Days 16-18 of my NO SUGAR Journey: The Good Sugar, Glucose

We often hear people talking about how our bodies do in fact need sugar to survive. 

They talk about how sugar is our main source of energy. 

This can be very miss leading and most of the time the people making these statements don't fully understand what they are referring to. 

Today we are going to properly explain, in simple terms, exactly what they are referring to. 

When people talk about sugar being our body's main energy source, they are referring to Glucose. 

Glucose is the form of energy we were designed to run on. 

It is a simple sugar found in the body used by every cell as a form of energy. 

So yes, you do need "healthy sugar" but no, you do not need to eat sugar to produce that "healthy sugar". 

Let me explain. 

Your body turns everything you eat into a simple sugar called glucose. 

This is done through a process called gluconeogenesis. 

(That's the only massive scientific word I'll use today, I promise.) 

This simple sugar is then deposited into your blood stream and gives your body energy. 

Here is where the confusion lies:

You do not need to eat sugar in order for your body to produce this very important sugar. 

Your body will turn proteins and healthy fats (like meats, veggies, avocado, nuts, olive oil...) into glucose, the simple sugar that your body needs. 

Let me say that again. 

Your body turns PROTEINS AND HEALTHY FATS into healthy sugar. 

"Are you saying I don't need to eat sugar to get sugar?" 

YES!!!

In fact, since the beginning of time, this is the way human bodies have always received energy until this generation. 

So ya!  You don't need to eat sugar to get this heathy sugar, and I'll tell you why. 

80% of glucose is instantly used by all the organs in your body while the other 20% goes to your liver, is metabolized and then stored for later use. 

If you eat things like cookies, candies, cake, donuts... and hey while we're at it... ketchup, most cereals, ranch dressing, most brands of any kind of juice, ice cream, a frapuccino or most coffee drinks... the list goes on, your body will produce tooooo much glucose and what the liver is not able to store will be stored as fat. 

Keep in mind, you're also consuming fructose sugar with these kinds of food and as we said before, fructose is processed by the liver, so you're really putting your liver through a lot. 

Your body can also produce glucose from things like rice, pastas and breads but most people over eat this and again, too much glucose is produced so it gets stored as fat. 

This is why a lot of diets will recommend just half a cup of rice with each meal, or half a slice of bread. 

But no one talks about the fact that you can get more then enough glucose, or body sugar, from proteins and healthy fats. 

Your body is going to make that healthy sugar from the healthy food you eat, so you don't need to consume more sugar, contrary to popular belief.  

So if you're telling yourself that you're eating sugar to "be healthy" you're lying to yourself and what's actually happening is you're storing fat because foods containing added sugar will be too much for your body to process in a healthy way. 

We are not designed to eat large amounts of refined sugar. 

So to recap: 

Most of the foods with added sugar contain fructose, and the body processes fructose in a very different way then glucose. 

Your body turns everything you eat into simple sugar (glucose) and if you're eating foods with added sugar (which will most likely contain fructose), your body is going to go bananas and store all that extra sugar as fat. 

So all you really need is proteins and heathy fats.

If you want to add bread, rice or pasta in there you have to make sure you're not eating too much, cause that will get stored as fat as well. 

This is the truth about sugar. 

If someone tells you "you need sugar for energy" you can say "I know. That's why my body will turn all the healthy food I eat into sugar for me." 

If they're confused, just have them read this blog. 

I really hope that clarifies things for us all because I know how frustrating it can be to eat sugary foods and wonder why the heck I'm getting fat, or plateauing, if my body is suppose to be burning sugar for energy when I work out. 

The good sugar, glucose! 

This was one crazy busy weekend and I apologize for being MIA for a few days. 

I've been either singing and researching glucose so that I can properly inform you. 

I'm happy to report that there were no slip ups this weekend. This girl is still sugar free! 

We have a gig this weekend if anyone is interested! Check us out on Facebook. Our band is called Buena Onda. 

Joyful in all things, 

                   Daisy Julia