Why Sugar-Free is ruining your health

 

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Sugar-free cookies, reduced-sugar cereal, sugar-free candy, diet soda… are these better for you? The answer: an overwhelming no. After sugar became a taboo in the nutrition and wellness world, sugar-free food items and beverages acted as substitutes for once beloved sweet drinks and snacks. Claiming to be ZERO sugar meant it was healthier, better for diabetics, and helped you slim down… Right?

WRONG!  Sugar-free is not better for you. 

What Does “Sugar-Free” Mean?

Sugar-free means that artificial sweeteners are used instead of real sugar. The problem: these sweeteners do not come from natural sources and they can cause you more harm than good.

What are Artificial Sweeteners?

If you are looking for sweeteners without sugar, artificial sweeteners seem like a great option. Unfortunately, it seems that sugar-free sugar may be even worse than actual sugar! Artificial sweeteners can cause a spike in blood glucose, heighten sugar cravings, and disturb your gut. 

Let’s get into what these artificial sweeteners actually are…

Sugar-Free Sugar

Sugar-free sugar sounds wrong and that’s because there is no such thing as sugar-free sugar. Some of these sugar-free alternatives even contain sugar and the ones that don’t have chemicals your body often does not know how to process.

Most artificial sweeteners are exponentially sweeter than sugar so very little is needed. That’s why they can market sugar-free alternatives as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie.” It also means that you get no nutritional value from consuming them which is why many sugar-free substitutes are classified as “non-nutritive.” 

These artificial sweeteners tend to hide under sneaky names. Here are a few of the most common. It is so important to read labels, not just on sweets, but everything. 

Saccharin 

A.K.A. Sweet’N Low

Saccharin is sometimes combined with aspartame, another artificial sweetener. It was previously considered carcinogenic (meaning cancer-causing) because the rats who were consuming it began to develop tumors. After it got banned, not that long ago, researchers told consumers there was no evidence to believe that it caused cancer in humans.

Suspicious? You decide. 

How much sweeter is saccharin than sugar? 300-400 times.

Aspartame

A.K.A. NutraSweet and Equal 

When aspartame breaks down in your body, it becomes methanol which is toxic in large doses. It is often found in diet products and gum.  

***While aspartame is FDA approved, and low-calorie, it is commonly believed as bad for your body. Health side effects of aspartame? Schizophrenia, seizures, and cancer. 

How much sweeter is aspartame than sugar? 200 times. 

Sucralose

A.K.A. Splenda 

Sucralose comes from real sugar but is altered with added chemicals like chlorine so that less is needed to achieve sweetness. However, most sucralose is mixed with other products like dextrose. Ironically, dextrose is corn-based sugar.  

Health side effects from sucralose include diabetes, IBS, and weight gain. 

How much sweeter is sucralose than sugar? 600 times.

Acesulfame Potassium

A.K.A. Ace-K, Acesulfame K, Sunnett, or Sweet One

Ace-K is usually blended with sucralose or aspartame to cut its bitter taste. They often use it in baked goods because it is stable when heated, unlike other artificial sweeteners. 

Ace-K is one of those sugar-free sweeteners that was linked to maybe, possibly causing cancer in rats. There were also possibilities of brain decline associated with ingesting this artificial sweetener. Another health consequence? Ace-K impacts your gut and not in a good way.

How much sweeter is acesulfame potassium than sugar? 200 times.

Is “Sugar-Free” Harmful?

Unless you have stock in sugar-free alternatives then the answer is YES!. Sugar-free = harmful. 

What Does Sugar-Free Do to Your Body?

When you eat sweet stuff, your body continues to crave it and, even though your body cannot metabolize these sugar-free alternatives, your brain does not know the difference. In turn, sugar-free alternatives connect to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Ironically, the health conditions they were invented to minimize. 

Artificial sweeteners also confuse your gut, damaging your gut’s ability to break down sugar which impacts everything you eat. In other words, your body doesn’t know how to handle artificial sweeteners because they have nothing real to process.

Wait! But… Is sugar-free good for diabetics?

Again, a mixed verdict. While many artificial sweeteners were invented to provide diabetics with sweeteners that were sugar-free, artificial sweeteners can increase your chance of developing type 2 diabetes! 

A good rule of thumb: stay away from artificial sweeteners and look for non-sugar, natural sweeteners like Stevia, Xylitol, or date sugar

Artificial Sweeteners vs. Sugar

In the war against artificial sweeteners and real sugar, both lose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural sugars that come from fruits and stay away from products claiming to be sugar-free or diet!

Bottom line? Don't play Russian roulette with your health. If you HAVE to have something sweet, opt for natural sugars that are in Fruits. And contrary to what you hear, fruit is actually good for diabetics. 

*** More info here from WHO: 

World Health Organization says No to Artificial Sweeteners

How to increase Stamina

How to increase Stamina

Excellent article on how to increase Stamina. First of all, what is Stamina? It is “the ability to sustain the prolonged physical or mental effort,” 

The benefits of Increased Stamina are, you will be able to:

• Run faster for longer distances
• Lift heavier weights for more reps
• Take more prolonged, more strenuous hikes 
• Push through perceived pain, discomfort, and fatigue
• Perform daily activities with high energy levels

Stamina is the underlying factor behind improving other fitness goals. Improving your stamina will enable you to push longer and harder during endurance exercise, allows you to powerfully lift weights during strength training, and helps you move faster without tiring.

***One thing I have noticed that has really helped with my stamina is doing Squats and it's made a huge impact on my fitness level. 

Ways to Increase Stamina:

Go for long walks: 

Going for long walks of 30 to 60 minutes is a phenomenal way to build endurance, especially for beginners. 

Increase Your Running Distance or Time:

 Go the distance for stamina. Because stamina combines endurance, speed, and strength, challenge yourself to maintain your usual running pace for a minute longer. When you can do that, add another minute. Your stamina should continue to improve this way for a while, although everyone has limits on how far and fast they can run. 

Run Hills and Stairs:

If increasing your running distance or time doesn’t sound fun (we don’t blame you), vary the running instead. Adding hill runs to your routine can make a huge difference in your stamina if you live near hills or hiking trails. Alternatively, stairs and bleachers work, too. Running in an uphill manner challenges your lungs and legs alike. 

Try High-Volume Weightlifting:

Studies show that volume is the number-one variable in resistance training that improves fitness. Volume refers to the total load you lift in a session, day, or week. It’s calculated by multiplying the weight by reps.

In general, continually increasing your volume benefits your fitness. For example, if you perform three sets of 10 squats at 100 pounds, find your total volume by multiplying three by 10 by 100. The total volume comes out to 3,000 pounds. 

Decrease Rest Intervals During Workouts:

One surefire way to improve your stamina is to allow yourself less rest time (unless you’re lifting very heavy weights, in which case you should rest three to five minutes between sets for optimal strength gains).

Studies show that decreasing rest intervals while performing moderate- to high-intensity exercise increases physical performance and body composition. Shortening your rest interval forces you to perform more work in less time, which in theory, should support improvements in stamina. 

Try Cycling: 

Riding a bike in any fashion—mountain biking, road biking, or indoor cycling—can improve your stamina if you push the pace (and the terrain if you’re outside). Indoor cycling in particular is proven to increase aerobic capacity, a major contributor to stamina, as well as other health markers.

Mountain biking may be more effective at increasing muscular endurance and power due to the increased and variable resistance. Outdoor cycling in general can boost cardiovascular stamina, improving fitness levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease.

Play Sports:

Most sports require complex skill sets that may be outside your comfort zone. If you’re used to lifting weights, running, or other relatively monotonous movements, swapping one workout weekly for a sports game is a great way to hone other physical skills. Again, destructuring your fitness routine could if counterintuitively, improve your stamina and fitness. 

For instance, a soccer game includes sprinting, jogging, walking, cutting, kicking, dodging, and even throwing, depending on your position. Intermingling these different movements provides a fun and challenging way to improve stamina. 

Listen to Music While Exercising: (my fave!)

Everyone knows a good song can pump you up for your workout. Listening to music brings people joy and energy, and this remains true during exercise. Listening to upbeat music during your workout might boost your performance in a number of ways, from reducing your perception of fatigue distracting you from the strain of your workout, and making exercise feel easier

Drink Caffeine Before Exercising: (just a little)

If you’re looking for a one-off way to improve your stamina, consuming a bit of caffeine before your workout might help. Studies show caffeine is a great pre-workout supplement because it can increase your energy, mood, and physical capacities. However, the effect seems more significant in men than women and you should be careful not to become reliant on caffeine. 

Don’t Forget to Rest and Recover:

Finally, make sure you have recovery days scheduled into your workout routine. Contrary to popular belief, the actual act of exercising isn’t what improves your fitness—it’s the repair and rebuild phase that does.

Rest days are critical to your improvement over time. If you perform an intense workout every day, your body never gets the chance to recover. Thus it never has the opportunity to repair your muscles.