With the new year upon us, many of us are re-booting our diets and re-committing ourselves to healthier living. So my question is calorie for calorie which is worse for you? Sugar or Fat? For starters sugar only has 4 calories per gram while fat has 9 calories per gram. It seems obvious that the high calorie fat would be worse for your body. You might be surprised.
The fact of the matter, which apparently many try to argue, is that fat is not the enemy of your weight. You haven’t gained weight just because of the high amount of fat that you’ve been consuming. Fat, in moderate amounts, is not bad for you at all despite the myths that claim it is. It’s actually quite good to consume 30% of your calories daily from good fats.
The Truth about Fat Consumption
In studies that were conducted with the purpose of figuring out whether fat really was harmful to a human being, it was concluded that fat actually isn’t the enemy of it all. For years, people have tried to portray fat as something that can affect not just your weight, but your health as well. However, as the study unraveled, researchers found that those who maintained a low-fat diet didn’t really have reduced risk of developing medical conditions such as breast cancer or heart disease.
So, What Is The Culprit?
Despite what claims might have been made, the culprit is definitely sugar – not fat. People who consume high amounts of sugar don’t just gain weight but also experience medical conditions that could be a serious risk to their health. This is mainly because when we consume sugar in high amounts, but without a proper amount of balance, it results in a dramatic increase in blood sugar levels and insulin – which thus, creates the feeling of being hungry and angry, in addition to medical issues. Excessive sugar consumption causes high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes, and has a direct link to heart disease. Excessive sugar in the blood stream and a fatty liver cause inflammation inside the heart and leads to the build-up of plaque.
What You Should Do With All This Information
Now that you know that you don’t really need to cut fat out of your diet, you’re probably wondering what sort of a diet you should adopt in order to lose weight efficiently. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
§ First and foremost, cut back on sugar and cheap carbs. Ideally you need to maintain a diet that is truly “refined sugar-free”. That doesn’t mean you should head to the store and pick up things that have the words ‘sugar-free’ plastered across the packaging – just make sure you know what you’re eating. Artificial sweeteners have been shown in recent studies to actually increase weight gain. So stick with real whole nutrient dense foods. If it is processed or artificial steer clear.
§ Change your choice of snacks. This is certainly not that difficult to do, but if you’re in love with cereal, you should change that habit first and foremost. Start snacking on nuts or plants. A little goes a long way! Even a small change of vegetable snacks over fruits will reduce your sugar intake and benefit your metabolism.
§ Start integrating Omega-3 into your diet. Omega 3 is exceptionally good for you, especially if you want to lose weight. Not only will it help you lose weight, it’ll also do wonders for your skin and nails, and your hair too! I correct balance of Omega 3-6-9 can go a long way to reducing inflammation in the body. The modern American diet is very high on Omega-6 and low on Omega-3, so add some fish oil or flax oil to re-balance your good fats.
§ Recognize fats and incorporate them into your diet. Not all fats are good for you, but not all of them are bad for you either. Do your research and figure out which ones you should be consuming. My simple rule of thumb is avoid trans-fats like the plague, switch to whole milk, full fat dairy products, add more fish and nuts into your diet and enjoy the benefits of good fats. You’ll feel fuller and more satisfied, longer; and you’ll eat less and your meals will be more flavorful.
