Is Sugar the real devil?

In an industry where people look for the quick fix and the one answer that fits all, it's easy to get caught up in blanket statements which sometimes aren't applicable, are out of context or just aren't true. 

Today I wanted to speak about the demonising of sugar and how over the past few years this has affected our lives and why we that should not be the focal point for fat loss.

The above chart shows the relation between sugar intake and obesity in the US. As seen, there is a positive correlation up until around the late 1990's, then, the average sugar consumption seems to drop but the rate of obesity still rises. Why is that? What are we missing? 

The main causes of obesity are lifestyle factors such as daily activity levels and total daily calorie intake. The combination of lack of activity and consistent habitual overeating (regardless of food groups) lead to obesity. Fact. The graph above proves that not a singular food group causes obesity, though there is correlation to a certain point, correlation doesn't mean there is causation. 

Taken this information aside, over consumption of sugar can lead to obesity as food that has high sugar content usually are very calorie dense and less satiating. This means we could easily overeat our caloric goals for the day if we only ate sugar but the fact is that ANY food group can cause this, whether it come from fats, proteins or carbohydrates. The key is to eat within our caloric goals and stay active to maintain a healthy level of body fat. 

But how many calories should you eat?

This all depends on your individual stats such as age, weight, gender and lifestyle. 

Want to find out how much to eat and how to manage your food intake? Come in for a free consultation to discuss further.

Dan