Just because it is derived from a whole food does not mean it is good for fat loss. Heck, just because something is a whole food doesn’t mean it is good for fat loss! I’ll be super straight forward about this: dried fruit is not a fat loss food. In fact, in many cases it contains more sugar than a candy bar and it does not and will not trigger our satiety signals. (PS: If you want more info, tips, recipes & workouts, make sure you get on the free VIP e-newsletter list!)
Total grams of sugar per 100 grams of the following foods
Dried fruit often contains added sugar and preservatives
1/2 cup of fresh cranberries contains 2g of sugar. 1/2 cup of dried cranberries contains 37g sugar.
The type of sugar most common in dried fruit is fructose. Fructose is the single most lipogenic carbohydrate (most likely to be converted to and stored as fat) and it also does not trigger our satiety signals (feelings of fullness)
The concentrated delivery of fiber and sugar (with the water removed) can cause GI distress in many people.
In today’s episode we take a closer look at the master fat loss hormone: insulin. We talk about how it turns off fat burning, how it impacts health, energy, hunger and cravings and how to know if you’ve developed insulin resistance. We’ll also talk about understanding fat loss in light of insulin resistance and what you can do to improve your body’s overall sensitivity to insulin.
In this episode we’re talking about how fruit today is VASTLY different from fruit even just 50 years ago. We’re talking about the changes in agriculture & how they impact our food. Then we dive into fructose, the sugar naturally found in fruit, and how it is the single most LIPOGENIC carbohydrate. What does that mean? It is most easily converted to fat when compared to ALL other carbohydrates. We discuss how fructose accelerates the aging process and what you can do about it.
The problem: Today I want to talk about fruit. It might seem like an odd choice because this certainly isn’t one of those nutritional big rocks that are either making people fat or preventing people from losing weight. However, I believe that the particular form of sugar within fruit, fructose, IS. So we’re going to talk about fruit and the sugar it contains, known as fructose. People have always viewed fruit as a healthy snack, but our fruit has changed. It hardly resembles the fruit our grandparents enjoyed – in flavor, size & nutrient composition – so IT has changed, but we haven’t changed our perspective. Not only that, but we have taken fructose, the powerful sweetener naturally found in fruit, and essentially used it for evil. Evil that is making us very sick and very unhealthy.
Our fruit has changed. It hardly resembles fruit from 50 years ago, nevermind 100 or 1,000 years ago!! In this episode we talk about the changes that have reduced the nutrient composition of our fruits including premature harvest, transportation, soil depletion, genetic modification and cross breeding. The end result is this: our fruit just doesn’t deliver as many nutrients as it used to. Now, it has much more water and much more sugar.
Fructose, the naturally occuring sugar found in fruit is now being used in almost all processed foods as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is the #1 source of calories in the standard American diet! Ahhh! That’s horrifying!!! You can find it in soda, cookies, soup, yogurt, salad dressings, bread, cereals, protein shakes & bars, ketchup, bacon, peanut butter, mustard, beer….the list goes on and on. If you’re eating processed foods, you can’t escape HFCS.
The solution & the facts:
Fructose is THE MOST lipogenic carbohydrate. In plain English: when compared to allllll other carbohydrates, fructose is the most easily and readily converted to fat.
Fructose encourages muscle and fat cells to become insulin resistant. Remember that insulin dictates fat storage/fat release.
Fructose is 20-30x more glycating than glucose. What does this mean? We explain it in detail in the episode, but essentially, it accelerates the aging progress, leads to fine lines and wrinkles & impairs blood flow.
Fructose does not trigger satiety signals.
You’ve got to be very, very aware of all the places you’re introducing HFCS into your diet and start to eliminate it. You don’t need to eliminate fruit, but also don’t view it as this holy grail of health & fitness. It’s not.
Practical Implementation:
Choose locally grown, seasonal, organic fruits
Treat fruit as it is – a carbohydrate. For maximum fat loss, limit your consumption of fruit to your dinner time meal or post workout
Read labels. Look for HFCS in unexpected places like processed meats, condiments & protein bars
Limit or eliminate processed foods. THIS IS CRITICAL for health & fat loss.
Resources:
For detailed information on carbohydrate strategies for fat loss including more on fruit, wheat, oats, gluten plus strategies for improving your carbohydrate tolerance, check out the comprehensive carbs & fat loss ecourse! Follow the link below and use the coupon code Primal10 to get lifetime access for only $69 (including troubleshooting help from me on demand!) https://www.udemy.com/carb-strategies/?couponCode=Primal10
How do you tame your sweet tooth? In this episode we’re talking about both long term and immediate strategies for taming your sweet tooth WITHOUT restriction & deprivation so you can reach your fat loss goals and enjoy your food along the way.
Question: “I have great intentions but sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me. How can I tame this crazy sweet tooth?!”
Answer: First & foremost you need to work to build up your pleasure associations with the attainment of your goals. I walk you through exactly how to do that in this episode.
You’ll also want to figure out what “clean cheats” you can build into your day so you can enjoy sweet treats and still reach your goals. These will be healthy alternatives such as:
A 1-ounce square of dark chocolate
Trail mix with dark chocolate (watch out for the dried fruit – its just a little sack of sugar)
Protein bars (see my recommendation below)
Protein pudding (you can make this with the protein powder listed below or buy Fit & Lean Protein Pudding)
Baked apple (just chop up an apple and toss with liquid stevia, cinnamon, vanilla extract and bake for 20 minutes)
Chocolate avocado mousse (puree 1/2 an avocado with 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder and top with some fresh raspberries)
For detailed information on carbohydrate strategies for fat loss including more on fruit, wheat, oats, gluten plus strategies for improving your carbohydrate tolerance, check out the comprehensive carbs & fat loss ecourse! Follow the link below and use the coupon code Primal10 to get lifetime access for only $69 (including troubleshooting help from me on demand!) https://www.udemy.com/carb-strategies/?couponCode=Primal10
On today’s episode, “How to Overcome Sugar Addiction & Cravings”, we’re talking about the truth behind sugar addiction, cravings & what you can do to overcome them! We even identify 5 ways to tell if you’re addicted to sugar! Changing your eating habits is very hard but it can feel nearly impossible when you’re legitimately addicted to sugar or constantly confronted with strong cravings for sweets.
Common Obstacle: Trying to make any healthy dietary changes can be incredibly difficult when you’re battling intense cravings or sugar addiction. Even when we WANT to eat healthy and make better choices, sometimes the cravings and draw to sugary treats can be so strong that it almost feels like we don’t even have the power to deny them. Our best intentions can be overcome by cravings and a physiological NEED for sugar.
Primal Potential Solution: First we need to understand that sugar truly IS biologically addictive. In this episode we talk about research that proves the addictive qualities of sugar. In fact, some studies suggest that sugar may be as addictive as cocaine. We discuss how the brain responds to sugar and how those responses manifest in our bodies as cravings. We talk about how cravings create both a desire for pleasure AND a strong sense of urgency, making them very hard to ignore. Then we go into pratical steps you can take to break free from your sugar cravings and addiction and avoid ever falling into the trap again. Want to know if you’re addicted to sugar? Dr. Mark Heyman suggests evaluating the following 5 signs that you might be addicted to sugar:
You consume certain foods even if you aren’t hungry because of strong cravings
You worry about cutting down on certain foods
You feel sluggish or fatigued from overeating
You have health or social problems (affecting your work or school) because of food issues but you keep eating the way you do despite negative consequences
You need more and more of the foods you crave to experience pleasure or reduce negative emotions.
Practical Implementation: This episode gives three different options for strategies that will allow you to overcome sugar addiction & cravings. We talk about specific strategies for reducing or removing sugar gradually as well as the pros and cons of jumpstart and detox programs.
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[ctt title=”All foods that spike blood sugar are biologically addictive” tweet=”All foods that spike blood sugar are biologically addictive” coverup=”00Cm2″]
Resources:
For detailed information on carbohydrate strategies for fat loss including more on fruit, wheat, oats, gluten plus strategies for improving your carbohydrate tolerance, check out the comprehensive carbs & fat loss ecourse! Follow the link below and use the coupon code Primal10 to get lifetime access for only $69 (including troubleshooting help from me on demand!) https://www.udemy.com/carb-strategies/?couponCode=Primal10
