of the damage this causes. It rots our teeth.
 
It gives us Type II Diabetes. And it contributes to the obesity epidemic in the western world.
 
What’s more, added sugar has found its way into all sorts of foods we consume on a daily basis. And it isn’t only the sugary breakfast cereal or the ice cream that is the culprit.
 
There’s sugar in our salad dressings, our frozen dinners, and pasta sauce to give you a few examples.
 
What can we do to cut back on the amount of sugar we consume on a daily basis? Let’s start by cutting out some of the big offenders.

Cut The Soda and Other Sugary Drinks

Let’s start with something easy that will also have a huge impact. Stop drinking soda and other sugary drinks.
 
This includes what seem like innocent things.
 
It could be the sweet tea you’re enjoying. Or the fancy coffee drink.
 
But, it could also be your favorite juice beverage. Look at the labels and figure out how many teaspoons of sugar you’re drinking each day.
 
Then cut them out.
Stick to water, black coffee and herbal tea for a few days. It’s not an easy transition, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Stop Indulging In Sugar Laden Treats

Next it’s time to give up your favorite sugary treats. Enjoy a bowl of oatmeal or scramble up some eggs instead of pouring a bowl of sweet cereal.
 
Skip the muffin, cake, cookies and candy. Instead reach for a piece of fruit or cut up some fresh veggies.
 
Find sugar free or low-sugar replacements for your favorite treats. Fix a sandwich if you’re hungry in the afternoon instead of raiding the cookie jar.
 
Or grab some cheese and crackers. Do your best to train your brain and taste buds to not crave sweet treats all day long.

Stick To Real Food

Finally, work on reducing the added sugars. They sneak into your diet via all sorts of convenience foods.
 
Anything that’s labeled low fat, fat free or gluten free is worth avoiding. The fat in these items is usually replaced by lots of sugar and salt to make them palatable.
 
Your best bet is to stick to real food. Stick with single ingredients and cook your meals from scratch. This allows you to control what’s going into the food you eat – including the sugar.
 
JohnK 7-10-2023
 
stick man hears about sugar dangersOverheard: “An overdose of praise is like 10 lumps of sugar in coffee: only a very few people can swallow it”
                                                        ~Emily Post
 
 
disclaimer for sugar

Food And Drink And Your Anxiety

July 21, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments
Anxiety is something we connect to the conditions around us. The bad stuff is always “out there.”
 
But GenuLines looks at how the things around you are impacted by what goes inside you. 
 
microphone for speaking about anxiety

 

 

 

 

 

Food And Drink And Your Anxiety

If you’re feeling anxiety you might tend to blame your environment. But what you eat and drink can have a big effect on your body’s chemistry.
 
Some foods and drinks may actually worsen your anxiety. Here are some of the culprits.
 
picture of anxiety
 
 
Drinks

-Coffee

As you might have expected, the caffeine in coffee can make anxiety worse. It causes constriction of blood vessels and that feeling of the “jitters.”
 
It can also cause or worsen insomnia. And it inhibits the absorption of Vitamin C, a key nutrient for optimal mind and body function.

-Soft Drinks and Colas

Even caffeine-free, sugar-free soft drinks, can worsen your anxiety. The high-acid content of dark colas produces an acidic environment in the body.
 
This process sets off a reaction that leaches calcium and magnesium from your bones. Both of these minerals are crucial to proper brain and muscle function.
 
In fact, reduced calcium and magnesium impedes muscle relaxation.
 
That increases muscle tension.
 
So if you choose a clear, caffeine-free, sugar-free soft drink, it won’t worsen your anxiety, right? Wrong!
 
The artificial sweetener in these drinks, aspartame, may have significant cognitive effects. It may actually worsen the psychological aspect of anxiety.
 

-Alcohol

Alcohol seems like a good option for anxiety sufferers. But over-consumption can worsen depression and inhibit the absorption of key nutrients.
 

Foods

-Chocolate
Chocolate is often called the “feel-good” food. But it contains significant caffeine and large amounts of sugar. Next, we’ll take a look at sugar.
 

-Excessive Sugar

By “excessive,” some nutritionists mean anything over 5 tablespoons of refined sugar daily. While you may think that would be easy, it’s not.
 
Sugar is in almost everything, and 5 tablespoons is a bit more than 1/4 cup. If you drink several large glasses of sweet iced tea, you can take in close to 1/4 cup of sugar.
 
And that doesn’t take into account the sugar in your food. This sugar is either hidden (such as in frozen foods) or obvious (such as “frosted” cereals).
 
So why is sugar a problem? For one thing, the body uses Vitamin B6.
 
It’s crucial to mood and proper hormone function and metabolizing sugar. But sugar depletes your body of this and other important nutrients.
 
It can also create high and low moods, and bring on a post-sugar “crash,” or low blood sugar.

-Refined Flour

Refined flour acts much like sugar in the body. And it has none of the essential fatty acids, fiber, and other nutrients that whole grains do.
 

-Processed Foods

Many processed foods are full of preservatives, artificial flavors, and artificial colors. Some of these can pass through the blood-brain barrier, affecting cognitive function.
 
Then there’s yellow #5. This is often found in candy, gum, margarine, and other processed foods.
 
It can disrupt the hormone balance in the body.
 
Think about what you put into your body. It can go a long way toward keeping you calm. 
 
JohnK 7-21-2020
 
Stick figure hears about anxietyOverheard: “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.”
                                             ~Charles Spurgeon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for anxiety
 

5 Great Reasons To Cut The Sugar From Your Diet

June 3, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Sugar is sweet. We know that.

But GenuLines reminds you that cutting back on sugar can sweeten your overall health. microphone for reasons to cut sugar

 

 

 

 

reasons to cut sugar

 

5 Great Reasons To Cut The Sugar From Your Diet                                        

reasons to cut sugarThere’s been a lot of talk in the media about the evils of sugar consumption. Sugar is hiding in all sorts of foods including bread and salad dressing.

 
 
 
 
Add to that our love for things like cookies and ice cream and it’s no wonder our sugar intake is skyrocketing. Unfortunately, all this added sugar is doing a lot of damage to our health.
 
And it’s causing weight gain like never before.
 
banner to counter sugar
 
It’s time to cut added sugar from our diets. Here are five reasons why you should do a sugar detox and do as much as possible to avoid sugar consumption.

Consuming Sugar Spikes Your Insulin

As soon as your body starts to digest sugar, your insulin spikes up. Insulin is the hormone that’s in charge of keeping blood sugar levels from rising too high.
 
It converts extra sugar into fat for storage. This is a delicate process. Consuming sugar in large quantities will cause your insulin to spike.
 
The insulin then faces more than it can handle. Over time it becomes less and less effective.
 
This is when you get a negative effect on your health.

Consuming Sugar Makes You Gain Weight

Because of the insulin and because sugar adds a lot of calories to food. It can make you gain weight and you don’t have to be eating a lot of candy and cakes for that to happen.
 
Health authorities tell you to watch and lower your fat intake. The food industry gives us all sorts of low fat and fat-free food options.
 
But, to make these low-fat foods taste o.k, they added a lot of sugar. Take a look at regular and low fat or fat-free salad dressing.
 
The lower fat options have a lot more carbs and in particular, sugar.
 
You may not taste it, but it’s there. Sugar gets digested a lot faster than fat.
 
You’re hungry sooner after consuming a low-fat meal, so you eat again. The end result is weight gain.

Consuming Sugar Increases Your Risk For Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

With all that increased sugar and weight gain comes a higher risk for diabetes. And a condition called metabolic syndrome.
 
This is a group of symptoms and behaviors that put you at a much higher risk for heart disease and Type II diabetes. The good news is that both conditions are reversible.
 
The first step is to cut out the sugar.
 
Sugar Doesn’t Have A Lot of Nutritional Value And It Makes You Hungrier
Remember that aside from a little boost of energy, sugar doesn’t provide a lot of nutritional value. If you want something sweet, you’re much better off grabbing a piece of fruit than a cookie.
 
At least with a piece of fruit, you’re getting some vitamins and fiber with your sugar fix. If you want or need to lose weight, begin by cutting out sugar.
 
It causes spikes in your blood sugar.
 
These make your body produce a large amount of insulin to pull the sugar out of your system (and convert it to body fat). The sad little side effect of that process is that your blood sugar goes on a roller coaster ride.
 
This nowhere ride will leave you hungry and craving more sugary treats. 
 
JohnK 6-3-2020
 
 
Stick figure hears about sugarOverheard: “I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.”
                                          ~Og Mandino
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for sugar use